Byungho lead Jisung through the many corridors of the mansion towards Wonpil's room. The brown-haired male suspected Seungmin to be there. To be more specific Byungho guessed that Seungmin ran off so fast because something bad had happened to their oldest brother. But in all honesty Byungho hoped that this wasn't the case because it would mean that Wonpil was hurt, mentally or physically. Maybe even both.

Byungho and Jisung arrived at Wonpil's room in record time. Byungho knocked on the dark wood of the door and hoped that he worried for nothing about his two brothers even though he knew that the demon voice only showed the user's true emotions, which was very ironic considering a demon's nature.

They waited for a short while before Byungho knocked again. "Wonpil-hyung?", Byungho called the older loud enough so you could hear it inside of the room.

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Seungmin turned his head towards the door because he heard someone knocking at it. The young demon still stood in front of Wonpil with a damp towel in his hand, which he previously used to clean his brother's face.

The young demon looked down to his older brother again. He had his eyes closed but slowly opened them when he noticed that Seungmin stopped his previous action. The younger looked back to the door again so his eyes wouldn't meet Wonpil's sad ones. "Someone is at the door", the younger whispered already suspecting who it was.

There was a second knock followed by a familiar voice. "Wonpil-hyung?", the two demon brothers heard Byungho call the older demon's name. "Just let him in", Wonpil mumbled, clearly exhausted. For a short moment Seungmin looked into his brother's dark eyes, noticing them getting a bit tiredly unfocused. Seungmin wouldn't blame the older demon if he just wanted to curl up in his bed and slept for a solid day if he was honest.

Seungmin nodded, put the damp towel into Wonpil's hands, casted a small illusion spell over his brother to cover his horns and devil's tail and went to the door. He knew that Byungho probably brought Jisung along with him, so he wanted to make sure that you couldn't immediately tell that Wonpil was a demon.

The redhead opened the door and was met with Jisung and Byungho as expected. Byungho's eyes already told Seungmin that he knew something was up with Wonpil while Jisung just looked generally worried.

"Just come in", Seungmin mumbled and let the two into the room, so he could close the door again. Byungho walked further into the room without hesitation while Jisung stayed at Seungmin's side, seemingly unsure of what to do.

When Byungho saw the sad Wonpil sitting on the bed he didn't hesitate to walk up to the older and wrapping him up in a warm hug. Wonpil responded with burying his face in Byungho's chest and weakly holding onto the sides of the brown-haired male's shirt.

Seungmin just looked at his two older brothers. He had the feeling that something was slowly tightening around his neck even though he knew that nothing was there. He wanted to protect his brothers, his family so bad but today he failed miserably.

The redhead jumped a little when Jisung laid his hand on his shoulder. Seungmin looked the blue-haired warlock into his eyes and was reminded of the little promise he had made the other. There were so many things that Seungmin kept a secret from Jisung even though they have known each other of such a long time but the redhead had a reason to do so.

That reason was the redhead's insecurity. Seungmin wasn't sure if Jisung would stay friends with him if he knew everything about him. If he knew that Seungmin was the literal offspring of the devil and his queen as well as a pure blood demon, would he continue to be around the redhead or cut off any contact and be afraid of him? Would he remain calm when he knew Seungmin could use dark magic without having to fear any consequences or would he bail, knowing the redhead could curse him without having to think twice.

Seungmin mentally chased these thoughts away. There was a way more important thing to tell Jisung. After all Seungmin found out who bit him and had a way of making sure he paid for what he did if Changbin kept his word. 

"Take care of Wonpil-hyung for me until I come back. I need to tell Jisung some things", the younger said to Byungho with his demon voice and then took Jisung's hand to drag the warlock out of the room. He didn't take another glance at his two older brothers, knowing Byungho could handle comforting someone better than him.

Jisung let Seungmin drag him to another location, which was a relief for the redhead but on the other hand mildly worried him too because the warlock also said nothing. Maybe it was because he felt bad for Seungmin because of Wonpil or maybe Byungho told him some things. Still, the warlock's silence made Seungmin feel uneasy and a bit anxious. 

Seungmin thought about going to his room to talk but in the end decided to go to the little library near Wonpil's room. There he could return to his older brothers a lot quicker and if he concentrated even hear if someone was heading for Wonpil's room if they came from the south side of the mansion.

The redhead opened the door to the little library and gave it a little kick to shut it after dragging Jisung inside. He let go of Jisung and casted a quick locking spell over the door, so nobody could enter even if they had a key.

"Was locking the door with a spell necessary?", Jisung asked and looked at Seungmin with a scared glimmer in his eyes. Seungmin had the feeling he was hit on the chest by that look but he ignored it.

