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The strength of one Eternal surpassed that of ten thousand demons combined, and they possessed the ability to summon Hellfire at will. If an Eternal stepped between the lesser demons, their presence was unmistakable, not only due to the overwhelming demonic energy radiating off their forms but also because of the menacing weapons they carried on their backs.

Immortal wings.

An Eternal’s wings were more than an ornament or a mark of superiority. It was almost impossible to destroy an Eternal as long as he possessed his wings, the powerhouse of their demonic energy. Yet ironically, if the wings were ripped away from an eternal, destroying him would be just as difficult.

If separated from the Eternal’s body, their wings gained a conscience of their own and could find their way back to their masters. And worse still, even if reduced to ash, the wings could resurrect from their ashes, hence the name “immortal.”

Only three Eternals reigned at a time, their rule spanning from a few centuries to over a thousand years. After their reign was over, or if they wished to end it themselves, they would perish into the very Hellfire from which they were born, leaving the throne vacant for the next Eternal. Nothing in existence could destroy an Eternal other than the fire from which they were born.

Okay…so which category does Xen belong to? The thought popped in Evan’s mind, and he snorted. Probably somewhere below a low level.

Xen was basically a peasant in his realm. The thought was ridiculously delightful.

On the next page, Evan discovered a drawing, a meticulously detailed diagram of what looked like a gazebo with a spell carved in red ink on its floor. Below the diagram was another handwritten entry.

“31 October 1723,” the entry read. “Tonight, the Tomb of Ascension ignited with life once again. The redundant array came alive with my blood, and I witnessed the three thrones of the underworld reflecting in the pool of my crimson. It was breathtaking.”

Evan vaguely recalled reading about the Tomb of Ascension years ago when he was still learning his way into the supernatural world.

Long before Emberlyn was established, the area where the town now stood was a vacation spot for gods and beasts. It was described as the dwelling of a heavenly cold spring , where any illness and all injuries would heal, mortal or immortal. By some silent truce established between the heavens and hell, gods and demons agreed to use the Tomb of Ascension without conflicts.

The Tomb of Ascension, as its name suggested, was a tomb-shaped, four-pillared gateway, with a channel of Heavenly Spring Water circling it. The summoning array on the floor of the Tomb enabled non-human beings to hail onto earth without hassle.

For centuries, everything remained peaceful between the two races until one day, a demon brave enough to dispute with the gods emerged. He argued that the “ascension” in the Tomb of Ascension suggested it belonged to the demonic race rising from the Demon Realm. It didn’t say “descending” from Heaven, did it?

Though merely an argument, shortly after, many gods and goddesses stopped appearing through the Tomb of Ascension, their prides bruised from even being associated with anything related to the lesser race. They were divine beings that ruled from over the clouds. Those beasts of hell didn’t even come close to their power and status among the mortals.

When the gods abandoned the Tomb of Ascension, the demons eagerly took over the summoning gateway, using it as and when they desired. Until one day, a bolt of lightning from heavens struck the Tomb, breaking the summoning array. And with nothing to summon the deities or demons, the Tomb of Ascension lay deserted.

In this era, it would be somewhere around the Old Temple ruins.

Evan had a feeling that the “sudden lightning from the heavens” wasn’t a coincidence. Someone up in the clouds was probably jealous of all the fun the demons were having and decided to act petty.

But if this woman, Florence, had somehow managed to restore the array with her own blood, it was definitely possible that what she saw at the Tomb of Ascension was the realm of demons. And if that was true, the three thrones of the underworld… Could she have seen the Abyssal Trinity?

But weren’t they a rare species or something? How had she sighted them so easily?

Oh heavens, she hadn’t fucked one of the Demon Kings, had she?

Evan read through the pages once again to make sure he’d not left out any part when he found a small note scribbled laterally at the end of the passage.

“One throne was empty.”

Even though they ruled at the same time? Maybe that Eternal had just retired, and they were waiting for the birth of a successor at the time.

