*Jade*

After everything calmed down, Kuza started to explain everything to me.

"I am a demon hunter, from a place called Underworld," He said.

"You mean, like, Hell?" I asked.

"Its what it used to be called, but I guess you can call it that again," He said. "The leader, Satan, he... He became a tyrant, a horrible bloodthirsty ruler who's trying to rule the entire realms, and trying to even rule Earth. He's slaughtered many creatures in order to achieve total power, strike fear in many."

'"Creatures?" I asked. "You mean, like, more demons?"

"Not exactly. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, nekos, mermaids... They're real, and they are just a small portion of the creatures of different realms that Satan has slaughtered," Kuza said. "Some humans have already suffered as well."

"Humans?" I said in shock.

"Men, women, and even some children have been hunted and bought to the Underworld by others like me, to serve as slaves of different kinds, or to become demons like me. Women and girls have suffered worse than the males," he said.

I looked at him in horror. "That day in the park, you... You were ordered to hunt me down, weren't you?"

He looked down in shame. "I didn't want to.... Especially after I saw who you were."

"Who I was?" I asked, confused.

He hesitated, but then sighed. "I wasn't always a demon.... I was a regular guy in the 1970's, with my fiance, young and naive, but determined on starting our lives together," he said. "But Satan had us hunted down to be our slaves. When we tried to escape.... He had my fiance killed..."

My hand covered my mouth in shock. "Oh my god..."

"Her name was Lily, and her death actually shocked all..... because it showed just how... how twisted Satan is," Kuza said in a strained voice. "He tortured her.... I couldn't even recognize her face when he was done with her..."

I stared in shock as I saw a tear fall down his cheek.

"He wanted to make you a bride.... Only to later kill you the same way he killed Lily, just to mock me.... as punishment for always hesitating to follow his orders," He said. "Because you look so much like her...."

I looked at shock. "My god..."

"When I saw who you were, Jade, I.... I couldn't do it..." He said, his voice strained. "I didn't want to do it in the first place, I refused to when I saw you that day."

I looked at him in shock. "But then... D-Did... Did Satan punish you?" I mumbled.

He looked down. "Not yet. See.... I had asked a friend of mine to cast a spell on you..... A protective spell, when you were little, so that Satan or rogue demons or hunters can find you," he said.

"Then... Its okay, right?" I asked.

"Not exactly. The spell was only strong enough for 10 years... Until yesterday, your 20th birthday," he said.

I gasped and looked around nervously.

"Don't worry. The same friend I trusted charmed this," Kuza said, holding the pentacle charm I gave him, and then reached over, looping it around my neck. "So long as you have this, they can't hurt you."

I looked down at it as I took in everything.

"But hiding me... Won't you and your friend get hurt?" I asked.

"Not if we're all careful," Kuza said. "So far, we've managed to hide you this long, but Dementia's magic can only go so far."

I gulped nervously as I got up and paced the room.

"Satan, is... Is he as bad as, like... As the Christian community say?" I asked.

"Much worse... They imagine a creature or individual who makes people do bad things... A being that became incarnated in famous serial killers or anything like that. The kind of things this Satan does.... that this monster does.... I swear to every deity on this earth it would even traumatize Ed Gein..." Kuza said.

I gulped nervously as I paced around a bit and then he got up and held my shoulders from behind me.

"I don't want to be his bride..." I mumbled as I felt tears of fear well up in my eyes.

He turned me around and held my face in his hands, wiping my tears away from my face. "I know... I will never let that happen to you... I'm here to protect you, until I'm dead."

"No!!" I said, immediately turning around and wrapping my arms around his neck, hugging him.

He seemed surprised by my actions.

"You were always there.... Whether he's defeated or not, I don't want to think of a world where you don't exist anymore," I said, tears falling down my cheeks. "You made me happy, even when you came back... I don't want you to die, much less for me.... I can't  lose you...."

He was still, and then I felt his strong arms wrap around me.

"Don't cry.... I'll never leave you," he mumbled.

I sniffled as I clung to him for who knows how long, his hand softly stroking my hair.

I had calmed down but still held to him.

He didn't let me go, just held me close.

I then decided to pull back and look at him.

I reached over and held his face in my hands.

I looked into his eyes. Soft blueish-grey eyes met mine as he observed me.

"They were white..." I mumbled, and then he blinked and his eyes were suddenly white.

I gasped quietly and gulped as then I saw horns grow from the top of his head. Curved and pointed, almost as dark as his hair.

I looked at him... The man I met in the meadow.... He isn't a man.....

I pressed my forehead against the center of his chest as I clutched his shirt in my fists.

His arms wrapped around me.

"You're not afraid of me?" He mumbled.

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "No."

"Even if he is after you... I could still hurt you," he said.

I looked up at Kuza, seeing sadness in his eyes. I leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I trust you, Kuza...."

~~~~~

Why all the anger over the new MIW album's cover art?

You don't buy an album just to listen to the the cover art, guys. Just saying. The music seems a lot more important than a design.

🎙Currently in Sapph's playlist:

In this Moment "The Fighter"

♡~ sapphire.