Rose Garden: Chapter 09

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Squinting into the snow-laced northern wind sweeping across the hill, Snair trudged along the path, now completely blanketed in white. The whole world was silver and still, and if not for the row of Matek trees marking the road, it would’ve been impossible to tell where to walk. Even with gloves, his fingertips were stinging with cold, and he had to sniffle again and again. The tall wall that had seemed close now looked impossibly far, his feet sinking deep into the soft snow. By the time he reached the heavy, cold iron gate, he was completely exhausted.

Inside the gate, the wind was blocked and the air felt slightly less bitter. The path to the front door had been cleared of snow, likely shoveled earlier. As Snair ran across the garden, he suddenly stopped when he heard a dull thud behind him. Spinning around, he saw something glittering where a small extension jutted from the south side of the house. Curious, he approached. The gleam he’d seen from afar was glass, an entire wall of it. The south side of the little house had been turned into a greenhouse, entirely encased in shimmering panes.

“Whoa…”

There had always been a sunny room, but this was far more impressive.

“You came all this way in the cold?”

The voice fell from the sky. Startled, Snair looked up to see Warren on the highest part of the roof, gripping a hammer in his hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Hammering nails into the roof.”

Warren’s breath puffed visibly in the freezing air. Now that Snair thought about it, he hadn’t seen Warren at the morning church service even though it was Sunday.

“You didn’t come to church.”

Warren’s thin shoulders, clad in just a shirt and light jacket, gave a small shrug.

“I’ll go next week. I really wanted to finish the exterior today.”

“Aren’t you cold? Let’s go rest inside.”

But Warren shook his head.

“Just a little more. I want to finish this part first.”

As snow danced around him, the sound of the hammer echoed in the air. Though Snair was worried about the man up on the roof, the bitter cold finally got to him, and he headed into the house. At the door, he took off his coat, hat, and gloves, and opened the living room door. A wave of warmth enveloped his entire body. The fireplace blazed at the center of the room, instantly banishing the chill from outside.

“Welcome, Snair.”

The rocking chair in front of the fireplace creaked softly as the beautiful angel rose to greet him. Kyle turned and smiled gently, and Snair’s eyes widened. Kyle had always been beautiful from the first moment they met. But today, that beauty seemed polished to perfection, sparkling like a jewel.

“It’s been a week, hasn’t it?”

Kyle took Snair’s hand in his own pale-pink fingers and pressed it gently to his rose-colored cheek.

“So cold… You must’ve gone through quite the chill.”

He drew Snair in, giving him a light embrace. As Kyle ran his fingers through Snair’s bangs, a melting flake of snow slipped down and landed on the floor. Snair closed his eyes, letting himself drift in the moment like a dream.

“Is it really that cold outside?”

“There’s a lot of snow piled up, and yesterday it was a full-on blizzard.”

Kyle clutched the white shawl draped around his shoulders tighter against his chest.

“No wonder the room’s been staying cold, even with the fireplace going.”

The warm fingers resting on Snair’s back made him think of Warren again, his breath white against the winter air as he worked on the roof.

“Warren’s outside.”

Kyle’s elegant brows drew together faintly.

“Still working on that greenhouse, isn’t he? The hammering started yesterday, such a racket. Did you see how far along it is?”

“He said it’s almost finished.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll go have a look too.”

Kyle touched a finger lightly to his lips, murmured something to himself, and stepped out of the room only to return a moment later dressed in a pure white fur coat. Swathed in that soft, snowy pelt, he looked just like a prince from a storybook. Snair hurried to put on his own coat to follow the prince as he headed outside. When Kyle noticed Snair was coming too, he held out his elegant fingers. Their hands linked tightly, they stepped out into the icy world.

Outside, the cold was just as bitter as before. From the roof above, the irregular sound of hammering echoed. Before they could call out, Warren spotted them and leapt gracefully down from the roof. His dark eyes fixed on the angel in white fur. Kyle lowered his gaze, clearly self-conscious, and muttered in a soft voice:

“I just wanted to see how much was finished…”

Warren’s eyes crinkled with pleasure as he took Kyle’s hand. Snair was startled. The white-furred shoulder flinched slightly at the touch, but Kyle didn’t pull away. Instead, he let the demon lead him along.

“The outside’s mostly done. I just need to finish the interior give me two or three more days and it'll be complete.”

Warren’s gaze lingered on Kyle’s silent green eyes, which were turned toward the greenhouse.

“You really do look good in white.”

Warren reached out and gently tugged at the front of Kyle’s white fur coat.

“When I ordered that, the shopkeeper teased me, asking who I was giving it to.”

Kyle flushed and looked away in embarrassment.

“Snair, let’s go back inside.”

When Kyle called out to him, Snair didn’t move. Kyle returned to the house on his own, his figure in white almost vanishing into the snowy landscape. For some reason, Warren chuckled.

