Chapter 3
Selena woke up quite late that morning, stretching lazily under her warm blankets. For a fleeting moment, she considered sleeping in longer, but then Lilly's words from yesterday echoed in her mind:
"Only when you have enough energy can you save another."
With renewed determination, Selena sat up, clenching her fists.
"Today, I'm going to save him for sure!"
…But first, she needed a plan.
Her mind, however, was anything but ordinary. Instead of reasonable medical solutions, it immediately drifted into the realm of pure madness.
"Maybe I should put him inside a giant microwave to warm up his cold body!" she mused, her eyes lighting up with inspiration.
Then she frowned.
"No… that won't work. He'd probably explode… or worse, turn into red-flavored popcorn."
Her hand tapped against her chin as she brainstormed further.
"What if I tie him to a lightning rod and electrocute him back to health? It could jump-start his body like a defibrillator!"
Then she gasped, excited by her next idea.
"Ooooh! Or I could soak him in boiling hot oil! Just like crispy tempura—Wait. No. That's murder."
She groaned, flopping backward onto her pillow. "Why is medical science so complicated?"
Finally, after much internal debate, a somewhat reasonable idea surfaced in her chaotic brain.
A hot bath!
"Yes! Heat therapy! That's a thing, right?"
For a brief moment, her mind conjured an image of the mysterious man submerged in warm water, steam rising off his perfectly sculpted physique. His strong jawline. His otherworldly eyes locking onto hers…
Selena's face immediately turned red.
"Nope! That would be totally improper! TOTALLY IMPROPER!" she yelled, violently shaking her head as if trying to rattle the image out of her brain.
Just then, her phone rang, mercifully yanking her out of her ridiculous fantasies. She grabbed it and answered, still slightly flustered.
"Hey, little Lilly, today's weekend, so I'll come whenever I want to—"
"I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU!" Lilly's voice practically vibrated through the phone, bubbling with excitement.
Selena groaned, rubbing her temples. "Lilly, I don't care if someone got awarded another stupid star."
"No, the news is—"
"WHAT?!" Selena shouted, cutting Lilly off, her body suddenly jolting upright.
One second, she was in bed.
The next, she was sprinting through the hospital corridors like a woman possessed.
She didn't know how she got there so fast—maybe she had unlocked a hidden super-speed ability in her panic—but within moments, she reached Lilly, practically pouncing on her.
She grabbed the girl's shoulders, shaking her like a rattle. "You're NOT lying, are you?!"
Lilly, dizzy from the sudden assault, nodded. "He woke up this morning! But he keeps repeating some weird wo—"
Before she could finish, Selena was already gone, a gust of wind left in her wake.
She skid to a halt in front of his hospital room, her breath uneven. "Okay, okay… Just… stay calm."
Carefully, she peeked inside.
But then—her heart stopped.
The bed was empty.
He wasn't there.
Her mind blanked for a solid three seconds before spiraling into full-blown panic mode. "WHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE?! Even if he woke up, he should still be hurt! I must find him!"
Selena whirled around and took off down the hallway, her frantic footsteps echoing through the hospital.
But then—fate had other plans.
Her foot slipped.
In a tragic yet completely predictable turn of events, Selena found herself falling backward in slow motion.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely as she mentally processed her fate.
Is this how I die? In a hospital? Ironically in the place where people are saved?
But then—
A heroic voice called out. "SELENA!"
Dr. Nathan.
The five-star doctor. The man who had proposed to her multiple times. The one who romanticized every interaction between them.
His mind instantly played out the perfect, dramatic rescue scene. He would catch her, stare deeply into her eyes, and she would finally realize her feelings for him. Then—romantic music would play, their lips would meet, and the entire world would applaud their love.
Yes. This was destiny.
His arms reached out.
But his fantasy was violently shattered.
Because another figure caught her instead.
…By the back of her neck.
Like she was an unruly kitten.
The world paused.
Nathan's dreams crumbled into dust.
Selena's body tensed as her head slowly turned to see who had stopped her fall.
And there he was.
The mysterious man.
His features were beyond divine. His face could put Greek gods to shame. His eyes held an inexplicable depth, as if they had seen things beyond human comprehension. And worst of all—
He was looking at her in that way.
The same way male leads in romance dramas looked at the heroine before confessing their undying love.
Selena's mind short-circuited.
I-It's happening… Just like in the movies…!
Her heart raced as she braced herself for the confession that was about to come.
The man's lips parted.
And then—
"You are that foolish human, aren't you?"
The moment shattered into a thousand pieces.
A weird choking noise escaped Selena's throat.
Her brain struggled to process the sheer audacity of this man.
No man had ever called her foolish before.
She scrambled to her feet, glaring at him. "EXCUSE ME?!"
The man remained unfazed. "Of course I'm right. You are that foolish human." His voice carried a tone of absolute certainty, as if he had scientifically concluded this fact.
Selena almost fainted. "Okay, let's forget about that! Who the hell are you?!"
The man tilted his head. "Are all humans this stupid?"
