Then, out of nowhere, a strong force slammed into her. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs and sent her crashing to the cold ground. The dirt and dead leaves bit into her skin through her thin clothes. Pain burned through her stomach. She gasped, curling up, trying to breathe. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Something dark was watching her. Hunting her.
A figure emerged from the shadows like a nightmare come to life. It was massive, covered in thick, dark mist that seemed alive. Its limbs moved unnaturally, as if made of smoke and muscle all at once. Glowing red eyes fixed on her with cruel delight.
The Lust Demon.
It grinned with twisted satisfaction and stepped closer. Ivy's breath hitched as the mist wrapped around her wrists and ankles, cold and foul. It was suffocating, squeezing the air from her lungs. She tried to scream, but the pressure in her chest made it hard to breathe
Ivy shook her head, panic rising to desperation. "No... please!"
The demon didn't stop. It grabbed her by the neck with one clawed hand and lifted her off the ground. Its claws dug deep into her skin. Blood dripped down her collarbone, warm and sticky. She kicked and struggled, her hands clawing at its wrist, nails scraping against the foul mist.
"Kael!" she screamed, voice breaking. "Please... help me!"
Far away, Kael sat in the Demon Court, half-listening to the generals argue over strategy and supplies. His thoughts were on Ivy. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his chest like a blade twisting inside.
He gasped and clutched at his shirt.
"Ivy..."
The room fell silent as every eye turned to him. Malakar stared at his son with sharp eyes.
"What did you say?" the Demon King asked coldly.
Kael stood, face pale. Before anyone could react, he vanished into thin air.
Aeron stood at once. "My King," he said with a short bow, then disappeared after Kael.
Malakar's anger exploded like a firestorm. "That boy dares leave this court... for a human?" he thought with venom.
No one dared meet the Demon King's furious gaze.
Kael appeared in the forest just as the demon lifted Ivy higher, claws sinking deeper into her neck. Her blood stained the demon's hand a dark crimson.
Kael's heart dropped. His fury ignited, a roaring flame inside.
"IVY!" he bellowed.
The Lust Demon turned its head slowly, sneering with contempt. Then, with cruel disregard, it threw Ivy aside like a broken doll. Her body hit the ground with a sickening thud. She didn't move.
Kael's body shook with rage, trembling with raw power.
Aeron landed beside him, weapons drawn. "I'll handle the demon. Get her out of here."
Kael didn't hesitate. He ran to Ivy, scooping her up gently despite the blood that soaked into his clothes. She was barely conscious, her breath shallow.
"I've got you," he whispered fiercely. "You're safe now."
He vanished again, taking her with him through the shadows.
Kael laid Ivy down on his bed, his hands trembling. Her face was pale, almost ghostly, and her neck was covered in dark blood. His heart broke seeing her like this.
He closed his eyes, placed his hand over her wound. A warm light glowed softly beneath his palm. Slowly, the wound closed, flesh knitting back together until no scar remained.
Ivy stirred, eyes fluttering open. "Kael...?"
"I'm here," he said gently, brushing damp hair from her face. "You're okay. Rest now."
He kissed her forehead softly, then stood, rage still burning deep inside.
His fury had not cooled.
He vanished once more.
Kael reappeared in the forest, where the ground was torn apart, trees snapped like twigs. Aeron stood nearby, bloody and bruised, barely able to stand.
The Lust Demon towered over him, laughing cruelly with sharp teeth glinting in the dim light.
Kael's jaw clenched. Ivy's scream echoed in his mind again. The terror in her eyes when the demon lifted her by the neck. The sickening sound of her body hitting the ground.
His fists curled into tight balls. Something inside him stirred, a dark presence. His demon threatening to break free.
But he pushed it down.
Not yet.
"Let's finish this," he said, voice low and steady.
Aeron nodded, gripping his weapons tight. "Together."
The Lust Demon moved first.
It lunged forward, impossibly fast, a blur of claws and shadow. Kael met it head-on. Their bodies slammed with a bone-crunching sound. Kael ducked under a claw and drove a fist into its ribs, then another, each blow echoing through the forest.
But the demon didn't flinch.