"I just don't want anyone to walk in here unannounced", the redhead explained in a calm tone while turning towards Jisung. The warlock seemed like he wanted to ask why Seungmin didn't stay with his older brother by the way he slightly opened his mouth but in the end he closed it again because he seemingly knew better than to question Seungmin's logic

The redhead again took notice of the scared glimmer in Jisung's eyes. It made him feel on the edge. Why were all the people he was close to either scared or hurt in some way. Was it him? Was this his punishment for being a demon who lived on earth and not in hell?

Jisung ripped him out of this spiral of negative thoughts by simply saying his name worriedly. The blue-haired male looked concerned at Seungmin, letting the scared glimmer disappear into nothingness. The redhead shook his head and lightly slapped his own cheeks to get his head on the current topic. The older of the two knew this habit of Seungmin so he said nothing about it.

The redhead took a breath. "I know who the man was who bit you", Seungmin said straightforward. Jisung's hand immediately wandered up to the plaster that still covered his bite. The younger noticed this but continued. "I took your scarf because I knew a spell that I hoped would reveal what happened and it did. You had it in your room, draped over your chair while everything happened, didn't you? With the help of the spell I could see what the scarf more or less witnessed", Seungmin explained while he made a lot of gestures and internally hoped Jisung would understand the reasons behind his actions and remain calm. The last thing Seungmin could do right now was taking care of a crying Jisung if he was honest.  

Jisung just stood there with his eyes fixed on the ground. In his sky blue orbs many emotions swirled around and the way he clenched his fists while trying to stay composed showed that he was overwhelmed. Seungmin wanted to call his name in hopes of getting him out of his little trance but before he could do so Jisung's head snapped up, his eyes looking straight to the redhead. One step was enough for him to be close enough to Seungmin to grab the redhead's shoulders, shaking him.

"Are you insane, Kim Seungmin?", he shrieked with panic in his voice while still shaking him. "You used the "tree's eyes" spell to see what the scarf witnessed! That's dark magic! What did you give up for that?!", the blue-haired warlock continued to shake the younger until Seungmin got out of his grip and took a step back. 

Dark magic was something very dangerous even for magical creatures like warlocks, wizards, kitsunes and witches because it always needed a tribute to be successful. This tribute can be a lot of things. For example a special item, something from the victim like a hair or something that is important to the user but very strong dark spells can also cost the life of someone. The "tree's eyes" spell, which Seungmin had used was a pretty strong dark spell but it didn't cost a life but something that was very important to the user.

Seungmin looked at Jisung and prepared himself for the next thing he would say. He prepared himself for a terrified Jisung, who would bolt out of this library and never speak to him again because there was no other way to explain this than to tell the truth.

"I didn't give up anything, Jisung", the redhead stated, fixing his shirt a little bit, so he didn't need to face the other for the moment. Jisung looked at him like he was mad. "Don't try to trick me! I know you gave something up. No warlock ever was able to use a spell like that without giving something in return!", the older of the two shrieked. His eyes slowly became glossy. He felt like crying because he thought Seungmin had sacrificed something very important to help him.

"I didn't have to give anything because ... because I am no warlock", Seungmin answered with a little pause and looked at his friend for a brief moment before focusing on the ground. Jisung stared at Seungmin, which the younger took as cue to continue.

"I never said I was one, did I?", the redhead asked and he was right everybody just assumed he was a warlock because of his natural blood red hair since warlocks tend to have very colorful hair or eyes and of course magic powers. He more or less was the same case as Wonpil but the difference was that Seungmin never had the gut to tell anyone that he was a real demon. The only ones that knew were his family and the close friends of Wonpil if they could put together the puzzle like Changbin.

Jisung just stood there with his mouth slightly opened. He looked like he didn't understand the world anymore. "Then what are you?", this question slipped out of the warlock's mouth without him really realizing. Seungmin took a breath again, bracing himself to be casted aside and feared by the only person he had ever called best friend.

"A demon", he answered and let the spell, which hid his horns and devil's tail fade to prove his point.

The young demon shut his eyes and waited to hear Jisung run away. He waited but he heard nothing. No scream in horror, no footsteps. The redhead slowly opened his eyes again to see that Jisung didn't move a single muscle. The warlock just stood there, staring at the younger with tears in eyes.

Seungmin assumed he was frozen and nearly crying because he was so terrified. "You, you can hate, hate me now and run away because I, I'm a monster by nature and, and never the gut to tell you", the younger stuttered. He felt how tears were building up in his eyes while his chest seemed to tighten itself to a point were Seungmin thought he couldn't breath anymore.

