"Ciara, becoming an Exorcist means your life will never be free from shadows. You will face malevolent spirits again and again… and someday, you might find your life in real danger."
Leci felt her breath catch as the voice echoed through her mind. Her sister's voice — Zephirah's. How long had it been since those words were spoken? Years had passed, yet to Leci it still felt as if it happened only yesterday.
"Father and Mother are gone. And soon… I'll be leaving the country for university. You'll be alone, Ciara. So the only way I can protect you… is by placing the Ancient Guardian Spell on you."
Leci remembered Zephirah's expression vividly.
Not sadness.
Not resignation.
But fear.
A trembling, fragile fear of losing the only family she had left.
"Don't hate me for this, Ciara. I'm doing it for your sake. I just want you to live."
Back then, Leci was only in her second year of middle school. Zephirah — her older sister — was preparing for her high school graduation exams. Their parents had just died, and their world had collapsed in one violent moment. Yet Zephirah never cried in front of Leci. She forced herself to be strong, even as her heart quietly broke.
Leci had never held any anger toward her. Even though the protective spell caused her to fade from people's memories — made it difficult for her to make friends — she knew her sister had done it not to isolate her… but to keep her alive.
Besides, Leci still had one childhood friend who remained by her side, and a cousin who had hovered around her since she was a baby. With people like that, how could she ever resent her sister?
If anything — Leci felt grateful. Grateful that Zephirah still cared. Still loved her. Still feared losing her.
And if not for the Ancient Guardian Spell her sister had cast, Leci would never have been able to escape the clutches of the vicious female ghost trying to harm her now.
"H-hot! It burns! W-wahhh—!"
Any evil spirit that tried to hurt her would feel searing pain upon touching her skin — but only if Leci consciously activated her defense mode. Yesterday, in the fencing practice restroom, she had simply forgotten.
The ghost's hands that gripped her throat now flared with scorching heat, forcing it to vanish into nothingness. But even if the ghost disappeared… Leci herself was still falling. The rooftop was far above; the ground below was unforgiving concrete. She would die if she hit it.
Do I have to call Moon again? As Leci desperately scrambled for a plan—
—something impossible happened.
Something no one could ever predict.
Kieron appeared out of nowhere.
He swooped down, catching Leci's body mere moments before she crashed onto the ground. In one swift motion, he carried her back up into the sky. By the time they reached the rooftop again, Leci couldn't even breathe from shock.
She had reminded herself countless times that Kieron wasn't human. He had strange tricks — too many of them. But she never — not even once — imagined that one of those tricks was flight.
And there, stretching wide behind him, was a pair of immense black wings.
Those obsidian wings unfurled with a powerful sweep as they landed. For a moment, Leci could only stare — speechless, trembling, utterly overwhelmed.
"I did say we would meet again," Kieron murmured, a hint of reprimand in his voice. "But this is… not the way to come to me, Leciara."
His tone wavered — half annoyed, half terrified.
Was Leci dreaming?
She kept asking herself what kind of being Kieron truly was. With wings like that, he was clearly no ordinary spirit. Could he be… the king of all supernatural beings? She wondered.
"Leciara, are you listening to me?" Still cradling her in his arms, Kieron frowned. When she didn't answer, he gently pressed his forehead against hers. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Leci blinked slowly. Her eyes were still drawn to the pair of black wings behind him. The wings gave a slow, soft beat — then folded— and vanished like smoke.
Only then did Leci snap back to reality.
"Huh? Did… did Mr. Kieron say something?"
Kieron leaned even closer. This time, not only their foreheads brushed — their noses touched too.
"You need to be punished," he whispered softly, "for making me worry this much."
A shiver ran down Leci's spine. His lips were so close — far too close. And she only now realized she was still in his arms.
His obsidian eyes gleamed — sharp, deep, and suspiciously unreadable.
Thud!
The rooftop door slammed open with a desperate force. Norris burst through, Taryn close behind him, both wearing faces drained of color.
