Morning came… too quickly.
Missy didn't truly sleep after that. She came out of her room later than usual.
Her steps were slow, hesitant. As if hoping… the kitchen would be empty.
But it wasn't.
Raven was already there, as usual, standing in front of the stove, flipping something in the pan.
Calm.
As if last night… had never happened.
Missy stopped at the doorway.
Her heart beat faster.
She wanted to step back.
But didn't.
"Morning," her voice was small.
Raven didn't turn immediately.
"Morning."
Short. Flat. Normal. Too normal.
Missy walked in slowly.
Taking a glass and filling it with water, her hand trembled slightly.
Silence.
Only the soft sizzling of oil.
And the sound of a spoon touching a plate.
Missy sat down.
Not too close.
Not too far.
She stared at the table. Not at Raven.
Raven finally turned.
A glance.
Enough to see—
Missy wasn't like usual.
Quiet.
Withdrawn.
And that… was louder than a scream.
"Egg?" Raven asked.
Missy nodded.
"Yes… thank you."
A small voice again.
She didn't look at him.
Raven placed the plate in front of her.
That distance was there.
More than usual.
He wanted to say something.
Explain.
Or… at least ask.
But didn't.
He only returned to his place.
Sat down.
As if everything… was still under control.
Even though it wasn't.
Missy lifted her fork.
Then stopped.
That flash appeared again.
The sword.
Blood.
Raven's face.
Her hand trembled slightly.
She put the fork down again.
Raven saw it.
Of course.
He always saw.
His chest felt heavy.
Something he had never felt while facing death… appeared now instead.
In front of one woman.
"If… you want to take the day off," Raven finally said, calmly, "you can."
Missy shook her head quickly.
"No… I'm fine."
Too quickly.
Too forced.
Raven nodded slowly.
And they returned to silence again.
Two people.
At one table.
With thoughts colliding against each other—without a single one becoming words.
The suffocating silence made Missy unconsciously eat a little faster.
She actually wasn't hungry because of last night. But she also couldn't refuse Raven's cooking.
She forced herself to swallow whatever she could. Taking less, of course, so it would finish faster.
"I… I'll wash the dishes," she said carefully, quickly.
She walked to the kitchen, toward the sink.
Turning on the faucet and wetting the plate.
A moment later, she coughed.
Coughing because it seemed the food got stuck in her chest and didn't go down properly.
Raven turned and immediately approached her without many words.
Missy still forced herself to wash the dishes.
Gentle yet certain, Raven reached for a glass right above Missy's head.
Standing behind her as if trapping her in place and filling the glass with tap water.
"Drink," he whispered softly.
He took Missy's plate after the girl accepted the glass and looked at him.
She coughed a few more times before drinking the water Raven gave her.
Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were still watery.
"You're not eating properly, Hart."
Now they were looking at each other.
Raven had her cornered by the sink.
"I… I just choked," Missy whispered.
She lowered her small face, turning it away from Raven.
Raven's lips pressed together slightly.
"You're afraid of me," he said.
Not a question.
A conclusion.
Missy froze.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass.
For a second she considered lying.
Saying no.
But somehow, under Raven's gaze, dishonesty felt impossible.
She swallowed, then looked up.
"...Yes."
Barely above a whisper.
Something flickered across Raven's face.
Small.
Brief.
But there.
He went still.
More still than usual.
As if that one simple answer had landed exactly where it could do the most damage.
Missy bit her lip.
Her eyes had already begun to sting again.
"No matter how I try to think about it…" she said softly, voice trembling, "that image… keeps replaying in my head."
"Your face…"
Her eyes dropped.
"Their faces…"
A shaky inhale.
"I… I… I…"
Her words caught in her throat.
Missy squeezed her eyes shut. Tears slipped softly.
Raven's expression shifted.
Not softer.
Not exactly.
But quieter.
He reached out.
Carefully.
His fingers brushing beneath her chin, guiding her face upward.
"Don't force yourself."
His thumb wiped away a tear from her cheek.
Slowly.
Missy looked into his gray eyes.
Trying, perhaps foolishly, to find something there that would help her understand him.
"I know they were bad people," she whispered.