Jisung was still frozen in his spot but when he noticed the teary eyes of Seungmin he didn't hesitate to make a step forward and hug his best friend. "I could never hate you and I am not going to run away from you, dummy", Jisung said and began to quietly cry. Seungmin sobbed and returned Jisung's hug, clinging onto his best friend.

Yes, Seungmin being a real demon was a shock to Jisung. The few things he knew about demons weren't positive at all but the blue-haired male knew Seungmin long enough to know that he wasn't evil in any way. The redhead may be a prankster, hard to read and sometimes strange but he wasn't a wicked, rotten to the core being, who served the devil and could enter and leave hell as he pleased. No, he was a caring, lovable and funny person with flaws and strengths just like everyone else.

The two best friends stood in each other's arms for a while. Both holding each other close to reassure the other that they wouldn't go anywhere. The both of them really needed this at that moment.

After they calmed down Seungmin began to rant to Jisung about his terrible mother Lilith also known as the queen of hell and all demons. He basically told his friend the many reasons why he thought she was the worst kind of a mother and how she made the already complicated life in a family like his even more difficult with her, in his opinion, stupid and ancient views on the world.

Despite talking a lot about his family in his rant about his mother Seungmin never once mentioned his father being the devil even though he said his name a few time and he kept Byungho's part of the family out of the story too because he knew that Byungho wanted to keep him being the child of an angel and the devil a secret.

After finishing his rant about his terrible mother he also finally explained he could use dark magic without having to sacrifice anything because he was a demon, a creature of the darkest part of hell. Jisung listened carefully and never fully let go of Seungmin to show his support.

When Seungmin came back to the part with Jisung's bite, it was Jisung's turn to need support and Seungmin gladly gave him that. The redhead explained how he found out that the vampire who bit Jisung was a noble one named Valentin King without mentioning Changbin's name, the vampire prince's title or the book of vampires. This made the story fairly short but he told Jisung that this friend who helped him (that was how he referred to Changbin most of the time) could bring this Valentin behind bars for good.

"Are you okay with that?", Seungmin asked after he told the younger everything necessary. The two friends were now seated at a black sofa because at some point they weren't able to keep themselves upright. Jisung just nodded with a blank expression while looking at the floor. He was back to being overwhelmed again. He finally understood the redhead's ways to protect and care for someone but it was still much to take in. Seungmin gently squeezed his hand to signal that he wouldn't leave the other alone with this.

A silence fell over them. "I am sorry. This all was a bit much", the redhead mumbled and rubbed his thumb over the knuckles of the warlock. Jisung turned his head and looked at Seungmin. He shook his head. "Thank you for everything you did and still do, Seungmin", the warlock thanked the redhead. Seungmin faintly smiled at that.

"Let's go back to your brother and just sleep", Jisung suggested with an tired sigh. Seungmin nodded in agreement and pulled the young warlock up with him. He let his horns and devil's tail disappear again, letting Jisung look mildly fascinated by the spell he used.

The two walked back to Wonpil's room while still holding hands. When they entered the now dark room they saw that Wonpil and Byungho both had laid down in the older redhead's bed facing each other. Byungho raised his head when he heard the two enter but Wonpil seemed to be asleep.

Byungho patted the spot next to him that wasn't occupied by Wonpil. Seungmin let go of Jisung's hand and gestured to the other to lay down beside Byungho while he would lay down beside Wonpil. This was the point were Seungmin internally thanked his father for the ridiculously large beds he had chosen for the mansion years ago.

Jisung waddled over to the side of the bed where he was the closest to Byungho and slipped under the covers laying down beside the brunette. The older carefully turned around and signaled that he wanted to cuddle by opening his arms a little bit. Jisung didn't hesitate to bury his face in the older's chest and wrap his arms around him. Despite the darkness Seungmin could practically see Byungho's light smile as he hugged the blue-haired warlock, who was out like a light, close.

Seungmin was glad Jisung and Byungho got along so well and decided to slip under the covers himself. He made himself comfortable beside Wonpil and gently put his arms around his older brother, who laid with his back facing towards him. The younger demon buried his face between Wonpil's shoulders. He didn't think that his brother would wake up from that but he did. Seungmin felt him slightly moving and backed away a bit without really letting go of the older.

Wonpil turned around and looked at the younger with tired, dull eyes. Seungmin wordlessly snuggled closer again. The top of the younger's head was now under Wonpil's chin. The older demon put his arms around his little brother and was just glad that he was there. Sometimes he didn't know what he would do without him.