“You should go inside too. You’ll catch a cold out here.”

A fingertip brushed Snair’s bare nape, sending a shiver down his spine with its freezing touch. He jumped, and the finger quickly pulled away.

“Ah, sorry.”

Snair shook his head and grabbed the icy hand with both of his own, trying to warm it.

“Come inside with me. If you stay out here, even a demon could freeze to death.”

Warren narrowed his eyes slightly, then ruffled Snair’s hair.

“I’m built to last. Don’t worry. Go on there are muffins inside. Have some with Kyle.”

With a light push on his back, Snair reluctantly returned to the house, still worried. What awaited him inside was a tea set prepared on the living room table. Steam rose from a fragrant cup of tea, and golden-brown muffins sat neatly on a white plate.

“I was worried the tea would get cold. Come here you must be freezing.”

A warm room with a roaring fireplace and hot tea. Kyle, with his usual grace, pinched off a piece of muffin with delicate fingers. As he sipped the tea, Snair kept glancing toward the window. The snow was falling again harder this time.

“You don’t have much of an appetite.”

The beautiful face leaned in close, startling Snair. He blushed.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Snair shook his head.

“No… I was just wondering why Warren suddenly decided to build a greenhouse…”

“Because I said I wanted one.”

With a sip of tea, the green-eyed angel said it so casually. Snair’s eyes widened.

“Tell him to stop right away! He looks so cold it’s not fair. He won’t listen to me, but if you ask, he’ll stop for sure.”

Soft fingertips came to rest atop his head, gently soothing him like a child in need of calming.

“I did say I wanted a greenhouse,” Kyle admitted, “but I never told him to build it on a freezing day like this. He’s doing it of his own accord. If it gets too cold, I’m sure he’ll come inside. And demons are built sturdier than humans there’s really nothing to worry about.”

“But…” Snair couldn’t accept that. Warren was building the greenhouse for Kyle so how could Kyle just dismiss it as something Warren was doing on his own?

“More importantly,” Kyle said, his face lighting up, “listen to me.”

He spoke with barely restrained excitement.

“My wings have started to turn white. They’re still soft, like jelly, but they’re growing properly.”

Midway through speaking, Kyle lowered his voice.

“I can’t show them to you now I don’t know when the demon might walk into the room.”

The angel rose from the chair and twirled lightly through the room.

“When I lost my wings, I lost my power too. I could only survive by taking life essence from the flowers I used to share love with. Do you know how painful that was? To drain the life from something just to stay alive it felt like carving pieces out of myself. But now that my power is returning, I don’t need to take as much anymore. That’s why I said I wanted a greenhouse. If I can grow many living flowers in there and take just a little from each one, I won’t have to kill them. And if I use less essence, it’ll be harder for the demon to notice the change in me.”

The more Snair listened, the more his chest tightened. It wasn’t just the looming sadness of Kyle preparing to return to the heavens it was also the ruthless, coldness with which Kyle treated Warren. Kyle, who was always so kind, so gentle to him…

“I’m going to call him,” Snair said.

He stood up from his chair, ignoring Kyle’s attempt to stop him, and ran outside.

On the roof, in the thickening snowstorm, the man was crouched, his shoulders dusted with a snowy cap.

“Warren!”

Snair shouted, and the man turned at once.

“Come down, now please!”

Clenching his fists, Snair called out again. Warren dropped smoothly from the rooftop, landing right in front of him.

“What’s wrong? Did you and Kyle get into a fight?”

Snair grabbed Warren’s frozen hand still gripping a hammer and pressed his face against the snow-scented front of his coat.

“Come have tea with us.”

“The roof isn’t finished…”

Warren glanced up, but Snair gave the damp shirt a firm tug.

“Just stop while it’s snowing, please.”

“If I stop every time it snows, I won’t finish before spring,” Warren said. “Kyle wants that greenhouse so I want to get it done as soon as I can.”

His hand patted Snair’s shoulder, gentle and reassuring. Snair raised his head and looked straight into those black eyes.

“Do you even know why Kyle wants a greenhouse?”

Warren gave a little shrug.

“So he can grow flowers even in winter, right? With it, he can have his favorite roses to eat anytime he wants.”

Not a trace of doubt. Warren had no idea, no idea that the greenhouse was to hide the return of Kyle’s angelic powers.

Snair began to cry. He cried for the demon who was being kept completely in the dark.

Warren held the little crybaby tight and said, “You really are a kind child.”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

In the corner of the room, within a small pocket of darkness, shadows squirmed. Each time Kyle saw them, a chill ran down his spine, those grotesque creatures, twisted and terrifying. Yet even they had grown fewer in number compared to before. It was because Kyle’s angelic power was gradually returning, and those lowly creatures could no longer come near him. The demon hadn’t noticed yet.

There was a soft clatter. The demon had placed a lamp on the small table between the two beds. Kyle, who had been pretending to sleep with his face buried in the pillow, reluctantly opened his eyes when his shoulder was shaken.