As Evan pondered over the topic, his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he fished it out, his heart suddenly stuttered at the text message flashing on the screen.

Cici : Hey. Finals are over. I’m coming home this weekend. Can I bring some friends?

Evan almost slipped from his place at the window as he clumsily bookmarked a finger between the pages of the grimoire and typed out a reply with his free hand.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

Okay. Don’t panic!

He typed a few words and deleted them. Typed and deleted again, then groaned low in his throat before forcing himself to calm down. After a moment as he regained his equilibrium, he typed out his response before hitting send.

Me : Sure.

Evan’s breathing turned erratic, and palpitations wrecked his arteries.

It was happening. Celie was finally coming home after a whole year of no visits or contact, and here Evan was having a heart attack. He glanced down at the book, then at his phone, and something struck him out of the blue.

Celie was coming home. Their home, which was infested with a demon peasant.

Evan bolted upright like a spring was let loose in his legs, and his panic doubled in intensity. “No. Fucking. Way.”

He didn’t know how he reached back home, whether he walked or ran or teleported. He just knew that he had to keep that damned demon away from his sister and possibly himself too. At least for the weekend.

As he hurried toward the main door of his house, however, he heard a few—two—familiar voices speaking inside.

Actually, one was speaking and the other was humming dryly in response. Recognizing both the voices, Evan dashed inside, praying for the first time in his life that he was hallucinating and hearing things. But when he entered the living room, he froze at the threshold.

Two sets of eyes turned towards him, one of them especially dark and fierce.

As soon as Xen saw him, his gaze softened infinitesimally, and he almost smiled like he usually did around Evan, but Aaron interrupted, throwing his arm around Evan’s shoulder. “Welcome back!”

Xen’s eyes narrowed again.

Evan stood dumbfounded for only a split second before he turned and started shoving Aaron towards the front door. “I’ll call you later. Get out.”

Aaron was physically big and mentally a bit slow in such situations, so he didn’t budge as Evan tried his best to drag him out.

“But I just got here,” Aaron complained, clasping Evan’s shoulder and turning him towards Xen. “And you forgot to mention you had a guest over. How could you leave a guest alone at home and wander about?”

“You—” Even suddenly clasped his mouth shut, eyes fixated on Xen.

When he’d barged in, Evan was overflowing with panic, seeing the two people he would rather not have in the same room conversing lazily in his house. He was so distracted that he’d missed the aesthetic transformation standing before his eyes, and oh, God…

Xen’s usual long hair was trimmed short, shorter even than Evan’s. That one streak of blood-red standing out against the soft raven strands.

Gone was his fluttering robe, replaced by a neatly pressed button-up of the same deep crimson, the fabric stretched taut across his broad chest and shoulders as if the robe had simply shapeshifted into a new form over his body. And without the robe, there was no hiding the long, powerful lines of his legs, shown off shamelessly by black dress pants that clung in all the right places.

He was beautiful. All six feet six inches of glorious, mouth-watering beauty.

Evan’s pulse fluttered, heat crawling up his neck.

Who is this guy? Why does he look so…presentable?

Xen looked more than just presentable. He looked human, yet untouchable. Gorgeous face, killer eyes. Where was he learning all this from? First, his speaking style changed from eighteenth-century pastor to twenty-first-century rude businessman. Only a blazer was missing now, and he’d complete the rich, arrogant CEO look, which also happened to be Evan’s taste in men—

What? No! Absolutely not.

“So?” Aaron prompted, nudging Evan out of his reverie. “Won’t you introduce us?”

Evan blinked away from an expressionless Xen and cleared his throat before turning to Aaron. “I heard you chatting with him just now.”

“And?”

“…Were you chatting with him without even asking who he is?”

“Well, he doesn’t speak much, so I didn’t force the conversation.”

He just carried the conversation by himself.

