The evening sky over Seoul was painted in warm hues of orange and pink, a soft breeze carrying the scent of street food through the air. The city lights flickered on one by one, blending with the fading sunlight, creating a peaceful yet lively atmosphere.
"The wind feels nice today," Ye-rin whispered, twirling in place with a smile.
"I get that, but why do I have to wear these tight clothes?" Ji-ho grumbled, struggling to stretch in the skinny jeans.
Ye-rin laughed. "It's for my ex. This was the only thing he left at my place before we last saw each other," she said, forcing a smile.
Ji-ho noticed the shift in her mood. Without thinking, he reached for her hand. "W-wait! What are you doing?!" Ye-rin squeaked, her face turning red as she tried to pull away.
"Stop shouting, people are staring," Ji-ho muttered, feeling embarrassed.
"That guy is so hot," a girl whispered nearby."Is he a model?" another asked.
Ye-rin frowned at the attention. She grabbed Ji-ho's hand properly this time, still blushing.
"By the way, what do you usually wear where you're from?" she asked, glancing at him curiously. Ji-ho opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, a small child stumbled and fell at his feet. "I don't wanna die!" the boy cried. Ye-rin quickly picked him up, her expression turning serious. "Hey, what happened?"
The boy took a shaky breath, then burst into tears again. He pointed toward the dark alley behind them."A demon!" he sobbed.
Ye-rin's face paled. "Where's the EDC?!" she muttered. Then she grabbed Ji-ho's arm. "We need to leave. Now!" she said, panic in her voice.
Ji-ho, still confused, hesitated. "Wait, what' A voice interrupted him.
"My snack!" A gust of wind rushed past them, shaking the trees violently. Ye-rin's face went completely white. She covered her nose as if trying to block out a smell. In her panic, she accidentally dropped the little boy.The child looked up and screamed. "The demon!"
Ye-rin collapsed against Ji-ho's chest, her body trembling. With weak, barely audible words, she muttered, "Please… save the child…" Ji-ho gently laid her down and turned to the little boy. "Hey, kid, who's the big bad over there?" The shadows in the alley shifted. Two glowing red eyes peered through the darkness.
"Big… big bad?" the demon repeated, as if trying to understand. Then, suddenly, it let out a bloodcurdling screech. "MY FOOD!!!"
The trees shook again as the demon stepped forward. Ji-ho sighed, placing the terrified child next to Ye-rin. "Don't worry, kiddo," he said with a reassuring smile.
The demon stepped into the dim glow of the streetlights. It was tall, hunched over, with a body covered in dark, cracked skin. Its arms were unnaturally long, fingers tipped with jagged claws. Its mouth stretched into a twisted grin, saliva dripping from its sharp teeth.
Ji-ho narrowed his eyes. Since when do fallen demons talk? He had heard stories of mindless, beast-like demons, but this one was speaking, even if its words were broken. "Give me back my food!" the demon snarled, eyes locked onto the trembling child.Ji-ho crossed his arms. "And what if I don't?" The demon screeched. "Then die, human!"
With a burst of unnatural speed, the demon lunged.Ji-ho sidestepped easily, dodging the attack without effort. The demon skidded across the pavement, turning back to him with a furious glare. "You… weak," the demon hissed, tilting its head in confusion. "I can't even sense your energy! You're nothing!"
Ji-ho clicked his tongue. "Damn. That's a soft spot, you know." He rolled his shoulders, loosening up. "Guess I'll have to end this quickly."The demon roared and charged again, swinging its claws wildly. Ji-ho ducked under the first swipe, then sidestepped another. The pavement cracked beneath the demon's force, showing just how strong it was. Ji-ho frowned. It's using brute strength, but… something else too. He noticed the way the air around the demon shimmered slightly, almost like heat waves.
Mana. Ye-rin had mentioned something before, it was the power condensed and utilized from Ethereal flow. This demon wasn't just a mindless brute. It was focusing its Ethereal Flow into a precised power.
The demon lunged one more time, raising both claws to crush him. Ji-ho didn't move until the last second then, with a single, precise movement, he drove his fist into the demon's chest. A shockwave erupted from the impact. The demon's body bent unnaturally as it flew backward, crashing into a tree. A second later, its body convulsed, then slowly began to fade, turning into wisps of black smoke before disappearing completely leaving a purple sharp shard.
Ever since Ji-ho was young, he had felt like an outcast, like something about him didn't quite fit in with the rest of the world. Maybe it was because he had only one guardian. Maybe it was because they couldn't perceive his energy, maybe because he was so exceptional and they could never tell why.
As a child, Ji-ho realized he was different.A freak who could use Etheral flow with no energy to be detected. They always whispered behind his back and he hated it.
