The Love That Remains

"So, we have to pass through this door?" I ask Christian.

"Yes, this is the door to the domain of lust." Christian sighs. "Don't underestimate lust. These demons are unlikely to become violent, but they are quite...handy in other ways."

He takes a glance a Choi Min Ho before sighing again. I understand his meaning. This kid shouldn't be hearing or seeing things. I wonder why he is here. Did he get thrown here by someone unpleasant like me?

"Don't worry about me." Choi Min Ho beams at me. "I am a mind reader, Noona. I am also a boy. I have been hearing the minds of adults. I know things."

"How long?" Hearing thoughts doesn't sound like a good thing. "Does it not bother you?"

"I have better control now." He looks away from me. "Don't let go of my hand."

I won't let go of your hand.

I don't say those words, but I know that he can hear them.

"We should go ahead." Christian turns the knob.

"Fighting!!!" Choi Min Ho yells when he sees Christian disappears when he walks through the door. The Monk and the Fae follow after him wordlessly. I take a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Noona." Choi Min Ho nudges me softly. "This isn't the worst."

His voice is ominous. I frown at him. "You know what lies ahead?"

"I have some idea." He stares ahead.

"How do you know?"

"I am a mind reader." He pulls me along with him. "I have read some demons' minds before coming here. I know what to expect, Noona."

"Okay." Perks of being a mind reader, I guess. We walk through the door. This time, it feels like walking through a sheet of an energy field. It's an eerie sensation.

What the...

I should have expected this. The circle's name is lust. I look at Choi Min Ho who is unperturbed by the scene. I shake my head in horror. I cast a spell to make him temporarily blind and deaf.

"Noona, what are you doing?" Choi Min Ho looks like he expected this. "I know about the matter between men and women."

Argh! It doesn't mean that I can let a ten years old kid see an orgy for god's sake.

"Noona, we are in hell." Choi Min Ho has read my thoughts. "You should not let them touch you or me. If they touch us, we can never get out."

As far as I can see, I can only see men and women entangled. There is a nauseating sweet scent in the air. My body is heating up with each passing second. My throat is dry and knees are weak. This scene should feel disgusting, but my body feels like it has been drowned in aphrodisiac.

"Noona, resist." The kid pinches my hand. "This is the doing of the lust demon. Create a defence field around you. If they touch you, you are doomed."

Nobody can resist the touch of a lust demon.

I close my eyes. I try to recall the spells. It's hard to think and harder to remember.

Sung Jun, I have to see him again. Not these demons. That's the only person who can ever touch me. I want to burn these demons alive for making me like this. If I cross hell, I will find him again. I will never let him go. Screw gods. Screw the fate and the world. Screw Reis or Dabria.

My world will make sense if I can embrace him again.

"[Chaos]" A thin layer of chaotic energy surrounds us. The lust demons near us stand up and look at us ferociously. They surround us completely. I can't see the Monk or the Fae. I can't see Christian either. There are only lust demons looking at us hungrily. It sends a shiver down my spine.

Choi Min Ho takes a deep breath of relief. Is he really a kid? "You did well, Noona."

'Do you have any idea how we can get out of this?' I ask him in my head.

I realize that I can breathe properly now. I have a grip on my mind. My body is also cooling down. Who said that crossing Lust is easy?

"I don't know," Choi Min Ho replies in a small voice. "Right now, these stupid demons are only thinking of seducing us."

'Even you? You are a kid.'

"So, I am." He turns his head to me. "Why would that matter to the demons?"

Ah, right.

"Your chaos defense is strong." He lifts his head as if he is listening to something. "The demons can feel it. You are a part-demon. Blood of a wrath demon."

"Wrath demon?" I mumble to myself. Dabria's father was a demon. Was he a wrath demon? I am not happy to hear the news.

"They can't break the barrier because of your blood," He tells me quietly. "Noona, whoever your grandfather was, he was a strong demon. A wrath demon is a high tier demon. They are afraid to offend you."

I would have never guessed that being a granddaughter of a demon could be helpful to me ever. Still, it doesn't make me feel good. A wrath demon, huh? Am I an angry person, then? I think that I am quite peaceful.

"Hello."

My body jolts when I hear the voice. It's Sung Jun, standing in front of the crowd and watching me with his familiar almost smiling eyes. I take a step back.

"Noona, hold yourself. He is the high lord of this domain." Choi Min Ho squeezes my hand. "He sees you as prey. He won't let go of you."

Though his voice is calm, his hand is sweating. I hold his hand tighter and smile at the person in front of me.

"You are the demon lord of this place?" I ask him.

"I am." He walks until he is only an inch away from my chaos shield. "Why must you create this obstacle between you and me, Darling?"

"Well, I am not interested in getting raped." I chuckle. "I am not interested in letting this kid go through horrible experiences either. Why don't you tell me how to get to the next level?"

The demon with Sung Jun's face smiles at me. The exact same smile. Exact same expression when he is planning something.

"I will tell you if you remove this shield." His voice is smooth and silky. Sung Jun never talks like this.

"What do I have to do to get to the next level?" I raise my finger. I don't have the patience anymore to see these naked demons. "If you don't answer me in the next five seconds, I am wiping your existence."

"Is that so?" The demon lord cocks his head. "Why should we fight? I see the desire in your eyes. Come to me. You want me, isn't?"

"I want my husband." I draw the spiral in the air. The chaos shield rapidly turns into a whirlpool. "After seeing you, I have come to a realization. My husband's looks are too perfect to copy. You are just a cheap copy of his."

In the next instant, the chaotic winds rapidly chopped the demons in half. It can't kill them especially when they are in hell. But, it can incapacitate them for a while.

"Noona, you are awesome." Choi Min Ho shouts with happiness. "You are cool!"

'I know, right?'