The bloody knight groaned faintly where he lay sprawled across the obsidian floor. His armor bent and cracked, crimson leaking through every seam. He should have been unconscious—or dead—but the Demon King's oppressive aura kept him awake, forcing him to linger on the edge of awareness.
The throne room was silent. Too silent.
Every noble, every commander, even the Grand Duke and Duchess sat rigid, their eyes locked on the scene before them. The smell of iron filled the air, heavy and suffocating.
The Demon King loomed above the prisoner like a mountain of shadow and fire. His crimson-gold eyes glowed in the dim light, burning with an intensity that froze the breath of all who dared meet his gaze. He didn't sit on his throne now. He stood. His sheer presence bent the air, the torches flickering violently, their flames straining toward him as though bowing.
"You are far from home," the King rumbled, voice like the grinding of stone. "Your tongue is chained by discipline… or fear. But here, in my domain, your silence is not permitted."
The knight coughed blood, head tilting enough for one battered eye to glance upward. He said nothing. Not a word. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling beneath dented plate.
Asura stood a step behind his grandfather, golden eyes sharp despite the blood still caking his bare shoulders and his bare feet tapping faintly as he shifted. He wanted answers. He had earned them. His fists clenched tight at his sides, resisting the urge to demand them himself.
Selene lingered at the edge of the dais, her violet gaze flicking between her young master and the colossal figure of the Demon King. Her heart pounded. She had never seen Asura drag someone into the hall in such a state… and she had never seen the Demon King's eyes blaze so fiercely.
The King lowered one clawed hand, talons gleaming in the firelight. He pressed it against the knight's chest—not crushing, not killing, but holding him in place with the weight of a mountain. The stone tiles beneath the man cracked from the pressure.
"Your silence," the King said softly, almost lazily, "is an insult."
A ripple of fear ran through the nobles at those words. A silence deeper than death fell, broken only by the knight's labored breaths.
The King leaned closer, his shadow engulfing the knight. "Tell me. Who sent you?"
The knight's jaw tightened. His bloodied lips curled, but no words came.
A low growl rolled from the Demon King's chest, rattling the pillars. His aura flared, crushing down on the hall like the weight of the abyss. Nobles gasped, some clutching at their throats as the air itself seemed to vanish. The Grand Duke's eyes narrowed, his hand resting lightly on the pommel of his blade, though he made no move to interfere.
The King's talons dug deeper, metal groaning under his grip. "Do you think your silence protects you? That your loyalty is worth more than your life?" His eyes burned hotter, molten suns of wrath and power. "You entered my realm. You raised steel against my blood. Your tongue belongs to me now."
Asura's eyes narrowed, his grin gone. For the first time in hours, he wasn't mocking or smiling—he was serious, watching, learning. So this is how Grandfather breaks someone.
The knight's breaths came faster. His body shook under the crushing aura, veins bulging at his temples, armor rattling. Yet still—he said nothing.
The King's voice dropped, quiet but sharp as a blade: "Then I will carve the truth from your soul."
A crimson-black flame erupted in the King's palm, searing into the knight's chestplate. The man screamed, the sound piercing the chamber like shattering glass. Nobles flinched, servants clasped their ears, but the King did not relent. His eyes glowed brighter, and the flames licked deeper—not burning flesh, but searing the spirit itself.
"Speak," the King commanded, voice reverberating through stone and bone alike.
The knight choked, his mouth opening—whether to confess, or simply scream again, no one yet knew.
And Asura, standing just behind the Demon King, leaned forward, golden eyes blazing, waiting for the truth to fall.
✦ The Breaking Point
The knight's body convulsed beneath the Demon King's burning claw. The crimson-black flames licked across his armor, not searing flesh but digging deeper—gnawing at the spirit. His scream echoed so loud that the obsidian walls themselves seemed to shudder.
And then, at last—he spoke.
"STOP!—" His voice cracked, his words tumbling out between gasps of agony. "It's… the boy!"
The hall froze.
Every noble, every knight, even Selene's breath caught. Asura's golden eyes widened, his fists clenching tighter at his sides.
The knight coughed blood, spitting it onto the black stone, then forced the words out through trembling lips. "The King of Valoria… he sent us. Not for the Behemoth. Not for nests. For him." His gaze flicked weakly toward Asura, and fear, real fear, shone in his battered eyes.
Whispers erupted like wildfire among the nobles:
"The boy—?"
"The prince?"
"Valoria's king dares—!"
The Demon King's aura flared violently, silencing them all. His crimson-gold eyes blazed with molten fury, the flames in the braziers roaring higher as though feeding on his wrath.
"…That man dares to cast his hand toward my blood?" His voice was quiet, but it struck harder than thunder. The entire chamber shook. Even the Grand Duke and Duchess stiffened, their expressions dark.
