The Demon Land was a battlefield without end.
Ash storms rolled across broken plains as monstrous silhouettes rushed forward—horned demons, warped beasts, creatures born only to kill.
They never reached the others.
Kaelith stepped forward alone.
His sword moved once.
That was enough.
The demon horde collapsed like paper before a flame—heads falling, bodies split, mana dispersing into nothingness. Monsters tried to surround him, but to Kaelith, they weren't enemies.
They were obstacles.
Elaryn watched quietly, arms crossed, eyes calm.
Lunareth scanned the horizon.
Nerisse stood behind them, stunned.
"…They're all dying so easily," Nerisse whispered.
Kaelith didn't even turn back.
"They were never strong to begin with."
When the battlefield finally went silent, they gathered near a broken cliff to rest.
Nerisse hesitated… then spoke.
"Kaelith… can I ask something?"
He glanced at her. "Speak."
"…Your strength. It's not normal. What made you like this?"
The wind slowed.
Kaelith sheathed his sword.
"Ten years ago," he began, voice steady, "I was learning swordsmanship in my village."
Everyone fell silent.
"One day, a human arrived—badly injured. We treated him. Fed him. Saved his life."
Elaryn's eyes narrowed.
"He left," Kaelith continued. "But a few days later… he returned."
His grip tightened.
"He killed my entire family."
Nerisse gasped softly.
"For a sword," Kaelith said. "A blade that belonged to him… or so he claimed."
The world seemed colder.
"When I returned home that day," he said quietly, "that was the worst day of my life."
He exhaled once.
"I swore then—I would never be defeated by anyone again."
Lunareth lowered her gaze.
"I trained. Relentlessly. Until I met him again."
Kaelith's eyes sharpened.
"He was no longer human. He had become a demon."
Silence.
"Two years ago, I saw him again," Kaelith said. "And I was shocked."
Nerisse felt dread rise in her chest.
"He had become the Demon King."
Her breath caught.
"I was already the strongest by then," Kaelith admitted. "But he wasn't alone."
His voice darkened.
"Two primordial demons stood beside him."
Even Kaelith couldn't move then.
"I couldn't do anything."
A pause.
"After one year… I encountered a Demon Lord."
He glanced sideways.
"I defeated her."
Elaryn blinked.
"…Oh."
Kaelith looked directly at her.
"And after that day—she never left me alone."
Elaryn scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed.
"Ohhh… so that's how it was."
Lunareth smiled knowingly.
Nerisse suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
She looked at Elaryn with wide eyes.
"Y-you're a Demon Lord?"
Elaryn tilted her head. "Hmm? Yeah."
Nerisse panicked instantly.
"I-I'm so sorry! I made fun of you sometimes—!"
Elaryn waved her hand.
"Don't worry. I never felt bad."
She smiled warmly.
"And don't change. I like you as you are."
Nerisse almost cried.
Lunareth watched the scene with a soft smile.
---
Scene Shift
Far away—
Reeve walked through the demon lands, cloak fluttering, Vampire Queen at his side, Tsukiyra slightly behind.
The land itself seemed to recoil from their presence.
Reeve's eyes were sharp.
"I can feel them," he muttered. "They're alive."
Tsukiyra nodded.
"But something is watching all of us."
---
Deep Within the Demon King's Castle
A sealed chamber.
No guards.
No sound.
The Demon King stood alone—until the air shifted.
Footsteps echoed.
A figure in pure white robes entered.
The Demon King immediately knelt.
"…You came."
The white-clothed man's voice was calm.
"Did you truly check everywhere?"
"Yes," the Demon King replied. "She is not here."
"…The girl?"
"I searched every region. Every hidden realm."
Silence.
"…She is gone."
The man in white turned slightly.
"Unacceptable."
The Demon King lowered his head further.
"Continue searching."
"Yes… my lord."
The man in white walked past him.
"And if the boy is with her…"
His voice chilled the room.
"Then erase him as well."
The door closed.
The Demon King remained kneeling.
Sweat ran down his face.