The day stretched on, warm and peaceful. After visiting the city, Kael and Kira had taken the path back to the palace, skirting the inner walls, then the hanging gardens that overlooked the valley. The sky slowly tinted with purple, heralding the starry night.
Kael walked at a leisurely pace. The scarf given by the young demoness was tucked into his belt.
"You're in a better mood," said Kira.
"Yes."
"The city did you good."
"Perhaps."
"You should go out more often."
"I have a kingdom to govern."
"The kingdom is also the streets, the markets, the fountains."
Kael didn't answer. But deep down, he knew Kira was right.
They were crossing a path lined with silver trees when a distant sound stopped them.
A rumbling.
Then another.
Kira froze.
"Do you hear that?"
"Yes."
"It's coming from the low meadows."
"Beasts?"
"Probably. And not small ones."
Kael turned his head. The rumbling resumed, louder, followed by cracking branches and a dull trampling.
"Let's see," he said.
They left the path and cut across a grassy hill. Below, a vast meadow stretched to the edge of a black forest. Massive shapes moved there, raising clouds of dust.
Kael stopped.
"Krevars."
"What?"
"Krevars. Armored beasts, as big as rhinos. Very aggressive. They live in the depths, but they sometimes surface."
"They're enormous."
"They're young."
"I don't want to imagine the adults."
"Better not to."
The krevars suddenly charged, colliding with each other, horns lowered. The ground trembled. Their dark carapaces gleamed in the purple light. Hoarse cries rose from their maws.
"They're fighting over territory," said Kael.
"They're violent."
"Yes. And they're getting close to the farms."
He observed the herd. Five, six, seven beasts. Each weighed several tons. Their thick paws churned the earth.
"Do you want us to alert the guards?" asked Kira.
"No."
"Do you want to fight them?"
"No either."
Kira looked at him, intrigued.
Kael stepped forward a few paces. He planted his feet on the ridge, facing the plain.
"Step back," he said.
"Why?"
"Because it's going to blow."
Kira obeyed, stepping back three paces.
Kael closed his eyes.
He searched within himself for the ancient warmth. The one that slept beneath the skin, in the bones, in the soul. That massive, compact energy that only asked to be released.
He let it rise.
A shiver ran through the air.
Then a beat.
Then a pulse.
Kael's aura unfurled.
It wasn't a spell. Not a technique. It was a wave of pure presence, a pressure born of his mere existence. It spread like a wave, silent and absolute.
The grass bent.
The leaves trembled.
And the krevars stopped dead.
The first froze, legs spread, horns lowered. The second backed away trembling. The others fell to their knees, breath ragged, eyes wild.
The pulse continued.
It crossed the plain, the forest, the hills. Farther away, birds took flight by the hundreds. Invisible beasts fled among the trees. The ground itself seemed to hold its breath.
Kira, behind, felt his legs buckle. He held onto a rock, throat dry.
"By the abyss," he murmured.
Kael opened his eyes.
He looked at the krevars.
"Leave."
The beasts hesitated, trembling.
"Now."
They fled. Not charging. Crawling, stumbling, crying out in terror. They disappeared into the forest, breaking everything in their path.
Kael released the aura.
The air became light again.
He turned to Kira.
"You alright?"
"I think so."
"You faltered."
"A little."
"That's normal. I didn't target."
"You did that without aiming?"
"Yes."
"And the farms? The guards? The travelers?"
"They felt it. But they didn't suffer it."
Kira straightened.
"Do you know what you just did?"
"I scared some beasts."
"No. You announced your return to the entire region."
Kael shrugged.
"It wasn't intentional."
"Really?"
"Really."
Kira stared at him.
"You can't lie."
"I never lie."
"You omit."
"Sometimes."
They remained on the ridge for a moment. The wind had calmed. The plain was deserted, as if life itself had withdrawn.
"Shall we go back?" asked Kira.
"Yes."
They resumed the path. Kael walked at a calm pace, as if nothing had happened.
"You're terrifying," said Kira.
"I know."
"No. Truly terrifying."
"You've already told me that."
"This time it's different."
"Why?"
"Because I'd never seen you do that."
"What? Release my aura?"
"Yes. Before, you always kept it under control."
Kael looked ahead.
"Before, I had something to prove."
"And now?"
"Now I have nothing left to prove. Just to reclaim."
They crossed the hanging gardens. The flowers had closed, as if after a storm. The palace guards stood stiff, hands clenched on their weapons.
"They felt it," said Kira.
"Yes."
"They're afraid."
"They'll calm down."
"And if they don't?"
"Then they'll understand that fear is part of my reign."
Kael climbed the palace steps. The doors opened before him.
Drakk appeared, his face tense.
"My king. What happened?"
"Beasts. I drove them off."
"The pulse was felt all the way to the ramparts."
"Good."
"The soldiers are nervous."
"They should be. But they must learn to recognize my aura."
"They will."
"Perfect."
Kael entered. Kira followed. Drakk remained on the porch for a moment, gazing at the silent plain.
Then he went back inside.
---
That night, the news spread. Not through messengers. Through whispers. Through glances. Through the tension in the air.
The Demon King had shown his power.
And the entire kingdom had trembled.