Celine flew back into her kingdom quickly, her thoughts still spinning. In her rush, she accidentally bumped into her friend, Violeta.
"Oh hey, Celine. Why so rushed?" Violeta asked, smiling, until something shifted.
She sniffed once, then again, and recoiled. "Oh my... you smell like..." Her nose scrunched. "S-smoke."
The angels nearby, floating above and below, began turning, their eyes narrowing with curiosity and quiet judgment.
"Why do you smell like... cigarettes?" Violeta's voice rang with disbelief.
Of course. Just her luck. This had to happen because Solem couldn't be a decent demon for one night. Was he doing this on purpose? Trying to sabotage her life?
"I was helping a soul," Celine said quickly. "The environment was... clouded with smoke."
She couldn't exactly tell the truth, that she had spent the night with a demon. She just needed to get home. Shower. Sleep. Pretend none of this happened.
What had she been thinking, staying so long? She could've left. Should've. But she didn't. And now guilt pressed down on her chest like stone.
Yes, he said he had something important to tell her — but what if that was just a trick? Another mind game? Her stomach twisted at the thought.
"I need to wash up," she mumbled, not waiting for Violeta's response as she darted toward the castle.
But on the way, she noticed a familiar figure sitting quietly on a drifting cloud. Neon.
Oh no. She'd forgotten.
She dipped down and landed softly beside him, the cloud mist curling gently around her feet.
"Neon..." she said, her voice low. "I'm so sorry."
He turned, a small smile tugging at his lips. "It's okay."
"I had something to take care of... it just took longer than I thought. Honestly, I wasn't even sure it would happen."
"I understand," he said with a light nod.
He reached under him and pulled out a book, placing it gently between them. "I'm just glad you're here now. I found this story."
Her heart softened. He still wanted to read with her. She offered a small smile, though she didn't sit too close — the cigarette scent still clung to her like shame. She hoped he wouldn't notice, but he probably already had.
The guilt flared again. She'd missed this moment... missed him. Because of a demon.
A demon.
But that demon had her mind and heart tangled in knots. She couldn't even make sense of what she was feeling. Everything was a blur.
He was just... so charming.
Maybe that was it. Maybe she was simply drawn to his looks. But even if she couldn't admit it out loud, deep down she felt it.
She kept trying to remind herself: He's a jerk.
But was he? Sure, he looked at her with those sharp, hungry eyes. Sure, he played with her mind. But even that... was oddly cute. Intriguing.
"You there?" Neon's voice pulled her back.
She was, just not mentally. Her thoughts were still wrapped around Solem.
"Maybe you just need some rest," he added gently.
She gave a nervous laugh. "Honestly... you're right." She looked up at him. "Tomorrow? I'll meet you in the library? Afternoon?"
"I'll be there."
She nodded, then rose into the sky, flying straight home—back to her cloud.
As she lay on her cloud, the soft mist curling around her limbs, her eyelids grew heavy. The weight of the day pressed into her chest, and soon, the world slipped away...
She stood in a field that was vast, open, and shrouded in a thick, whispering fog. The air was still. Too still.
Across the distance, a figure emerged — tall, dark, with curved horns and shadowy wings stretching wide behind him.
Then suddenly, he was darting toward her.
She tried to fly, but her wings wouldn't lift. She tried to run, but her feet were frozen in place. She couldn't move. Couldn't even breathe.
And then he was there, right in front of her.
Solem.
His eyes locked onto hers, glowing slightly, unblinking. They weren't filled with malice or softness — just... hunger. Knowing.
"I need you," he said, his voice echoing in strange, overlapping layers. "Wherever you go, I will be there."
She wanted to scream, or speak, or even just turn away, but her mouth wouldn't open. Her body wouldn't obey.
All she could do was stare at him.
Him, his face, his voice, his presence — filling every corner of her mind.
"We will meet again soon," he whispered.
And then—
Her eyes flew open.
It was just a bad dream.
She sat up, her breath shallow. Her vision blurred slightly as tears welled up. Her heart thudded hard in her chest.