“It’s about that time, isn’t it?”

The repugnant ritual immediately came to mind. Without any chance to refuse, the quilt was yanked off, and he was dragged forcefully into the adjacent bed. Their lips met, and with it came the heavy, nauseating stench unique to demons. Kyle gave a faint cough and pushed weakly at the demon’s shoulders.

“Wait…”

He whispered, and the demon obediently drew back. Kyle steadied his ragged breath, clasped his hands over his chest, and exhaled softly.

“I think… I’m still okay.”

“But they’ve already made it to the foot of the bed.”

Peering underneath, Kyle saw a creature with the body of a snake and the head of a bull, coiled and flicking its long purple tongue. He let out a sharp cry. In response, the demon wrapped him in a firm embrace.

Even if his powers were returning, they were far from complete and stronger monsters could still reach him with ease. The arms that had embraced to protect soon shifted to defile. Kyle couldn’t take it anymore and protested.

“I don’t want this.”

Cold fingers brushed against his cheek, as if to soothe.

“If we don’t, you might be devoured by monsters in the middle of the night.”

“But…”

A thumb pressed gently against his lips, silencing him.

“This is the one thing I won’t let you decide. I won’t lose you.”

The demon wouldn’t listen. And so, Kyle’s body was forced open in humiliation. He kept his eyes shut the entire time. He didn’t want to see a thing.

The act itself didn’t last long. But once it ended, a leaden lethargy clung to his entire body. Kyle no longer had the will to return to his own bed and curled up beside the demon instead.

Though exhausted, sleep refused to come. He shifted positions over and over, until finally he must have disturbed the demon, black eyes, gleaming cat-like in the dim lamplight, met his own.

“Can’t sleep?”

When he nodded, the demon chuckled softly.

“It’s because you sleep so much during the day.”

The laugh grated on him, and Kyle turned away. But the demon pulled him into his arms.

“…Once the blizzard passes, why don’t we go out for a bit? There’s a place past the northern path, where you can see the frozen valley from a cliff. The snowy view is stunning. Don’t worry we’ll be outside the gates, but I’ll be right by your side. You can wear that white fur coat… Yes, let’s bring Snair along too.”

Kyle had no desire to see a snow-covered landscape, nor to venture out into the cold. But at this point, the thing he feared most was upsetting the demon. A little flattery might be for the best.

“…I’d like to see it.”

The demon beamed, kissed Kyle’s hair, then his forehead, the tip of his nose, his cheek and finally, he drew in a deep kiss to his lips.

“Such beautiful eyes you have.”

Those black, unblinking eyes, so much like a cat’s, reflected Kyle’s own face within them.

"Clear and transparent like a pristine lake, your green eyes are beautiful. Every angel I've seen looked so unearthly and stunning, but among them, I've never seen one as beautiful as you."

Lady Agatha’s image flitted through Kyle’s mind. The demon must have seen her during the recruitment trials. If so, then he was saying Kyle was more beautiful than Lady Agatha, the angel known as the most beautiful in Heaven. The thought felt presumptuous yet at the same time, he was wrapped in a pleasant sense of superiority. Perhaps it was a sin to think himself more beautiful. But he couldn’t ignore how satisfying it felt.

“Am I beautiful?”

The demon’s black eyes shimmered with emotion.

“Yes. Beautiful. Even now, I can hardly believe you’re here in my arms, speaking to me. My sweet Kyle.”

The words were whispered beside his ear, followed by yet another kiss. Lately, the demon had taken to openly expressing his affections through words, through touch. It was excessive, and nothing short of stifling. Fingers traced directly along Kyle’s spine, and his back arched involuntarily.

“I’ve regretted taking your wings from you, over and over again. Every time you glared at me with those green eyes, it pierced me through the chest. But it’s different now. God gave you to me I truly believe that.”

Kyle was stunned by how earnestly the demon said something so outrageous. A God who grieved over the existence of evil would never offer up one of His own apostles to a demon. This, clearly, had been nothing more than misfortune.

“There’s a long road ahead, but I’m sure we’ll manage together.”

The dreamy murmur met only the coolness of Kyle’s heart. He didn’t want to imagine a future with this demon. He was an angel. No matter how weak his abilities, he belonged to a different world entirely. He gave a faint shrug of his bare shoulders. If only his wings would finish growing… then he could fly back to Heaven at once.

“Do you know how happy I am right now?”

He nodded silently, even though he didn’t understand. The gesture was a lie but lies were sins. Still, he felt no guilt. This was a demon. Nothing he did toward a demon could ever be called a sin.

“This is all thanks to Snair. Since he started visiting, you’ve laughed more, and you’ve started accepting me.”

