Shadows That Watch the Sleeping
It had been the first time in Helheim's history that a child was born from two ruling demon clans.
The elders of Avaritia — shameless as ever — declared it a "historic blessing" and held a lavish celebration. Banners, chanting, ceremonial blood incense… all to pretend unity.
Evelyn Superbia saw straight through them.
But years passed, and life settled into routine.
Lucien — black hair brushing his shoulders, faint horns curling back behind his head, crimson eyes too perceptive for a boy — was raised as a noble. Etiquette. History. Strategy. Combat forms. Demon blood lore.
Every tutor who met him said the same thing:
"Brilliant. Promising. Dangerous potential."
Expectations rose.
And then came the talent evaluation.
Everything shattered.
Lucien's magic core had impurities. His strength lagged behind most demon children. And in a clan like Avaritia, weakness wasn't tolerated — it was erased.
Damion Avaritia never saw Lucien as a son.
He saw him as a stain.
So when the elders quietly discarded Lucien as a successor candidate…
Damion decided to remove the embarrassment personally.
His mistake?
He didn't know Evelyn slept beside her child every night.
The door opened without sound. A shadow crossed the floor. A hand reached forward.
And steel met wrist.
Evelyn's eyes — deep red, calm, furious — lifted to meet him.
They fought.
Two high-class demons matched in rank, clashing silently in the night. Claws flashed. Magic struck stone. Blood hissed against the sigils on the walls.
The elders rushed in — and of course, sided with Damion.
Evelyn carried Lucien in one arm and still fought them — refusing to yield even an inch.
She could have escaped.
Until one more presence appeared — ancient, cold, suffocating.
The Supreme Elder of Avaritia. Damion's father.
There was no path left.
So Evelyn did the unthinkable.
Space Rupture.
Reality split, screaming — and she vanished into the unknown with her son, ripping herself apart inside to do it.
She shook the memory away now.
It's over. We're alive.
After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, mother and son settled onto the makeshift bed within the abandoned shrine — its cracked statues watching silently over them. Rain whispered outside. Cold crept through the stones.
But warmth — shared between them — was enough to pull them into sleep.
Night deepened.
And Evelyn dreamed.
Darkness surrounded her. Endless, swallowing, heavy. At first, it felt peaceful. Then… something shifted. The air chilled. A presence watched.
Screeches echoed. Bloodshot eyes flickered open in the void.
Most would break.
Evelyn… smiled faintly.
"Even weaker, I am still a Mage King."
She raised her hand.
"Bright."
Silver light bloomed — cutting the darkness apart like shattered glass.
She gasped awake.
Cold sweat covered her. Breath ragged. Muscles tense. The air smelled like old rain and damp stone. Lucien stirred.
He turned the shrine lamps brighter immediately.
"Mom—are you okay? Are you sick?"
His voice shook slightly.
Inside Lucien's head, Isabella's voice yawned lazily.
Yaaawn… calm down. This isn't from the Celestial Rebirth Lotus Rune. Something tried to invade her dream. Nightmare-type entity. Annoying, but common.
Lucien frowned.
"Then why didn't it come after me?"
Because it hunts minds under strain. She's exhausted. You? Darkness affinity. Walking repellent. Just keep her close. Enjoy it, kid.
Lucien ignored the teasing.
He guided Evelyn back down gently.
She blinked, calming as she felt his hands steady her.
"Did I wake you, darling? It was just a dream, I—"
"Mom." His voice was firm. "You were attacked. Let me handle it."
Her gaze softened.
She sighed.
"They were Nightmare Dwellers… creatures born where fear festers. They rarely attack adults, but… I suppose I'm too worn out."
She tried to sit up.
"I will cast—"
"No." Lucien shook his head. "Your mind's exhausted. I have a better way."
He lay beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
Warmth. Silence. A steady, grounding darkness.
The creatures pressed against the edge of her dream again—
—and vanished.
Her muscles loosened involuntarily.
"Darling…?"
"My darkness keeps lesser creatures away. If I'm close, you're safe. We can talk in the morning."
Evelyn exhaled, finally allowing herself to rest.
"Well… I don't mind my darling staying close."
They slept.
This time, nothing came.
Dawn — muted by storm clouds — crept in hours later.
Evelyn woke rested for the first time in years.
She stretched — elegant, relaxed — and Lucien blinked sleepily awake.
"Good morning, Mom. Did you sleep better?"
She smiled.
"Of course. My darling guarded me."
A soft chime echoed.
Ding.
[A new skill has been unlocked due to a specific action.]
Lucien opened the Skill Web Chart.
Beast Buster Arts — Elemental Branch
Low Darkness Camouflage:
Cloaks user — and those touching them — in thin darkness. Invisible to most darkness-nature creatures.
Lucien smirked.
"That's useful."
While he read, Evelyn washed up and walked toward the shrine entrance. Rain still poured in sheets.
"Where did we even land…?"
Lucien remembered something — the night sky burning in his mind.
"Oh. I saw three moons."
Evelyn paused.
Three moons.
Her expression sharpened — thoughtful.
"If that's true… then we are no longer on Helheim Continent. This should be part of Samar Continent, under the broader world of Nirwana Planet."
Beast territory.
Unknown beasts. Unknown laws.
And nowhere near home.