So he decieded he would never use it again. So he trained his body.Day and night.
If he was known for only his strenght, then maybe, he wouldn't scare people. Maybe they would finally accept him.
He pushed his body to its limits, running until his legs gave out, lifting weights until his arms burned, fighting against grown men just to learn how to harness his strenght. By the time he was in his late teens, he had already surpassed A mid tier Grim reaper. He stopped using the densed objects he usually used to pratice with, because they weren't heavy enough. He started wearing weighted clothing just to feel resistance.
And yet… no matter how much he trained, the feeling of being different never went away.But even with all that power, he was still alone.Now, standing in direction of the decreases demon, Ji-ho knew one thing.All those years of training, that they were worth it.Ji-ho cracked his knuckles. Tch. That was easy.
He turned back to Ye-rin and the boy. "Hope you're feeling better," he said, placing a hand on Ye-rin's head.The little boy clung to Ji-ho's leg. "Thank you, mister! You saved me!" Ji-ho ruffled the kid's hair. "You saw that, huh?"
Before he could say more, footsteps echoed from the other side of the street.Two men in navy blue uniforms approached. One was a tall, blonde man with a serious expression. His uniform was protected by a heavy armor. The other was a younger boy, also dressed in blue, following behind him nervously.
"Did you see a demon pass through here?" the young one asked. The older man frowned and smacked the boy on the head. "You fool," he scolded. "It's obvious they already encountered it." His eyes scanned the area, taking in the cracked pavement and the fading energy in the air. His eyes fell unto the purple sharp shard beside the tree.He knew what this implied but rather, he remained quiet.
His gaze now back on Ji-ho, "You," he said, his voice calm but firm. "You were the one who killed it, weren't you?"
Ji-ho met his gaze. "It was luck," he said casually, trying not to draw attention to himself. The man studied him for a moment before chuckling. "I see. Where are my manners? My name is Dae-ho, a member of the EDC." He gestured to the young officer beside him. "And this is my subordinate, Chung-ae."
He turned to Ji-ho and smiled. "Thank you for protecting the child. We received reports that one of the demons we were tracking had escaped. It must have been the one you faced." Ji-ho shook his hand. "Just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Dae-ho raised an eyebrow but didn't push further. Then his gaze shifted to Ye-rin. "Miss Ye-rin, do you know this man?" Ye-rin hesitated, then crossed her arms. "Of course I do. He's my boyfriend." Ji-ho nearly choked.
Dae-ho nodded, unfazed. "I see. Well, we'll be taking the child back to his parents. Thank you again for your help, and Ye-rin, send my regards to your father on his upcoming anniversary."
As Dae-ho and Chung-ae were about to leave with the child in Chung-ae's arms, Dae-ho turned to Ji-ho and asked, "I assume you have no use for that shard over there?" His eyes were fixed on Ji-ho, as if expecting some information. Ji-ho replied with a subtle smile, "No, sir. You can take it."
"Very well then," Dae-ho said with a smile. He then called out, "Chung-ae, go and fetch it."
Chung-ae carefully adjusted his hold on the child before retrieving the shard. With that, they finally left. As the two men journeyed together, Dae-ho muttered to himself, "That demon wasn't that weak… An E5? No, at least an experienced E4 would be needed to take it down alone. But this guy did it without a scratch."
He suddenly stopped walking. A thought struck him. Wait. I never sensed his energy. Was he hiding it? Or… does he not have any?
He frowned. Too many questions. Chung-ae noticed his expression. "Sir? Something wrong?" Dae-ho shook his head and laughed. "I never asked his name."
Meanwhile, Ji-ho was dealing with an entirely different problem. Ye-rin was fuming. "You better not be acting reckless like that again!"
"Fine, but You're not the one in a mess," Ji-ho said, raising his hands in surrender.She huffed, then squinted at him. "Wait… since when were you this strong?" Ji-ho blinked. "What do you mean?" Ye-rin crossed her arms. "For starters, I could sense your energy earlier, not like i could sense anyone's energy before, but It was way higher than that demon's… but it was weirdly calm."
Ji-ho froze. No one has ever been able to sense my energy before. He forced a grin. "Well… is that so?" Ye-rin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.Before she could question him, Ji-ho raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I never knew I was your boyfriend."
Ye-rin frowned, her face turning red. "Don't change the subject! I only said that so he wouldn't ask You more questions." She looked away, attempting to hide flushed face.
Ji-ho laughed. "Well, in that case…" He stretched his arms. "Let's go get me some clothes. This outfit is way too tight."
Ye-rin sighed but smiled a little. "Fine, fine. Lets go spend my father's money." She grabbed his wrist, and they walked off into the city.