002:where do I sign?

5th January, Sunday

LIAM

Days later, I was out for my morning run, headphones on, no plans for the week. But my mind kept drifting back to that stranger.

'No, Liam, focus. Today is supposed to be about you and you only.But I swear to damn God, if I run into that dumb man again, I’ll give him a real knockout.'

Suddenly, I sensed something was off and quickly stepped aside as a sword slashed past where I had been standing. And standing there, sword in hand, was the General.The fuck.I angrily yanked off my headphones and turned to face him. “What gives, dude? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”

But all I got was a cold, blank stare.

“Apologies, Your Highness, but I received strict orders to ensure your return to the Underworld, which I must comply with,” the General stated, sword gleaming in his grip.

'Did Father really send a fucking barbarian to drag me back?'

Noting the sword’s sharpness, I swallowed hard.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to pass on that. See ya.”

With that, I vanished into dark smoke.The General stared at the spot where I had been and picked up a single raven feather.

“You can run all you want, my dear prince, but you cannot hide.”

I reappeared in a dark alleyway, panting heavily. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until now. My heart pounded like a war drum. And why wouldn’t it? I was being hunted by a freaking vigilante! My teleportation skill should’ve put me far from danger, but apparently, not far enough.Just as I let out a relieved sigh, a cold blade pressed against my neck.

“Your magic may be strong, Your Highness, but not strong enough to avoid my senses.”

Yeah, I can see it now — me, growing old in that dark palace buried under paperwork. All for what? A fucking prince title? I hadn’t even given that bastard who left me that morning a proper knockout. If there even is a God out there, now would be the perfect time for some divine intervention.Then, suddenly, a blinding light flooded the area. I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them, the cold blade was gone.I was back in the now-empty VIP lounge of the club.

“How the hell did I get back here?” I muttered, slowly getting up and scanning the room.THE ABYSS.

Yep, definitely my club. But how?

“We finally meet again, Your Highness.”

That voice. I glanced toward the lounge entrance and saw him — that bastard. Wait, did he just call me ‘Your Highness’? Weird. But I was too angry to think much of it.I stomped over.

“You damn bastard. Finally showing up after disappearing like that. No calls, no texts, nothing. We’re in the 21st century, for crying out loud. Haven’t you ever heard of a phone?” I snapped.

He just stared blankly, arms still pocketed.Is he seriously not going to say anything?My eyes drifted to the golden rosary around his neck, and it hit me.I’d FREAKING FUCKED AN ANGEL.No, wait — I’d been FREAKING FUCKED BY AN ANGEL.I didn’t even know which was worse. God, I feel like throwing up. An angel, of all people. Heck, I would’ve been fine if it was an incubus.I turned my back on him, not wanting to keep this conversation going, and sat down on a couch. A glass of wine appeared in my hand.

“So, tell me — are you mad because I left without a word, or because I’m an angel?” the blonde finally asked.

“Both,” I replied bluntly.

“I’ll get straight to the point, then. What do you know about the Forbidden Scroll?”

My heart dropped. What did I expect? Him to bring up something he clearly had no interest in? Trust an angel to show any emotion.But an apology would’ve been nice.I turned back to my wine.

“I don’t know anything about a scroll. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was kinda in the middle of something before you rudely interrupted me.”

The blonde moved closer and dropped a piece of paper onto the table — BLOOD CONTRACT was written in bold letters.I glanced down once, then took another sip of wine.

“Yeah, I’m not signing that.”

One signature on that, and I’d be his slave — bound to this guy forever. No way. After risking everything for freedom, I wasn’t about to cage myself again. Nothing in this world would make me change my mind.Seeing my hesitation, the angel changed tactics.

“I heard about your little escape from Hell, so I’ll give you three options. One: I drag you back personally. Two: I hand you over to the guy chasing you — though he seems to have a personal grudge, if you know what I mean. Or three: you help me, and the freedom you’ve craved for so long will finally be yours. So, what do you say, your highness?”

“Where do I sign?” I said with a smirk.

Okay, okay. Hear me out — maybe this deal wasn’t so bad. Sure, being a slave was one thing, but getting caught by the General? Hell no. As for the grudge, I may or may not have accidentally broken an ancient family sword or something. But I swear, it was an accident. How was I supposed to know old things weren’t as strong as they looked? Blame my lack of knowledge.

“So, am I gonna get a name or...?”

“It’s Archangel Adam.”Just when he thought I was about to sign, he let his guard down. That was all I needed. With a snap of my fingers, I vanished — leaving behind only my signature raven feather.This time, I found myself in a park. I sighed, relieved I’d made my fourth option. That was, until I spotted the General nearby, making me dive into the nearest bush.Why can’t I enjoy just one fucking day?

Is it really that hard for a demon prince to live a little? Maybe working with that angel wasn’t such a bad idea after all. God, he must be pretty mad about me ditching him. But hey, he did the same. So tit for tat, right? Plus, he’s an Archangel — how bad can it be?

Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder, and before I knew it, I was pinned against the back of a tree by a furious Adam. And boy, was he pissed. I swear, I even caught a glimpse of lightning crackling in his eyes. I am so dead.Just as I opened my mouth to explain, I spotted the General approaching.

So, with no better option, I did the most logical thing anyone in my position would: I grabbed Adam by the collar and kissed him — really kissed him; tongue and all ,confident his angelic mana would mask my presence from the General’s radar.

Once I was confident the coast was clear, I planned to pull away– when I felt Adam kiss me back, still pressing me against the tree. One hand supporting him against the tree and the other pulling my head closer. And God, was the guy a good kisser.

Heck, what am I even thinking? Snap out of it, Liam.

On instinct, I bit his lower lip, pulling him back to reality, then quickly broke the kiss, breathless and flushed.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Adam asked, wiping blood from his bruised lip.

“I should be the one asking you that,” I retorted, cheeks burning.

“You know what? Just hand me the damn contract,” I muttered, eager to move on before the awkwardness escalated.

When the contract appeared, I reluctantly made a dagger appear in my hand and slit my palm. I clenched my fist, letting the blood drip onto the parchment. Adam did the same. With each drop, I felt my dark mana slowly ebb away, until barely any trace remained.The contract vanished, and I stared down at my slit palm.

Great. Didn’t even have time to heal before sealing my mana. Just my luck.

*. *. *.

The Demon Emperor stood by the massive windows of his chambers, looking down at the kingdom dimly lit by faint moonlight. All he’d worked for — and for what? To have his family torn apart like this.

He sighed, defeated.Then, arms wrapped around him from behind, and a familiar, sleepy female voice whispered,“Love, I thought we talked about this. Staying up late all night won’t do you any good.”

“Apologies, Consort Yu. I was just lost in thought,” he replied.

“And there you go again. Enough with the formality. Our son is perfectly fine out there. Liam can take care of himself now, so I don’t see why you’re so worried, my lord.

”She yawned, face veil still covering most of her features, her luscious jet-black hair tumbling down her back.

“Let’s head back to bed for now, and we can discuss this in the morning.”

The Emperor had no choice but to agree, knowing well arguing with a succubus was pointless. All he could hope for was his son’s safety and well-being in such an unpredictable world.