The throne room felt colder today.
Not because the abyss roared outside with its eternal black winds, nor because the torches crackled in pale violet flame like dying stars—but because power had settled inside these walls.
A new throne, A new king, And a new future waiting to be carved through blood, ambition, and deception.
Simon stood at the center of the hall, cloak resting behind him like shadow-wings. Steel eyes calm. Chin lifted. Void energy quietly draped across his presence.
Eras knelt behind him, one knee lowered, head bowed.
His loyalty was no act. It made the weight of the moment feel real.
> "My king," Eras said, voice respectful and strangely warm. "The treasury is ready to be opened whenever you desire."
Simon didn't answer immediately. He scanned the grand hall first—rows of lesser abyssal monsters kneeling, their malformed heads bowed in a primitive show of submission. Limbs twisted, armor fused into flesh, black ichor dripping from fanged mouths.
They weren't thinking creatures. Not soldiers. Not rulers. Barely alive beyond instinct and obedience.
Useful—only to a certain extent.
And painfully insufficient to build an empire.
Simon exhaled softly, hands clasped behind his back.
> "Eras," he finally spoke. "Walk with me."
Eras rose silently and moved beside him—just one step behind, perfectly respecting space and authority. The two began walking through the hall, boots echoing in rhythm against obsidian marble.
The monsters parted as they passed, like shadows fleeing shadow.
"You've ruled this land as a servant longer than Orba ruled it as a king," Simon murmured. "Tell me—how fragile is what I inherited?"
Eras answered without hesitation.
> "Like thin ice over a starving ocean, my king."
Simon smirked. "Poetic."
> "Accurate," Eras replied. "Resources are plentiful, but… structure is nonexistent. Discipline, intelligence, diplomacy—we lack all of them."
Simon tapped his fingers lightly against his arm. His mind moved fast—not anxious, but methodical.
He had killed a Demon King.
But taking a throne was merely the first step.
Keeping it required something different: Vision.
> "To rule, I need more than raw soldiers," Simon said. "I need a hierarchy. Structure. A ruling core."
"You seek a Triad, then?" Eras asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Simon slowed his steps.
"Triad?"
> "It is the ancient model of abyssal royalty," Eras explained. "Three pillars supporting the throne—each ruling one aspect of power. Infantry, espionage, and command. Most demon kings abandoned it. Too… demanding."
Simon smiled faintly.
Demand was exactly what he needed.
> "So I will restore it."
Eras stared at him with a mixture of shock and awe.
> "Then you intend to become a true abyssal lord… not merely a successor."
"Ambition is cheaper than fear," Simon replied. "And I have no intention of being forgotten."
His voice echoed gently—yet the hall felt shaken.
The beasts trembled. Even the air shivered.
Eras lowered his head.
> "Then I shall carve your path, my king."
---
They walked back into the illuminated corridor. Violent purple crystals lit their path, flickering like wounded stars.
Eras spoke first.
> "Shall we begin forming the Triad?"
"Yes," Simon said. "We begin today. Outline it."
"Three pillars," Eras recited.
1. The Marshals – Strategic and disciplined leaders.
2. The Shroud – Espionage, disguise, and infiltration.
3. The Vanguard – Elite combat force.
"We need three lieutenants," Eras continued. "One for each."
Simon nodded.
> "I already have one."
Eras blinked. "Me?"
"Who else understands this kingdom better? Who else is loyal? Who else doesn't want my throne?"
Eras inhaled sharply, visibly overwhelmed.
> "I… am honored."
"You are the first of my Triad," Simon declared. "The Shroud. My shadow. My intelligence."
Eras dropped to one knee again—unplanned, raw, sincere.
> "My king… I will betray time itself before I betray you."
Simon tilted his head.
Loyalty—genuine loyalty—in the abyss?
It was rarer than gods.
He extended a hand. Eras took it.
"When we find the other two," Simon said, "we build an army. A real one. Thinking soldiers. Elite cadres. Structure, training, discipline."
He paused.
"And then—diplomacy."
Eras' brows rose. "Diplomacy? Among demon kings?"
"Yes. I cannot conquer the abyss alone—nor do I want it united against me."
He smiled faintly.
"I will be the storm they expect… and the peace they never imagined."
They walked again toward the throne room.
Eras broke the silence gently.
> "Simon… why choose deception over fear? The abyss bows to strength. You could simply crush all challengers."
Simon didn't answer immediately.
Then—
> "Because power without restraint becomes noise. Fear burns bright but burns out. Influence lasts."
Eras studied him.
"You think like a human."
Simon chuckled softly.
"And yet here I am—king of demons."
"Then perhaps the abyss needed a human all along," Eras whispered.
Simon didn't respond, but there was a flicker in his gaze.
A thought he didn't speak:
To change the world, you must first survive it.
And surviving the abyss meant turning chaos into strategy.
Madness into discipline.
Solitude into rule.
They reached the throne again. Simon sat—not heavily, but deliberately.
Eras stood at his right flank.
> "Issue your first commands, my lord."
Simon exhaled slowly.
"Send scouts. Quiet ones. We don't approach the other demon kings yet—but we watch them. Learn their weaknesses."
"Understood."
"Begin selecting abyssal creatures capable of cognition. Train them. Teach basic formation combat. Find those who can learn language."
Eras nodded sharply.
"Establish limited trade and communication channels with minor demon territories. No hostility. No aggression. Not yet."
"So we project… order?"
Simon smiled.
"No. We project calm inevitability."
Void energy flickered behind his eyes like a silent galaxy being born.
"And finally—bring me any artifact related to illusion, command, or transformation. The mask is only the beginning."
For a moment, there was nothing but quiet.
Then Eras stepped back two paces.
Lowered his head.
And whispered:
> "A king who does not intimidate…
yet bends demons to his will."
"How terrifyingly new."
Simon allowed himself a tiny smirk.
"If I frightened you, you would obey me."
He leaned forward.
"But because I don't… you follow me."
Eras lifted his gaze, eyes gleaming with a strange light.
> "And because I follow you… this abyss will change."
Simon's gaze sharpened.
"No."
He stood.
"I will change it."