The cavern still trembled with the echo of the summoning. The crimson glow had faded, leaving only the deep breath of shadows lingering in the air.
Two small figures remained huddled near the edge of the ritual circle. Caelan, his hands tightly gripping the trembling body of his younger brother, stared at the figure before them. His pulse raced, but he refused to look away.
Ciel whimpered against his chest, his tiny fingers clutching at his brother's sleeve. "B-Brother… what is that?"
Caelan swallowed hard. The towering figure that had emerged from the abyss was no ordinary monster. It looked human at first glance—tall, lean, hair as black as midnight—but the horns curving from his temples and the abyssal voids of his eyes betrayed his inhuman nature.
The figure's lips curled slightly, as though amused by the terror radiating from the children. His voice rolled through the cavern like velvet thunder.
"Do not tremble. I am not here to harm you."
Ciel buried his face in Caelan's chest anyway, muffling a sob. Caelan, though trembling himself, took a shaky step forward. "Who… who are you?"
The demon's eyes gleamed, sharp white pupils burning against the endless black of his gaze. Slowly, deliberately, he placed a hand over his chest and bowed with unexpected grace.
"I am Khaeryon. The Demon God and Sovereign of the Abyss."
The name rippled through the air like a weight pressing down on their bones. Caelan clenched his jaw, refusing to falter. His mother's sacrifice had summoned this being… and if she trusted him, then Caelan had to be brave.
Khaeryon tilted his head slightly, studying the boy. A faint smile touched his lips. "And who are you two, little mortals? I cannot guard nameless children."
Caelan tightened his hold on his brother. "I'm Caelan," he said firmly, then nudged the small figure in his arms. "And this is my little brother… Ciel."
Ciel peeked out for half a second, his big eyes shimmering with tears, before hiding again. His voice was barely audible. "D-Don't eat me…"
For a heartbeat, the cavern went silent.
Then—Khaeryon's deep voice rumbled… into laughter. A sound that was both terrifying and oddly human. His hand lifted casually, and with a flick of his fingers, something appeared in his palm.
A brightly colored stick, wrapped in glossy paper. A lollipop.
Both brothers blinked in confusion.
The mighty Demon God crouched down, lowering himself to their level. His shadowy wings folded back as he extended the candy toward the frightened child.
"Eat you? No, little one. I prefer sweeter things."
Caelan's jaw nearly dropped. "Is… is that candy?"
Khaeryon smirked faintly. "A simple charm. Something children like, yes? Here. Take it, Ciel."
Ciel's eyes darted between the demon god's hand and his brother's face. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out and took the lollipop. His tiny fingers trembled, but when he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, his eyes widened.
"…Strawberry."
Khaeryon chuckled softly. "Good. Then you need not fear me." He leaned back, the shadows curling comfortably around him like a throne. "You may call me Khae, if my name weighs too heavily on your tongues."
"Khae…?" Caelan repeated, testing the nickname.
"Yes," the demon god said smoothly, flashing a grin that revealed just the faintest hint of fangs. "Short, simple. Even fragile mortals should remember it."
For the first time, Ciel giggled softly, his fear easing just a little. Caelan sighed in relief, though he still kept his guard up.
Khaeryon's gaze shifted to the cavern walls, as though peering through them into the world beyond. "Tell me, children… what year is it?"
Caelan blinked at the strange question. "The year? Um… 2065."
"Two-thousand… sixty-five," Khaeryon repeated slowly, his voice tasting the words like wine. His brows lifted slightly. "So long has it been…"
Ciel tilted his head. "Long?"
Khaeryon chuckled again, though his expression carried a trace of nostalgia. "When last I walked the surface, the world still lit fires with flint and stone. And now… you carry steel beasts that roar, and towers of glass that pierce the sky."
Caelan frowned. "Wait. You're saying you've been gone for… thousands of years?"
The demon god's grin widened. "And yet… nothing changes. Mortals still betray mortals. Power still devours the weak. Tell me, boy—hunters prey upon one another now, do they not?"
Caelan stiffened. "How do you know that?"
"Because it is inevitable," Khaeryon said simply, his gaze darkening. "When men are given strength, they will use it first to crush their enemies, then their allies, and finally themselves."
The weight of his words settled heavily in the cavern, but it was broken suddenly when Ciel tugged on his brother's sleeve. "Brother… Khae isn't so scary anymore."
Caelan blinked at him. "…He literally just crawled out of the abyss."
Ciel sucked on his lollipop innocently. "But he gave me candy."
Khaeryon smirked, resting his chin on his clawed hand. "Wise child. Fear is wasted when sweetness is offered."
Caelan rubbed his temples. "I don't think that's how it works…"
The demon tilted his head thoughtfully. "Perhaps not. But remember this, Caelan, Ciel—your mother's blood binds me to you. She gave her life so that you would not be devoured by this cruel world. From this moment, her will becomes mine."
His words were soft, but carried a weight that made both boys stand straighter.
"Caelan." The demon's gaze fell on the elder brother, sharp yet approving. "You have your mother's courage. Guard it well."
"And Ciel." His hand moved gently, brushing the child's hair as Ciel flinched but didn't pull away. "Even in trembling, there is strength. You will learn this in time."
The brothers exchanged glances, their fear replaced by something new. Not comfort exactly, but a strange, dangerous hope.
Khaeryon rose to his full height again, shadows stretching with him. The cavern groaned beneath his presence. "Now… tell me more of this world. Of hunters, of dungeons, of power. If I am to walk among mortals once more, I must know the game that is being played."
Ciel's voice was small but clear. "…Can I have another lollipop first?"
For the first time in centuries, the Demon God of the Abyss nearly choked. "…You mortals are insatiable."
Khaeryon's hand flicked, and the lollipop appeared again, gleaming red like crystallized blood but harmlessly sweet. He bent down, holding it toward Ciel with a faint smile.
"Here. For you."
Ciel blinked, hesitating, but the sugary scent reached him. Slowly, with both hands, he accepted it. His timid lips curled into the smallest smile as he whispered, "...Thank you, Khae."
The Demon God's eyes softened, almost amused. Then, with a tilt of his head, he turned his gaze to the older boy.
"You don't want one, Caelan?"
Caelan froze, staring at him like he'd lost his mind. He rubbed his temples hard, groaning under his breath. "I… I can't believe this. A being called the Demon God… a title feared across ages… and you're offering us lollipops?"
Khaeryon only smirked, shadows curling lazily around his frame like smoke. "Even gods have their ways of making children smile."
Caelan muttered something inaudible, still rubbing his head, while Ciel happily licked the candy, completely ignoring his brother's existential crisis.
And so, deep in the cavern where their fate had been rewritten, the first bond between two frightened children and the Sovereign of the Abyss was sealed—not in blood, but with something as simple as a lollipop.