Fresh air and the smell of flowers permeated the meadows. The sound of the water of the streams reached Agatha's ears, while the birds sang to join the melody.

The young woman had her eyes closed, allowing her other senses to enjoy nature. Moments like that one help her remember how beautiful life can be, sometimes the simplest things are the ones that hold the biggest value.

Warmth embraced her hand, a warmth she was already familiar with. Agatha allowed the tingling sensation to spread until it covered her arm.

"Would you like to grab dinner later?"

Her boyfriend's voice sounded close to her right ear. A smile appeared as she opened her eyes and turned around to see Ellis.

"I would love to eat some pasta," she answered before extending her free hand to caress one of his cheeks. "We can go to that Italian restaurant you like, the one close to the library."

"You always eat pasta, I barely see you eating other food. Don't you want to try something new?"

"I like pasta, it has the right texture." Agatha explained. "Besides, you love that restaurant so can't complain."

"True, I love that restaurant, but it wouldn't be the same without you." He kissed the top of her head.

"You know that's a lie," she joked, earning a laugh from her companion. "Still, I would gladly go with you every day."

"Now I'm feeling bad, we should do something that you like. I'll let you choose the place for the next day."

"In that case, I'll start thinking."

"You better think fast because I don't want to wait much to see you again," said Ellis, then he let his head rest on his girlfriend's lap.

Agatha closed the distance between her right hand and the young man's head. She caressed his hair with care as a comforting sensation fell upon them. No words were needed, the sound of nature mixed with their heartbeats created the perfect music to ease their souls.

She observed her boyfriend's face, he seemed so peaceful with his eyes closed and his small smile. The chances of seeing him this calm were low, he always had something to say or do, always taking the initiative and breaking her routine. A rare, yet enjoyable sight.

Their cozy moment was interrupted by the ringing of Agatha's phone. She stopped her actions to reach inside her pink purse, but before she could take out the cellphone she was interrupted.

"Ignore the call, I don't want to ruin our date," Ellis complained.

"What if it's important?"

"Please, just this time."

And she let him win the argument. The call remained forgotten as they returned to their previous position. In the pleasant company of each other, they lost track of time. The librarian didn't know how many minutes passed before the loud sound of footsteps interrupted them.

The couple turned around to locate the origin of the noise. Lorcan was running in their direction, followed by a young woman she had never seen before.  Ellis stood up in front of Agatha, shielding her from the newcomers.

"Let her go!" Screamed Lorcan.

The anger present in his voice took Agatha by surprise, adding more to her confusion. Determined to see what was happening she peeked her head from behind her boyfriend's body.

A meter away, her friend maintained a firm position, he had a dagger on his right hand. His stoic gaze served as a warning, any wrong movement could light up a fight.

"You don't tell me what to do," Ellis challenged the other young man.

"What the hell is going on?" Agatha interrupted the tense exchange. "Can't you talk like civilized people?"

"He's not who you think he is," revealed Lorcan.

"Then, tell me. Who Am I, kiddo?"

"We found bones buried close to your farm, we took them to the police to identify them," explained Flora. "Those bones belong to Ellis Zyzdek."

"And what? You found the bones of another guy with the same name as me. What does that have to do with me?"

"Agatha, I sent you a message with a photo, you can see it yourself," said Lorcan.

The young girl ran in the direction of her purse, he managed to reach inside the bag before Ellis could stop her. She took her phone, and at that moment she noticed that her boyfriend was rushing at her. He stretched out his arm ready to catch her, but then a wall made of flowers came between them.

Punches weakened the barrier of protection, Agatha's hand trembled as she opened the message. There it was, a picture of a young man identical to her boyfriend, the only difference was the lack of tattoos.

"Agatha! Let me in!" Ellis screamed as he kept smashing the wall. "Let go of me!"

The knocking stopped, the barrier went down. The first detail that caught the librarian's eye was her partner's legs and arm which were captured to the ground by several vines.

"Who are you?" She demanded an explanation.

"Come on, doll, you believe them?"

"The photo and your reaction confirm their words. Who are you?"

What happened next will haunt Agatha's mind for the next few months.

The one she considered her boyfriend, the young man she'd got to know, disappeared. His features slowly transformed, leaving behind who he used to be. His height increased, reaching over two meters; his eyes became red; his teeth sharpened, and his black hair grew a little past his shoulders. The only thing that stayed the same was his tattoos.

"I figure that there's no point in continuing to deny it," he accepted, his voice had no change. "Ellis is dead, I killed him and took his identity. As you can see I'm a demon and I'm a shapeshifter."

"Since when?" Asked Agatha.

"A couple of weeks after we came to this village, months before we met."

He raised his arms and broke the vines that were around them. New plants grew under Flora's command, the demon tried to dodge them in vain.

Meanwhile, Agatha showed no reaction. Still as a stone, she observed her surroundings, yet her focus fell on her thoughts, on the search for an explanation for everything she just heard.

"Did you have fun playing to be a human?" She asked in the end. Her words caught everyone's attention.

"It's an interesting experience, but I prefer my true form, I'm stronger this way. Don't take it personally, doll, I like you, I could bring you with me to play a little more."

"You're sick." The librarian let all the poison accumulated inside her come out. "Don't you dare to come near me ever again."

In a second, the demon freed himself from the vines holding his right arm, and threw them in Agatha's direction. A burning sensation spread across her left cheek, she brought her hand in the direction of the cut and got stained with her blood.

"Watch your mouth, doll."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Lorcan's scream reverberated across the prairie.

He ran towards Agatha and gave her a knife he had materialized, before jumping at his enemy.

Agatha's pressure on the weapon caused a mark to form on her palm, even if it was strange, she felt safe thanks to it.

"Maybe I should play with your friends."  The creature of the dark sang in a playful tone.

A new transformation arose, he became a real beast. All the vines were shattered as the demon's body expanded and turned into a gigantic wolf. Hair black as a void, claws of the size of blades, and teeth that could slide you in half without any effort.

In the blink of an eye, the beast jumped in Lorcan's direction. A new flower wall got between them, the demon broke it with ease.

The young man pushed Agatha behind him towards Flora.

"Take care of her," he asked, then he materialized two swords.

The blonde took the other girl's hand and ran with her under the nearest tree. Using her power she rearranged the branches of the oak to form a barrier around them.

The sound of clash interrupted the terrifying silence that reigned in the safe zone. The outside remained a mystery to the two young women; like a landscape hidden by mist, the only images they could grasp were the ones that fit in the tiny space between the branches.

"We have to do something," Agatha voices out her thoughts.

"If it was another demon I would agree to go out and fight, but your ex-boyfriend is the most gigantic beast I've ever seen and you have no fight experience outside training."

"So we let Lorcan risk his life?"

"He can handle it, if he was in serious trouble I could feel through the flowers on the field, and your bracelet seems normal."

"You think he can win against that demon?"

"No, but the backup is on its way."

The real form of Ellis is out. What do you think about it?