Doctor Demon

Jina, Hobin and Junho arrive at the location where Aina was hiding. They stood in front of a greyish two storey building which was in a decrepit state. The paint on the walls were peeling while several cables were hanging from various poles, passing dangerously close by from the building. There was a broken gate in front of them, creaking every now and then because of the wind.

"This is her house?" Hobin frowned. "For someone who can build a dangerous website like that, this seems like a downgrade."

"She's too lazy to work with honesty," Junho muttered as they entered through the gate. "If she had, she wouldn't have been in this state."

Jina put her gun away and walked ahead. The foul stench of rotten eggs and sulphur hung in the air, confirming that a demon had been dwelling there for days.

"It stinks!" She winced. "It's like someone died here!"

"Knowing her, she probably lives like a pig," Hobin remarked. "She's a coward who hides behind computers and barely takes care of herself. It checks out all the boxes."

They stepped on the threshold of the house.

"Should we knock or break in?" Hobin asked. 

"I'll have to knock," Jina sighed. "Breaking in like this will cause some serious issues with the internal affairs."

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There was the sound of something breaking inside the house which made them alert.

"What was that?" Hobin asked. Jina took out her gun.

"She must be inside," she muttered. "Aina might try to escape-"

CRASH!

They jumped in shock when a window nearby broke and a thin figure scrambled out of it. Aina got to her feet and began to run for her life.

"She's getting away!" Junho yelled but Jina was already chasing the woman. She ran after Aina who was sprinting unusually fast for a shut in. Aina panted and gasped as she ran ahead, passing the front gate. She was already on the street, running while Jina chased her.

"STOP OR I'LL SHOOT!" Jina screamed but the woman kept on running wildly. She passed through the houses and was heading for the road. 

"AINA DON'T TRY TO ESCAPE!" Jina warned.

Aina was not listening. She kept on sprinting straight towards the busy road where the cars were passing by at alarming speed. Jina was right after her, stepping on the road when bright lights flashed at her and a car came speeding towards her.

"AGH!" She yelled, expecting to be hit but a hand grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing chasing her like this?" Hobin scolded her. Jina was not listening and looked around to find that Aina was in the middle of the road, smirking victoriously.

"You won't get me, Detective!" She shrieked. "I'll get my hands on my daughter and her property-"

BEEP! BEEP!

It all happened in a matter of seconds. A large truck came speeding towards Aina but it was too late for it to stop. Aina's smile vanished and was replaced by a look of pure horror as the truck hit her small frame, sending her flying towards another car. Her body hit the car and she fell on the road, bleeding.

Jina and Hobin watched in shock as the woman's lifeless body lay in front of them. All the cars have stopped and a crowd gathered around Aina's body. Hobin rushed forward.

"Excuse me! Coming through!"

He pushed past the crowd and stooped down to check Aina's pulse. Jina was horrified when he shook his head.

"She's dead," Hobin declared. "We'll have to call an ambulance."

Jina was thinking hard. With Aina dead, her soul was undoubtedly going to Hell.

…

Siwan and Jiwoon were struggling to be freed. The demon's hands were clasped around their necks, tightening with every second. It was glaring at them with its cold eyes which were like the glare from death itself.

Is this how we will die? A voice in Jiwoon's head spoke up. 

True. This is where we'll die, she thought. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Siwan was also writhing in pain. Her heart swelled up with many emotions, unsure of whether this was how they would end up as.

But if this is death, it's not so bad dying with you, she thought.

"Huh?" Siwan gasped. Jiwoon had accidentally said it out loud and he heard it. But there was no time to dwell on that because the demon's icy voice interrupted them.

"Die!" It ordered. Suddenly, something spoke up in its head and the demon froze. It loosened its grip on their throats and let them go. Siwan and Jiwoon fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"W-What happened?" Jiwoon asked. Why was the demon letting them go?

Siwan was also confused. The demon was backing out as if it was leaving.

"You two are damn lucky," it muttered. It snapped its fingers and vanished, leaving the duo behind.

"Why did it leave?" Siwan wondered out loud. 

"I have no idea," Jiwoon replied, equally shocked. It said they were lucky. Why?

…

Jina and Hobin had called the ambulance. Junho also arrived on the spot, carrying a small kangaroo in his hands. The paramedics were taking Aina's body away. They watched as the pathetic woman's corpse was loaded into a body bag and pushed into the ambulance. She was going to be examined by the pathologists and then the body would be handed to her closest family members.

They were watching it all from a distance, keeping far away from the crowd.

"I found this in her house," Junho said. He handed Jina the Kangaroo. She felt a strange energy from it which was the same one she felt with the hyacinths at the Cho mansion.

"This is the object which tied the demon to Aina's contract," he explained.

"Should we destroy it?" Hobin asked. "Aina is dead. The contract is now void."

"The website still exists," Jina muttered. "It'll only cause more mayhem."

Suddenly, a cold air gushed by and Jina sighed. 

"Oi you!" Aina's ghost screamed at her. "Do you think I'll give up this easily? I'll take my daughter away! I'll get my hands on her money! I-"

The ghost went on a rampage of curses and swear words which was giving Jina a headache. Hobin seemed to have noticed her impatience.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Aina's ghost is lingering," she groaned. 

"Isn't she supposed to go to Hell?"

As if answering his question, another cold presence appeared. Aina, who was busy cursing, froze when Orma the demon grabbed her.

"Time to go to Hell," Orma said in a matter-of-fact tone. She had ditched her avatar and was now in her true form one of a reddish half goat, fish with scarlet scales. Jina winced and inched closer to Hobin.

"The demon is here too," she winced. The demon held Aina by the throat but its eyes were on Hobin, who was trying to search for the demon. 

"The demon is staring at you," Jina whispered to Hobin.

"What is it doing now?" Junho asked.

"You're the Seer," the demon noted. "And also the reincarnated form of the Butterfly Priestess, right?"

Jina blinked in surprise. "How do you…" she began but the demon cut her off.

"The entire Hell knows by now," it remarked. "Which is why they're agitated. Some are waiting for the True Prince while others are clamouring behind your fated soulmate. Either way, one of them is going to become the next ruler. However, if Ohm Hobin becomes the next ruler of Hell, he'll have to let go of his human side and become a demon. He'll be stuck in Hell forever and that'll effectively end your relationship with him."

"Let me go!" Aina was yelling but Jina ignored the woman, her attention on the demon. The other two men were completely confused about what the demon was telling Jina.

"What's it saying?" Hobin asked but Jina shushed him.

"What do we have to do?" Jina asked the demon. "Just let the True Prince rule-"

"The True Prince will bring havoc to the living world," Orma replied bitterly. "He wants to rule over all humans, showing off his superiority. He's trapped somewhere but his followers are trying to bring him back. I was forced to help his followers because of the contracts but I don't want him to rule. The Emperor of Hell isn't going to come back and there are no Jazrad lords left who can control Hell. Only the Half Prince is left."

The demon's cold eyes are staring right at her, ignoring Aina's protests. She was trying to get away but the demon kept a firm grasp on her.

"More demons will come for him," it went on. "They'll force him to go back. The demon inside him is becoming restless and insecure. Once it grows too powerful, it'll take over him and only you can stop him. How you'll do so…you'll know in due time. Till then, beware of the Brethren."

"What do you-"

"Don't tell anyone about this," the demon warned her. "This is something you need to figure out on your own. The more people know about the Brethren, the more danger you'll put your loved ones in. Stop them, Priestess."

With that, the demon snapped its fingers and disappeared into Hell. The strange energy the kangaroo doll emitted also vanished, leaving nothing behind.

The bond between the demon and the object was broken.

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