12 Years Ago
Hateful but trembling with fear, Luci lunged forward, gripping his small knife with white-knuckled determination. His strike, wild and poorly aimed, barely grazed the demon's torso, leaving only a shallow wound.
Asher gasped, his green eyes widening as he stared at the blood on his hand. It was the first time he had ever been wounded. But something felt… wrong. His head spun, his limbs felt sluggish. His robust scales, usually tough as armor, suddenly felt fragile—like brittle paper. What… was that?
His claws trembled as he pressed them against the cut, feeling an unfamiliar, burning weakness spreading through him. Then his gaze flickered back to Luci, those glowing red eyes filled with something deeper than anger. Something terrifying.
I should have listened to Papa... Humans are dangerous...
Luci took a step forward, emboldened by his minor victory. "You'll pay for what you've done!" he yelled, though his voice cracked under the weight of his emotions.
Asher's breath hitched. "N-no…" he whimpered, then turned and ran.
The forest blurred around him as he fled. He stumbled over roots, his bare feet scraping against rocks, but he didn't dare stop. The prince's footsteps pounded behind him, relentless. Every glance over his shoulder showed Luci gaining, knife gleaming under the moonlight.
"Get back here, demon!"
Asher scrambled forward, clutching the camellias in his hand. He barely managed to dodge a tree before the ground vanished beneath him.
He tumbled down a steep slope, rolling over and over, the flowers scattering from his grip. By the time he hit the bottom, his body ached all over. He tried to stand, tried to flee—
SHANK
A sharp, searing pain shot through his leg.
Asher screamed.
The rusted jaws of a forgotten wolf trap had snapped shut around his calf, its jagged metal teeth sinking into his scales. He tried to pull free, but his strength had already been drained by the light-infused wound. His breathing grew rapid, panic consuming him.
He heard the footsteps approaching.
Asher clawed at the trap, his fingers shaking.
"No… no… no…" he whimpered, struggling to force it open.
Luci slowed as he approached. He saw the demon writhing on the ground, saw the way Asher clutched desperately at his leg, eyes wide with terror. The sight should have filled him with satisfaction, his enemy, defeated.
But it didn't.
Asher's sobs only grew louder, rawer.
"AHHHH! PAPA! PAPA, HELP ME! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! I WANT MY PAPA BACK!"
Luci's fingers tightened around his knife.
The word Papa struck him like a physical blow.
He froze. The blade in his grip suddenly felt heavy, awkward.
Demons can cry?
Demons can speak human language?
Demons can… miss their fathers?
Luci stared at him, at the way Asher curled in on himself, hugging his knees as if it would somehow make the pain go away. His small body shook with every sob, his tail coiled tightly around his frame.
The anger in Luci's chest faltered.
That's a demon. That's a demon…
But the only thing he could see was a child crying for a lost father who would never return.
Just like him.
The memory of his own voice echoed in his mind, his own desperate cries, calling out for a father who would never answer again.
His hand fell to his side.
What am I doing?
This won't bring him back…
He let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "Ahhh… I'm going to regret this for sure."
With reluctance, Luci knelt down beside the rusted trap. The knife in his grip remained steady, but his heart pounded against his ribs.
Asher, however, only grew more terrified. Seeing Luci and his blade so close sent him into a fresh wave of panic.
"PAPA! PAPAAA!" Asher screamed, thrashing.
Luci clenched his jaw. "Stop moving! Do you want me to help or not?!"
But Asher wasn't listening. His cries only grew more desperate.
"STOP IT!" Luci snapped, voice cracking. "CRYING WON'T BRING HIM BACK!"
His words hit the demon like a thunderclap.
Asher hiccupped mid-sob, his body going still. He looked up at Luci with wide, watery eyes, stunned into silence.
Luci's own face twisted with pain as the weight of his words settled in. His grip on the knife trembled.
"… It won't bring him back," he whispered, voice breaking. "He… He's gone. Gone. So you should stop crying…"
But even as he said it, his own vision blurred. His chest ached. He clenched his teeth, fighting against the burning behind his eyes, but it was no use. The tears came anyway.
The mighty prince, heir of Camellia, wept.
Asher sniffled, wiping his eyes with his arm.
"… You're… you're sad?"
Luci stiffened.
No one had ever asked him that before. No one had cared.
Asher hesitated before speaking again, voice barely above a whisper.
"Did… did the evil humans burn your papa too?"
Luci's breath caught. His stomach twisted.
"No." He swallowed hard. "Demons killed him."
Asher flinched, his ears flattened. His gaze dropped. His wings curled around his body, like he was suddenly too ashamed to exist.
Luci inhaled sharply. The sight of the demon's distraught face was enough to dim his anger. He let out a slow breath.
"… But I shouldn't blame you for it."
He wiped his eyes and focused back on the trap.
"I no longer want to kill you, okay? So just… sit still while I figure this thing out."
Asher nodded hesitantly, watching as Luci struggled with the rusted mechanism. The prince grumbled in frustration, yanking at the metal with little success.
Asher sniffled. "… Maybe if you—"
"YOU GONNA OPEN FOR LORD FUCKING SAKE?!!" Luci yelled, losing his patience entirely. In a fit of frustration, he kicked the trap repeatedly until the rusted mechanism snapped.
The trap sprang open, and Asher's leg was freed.
Asher scrambled back instinctively, ignoring the pain in his leg, until his back hit a tree. His breath came in sharp gasps as he clutched his injured knee, curling up as if to shield himself.