The foolish demon had mistaken Kyle’s feigned obedience for genuine acceptance. The only reason he answered the demon and played along was because he’d glimpsed a faint light of hope he might be able to return to Heaven. What he feared most was defying the demon, inciting his rage, and having the wings he’d worked so hard to regrow consumed once again. If his hundred years of suffering could end in just six more months, then giving the demon what he wanted was a small price to pay.

The kisses came again and again, gradually thick with a damp heat. Kyle had been subtly resisting, but was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.

“Let me love you.”

The demon gently lifted Kyle’s delicate chin with his fingers.

“Not just to protect you let me love you for who you are.”

No matter how prettily he phrased it, the act itself wouldn’t change.

“N-no…”

His weak resistance was swallowed up by the demon’s strength. He couldn’t bring himself to firmly refuse, it might make the demon angry.

“I love you, Kyle. I love you. I’ll grant you any wish you have. I’ll give you everything I am.”

Crushed in a powerful embrace, Kyle shed a tear. If the demon truly meant to grant his wish, then he wished the demon had died before they ever met. He wished he’d vanished from this world completely, without a trace not even a sliver of bone left behind.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

“It’s the wrong season,” the florist said with an awkward smile.

Warren had known roses bloomed in early summer, but still he couldn’t help stopping by, hoping there might be a chance. Mildly disheartened, he stepped back out of the shop. A snow-laced wind bit at him, and he straightened the collar of his coat as the crisp sound of packed snow crunched beneath his boots.

The greenhouse had been completed the day before yesterday. The interior work had taken longer than expected, but the extra time had paid off the result was satisfying. Kyle had adored the wide, bright tropical greenhouse at first sight and had danced through it in delight. Just watching him had made Warren feel happy.

But that was only until the cheerful angel had spoken. With eyes glittering, Kyle had come up to him and asked, “Where are the roses?”

That was when Warren remembered the greenhouse had been built because Kyle wanted the fresh life force of blooming roses. Of course, in the dead of winter, there was no way he could find a flower that bloomed in early summer.

“I could get seeds, but it’ll take time before they bloom…” he had explained honestly.

The moment the words left his mouth, Kyle’s face had fallen in disappointment, and he lost interest in the greenhouse entirely. He never stepped inside it again, even though he’d been so thrilled before.

Watching Kyle hang his head so dejectedly was painful. Warren had tried asking the previous greenhouse owner who had once given him roses if he could spare a few, but was told that not a single one was in bloom at the moment.

He’d even briefly considered using magic. In fact, he had done just that in past winters, secretly conjuring roses when no real ones were blooming.

But now that Kyle was finally starting to respond to him, Warren hesitated. He was afraid that using a demon’s magic might make Kyle turn away from him again.

“Warren, isn’t it?”

At the sound of a loud voice, he lifted his head. On the white stone pavement stood a plump silhouette. Wrapped in a thick gray knit sweater, Doris’s cheeks were red from the cold, and she exhaled white puffs of breath as she smiled at him.

“What’s a handsome guy like you doing at a flower shop?”

He deflected the question with a vague smile. Doris, kicking through the snow as she approached, suddenly slipped and lurched forward.

“Doris!”

Warren rushed to catch her, but between her expected weight and the poor footing, he ended up slipping as well. By the time he thought this is bad, it was too late he had landed flat on his rear with Doris on top of him.

“Oh my…”

Sitting comfortably on the man’s stomach, Doris stood up with a nonchalant “oof” and dusted herself off.

“Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry.”

As he rubbed his sore lower back, Doris leaned over and peered at his face.

“Oh, I wasn’t just flattering you, you really are good-looking. If I were a little younger…”

Warren chuckled.

“You say that, but you never gave any man the time of day except for Castor.”

Doris’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You know Castor? But he died before Dana our daughter was even born. You wouldn’t have even been alive then.”

Warren immediately regretted his carelessness but only for a second. It wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in this sort of situation. As long as he didn’t panic, there were plenty of ways to smooth things over.

“I’ve heard stories,” he said smoothly. “Even now, people talk about what a loving couple you two were. They say the most beautiful widow in the village, Doris, had no shortage of proposals but she turned them all down.”

“Hah! As if a woman owes loyalty to a drunk like him.”

She laughed heartily, but then her gray eyes quietly lowered.

“It’s not that I didn’t meet someone I liked. I was just too afraid. I figured the more I grew to love someone, the more painful the goodbye would be. I guess I was just a coward.

God can be cruel, you know. He took a man who seemed too stubborn to die and snuffed him out like a candle and not just him, but my daughter and her husband too…”

Warren placed a hand on Doris’s shoulder. The soft, rounded shoulder beneath his palm was trembling slightly and showed no sign of stopping.

“Ah, if only I’d realized sooner that every person ends up alone in the end… maybe my life would’ve been a bit livelier. Back when I was young, you know, I was very popular.”

“It’s not too late even now.”

He meant it sincerely, but Doris gave a teary laugh and smacked him hard on the back.

“What are you going on about?”

