Navigating through the hallways, she finally found a back door. She pushed it open and stepped into the night air.

As she went outside, she started scanning the area for the cat while rubbing her wrist, which was in pain. She walked around the place that was just trees and some old, discarded items. Suddenly, a small figure quickly descended the branches of a tree and landed gracefully on the soft grass below.

"Ain… you're okay," she said in relief, feeling a bit calmer now after the scary fight with the demon.

"Can't say the same about you. Did you get run over by a truck?" he padded over to her, his tail swishing happily.

"Yeah, kinda." She crouched down to get closer to the cat and petted his head in relief. "We should go now before anyone–"

A dagger flew in their direction, slicing the air right between their faces. Juno felt the sharp rush of air from the weapon's passage, making her slowly turn her head around, her eyes wide in surprise. She stood up and backed away.

“Going somewhere?”

Sereph emerged from the shadows, looking worse for wear. His clothes were torn, a thin line of blood trickling from a cut above his eyebrow. His movements were slower than before. His shoulders rose and fell with each breath like he'd been running for miles.

Juno's breath hitched as she instinctively reached for her knife, only to realize she'd dropped it during the struggle inside. Damn it. Her fingers curled into fists as she took a step back.

Ain's ears flattened, his violet eyes narrowing. “Rough night?” He said it almost lazily, tail flicking. “You look like you just crawled out of a ditch.”

Sereph's jaw tightened. He wiped the blood from his brow with the back of his hand, expression unreadable.

When he spoke, his voice was cold. “Cute trick back there, Time Devil.” He tilted his head slightly, gaze locked on Ain. “Real fucking cute.”

Ain yawned. “I do try.” He tapped a paw against the ground, thoughtful. “Though I gotta say, for someone with a reputation, you're not exactly selling it right now.”

Sereph took a slow step forward, boots crunching against the gravel.

“You think you're clever,” he said. His mouth curved into something thin that didn't reach his eyes. “But tricks like that only work once.”

Juno could feel the tension radiating off him, ready to snap. Ain, for his part, looked delighted. He sat back on his haunches, tail curling neatly around his paws.

“Seems to be working just fine right now.” His grin widened. “Barely standing. Out of breath. Kind of makes a cat wonder what you're even doing out here.”

Sereph's fingers drummed against the hilt of his dark dagger. “You know what I hate more than being outsmarted?” His voice dropped. “Being laughed at.”

“Mm.” Ain tilted his head, all mock-innocence. “Well. Maybe earn a little more respect before you go demanding it.”

The unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps shattered the stillness. The forest seemed to close in as dozens of demons emerged from the shadows, eyes glinting in the dark, forming a tight circle around Juno and Ain. Every escape route vanished in seconds.

Ain's ears flicked back, though his grin didn't waver. “Really needed backup for one girl and a cat, huh.”

Sereph straightened, and something in his face had gone colder. “See what happens,” he said quietly, “when you underestimate me.”

Juno's pulse hammered in her throat. The demons closed in tighter.

Sereph's gaze shifted to her. He moved closer, slower than she expected. “You know the worst part?” he said. “I was going to be civil. Keep you comfortable while I figured out what Gin wants with you.” His pupils dilated as he breathed in. “But you had to make this difficult.”

“Stay back,” Juno warned.

He didn't stop. He was close now, close enough that she could see the blood drying at his collar.

“That scent of yours.” He inhaled again, slower this time. “Sweet. It's driving me insane.” His voice dropped lower. “You know that?”

Ain's tail lashed. “Alright, that's–”

“Shut up.” Sereph didn't look at him. His attention was locked on Juno. “Underneath it, though.” He inhaled once more, expression twisting with something between hunger and irritation. “You still reek of him. Of Gin.” The venom crept back into his voice. “Why. What are you to him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Juno took a step back. Her heel hit a tree root. Nowhere left to go, not with him inches away.

His lips curled. “Liar.” He reached out, claws ghosting near her throat. “Doesn't matter, though. Right now you're more useful to me than you realize.”

His gaze dropped to her neck, to the pulse jumping beneath her skin. Something primal flickered across his face.

“You know what'd be convenient?” His voice had gone to barely a whisper. “Your blood. Just a taste.” He showed his fangs, sharp in the moonlight. “Enough to get my strength back. Enough to remind Gin what happens when he leaves his messes lying around.”

Juno's breath caught. She pressed back against the tree, heart pounding loud enough that she was sure he could hear it.

Ain's playful edge finally cracked. “Sereph–”

“I said shut up.” His hand shot out, closing around her wrist, firm enough that she couldn't pull free. He tilted her head to the side, exposing her throat.

Juno froze. She felt the cold press of his fangs against her skin, not breaking it yet. Then she felt him inhale, and he stopped.

His grip on her wrist loosened. His breathing went ragged, uneven. “What–” The word came out strained, like it hurt to say.

He stumbled back a step, releasing her. His hand pressed to his temple, expression twisting between hunger and something closer to pain. “What the hell are you–?”

Before anyone could react, a blade whistled through the air.

One of the demons at Sereph's left collapsed, a knife buried in its skull.

Sereph's head snapped toward the treeline, disorientation giving way to wary focus. Another demon fell. Then another. The pack scattered, snarling, trying to find the attacker.

And then he stepped into the clearing.

Silver hair caught the moonlight. His single visible eye was cold, unreadable. Blood dripped from one of his katanas. He didn't say a word.

Sereph's mouth pulled into something between a snarl and a grin. “Ah, there he is,” His voice came out rougher than he probably meant it to. “Wondered how long it'd take.”

Gin's gaze flicked to Juno, still pressed against the tree, pale, shaking, then back to Sereph. His expression didn't change, but his grip tightened on the hilt.

“Leave her out of this,” Gin said quietly.

Sereph laughed. “Or what.” He reached for Juno again anyway. “You'll kill me?” A step closer, slow. “Go ahead. Try. See if you can still stomach it.”

His eyes never left Gin's. “Or is that the part you're scared of? Not losing. Remembering how much you liked it.”

His fingers never made it to her arm.

Gin crossed the clearing before Sereph's slowed reflexes could even register the movement. The blade was at his throat a heartbeat later, the edge drawing a thin red line.

 The demons around them froze, unsure whether to attack or run.

Sereph's grin didn't fade, even with steel against his neck, blood sliding down to his collarbone. Juno caught the way his throat worked before he spoke again, the way his breath hitched. Something under the bravado that looked, for one unguarded moment, almost like fear.

“There you are,” he breathed, and if his voice shook, he covered it well. “The real you.”