The king froze. His voice staggered, and his heart pounded as he spoke.
"Why me? Why my kingdom? What do you want?"
The demon laughed.
"You actually thought I came to fight?" he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Then why did you come?" the king asked.
The demon chuckled.
"Well, as I said to your men while I drank the blood from their shattered corpses, I bring a message from the deepest realm, beyond darkness, beyond the silence of the abyss."
The demon paused, his voice taking on a mysterious tone.
"The king is returning."
His voice grew darker.
"He hasn't forgotten those who raised their blades against him, nor those who bowed too late. He hasn't forgotten those who whispered rebellion against him, thinking the Cloak of Shadow would protect them.
"He hasn't forgotten those who called him a myth, a curse, a ghost, a beast left buried."
The demon's expression darkened.
"He remembers all."
The king stared at the demon.
"Which king do you speak of? I have heard of such a king, even in the sacred and ancient scrolls of the Verdant Chronicle," the king replied, his voice filled with suspicion.
The demon sneered.
"You thought that pointless piece of paper would contain the pure greatness of my king?"
He stepped forward, dark smoke spilling from every step.
The king gripped his throne tightly before replying.
"King or no king, I will not sit here and watch you destroy my kingdom and my people. You speak of that beast wrapped in his own failed dreams. He was cast down, sealed away, and betrayed by his own followers. Is that the king you speak of? Pathetic."
"How dare you, foolish mortal! I will have your tongue plucked from your mouth. You seek death? I'll be glad to give it to you!"
The demon's scowl pierced the king's very soul.
Suddenly, the room went black, as dark as the abyss itself.
The king drew his weapon, which glowed with a brilliant golden light.
The demon's gaze shifted toward the immense power manifesting within the king's mystical weapon. His voice lowered, and a strange familiarity crept into his tone.
"That presence... Could it be?"
The demon's voice trembled with doubt.
"No. That's not possible! How can a simple mortal possess one of the Seven Ancient and Mystical Seals? No... I must obtain it at any cost!"
The king swung his blade.
The room erupted with magma, too scorching to touch and too smoldering to tread upon.
The demon's eyes widened in terror.
"That is impossible! Now I know I'm not mistaken. It is one of the Ancient Seals! But how? How did a mere mortal obtain one of these ancient weapons?"
The king leaped from his throne, his blade aimed directly at the demon's neck.
Suddenly, the demon vanished into dark smoke.
The king's face filled with horror as he stared at the empty space before him.
"What? Where is he? Impossible... What kind of spell is that?"
As the king turned around, he saw a dark, claw-like hand reaching for his head.
The king acted swiftly, leaping out of the demon's grasp. He sliced through the demon's claws like butter.
Seeing an opportunity to strike, the king swung his blade, intending to finish the battle with a strike so powerful that it would shatter the flow of time itself.
But when he swung his blade, he saw nothing.
He saw only a red line of blood—not from the demon, but from himself.
The king fell to his knees, death reflected in his eyes.
With his last breath, he spoke.
"I am not scared of death, nor am I surprised by it. But this I will say: darkness can never exist without light. I die a hero, not a coward, and for that, I am glad."
As he collapsed to the ground, the king's blade continued to glow with a brilliant golden light.
The demon picked it up, a great smirk spreading across his face.
"Finally, I'm one step closer to the king's return."
The demon vanished, but not before uttering one final message.
"He remembers all."
Far away, in a distant land untouched by blood or war, something stirred.
A powerful presence lingered there.
A weapon—not divine, but corrupted by evil—waited in silence, searching for a soul to wield it.
Not to aid its chosen soul, but to consume it.
TO BE CONTINUED...