"Leci, you—"
He never finished his sentence. Both Norris and Taryn froze, their minds turning utterly blank.
How could they not? Before their eyes, Leci was being held bridal-style in the arms of a man — and their faces were so close it looked as if they would kiss at any moment.
No wonder Norris and Taryn looked like their souls had left their bodies.
Their sudden appearance startled Leci as well. She instinctively pushed against Kieron's chest, trying to pull back, but the man only tightened his hold, refusing to let her slip away.
"Ekhm, ekhEM!" Norris finally snapped out of his shock, though the tremor in his voice betrayed how overwhelmed he still was. "I knew it. I knew I was right all along. You've really gone astray, Leciara. And with — of all people — Mr. Kieron?!"
Norris's shock only deepened when he realized who the man holding Leci actually was— the Biology teacher from their own school. He turned to stone, speechless anew. Even when Taryn nudged his arm, Norris didn't blink. It was as if part of his spirit had drifted into the afterlife from sheer disbelief.
"What happened, Leci? You ran off so suddenly. When we tried to follow, the rooftop door was locked. Norris had to break it down."
Taryn's face was pure misery — shock, worry, fear, panic — all tangled into a single expression. "Are you hurt, Leci?"
"Leciara is fine," Kieron answered before Leci could speak. "She's just a little disoriented."
Instead of setting Leci down, Kieron pulled her even closer. "S-Sir, put me down!" she pleaded, face burning. But her request was, of course, completely ignored.
Seeing how fiercely protective Kieron was — how tightly he held Leci as if guarding something precious — Taryn realized she didn't need to worry. She exhaled in relief, a small smile softening her features.
"All right then. We're sorry for interrupting." Taryn turned away, but not before giving Leci a knowing wink. "I won't tell anyone what I saw. Please… enjoy your time together."
Then, with surprising strength, she grabbed the back of Norris's blazer collar, and dragged the still-frozen boy away. She even closed the rooftop door with a polite click.
Now only Leci and Kieron remained.
"Haaa… Norris definitely misunderstood again." Leci sighed, then glanced at Kieron. "How did you know I was about to fall?" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing her own mistake. "I—I mean, how were you here at all?"
Kieron finally set her down, though his hands lingered on her shoulders, long enough to straighten her uniform. "I saw you through the corridor window. So I went straight through the glass to catch you."
Leci paused, trying to process that. "You… broke the window?"
He flicked her forehead with a faint smirk. "I said 'went through it,' Leciara."
Right. She always forgot he wasn't human. And right now, with how his presence warmed the air around her, he felt almost… too normal. Or maybe — just maybe — that was simply what her heart wanted him to be.
Why did she want Kieron to be human?
And for what?
"All right, all right. Thank you… for saving me, Sir," She murmured, fixing the angle of her ribbon tie.
Kieron slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close again. "May I ask for a reward?" His voice was low, hopeful — dangerously so.
Leci's blood rushed in her ears the moment he drew her to his chest. She could now hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. He wasn't panicking — just beating a little faster than usual. Warm. Calm. Too intimate.
"A—A reward?" she stammered, pressing a hand against his chest, trying to push away. But Kieron didn't budge. If anything, he only held her tighter.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he tilted her chin up, guiding her gaze to meet his. Then his thumb brushed the corner of her lips — gentle, teasing, deliberate.
"If I ask for this… would you give it to me?"
Leci wasn't foolish enough to misread his intentions. Her face flushed instantly as she turned away.
"N-no! Not something like that!" she protested, flustered. She freed herself from his hold with effort. "I'll find soulstone for you. So don't even think about anything else!"
Kieron watched her with his hand on his hip. "Your faith is impressive, Leciara," he sighed dramatically. "Fine. Let's go hunt some Lost Spirits today."
The two of them left the rooftop together.
The moment the door clicked shut, silence washed over the space. Then — someone stepped out from behind a large water storage drum.
This person had been hiding there the entire time.
They had seen everything.
And behind them hovered the same female ghost who had attacked Leci earlier.
"Tch. Just you wait, Leciara."