The sky was pitch black, and with the winter getting colder, Elise could feel chill running down her spine. But the chill didn't come from the windy sky as the fireplace were lit to warm the room. It was the words Ian said casually that sounded like a joke, but was the complete truth.

As if time stopped, Elise stared at Ian's eyes that were gazing back at her. It was clear and bright red like blood, the same color of her hair. What did Ian said?

"Kill you?" was the only words Elise managed to squeeze from the state of stunned.

Never in Elise life could she ever imagine herself hating Ian. Much less to kill him, the person she love.

Ian wordlessly looked at her, sensing her heartbeat beating in sorrow and shock, "There was a story, an old tale passed by Demons and humans. I don't know if the story is still told between humans. It goes like this: one day a Demon descend to the mortal world. He was a notorious man— a person whose hands always dyed with blood. It was to one day that a family gave their daughter. The Demon was bewitched by the human girl's beauty, falling head over heels for the girl without knowing who she is."

"The demon's bride," Elise filled the words, not liking how the term sounded lovely but deadly.

"Demon's bride are humans but the Demon didn't know of this. He believed he was the strongest," in Ian's words, she saw his smile turning sardonic. "He married the girl happily, spending his time with the human girl only to be killed by his own bride."

Was that her future?— Their future?

"Yet again, it was all a story, passed from one person to another," said Elise, refusing that she would kill Ian. She trust herself that would never happen. Her hands she settled on her skirt tightened, crumpling the black skirt. "That can't be the truth."

"It is," said Ian to Elise's dismay. "Every story passed from one lips to another is not always made up. Humans love to made up story to rumors, but this is not. The Demon has no name in the story, but in Hell he was known as Sullivan. One of the strongest Demon."

Elise stared fixed at Ian, "Why would she kill him?" Was it hate? The woman could hate the Demon for bringing her to marriage that she didn't want.

"He did many evil deeds in the past, killing humans one after another, that could be the reason for the woman's anger. There had been no telling if their emotions only the beginning and the end," replied Ian his fingers then touched her cheeks felt warm, Elise closed her right eyes.

Elise heard him say, "Normally humans could not kill a Demon. They are weak, but humans could exploit the emotions of a Demon," Ian said, his lips forming to a smile and Elise had stopped guessing what his smile meant. "The way I think that story goes, was the Demon foolishly believe the human girl love him with all his heart, replying to her feeling and latching to emotions of love. Thinking it would be eternity while falling a blind eyes to the girl's hatred."

It was a tragic story. Elise can't tell the emotions, situation, and love the demon had for the girl and vice versa, but she can't help to think it as a story of sorrow. 

She held out her hand, taking Ian's to her laps, and her eyes meet him, "I will never kill you."

He pulled her waist, bringing her closer, "I know you would never, I don't have the slightest doubt my bride would kill me. This is the story of others not us. We would not follow their path or repeat the mistake other's meet, after all, we are not squirrels. The power you had right now. It might be one of the gift gave by God. Have you found out how to use it?" Ian questioned her as if knowing Elise had tested to turn the key to ash a moment ago.

Elise nodded, she recount the feeling of ashes on her hands, just like her dream

"I think it is to convert the items I hold on my hand back to what it is before, turning either for the things to the progress or regress, with last to have it turn to ashes."

"And it is highly centered on your anger as the trigger," Ian concluded Elise's thoughts. 

Ian told her to be honest and taking the opportunity, Elise said, "I'm scared that my dream was true. It showed my power— it is not limited to things that are not alive but also things that are alive." Could this be the power God gave in order to kill Ian? So she would turn him to ash?

If it is so, more than Elise had thought God was a being that was heartless.

For a split of second, Elise's eyes dipped in the sight where Ian had disappeared. She stood blankly with her hand settled on her side. Her eyes stared at Ian's clothes flattened on the floor with ashes scattering all around— his ashes after coming contact with her hand.

"I don't die," Ian stated to Elise, bringing his sweet love back from her imagination that spiraled out of concern. He could tell that for one second Elise put to imagination where he turned to ashes as her heartbeat sounded in a terrifying sound. 

He pulled her hand, bringing it to his cheeks for Elise to feel warm. "I don't die easily like that Elise. If that is all it took to kill me, I would not be here— in front of you now."

Elise didn't reply to process her thought and only stared at Ian when he pulled her hand to his chest. She felt his heart beating. "Try it," Ian ordered her. 

Elise almost immediately pulled her hand but Ian didn't allow her to. "Go on, try it. Think of the death of your family, Elise. Pour your hate on me. Your hate and anger, I will accept them all."

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