Volume 1: Path – [Academy Arc]
Chapter 37: Demon Cursed With Misfortune
The time is 9:20 PM, and it was night, an inky sky blanketed in stars, each one glimmering like a diamond dusting the heavens.
Caelus stood by the dorm window, staring quietly at the starlit sky before making his way to bed a minute later.
Aiv was already asleep, sprawled peacefully on the bed across from Caelus's.
Caelus smiled faintly as he turned to lie down. Through the window, the silver glow of a full moon cast soft light across his sheets. He whispered in his heart, 'I made a new friend today, mother.'
With that, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
--
A beautiful butterfly, vibrant pink in color with a velvety black outline tracing the edges of its delicate wings and body, fluttered into the dorm.
The glass window, though visibly closed, offered no resistance as it passed through as though the barrier didn't exist. It hovered near Aiv first, circling above his head slowly, as if inspecting him.
After a moment, it changed course and floated toward Caelus.
The butterfly gently landed on his forehead, wings still for a breath. A soft, almost invisible scent exhaled from its body, drifting into Caelus's nose.
Then, as if sensing danger, the butterfly immediately darted upward and toward the window again, flapping rapidly in haste.
But just before it could escape fully, its body froze mid-flight.
An old woman stepped out of the shadows and extended her hand beneath the trapped insect. A golden-orange cube shimmered into existence around the butterfly, enveloping it completely.
The cube shrank in size until it was no larger than a marble.
"Lust," the woman muttered, voice cold and sharp. "Coming to the academy, despite knowing where this is... You've got some guts for a whore."
She slid the marble-sized cube into her jacket pocket.
Her eyes turned toward the sleeping students. From her vantage point, pink waves of energy visibly pulsed from Caelus's mind, while Aiv's remained still and ordinary.
So, it really was them... That means the Seven Sins are making their move. But why this kid? This morning, it was discovered that he has a demonic core inside his body, and he was involved in a huge bomb accident three years ago, which caused his parents' deaths. His family is also ordinary, with no significant background. Two and a half days ago, there was another incident where the amusement park that was bombed was rebuilt, and he was involved in that, too. So... Damn sinners.
As she muttered to herself, she entered the dorm where Caelus and Aiv were sleeping, stepping in through the main entrance.
She walked slowly toward their beds and paused near Aiv. Snapping her fingers, a ripple of energy spread out, forming a translucent image in the air.
Within the image, the room replayed its recent past from morning until the present moment of her arrival.
"So their target really is Caelus, not Aiven... Then why did that whore swirl her Leym energy through Aiv's chest earlier? Was it to confirm which one it was? That could be the case. From the information we have, she can only sense others through that butterfly of hers she can't actually see."
She turned her gaze to Caelus, her expression softening with something close to pity.
"You have suffered a lot, young man. But fate has cruelly entangled you with the Sinners. I can't dispel the energy inside your body. Even with my time abilities, the Leym within you would react violently before I could help you recover. By tomorrow, if you don't purge it yourself... you'll be executed."
Just then, a shadowy figure emerged beside her.
She addressed it with calm authority. "Watch over him. If he turns into a demon or if anyone approaches, inform me. If he recovers, inform me as well."
"Yes, Apostle."
---
"Cael, what type of ice cream do you want to eat?" an old woman's voice rang softly inside the car. She was smiling as she looked at the young boy sitting on her lap.
"Cookies and cream! I want cookies and cream this time!" the boy exclaimed, his small fist clenched in excitement as he raised it high into the air.
"Okay, okay," an older man chuckled from the driver's seat. "But don't get your hopes too high, we don't know if the place is even open."
Hearing that, Cael's smile immediately faded. His lips curled into a pout as his big eyes welled with tears on the verge of falling. His grandmother, sensing his distress, shot a glare at her husband.
"Why do you have to say it like that? When you were a kid, didn't you pester your grandfather to get you ice cream no matter what? Don't cry, Cael. Grandma will get you your ice cream."
"Mhm." Cael nodded quickly, hugging his grandma tightly. Then he looked toward his grandpa, who kept his hands on the wheel, eyes flicking toward the rearview mirror.
Cael gave him a mischievous wink.
"See? Now he's winking at me just because you scolded me."
"Now you've got beef with your own grandson," Grandma huffed. "How can such a cute, innocent boy wink at an old man like that?."
As the lighthearted exchange continued, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
All lanes of traffic jammed at once. Cars screeched and struggled to reverse, but they became tangled in the chaos, metal scraping and honking filling the air. Panic rippled through the crowd of vehicles.
