The lone figure of Benimaru sat atop a large throne which had been composed of nothing but paper and leaves—it was the biggest joke he had ever seen.
The joyous sounds of people partying and having fun could be heard very clearly in the house which Meliodas had made with his darkness.
Speaking of Meliodas, his body drunkenly moved across the dance floor along with Galand and Melascula, who was the Commandment of Faith. The sight was rather weird, as all three had way too much to drink.
Chandler acted as a sort of butler, sharing beverages and confectioneries to whoever wished to sample upon them.
Monspeet sat not so far from him along with Derieri, who had created a habit of challenging him every five minutes—of course, he put her down every time, with Monspeet there to carry her unconscious body away.
All of the Ten Commandments were commanded to be in attendance at the order of their leader—Meliodas.
The sight of Fraudrin attempting to avoid the birthday boy at all costs was rather hilarious for him. It seemed like their battle that day had scarred him deeply.
Drole, the Commandment of Patience, and Grayroad, the Commandment of Pacifism, were unable to be in attendance due to being sent on missions by Zeldris, who also was not in attendance—claiming this to be a waste of his precious time.
Estarossa, the Commandment of Piety, set his feet firmly against the ground as the backside of his body leaned casually against a nearby wall. He refused to engage in these useless festivities, choosing rather to observe Benimaru—an action which the latter did not miss but chose to ignore… for now.
All the while, Gloxinia, the Commandment of Repose, floated in the air leisurely—fore and hind limbs raised in an attempt to relax himself.
When a sigh escaped the birthday boy's lips, the underside of his face rested itself against his fist in slight annoyance. He had been so engrossed in training that he didn't even remember his own birthday.
Some other demon nobles were also in attendance, one of which had brought his daughter, Sofia.
She was a young girl, age most likely comparable to Benimaru, as her long hair had a silver color with a sparkling glint to it.
For a second, the two children's gazes interlocked. Due to perfectly mastering his demon mark, Benimaru's eyes remained in a permanent state of pitch purple—exemplifying the darkness within.
As his dark purple eyes stared into her light orange pupils, a sudden thrill and excitement could be felt going up his spine as an idea crossed his mind.
In a blur, the bodies of both him and Sofia disappeared as they materialized in the courtyard.
The young eyes of Sofia widened as shock coursed through her as she wondered what had happened.
When her gaze caught the sight of the demon prince, Benimaru, her eyes widened even more as the pupils in them dissipated completely—fear overtook her small body.
This was Benimaru, the boy who, although they were the same age, was light-years stronger than her according to her parents.
"L—Lord Benimaru," her lips sputtered as the attempt to make a coherent sentence wasn't completely a failure.
The head of our protagonist turned slightly, his gaze shifting to look the girl up and down—evaluating her. Although he lacked any magical talent, his control over chakra was precise enough to feel every minute piece of chakra in an individual body's—even without a dōjutsu.
The chakra in your body revealed many things. The first was obviously volume, then density, which was static and didn't change, and also chakra nature.
"You're interesting."
From what Benimaru could feel, her chakra held a fire and earth chakra nature. But not only that—although less in quantity, her chakra was far denser than normal.
'A mutation?' Benimaru thought to himself, solutions brewing in his head.
Being under the weight of Benimaru's intense stare caused a slight blush to appear on the girl's cheeks. She had never been under close inspection from a man like this—let alone one so important.
Chakra began to gather at the pupils of Benimaru's eyes as he enveloped them, trying to take a closer look. His face etched dangerously close to the young girl; to an outside observer, it looked like he wanted to kiss her.
The same thought rushed through Sofia's mind as her cheeks brightened even more, but she wouldn't let herself be played—though she would admit that Benimaru was rather handsome. Her fist clenched before she could stop herself and struck cleanly against Benimaru's cheek
The demon prince did not move, however—barely even feeling the impact of the punch, as he compared it to the effect of a mosquito on a giant. His intense gaze continued as he tried to understand the reason for this strange occurrence.