Then she added, “By the way, that boy Snair he’s not been causing you trouble, has he? I hear he spends every spare moment at your place.”

“Things are more lively and fun with him around.”

Doris wiped her damp eyes with fingers worn and wrinkled with age, then gave a soft smile.

“Well, if he ever gets in the way, don’t hold back just tell him straight. That’s part of raising a child, too. Oh, and I heard something else you’ve taken a liking to someone, haven’t you? They say you bought a very fine white fur at Nika’s shop. And stopping by the flower shop… wasn’t that because you were looking for flowers for her?”

Warren hadn’t expected the story about the fur to have reached even Doris’s ears. He was surprised by how quickly gossip spread through the small village.

A woman I love… Kyle wasn’t a woman or even human but that didn’t change the fact that Warren cared deeply for him. Doris’s guess wasn’t far from the truth, and Warren gave a wry smile.

“There’s someone who really wants roses… so I was looking for them.”

Doris gave an exasperated shrug.

“You fool. There’s no way roses would be blooming this time of year.”

“I know… but I just really wanted to find some.”

Doris tilted her head, then clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering something.

“You know, I heard a story a long time ago. Castor used to be a traveling merchant, and he once told me there was a place far to the south, beyond the border of Pasper somewhere that’s warm like summer all year round. I didn’t believe him, of course. I mean, a land where it’s always summer? Sounds like nonsense, right?”

“Pasper…”

Doris shook her head.

“It was just something I heard, that’s all. Don’t take it seriously. Pasper’s a month away even on horseback.”

A month by horse. If he had wings if he could use the wings on his back, how long would it take to get there? He’d never flown that far before, so he wasn’t sure. But if he hurried… maybe he could make it there and back in a day?

“Thank you, Doris.”

“Thank me? What’re you…”

Before she could finish, Warren grasped her right hand firmly in both of his, then turned on his heel and sprinted off. Her rough voice called after him from behind.

“Don’t take it seriously! There’s no such thing as a land of eternal summer!”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Warren flew through the orange-tinged sky, flapping his black, ominous wings with all his might. Though the sun was beginning to set, the world around him remained bright. At this height, anyone looking up could easily tell he wasn’t a bird. But he had no strength or time to spare to veil himself. The sun would set any minute now and when it did, the beloved angel would be devoured by monsters.

He finally reached the front door just as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. The moment he burst into the house, a warm bundle crashed into his chest. Startled, he dropped the package in his arms with a heavy thud. The angel clinging to him shook like a trapped bird, trembling violently as he clung to Warren’s neck.

“Wh…why didn’t you come back?”

Emerald eyes, brimming with tears, glared up at him.

“There were so many monsters… so many…”

Only one shoe was on his foot. His bare legs were covered in countless scratches. The monsters never consumed their prey in one swift bite. They liked to torment, draw it out and savor the look of terror on their victim’s face.

“I’m sorry I left you alone to face that fear.”

Warren wrapped his arms tightly around the trembling body. This weak, beautiful creature who couldn’t live without him was now sobbing in his arms. He gently wiped the flowing tears from Kyle’s cheeks with his fingertips.

“There’s no need to cry. Everything’s okay now.”

He lifted Kyle into his arms and carried him to the greenhouse, setting him down in the rocking chair. He lit a fire in the hearth, and once Kyle’s tear-streaked cheeks had dried, Warren returned to the entrance.

“This is why I was late getting back.”

In front of the angel swaying gently in the rocking chair, he presented a living rose with its roots intact Little Mums, with pale pink petals. The emerald eyes, which had been staring blankly ahead, suddenly lit up and sparkled with life.

“There was a place in the south where roses were still blooming.”

Kyle stood up from the chair and carefully approached the flower. He extended his hand but didn’t touch it. Gazing fixedly at the blossom, he murmured softly, “It’s cold and scared.”

“Take it to the hearth and give it some water quickly.”

Moved by the plea in those green eyes, Warren watered the rose and placed it by the fire. Kyle still wouldn’t touch it, but he didn’t move from the rose’s side for even a moment. A single tear traced a line from the corner of his eye.

When Warren, thinking Kyle was crying from joy, reached out to brush the tear from his cheek, his hand was slapped away more harshly than he expected. Kyle immediately turned, startled by his own reaction, and muttered, “Sorry…” before reaching out and gently taking Warren’s hand.

“Thank you.”

At those words of gratitude, a slow warmth welled up in Warren’s chest. If it made Kyle this happy, so happy he could cry he wished he had found the rose and brought it to him much sooner. As they gazed at each other, Warren began to feel like he was forgetting something important. He paused to think and then it came back to him.

“Ah that’s right, you haven’t eaten anything all day, have you?”

“I took just a little bit from the flower earlier, so I’m fine now.”

Kyle answered smoothly. He said he’d “taken a little,” but that rose had only a single blossom. No matter how you looked at it, it couldn’t have been enough.