A pause.
"But… can you really do something like that so easily... and..."
"Yes," Raven cut her off.
Too quickly.
As if he didn't want to hear the rest of her question.
His jaw tightened.
"Yes, Hart," he repeated.
More deliberate this time.
More firmly.
As if he didn't say it now—he would never be able to say it at all.
Missy's lips trembled.
"I'm scared…"
The confession was fragile.
"Not of you... but—scared that what you're doing is wrong…"
She observed him, staring deeply at Raven.
For some reason, she couldn't pull away. Not that kind of fear… but she was afraid of Raven's actions.
"Can you… not do something like that again?"
Raven's lips trembled slightly.
"They are people who hurt you. Killed you," he growled.
There was a slight anger in his voice that he couldn't hold back.
"I know… but…"
She touched Raven's cheek gently.
"It looked…"
Like it was hurting you…
Raven took Missy's fingers and squeezed them briefly before pulling them closer.
"You can't bear seeing something like that…" he whispered. "You're too kind for this world."
Missy closed her eyes, letting the rest of her tears fall.
"But… sometimes something that looks painful still has to be done."
"And for that… there must be someone who does it."
Raven released her hand. He gently wiped the remaining tears from Missy's cheeks for a moment before stepping back slightly.
"You'll see things like this more often from now on. As long as you stay by my side."
Missy stared at him.
Her chest tightening.
"Then what should I do?"
Raven held her gaze.
Long enough for the question to feel heavier than it should.
Then—
"Strengthen your heart."
Simple.
Cruel.
And somehow strangely gentle all at once.
He turned away first.
Returning to the dining table as though the conversation had ended.
"We open soon."
Just like that.
Normal again.
Or at least pretending to be.
Missy remained standing by the sink.
Still holding the half-empty glass.
Still watching his back.
And realizing—
Perhaps the most dangerous thing about Raven wasn't what he could do.
But how impossible it was becoming to walk away from him.
----
That afternoon…
Missy sighed softly while resting her chin on her hand, staring out through the shop window.
The foggy atmosphere, cold weather, and light snow beginning to fall made her feel melancholic.
"You're daydreaming, Bunny. Hmm… your thoughts are so noisy."
Missy flinched slightly when Lucifer suddenly appeared beside her.
"A lovers' quarrel, hm? Ah, and don't comment on my outfit color," he muttered after reading Missy's thoughts.
"This isn't just purple. This is Byzantine, older than Plum and younger than Sangria."
As if making a small protest while explaining elegantly.
"Why are you here?" Missy asked.
"Oh, did you miss me, hm?" a mischievous glint appeared on Lucifer's face again, as if mischief was his natural state.
"Hm, let's just say I'm here because I want to observe the moods of most humans who are celebrating this month. And most humans with dark sides will also appear. You know, it's almost Christmas."
Missy let out a small breath.
"You look gloomy, Bunny," he said while observing Missy's face.
Lucifer chuckled softly.
"Oh, poor thing. So… you saw Raven last night?"
He read Missy's thoughts, then touched her forehead to read further.
"Hmm… fear… uncertainty and…"
"Stop," a low voice came as Raven arrived.
Lucifer lowered his fingers.
Missy blinked nervously upon seeing Raven. She immediately grabbed her coat and walked toward the front door.
"I… I need a warm drink. And good cake before they run out. Taking a short break."
She left without looking at Raven, lowering her head slightly and quickly disappearing from sight.
Raven stared without saying a word. Then he sat down in front of the computer chair.
"Don't worry, I won't touch her or take her for now."
"Oh, if only I could read your mind the way I read hers," Lucifer muttered.
"So… that poor girl must be shocked, hm? I'm surprised she's still here."
Raven tightened his jaw.
"Leave if you have no business here," he muttered, still focused on the screen in front of him.
"Don't be like that, Knight. I'm only surprised you personally delivered souls to me last night. After all this time…"
Raven glanced at him. "It won't happen again."
"Oh come on…" Lucifer protested. "How many hundreds of years has it been? Ah, I haven't had a big meal in a while."
"Find that among your other prisoners," Raven replied indifferently.