Luci stood there, frozen, his chest rising and falling rapidly. A flicker of irritation crossed his face.
I just freed him, and this is how he thanks me?!
He had expected that helping Asher would be enough to earn his forgiveness, to make things right. But clearly, it wasn't that simple.
The prince let out a frustrated sigh, sheathed his knife, and raised his hands before taking a careful step forward.
"I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"
Asher flinched, pressing himself further against the tree. His green eyes, still wet with tears, locked onto Luci with open fear.
He was really scared.
"No… no! Wait!" Luci exclaimed, stopping immediately and lifting his hands even higher to show he had no weapon.
The irritation drained from him, replaced by an uneasy guilt. He was pushing too hard. After all, just moments ago, he had tried to kill Asher. Winning his trust wouldn't be instant.
Luci took a deep breath and tried another approach.
"You're a pretty weird demon, you know that? Why did you run instead of fighting me? With that body, you could've easily won…" He hesitated before adding, "Honestly, I thought you were here to kill me… I just… fought for my life."
Asher lifted his head slightly.
Then, suddenly, he spread his wings wide in an instinctive attempt to look more threatening. His face, still streaked with tears, twisted into a fierce snarl as he bared his fangs.
Luci jolted backward, his heart skipping a beat. For the first time since the chase, he truly realized, this crying child was still a demon, a creature bigger and stronger than him.
But just as quickly, Asher stopped.
He saw the flicker of fear in Luci's eyes and immediately regretted it. His wings drooped, and he curled them around himself, hiding like a scolded child.
Asher's voice was full of shame. "No… Papa said gentle demons never hurt anyone…" His voice wavered. "I want to be a gentle demon. I promised…"
Luci blinked. "A… gentle demon?"
It sounded like nonsense. Weren't demons supposed to be bloodthirsty monsters? That's what the Bible said, at least. How could one be gentle?
Yet, as he looked at Asher, curled up and ashamed, something in his mind wavered.
His gaze drifted downward, and that's when he saw them.
Scattered across the ground were delicate red flowers, their petals still vibrant.
Luci frowned. He remembered now, Asher had been holding them before.
A demon bringing flowers to a human? That makes no sense. I want to understand the truth. I want to understand him.
He knelt down, picking up a single bloom and twirling it between his fingers. Then, he looked up at Asher.
"Wait… Were these for me?"
Asher's face turned scarlet, and he quickly looked away.
"Y-you were crying…" he mumbled. "I thought… they might make you happy…"
Luci's grip on the flower tightened. The memory of him breaking down alone in the dark came rushing back.
He swallowed hard.
He had attacked a demon, one who had come to comfort him.
His eyes flickered to the other flowers forming a small path between them. This was his chance to fix things.
Luci took another step forward and picked up the second flower.
"They're pretty… What are they?"
Asher, still tense, watched him cautiously.
"Camellias…"
Luci grabbed a third flower, tilting his head.
"Camellias? They're not roses?"
Asher's eyes tracked his every movement.
"Camellias look like roses… but they aren't roses…"
Luci picked up the fourth flower and studied it.
"Then why camellias?"
A long pause. Then, Asher spoke softly.
"Roses are beautiful… but camellias are more beautiful…" He hesitated before murmuring, "They look like your eyes… unlike roses…"
Luci froze.
He lifted the flower to inspect it more closely. Its center had a star-shaped pattern, surrounded by deep red petals. Just like his eyes.
Slowly, he looked back at Asher, a smirk playing on his lips.
"So… You think my eyes are beautiful?"
Asher met his gaze, then panicked, turning a deep shade of red.
Luci chuckled. Ahh, how cute.
"You're right, they're gorgeous! Like my starry eyes!" He said with a little smile.
He plucked the fifth flower from the ground and, with a pleased expression, carefully tucked it into his small golden prince's crown.
"Well? Do they suit me?" he asked with a child's pure smile.
Asher peeked up at him. For the first time since their meeting, his fear wavered.
He saw the bright, genuine smile on Luci's face, the smile he had wanted to see when he picked those flowers.
Asher couldn't help but whisper his thoughts.
"You… you're really pretty…"
Luci's grin widened. "Oh? Really? You think I'm pretty?"
Asher's tail twitched, his ears burned red, and he visibly struggled to form words.
Luci plucked the sixth flower and added it to his crown.
Asher gulped. "I… I… m-maybe…"
His tail flicked again, his wings shuddering slightly. He wasn't great at hiding his emotions.
Luci took another step closer, now only inches away.
Asher realized, too late, that the last flower was beneath his hand. He tensed and instinctively pulled it close to his chest, as if protecting it.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Luci stretched out his hand, palm open. He wasn't forcing anything, just waiting.
"Well… We didn't start on the right foot. How about a fresh start? My name's Luci. And you?"
Asher held the flower tightly, uncertain.
Luci sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
A long silence.
Then, hesitantly, Asher extended the final flower.
"… Ash… My name is Asher."
Luci took the flower carefully, his fingers brushing against Asher's for the first time.
For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to pause.
Luci had expected Asher's skin to feel rough, but it was smooth, almost soft.
Asher, meanwhile, was frozen. The warmth of Luci's fingers felt nothing like his father's harsh, damaged hands. It was softer than cotton. Like an angel's touch.
That was their first real contact.
And the beginning of a bond that would tie them together forever.
—
And it was in remembering this moment that the adult prince finally opened his eyes.