That night Jaceon couldn't sleep. His brothers speech felt like his worse nightmare coming true ....
Every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts turned to Levi—the way his laughter still echoed in his ears, the warmth of his touch when their fingers brushed, the look in his eyes that could bring Jaceon to his knees. Levi had changed him. Changed something deep within him that he couldn't shake.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He was a demon, an agent of Hell. His mission was simple: take souls, lead them to damnation, and obey his father's will. But with Levi, it was different. The weight of his father's command pressed on him, but so did the weight of the feelings he couldn't explain. Why was it so hard to take Levi's soul? He was supposed to be his target, his prey—but now Jaceon felt more like a slave to his own heart.
The demons around him, especially his brothers, had made it clear what they thought. "You've gone soft," they'd said. They'd mocked him, called him weak. And every time, it cut deep.
Jaceon knew he was losing control. But the worst part? He didn't know how to stop it. Every moment spent with Levi, he felt like he was falling deeper into something he couldn't get out of. The butterfly sensation in his stomach when Levi smiled, the protective rage that rose whenever someone even glanced at him wrong—these weren't feelings a demon should have.
Demons didn't love. They didn't feel sympathy or affection. They took souls. They destroyed.
And yet here Jaceon was, on the edge of a cliff, staring into an abyss he didn't understand. He couldn't turn away from Levi. He couldn't. But was he really becoming weak? Was this what it felt like to be human?
Unable to settle the turmoil in his mind, Jaceon decided to seek answers.
There was one place, one being who might hold the answers. But it wasn't a place demons typically visited. The lighted edge of the city, where the land seemed to pulse with energy and life, was a forbidden area for demons. It was sacred—home to the Deities, beings of immense power who stood beyond the reach of Hell itself. They were unpredictable, dangerous, and Jaceon knew that many demons who dared to seek them out never returned.
But he was desperate.
He couldn't keep going like this. He needed to understand why Levi, why this human, was doing this to him. Why couldn't he just do his job and take the soul that was rightfully his?
He felt a tremor of fear as he approached the sacred boundary. The air shifted, carrying a heavy, foreboding energy. But he steeled himself, pushing the fear down. He had to know.
The Deity was an old woman, her face lined with centuries of wisdom, her eyes glowing faintly with an ethereal light. Her presence was calming, yet there was an unsettling power in her gaze, as if she could see through Jaceon's very soul.
She was waiting for him.
"You've come," she said softly, her voice ancient and knowing. "The demon who has lost his way."
Jaceon swallowed hard, kneeling before her, unsure of how to begin. "Why… why am I feeling this way about him? Why Levi? Why can't I just do my job? Why am I so weak?"
The Deity studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "It is not weakness that binds you, Demon Lord. It is destiny."
"Destiny?" Jaceon's voice cracked, confusion thick in his words. "But I'm a demon. I'm supposed to take souls. That's my purpose."
The Deity smiled sadly. "And that is your purpose, yes. But it is also your curse. You were never meant to be just a servant of Hell. You were born for something more—something greater, and far more painful."
Jaceon's heart pounded. "What do you mean? What does this have to do with Levi?"
The Deity's eyes glimmered with a wisdom that seemed to reach beyond time itself. "Levi is no ordinary soul. His life and yours have been intertwined long before either of you were born. It is his destiny to change you, just as it is your fate to protect him."
Jaceon shook his head in disbelief. "You're telling me I'm supposed to protect him? A human?"
"A human who carries the key to your salvation," the Deity replied, her voice like a whisper of wind. "A love story, Ahzi , one written in the stars. A tragic love that will test both of you. One of you must sacrifice everything to save the other. You cannot escape this. It has always been this way."
Jaceon's chest tightened, the weight of her words pressing down on him. His mind spun, unable to process what she was saying. "So… what? You're telling me I'm supposed to choose him over everything? Over my mission? Over Hell?"
The Deity's gaze softened, but there was no mercy in it. "You can choose to follow your destiny, or you can choose to defy it. But know this, Ahzi —there is no escape. Your love for him will either destroy you, or it will save you both. There is no middle ground. This is the fate you've been given."
Jaceon staggered back, feeling as if the ground beneath him had given way. "But I'm a demon! I'm supposed to—"
"Do your job, yes," the Deity interrupted, "but this is not a matter of duty anymore. This is a matter of choice. And it is not too late for you to change the path you walk. But you must make that choice before it is too late."
Jaceon stood there, staring at her, his mind a storm of conflicting thoughts. He wanted to run. He wanted to forget what she had said, to turn his back on everything and simply do his job. But deep down, he knew the truth in her words. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't escape Levi.
"Then what do I do?" Jaceon asked, his voice low, almost broken.
"You will find your way," she said softly. "But first, you must face your own heart. Only then will you know what is truly worth fighting for."
Jaceon turned and left without another word, the weight of her words crushing him. As he walked away, his thoughts tangled in a web of fear and desire. He couldn't turn away from Levi—not anymore. But could he really choose him? Could he risk everything, even his soul, for the one human who had made him feel more than he ever thought possible?
The path ahead was unclear. But one thing was certain—Jaceon's destiny was forever bound to Levi. And that fate was a force greater than anything he could ever control.
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