Ethan had just explained everything Anti had told him about the 'legend' to Blank. Blank was sat on their kitchen table, swinging his legs as he contemplated it. "What will happen to me if you do that?" Blank asked.

"Anti didn't know. He didn't know how I'm supposed to sacrifice my soul either. Being a demon, I expected you to know about it but I can tell you know as much as I do."

Blank nodded with a long exhale. "So... we're still just as stuck as we were before?"

"Yep but we've got more stuff to work-" Blank cut himself off as he black eyes grew wide. Ethan followed his gaze to find Anti standing there, albeit slightly faded. His usual sick smile was nonexistent and his body was twitching more than usual. It looked like he had been crying but neither Blank nor Ethan pointed it out in fear the demon would flip out at them.

"I want to help you..." Anti mumbled, hanging his head and refusing to meet their gazes. His green hair had fallen over his eyes and, when you couldn't see his oddly coloured eyes, it was impossible to tell that it was him and not their best friend from a year or so ago.

"I'm sorry but I seem to recall you telling me not to trust you." Ethan was quick to reply. Anti sighed, lifting himself up so he could sit on the counter. He was hunched over and shaking, despite the room being reasonably hot.

"Forget that. Trust me now."

"Why the sudden change in attitude?"

"None of your business."

"I disagree."

"I am not going to tell you. It's private." Blank rolled his eyes, seeing Anti as a threat to his human. He zoomed forward and quickly grabbed a kitchen knife to hold up against Anti's neck.

"Tell us or we have no reason to side with you." Blank's voice was angry and shallow. The last time Ethan had heard that tone, Blank had been holding a knife up against his throat. He shuddered at the thought.

"Okay, fine. Dark and I..." Anti covered his hand with his mouth to muffle his words but Blank was not impressed. He pressed the knife harder into the skin of the demon's neck, eliciting a loud yelp from him. "Broke up, okay? Are you happy now?" Tears streamed down Anti's pale cheeks so Blank withdrew the knife out of pity.

"Yes," Blank dropped the knife onto the counter and let his arms fall limp at his sides. "Now, why would helping us... benefit you?"

"Because maybe Dark will forgive me if I give him a human's soul."

"What did you do?" Ethan questioned out of curiosity but the only response he got was a glare from Blank.

"Why would you want him back though?" Blank's voice remained calm and soft due to his fear of angering Anti or even upsetting it further. Just in case, he prepared himself to have to react quickly and grab the knife.

"I love him."

"But he's... sick and... manipulative."

"He's different with me. He's actually loving." Blank frowned, slowly looking at Ethan whose face had morphed into a similar expression.

"That's what he made me think. If he's hurting you in any way-"

"He isn't! He loves me!" The tears streaming down his face made it appear otherwise. "I mean it. We're in love."

"Anti-"

"Stop! Just shut up! I didn't want to do this but you won't stop bothering me!" Anti grabbed the knife Blank had discarded before either Blank or Ethan could react. He held it out with trembling hands, in a way that made him appear frightened rather than threatening. At that moment, Jack and Mark walked in the door. Jack looked utterly petrified as he had been left in the dark about Anti still existing.

Dropping the bags he was holding, Mark raced forward and yelled, "Get away from them!"

"Leave me alone!" Anti screamed, thrashing the knife around and not caring who it hit. Since Mark had run forward, he was the direct target and the knife slashed the skin of his arm. It wasn't too deep but, despite this, his jacket tore and blood immediately seeped out of the wound. "He loves me... He loves me..." Anti stopped waving the knife around and instead held it right up to his own neck. He was crying so much that he could barely even see what he was doing.

"No!" Blank yelled, diving forward and snatching the knife from the demon.

"Let me die." Anti no longer sounded furious, just desperate so Blank hugged him tightly. He hushed his cries and rubbed his back until he ceased to shake and his sobs had died down. Jack was watching the pair, waiting for Anti to cackle and claim the entire thing was one big joke to make the group vulnerable but he continued to break down. Jack was frozen in fear, as stiff as a statue. That side of Anti had been hidden from him the whole time and he couldn't help but wonder how much the demon had intended on hurting him. Were they equally as weak as each other? Ethan and Mark had stopped paying attention to Anti as they no longer saw him as a threat. They were standing at the sink as Ethan dabbed at the cut on Mark's arm.

"I felt the same way..." Blank whispered.

"You-You don't understand. We're different. He never liked you. He-He showed me a vulnerable side too. I saw emotions no one else did. We weren't like you- you and him."

"No, you're not different. Dark is manipulative and all he does is hurt people. I promise you'll be okay without him."

"But-But I have no one. No one will love me if- if he doesn't."

"That is not true. I felt like that when he left me but I swear humans are a lot nicer. They won't ever hurt you." Anti glanced at Ethan who was soothing Mark and Jack who had a tiny smile on his face as he watched them.

"I don't belong here. I hurt you."

"I know. I hurt them too but they managed to forgive me."

"Why should they forgive me? I'm a- a monster." Anti's gaze dropped to the knife that was laying on the floor, a little bit of Mark's blood smothered on the tip. His heart dropped at the sight as he realised just how much pain he had caused them.

"I was too. They can help." Blank met the other demon's gentle eyes. Anti could see the sympathy amidst the blackness so he ended up smiling very gently and nodding.

"Okay. I-I can survive without him." He sounded unsure so Blank put an arm on his shoulder.

"That's the spirit!" Blank then offered Anti a human thing he had learned about, tea. Anti furrowed his eyebrows because he had never heard of it before but accepted it anyway.

-

Anti stared into the dark coloured drink with wide, naive eyes. He looked like a very young child, exploring the world for the very first time with an intense curiosity. "You drink it." Blank explained, demonstrating. (HAHA GET IT DEMONSTRATING??? I'll let myself out :P) Anti did the same and grinned at the taste.

"Do you have an S too?" Anti innocently questioned.

"A what?"

"An S. Like tea?"

Blank blinked slowly as he thought about it before turning to the actual humans for answers.

All Ethan, Mark and Jack did was laugh at that. Despite being angry and dangerously violent, demons were kind of cute. In a naive way.

-

"I don't want you to go." Mark mumbled with tears in his eyes. He had his head buried into Jack's shoulder as he refused to back out of the hug. Jack gently pushed him away with an equal amount of tears in his blue eyes.

"I don't want to go either, you know... but I have to. The plane leaves in," Jack glanced down at his watch and loudly swore. "Like ten minutes! I have to go. I'll miss you."

"Time still doesn't make sense to me." Anti mumbled, making the humans giggle. Jack then grabbed Anti's arm and pulled him away so that they wouldn't miss their flight.

"Bye!" The entire group yelled, waving until Jack and Anti disappeared into the distance.

The end :)

Anti turned out to be just like Blank, huh? I hadn't planned that from the beginning but I thought that would be an okay way to end it? A bit of a plot twist, I guess. I love a good plot twist :p

Thank you so much for reading! I'm actually quite proud of this book which is cooooool

If you didn't know, I (accidentally) posted the first chapter to a new book called Human yesterday! It would be cool if you read it :)