"BENIMARU, IT'S TIME FOR PRESENTS!"
Since the large supply of booze and drinks had finished, Meliodas realized that Benimaru was gone—thus rushing to find the birthday boy.
Arriving in the courtyard, the eyes of Meliodas were treated to a rather interesting sight. Benimaru looked to be about to kiss a girl who Meliodas knew was a child of a noble.
"Benimaru is already growing up, trying to kiss girls at his young age." Loud giggles emanated from the mouth of Meliodas, pulling the demon prince away from his thoughts.
A red tick mark could almost be seen as the veins on the boy's forehead bulged in annoyance before a huge sigh left him—before calming down.
As he and Meliodas left the courtyard and proceeded back inside, his head turned ever so slightly toward Sofia—a huge smile forming at the corners of his face.
The sight of the smile made her heart race, and she was sure it started beating faster. But thankfully, Benimaru didn't see her reaction as he had already left.
Once the duo had proceeded to enter the building, Benimaru was forced back to his "throne" by his master as presents began to be distributed.
Meliodas took to the floor first, a wide grin which grew wider with every step he took etched into his face as he carried a small box behind him.
A raised eyebrow appeared at the corner of the face of the birthday boy at the sight of the box which his master held.
Not a single word left the lips of Meliodas as he dramatically dropped the container on the floor—eliciting a loud thud.
"Here we go, birthday boy. I hope you like my present." As his fingers traced along the lines of the box, he gently tapped the lid—vaporizing it.
Within the box lay a singular sword. Its hilt had a tint which was a mixture of royal purple and a thick shade of gold—a rather interesting color combination.
Unlike the short swords and blades which the royal family had previously wielded, this particular blade was long and perfectly symmetrical—a clear sign of the craftsman's brilliance.
Though it was rather large for his size, there was no doubt that Benimaru would eventually grow into it.
"Ta daaa!" shouted Meliodas as his hands raised to direct the crowd's attention to the sword. "Your very own… sacred treasure."
As Benimaru's fingers reached out to grip the handle of the blade, a stark realization struck him—evidenced by his expression. This blade was rather heavy and would restrict him in battle.
As if reading his thoughts, Meliodas spoke to him.
"Try channeling your chakra into it. As I told you before, a sacred treasure is bonded to your soul—let it bond to yours."
Without any visible traces of hesitation, Benimaru's fingers began being coated with chakra and started funneling it into the sword. First in tiny amounts, then, as the spirit in the sword started reacting to his chakra, it began wanting more.
The chakra in Benimaru's body was being drained at a substantial rate—nothing that he would even notice, but it was still tremendous.
As his chakra began seeping into the sword, a transformation started to take place. The sword, both blade and handle, began to shrink—not too much, but enough to reduce its weight.
It switched from a heavyweight weapon and manifested as a sleek and slender blade which felt extremely light in the grip of its wielder.
Once the process was complete, a feeling crept toward the area where the heart of Benimaru lay.
A chain constricted itself around his heart and surrounded it—coating it completely as a spiritual bond was formed between him and the sword.
The lips on Meliodas' face curled into a smirk as his hand raised upward, tossing a tiny leaf into the air near Benimaru.
The leaf crossed the birthday boy's face in seemingly slow motion as his perception was just that high. His fingers gripped his sword tightly as it struck the leaf like lightning.
SLICE
SLICE
SLICE
SLICE
SLICE
The leaf, which had now fallen to the ground, separated itself into five nearly identical pieces. The cut was so precise and so accurate that even Estarossa, who had not cared about the party, had a single eye opened in slight acknowledgment.
After thanking his master for the gift, other presents were also given.
Derieri had gifted him a set of brass knuckles which she had promptly infused with her ability, "Combo Star." Every successful hit done in a row while wearing these bracers would be even stronger than the last.
A boastful tone filled her words as she claimed she wanted to grant Benimaru the chance to be as amazing as her.