Evan cleared his throat louder, avoiding glancing directly at Xen. “This uh…is Aaron, my manager slash driver—”

“—slash friend,” Aaron chimed in.

“And Aaron, this is…” Evan trailed off. “This is…”

The demon I unleashed? A pain in my ass? A blood-sucking demon peasant?

“Xen,” came a rumble, disrupting Evan’s chain of thoughts. As his gaze flickered up, a pair of dark pools locked on him. “Acquaintance of Mercy Blackwood.”

Upon hearing that name, color drained from Evan’s face and Aaron’s smile faltered.

“Oh…Mrs. Blackwood’s acquaintance?” Aaron glanced at Evan and misinterpreted his shock for discomfort. He mentally slapped himself.

He wasn’t as slow-witted when it came to Evan. He knew Evan didn’t like talking about his mother, perhaps out of the fear of unraveling old wounds.

Aaron chuckled away the awkwardness and extended a hand towards Xen, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Xen. Is it okay if I call you that? I hope it is.”

Xen stared at the extended hand like it was laced with venomous spikes before muttering, “I don’t like being touched.”

“Oh,” Aaron—who was used to seeing Evan in the same mood—didn’t mind one bit and curled his extended fingers into a thumbs-up. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Beside him, Evan mumbled something.

The other two turned to him before Aaron asked, “Evan?”

“Celie is coming home,” Evan said, voice monotonous as he stared at the floor. “Could you stock the fridge with—”

“Sweets, snacks, and drinks,” Aaron patted Evan’s shoulder. “I know. Cici texted me this morning. Why else do you think I was here? I also dusted her room. But make sure to change the sheets, yeah?”

Evan glanced at him, then managed a small smile. “Thanks, Aaron.”

“No worries. I’m just as excited to see her as you.”

Evan wasn’t exactly excited. Unless a pinch in his stomach and clammy palms were a symptom of excitement.

Before he could ask him to leave again, Aaron’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it before frowning. “Jeez, give me a break.”

“What is it?” Evan asked.

“Nothing much,” Aaron pocketed his phone with a shrug. “I left the stove on again, and there was a little fire in my apartment.”

“Describe little .”

Aaron grinned. “Don’t worry. Everything is under control, probably. But I’ll have to head back and check to make sure. I’ll pick up Cici from the station, so don’t worry about that. Just…stay calm,” he turned to Xen and nodded. “See you real soon.”

Evan saw him out and shut the door before heading straight into the kitchen, avoiding the figure still looming in the middle of the living room.

As he opened the fridge and aimlessly ran an eye-scan over all the snacks and three whole cartons of chocolate milk stacked neatly inside, his mind momentarily fluctuated to Celie. But not long after, he heard featherlight footsteps behind him, and his expressions turned stoic again.

Xen’s voice saying “ an acquaintance of Mercy Blackwood ” was still playing in his head.

“How do you know my mother’s name?” Evan asked, shutting the fridge and staring at his reflection on the door.

“I know everything about you, Evan.”

Evan’s brows furrowed. It was the first time Xen had called him by his name, and it did not sound right. It sounded…pleasant.

Pleasant was not right coming from a demon.

“What a shame I can’t say the same about you,” Turning away, Evan moved to bruh past Xen, but a hand grabbed his arm, grip gentle yet firm.

Evan turned an irritated glare on him. “What do you want?”

Xen scanned his face. Slow. Unblinking. “You are troubled.”

“You can pat yourself on the back for that.”

With much force, he broke free from Xen’s grip and marched into his bedroom. Annoyingly enough, Xen followed.

Due to the fear of Xen damaging the book and his panic over Celie’s sudden text, Evan had hidden the grimoire amidst the books in the old library, hoping the person who cleaned the shelves wouldn’t spot the imposter.

