It was the dawn of night. The sky was cloudless, and the stars were plentiful, shimmering beside the looming glow of the full moon.
"Finally, it's over. At last, I can enjoy the warmth of my bed—no more short naps at the office," Tenma sighed as he walked home from another long and strenuous day at work.
It had been weeks since he last stepped foot in his apartment. Endless hours spent racing against deadlines, fixing the careless mistakes of his coworkers. The outside world felt foreign—he'd almost forgotten what it looked like. Yet despite his exhaustion, Tenma couldn't help but smile and triumphantly raise his fist.
"Ah... Then again, it's not like anyone's waiting for me in bed? At this rate, I'll die alone," he muttered, half-joking, half-melancholic.
He approached the crosswalk, lost in thought—unaware of the out-of-control truck racing toward him. Its headlights blinded Tenma, blaring like twin suns, and its driver's seat was empty, like the truck held a mind of its own.
"Maybe I should find a new job," he murmured, forcing out a chuckle.
When he did notice the flashing headlights, it was too late. He realized he was in the middle of the road and there wasn't enough time to jump to the side or take action.
He stood frozen, shivering with fear.
"God, or whoever's listening," he whispered, trembling, "please don't let it end here. I'm too young to die."
Then—
BAM!!
In the moments just before impact, Tenma could've sworn the truck was grinning at him before the world faded into darkness.
..........
Lucas Mylzak P.O.V.
..........
This will be attempt number 10.
The process of synthesizing a demon hybrid with runes is close to success. I'm almost there, father, grandfather, and those who came before—the Mylzak family will reclaim their once prominent status.
I can assure you of that!
I have an actual demon womb to utilize this go-around.
Acquiring such a specimen required a lot of time and effort—it would've been difficult doing so without bringing suspicion to my studies.
I'm pretty sure the king's beginning to catch on to my experiments.
And so, I can't afford to fail this time nor lose this demon if I do fail—this had better work.
I walked over to the woman, who had long black hair and curled horns protruding from her head, along with a thin black tail extending from her lower back; she was clearly a demon of a lower class and age, noticeable by her small and fragile frame, resembling that of a child.
She was hopelessly pinned against the metal bed in the center of the laboratory; with all her will, she attempted to break free but the rope tying her down was infused with holy magic, making her struggles futile.
Stop all the scrambling—a demon of your strength could never break free from holy magic. Though I must commend your willpower, the other wombs were already defeated after the reproduction process.
From the table beside her, I grabbed an oozing vial of black ichor from a nearby tray and slowly I poured the substance onto the woman's exposed abdomen.
The pain from the dark substance only intensified the ferocity of her screams, as the liquid seemed to have a similar effect to acid burning into her skin. However, I ignored her pleas and continued the process of inscribing runes onto the unborn child.
This is a strenuous process that requires an immense amount of mana. Luckily, I have the perfect viscera. It has even more mana than the previous. If the experiment proves to be prosperous, the child birthed from this woman would be something never seen before.
When the procedure ended, the woman lay spent on the metal bed, finally defeated. Its willpower at last shattered into pieces.
I wonder what thoughts are going through its mind at this moment... not that it really matters.
Well, anyway, all that's left now is to wait. Hopefully, the king doesn't interfere during that time.
============
9 Months Later
============
It's here. Today marks the birth of my child.
I made my way down to the underground laboratory beneath the Mylzak manor. Where the incubation process had been taking place. The demon was still pinned on the metal bed, so weakened she could barely breathe.
She was leaking from her lower vaginal region, a sign it was time for the birth of the Mylzak family's savior. Slowly I approached her, before then tearing the clothes from her body, leaving her naked against the cold metal.
The girl was too weak to show any emotion or disdain towards the act. She could only lie there miserably.
"It's time—you've finally finished incubating the child." I murmured to the woman, placing my palm on her expanded stomach.
Not too long after, her belly began rumbling, like something inside was attempting to break out and she started to cough out blood from her mouth and leak it from her nose.
In that moment a small palm pierced its way through her belly, then a horn, and an entire head followed. It wasn't long until the child had fully broken its way out of the woman's body, covered in blood.
He's alive! This may have actually been a winner. All that's left is to peek at the results of my effort.
I pulled out a magical monocle from my pocket and held it up towards the child; it displayed his magic, species, and hidden traits before me. I struggled to hold back my delighted expression upon witnessing the successful results.
『Magical Affinities — Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Shadow
Species: Human-Demon Hybrid
Special Trait: Runeborne』
"I did it; I really did it, and it's all thanks to you." I shouted, looking over to the demon girl.
But at some point during birth, she had already died in a gruesome pool of blood, seeping out from all of her orifices.