"Tch, because of that girl I'm still keeping you around. And remember, we have an agreement."
Lucifer adjusted his scarf and straightened his posture.
"Ah, I think I heard Bunny say earlier that she dreamed… of seeing a battlefield and a knight in armor. With his deadly sword."
Raven stiffened.
Turned slightly.
Narrowed his eyes.
What remained afterward was only the echo of Lucifer's satisfied laughter.
"Damn it," he sighed.
Meanwhile…
Missy was sitting in the corner of a café not far from the shopping district.
Sipping warm chocolate.
And the strawberry cheesecake in front of her was already half eaten.
Good food and drinks still didn't make her feel relieved.
Usually her mood improved after eating delicious food.
Not this time.
Not completely.
"Oh, it's very full. May I sit here?"
Missy stammered when a strange woman appeared and pulled out the chair in front of her.
"Oh… of course,"
Missy blinked, stunned for a moment.
The woman in front of her was very beautiful.
Very.
Soft golden blonde hair falling over her shoulders, elegant trousers and a white blouse fitting her body perfectly. As if her entire body glowed.
"Please…"
Only then did Missy realize the café had become crowded.
"Such nice weather for a warm drink, isn't it? I'm Evangeline, Eve."
She said kindly while smiling beautifully.
"Oh… Mellisa Hart, Missy," Missy replied.
She didn't know why she was mesmerized by the beautiful woman in front of her, as if unable to look away.
Her tall figure and stunning posture reminded Missy of magazine models.
"So, Missy… you're truly sweet."
"Except for the dust stain on your forehead."
She stretched out her hand and gently wiped Missy's forehead with her thumb as if removing dirt there.
"Oh, really…" Missy reached for a tissue spontaneously.
"It's alright, it's gone now…" she smiled sweetly.
"What do you do to get dirty like that?" she asked while receiving her order with a sweet smile as the waiter brought her drink.
"Um, well, I work in an antique shop. Lots of dust and things like that…" Missy smiled faintly.
"Ah, I see. You also look a little distracted and tired. Must be hard, hm?"
Her gaze and face looked gentle as she stared at Missy.
She elegantly set down her drink and smiled again.
Missy blinked.
"Well, just a lack of sleep. The work isn't too hard, actually."
"How unfortunate…" the woman murmured.
"You don't have to push yourself too far, Missy. Something dark will never return to the light."
Missy froze.
There was something about this woman that…
"I… I should go back. My break time is over."
She moved nervously and stood up.
The woman grabbed her wrist as Missy stood.
"Eat this, you'll feel energized again."
She placed a candy in Missy's palm and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you," Missy said, slightly confused.
But then she left the café and walked back toward the shop.
"I won't let darkness take you, Missy…"
"Never."
The woman's whisper followed Missy's departure through the café window.
Without Missy knowing, a second later, the woman stepped out of the café and followed her.
Her footsteps were light.
Silent.
Her eyes fixed solely on Missy.
The moment Missy pushed open the antique shop door—
Movement.
Too fast.
A dark blur shot across her vision.
A flash of blinding light exploded behind it.
"Clang!"
A sharp metallic crash split the air.
Missy gasped as something slammed into her, sending her stumbling backward—
Only to be caught instantly by Raven.
His arm locked around her waist, steadying her before she could hit the floor.
Missy froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Before her—
A sight so unnatural it made her entire body go still.
Terrifying.
Beautiful.
Unreal.
A woman stood in the center of the shop, bathed in radiant light.
Massive white wings stretched wide behind her, feathers glowing beneath the fractured light spilling through the windows.
In her hands—
A luminous spear.
Its sharpened tip pressed firmly against Lucifer's throat.
"Ugh... Angel," Lucifer snarled, all amusement gone, disgust curling in his tone.
His voice was low. Dangerous.
For the first time, the smile had vanished from his face.
Crimson flickered through his eyes.
Then—
Black wings burst open behind him.
Dark.
Immense.
Violent against the purity of hers.
Light and shadow collided in the cramped antique shop like something ancient had just awakened.
Missy could only stare.
Her mind blank.
Her pulse thundered.
"E-Eve...?" she whispered.
Stunned.
Disbelieving.
***