With nothing in hand to distract him, Evan's fingers idly drummed against his thigh, calling out to Misty. But she was probably hidden in some corner and didn’t respond. Whenever Xen appeared in the house, Misty disappeared into some secret hideout Evan was yet to discover. Maybe she could sense Xen wasn’t human. Or perhaps she shared her daddy’s dislike towards the demon.

Rue, on the other hand, came running when Evan called out his name, but instead of Evan, he twirled around Xen’s feet, who stood at the bedroom door.

Evan stared at the dog and thought, Traitor. After a few moments of stifling silence with Rue’s occasional whines, Evan bit his tongue and decided to satiate his curiosity.

“Why are you dressed like…that?” He waved a hand in Xen’s direction.

Dark eyes focused on Evan, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Xen straightened the sleeve of his shirt. “Do you like it?”

It’s not bad.

“You look ridiculous,” Evan said.

Xen chuckled. “I heard that.”

“That’s why I said it.”

“I heard what you didn’t say, too.”

Evan frowned in confusion for a moment, then realized what he meant and dropped his face in his palm.

Of course he could hear Evan’s thoughts. Now Evan didn’t have any doubts that a spiritual channel had formed between him and Xen, probably due to the blood bond.

And what had he just said? It’s not bad.

Why would he say that about a demon ?

“Stop reading my mind,” Evan snapped.

“Stop thinking so loud.”

“Is this a side effect of the blood bond?”

“An advantage,” Xen mused.

Evan swatted that comment away. He straightened, fixing Xen with a serious look. “Listen here, you… My sister is coming home this weekend.”

“So I heard.”

“And I need you away from her,” Evan walked up to Xen, craning his neck to stare him in the eye but keeping his voice firm enough to fill the distance. “Far, far away.”

Xen pressed his forearm against the doorframe and bent at the waist, bringing his face to Evan’s level. “But I can stay close to you . Very, very close.”

Evan stepped away, the tips of his ears burning. “No, you won’t!”

“Why not?” Xen leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now that we’ve established a relationship, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“What relationship ?”

Xen pointed at himself. “Family friend.”

Evan scoffed. “What family friend? Not to mention this family friend didn’t exist in our lives until ten minutes ago. Celie will see right through this.”

“I’m certain you can figure that out on your own,” saying that, Xen turned around.

What…?

Fume steamed out of Evan’s ears as he followed Xen into the living room. “I won’t have to figure anything out if you don’t show up in front of anyone for a few days. Just stay cooped up in your nest or wherever you hole up in the trees at night.”

Xen abruptly stopped, and Evan bumped straight into his back, the impact similar to crashing into a concrete wall. He stumbled back, nose stinging. “What the—”

“Nest…” Xen’s voice turned gravelly as he slowly turned around, a red spark flying past his dark irises. “Tree…”

Evan reflexively retreated a step, guard up. “I…I meant wherever you disappear off to every time you leave.”

Xen stepped closer. “What made you think I ever left?”

“What…?”

As he closed the distance, Evan powerlessly tried to recreate some space, only for Xen’s wide strides to swallow them up again. This back and forth continued until Evan felt the cool wall of the living room against his back.

Evan clenched his jaws, ignoring the heat radiating from the demon’s body. “You—”

“I am your shadow, Little Storm,” Xen pressed his palms against the wall, on either side of Evan’s head, his low voice caressing Evan’s ears. “When has a shadow ever forsaken the body?”

Evan held his breath, afraid even a little movement might draw them closer. But as defiant as he was, he answered Xen’s rhetorical question. “In the dark.”

A smile quirked Xen’s lip.

Tendrils of demonic energy wafted off his body and coiled around Evan, caressing his nape like smoky fingers, their touch warm. Evan shuddered.

“You will never be in the dark again,” Xen uttered the words with such confidence that for a brief moment, Evan believed him. For a brief moment, misunderstood his mockery for sincerity.

He was a demon. Sweet-talking and bluffing were his forte. But even if he was bluffing, his words sounded so sincere that Evan, by default, wanted to counter his kindness.

