Velvet Brew

It's an exam session which means...double headache. Not only most students couldn't solve a simple question which is on the standard of dumb students, they also couldn't focus during revision in class. They are supposed to be elite students with high academic achievers and yet...Serianne starts to wonder it's all just for show. The truth, they got into the academy because they came from rich families.

They even had the audacity to disturb Serianne's time at night. Her phone keeps buzzing from countless messages, asking questions about the subjects. She has had enough. She silences her phone and throws it onto the nightstand. She just got back from hunting demons and only god knows how intense the fights were. She buries her face into the pillow, thinking about her life decision.

It's been months and yet, she couldn't find any of the kings. All the demons she has killed so far were just the lower ranked. It's a decent progress but there's no way she can make a good progress if she keeps slaying the lower ranked demons. At this rate, she's going to stuck in earth forever.

The angels sternly forbid her from entering heaven as long as her mission is not over. It's a bit harsh and cruel for her. She's the only angel in earth, alone and she had to manage everything by herself. It's as if they did it on purpose to banish her from heaven due to whatever reasons.

Serianne has never committed a grave sin. She's one of the kindest and gentlest angels. She's quite popular among her kind due to her reputation and beautiful appearance. Though there were bad rumors spread about her, probably started by her haters. But she couldn't care less. She knows those angels were just jealous.

Back to the present, she's lying sprawled open in bed, in her thin nightgown, thinking of a more effective way to find the kings. She was considering of travelling to a lot of places in Aetheris. But her budget is quite tight and she can't waste it on travel.

A soft knock echoes into the room. Of course, it's her friend, housemate. Cindy leans against the doorframe and holds out a bag of fried chickens. "The delivery is here. Wanna some?"

Serianne's ears perk up. She rolls off bed. She joins Cindy on having a midnight snack in the living room. The lighting of the television brightens the dark room.

"Ughh...I don't know if I can last until the end of the semester..." Serianne vents. She trusts Cindy enough to share her story. She is sitting on the couch, the blanket is above her head while Cindy is lounging on the floor, leaning against the edge of the couch.

"You need to learn to let go, man...Reward yourself something nice. Going somewhere. Have a vacation!" She suggests casually without moving her eyes from the action movie on the television.

Serianne sighs and shifts her seat in the couch. She wraps the blanket around her tightly and contemplates her life. She's actually more bothered about the demons, not her students. But she can't tell that to her friend no matter how trusting she is.

"Tomorrow is Saturday. You're off work, right? Wanna come visit my workplace? I have a shift tomorrow." Cindy grins.

Serianne raises an eyebrow. That's not actually a bad idea. She has never seen the place Cindy has been working at. Cindy works as a waiter in the local cafe down the street. It's quite famous in this town.

She has nothing else to do except entertaining the countless messages from her students. So she agrees to come along with Cindy.

The next day, eight in the morning, Serianne takes a bath and puts on her white cream blouse and long black skirt. She doesn't tie her hair into a ponytail like usual. Instead, she let her white hair flutters freely down her waist.

The cafe is just down the street, 10 minutes walking depending on the person. So she doesn't bother to dress up too much. It's not like she's going to impress anyone.

Cindy is ready, putting on her work uniform with the cafe's logo on left side of her chest. Her dark purple hair is tied into a low ponytail. She's starting her shift at nine. Serianne puts her handbag above her shoulder before walking down the street alongside Cindy.

The air is cold and fresh in the morning. It's quite windy but there's no sign of raining soon. A few other people are walking by the road in the neighbourhood. After it feels like forever, Cindy finally pulls a stop in front of a shop with a sign of Velvet Brew.

"We're here. You're our first customer today." Cindy winks and pushes open the door. The doorbell rings instantly.

"You better give me discount." Serianne chuckles and steps inside.

The place is not small not big. It has a modern design with the combination of red and purple color. The black and white marble tiles are glinting under the light. The place looks cozy and perfect for hanging out with friends or letting loose after a stressful day.

"The owner sure has a good taste." Serianne praises as she stares at the decoration. There are a few portrait pictures hanging on the wall, flower pots at every corner and even a bookshelf at the reading section.