When the turn came to Monspeet, a scroll containing the secrets to fire nature control appeared on the boy's lap.
"Your control over fire is pretty mediocre. I thought this would help." Being the best fire user in the demon realm by far, Monspeet had more than enough scrolls in his home. As his back faced the boy, he walked toward his seat—never seeing the smile Benimaru had.
The petite frame of Gloxinia could be seen floating toward him as a single finger of his extended—tapping the boy's forehead lightly.
Within seconds, a rush of power overflowed through his body as he felt more grounded, more stable—more in tune with the earth.
"Meliodas told me you'd been struggling with earth jutsu. So I thought I'd help by infusing some of my chakra into you—it'll give you a better feel for the ground."
The cane of Chandler hit the tiles of the ground methodically as his footsteps echoed in a rhythmic pattern. With a small smile gracing his lips, a tiny ball was held between his fingers.
The fingers of the old man flicked upward as the ball was tossed into Benimaru's palm. A look of confusion formed on his face as his gaze intensely washed over the round orb.
'It isn't releasing any chakra. Is it mana?'
"It's a memory ball. It's used to store information. Lord Zeldris didn't want me to give it to you, but I feel you're ready." Sensing his young master's confusion, he explained. "I've been with you from the beginning, young master Benimaru, and it's been an honour to see you grow so much."
Tears could be seen gathering at the corners of Chandler's eyes, but his sleeve quickly raised itself, wiping them away. He refused to show weakness.
"It was an amazing journey to be taught by you, Chandler—sensei. You were my first and best master." His lips swept upward in a wide arc, smiling brighter than the sun as he encouraged his master.
"So Chandler is your best master, huh? I guess it can't be helped." The voice of Meliodas echoed in a condescending tone, causing Benimaru to sweat slightly under the force of his playful glare.
After a couple of hours, the party had come to a conclusion and all had gone back to their respective dwelling places.
Benimaru had decided to question Meliodas on that chakra in the air he was sensing—hoping to get an answer.
"That's senjutsu, or nature chakra," Meliodas responded calmly.
"Senjutsu?" Benimaru asked.
"It's the chakra found everywhere in our environment. It's much thicker and more powerful than normal chakra, and so to balance it out, the universe made it be less in quantity and harder to control. Balance is important, you know."
His tone gained an informative edge as he tried to explain the concept.
Senjutsu was needed in order to enter Sage Mode, an enhanced state where all of one's senses are heightened beyond belief.
It was manifested by perfectly combining one's physical, mental, and nature chakra in an equal three-way ratio.
If the nature chakra is too little, one can't enter Sage Mode. If it's too much—then one begins to turn to stone due to lack of control.
But due to Benimaru's half-breed nature, and his two sets of chakra residing in his body—both human and demonic—the process for entering Sage Mode was slightly more complex for him.
When combining his physical energy, he must add human chakra into demon chakra in a very precise ratio—roughly 2:1.
This was due to the greater amount of physical strength demons possessed as compared to humans.
But when mixing mental energy, demon chakra must be added into human chakra in the same ratio but reversed—2:1. This was simply because demons had a tendency to go crazy and had low mental fortitude when compared to humans.
Even after that, nature energy must still be added into the equation in order to fully enter Sage Mode—creating a nearly impossible scenario for half-breeds.
"I would advise against you practicing Sage Mode. It's far too dangerous. Not even Zeldris or I can perform it," Meliodas warned strictly. "You are forbidden from delving in those arts until I or Zeldris think you are ready. Understand?"
"Yes, sir." The tone of Benimaru was unserious and cocky, but it still conveyed the obvious message—he wouldn't do it again.
Hours later, a single silhouette of Benimaru stood in the ruins of a destroyed building as he swung his sacred treasure.
"I wonder what your ability is," the mutter left his lips.
Immediately, the sword began to pulse with an ethereal blue light as the power it contained vibrated Benimaru's hands until they shook violently.
Color drained from the world in which he stood as his soul seemed to be sucked away—sent into the void of the sword.
