Demon and Rain
Dahong woke in the pre-dawn hush. She had gone to bed late and risen early, but that was her norm. A habit etched into her body over thousands of years. She had long forgotten how to sleep deeply.
Seha lay curled on the floor. She rose from the bed and stepped into the living room. It was dimmer than usual. A glance out the window revealed rain falling. Plip, plop. Gray skies poured down sheets of it.
There was no rain in Hell. What fell from its blood-red sky was ash and shards of souls, nothing more. Dahong stood before the glass, gazing out for a long while. Her first rain in the human world. It wasn't bad.
She headed to the kitchen and brewed coffee. Bubble bubble. Drip drip. Familiar sounds. She glanced at the table. The sandwich bag was gone. Ruby wouldn't have touched it. Seha must have eaten it when he woke in the night. She knew. She had just pretended not to.
'……'
Dahong took a sip of coffee. Why pretend? A simple "Eat if you're hungry" would have sufficed.
……Who knows. Too much hassle? Probably.
Beep beep bleep— An alarm blared from the bedroom. Click. It shut off. Moments later, the door opened, and Seha emerged, scratching his bird's-nest hair. His eyes were puffy.
'Didn't sleep well, huh.'
Seha spotted Dahong. He froze briefly, then awkwardly turned away.
"……G-good morning, Dahong."
His voice was softer than usual.
"Yeah."
Dahong sipped her coffee and flicked on the TV. Morning news. The weather ticker below forecasted rain through the afternoon.
Seha washed up at the sink, then came to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, grabbed eggs, sliced some spam and veggies. Fried rice, it seemed.
"……"
Pretending to watch TV, Dahong stole glances. The guy who had yelled and barricaded himself in his room yesterday was acting like nothing happened. He wanted to pretend it away, probably.
Seha scooped rice into two bowls.
"It's ready."
Dahong switched off the TV and came to the table.
"Nyaaang."
Ruby padded in too. Seha warmed some pre-made kitten food and set it in her bowl. A normal morning.
Seha spoke up.
"Dahong."
"What."
"It's raining."
"I can see that."
"We only have one umbrella."
"……"
Dahong glanced outside. The rain was coming down thick.
"Fine. You take it. I don't need one."
"You'll catch a cold if you get wet."
"Demons don't catch colds."
"Still."
Seha was stubborn. A quiet stubbornness, hard to believe it was the same guy who had screamed yesterday.
"Do what you want."
Dahong yielded in the end. Seha held the umbrella, tilted toward her. His left shoulder was getting soaked.
"It's tilted."
"It's fine."
"……"
Dahong said nothing. Rain drummed on the umbrella. Under its narrow cover, their shoulders nearly brushed. Closer than usual. Quieter than usual. Only the rain filled the space between them.
The academy's main gate blurred into view through the downpour.
Korea Hunter Academy. First period. Combat Survival. A required course for all students.
The professor stood at the podium.
"We're changing today's curriculum."
Students murmured.
"Everyone knows about the emergency barrier that activated in the academy yesterday."
The murmurs grew.
"Heard the back grounds got wrecked."
"All the professors mobilized, right?"
"Not just an accident?"
"Some monster escaped, they say."
The professor raised a hand to quiet them.
"I can't disclose details, but there's no guarantee it won't happen again. So for the time being, classes will focus on practical response training."
"Aww, come on."
A few grumbled.
"Mana release, attack evasion, then sparring. In that order. To the indoor training hall."
Scrape. Students rose.
The indoor hall was vast like an auditorium. High ceiling studded with lights, floor made of impact-absorbing material. One wall had tiered benches like spectator seats.
Dahong sat with Ruby in the top corner of the benches. The professor took center stage.
"When you face a strong enemy, what's the first thing that hits you? Anyone?"
A student raised a hand.
"Attacks you can't see?"
"No."
The professor shook his head.
"Intimidation."
He released his mana. Whoosh. The air in the hall grew heavy.
"Ugh……"
A few students hunched. He had toned it down out of consideration, but it was still burdensome for the unaccustomed.
"Intimidation is the opponent's mana crushing yours. The stronger they are, the more it chokes you, weakens your legs, blanks your mind."
He withdrew it. Students exhaled in relief.
"If any of you faced an S-rank or higher, few could move from the spot—at least in my eyes. Against a great demon? Your heart might stop."
Seha's hand twitched at that. His first meeting with Belzar yesterday. Breath caught, body froze, tongue wouldn't move. Exactly as described.
"Only one counter: Release your own mana around you to push theirs back."
The professor demonstrated. Fwoosh. A thin membrane of mana shimmered around him. Not a solid barrier, but wavering like heat haze.
"Not a wall. Just shove it off. Make breathing room."
He dispersed it.
"Practice time. I'll apply intimidation. Release your mana and endure. Goal: Extend your hold time. Note: Once caught, it's hard to even draw mana. Prep before it hits. Sense it, release instantly. Hesitate, and you're done."