Was that really him? Had he somehow slipped into her dream? Or was it just her own mind playing tricks, reflecting her fears?
That this... this confusion... this pull... would never stop?
But what did he mean by I need you?
The questions tangled and spun in her head, and she tried to shake them off. It was still night. The stars shimmered outside her window. Her body still begged for sleep.
Eventually, she closed her eyes again and drifted off , but this time, with a lingering unease curled deep in her chest.
The next day, just like she said she would, Celine met up with Noen.
They talked for hours about books, stories, ideas she'd never shared with anyone else. With him, it was easy. He listened, really listened. Even the kinds of books others found boring or strange, Noen seemed genuinely interested in.
"I actually really like spending time with you," he said after a while.
"Me too," she replied softly, a smile tugging at her lips.
But deep down, she knew it wasn't the same feeling. Not the way it had been with Solem. There was no thrill, no magnetic tension that curled her stomach into knots.
Not that she liked Solem, nothing romantic.
She was just thinking the difference in how each boy made her feel was impossible to ignore.
Noen made her feel calm. Safe. Seen. Someone she could relate to. Someone she could breathe around.
Maybe what they needed was just something more fun, something less quiet.
Without thinking, she snatched the book from his hands and darted into the air.
"Celine!" he called after her, startled.
She looked back and giggled, wings catching the light as she soared ahead.
He laughed and gave chase, the two of them weaving through the towering shelves of the library, dodging in and out with reckless speed.
"Bet you can't catch me!" she teased, spinning around a pillar.
"Oh, we'll see about that," he called back.
"You better return that!" the grumpy bookkeeper shouted behind them, shaking a fist in the air.
Now outside, they flew freely across the kingdom, the sky stretched wide around them. Her dress whipped behind her, her hair wild in the wind. She looked back at Noen and smiled, and in that moment, he thought she looked almost unreal— radiant, like she was carved from light.
He saw her swoop into a loop and quickly veered around to cut her off. They collided mid-air with a gasp, tumbling, but he caught her in his arms before they could fall.
"Be more careful," he said, steadying her.
She smiled, heart fluttering. It wasn't the same kind of rush she felt around Solem, not dangerous or dizzying. But it was still a rush. One that made her feel light and alive.
Happy.
At peace.
He let her go, and her beautiful white wings flared open, catching the wind as she lifted into the sky again.
—
Later that day, Celine sat with her family in the palace's glowing kitchen, waiting for dinner to be served. The scent of roasted herbs and warm bread filled the air as her parents moved calmly around one another, preparing the evening meal.
She wasn't really paying attention, until she heard her mother's voice, low but clear.
"Vorgath has instructed that group to specifically target those with heartbreak," her mother said as she chopped vegetables, sliding them into a simmering pot. "Some of our angels will need to reach them before or after to offer healing."
Her father, standing beside her, carefully layered greens into a crystal bowl. At the name, Celine's chest tightened.
Vorgath. The ruler of the underworld.
She'd read about him countless times in their archives. A monstrous, hairy beast said to feed off pain and sorrow. He was the master tempter, the root of all demonic manipulation. The one angels were warned about from the moment they could read.
He was the reason angels like her were needed in the first place.
"Did you two ever speak to Vorgath?" Celine asked, curious despite herself.
Both of her parents froze briefly. They exchanged a look. Then her father turned toward her, wiping his hands on a cloth as he moved to sit beside her.
"Years ago," he said carefully. "Many. But I'll never speak to him again. We angels have no reason to contact the underworld. Especially not its ruler."
"What happened?" she asked.
"There was an agreement," he said. "A fragile peace. Our realms swore not to cause any type of problem to each other directly. If that agreement is ever broken..." He hesitated, squeezing her hands. "There would be war."
He looked her in the eye, his tone firm now. "This is why we avoid them at all costs. They're evil beings, Celine. Demons are born of darkness. They'll rip you apart the moment you let your guard down."
Celine nodded, her gaze dropping.
She knew these things. She'd been raised on them. Taught that demons were chaos, temptation, destruction. Everything angels were meant to oppose.
