"Amateur," she mumbled under her breath before pulling out her own dagger.
"F-Fuck that hurts," Jaeyun groaned in slight pain on the floor, slowly pushing himself to sit up.
"That's what you get for rushing in without your partner, idiot."
"How was I supposed to know what it was?!" he exclaimed, pulling himself onto his feet before standing next to her.
"And you were the one that asked if I could hear it!" Minjeong threw her hands up in the air, purposely smacking his shoulder as they faced the ever-dormant rock. "Sizzles. There were sizzles. Crackle boom boom!"
Jaeyun frowned as she continued to exasperatedly mock the sounds, slightly disappointed he didn't catch on earlier. Minjeong sighed, topping his shoulder. He lifted up his head, looking to where her extended right hand was pointing.
The once small, sizzling coal rock had transformed into an eight-foot monster, dark as the mines and embroidered with lava plates. Fire lined the palms of the fire monster, the embers roaring despite the frosty weather they stood in.
To be honest, it looks like an ogre.
Minjeong snorted at her own thoughts, quickly getting into a natural fighting stance.
"It's a lower demon," Jaeyun voiced, recovered from the previous pain he was in.
Minjeong nodded with her signature elegant style, tossing a blue vial to her brother before popping it open and drinking herself. Jaeyun quickly took a drink before storing the empty vial within his pockets.
"It's a pyrotic—a baby one judging by its height."
"That-" Jake started, raising his eyebrow as the pyrotic slowly walked closer to them, "is a baby?"
"I mean we could always let it kill people until it becomes an adult and grows to like a twenty-foot giant if that's what you want?-"
"Nevermind," Jaeyun mumbled.
As kind as the Shim siblings were, they had stark differences in personality that were highlighted in the fighting scene. Whereas Jake preferred to get the job done, Minjeong liked to take her time and make sure everything was set. Their clashes always lead to the sarcastic bickering started by the younger and unrefuted by the elder.
"So how are we gonna kill it?" Minjeong asked, wanting to come up with a plan as always.
Yet she doesn't see her older brother dash straight over and strike again, this time with more precision and power as he aims for the heart. His skin and clothing were unaffected by the hellfire that emanated from the lower demon, thanks to the blue vial they'd consumed earlier.
"I- Idiot! I swear on the ange-" she continued to mutter before charging at the demon herself, aiming for the heart.
Pyrotics were elemental demons that could control a much weaker version of what would be considered hellfire. They tended to stay near areas prone to fires or liked to set things on fire. Being near a residential district was alarming, so Minjeong and Jaeyun had come to shut it down.
Both of them practically danced around the demon, their moves coordinated with precision as if they could read each other. As one dodged or blocked the scorching flames, the other aimed for the heart, leaving piercing impressions on the rock-hard skin with the strength of the thin dagger.
Finally, Minjeong dealt the final blow, striking the demon in its heart after finally breaking through the outer shell. As she pulled back, Jaeyun followed, and they watched as the demon slowly disintegrated, returning deep within the gates of hell.
Their job was finished.
Jaeyun immediately slouched, holding his back slightly. "Shit this hurts-"
Minjeong only laughed before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, supporting him as they turned around to walk home. She froze, though, at the sight of two children seemingly standing there in confusion.
"Shoot-"
"Do you think they saw us-"
"We had the purple vial though-"
"I think they can see us-"
"Shit-"
Jaeyun sighed, wanting to facepalm but too lazy to lift up his head, the adrenaline rush from earlier now nonexistent.
"L-Let's just walk away and pretend nothing happened," Minjeong mumbled under her breath, just audible enough for Jaeyun to catch on.
They stumbled down the sidewalk, dodging the two children who continued to eye them.
Stupid blessed humans and their useless vials, Minjeong thought.
When they reached their apartment, they crashed on the couch, ready to rest up after the fight with the pyrotic. Jake sighed as he held his bruised hand to his wrist, less worried about the actual worries compared to the struggles associated with them.
"When Mom finds out, you're so dead," Minjeong commented as she made herself tea in the kitchen of their home.
"I know," Jaeyun groaned, slamming his hand back down. "Hopefully these blessed powers actually heal me before they call."
Minjeong snorted before sitting down next to him on the couch, turning on the television and taking a sip of her ginger tea. Her lips barely skim the surface of the warm drink as she takes a small sip, careful not to inhale the drink in one go.
"Don't forget we have college tomorrow~"
Minjeong groaned, slamming her head back against the couch. "Don't remind me!"
"It's your first day! Come on, you have to be a little excited?"
Minjeong frowned, the thought of continuing her education leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. As smart as she was, she didn't want to continue studying. What was the point? She would end up killing demons as a living anyway.
An annoyed sigh left her mouth, signaling Jake not to press too much on the idea. He relaxed into the couch, watching the classic cartoon air on the small screen.
Thoughts raced in Minjeong's head regarding the upcoming day, though. Her hand laced through her hair in frustration and regret for her decisions.
I am so gonna regret applying for college.
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A/N: hehe the siblings are pretty fun to write :D
sorry it took so long to get this chapter out- I've been putting it off mostly cause i forgot to actually figure out how demons work in this world dsajfsgkdhgf