With a success like this I no longer need her; my experiments are over. All that's left is ensuring this child grows to become strong. A perfect heir to the Mylzak family.
However, I'm going to have to dispose of this place before the king begins sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and the clanking of metal could be heard approaching.
No way, how could they have found this place? I made sure to prepare precautions. It should've been impossible to detect even by magical means. I have to act fast.
I didn't even attempt to escape, understanding that if my laboratory was found, then my house must've been swarmed as well. I could only hope my children were safe.
Without thinking, I cast two illusions, one on the entire room and the other on my child. Both aid in disguising my work, with the hopes of ensuring my son survives even if I do not.
When the king and his royal entourage entered, the room had taken the appearance of a library. And I was wearing the proper nobleman attire, cradling a credulous infant in my arms.
"Oh, your majesty? To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" I asked with a false veil of confusion as I slightly tilted my head to the side, attempting to sell my facade.
But the king did not buy my mendacity, nor did his blue-haired guard, whose eyes glowed with unnatural, intense, and focused sharpness.
"Cassandra, what do you see?" The king asked, turning his gaze toward the blue-haired guard.
A blue light glowed beneath the fabric of her sleeve as she twisted her head in a scanning motion around the entire room; whatever it was that she saw caused her face to contort into distress.
I assume she's the reason for how they managed to find this place, a runeborne—I'm guessing she can see through that which is hidden. If I had known the king had someone like her, I would've been more cautious. All I can do now is hope.
The guard—Cassandra—dispelled my illusion with a snap of her fingers, revealing the horrifying scene of my laboratory, gruesome blood, and dismembered limbs all over the place. She leaned over to the king, seemingly whispering into his ear; immediately his expression twisted with disgust.
"What a drag," I sighed, unveiling my helpless situation.
"Well, Lucas, how would you like to explain this one?" The king asked demandingly, his aura overwhelming with mild anger.
I paused for a moment, trying to think of any way out of my impossible predicament. But it was just that—hopeless.
"I see no problem, my lord. All I have done here has been for the betterment of the kingdom," I smirked, holding my son into the air. "You see, I've successfully created the ultimate life and artificially installed runes."
The king and his guards gasped at my response and reasonably so. What I had said was previously thought to be impossible; no one knew how runes even worked, but somehow I've managed to artificially inscribe them.
They simply couldn't believe it.
"He's telling the truth; that child has multiple runes, but they aren't natural at all... And there's more; he isn't fully human. I can see that he's also part demon," Cassandra spoke before then pointing over towards the naked demon girl lifelessly lying on the metal bed behind me, her grotesque form revealing her insides.
"What did you do to that girl? She looks so young; don't tell me you've defiled such an innocent child." The other guard, Aeron—the king's personal knight guard—said before taking a step closer and realizing, "Wait a second... that girl's a demon."
The room went silent for a moment, the air seemed to have grown thick with tension, and I was met with the judgemental glares of the king and his guards.
"You're a madman, Lucas." The king declared with a ridiculing tone and glare. "Tell me what made you go down such a twisted path. Your experiments have gone out of hand, and because of that, I cannot allow your actions to go unpunished," he added, his gaze intensifying.
I was then quickly detained by Aeron, and my son was stripped from me by Cassandra.
"As punishment, you'll be thrown into prison and your family shall once again be degraded. The Mylzak House is now a baron family name and without a proper heir, you'll be nothing more than a common family." The king's glare changed to one of belittlement, looking down on me. "Oh, how a once great household has fallen." He added, his every word like a sword piercing my body.
"I assure you, king, my family will rise again. Even without me to guide them. And my son Belial Mylzak will be the one that brings them hope." I announced, before being dragged away by Aeron.
..............
Lucas Mylzak P.O.V. End
..............
Cassandra brought the child—Belial Mylzak—over to the king. "So, what are we going to do with the kid?" She asked, holding the boy up in front of his majesty.
Looking at the innocent baby, the king couldn't help but feel pity for the boy. "That's simple; he's going to be the next head of the Mylzak family, just as Lucas stated. I am interested in what he was working so hard for." The king said, grabbing the child from Cassandra.
Together the three left the laboratory. On the other side, a group of assassins, dressed in all black, was awaiting orders from the king.
"Raid the lab, leave nothing unchecked, and when you're finished, make sure there isn't a trace." The king demanded, without stopping as he made his way out of the manor.
Belial was entrusted to his siblings, who were waiting outside of the manor. All of them seemed to find a sense of joy in witnessing the goal their father worked so hard to achieve.
And they watched as their family house was burned down, a sight of renewal beneath the blood moon.