I never thought the thing I feared most would be her eyes.
Not fire. Not other hunters. Not even death.
Just… the way she looks at me now.
Like I’m a monster.
Like the love we had wasn’t real.
We were all together again — just Huntrix and the Saja Boys — in one of the old practice rooms we used to sneak into after hours.
It had mirrors on every wall and a busted speaker that only played in mono, but it was ours.
Our safe space. No management. No fans. Just... us.
We’d been rehearsing for a joint stage. Something exciting, powerful.
Saja Boys and Huntrix performing together. Demons and demon hunters — united.
A dream, honestly. Something that felt impossible but maybe, just maybe, we were making it real.
She was smiling.
My princess.
Sh3 sat on the floor beside me, sipping a soda and humming softly, her fingers tapping her knee in rhythm.
I think I could live in that moment forever — the warmth of her shoulder touching mine, the soft laugh she gave when I said something dumb, the way her eyes found mine without even trying.
But good things don’t last for people like us.
That’s when Abby pulled off his jacket. The room was warm, he said. Didn’t even think. None of us did.
But his back was turned, and the demon mark stretched across his shoulder blade. Glowing red, sharp against his skin.
It was quiet.
Then she saw it.
Her whole body froze, like she’d been struck by lightning.
She stood up slowly, eyes wide, scanning the room. She didn’t speak yet — just looked. At me. At Mistery. At Romance. At Baby. At Abby.
Every one of us… marked.
Demon.
Then came the sword.
It shimmered into her hand, glowing silver with hunter magic.
She stepped in front of Zoey, Rumi, and Mira, like a shield.
Like a leader. Like someone whose heart was breaking.
“Get back.”
she said.
“All of you.”
Her voice was calm, but sharp. Like ice.
I stood, hands raised.
“Sunshine, it’s not what you think.”
“Really?”
she snapped.
“Because it looks exactly like what I’ve been trained to kill.”
Rumi stepped forward.
“no—”
“You knew.”
she hissed, turning to her friends.
“You all knew and didn’t tell me.”
No one denied it.
Mira looked down. Zoey had tears in her eyes. Even Rumi didn’t fight back.
“You lied to me."
she whispered.
“I didn’t lie.”
I said, stepping closer.
“I didn’t say everything… but I never lied.”
Her eyes locked on mine. Her sword still glowed, but it trembled now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
she asked.
“Was I just a game to you?”
“No.”
I said.
"You were the only thing real.”
Silence.
“I love you.”
I said. My voice cracked.
“I chose you. Every single time.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t lower the sword.
But she didn’t strike either.
“Why do your marks glow?”
she asked, her voice quieter now.
“When we’re near people we care about.”
I answered.
“They respond to emotion. That’s how you saw them.”
She looked around. Every single Saja Boy’s marks were glowing.
Romance glanced at Mira.
Mistery hadn’t stopped looking at Zoey.
Mine were brightest when I looked at her.
She swallowed hard. Her sword dimmed just a little.
“Then why am I scared?”
she asked.
“Because everything you were taught says love like this shouldn’t exist.”
I said.
“But it does. I’m standing right in front of you. Not hurting you. Not attacking. Just asking you… to believe in what we felt.”
“I still don’t know if I can trust you.”
she whispered.
“I’ll wait.”
I said softly.
“Even if you point that sword at me forever. I’ll still wait.”
She blinked.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt.
And then... she lowered it.
Just an inch.