But still... she thought of Solem.
The way he looked at her. Not with hate, not with malice, but with something far more unsettling: curiosity. Interest.
And yet, he was dangerous. That much she couldn't deny.
His voice still echoed in her mind like smoke. Haunting and strangely warm, curling around her thoughts in ways she couldn't shake. Like something she was never meant to touch, but couldn't stop reaching for.
She hated that she remembered it so vividly.
And then there were the darker things.
She hadn't missed the small plastic bag tucked into his pants, a baggie of cocaine. So casual, like it meant nothing. Like it was normal. And maybe for him it was. Maybe he used it the same way humans did: to numb, to feel, or to disappear into a silence deeper than pain.
It sickened her.
She'd been raised to heal people from choices like that — the slow, ugly kind that hollowed someone out from the inside. And there he was, indulging in the very things she was taught to fight against. Smoking. Using. Tempting.
He was everything she had sworn to stand apart from.
Just one more reason to find him revolting.
And yet...
She couldn't stop thinking about him.
Her mother carried the food to the table, setting it down with a soft smile. "Come eat, both of you."
Celine rose, moving toward the table, but her thoughts lagged behind.
As she sat down and folded her hands, ready to pray, her heart beat just a little faster.
After finishing dinner, Celine returned to her room, curling up with a well-worn book she loved. The familiar scent of the pages, the comfort of the quiet — it helped her feel grounded again.
But then, her mirror began to glow.
She groaned. "Oh, not this again. I'm not falling for it," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
But the glow didn't fade. It only grew stronger — pulsing, flickering red. It was almost blinding.
She tried to ignore it, but something about the light... the energy... felt like it was pulling her in.
"Seriously?" she huffed, scoffing as she stood. But her heart was already racing. Against her better judgment, she ran toward the mirror and passed through.
She teleported through a reflection of the puddle on the rooftop. The night air hit her hard — cool and sharp. Wind tugged at her hair. A man stood at the edge.
"No, stop!" she cried out instinctively.
He didn't turn around. Didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward and fell.
"No!" she screamed, sprinting toward the edge, but when she looked over, he was gone.
"No..." she whispered, her voice breaking. She dropped to her knees, trembling. Too late. Her wings trembled as her breath caught in her throat. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Then a breeze swept behind her not natural, not wind. A presence.
She turned.
Solem.
He hovered above, wings outstretched, slowly lowering himself onto the rooftop, cradling the unconscious man in his arms.
Her breath hitched. Her tears stopped, stunned into confusion.
"You... did you do this?" she shouted, voice rising in fury. "Did you push him to want do that?"
Solem knelt down, gently laying the man on the rooftop. "I had nothing to do with him jumping," he said calmly. "He came here on his own."
"Then why are you here?" Her voice cracked. She didn't know if she was more angry or scared.
Solem looked up at her, completely unbothered by her rage. "Because this is my nightclub. He was there earlier. I followed him up here when I noticed something was off."
She froze. "Nightclub...? You own a nightclub?"
He smirked. "You sound surprised."
He was right. Not surprising at all.
A demon owning a nightclub?
Of course.
Loud music. Sinful distractions. Lost souls wrapped in flashing lights.
It wasn't even surprising, it was expected.
"You summoned me?" she asked, still catching up.
"I did. Because I knew he needed help. Your kind of help. You just came a little late. But... it's fine," he said, glancing down at the man. "I was here."
Celine didn't know what to feel.
One: he saved someone. From suicide. That mattered.
But why? Because he wanted to? Because he knew she'd care?
"What are you going to do with him then?" she asked as she pointed at the unconscious man on the ground.
"I will have a worker take care of it. Get him somewhere safe, maybe some help too."Solem said.
Two: he owned a nightclub? Was that even allowed? Demons weren't supposed to be business owners... right?
Nothing made sense anymore.
She stood frozen, staring at him. This wasn't the monster she had been raised to fear. He looked calm. Controlled. Capable of compassion, or at least pretending to have it.
And that terrified her more than anything else.