A/N: Annyeong!  I'm so sorry for the two weeks and the lack of updates!!!  Wah, I have so many new subscribers, thank you so much!!!  I bet you guys liked the last chapter, huh?  ^^  Kkeke, so let’s get on with chapter 3!  Go Go Go!

Brown eyes peered down into the darkness below, its ominous aura threatening to spew out from the rugged edges.  Deep cracks ran down and jagged across the stone surface, revealing the weathered and vulnerability it has attained with age.  Like its dull appearance, the bottom reflected nothing back; not the sky that towered from above, nor its visitors.

Areum unconsciously tightened her grip against the back of his shirt.  “Is this it?” She asked quietly to the person standing next to her.  When he didn’t answer right away, she slowly shifted her gaze up. And they winced when she saw the fear and regret flashing in his red-trimmed eyes. 

Yoseob bit his bottom lip in frustration.  “Maybe we shouldn’t…” He faltered as he tried to pull away, but Areum held fast on.  “You promised.”

The demon sighed.  “You haven’t forgotten,” He mumbled.  Areum shook her head.  “You know I have already made up my mind. And,” She continued, almost as if she wasn’t talking to Yoseob and rather to herself, “We could’ve gotten here much faster if it weren’t for oppa’s high fever.”

“And whose fault was it for making me stand outside so long in the pouring rain last time?” Yoseob retaliated, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a hint of accusation.  Areum could not help but smile ruefully at his witty comment.   “Mianhae,” She said, trying to swallow down a tiny giggle, “Cheongmal mianhae, oppa.”

Yoseob scoffed at her failed attempt of a serious apology, but nonetheless found himself smiling as he recalled the after-effects since that rainy week.  Since he was living on Earth, Yoseob’s demon powers were constricted of its full stats, and that meant his recuperating abilities have weakened slightly to be around the same period as a normal human.  So the only solution left was bed rest, which Yoseob found extremely painful and boring to cope with.  He wasn’t used to relaxing around the house the whole day; he wanted to do something: play the piano, teach, or even fly around for a little bit at night. 

But the stupid fever stopped him from even walking to the balcony window.  The only thing Yoseob looked forward to was her company.  Areum had stayed faithfully at his side the entire time, changing his towel whenever it got too hot, feeding him meals, and sometimes she just remained near his bedside the whole day, tending to his sickness.  Yoseob was touched, and even a little embarrassed by her actions to care for him in such a state, but he still savoured every moment of their time together. 

And now they stand, the two facing an ancient dried up well in front of them.  The entrance to the demon realm. 

Yoseob led Areum closer to the edge of the well.  The blackness inside stretched on forever, as if it had no end to the bottom.  The demon then grabbed her hand and trapped her fingers beneath his in a tight grip. 

“No matter what happens, don’t let go of my hand.” Yoseob said, his voice turning grave.  Areum nodded and she squeezed her hand back in response to his order. 

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Yoseob began to speak.  Strange words, mixed together in a series of complex chants, and from his palm something starts to form.  The object turned more circular, darker, until it resembled the appearance of a black pearl churning in midair.  With a flick of his wrist, Yoseob sent the pulsing-like gem flying into the mouth of the well, and to Areum’s fascination and horror, black flames began to spew up and out the edges.  The last thing she could remember were her feet scrambling to get away from the incoming blazes, and her saviour’s arms encasing her body as her mind went blank.

-////Demon Realm////-

“Areum…”

“Areum-ah…”

The girl stirred faintly, her eyelids struggling to open up and see who was calling her.  Fighting back the intense white glare that threatened to blind her eyes, Areum’s brown orbs flickered awake, and soon she gasped in disbelief at the sight before her.

A gigantic moon towered above her head, its size nearly extending beyond the invisible skyline.  The circular rock loomed so close to the mortal girl, as if it was just within an arm’s distance.  She reached up her hand, almost like an innocent and curious child seeing the moon for the first time, to try and see if she could grab it.  But something else stopped the girl in her tracks. 

Areum squinted against the silver light, her eyes in for another surprise as she discovered a formation circling her pale wrist.  It was bright red, which contrasted against her hand’s blockage of the stark white moon.  It appeared to be a chain of unfamiliar symbols, spinning and rotating rapidly to wrap around her wrist like a bracelet, except it never touched her skin.  Areum’s eyes flew to her other hand lying numbly on the ground.  An identical flaming bracelet sat strumming on her left wrist. 

“Areum-ah, pali, we have to go,” Yoseob’s voice whispered in her ears.  He sounded close, yet far as he was nowhere to be seen.  The shadows concealed and blurred their faces and bodies, making Areum’s vision disfigured as she tried to figure out where her guardian stood.

“Oppa, where—”

“Well, well.  Look who’s decided to come back.”  A different voice rasped out from the darkness.  Areum froze. 

Heavy footsteps started to thump their way through, although slow, the agonizing speed made every inch in the girl’s body shake with fear.  She desperately tried to move, to shake her nerves from its paralysis, but with no success.  The footsteps got closer, and closer, until Areum could almost feel the ground beneath her fingers vibrate from his foot’s impact against the soil and dirt. 

“Welcome home, pipsqueak.”

Emerging from the shadows walked in the most hostile and fierce-looking creature that Areum had ever seen in her whole life.  His hair was a light shade of blonde, gelled and styled stiffly so that it resembled a mohawk on his head.  What made Areum’s blood pound in her ears was his upper appearance.  Bloodthirsty red eyes seemed to glare with such burning menace, while the dark rings that outlined his eyes only made it more frightening to bear.  He had sharp facial features, and a lean build, dressed entirely in black from neck to toe.  Elaborate tattoos covered the demon’s skin, some on his arms, hands, and near the base of his neck.    Areum shrank back in fear of his almighty presence.  He looked like a powerful being; a god of the underworld. 

“And who’s this?”  The demon continued in an amused manner, his mouth almost drawn back between a smirk and a snarl.  He was now so close to her that she could feel his breath on her neck.  She opened to scream, but before she could, Yoseob stepped in. 

“You have no business here, Junhyung.”  He snapped.  Areum peeked up to see her guardian with his back towards her, stopping in between the two.  The demon named Junhyung chuckled darkly under his breath.  “On the contrary, it would be quite rude of me to not greet my dear little brother…and his friend.” 

“This has nothing to do