The sleek, two-seater sports car that Cael and his grandparents sat in remained closed, its retractable roof sealed shut, a safety precaution since a child was with them.
"What's going on?" Grandma asked, her voice tensing.
"Maybe an accident," Grandpa replied, scanning the scene. "But... this seems way too intense for a crash."
Suddenly, the sharp cracks of gunfire cut through the noise.
Acting on instinct, both grandparents quickly pushed Cael down between the seats, shielding his small body with their own.
But Grandpa was just a second too late.
A single bullet shot through the windshield, striking him in the head.
The front glass shattered on impact. Crimson streaks and splinters of glass painted the interior as his body slumped forward.
Grandma screamed but stopped her scream before it took long, her arms still wrapped tightly around Cael, who trembled beneath her.
'I need to send Cael out of the car before they blast it.'
The Blast Thugs, a group of thugs who are infamous for their obsession with chaos, were known for detonating vehicles and entire streets simply for amusement. The cackling laughter echoing from outside told Cael's grandmother everything she needed to know. Only one group found joy in such slaughter.
"Cael," she whispered, her voice shaking but gentle, "when I open the door slightly, I want you to run. Run to the safest place you see and don't look back, okay?"
Cael, hidden beneath her trembling arms, was unaware of his grandfather's fate. Still covered and protected, he nodded slowly. He didn't question her as he trusted them more than anyone else in the world.
"Will you come with me, Grandma?" he asked, his voice fragile, not from doubt, but from fear.
She smiled sadly, brushing his hair aside. "Yes... But promise me you'll look after yourself, okay?"
"Okay... see you, Grandma."
Cael slipped out under the car's side, his small form nearly invisible in the chaos. The shadows of vehicles, flashing sirens, and smoke offered a cloak as he crept away.
Back inside, his grandmother turned toward her husband's lifeless body. Her fingers trembled as she wrapped her arms around him, whispering through tears, "I'm sorry, Cael... this may be selfish, but I cannot leave your grandpa alone; he cannot take care of himself properly. I need to follow him... even into death. Goodbye, my precious boy. I hope you live a life brighter than ours."
A single bullet pierced the fuel tank. An instant later, the vehicle ignited. Fire burst upward in a pillar of light and smoke, consuming the car whole. Inside, two silhouettes clung to each other as the flames turned them to ash.
From behind a nearby pillar, Cael stared with wide, silent eyes. He wanted to scream, to cry, but a rough adult hand clamped over his mouth, muffling the sound. Tears streamed endlessly down his cheeks.
Within minutes, the heat had reduced everything to char and cinder.
Then, amidst the smoke and ash, something surreal took flight.
Red and black butterflies glowing faintly, as if inked by sorrow and fire, rose from the ruins. Dozens of them danced upward into the sky, their movements silent and hauntingly graceful.
They gathered above the spot where his grandparents had been. Suspended in air, they hovered there as if honoring the last embrace shared in the flames.
One by one, the butterflies transformed into glassy, cocoon-like pupae.
Moments later, they burst open. New butterflies with golden white color emerged, spiraling upward into the sky like souls returning to the stars.
Cael fell unconscious immediately after, as darkness filled his vision.
---
< Oh, demon cursed with misfortune, die for the sake of the world so that others can live peacefully. Otherwise, wherever you go, misfortune follows whoever you have any relation with; they are destined to death. >
Caelus heard the voice in his head. He woke up dizzy, seeing endless black darkness all around him. He couldn't feel any sensation in his hands or legs. He kept hearing the same voice repeating the same words, causing Caelus to suffer an intense headache.
'Is what the voice is saying true? Is this the reason for all the deaths around me? No, it can't be true, right? Why would I be cursed? I am not a demon. I know I will become one in the future if I don't fully awaken, but why is this voice calling me a demon? Is someone trying to manipulate my thoughts? No way, right? I am living in the safest place. Even Mr. Michael said it's the safest place. Of course, I can't rule out the illusion I saw in the garden, but I didn't get hurt at all.' Caelus couldn't think anymore; his thoughts were all used up. The effort to think was gone due to resisting the voice, thinking about the voice, and many other things.
<
Caelus heard another voice, similar to his, but with a much deeper tone. 'Yes, me being a demon is just an opinion of that voice, and in my opinion, I am not a demon cursed with misfortune. I am just a person who wants to enjoy life to the fullest for the sake of someone I love.'
[End Of Chapter 37]