Students spread out in the hall.
"Starting weak, ramping up gradually."
The professor scanned them.
"Begin."
Whoosh. Air grew heavy. Mild, like a thin blanket on shoulders. Students flinched but held—A Class first-years, after all.
"Release evenly. Shove it out."
They drew mana, spreading it around themselves.
"Good. Up."
Pressure stepped up. Sandbag on the body. Still manageable.
"Up."
Third level. Legs trembled for some.
"Ngh."
Two dropped to their knees. Professor nodded.
"That's your limit. Sit."
They sat with relief. Eyes shifted—realizing dropouts got to rest.
"Up."
Fourth. Vision shook from the weight.
"Urk."
Five or six collapsed at once. Some looked relieved—fourth stage wasn't bad, right?
"……Tch."
The professor clicked his tongue, mouth opening for a scolding. Then he spotted one student. Yu Seha. Perpetual failure through evaluations, lucky to scrape into A Class. Yet there he stood, teeth gritted, on both feet.
"……"
Professor closed his mouth. Seha's mana haze wavered unstably, on the verge of snuffing out. Forced endurance plain to see. But his eyes burned different.
The professor watched, then drew more mana.
"Up."
Fifth. Half the standers knelt.
"Gah!!"
Ragged breaths echoed. Seated students looked around. Six or so left standing—including Seha. The infamous last-place Yu Seha, legs shaking, sweat pouring, but upright.
One fallen student saw him. Bit his lip, rose shakily. Another followed. Professor saw but said nothing.
"Up."
Sixth. The two risers collapsed again. Frustrated faces this time. Standers down to five. Mostly Team 1: Isol, Harin, Jin-ho, and Seha. Maybe from surviving more close calls.
Seventh, eighth. Two more down. Jin-ho among them. He sat drained, wiping sweat.
"Nngh……!"
Harin nearly buckled one knee but powered through. Veins bulged in his fists.
"……"
Isol glanced at Seha. Nosebleed flowing. But knees held.
Seha ground his teeth, mind flashing to yesterday.
'……Belzar.'
The boy reaching for him. Breath gone, body locked, eyes shut—nothing else possible. If Seoyeun hadn't come, dead. His own power? Useless.
Yelling at Dahong? Stemmed from hating that helpless self. Pitiful, nearly losing life and Dahong.
'……I hate being helpless again.'
Squeezed more mana. Body screamed. Plenty of mana, but even, steady spread? Like a newbie running a marathon. Didn't matter.
'Better than dying!'
"Up."
Ninth. Harin's knee gave.
Thud! Hands hit floor. Sweat rained off him.
"……Shit."
Harin cursed bitterly, looked up at Seha. Still standing. Just two left: Isol and Seha.
Isol's lips pale white. Seha's nosebleed trailed jaw to neck. Both at limit. Both stood.
Professor eyed them.
"Enough."
Whoosh. Pressure lifted. Isol knelt, gasping deep. Seha stayed put, staring at the ceiling. Lights blurred in sweat drops. Legs quaked. But he stood.
The hall went quiet. Eyes on Seha. Professor spoke.
"Impressive."
Satisfied expression.
"Five-minute break. Then next phase."
Students scattered to walls in groups. Gulping water, wiping sweat, slumped recovering. Seha lacked energy to move, sprawled there.
"Hey."
Jin-ho approached with towel and bottle.
"Here."
"……Thanks."
Seha took the towel, wiped blood and sweat, chugged the water. Empty in seconds.
Jin-ho sat beside.
"You always grind hard, but today felt different?"
"……"
"Something up?"
Seha set down the empty bottle.
"……Don't wanna lose her."
"Huh?"
"Dahong."
Jin-ho blinked.
"……"
Seha realized what he'd said. Face flushed.
"N-no, I mean, my summoned beast—as a summoner, gotta make it not embarrassing……!"
"Haha!"
Jin-ho laughed.
"Got it, got it."
Patted Seha's shoulder.
"Looked cool out there."
Jin-ho rose and left. Seha buried his face in the towel.
'……What did I just say?'
Don't wanna lose? To who? Belzar? Or……
"Ugh……!"
Scrub scrub. He rubbed furiously.
Up on the benches, Dahong sat arms crossed. Ruby yawned on her lap. Seha with towel to face. Reddened sleeve. Shaking shoulders. And that voice, clear in the quiet hall earlier:
"Don't wanna lose Dahong."
'……'
Snort. Dahong smirked. Don't wanna lose, huh. A failing summoner with no proper beast—no, Ruby now. Anyway, that nobody. Against a great demon. Me? Ridiculous.
"Nya?"
Ruby looked up. Dahong stroked her head once, gaze back to the hall. Seha peeled off the towel, staggered up. Prepping for phase two, it seemed.
'……Foolish human.'
Dahong turned to the window. Rain fell. Not bad.