After Years...
Yuhi returned from her mission.
She crossed the village boundary with the people she and her team had saved.
The second she stepped through the magic barrier surrounding the land, she felt it — a familiar wind, heavy with memory.
And before she could even think—
She was dragged into the woods at a flash of speed.
Her team tried to follow, but she released a faint magic signal from her hand — a silent message:
Don't interfere.
He pinned her gently — but firmly — against a tree.
His eyes locked onto hers.
The wind carried her scent differently now. Older. Scarred.
He felt it stab through his chest like knives.
And before he could stop himself —
Before he could speak gently —
The fire cracked inside him.
Demon stepped closer, slow and dangerous, like there was a storm brewing in the inches between them.
His coat flared behind him. His eyes glowed ice-blue with fury.
"Fourteen years," he growled. "You said two weeks."
Yuhi blinked.
She opened her mouth —
But there were no words strong enough for the time lost.
"You left me with silence," he said, voice shaking. "You left me with nothing."
His power rolled out from him like heat from a wildfire.
Trees bent. The ground trembled.
"Where were you when I counted every moon?"
"Where were you when I searched every shadow for your soul?"
Yuhi took a breath. Stepped forward — just a little.
"I tried to come back," she whispered. "I didn't know time moved that way. I—"
Crackling silence.
The sound of burning leaves. The tremble of something fragile.
"Let's talk later, Demon," she said. "I have to finish this. I can't run from my responsibilities. You know that."
He did.
Gods, he knew.
And he hated it with every breath he took.
When they approached the palace, Demon stopped at the edge of the sacred line.
Yuhi entered alone.
The people she had saved stood aside, quiet with awe.
The clan elders and respected ones waited at the steps of the palace, watching her approach.
"My Lord," she bowed with respect.
The Clan Leader walked to her — and hugged her tightly.
His wife followed, wrapping her arms around her like a mother.
"Glad you're here, Yuhi," the Leader said. "You did a good job. And… I'm sorry. For everything."
"You don't have to be," she whispered. "It wasn't your choice. I understand."
Their eyes met — and behind them, years of shared silence. Regret. Trust.
"Happy to see you again, my dear," the Leader's wife said, holding her tight.
"How are you, Agra?"
"Better now. Since my bestie is finally back."
Then—
A presence darkened the air.
Even the elders stiffened.
The Queen clutched her husband's arm.
All eyes turned toward the entrance.
Demon.
"My Lord," he said, bowing once. "I came to tell you — I will be wherever Yuhi is. So I ask permission to step inside the palace grounds when she is present."
Silence. Shock.
But the Clan Leader simply nodded.
"Permission granted."
"Thank you, my Lord."
And with that, Demon turned and vanished into the shadows.
"He's different now, Yuhi," the Clan Leader whispered. "I've never seen him like this."
The rest of the gathering went quickly.
The Clan Leader stood before the rescued people and said,
"You may stay in the clan houses. Your timeline and ours are different. When the war ends in your world, you can return — and begin anew, like the first generation."
He turned to Yuhi.
"Come to me if you ever need anything."
When the meeting ended, Yuhi's eyes searched the room —
And landed on a familiar figure standing just outside the doorway.
Her heart twisted.
So she slipped out quietly.
From a distance, a figure watched her.
Sixteen years old now.
His presence is calm. But his power... quietly dangerous — like a blade hidden in silk.
Their eyes met.
Yuhi froze.
He stepped closer. Hesitant. Searching her face.
"Arav?" she whispered.
"You know me?"
She couldn't answer.
Her voice was gone.
Only her eyes spoke.
And they wept.
He hesitated — unsure if what he felt was real.
He had only been a toddler when she left.
But before the moment slipped—
A demon appeared beside him.
"She's Yuhi," he said gently. "The one I told you about."
And the boy ran into her arms.
Yuhi caught him, held him tightly, like she'd waited a hundred lifetimes for this.
"Mom," Arav choked out. "I missed you so much."
Tears ran down both their faces.
He buried himself in her warmth, in the scent that lived in his bones.
And after a long moment, he pulled back — just enough to glance between them.
Mother. Father.
One who held him in light.
One who protected him in the shadow.
"Papa," Arav said softly. "It wasn't her fault."
Demon's gaze snapped to him.
The boy who had once called him that —
And still did.
The fire inside him stilled.
Not gone.
But held.
"You grew without me," the Demon said quietly.
Arav nodded. "But I never forgot you. You protected me. You taught me. You told me about her."
Yuhi stepped forward.
Her hand was trembling. Her heart was bleeding.
But before she could speak—
The demon turned away.
Not in rage.
But because if he looked at her one second longer—
He would fall to his knees.
That night, they found scorch marks on the temple trees.
His hands had burned straight through the bark.
No one dared approach him.
Not even Arav.
Only the wind stayed beside him.
And it carried the same name it always did.
"Yuhi.."