As his soul materialized in an unknown area, a look of confusion, then annoyance, followed.
'Please tell me this isn't what I think it is.'
The area around him was pure white for as far as the eye could see—and Benimaru could see pretty far.
From the corners of this new space stood a woman, looking to be in her early twenties. She possessed long purple hair with grey eyes and clear white pupils to accompany them.
"Welcome, grandson of Zeldris." Her voice sounded ancient, almost mythological. "I am Astra, the goddess of time and the manipulator of everything that is, has, and will be."
'And it's what I thought it was.' A deadpan expression rested on Benimaru's face.
"Let me guess. You're going to try and take over my body or kill me, am I right?" Benimaru asked with cold indignance—wanting to get this over with. His hand reached for his sword but couldn't find it.
'Hand to hand it is then.'
"I have no interest in fighting you, child," Astra spoke, trying to resolve the tension, seeing his readiness to attack her.
"Likely story. If you're going to try and manipulate me, then you better get better at it." The words held a mocking tone as Benimaru spat them out.
"I am the spirit living inside your sacred treasure, so it wouldn't do you well to make an enemy of me." Her tone held a sickly sweet energy as she began to approach Benimaru—feet clacking against the floor.
"Take one more step and I kill you."
Astra paid him no mind as she kept walking with a grace that defied gravity itself—basically floating on the ground.
As Benimaru saw that she took his threat as a joke, he lunged forward—fingers clenched as his fist was cocked and ready to strike cleanly against her jaw.
But at the last second… everything froze.
{Sacred Treasure Art: The 10th Second}
Colour drained from the already pale white world as it shifted into a dark greyish shade of hue. The body of our protagonist was frozen in place, fist still aiming for her face even though it would never reach.
A soft chuckle left her lips as she gazed upon the boy in stasis. He had seemed so confident just a moment prior—did he not realize he was facing the god of time?
$// TIME REMAINING: 09…08…
The eyes of Benimaru still appeared to not be fully frozen, however, a fact which didn't escape the time goddess.
$// TIME REMAINING: 07...06…
"You're not fully stopped?" Her voice carried some semblance of surprise as it quickly went away. "Well, I guess this is YOUR sacred treasure, so you should have some control over my powers."
$// TIME REMAINING: 06…05…
The palm of the time goddess curled upwards as she stretched herself—cupping the boy's cheek with both hands.
$// TIME REMAINING: 05…04
"What a handsome boy you are." Her eyes took every opportunity to gaze at Benimaru's face and body, her eyes seeing through his clothes to peek at his well-developed physique, which caused a sense of hunger in her eyes.
"Ah, it's been so long since I felt the touch of a man. Those old bastards at Olympus aren't any fun. But there was that one man, Adam, who was interesting—almost as much as you." Her voice held a seductive and manipulative gaze as Benimaru felt a danger creeping through his spine.
$//TIME REMAINING: 03…02…
"I'm sure you wouldn't mind, would you?" Her face tilted sideways, her perfectly creamy and white skin shining even in the bleak time stop. As her face lowered unto his, the lips on her mouth crashed with Benimaru's in a fervent kiss.
$// TIME REMAINING: 01…00
{SACRED TREASURE ART: TIME STOP DURATION HAS BEEN ELAPSED. TIME FLOW SHALL RESUME NORMALLY}
Although barely lasting a few seconds, the effect that the kiss had on Benimaru was enormous—never in a million years did he think he would have a goddess lusting over him.
The momentary stun didn't last long, however, as Benimaru tried to pull away, but Astra wasn't letting him off that easily. Her hands gripped the side of his face hard enough to shatter buildings.
Her lips dominated his in a slow and sensual kiss as she battled his tongue for dominance—winning easily, then exploring his mouth with her tongue.
Once she had her fill of the passionate make-out session, she released Benimaru from her vice-like grip—who immediately jumped back, slightly dazed.