“You can’t stop darkness,” he said.

“I am darkness,” Xen’s smile turned cold, and a chill ran down Evan’s spine. The black tendrils snuck into the collar of his shirt, dipping deeper until they brushed his nipple.

At the sudden intrusion, Evan gasped, blinking out of the trance he’d slipped into. “What are you—”

“Say the word,” Xen whispered, stepping so close that his next words fanned against Evan’s face. “Say the word and I will set this world alight. Then there will be nothing but light around you. Don’t you agree?”

Evan stilled, searching those dark eyes brimming with seriousness and a tinge of amusement.

But something about his statement didn’t sound right.

“If there is no darkness in the world,” Evan murmured, “where will you go?”

Didn’t demons and similar creatures thrive in the shadows? Did he plan on exterminating himself in the process of setting alight Evan’s world? Could he really be that stupid?

Momentarily, Xen’s expressions hardened, although he tried to curtain it with a chuckle. “Careful, Evan, or I might think you actually want me around.”

Evan’s eyebrow twitched. Initially he’d assumed Xen to be the type who was brutally and quite shamelessly honest, unbothered by what effect his words had on others. He was a demon after all. Not caring about human feelings was his second nature.

But Evan had not expected even someone like Xen to show signs of reluctance. It made him doubt his impression of Xen.

Evan scoffed, “Like fuck, I do.”

A warm finger traced along the line of Evan’s jaw before a thumb pressed against his lower lip. “This mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day.”

Evan ground his molars, the movement seeming to draw Xen’s attention to his lips more strongly.

With a huff, Evan dipped under Xen’s arm and stormed back into his room before slamming the door shut. Not a second later, a soft knock came from the other side, followed by a chuckle.

“You know this piece of wood can’t stop me, right?”

Evan gritted out, “Oh, it might. If I shove it deep enough up your gut.”

He didn’t know why, but he could imagine Xen smiling on the other side of the door, and—for the first time since their unfortunate encounter—Xen didn’t intrude into Evan’s personal space.

Evan usually stayed away from people, as if by nature. Whoever said humans were social creatures had obviously left Evan out of the equation. But the way Xen crawled on his nerves was fascinating. Almost hilarious. His presence made Evan’s skin crawl with…something. And as much as he tried to rationalize it as disgust, a voice in his head said otherwise.

After a brief moment of silence, Xen spoke again. “What is your sister like?”

Evan momentarily stopped chewing on his lips and glanced at the closed door.

Why is he asking about my sister?

“Because I want to know,” Xen replied.

Evan closed his eyes, nostrils flaring. “I told you to stop reading my mind.”

“Tell me.”

As he urged, Evan sighed, settling into the bed and hugging his knees. Xen was damn stubborn. He probably wouldn’t leave him be if he didn’t give him an answer.

Evan turned the question over in his head but didn’t know how to respond or where to start. What was Celie like? He knew what she used to be, but how she’d turned out in the past year was a mystery to Evan too.

“She looks like our father,” he finally said. “But she has Mom’s eyes.”

“And you?” Xen leaned on the other side of the door, intently listening to Evan’s muffled voice. “Who do you take after?”

Evan blinked, then mumbled into his knees, “Mom.”

A smile curved at the edge of Xen’s lips. “Then she must have been beautiful.”

“She was,” Evan reflexively replied, feeling a little proud, before the meaning of Xen’s word dawned on him and his face burned like someone had set him on fire. “Not like you would know!” he snapped before burrowing into his pillow.

That damned demon was so weird and a hell of a smooth-talker. One minute he was indirectly calling Evan beautiful and a minute before that he was threatening to light a match under the world’s ass.

His way of thinking was too odd, too dangerous for the masses. He seemed to be the type who would sacrifice everyone else—including himself—for the sake of the one person he wanted to save. That was as laughable as it was unsettling.

I hope he never falls in love . Evan thought. That would not end well for others.