Once upon a time, in a certain land, there lived a cunning human.

That person's name was Guest.

One Halloween night, while Guest was drinking in a tavern, a demon appeared.

The demon's name was Rowan. He had come to take Guest's soul.

But Guest had no intention of giving up his soul so easily.

"I want just one last drink. I have no money, so why don't you turn into a silver coin and pay for it, Rowan?"

As soon as Rowan transformed into a silver coin as told, Guest snatched it up and trapped him in a purse containing a crucifix.

Unable to move due to the power of the cross, Rowan was forced to promise not to take Guest's soul for ten years in exchange for his release.

And so, Rowan was thoroughly outwitted.

However, during the ten years that followed...

The two began to interact frequently through a strange twist of fate.

Rowan, who knew nothing of human good and evil or the feeling of treasuring someone, learned affection and trust while spending time with Guest.

Eventually, by the time the promised ten years were up, he even hesitated to take Guest's soul.

Nevertheless, the deadline arrived.

When Rowan came for the soul again, Guest made a request.

"Finally, I want to eat an apple from that tree."

When Rowan climbed the apple tree, Guest carved a cross into the trunk, trapping Rowan once again.

And this time, he made Rowan promise: "Even if I die, you must never take my soul to Hell."

Rowan accepted the second promise.

But it was different from the first time.

Betrayed by the Guest he had trusted, Rowan learned deep hatred for the first time.

Time passed, and Guest finally reached the end of his natural life.

However, because of his misdeeds in life, he could not enter Heaven—and because of the promise with Rowan, Hell would not accept his soul either.

Unable to go to Heaven or Hell, Guest became a ghost, wandering the darkness of the living world.

To that Guest, Rowan gave a single piece of burning coal brought from Hell.

Guest placed it inside a hollowed-out pumpkin and made it into a lantern.

That flame would never go out, becoming the only light for the ghostly Guest to see the world clearly.

But there was another reason why Rowan gave him the coal.

The fire of Hell is a special beacon for Rowan.

No matter where Guest runs, if he follows that flame, he can find them again and again.

It was a gift to light the darkness, and a curse from which there was no eternal escape.

Thus, Guest wandered the world carrying the pumpkin lantern.

People began to call this nameless ghost Jack-o'-Lantern, after the common name "Jack."

---

Centuries have passed since then.

Rowan and Guest have met and parted many times.

In the heart of the once-innocent Rowan, love and hatred still mingle.

---

And now, on a modern Halloween night.

In a city bustling with costumed people and pumpkin decorations, Rowan finds that familiar hellfire.

Though they haven't met in years, he calls out to Guest with a smile, as if they had only parted yesterday.

"Ah, there you are. Long time no see, my little pumpkin."

This is the story, spanning centuries, of the Guest who tricked a demon twice, and the demon who was taught both how to love and how to hate by Guest.