"You should've seen your face. It was hilarious." Astra broke out into uncontrollable laughter as she clutched her stomach. Her hand erected to wipe away the singular tear gathering in her eye.
Gathering his bearings, the back of Benimaru's hand lifted itself to wipe his mouth, feeling a vile feeling overcome him.
"YOU PEDOPHILE!" the words flew from Benimaru's mouth—more so out of shock than real anger. "I thought you were a goddess, but you're just a woman chasing after kids!"
A red tick mark began to form on the goddess' forehead—a signal of impending doom. As the distance between her and Benimaru shrank, a dangerous aura emanated from her body—causing a single sweat drop to flow down the boy's brow.
"I'M NOT A PEDOPHILE, YOU DAMN BRAT. CAN'T A GIRL HAVE A LITTLE FUN?" Her fist slammed itself against Benimaru's head—causing him to fall to the floor.
'Huh? Why couldn't I dodge?'
"It's simple. You couldn't dodge because I erased the time you used to dodge, meaning you never actually dodged. Does that make sense, dear?" With a smile on her face, she read the boy's mind.
Wanting to ask more questions, Benimaru instead chose to just get to the point of this conversation.
"What… what do we do now?"
"Well, normally we would fight for dominance and control in your body, but since you obviously can't beat me, there is no point."
Her obvious downplay of his abilities caused a slight anger to bubble up within Benimaru but was quickly resolved.
'I mean, she is not wrong—but it's not the most pleasant thing to hear on your birthday.'
At the mere flick of her fingers, two chairs materialized out of nothingness from the ground on which they stood. Astra's hands tapped the chair beside him, signaling him to take a seat—which he did.
"As I told you before, my name is Astra—goddess of time and ruler of the timeline." The playful and teasing demeanor she had moments prior was replaced by a regal and elegant aura. "That kiss we shared was made for two important reasons. The first was for me to accurately assess your compatibility with time-based abilities—and I must say I'm impressed."
Her words caused a ripple effect on the boy as a large chunk of saliva forced itself down his throat as he took an involuntary gulp.
"And the second reason…" he hesitated slightly but found his confidence.
"The second reason…was what I said before. You're a pretty handsome kid." Her thumb raised in the air in a casual manner as all semblance of grace left her, a large comical smile on her face.
"PERVERT!" Benimaru shouted, trying to hit her but failing miserably as his body refused to move.
A seductive smile crept onto Astra's lips as they spiraled upwards.
"You shouldn't try to hit a goddess, Benimaru—kun."
A purple aura emanated from her body as it encompassed the nearly limitless space. An instinctual fear overtook the boy's senses as his body went into overdrive.
'What is this pressure? It's more than even Master Meliodas.'
Refusing to be outdone, the stage-three mark Benimaru had recently mastered activated almost on instinct. The pitch markings spread all across his body at a rapid pace.
The tone of his eyes shifted, from a kid who just did a birthday—to a man who was ready to kill a god.
The change in his expression sparked a heat within Astra, a very visible pink tint materializing itself on her cheeks as her hands arched upwards to cup her own cheeks.
"Oh, he's so cute, and he is so cool when his eyes change like that." Her voice changed into a high-pitched squeal as she screamed like a fangirl.
A deadpan expression appeared on Benimaru's face.
'Why did I get stuck with the weird goddess?'
After the whole awkward silence had passed, Astra began to explain to him the details of his sacred treasure.
As the goddess of time, she could freely manipulate time however she wished, but Benimaru did not have that privilege. If his interference with the time stream exceeds a certain threshold, he will be erased from the timeline in an effort to fix what he has done.
However, there is a certain loophole to this: if Astra herself makes changes to the time stream, then no harm can be done to Benimaru himself.
Her abilities come with many variations—which Benimaru will have to discover on his own.
But the boy himself was an anomaly—a mortal being with such an attunement with the concept of time was unheard of. It was like he didn't control time; time simply bent to his will—a fact which Astra would keep to herself for a while—simply for the fun of it.
