“I loved him before I understood the bond.”
“Now I’ll fight for him because I choose to.”
There it was again. That defiance. That damn fire. The same fire Rheon once carried. The same fire that got a temple burned to ash. I looked away from her—to the makeshift cot in the corner where Yuna slept, her dark lashes fluttering against her cheek, her breathing slow and even. I reached for my chest—right over the mark that had started to ache in her presence.
What if this was fate? What if the same madness that caught Rheon would one day consume me? Was this desire real… or just a trick of magic?
But when I looked back at Seori, I saw the truth. The bond didn’t forge her loyalty.
She chose it. And maybe—just maybe—Yuna could become something I chose, too.
If I let myself.
If fire recognized fire, then maybe fate wasn't a curse.
Maybe it was the one thing strong enough to burn through everything else. And gods help me… I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
"Fine," I said, my voice like gravel dragged across steel. "I’ll take you to the Demon Realm."
Seori didn’t smile, didn’t soften. Just nodded once—sharp, determined.
I hated the fire in her eyes. I hated how familiar it was. But what I hated more… was that I respected it. Behind her, the others stirred. The healer girl—Minji—was quiet, eyes flicking toward the door. And Yuna… Yuna slept on the old couch, curled in a loose blanket, lips slightly parted, her silvery-brown hair spilling across her arm like moonlight caught in water.
I watched her without meaning to. I always did. Lately, I couldn't seem to stop. The way her presence burned against my skin, how my chest ached when she got too close—how her laughter haunted the few hours I managed to sleep.
I’d fought beasts bigger than buildings. Torn through human armies. But nothing terrified me more than the idea of her stepping into my world.
“She’s insane,” Minji hissed.
“I’ve decided,” Seori replied quietly.
"Then I’m coming," came Yuna's voice—clear, resolute.
My spine went rigid. My hearing, already sharp, zeroed in.
“You don’t know what’s waiting for you beyond that Gate,” Minji warned.
“I don’t care,” Yuna said. “She’s not going alone.”
A crack bloomed in my chest. I didn’t realize I’d moved until I was standing right behind the door. When I opened the door, they all looked up. But I only saw her.
Yuna.
Eyes soft and wild all at once, like spring wind brushing across flame.
“You’re not going,” I said before I could stop myself.
She blinked, surprised.
“What?”
“I said, you’re not going.”
She stood up, brushing the blanket off her shoulders.
“And who the hell are you to tell me that?”
“I’m the one who’s going to walk into hell,” I growled. “And I’m not dragging you down with me.”
