The demon, with a sneer, questioned, "What're you doing here, you insignificant little girl." As the tiny voice interrupted their conversation, the demon turned to face the little girl, who was grinning mischievously at the two cold-faced men.
Approaching them, the little girl bowed slightly to greet the other cold-faced man, whose lips curled into a smirk as he observed the handsome demon. However, the demon, with a cold expression, directed his attention towards the little girl.
"Do your grandma know you are here again? This place is dangerous for a kid like you," the demon uttered coldly to the girl. Unfazed, the girl smirked and surprised everyone by hugging the demon.
"I miss you, handsome demon. I promised to come check on you, remember yesterday?" the little girl said while still hugging the demon, who stood frozen, taken aback by her actions.
Amidst the scene, the other man chuckled at the dramatic encounter unfolding before him. "Who would believe what I saw today? The cold, crazy demon is being hugged by a human who claims to miss him. Did you lure this little girl too?" he mocked with a chuckle.
The demon, breaking the hug gently, warned the little girl coldly, "Are you seeking death?" Yet, the girl remained unfazed, smiling innocently, much to the surprise of both the demon and the other man, who continued to chuckle at the situation.
"Oh, the little girl has a liking for you, huh?" the man remarked, laughing.
Firmly, the demon retorted, "You crazy fox... shut up before I silence you." He glared sternly at the man, his patience wearing thin with the ongoing banter.
"Wow, did you just call him a fox? Oh, cool. Hello, fox, my name is Yoon Ari," the little girl said, waving hello with her little hand to the fox man, who chuckled lightly.
"Hey, little girl. You're so bold and fearless. Aren't you scared of us? I'm a fox with powers, and he is a demon who can destroy and lure humans to claim their souls. Do you still want to stay in this forest where powerful creatures exist?" the fox man said with a soft smile. The demon stood expressionless, watching the little girl who showed no fear.
The girl shook her head. "No, I'm not scared, but I'm happy to witness this myself. I never believed my grandma and the villagers when they mentioned the forest was dangerous because evil spirits exist here," the little girl said, looking up at the demon.
"I met him yesterday, and he's been my friend since then," the little girl said, causing the demon to widen his eyes in shock at being called, her friend.
The demon frowned and stepped forward, knocking on her forehead. "When did I promise to be your friend?" the demon said sternly to the girl, who rubbed her forehead lightly and pouted.
"But I promised and mentioned it yesterday that you're my friend. Don't be so mean. After all, I'm still a little girl; you shouldn't be that mean to me," the little girl said, still pouting her lips.
The demon scoffed. "Little girl? Why don't you behave like one? I don't like kids and I don't befriend insignificant humans like you. Now go back to the village and listen to your grandma," the demon said, turning to leave.
The little girl pulled him by his hanbok attire and shook her head stubbornly. "I want to play. Take me around the forest for a nice view," the little girl said. The fox, who had been watching, chuckled and left like a breeze, surprising the girl.
"Did he just turn into the wind and leave?" the little girl said in surprise, stepping forward and still holding the handsome demon's hanbok tightly.
"This place is not for playing, you stubborn girl," the demon said sternly, as he began walking, with the girl still holding his attire.
"Don't hold my clothes," the demon said coldly.
"What if you run away and leave me?" the girl asked innocently, causing the demon to stop and yank her hand off his attire.
"I'm not a coward like you, human. If you insist on following me, walk on your own without holding my attire," the demon said sternly, hearing the girl sneer and then smile again.
"Okay, I will walk on my own, but don't run away or you are a coward," the little girl said as she continued walking with the demon.
The girl returned to the village after walking around the forest with the cold demon, who found himself doing everything the girl asked.
******
It had been eight months since the little girl had been a close friend of the demon, and he enjoyed her company whenever she visited the forest. The girl had grown to like the demon and witnessed him using his powers, which amused her.
One day, the village was attacked by soldiers, causing a war that claimed many lives. The girl was locked in the house by her grandma, fearing the ongoing war in the village. Despite being prevented from leaving, the girl found a way to sneak out through the tiny window.
Finally, she struggled to get out through the tiny window at the back door. She smiled and ran towards the forest, but she ran into some soldiers with swords who were dressed in their battle attire.
The little girl was scared and tried to run back, but it was too late as one of the cold soldiers raised his sword and sliced the girl's neck, causing her to scream. Then she was sliced twice again in the stomach, causing her to fall into a strong arm.
The girl managed to open her eyes and met the cold, handsome demon's eyes.
The little girl smiled, blinked her tears, and cried, hugging the demon whose eyes were red. The soldiers ran to attack him, but he made his magic by stretching his arm to the first soldier who ran towards him and strangled him to death. The others were scared and wondered who the cold man was.
The demon turned to them, his eyes turning red, causing the soldiers to flinch back in fear. While one arm held the little girl's body, his other arm was stretched out, turning to the soldiers. He made a magic magnet, snatching all the soldiers' swords into the air. He then moved his arm to direct those swords in the air, turning the objects directly towards each of the soldiers. He released his hand, making a gesture of his power as the swords sliced and stabbed them all, then fell.
The demon's eyes softened as he looked down at the little girl, carried her in his arms, and teleported to the forest where the fox was standing. The fox noticed the demon carrying someone in his arms and was surprised to see it was the little girl.
The fox ran to him and asked, "What happened to her?" The fox asked while the demon's face remained cold.
"Can you help me? She is losing breath, my power is not working on her," the demon said coldly, but his voice was soft and sad.
The fox wasted no time trying his power to bring back the girl.
"Handsome demon fought them all with his powers. I don't regret sneaking out to meet you, and I will always do so even in my next life. But I promise in my next life, I will come back to be your bride, even if I don't remember you. My heart and years of memories will do," the little girl softly gasped for air while the fox tried all he could. They couldn't save her because it was too late. She stopped breathing.
"What happened? Can't you do anything?" the demon said coldly to the fox, who looked sad with tears in his eyes.
"She gave up," the fox said with tears, causing the demon to relax his body. The demon didn't know why his body was acting weird and was confused by his emotions.
The demon closed his eyes to control his emotions. The fact that the fox had never seen the demon in a situation of this kind, made him understand how and what the girl meant to the demon.
"I want you to help me make sure you kill all the soldiers or anyone causing the war in the village." the demon said coldly to the fox who nodded his head and left the forest to carry out the assignment given by the demon.
The demon carried the lifeless body of the girl back to the village to her grandmother's house where the grandma was worried and in tears looking for the girl again but the grandma ran towards the demon immediately she spotted him with the body in his arm.
The demon dropped the body and turned to leave but he was stopped by the grandma who shook him and asked what happened to his granddaughter. The demon couldn't say anything but stood cold and unmoved and yanked the woman away.
He felt pained and hurt to see the little girl die. Why?
This is the year of the 17th century; the first human, the demon would feel so bad and hurt to lose.