"And that's everything you need to know, basically." Astra's fingers lifted as she combed her hair without a care in the world. "Any questions?"
"Not really."
"Good. Then begone."
…
A gasp abruptly left the lungs of Benimaru as his body, which had fallen to the floor unconscious, snapped to its feet in a heartbeat.
As his gaze lingered on Meliodas, whose eyes scrutinized him with a rather pensive expression.
"So, did you win?" he asked.
"Yea. I won." With his two hands gripping the handle of his sacred treasure, the hilt flew off in a blur. The sword shone in the night with a brilliant purple hue as the blade was not comprised of metal, but rather plasma—a state in between all the others—resembling time.
"I'll give you some time to learn to use it," Meliodas said before flying off.
As the long sword twirled itself around in the boy's fingers, he tested the sharpness of his new blade.
"I think I'll name you, Astral." The letter A was etched into the hilt of the blade—signaling its new name.
'Awwwwn, naming our sacred treasure after me, are you? You're such a gentleman,' the voice of Astra broke out in his head.
'I forgot you're still here,' Benimaru replied, but Astra ignored his statement.
'Doesn't that mean that the sword is technically our baby?' her voice beamed once more.
'No, it doesn't,' the tone of Benimaru was dry—like he was trying to get this over with.
But Astra wasn't going to let him off so easy. The tonality of her voice dropped down to a lewd, seductive whisper.
'You know Benimaru, I don't mind if you'd come in here and had some fun with m—'
'NOPE!' Benimaru nearly shouted in his head, cutting off the mental link instantly.
Within his frantic mental discussion, the memory ball which Chandler had given him slipped out of his pocket—hitting the sandy ground.
Upon impact, it seemed to have activated as a recording began to play. The voice of a woman echoed from the small circular ball—her tone soft and caring like the wind.
"Hello, little one. If you are listening to this, then that means I'm dead and you are my grandson," the voice within the orb chuckled for a second. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Gelda, your grandmother."
"G—grandma?" A soft whisper left his lips.
Ignoring the shocked expression on Benimaru's face—since it was just a recording and he couldn't see
The recording began to tell a story—the story of how the world came to be what it was—and what it is today.
During the time when chakra had not yet been discovered by humans, a rabbit goddess descended upon the earth—her name was Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Despite the woman's immense power, she eventually settled down on earth, marrying a man and creating a sort of colony for her and her family.
In time, she bore two children. Their names were Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki.
Growing up, they were treated as royalty by the humans. Years passed by in a blur until both brothers discovered a horrifying secret.
Their mother had been kidnapping the villagers, sacrificing them to what she called "the god tree" in order to gain more power.
Unable to bear such a revelation, they rebelled against their mother and successfully sealed her away. The seal they made is now what we call…
The moon.
After the defeat of his mother, Hamura decided it was best for him and a group of his followers to go to the moon and guard her—which they did.
Meanwhile, Hagoromo stayed on earth, got married, and had two kids—Indra and Ashura Otsutsuki.
Many years passed, and when it was time to choose a successor, Hagoromo chose Ashura—angering Indra.
Fueled by his rage, Indra attacked Ashura in a death battle, which cost them both their lives.
Hagoromo, seeing the death and destruction in this world, made a choice: he created four gods.
He created two angels, beings who would protect and guide the world into an era of peace and prosperity. Their names were Elizabeth and Mael.
But he also created two demons, beings who would destroy the world and plunge it into chaos if it ever got too corrupted. Their names were Zeldris and Meliodas.
They were each given a specific ability by Hagoromo, or the sage of the six paths as people had begun calling him.
Elizabeth, due to her natural compatibility with "the light"—the psychological power from which all angels draw their source—her regenerative and healing abilities were greatly enhanced, as she was capable of reviving the dead.
Her healing was so good that even Hagoromo could not compare. But with her compatibility with the light came a high level of weakness to darkness and demonic energy.
Mael was granted gravity manipulation, capable of increasing and decreasing the weight of objects on a whim.