“That can’t possibly be sufficient.”

Kyle’s eyes wavered and slipped away, his gaze dropping to the floor.

“That flower’s alive, so… um… even a small bit of essence is enough…”

The hesitance in his voice made Warren wonder if Kyle was simply holding back for his sake.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Kyle gave a small nod. Even if he pressed further to know the truth, it was already night too late to go out in search of more flowers. And now that it was dark, Warren couldn’t leave Kyle alone.

“I have a favor to ask.”

The words came gently, hesitantly.

“I want more roses. Enough to fill this whole greenhouse so many that they cover every corner.”

Sweet Kyle. Beloved Kyle. Kyle, who asked so modestly for the flowers he desired. If that was what he wanted, then Warren felt he could scour the entire world to gather every rose that bloomed.

“Wait here. I’ll fill this room with roses before you know it.”

Kyle beamed with joy. That smile Warren wanted to keep it all to himself. He pulled Kyle close and kissed him. There was only the faintest resistance, and soon Kyle relaxed, docile and yielding in his arms.

That night, Kyle said he wanted to sleep beside the rose and brought a blanket into the greenhouse. Even when they weren’t required to perform the ritual, Kyle had begun to share Warren’s bed whenever he asked. To be with him, Warren also slept in the greenhouse. Wrapped in Warren’s arms, Kyle gazed endlessly at the pale pink rose, softly glowing in the firelight from the hearth.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Though the entire village was abuzz with the rumors, Snair hadn’t heard a word until he got to school. So when someone told him, “There’s a demon living in the village,” he was so shocked he thought his heart might stop.

“Banache the baker said she’s seen it flying south at dawn more than once.”

Even though the teacher was still lecturing at the blackboard, Tonga, a classmate, was grinning smugly as he whispered to Snair in the back row.

“At first she thought it was a bird, but it wasn’t. It had huge, massive black wings. They say it was a terrifying-looking demon.”

Snair couldn’t stop his heart from pounding. What if it’s Warren? Warren never showed his demon form around people he was far too cautious for that. There was no way someone like him would go flying around in broad daylight where anyone could see.

“Hey! Tonga!”

Before they knew it, Ms. Rosanne had walked right up to them. Her eyes, usually gentle, were now sharply narrowed as she glared down at the chattering boy.

“Tonga, what have I told you about talking during class? You’re supposed to be paying attention and studying.”

As soon as things stopped going his way, Tonga clammed up like an oyster. But then Vanessa, sitting to Snair’s left, tattled with a smug smile, “Tonga was talking about the demon in Torney Village.”

“Shut up!”

Tonga snapped, hurling his slate pencil at Vanessa. She burst into loud sobs, and soon the classroom erupted in chaos as the other kids started shouting and egging things on.

“Enough!”

Ms. Rosanne finally raised her voice, and the room went instantly still.

“Vanessa, are you all right?”

The gentle concern in her tone only made Vanessa cry harder.

“There, there. Don’t cry, sweetie. Be a good girl now. Tonga, you mustn’t be rough with girls and you must never talk about demons, do you understand?”

“But…” Tonga mumbled under his breath.

“You don’t need to know about those things. But listen to me there have been some frightening rumors lately, so don’t go outside at night, and stay far away from the forest of Oliva. And most importantly, never forget your prayers before bed.”

A soft sniffling came from the corner of the room. It was Noah, the class crybaby, hiding his face in his hands, his black curls quivering as he wept.

“What’s the matter, Noah?”

Ms. Rosanne hurried over, and Noah looked up. His blue eyes were swollen red from crying.

“Yesterday… our cat fell into the pond in the garden and died. And now everyone says it was the demon’s fault. Is it true, Miss?”

“Oh, sweetheart… I’m so sorry. But no it wasn’t the demon’s doing.”

Ms. Rosanne gently pulled Noah into a hug.

“But Miss,”

Tonga stood up, frowning with arms crossed.

“Banache the baker said she saw it. And so did Norma the firewood seller. The demon is real. My mom says one of these days we’ll have to go on a demon hunt...”

“That's enough ”

Ms. Rosanne turned, her face drained of color.

“They say the same thing happened ages ago. When my great-grandfather was young, there was this demon couple who raised a demon child. So they went and hunted them down.”

Once he got going, Tonga’s mouth didn’t stop.

“When we have a demon hunt, I’m going too. I’m brave, so I bet I’ll take out a bunch of demons!”

That had to be about Warren’s grandparents. Snair couldn’t take it anymore. He shoved Tonga from behind, sending him tumbling off his seat.

“Don’t talk like you know everything when you don’t know a thing!”

Tonga glared up at him from the floor, furious.

“Well I heard it from my grandpa!”

“But…”

Snair started to speak, wanting to tell them about the kind-hearted demon he knew but then remembered. He’d been told not to tell anyone. Warren had made him promise. But if he didn’t speak now, when would people ever understand the truth about that poor, misunderstood demon? When would they ever see him for who he really was?