The knight wheezed, his words spilling desperately now, as if his soul might tear apart if he didn't release them. "They say… the grandson of the Demon King… is no ordinary child. A genius. A prodigy. A threat that must be measured—before he grows."
Gasps rippled. Even Selene's violet eyes widened faintly, her hand flying to her chest.
The Demon King's claw tightened, plates of the knight's armor buckling like paper. "Measured… or destroyed," he growled, the edges of his voice trembling with the promise of annihilation.
Asura stepped forward then, his bare feet tapping against the stone. Blood still stained his arms, his face, but his eyes burned like molten gold as he crouched to meet the knight's fading gaze.
"…Why?" Asura's voice was quiet, almost childlike—but laced with something sharper than steel. "Why is your king interested in me?"
The knight's lips quivered. He coughed again, his voice barely more than a rasp. "…Because… kings… fear… what they cannot control."
The chamber fell silent once more, every noble frozen by those words.
The Demon King rose to his full, terrifying height, his claw releasing the knight so he slumped against the floor, broken but alive. His aura poured through the chamber like a storm made flesh.
And his voice, thunderous with restrained fury, shook the hall:
"Then let the King of Valoria fear. For I will show him what it means to provoke demons."
✦ Washed in Shadows
"Asura," the Demon King's voice rumbled, his aura still seething around the throne like a living inferno, "go. You've done enough."
His blazing eyes shifted to Selene, who had already stepped forward, her expression composed but her violet eyes trembling faintly.
"Take him," the King ordered. "Wash the blood away. The boy deserves to stand as a prince, not a corpse dragged into my hall."
Selene bowed low. "At once, my lord."
She reached for Asura gently, guiding him toward the chamber doors. He walked without complaint, bare feet tapping softly against the black stone floor, his small body still spattered in blood.
Halfway down the corridor, Selene glanced down at him. "…How many were there?"
Asura tilted his head as if trying to count on his fingers. "Mmm… nine normal knights, and a couple of those robe guys—mages. Oh!" His golden eyes brightened despite his exhaustion. "Ten, counting the half-dead one Grandfather's probably still grilling right now."
Selene stopped mid-step, staring at him. "…You fought ten?"
Asura grinned sheepishly. "I mean… yeah. But it's fine. I'm fine."
✦ Blood in the Water
Later, in the steaming baths of the citadel, Selene knelt by his side, carefully wiping the blood from his arms and chest. But just as her cloth brushed a deep gash across his ribs—her eyes widened.
The wound shimmered. And before her eyes, the torn flesh knitted itself back together, smooth and unbroken, leaving only faint traces of blood behind.
Selene froze, breath caught in her throat. "Young master… your body…"
Asura peeked down, blinking as if it were nothing. "Oh yeah. Regeneration. Got that a few days ago. Pretty cool, right?"
Her hands trembled, the cloth falling from her grasp. For a moment, joy lit her features—relief, pride, even awe. But it was quickly shadowed by sorrow, her lips tightening.
"You shouldn't have had to bleed this much alone," she whispered. "I should have been there."
Asura tilted his head, his damp hair clinging to his cheeks. Then, in his usual childish tone, he said, "Hey, don't worry. It just means I got all the EXP to myself! You'd have stolen some if you came along."
Selene blinked, her lips parting in disbelief. "…EXP?"
"Uh—never mind!" He quickly splashed her with water, laughing, trying to play it off. "Point is, I'm fine! See?" He raised his arms, flexing like a showy child.
Selene pinched the bridge of her nose, utterly dumbfounded. "You are impossible…" But her eyes softened, her voice breaking faintly. "…and irreplaceable."
✦ Mending Threads
Once the bath was done, Selene gathered his bloodied garments with the intent to take them to the seamstresses. She held the ruined top delicately, frowning at the slashes torn through the fabric.
"…I'll have these mended right away—" she began.
But then she froze.
Before her eyes, the rents in the fabric shimmered, glowing faintly gold. The threads pulled together, knitting, weaving, closing the tears until the garment was whole again. The silk overlay smoothed, the hakama straightened, the golden sash restored to perfect form.
Selene's breath caught, violet eyes wide. "…They're repairing themselves?"
Asura, now tugging on his black wooden geta sandals, beamed like a child showing off a new toy. "Yup! Totally enchanted them myself. They've got, like… self-healing DLC now. Pretty sweet, huh?"
"D…L… what?" Selene stammered, still staring at the clothes as if they were alive.
Asura leaned back, hands behind his head, golden eyes gleaming with pride. "Don't worry about it. Just means I can fight all I want without running around half-naked."
Selene covered her face with her hand, half exasperated, half relieved. "One day, young master… one day, you are going to give me gray hair."
Asura only laughed, the sound echoing lightly against the obsidian walls.