One day, demons attacked the kingdom.
The military was pushed to the brink of
annihilation.
With the capital on the verge of collapse, the
king and his ministers gathered in desperation.
Beneath the palace, sealed deep in the
basement, lay the being imprisoned centuries
ago-the one humanity once feared more than
demons themselves.
The question was no longer if they should
break the seal.
The question was whether the kingdom
deserved to survive if freeing him meant
unleashing a greater horror.
In the end, the king and his ministers chose
not to break the seal.
Freeing him would not save the kingdom-it
would doom the entire world. The records
were clear: once released, the sealed man
would bring destruction to all living beings on
the planet.
The decision was final.
But the princess had overheard everything
The words stirred a memory from her
childhood--one she had buried for years.
When she was young, her toy had once rolled
near the basement beneath the palace. As she
reached for it, the heavy door behind her
closed, sealing her inside.
The basement was dark. The air was damp,
rotten, and thick with a smell she couldn't
name. Fear should have driven her back, but
curiosity pulled her forward.
She walked deeper, toward the sealed chamber.
Before she could reach it, her mother--the
queen-found her and dragged her away in
panic.
As they left, the princess turned her head one
last time.
Through the darkness, she saw him.
Long hair covered the chamber like shadows.
From beneath it, a single eye stared back at her
deep, endless,
like an abyss looking into her.
Demons poured through the kingdom-
burning the streets, slaughtering the people,
feeding on the dead as screams filled the air.
When they reached the palace gates, there
was nowhere left to run.
Soldiers stood trembling, weapons raised-not
with hope, but with resolve.
Ready to fight.
Ready to die.
The king ordered several knights to escort the
queen and the princess through a secret
passage beneath the palace.
"I will not leave," the queen said.
Her voice did not shake.
"If this kingdom falls, then I fall with it."
The king looked at her--sadness, anger,
despair, and love colliding behind his eyes.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he gave her a small, broken smile.
"Take the princess," he ordered quietly.
When the knights turned to obey, panic spread
across their faces.
The princess was gone.
As chaos erupted and soldiers searched the
palace, the princess stood alone before the
basement door.