“But…”

Snair couldn’t bring himself to say more, and Tonga, puffing up with pride, shot back:

“What’s the matter? Sounds like you’re the one who doesn’t know anything.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

Heat surged to his head, and before he knew it, Snair had lunged at Tonga. Their fistfight didn’t stop until a male teacher from the next classroom came rushing in. Tonga, his head now covered in welts from the punches, bawled loudly. Snair had just as many bumps and bruises, but he bit his lip and didn’t cry.

That day, the moment he got home, his grandmother let him have it.

“What on earth did you do at school today!?”

She had her hands on her hips, her wrinkled face blazing red with fury.

“Tonga started it!” Snair answered, still pouting.

Her face only grew redder.

“So now you’re blaming your friend? The teacher said you were the one who shoved him first!”

“But it was because of what Tonga said…”

At that, the corner of her eye twitched.

“What exactly did Tonga say to you?”

“He said demons are evil.”

A sharp, exasperated laugh rang in his ears.

“And? What of it? Of course demons are evil. That’s common sense. So you were the one who started it all, picking a fight with a friend who didn’t do anything.”

Even Grandma didn’t understand. She was saying the same things as Tonga. Slowly, the sadness crept in.

“There are good demons too…”

His grandmother gave a small shrug of her broad shoulders.

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Don’t we go to church every week? There’s no such thing as a good demon. Even the priest says so.”

“Then God’s the one who’s wrong!”

Smack! The sharp sound rang out, and pain bloomed across his cheek. Snair’s eyes flew wide open. Grandma clutched her hands to her face, groaning softly.

“Oh, oh… What a blasphemous child you’ve become. God can never be wrong. This is what I feared when you went into the Forest of Oliva, the demon must’ve devoured your reverence. Oh, how frightening…”

Her wrinkled hands, trembling, suddenly seized his.

“Come now we’re going to see the priest. You must confess your sins and beg forgiveness.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

He struggled, but in the end, she dragged him all the way to church. Even when she shut him inside the confessional, he kept completely silent.

That night, both before and after dinner, he was forced to pray twice as long as usual. Before bed, he had to recite scripture over and over again, without end.

He didn’t doubt God. But no matter how many times they made him pray, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that Warren’s existence was evil.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

One or two rose plants were added each day, and in less than ten days, the greenhouse had begun to take proper shape.

Inside the greenhouse, now surrounded by flowers, Kyle dozed lightly. The gentle, sweet fragrance of the blooms filled him with a sense of contentment, body and soul. In stark contrast to the spring-like warmth and comfort of the interior, the weather outside was dreadful. Beyond the glass, the sky was a dull gray, and snow had been falling steadily since the day before.

A faint voice stirred him from his nap. Kyle opened his eyes, rose from the rocking chair, and approached the rose that had called him. It was a yellow rose, just added to the collection the day before. Still frightened by the unfamiliar place and the new companions, it often called out to him nervous and lonely. Kyle knelt gently before it, lowering his face and speaking softly to the trembling blossom.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. No one will hurt you here. You were brought to a cold, unfamiliar land against your will, and that must have been scary. I’m sorry.”

The devil had surely taken this flower by force. That’s why it trembled so pitifully in fear. Kyle’s heart ached thinking of all the flowers being plundered from the South, one after another, but he couldn’t bring himself to say “stop.” He still wanted more many more flowers to fill the greenhouse.

“Sweet little one. Bloom quickly, let me see your beautiful, radiant form. I don’t have much to offer you, but I want you to have this.”

With the wings that had begun to return to him, so too had come a sliver of angelic power. Kyle shared a small portion of it with the yellow flower. At once, its once-drooping stem straightened with resolve, and the green, tightly closed bud began to swell and soften. As he watched the blossom regain its vitality and begin to glow with life, a smile naturally spread across Kyle’s face.

Footsteps came pounding down the hallway. Surprised by the rare sound of the quiet devil running, Kyle turned toward the door and just as he did, it burst open with a bang. Rushing in was the human child who hadn’t visited in nearly two weeks.

“Snair, isn’t it? It’s been a while.”

The child’s knitted hat and deerskin coat were caked in snow, and his soft cheeks were as red as rose petals. Through the greenhouse’s glass windows, Kyle could still see the snow falling, and he sighed at how reckless the boy had been to come in such foul weather.

“Come here, you must be cold.”

But Snair didn’t step into the greenhouse. He stood at the entrance, glancing around nervously, before fixing his clear brown eyes straight on Kyle.

“Where’s Warren?”

The moment he arrived, the child blurted out the question.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

Kyle took the boy’s cold hand and guided him inside. He removed the wet hat, brushing off the snow. Even as he did, Snair remained agitated, glancing about with a face that looked ready to cry.

“Why isn’t he home? What’s he doing?”

