Chen Ming awoke to the faint light of dawn filtering through the cracks in the Demon King's chamber. The plush velvet cushions beneath him and the faint scent of smoke in the air brought the memories crashing back with startling clarity. His heart raced as he sat up, his gaze darting to the empty space beside him. The Demon King was gone, but the heavy weight of last night remained.
The kiss. The warmth of his lips. The way the Demon King's sharp exterior had softened, his crimson eyes filled with something Chen Ming couldn't comprehend.
What have I done?
Panic surged through him, clawing at his chest. He had kissed the Demon King. The Demon King. What had he been thinking? It wasn't just a moment of weakness; it felt like crossing a line he could never uncross. Worse, it felt… significant. As though he'd tethered himself to something he didn't fully understand.
Chen Ming swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet touching the cool stone floor. He had to get out of here. Whatever spell had ensnared him last night—whatever emotion had driven him to close that unbearable distance between them—it couldn't be allowed to consume him. He was already too entangled in this place, in this world that wasn't his.
He quickly dressed and gathered his belongings, moving with a quiet urgency. His heart pounded with each step as he crept out of the chamber, avoiding the patrolling demons. They wouldn't understand why he needed to leave. Perhaps he didn't fully understand either, but his instincts screamed at him to run.
The Demon King returned to his chamber that morning, expecting to find Chen Ming where he'd left him. The sight of the empty bed made his chest tighten in a way that was unfamiliar and unwelcome. He'd never felt anything like this before. Not in centuries of existence, not even in the countless wars he'd waged or the lives he'd claimed.
"Where is he?" he growled, his voice echoing through the chamber.
He stormed out, his rage simmering beneath the surface. The castle's halls seemed smaller, more oppressive, as though they too knew something had been stolen from him. The demons he encountered cowered as his fury built, but their fear only fueled the fire inside him.
"Find him," the Demon King commanded, his voice sharp and unyielding. "Search every corner of this realm. Bring him back to me."
One of his generals hesitated, earning a murderous glare.
"Now!" the Demon King roared, his crimson eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. "I will tear this realm apart if I have to. Chen Ming is mine."
Chen Ming fled through the forest, his breaths ragged and uneven. The oppressive atmosphere of the Demon King's domain weighed heavily on him, but he didn't dare slow down. He needed to get as far away as possible before the Demon King realized he was gone. His mind raced with conflicting emotions: fear, regret, longing. The kiss haunted him, both a cherished memory and a burden.
Why did I kiss him?
He tried to justify it to himself. The vulnerability he'd seen in the Demon King's eyes last night had stirred something in him. But that didn't make it right. This wasn't his place. He didn't belong here, entangled with someone so dangerous, so… other.
But even as he ran, he couldn't shake the feeling of the Demon King's warmth or the way his heart had surged in that moment.
The Demon King's fury burned brighter with each passing hour. Reports from his scouts came back empty, and his frustration boiled over. He'd never felt so unmoored, so undone by another's absence. He didn't know what to call this gnawing emptiness inside him, but he knew it had a name.
Chen Ming.
"Why?" he muttered to himself, his fists clenching. "Why do you make me feel this way? Why does it hurt to know you're gone?"
The realization hit him like a blow. Chen Ming was the only person who had ever made him feel… human. The only one who had looked at him and seen something more than a monster, more than a ruler of darkness. Losing him wasn't an option. He wouldn't allow it.
The Demon King's voice rang out, shaking the walls of his castle.
"Chen Ming, you cannot run from me! You are the only one who—" He stopped himself, growling in frustration. "You will return to me, no matter what it takes."
And with that, he set out himself, determined to find the one human who had dared to steal his heart.