Selena's eye twitched violently.
"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE IN THE FOREST," he continued. "But you didn't listen. And now, you don't even know who I am?"
Selena's breath hitched.
Her eyes widened in realization.
"It's… It's YOU!"
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
But… but how?!
He was dying. She saw it with her own eyes. And yet—here he was. Standing. Breathing. Looking infuriatingly handsome.
The man said nothing, simply observing her reaction.
Internally, however, his thoughts were conflicted.
This human… She somehow removed the Angro Crystal from my heart. No supernatural being could do that and no human should be able to see it. And yet, she acts as if she has no idea what she did.
Raziel narrowed his gaze.
"Do you know who I am?"
Selena crossed her arms, still seething. "You're the stranger I saved. That's all I know."
Meanwhile, to the side, Nathan was in the middle of a full-blown emotional crisis.
"No man has EVER made Dr. Vale lose her calm before! But look at her now—" his inner monologue was near tears. "Losing her calm makes her even MORE beautiful!"
Raziel sighed, shaking his head. "I see. So you really are just a mere human after all."
Selena squinted at him. "If I'm a 'mere human,' then what exactly are you?"
Raziel's gaze darkened.
"I… am a demon."
"Fear not," Raziel declared with absolute confidence, "for when I ascend as the Demon King Throne, you shall be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. Just be patient a little longer."
Selena stared at him, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "You're saying… you'll reward me handsomely when you become the Demon King?"
"Indeed," Raziel declared with regal confidence.
Selena crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Sure. And I suppose you also have a hidden kingdom full of demons waiting to bow before you?"
"Exactly." He gave her a serious nod, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Selena sighed, rubbing her temples. "Right. So, Your Majesty, where exactly are you headed?"
Raziel stepped past her with an air of supreme importance. "To find the gateway to the underworld."
Selena's expression twisted into one of pure skepticism. Oh, great. Not only is he delusional, but he also has a serious commitment to his fantasy. If I leave a guy like this to roam freely, he might actually do something insane.
And that's how she found herself saying, "I know where the gateway is."
Raziel halted mid-step and turned to her, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You… do?"
Selena nodded with practiced seriousness.
Interesting… Raziel thought. No ordinary human should have knowledge of the gateway. Could she be more than she appears?
Later that day –
Selena grandly gestured to the location she had spoken of.
A playground.
A very colorful, very human playground.
Raziel stood frozen in place, staring at the slides, the swings, and the merry-go-round with the look of a man who had just been told his entire bloodline was a joke. "This? This is the location of the gateway?"
"Yup!" Selena nodded, barely holding back a snicker.
How could it be placed in such a public area? Raziel seethed internally. Who dares disgrace the sacred gateway?!
But before he could further question this absurdity, Selena continued. "But to unlock it… we must play with every single thing here."
Raziel's face slowly drained of all emotion. Then, it twisted into absolute horror. "I am a demon."
Selena waved him off. "And I'm a straight-A student. Life is full of disappointments. Come on."
She grabbed his hand before he could protest and yanked him toward the merry-go-round.
Raziel clung onto the pole as it spun, his knuckles white. "This… is… unnecessary!"
"Necessary for the ritual," Selena corrected, laughing as her long, elegant hair whipped around wildly.
Next was the seesaw.
Raziel sat on one side, utterly unamused. "Why must I be subjected to this torture?!"
"Because," Selena said, bouncing her legs to keep him stuck in the air, "it's a sacred demon trial. Obviously."
Raziel's eye twitched. "There is no such trial."
"There is now."
Then came the slide.
Raziel hesitated at the top, glaring down at the cursed contraption. "...This defies all logic."
Selena had zero patience left. She kicked his back.
Raziel's startled yelp echoed through the playground as he shot down, landing gracelessly at the bottom with an undignified thud.
Selena collapsed onto a bench, howling with laughter. "Y-You should see your face right now!"
Raziel, his face frozen in disbelief, twitched violently.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of humiliation, they stood before a dark cave entrance.
Raziel's glowing red eyes gleamed. "At last… the gateway…"
With a dramatic flourish, he swung the door open—
BOOM!
An explosion of colorful party poppers erupted in his face.
Confetti rained down upon him.
A banner unfurled above, flashing neon letters: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE THE 100TH VISITOR!
Raziel stood still. Completely and utterly still.
Selena doubled over, clutching her stomach. "OH—OH MY GOD—THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE—" She gasped between breathless wheezes, tears in her eyes. "PFFT—AHAHAHAHA!"
Raziel slowly turned toward her, his eyes glowing like molten lava.
Selena's laughter died in her throat.
In one swift motion, Raziel seized her wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but there was a weight to it—an unmistakable presence that sent a shiver down her spine.
The air around them shifted, darkening, crackling with unseen energy.
"Foolish human…" His voice was deep, resonating with an eerie echo. "Did I not tell you?"
The weight of his words sank into her bones.
His crimson eyes bore into hers, the amusement long gone.
"I am a demon."
To be continued.