“He’s never home on weekdays, is he? I imagine he’s off working somewhere.”

But the child shouted, his face pale.

“He hasn’t been to work for ages now! Everyone says something’s wrong it’s become a huge rumor!”

Kyle didn’t understand why Snair was so worked up, or why everyone would make such a fuss just because that one hadn’t shown up to work.

“Maybe he got bored of it and went off somewhere to play. Devils get bored easily and don’t stick with things for long it’s just how they are. There’s no need to worry about his whims. More importantly…”

Kyle turned his back to the child and drew in his spine with force. Then he looked back at Snair, who stood there wide-eyed, his mouth agape in astonishment. Pleased with the reaction, Kyle gave a dramatic flap of his wings.

“They’re bigger now, and whiter than when you saw them before, aren’t they? At this rate, I’ll be able to fly before spring arrives.”

He had expected the child to share in his joy but instead, Snair pursed his lips in a sulky frown.

"Snair?"

“I wish those wings had never grown!”

The words burst from the child’s mouth like a curse, and Kyle felt his breath catch. The shock left him speechless, and in front of him, Snair began to cry, tears spilling freely down his cheeks.

“If you didn’t have wings, you wouldn’t be able to go back to Heaven. You would’ve stayed here with me and Warren forever.”

Kyle couldn’t be angry. He understood that the words had come from deep affection. This child didn’t want him to leave, was crying because he loved him so much. That simple, earnest love reached Kyle with painful clarity, and tears welled in his own eyes.

“Oh, Snair. Please, don’t say something so sad.”

He wrapped the child, smelling of snow, tightly in his arms.

“No matter where I go, I’ll never forget you. I’ll love you forever. And even after I’m gone, I want you to keep loving me, too.”

The boy trembled quietly in his embrace, then muttered,

“Everyone in the village… they’re saying they’re going to hunt demons.”

“A demon hunt? And what of it?”

Snair gave a sudden tug on Kyle’s snowy-white stole.

“They think Warren’s the demon. Ever since people started seeing one flying through the sky at dawn and dusk, Warren stopped coming to the workshop and the church. So everyone thinks he’s been possessed by a demon.”

What did it matter if the villagers had discovered what he really was? If a demon was hunted for being a demon, that was simply how things were… Kyle got that far in his thoughts before a realization struck him. He didn’t particularly care if that demon was captured or killed by the villagers but he needed him to stay close at least until spring. His wings hadn’t grown enough yet. He didn’t have the strength to endure the nights alone. The moment he realized how greatly it would affect him, a chill ran through his body.

“How did it come to this?”

Sniffling, Snair wiped his nose.

“Once people started whispering that Warren might be a demon, someone said the flying demon looked a lot like him. After that, everyone just decided it had to be Warren, and now they’re organizing a demon hunt. But… no one besides me knows about this house. Since no one knows where he lives, that just made him seem even more suspicious. Hey… the demon in the sky—it is Warren, isn’t it? He always made sure to be really, really careful not to be seen… so how could this happen?”

Kyle had no answers. The demon left early every morning and came back late in the evening. If he wasn’t going to the workshop, then where was he going? The child’s small hand gripped Kyle’s tightly.

“Please… tell Warren not to come back to the village. If he does, they’ll catch him.”

“All right. I’ll tell him.”

At last, Snair let out a sigh, looking relieved. Then he glanced around the room and suddenly widened his eyes.

“This place is amazing…”

His gaze had fallen on the dozens of rose plants placed inside the greenhouse.

“There are so many different kinds of roses,” Kyle said. “They’re all my friends.”

Snair stepped closer to the flowers, gently touching their soft petals and bringing his nose near.

“They’re so beautiful and they smell wonderful. How did you gather so many? There aren’t any flowers blooming anywhere right now.”

“The demon brings them back. Every day.”

Snair turned to look at him, tilting his head.

“Where does he get them from?”

“He said… somewhere in the South.”

The child tilted his head again.

“There are places in the South where flowers bloom even in winter?”

Faced with the question again, Kyle had no answer.

“Well… maybe he’s using magic.”

To Kyle, what mattered was having the roses themselves how the demon gathered them didn’t concern him.

“But Warren doesn’t use magic…”

Snair tilted his head again and again, puzzled. Then he picked up his hat from the table and pulled it down snug over his head.

“I’ll go home before it gets too late. My grandma told me I mustn’t tell anyone I’ve been visiting Warren’s house. She cried and said, ‘If you tell anyone, they might start suspecting you too and they’ll kill you. Don’t leave me alone again.’ She told me not to go out at all, really… but I had to come. I had to warn Warren.”

With the same abruptness with which he’d arrived, Snair left. He darted through the gates into the heavy snowfall, and though Kyle worried for a moment about the boy’s journey home in such a storm, the thought quickly faded replaced by the beauty of the blooming flowers in the greenhouse.

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