Instead, it grabbed Kael by the waist and threw him aside like garbage. He crashed through two trees and rolled into a patch of shattered stones.
Aeron charged in before the demon could follow, blades flashing like silver lightning. He slashed at its side, drawing dark, thick blood. The demon turned and swung at him, claws just missing his face.
Kael was already back on his feet. He shot forward in a blur of shadows, appearing behind the demon and driving a dagger deep into its back.
It shrieked, a terrible, high-pitched sound that rattled the air.
But still it didn't fall.
Kael and Aeron circled the demon, striking fast and hard, working in perfect sync. Kael went low while Aeron attacked high. They cut, struck, dodged. Their blades and fists left deep marks, but the demon kept regenerating, flesh knitting back with a sickening squelch.
"It's healing too fast!" Aeron shouted, breath ragged.
"Yes," Kael growled, muscles burning.
The demon's claw slammed into Aeron's chest with brutal force, knocking the wind out of him. He flew backward, hitting the ground hard and rolling over twice before stopping.
Kael turned just in time to see Aeron fall. Then the demon was on him again, grinning with a hideous, malformed face as it raised both arms to crush him.
Kael caught the blow but it sent him to his knees, pain exploding through his body.
Then, something inside him snapped.
A scream ripped from his throat—not one of pain, but pure, unfiltered rage.
His eyes turned blood red.
His claws grew longer, sharper.
His fangs pushed down from his upper jaw.
A wave of black energy exploded outward from him, knocking the demon back several feet.
Aeron, still on the ground, stared in disbelief. "Kael…?"
But Kael didn't answer.
His body shifted, skin darkened. Veins lit up beneath like molten cracks in stone. His aura thickened, twisting and suffocating. Even the trees bent away from him.
The Lust Demon stared, confusion and fear flickering in its red eyes for the first time.
It stepped back, voice trembling. "No… No! You shouldn't have that power! That belongs to…"
Kael raised his head slowly.
And smiled.
Not kindly.
Then, with a roar that shook the entire forest, he leapt forward.
He slammed into the demon with brutal force, knocking it flat on its back. No weapons. His bare hands were enough.
"What… are you?" the demon gasped, voice cracking with terror. "What are you?"
Kael's grip tightened, voice cold and distant. "Something you should have feared."
He tore into the demon's chest with both claws. The creature screamed, voice breaking into a thousand echoes. Black blood sprayed everywhere, the stench thick and foul.
Kael didn't stop.
His face was blank. Not cold,empty.
His claws dug deeper through bone and muscle until they gripped something pulsing inside.
He ripped it out.
The demon screamed louder, the sound making the ground tremble. Its body thrashed wildly, blood pouring from deep wounds.
But Kael just roared again and drove his claws into the demon's throat.
And then
He tore it open.
The demon let out one last cry high and broken then fell still.
Dead.
Kael stood over the corpse, covered in blood. His chest heaved. His hands trembled. His eyes glowed like fire. Claws dripped with dark ichor. He didn't move.
Aeron slowly walked closer, sword lowered but still in hand. His expression was wary.
"Kael…" he said softly. "Are you still in there?"
Kael didn't look up.
He stared at the corpse in front of him, breath fast and sharp, mouth open with fangs still exposed.
Aeron's voice grew firmer. "Kael. It's over."
The wind blew softly through the trees, silent and cold.
Kael blinked once. Twice.
His shoulders slumped.
The red faded from his eyes. His claws shortened. His fangs withdrew.
He took a shaky breath and finally looked at Aeron.
"I'm here," he whispered.
Aeron looked at him for a long moment. "What was that?"
Kael shook his head slowly. "I don't know. I couldn't control it."
"You were gone," Aeron said. "That thing you became… that wasn't just demon powers."
Kael didn't reply.
He looked down at his hands the blood, the torn flesh, the darkness he had unleashed.
"I nearly lost myself."
"But you came back," Aeron said quietly. "That matters."
Kael looked up at the sky, now streaked with the pale light of dawn. The forest was silent again, but the air still carried a strange charge. Somewhere back in his chambers, Ivy lay resting, safe.
And he would do it all again for her.
Even if it meant becoming something he didn't understand.
Even if it meant becoming something he feared.