"You what?!" Mr. Riffin roared.

Corey and Trina flinched. Upon their mother's suggestion, they visited their father in the Underworld so they could tell him what happened to them. Unfortunately, he wasn't taking it so well.

"We don't know how it happened, dad," Corey said. "I wished I had better powers so I could impress you, and Trina wished she could control her own powers."

"Don't get angry at us," Trina begged. "Neither of us were expecting to switch powers overnight."

Mr. Riffin slightly calmed down. "I am not angry at either of you," he said. "Just disappointed. Trina, I heard you have been using your Soul-Capturer Ten Thousand to control your powers. Is that not working for you?"

"It is, but my powers are still showing," Trina explained. "If I'm not careful, I could end up causing Mt. Peaceville to erupt!"

"And Corey, you know better than to want your sister's powers," Mr. Riffin continued. "I cannot change the fact that you are more human and less demon. After all, if your human mother understood how the demon birth procedure goes, she would have been okay with the doctors escorting you to the baby infirmary like all other disabled offspring."

Corey was surprised to hear that. "I...was a mistake?" he whimpered, him voice trembling.

"Corey, it's not like that," Trina said, putting her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "When newborn demons aren't ferocious and powerful when they're born, the doctors throw them into the baby infirmary to get rid of them. It's a natural occurrence in the Underworld. Mom just...wanted to keep you."

That only made things worse. Upon hearing that, Corey fell to the ground as tears poured from his eyes. To Trina's surprise, his blue hair was slowly becoming a pale shade of brown, an action he was doing using his shape-shifting powers. "Corey?" Trina asked softly.

Corey let out a small sob, unable to form words in his mouth. Trina looked up at Mr. Riffin. "Are you happy, dad?!" she asked. "You broke your only son!"

"Trina, he was going to find out sooner or later," Mr. Riffin replied. "It is best for him to know about it now."


When Trina and Corey returned to the surface world, she laid him out on the couch. By now, his hair was completely pale brown and he was still crying softly. Trina felt bad seeing Corey in this state. Her usually confident younger brother who could do anything he wanted was gone. Instead, she saw the scared little demon boy that he was six years ago.

Trina leaned forward to kiss Corey's forehead, smiling softly. "Don't worry, bro," she said. "Mom and I still love you. She didn't think you were a mistake when you were born. She thought you were the perfect child."

Speaking of which, Mrs. Riffin overheard what was going on, so she entered the living room. "What's going on?" she asked.

Trina stood to her full height and looked at her mother. "Dad told Corey what happened to him when he was born," the older demon explained. "He's...not handling it."

Mrs. Riffin kneeled next to Corey and stroked his hair. "Corey, you should be grateful I didn't let the doctors send you to the baby infirmary," she said. "You're the greatest creation I ever made. I'm sure your father cares for you as well."

"I-I-I don't have a father..." Corey said in a low voice, closing his eyes as more tears fell.

"Oh, sweetie..." Mrs. Riffin said. "Yes you do."

"No, I don't!" Corey said as he hit his fist on the sofa, his body not changing positions. "I'm a human boy with a human family! No demons! No mysterious pasts! No...dark secrets..."

"Corey Riffin, don't you dare say that," Mrs. Riffin said, speaking in a firm yet gentle tone. "You should be proud of who you are. You might not be powerful like your sister, but you have a moral compass. You know better than to attack everyone you hate. That's what makes you special. It's not a curse, it's a gift."

Corey looked up, tear stains shown on his cheeks. "But I still wish I was a human," he quietly said. "I've always felt that way. It's just that with Trina's demon energy, I can't hide it anymore." He sighed. "Dad's words were the stick that broke my back."

"Corey, I think that human saying is 'the straw that broke the camel's back'," Trina corrected.

"Dear, you're not helping," Mrs. Riffin said.


That night, Trina had a hard time sleeping. She was looking out her window at the quiet town, worried about Corey. He refused to change his hair back to blue, keeping it pale brown instead. He didn't explain why he did that.

After some time passed, Trina decided she needed some time to herself. Seeing how everyone was probably sleeping, she opened her window, changed into her demon form, and flew out into the night sky. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her wings and the moonlight shining on her skin. She loved being in this form. To her, being a human was a curse. She couldn't fly or show off her powers. There were rules she had to follow, and she frequently felt the urge to shed her disguise and reveal her true self.

But now, things were different. With Corey's demon energy in her body, Trina felt different. She felt calmer, almost human. While the thought disgusted her, part of her was happy to be one with the humans of Peaceville. In fact, she was so happy and calm, she couldn't help but recite a poem written by Underworld celebrity Edgar Allen Poe. And that night, a wonderful sound was heard throughout all of Peaceville.

(A/N: Look up Children of the Night by Duo Cartoonist on YouTube for the song.)

Come little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land
Of enchantment
Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden
Of shadows

Follow sweet children
I'll show thee the way
Through all the pain and
The sorrows
Weep not poor children
For life is this way
Murdering beauty and
Passions

Hush now dear children
It must be this way
To weary of life and
Deceptions
Rest now my children
For soon we'll away
Into the calm and
the quiet

Come little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land
Of enchantment
Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden
Of shadows

When Trina was finished singing, she flew back to her home, not knowing a human was watching her sing. As she left, that human gave a silent message to her through a quiet whisper.

"Nick Mallory has found his guardian angel."