Chapter 3: The Mask of Kai

Morning sunlight danced across Mia’s floor, painting golden paths across the wooden panels. The air smelled faintly of vanilla and warmth—remnants of Kai’s cooking from earlier. He was already downstairs, as always, making breakfast like it was the most natural thing for the Devil to do.

Mia sat at her vanity, brushing out her long dark hair, the events of the past few weeks replaying in her mind like a fragile dream. She still couldn’t believe it—that she’d summoned Lucifer, and instead of being dragged to Hell or cursed forever, she had somehow… found a friend. No, more than a friend. Kai was her protector, her constant, her only real anchor in a world that had never noticed her before.

And yet, something inside her twisted when she thought too hard about it.

He wasn’t human. Not really.

Even now, when he smiled, there was a certain knowing behind his eyes, something vast and ancient that reminded her he wasn’t from this world. But still—when he looked at her, it was never with condescension or power. It was… soft. Gentle. As if she was the only thing that mattered.

As she walked down the stairs, she found him exactly where she expected: in the kitchen, apron on, flipping pancakes with practiced ease.

“You cook now?” she asked, teasing.

Kai glanced over his shoulder, smirking. “I’ve done far more complicated things. Pancakes are child’s play.”

Mia laughed, sitting at the kitchen island. “Next thing I know, you’ll be knitting sweaters and vacuuming carpets.”

“I’ve considered it,” he said seriously. “Dust is surprisingly persistent.”

She snorted into her orange juice.

He set a plate in front of her—fluffy pancakes stacked neatly, strawberries on the side, a dusting of powdered sugar like snow. It looked like something out of a magazine.

“You know,” she said, cutting into the stack, “you make being the Prince of Hell seem… pretty domestic.”

He leaned on the counter, arms crossed. “Would you rather I showed up with horns and a pitchfork?”

“I don’t know. That might be funny.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Careful. I could still bring out the full theatrics.”

Mia smiled at him—really smiled—and something inside him stuttered. He looked away first, the tips of his ears turning faintly red.

She pretended not to notice.

—

At school, the changes were more obvious than ever.

People talked to her. Sat with her. Invited her to things. She wasn’t invisible anymore. And it wasn’t just because of Kai—though his presence certainly helped. There was something about Mia now. A quiet confidence had bloomed in her, and others were drawn to it.

But even as she smiled in hallways and exchanged hellos, there was only one person who truly saw her.

“Kai!” someone called across the courtyard.

Mia turned to see a group of girls waving him over. He offered them a polite nod but didn’t move.

“They really like you,” she said as they walked toward their next class.

Kai shrugged. “They don’t know who I am.”

“And if they did?”

“They’d run screaming.”

Mia stopped walking. “Do you ever… wish you could be normal? Just a boy in school. No Hell, no powers, no past?”

He considered that. “No,” he said honestly. “But I do wish I could be normal for you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Her heart clenched, and she looked away.

—

That evening, after dinner, they sat in the living room. The TV was on, but neither of them really watched it.

Mia sat curled up on one side of the couch, a blanket around her shoulders. Kai sat on the other, one arm draped over the backrest, his body angled toward her.

“You’re quiet,” he said after a while.

“I was just thinking.”

“Dangerous pastime,” he teased.

She smiled weakly. “Do you think the deal… changed me? The way people see me?”

Kai hesitated. “Yes. A little. But you’re still you, Mia. The deal didn’t create your worth—it only removed the blindfolds from their eyes.”

She hugged her knees. “I just… I don’t want to be loved because of magic. I want someone to love me because of me.”

Kai watched her in silence. “I already do.”

Her breath hitched. She looked up at him, startled.

“What?”

He sat forward. “I love you, Mia. I don’t know when it happened. Maybe it was the first night you looked at me without fear. Or maybe it was when you smiled in your sleep. But I know what this feeling is. And it’s real.”

Tears welled in her eyes, unbidden.

“No one’s ever said that to me,” she whispered.

“Then they were fools.”

She let out a shaky laugh, wiping her cheek. “You’re really serious, huh?”

“I am Lucifer,” he said with a grin. “I don’t lie.”

Mia looked down at her hands. “I’m scared.”

“Of me?”

“Of losing you.”

He moved closer, gently taking her hands in his. “You summoned me into your world. But it’s you who pulled me into your heart. And I’m not leaving.”

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest. “Don’t break me, Kai. Please.”

His arms wrapped around her like a fortress. “Never.”

—

Later that night, long after she’d fallen asleep on the couch with her head on his lap, Kai sat in silence. His fingers brushed her hair absently, eyes distant.

He knew the balance was fragile. That his presence here broke every law of heaven and hell. He knew others would notice soon—those above, and worse, those below.

But he also knew this:

If the world tried to take Mia from him, he would burn it all to ash.

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