Demon // EXO

Chapter 12

I sat on my plush bed, my slim legs dangling from the edge as I looked at myself in the vanity mirror. I'd looked less sunken than my first few days here; my hair was brighter, my eyes looked less hollow.

But somehow, the ache in my chest was still present, still everlasting and refusing to leave. My family, my little brother; the comforts of home and my own bedroom. I'd never gotten on with my family, I'd always clashed with my mom, my brother and even my dad. We'd never been a perfect family, but I still loved them, craved their presence.

I looked down at my leggings, sweater and fluffy socks; something I would've worn at home. It was a comfort, partially, wearing clothes that reminded me of my own wardrobe.

There was a knock on my bedroom, so I let out a loud hum. The door opened, and I turned my head to spot Yixing entering, a tight smile on his face.

"How's your neck?" He asked me, his eyes instantly going to where the dried blood was, however I'd wiped it away with a wet cloth, leaving only small cuts left.

"It's fine." I replied, turning to cross my legs on my bed as I studied the demon that stood at the foot of my double bed.

He didn't seem very demonic, or scary. He seemed very calm and collected compared to the other demons, and I guessed that's from his angelic heritage.

I suppose I was feeling ambitious, as I asked; "do you know your mother?"

He blinked at me, as if not expecting that question at all, however no sorrow or anger was written on his features as he grabbed my vanity chair and sat on it across from me.

"My mother was an angel, albeit a rebellious one." He began, his eyes glazed as if recollecting her. "I don't remember much about her, or my childhood. I know I was born in Heaven, but that's as much-"

I leaned forward, eyes widening, "you were born in Heaven?"

He nodded, face blank, "yes. My mother birthed me in Heaven, and I lived there for about two years, not that I can remember, until Satan laid claim over me and declared it an act of war if God wouldn't allow him to take me."

I waited, my eyes still wide, and curiosity lining my features no doubt as a small, barely perceptible smile appeared on his face after looking at me.

"God isn't how the humans make him out to be. And neither are Angels. They aren't all smiles and forgiveness, and they don't particularly care for acts of War with Satan when they'd rather live in peace. So God made the decision, he forced my mother to hand me over to Satan the day I turned two years old." He explained, not an ounce of emotion on that terrifyingly beautiful face.

"But your mother? She just handed you over so easily?" I may be pushing my luck, but out of all the brothers, I trusted Yixing the most, with his empathetic abilities and concern.

He straightened the cufflinks at his wrists. "I wouldn't say so easily. She didn't want to give me away. When I was born, you see, I was only allowed to stay because of my angelic mother, and she would of no doubt been able to train my heart to be good. But God forced her to give me up, told her it would've been better that way as people already feared me as a two year old, with my link to Satan. So she had no choice, she handed me over in exchange for the ability to stay in Heaven after creating a spawn of Satan. For if she refused, she'd be cast as a Fallen Angel, and locked out of her home forever."

"That's selfish." I commented, putting my hands on my knees. "Mothers are supposed to fight for their children."

Yixing nodded vaguely, "as I said. Angels and God are different to how your race perceives them. They can be terribly selfish and emotionless, and have been known to kill their newborns if their lineage held only a shred of demonic power."

I scowled for a moment, but then remembered that Yixing isn't like the others, he has a light heart, as well as a dark one.

"I suppose in the sense me and Chanyeol are similar. We're both half breeds with a heart of neither pure good nor pure evil." He shrugged, a simple gesture.

But he was right, as Chanyeol's mother had been human. And then a thought struck me; "Chanyeol's mother. What about her?"

Yixing looked at me for a long moment, "indeed human. Chanyeol can't remember her either, he was taken as a newborn, before his mother had a chance to hold him to her chest."

I shook my head, finding it all unfair. How would of Yixing and Chanyeol been differently if they were brought up with their mothers? If they were taught to be good, to be light and to love in a way purebred demons cannot.

I thought of Jongin, how his face and mood changed when Taeyeon mentioned another demon; Krystal. I looked up at Yixing, and as if reading my thoughts, he leaned back in his chair.

"You want to know about what set Jongin off earlier?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Is Krystal- is she your sister?" I questioned carefully, leaning back on my huge mountain of pillows.

Yixing shook his head. "No. She is a child of Lilith, with a demon father. Sehun and Junmyeon are her half brothers, as well as Taeyeon her half sister."

"So what upset Jongin so much? I heard a mention of a debt?" I wondered if I was over stepping the line, but the more I knew about this mess the better.

"Krystal has a debt owed to her mother, Lilith. And Krystal and Jongin- well Jongin is the King of Seduction, and Krystal is the Queen of Seduction. They rule together, over the same title." He explained, and I got the gist of what he was saying.

"They love each other." I clarified, feeling the urge to sigh, suddenly remembering the horrific scars lining Jongin's back.

Yixing looked at me thoughtfully, his dark brown eyes seemed to hold flecks of pure gold in them that I hadn't noticed before. Something from his Angel heritage? It seemed likely.

"In the way that demons can love, then I suppose they do. We're selfish, and possessive. It's more of a mutual ownership and claiming than the love that you humans experience."

I thought of how upset Jongin had become at the mention of Krystal's debt. "What's her debt to her mother?"

"Lilith wanted claim of Jongin, the King of Seduction, and Satan would've no doubt bargained him over to be her slave to his own advantage. However, Krystal wouldn't allow that, wouldn't let Lilith enslave Jongin however she wanted, so she rebelled and attacked her mother in blind rage." Yixing explained. "One of Lilith's more loyal children decided to defend their mother and jump in, ultimately ending up killed by Krystal, his soul now contained within a necklace around Lilith's neck, as all of her deceased children are. It's common knowledge that Lilith doesn't take her children's death's lightly, especially if one kills the other. So Krystal owes a life debt to Lilith, and has to follow her around and does whatever her mother desires, keeping her on a tight, demonic leash, until Lilith sees fit to release her. This was two hundred years ago, and the debt has continued since."

I processed it all, about the sacrifice Krystal made for Jongin, attacking her own mother in his name. It sounds like love, sounds like more than love, and for the first time since being here I felt genuinely bad for a demon.