Cindy chuckles at Serianne's reaction. "Definitely! He is the definition of every girl's dream." The person she likes is the owner, a young man in his twenties running the cafe. That's why she stays in this job so she can indulges her eyes by staring at him everyday.

Serianne snorts. "You like him, huh? Should I report to Kael about this?"

Cindy laughs humorously and shakes her head. If only she met the cafe owner first, she wouldn't date Kael. Even though the owner is eye-catching, she would never go as far as cheating on her boyfriend. Sure, she might enjoy staring at the cafe owner but she would never ask him out for a date since she's loyal to Kael.

"Just think this as a side dish during work." Cindy makes a peace sign, telling Serianne to keep this between themselves.

How can she blame her though? It's not really her fault. The owner himself looks like a model, a man of a girl's dream. Serianne never seen the cafe owner and now she's curious how he looks like. Based on Cindy's description, he's definitely handsome and got a lot of fans. Cindy might be exaggerating so Serianne wants to keep her expectation low. No. She's not going to check him out like a pervert. She's just curious about the man because Cindy kept yapping about him at home.

Serianne takes a seat on a stool at the counter while Cindy pulls open the window roller shutters to prepare for the morning shift.

"You're alone? Where's other employees?" Asked Serianne. The cafe is located in strategic place and quite a talk in the town. It packs with customers almost everyday. There's no way Cindy could manage the cafe alone.

"Later, on the evening shift. But the owner is always around. He might arrived anytime soon." Cindy wipes the counter with a wet cloth. She flips the sign from 'close' to 'open' behind the glass door.

Serianne glances at a menu card before her. The cafe offers various kind of light food. There are also spaghetti and desserts. The drinks consist of hot drinks such as tea and coffee to the cold such as smoothie and ice blended. The price is affordable for most people.

Though Serianne is not familiar with human foods, she had to admit that the food is tasty and perfect for her taste bud. She wants to try something new. Maybe a blueberry pancake for breakfast. She only had toasts and eggs before.

"Do you cook?"

"Naw..." Cindy shakes her head. "I'm just a waiter. The owner himself is the cook."

Suddenly, the doorbell rings and footsteps can be heard. There's a figure, opening the door.

Cindy's face lightens up immediately. Her brownish eyes sparkle with mischief. She doesn't even bother to hide her excitement. "Speak of the devil. That's him."

Serianne feels her blood runs cold. Pulse beating in shock and anger. Her jaw and hands clench tightly. Her blue eyes, filled with fear, shock and confusion are locked at the man hovering over the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Zenith." Cindy greets playfully. There's a hint of mischief underneath her voice. A faint of blush creeps up her cheeks. She leans at the counter.

On the other hand, Serianne has the opposite reaction. She is conflicted with her own emotion. Fear, shock, anger, confusion, disbelief all stirred into a hot boiling pot.

This is definitely what she has not expected. She was thinking of enjoying her day off, having chill breakfast with her friend in the cafe she has never stepped in before. She wanted to let her mind free from her mission and school work just for today. That's all she asked. However, life sure loves throwing lemons.

The owner of the cafe, the red-haired man with a pair of violet eyes. He has a huge appearance similar to the male actor of an action movie...or might be even better than them. He looks so unreal, dreamy, like a prince charming coming straight from a fairytale but a grumpy version.

Cindy was not exaggerating. But based on her description compared to the real thing before her eyes, she was being injustice describing the man's appearance.

Zenith greets Cindy and his eyes fall upon Serianne. He wears a dark blue shirt paired with black jean. Strains of red hair peek out of his black cap. His eyes and Serianne's meet. At this point, Serianne has already squirming in discomfort on her stool but she makes it less obvious. She forces a smile to make herself look friendly. But beneath that, a storm is brewing. A grenade which might explode anytime soon.

She can feel and see it. The malice aura coming from Zenith. But it's not the usual aura she has felt before. Not when she was hunting normal demons. It's much stronger, thicker and more powerful. It even overwhelms her angelic senses to the point breathing becomes difficult. There's no mistaken. She recognizes it. It's one of the four kings. The only king who rules upon darkness and anger.

'Satan.'