I had been lost in my thoughts for a long time. The demon kept returning to my mind, over and over. His presence… his voice… the way he looked… I couldn't stop thinking about him.
I wanted answers. And the only person who could give them to me was Alexander.
The day dragged on. Every minute felt heavy. I kept thinking about meeting him, about asking everything—about the demon, my work, this place.
Finally, I reached home. I had eaten dinner, and then I went to sleep.
I did the entry formalities with the demon without saying much and directly went inside.
I ran through the entry, my footsteps echoing, and moved toward the corridor. "Alexander! Where are you?" I called, my voice bouncing off the walls.
From inside his cabin came his calm, familiar voice. "I'm here. Come in. First, breathe. Then tell me what you want to ask."
I inhaled deeply, steadying myself. "Alexander… how do you do it? You never seem afraid of him. You… speak to the demon so comfortably."
Alexander told her calmly that the demon was cooperative.
"There's no reason to be afraid," he said. "Just do your work and follow the instructions. You also have to follow the rules, Cristina."
Cristina nodded softly. "Hmm…"
After a pause, curiosity took over her fear.
"But Alexander," she asked, "why does he look so perfect? His body shape… it's too perfect. Humans can never look like that. You said he comes in human form, but what kind of human is this?"
Alexander gave a small, knowing smile.
"Well, well," he said. "He looks that way because he is a demon who has lived for centuries. He didn't copy modern humans. He took the form of our ancestors — from ancient times, when people were naturally strong, fit, and perfectly built. That's the human form he chose."
I sat behind him while he taught me about the work — how it could be done and what steps I had to follow. I wrote some of it in my diary, step by step.
Then he gave me another diary and told me to do some work for him. I had to search for a few books, open them, and write down the details he needed. He said everything was mentioned inside — the names of the books and what I had to note while searching in them.
So I took the diary and started walking toward the library. Before I left, he said, "Don't come to the office. The demon will come there. You have to work in the library It's already written in the diary."
"Okay, Alexander," I said
I went to the library. It was vast, ancient, and quietly solemn, resembling an old Catholic library preserved from another era. The tall bookshelves lined the space in long rows, each rising nearly seven feet as if the room had been designed for larger people means demons only we human cannot reach to that height to make the upper sections accessible, small wooden staircases were placed beside the shelves.
A large antique clock stood against one of the walls, its steady ticking gently filling the silence.
When the clock struck 12:30, I felt a quiet shift in the air. I whispered to myself, He is here… the demon is here.
I hesitated, slightly unsettled by my own words. Mr. Demon sounded strange, even childish. Calling him simply the demon felt no better. His name—whatever it was—would be easier. I decided I would ask Alexander later.
I walked to the other side of the library, where a large wooden table stood beneath the shelves. Opening the diary, I carefully read the list of book titles and began searching for them among the rows. I managed to find several, using the small staircase to reach the higher shelves. Each book I retrieved was heavy, and I placed them one by one on the table.
Only one book remained.
It was kept far above, almost out of reach. To get to it, I had to use both the staircase and a chair. I dragged the chair closer, placed the staircase on top of it, and paused for a moment before climbing_
For a moment, I thought of asking Alexander for help. But he had already told me not to come to him, so I knew I had to do it alone.
I took a deep breath, calmed myself,
Cristina whispered to herself, "I can do it."
I climbed onto the chair and then onto the staircase. My heart was beating fast, like a drum. I was close, but still unable to reach it. It was just a little farther.
I stretched my feet and climbed a bit more.
In a whisper, I said, "Almost there…
I almost lost my balance.
Suddenly, a strange voice spoke, calm but firm.
"Be careful, Cristina."
It was low, steady, and powerful. The sound didn't echo through the room—it moved through me, vibrating deep inside my chest.
I froze. Fear rushed through my body. My fingers loosened, and I didn't take the book. I couldn't. Instead, I focused only on getting down.
Slowly, carefully, I climbed back down the staircase, my legs trembling. Every step felt heavier than the last.
When my feet finally touched the floor, my heart was pounding.
The voice lingered in my ears—deep, vibrating, and strangely attractive. There was no doubt about it.
It was his voice.
The demon's voice...
I heard fast footsteps.
Alexander came running toward me, his face tense.
"What happened?" he asked urgently.
"I almost fell," I said, still shaken. Then I looked at him. "But… how did you know?"
Alexander hesitated for a second. "The demon told me to come here."
I stared at him. "How did he know?"
Alexander went quiet, then said softly, "I almost forgot… he can see us."
I looked at him in disbelief.
"Now you're telling me this?"
"I forgot," he said again, uneasy.
Before I could say anything more, we heard footsteps.
My breath caught. He's coming.
The atmosphere changed instantly. The air turned cold, heavy, as if the library itself had gone still. We both lowered our gaze, unable to look up.
He passed Alexander without stopping and walked straight toward me.
He stopped in front of me.
I hadn't looked up yet, but his presence was overwhelming. He was impossibly tall—so tall that my gaze reached only his chest. Broad shoulders,To see his face, I would have needed a chair.
His height made me feel small, fragile, almost unreal beside him.
"If you need help, ask me directly," he said. "You don't have to do this. You could have been hurt."
Hearing those words, something inside me softened. I felt myself melt a little—someone had said this to me for the first time, and it touched me more deeply than I expected.
Then his tone changed, louder and firm, as he addressed Alexander.
"You take care of this."
My legs began to shake. My heart raced, and I nearly lost my balance. Before I could fall, he held me steady with his hand.
"Careful," he said quietly.
The touch was brief, certain, protective.
I don't know why I felt that way.
He is a demon—I know this. I should remember it.
I gently withdrew my hand and said, "Yes, I'm fine."
He turned and returned to his cabin without another word.
I then looked at Alexander. "Is there anything else you forgot to tell me?"
"Yes," Alexander replied.
"What is it now?" I asked.
He hesitated before speaking. "If you are injured here—while dreaming—the injury will appear in the real world as well."
I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? "You are the one training me, and you forgot to tell me something this important?"
"Then why does the demon care?" I asked. "He should be pleased, not concerned."
Alexander looked at me seriously. "Now that we work here, his responsibility includes our safety. He must ensure that the rules are followed."
He paused before adding, "If we break those rules, he takes the soul. That is the truth."
Alexander explained that the demon follows strict rules, and our safety is also part of those rules.
"Okay," Cristina said.
Alexander nodded. "Leave that book. Work on the rest."
"Alright," Cristina replied. "I will."
Alexander returned to the cabin to continue his work with the demon.
I remained in the library, seated on a wooden chair, working through the remaining books. I wrote carefully, one after another, my mind drifting as I worked.
Under my breath, I whispered, "That's why the demon was concerned…"..
By the time it was nearly three o'clock, it was time for the demon to leave. I walked toward the cabin with my eyes lowered.
"Goodbye, Alexander. Goodbye, Cristina," the demon said calmly.
"Goodbye sir ," Alexander replied.
"Bye… demon—" I stopped myself quickly. "Sorry. I mean, goodbye."
He did not react. Instead, I noticed that he had already placed my payment neatly on the desk.
After he left, I looked at Alexander in confusion.
"Why is my payment here? I was supposed to start getting paid after ten days."
Alexander clarified, "During the training period, you are not paid daily. You are paid once every two days."
"After the training period, you will be paid per day."
I took the money and looked at Alexander.
"You need to learn how to be a better trainer."
I laughed softly,
Alexander smiled and said, "Yes, I know."
It was time. With the money in hand, we both vanished and returned to our own world.