High heels in her hand, swayin' in the wind
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
The portal’s energy crackled, its golden-red glow illuminating the stone chamber. Asch stood at its edge, his sharp gaze fixed on the swirling void before him. Behind him, his knights—Pierce, Rhys, and Leif— along with Lady Grandma, stood in tense anticipation.
“This is it,” Asch said, his voice steady. “We step into an unknown world. Show weakness, and you’ll regret it.”
No one argued. The stakes were too high.
With a final glance at the darkened halls of Daemos, and His Grandmother, Asch stepped forward and vanished into the portal. One by one, his knights followed, the magic pulling them through the gap between realms.
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
The transition was brutal.
Asch landed hard on concrete, rolling onto his side as his lungs seized. The air was thick—too thick. The moment he tried to inhale, a sharp burn ran down his throat. He coughed violently, his fingers clutching at the ground as his vision blurred.
Around him, the others weren’t faring much better.
Leif was on his hands and knees, his normally composed face twisted in pain. He clawed at his throat, wheezing. Pierce was doubled over, bracing against a nearby wall, while Rhys trembled as he tried to regulate his breathing.
“So this is... E-arth...” Asch forced out, his voice hoarse.
The others struggled to respond.
“It’s...” Leif attempted before breaking into another coughing fit.
“The air is—” Pierce heaved, unable to finish.
Rhys gritted his teeth. “The atmosphere... there’s something in it... It’s—” He sucked in a breath, as if trying to analyze it, but the pain was clear on his face. “It’s like poison.”
Asch clenched his jaw. He hadn’t expected Earth’s environment to be this hostile. If even breathing was a struggle, how were they supposed to dominate this world?
Suddenly, a metallic clang rang through the alleyway.
All four of them snapped to attention.
A human stepped out, casually tossing a bag of trash into a dumpster. She didn’t seem the least bit startled by their presence. If anything, she just looked... annoyed.
“More of them?” the girl groaned, rubbing her temple. “I should just stop taking out the trash.”
Asch straightened despite the pain, his eyes narrowing. “Human.”
The girl sighed. “Let me guess—you guys came looking for magic because you think Earth has the answers?”
Silence.
Rhys stiffened. “How... do you know that?”
The girl smirked. “Lucky guess. Got someone who also knows.”
Asch recovered quickly, his pride refusing to let a human catch him off guard. He took a step forward, looming over her. “You will provide my knights and me with proper shelter, sorceress.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, no need to be all weird about it. Just follow me.”
The Daemos exchanged wary glances but, given their current state, they didn’t have much choice.
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
The walk through the city was disorienting.
Everywhere they turned, glowing signs flickered in foreign symbols. Humans bustled past them without a second glance, too absorbed in their own distractions to notice the strangers in their midst. The sheer noise—constant chatter, honking vehicles, blaring music—was overwhelming.
“Is it just me,” Leif muttered under his breath, “or is this place crawling with energy?”
Rhys nodded, his golden eyes scanning their surroundings. “It’s strange. The magic here isn’t like Daemos’ at all.”
Pierce, however, was more concerned with the gazes of passing women. “Why are they looking at me like that?” he grumbled, pulling his hood over his horns.
The human girl—Ava, as she had introduced herself—glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’d put the hood up. You guys kind of look like you walked out of a weird fantasy novel.”
Pierce scowled but didn’t argue.
Finally, Ava stopped in front of a building and pushed open the door. “This is my apartment, but you probably don’t know what that is.”
Rhys hesitated. “If I may ask... what is your name?”
“My friends call me Ava.”
The Daemos stepped inside.
The moment the door swung open, a voice called out from within.
“That was quick.”
Something in Rhys’ gut twisted at the sound.
“You won’t believe what I just found El,” Ava said, stepping inside fully.
A shadow moved from the couch, standing.
A familiar figure.
The moment they locked eyes, Rhys felt his stomach drop.
There—standing in the middle of the room, staring at them in open shock—was someone he never thought he’d see again.
Noel.
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
The air in the apartment became unbearably thick.
Noel stood frozen, her apricot-shaded hair slightly tousled from whatever she had been doing moments ago. She looked different—more human than Daemos, dressed in Earthly attire, horns hidden with magic—but there was no mistaking her. Even after all these months, her presence was unmistakable.
Rhys felt his fingers twitch.
A part of him had thought she was dead.
She had vanished without a trace, abandoning her duty, her comrades... her prince. And now, here she was. Living among humans, living with this human.
“What,” Leif finally broke the silence, his voice dangerously low, “is she doing here?”
Noel’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Pierce’s eyes darkened. “You have some nerve, showing up here like this.”
Ava frowned, stepping slightly in front of Noel. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”
Asch took a slow step forward. His expression was unreadable, but the tension radiating from him was suffocating. His deep black eyes locked onto Noel with an intensity that could burn.
“Noel,” he said, voice quiet but firm. “Explain yourself.”
Noel swallowed hard. “I—”
“You vanished without a trace.” Asch’s voice didn’t rise, but the weight behind it was crushing. “We thought you dead, and yet, here you are. With this human.”
Noel flinched, guilt flashing across her face. “I... I didn’t have a choice.”
Leif scoffed. “Didn’t have a choice? That’s rich.”
“I didn’t!” Noel snapped, her fists clenching. “I was scared, of you going to kill me! I had nothing left—no home, friends, allies,family. If I had gone back, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Asch’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers twitched. “So you chose this instead?”
Noel inhaled sharply, glancing at Ava.
The weight of everything came crashing down all at once. Seeing her old comrades, the ones she knew she loved before, again. Seeing Asch again. She had convinced herself this day would never come. That she could bury the past and move forward. But it was staring her in the face now, unwilling to be ignored.
Ava, catching onto the severity of the situation, stepped between them. “Alright, enough of this cryptic drama,” her girlfriend said firmly. “Someone needs to tell me what’s going on.”
No one spoke.
Ava sighed, rubbing her temple. “You guys know each other. That much is obvious. But what’s the deal? You’re acting like she betrayed you or something.”
“She did betray us,” Leif muttered.
Noel stiffened.
Asch exhaled slowly. “She abandoned us in the middle of our mission. She knew of Daemos' situation. She was one of my knights, sworn to serve—sworn to me. And instead, she ran.”
Noel flinched at his words.
Ava folded her arms. “Yeah, well, from what I’m hearing, she was scared. If she stayed, she’d be executed as she exxplained to me, her GIRLFRIEND. Would that have been better?”
“That’s not the point,” Pierce snapped.
Ava’s brows furrowed. “Isn’t it?”
Silence.
Noel took a slow breath. “I didn’t want to leave,” she said, her voice quieter now. “But I didn’t have a choice. I lost everything. I had nowhere to go. Ava saved me.”
Asch’s eyes flickered toward Ava.
Then, slowly, he looked back at Noel.
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then, finally, Asch exhaled, stepping back. “...We’ll discuss this later.”
Noel’s shoulders slumped.
Ava, clearly not satisfied with the lack of resolution, muttered something under her breath but didn’t push further.
Asch turned to her. “For now, you will house us.”
Ava blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You brought us here,” Asch said simply. “You will give us shelter.”
Ava groaned. “Great. Just what I needed—more otherworldly idiots in my apartment.”
Noel, despite the tension, let out a weak chuckle.
Asch turned away, but not before murmuring just loud enough for Noel to hear:
“This conversation isn’t over.”
Noel shivered.
Somewhere deep in her gut, she knew he was right.
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