Upon entering the Demon King’s throne room, Ty immediately noticed that the giant crater, which had been a result of his fall, had been slightly patched up.
However, upon closer inspection, it became evident that the area had recently been destroyed.
To Ty’s shock, the three men kneeling in front of the Demon King seemed unaware of Ty and Todd’s arrival.
"SHH!"
Todd gestured to the kids, making a shushing sound, signaling for them to stay quiet.
"W-What’s going on?" Ty whispered, his words almost swallowed by the Demon King’s thunderous voice that resounded through the hall. "State your crimes!"
The first man on the right side rose to his feet with a sense of confidence, despite the chains wrapped around his arms and a large scar marred his face, hinting at his turbulent past.
"I have committed no crimes. I merely seek retribution for the horrors inflicted upon me and my people," he declared, his voice steady.
"Even in death, I harbor no regrets. I did all that was within my power," he continued, his stance unwavering.
The Demon King’s booming command sent a shiver down Ty’s spine. His voice echoed ominously throughout the room.
"Step forward!" the Demon King bellowed, the intensity of his command reverberating through the hall, causing Ty’s bones to tremble slightly due to its sheer force.
"CLINKK"
Tension tightened through the hall as the man stepped forward, his chains clinking against the stone floor.
Ty observed this with anticipation, his skeletal fingers twitching slightly while Todd, who stood beside him shooed the kids back to their cleaning tasks.
The children obeyed faster than Ty expected. Their earlier excitement vanished the moment the first chain scraped the floor, and even Todd lowered his voice as if the room itself demanded it.
Ty understood then that this was not some royal performance. This was work the Demon King handled every day, and everyone in the hall knew better than to interrupt it.
Todd’s words, hushed yet clear, floated to his ear, "Have you not seen him do this before?"
"He spends like half the day, if not the entire day, doing this stuff," Todd whispered further, his breath warm against the cool air of the hall.
"No, I was barely here. Things kind of happened really quickly," Ty responded, his voice carrying a trace of reminiscence.
"BAMMM"
Their conversation was abruptly cut off by a loud bang that reverberated through the stone walls, which slightly rattled Ty’s bones.
It was followed by a hum of light that emitted from the man’s feet, encircling him in a stream of light which danced and flickered, casting pale shadows around the room.
It reflected the man’s life before them, the light painting vivid pictures in the gloomy hall.
Moments later, it displayed him stabbing and killing people while blood spread across the vision.
Meanwhile, in the scene, the man held those who were close to him dearly as they took their last breath, their fading heartbeats echoing through time.
Other moments displayed the scene where he was stabbed in the back, the cold steel piercing through as he watched his loved ones get killed before a bullet was put in his head followed by the bang of the gunshot that resonated in the silence.
Further moments continued to display the scene after he had recovered and enacted his revenge, showing the fiery rage that burned in his eyes as he toppled a kingdom before succumbing to his wounds, his breaths growing shallow and finally losing his life.
As the shining lights faded away, a solemn silence hung in the room, the weight of the man’s past settling heavy on every heart present.
The Demon King paused, his eyes far away as he reflected on what he had just witnessed.
Then a cold green glow emitted from the floor beneath the man’s feet, and in a whisper of ether, he disappeared, leaving emptiness in his wake.
__
As the first man’s ordeal ended, everyone’s attention shifted to the next in line. This person displayed a cold calmness, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
The Demon King’s command reverberated once again as he demanded, "State your crimes."
A silence followed, but soon, it was broken by a hum of light which engulfed the man, mirroring his life for all to witness.
The scenes illuminated by the light portrayed sinister acts, revealing a man of high standing, basking in the cries of the tormented.
He was a mastermind behind orchestrating numerous treacherous schemes and his hands were stained with the blood of numerous innocents.
Yet amidst the horror, there emerged glimpses of a little girl, presumably his daughter, whom he cared for deeply. It showcased a twisted love within a heart of darkness.
The narrative of light shifted to the third and the last man, a frail figure with eyes carrying a spark of defiance.
"Let me see."
Upon the Demon King’s command, the light enveloped him, unraveling his tale. He was a sorcerer of dark arts, his existence a curse upon the land he dwelled in.
His life was a storm of vengeance and cruelty, yet within it sat a fleeting glimpse of remorse and a yearning for redemption that never came.
As the lights telling their stories dimmed, a menacing red glow took over the usual green.
A red hush settled over the hall.
With a stern face, the Demon King raised his arm towards the two men. What followed was a scene of sheer terror.
Their flesh began to twist and rip apart from their bones under an unseen force.
"KKKK"
"SSS"
The gruesome sound of flesh being torn apart echoed through the stone halls like a chilling tune of fate.
The agonized screams of the two men filled the hall, their cries resonating through the cold air, but it was of no avail.
Blood splattered onto the floor, showing the cost of evil. Terror filled their faces as flesh tore and their bodies convulsed.
The horrifying act finally ended.
Two soul orbs remained, quivering in the cold air of the throne room. The silence after the judgment was broken only by their soft hum.
Ty stared at the orbs longer than he meant to. They looked too small to hold a whole life, too fragile to be the end result of all that screaming, blood, regret, and memory.
The thought made his fingers curl against his palm. If a soul could be reduced to that, then the things Erebos had stolen from him felt even heavier.
The Demon King extended his arm, guiding the orbs towards a massive door adorned with grotesque skulls, something that Ty had partially seen during his initial arrival.
As the orbs melded into the door, a shiver of dark energy coursed through the hall. The door absorbed them, and its heavy aura intensified as the skulls along it appeared to grin wider.
Ty felt a cold shiver run down his spine, realizing the reality of the Demon King’s power and the grim fate of the damned souls.
The cold silence that followed made the judgment feel even more merciless. Todd’s face however, remained rather nonchalant as he remarked, "You will get used to it."
"It’s kind of nice cause they probably deserved it for the actions they did and those who pass are given the choice to stay here or to be born again.
From what I’ve seen so far I wonder why there is such a negative connotation associated with the Demon King," Todd shrugged.