Meliodas was granted the "assault mode," a demon transformation strictly unique to him and could never be learned by anyone else.
Zeldris was the anomaly. Although only being granted the ability to share and steal powers, he could retrieve strength from others and store it—or give away his powers to others. But even still, he ended up developing new abilities.
After Hagoromo's passing, the angels began doing their work, spreading joy and happiness across the human realms—while the demons simply roamed the land, searching for something to do.
Over time, Meliodas and Elizabeth began getting closer despite their racial differences—they loved each other. Elizabeth was the only being capable of warming the stone-cold Meliodas' heart.
Around this time, Mael began getting corrupted and became more cruel in his methods to bring peace. After consuming a piece of Zeldris' prototype demons, his power surged as demonic energy flooded his system.
He went on a barely controlled rampage, attacking anything and everything in sight. He was cornered by the remaining three, who pleaded with him to stop.
In the battle between Meliodas and Mael, a stray blast of darkness from the fallen angel struck Elizabeth cleanly. The effect was instant—she died on the spot, her regeneration unable to work due to her weakness to darkness.
Empowered by rage, Meliodas found himself unable to move—his body frozen by the commandment of love, which his brother had granted him.
As Mael attempted to land the final blow, Zeldris saved him in the nick of time. But due to his soft nature, he refused to kill the man he had thought of as a brother—instead scarring him deeply and forcing him to flee.
Meliodas became angered at his brother for refusing to kill Mael—causing a rift between them.
Just like that, the betrayal of Mael and the death of Elizabeth became the first two tragedies of the demon realm.
"T—That's a lot to take in," Benimaru softly whispered, expecting the recording to stop, but it continued—explaining the story of Gelda, the blood mistress.
During her time as a human, Gelda was but a mere commoner who lived with her family. They weren't rich by any means—but they survived.
Until one day, she came across the demon king, Zeldris—who had merely been strolling around the human realm. What could only be described as love at first sight occurred between the two parties as they felt a spark—quickly falling in love.
Not wanting his lover to perish, Zeldris transformed her into a demon—granting her an ageless and immortal body.
But her transformation was an abnormality. Instead of becoming a normal demon, she became what could only be described as a vampire—capable of manipulating blood.
Her sacrifice for the humans and the loss of her daughter, Sylvia, became the third and fourth tragedies of the demon realm.
"I hope you have listened so far, my grandson. I'm sorry that I won't be with you, and I'm sure since you have to hear this—then Sylvia isn't with you either." Her voice gained an apologetic tone. "But no matter what, always remember that your mother and I will always love you, even if we never got the chance to know you."
The orb shattered within Benimaru's grasp—its pieces vanishing into dust as they hit the ground.
For a second, the expression of Benimaru's face was emotionless—no change in tone or sign he was masking himself.
'Benimaru, are you oka—' Astra tried to express her concern through the mental link but was cut off by the influx of chakra released from his body—which momentarily surprised even her.
As the thick purple energy permeated from the boy's body, it traversed an enormous distance—extending the entirety of the demon realm as rage, confusion, sorrow, and pain flowed through him.
Every non-commandment-level entity within the realm convulsed horribly—washing into a state of complete despair before their vision completely blackened.
In the royal palace, Zeldris sat atop his throne—almost like he was waiting for something to happen. He knew Chandler disobeyed him, he knew he took the memory ball, he knew the consequences that it would have on the boy, but he didn't care.
"The time has come for him to know the full truth." The cup grasped by his fingers dropped onto the table slowly as a well of killing intent flushed into his system.
As the soles of his feet hit the floor to stand, his eyes held a cold indifference—and a grief hidden in between. He had regretted a lot in his lifetime—but he would do something right for once today.
In the wasteland where Benimaru stood, wings materialized out of pure gusts of air sprouting at his back. As the wings flapped, he rocketed through the air with a desperate thought going through his mind.
'He hid this from me, why? He has such hatred for humans, yet he claimed to love one? How dare he.'
CHAPTER END