In his chamber, the Demon King sat in contemplation, his presence as commanding as the shadows along the walls.
His desk was hewn from the heartwood of dark maple trees, their histories etched into the swirling grains of the wood.
It was a relic of power, surrounded by an array of mystic artifacts and scrolls.
Old parchment and the resinous scent of the wood filled the room.
Quiet reigned in the room, broken only by the occasional whisper of turning pages.
His fingers traced the contours of the desk, feeling the grooves and knots beneath his touch.
With a deliberate motion, he activated the computer, an incongruous beacon of modernity in the midst of antiquity.
The soft click of the mouse cut through the silence.
The voice message began to play, its digital clarity slicing through the room’s stillness.
---
"Good day, Father. This is Demitrix.
Currently, I am preparing for the yearly ritual for this planet’s weapon system.
However, I came upon one of your projects, it seems.
He’s very cute for a skeleton, but I noticed some glaring issues.
He had constant Reiesencia drain, which I believe is an incapability issue with the body and his unique soul.
I used the ’Eye of Semaris’ on him.
It looks like his ability to steal the souls of those he kills is the prime drain on his soul.
Causing him to pass out often (just a guess there)."
"I gave him some relaxer drugs that will slow the effect down, but once his body does eventually break, the skeleton body he has will crumble and risk shattering his soul, which is another issue."
"His gold color on his soul is easily going to draw attention from the Angelic race or even others, such as the Arcata from the Vale of Despair realm.
I noticed there is a seal hiding, masking his presence to others, but I will be sending him back down to the planet before the ceremony as I can’t get affiliated with the living population.
I will do what I can for him and his quest for the sword he seeks, but you should have really let me know he was coming. Regardless, love you, Dad, and I look forward to seeing you once I finish up my mission here, not too soon, though. xx"
--
Once the voice message ended, he thought, ’Her meeting him sat outside the plan. She’s lazy enough that her involvement sat outside every likely risk.’
He replayed the message once more, this time listening past Demitrix’s lazy drawl.
Constant Reiesencia drain.
Soul theft acting like a leak.
A body that could crumble before Ty understood what it was costing him.
Those were not small concerns. They were structural faults in the gamble he had made when he accepted Ty as a contract partner.
He thought for a moment before stating out loud, "Ty must have gotten himself involved somehow. I should really be observing his actions more, but my hands are fully tied here."
"Though, I’ll be able to review what he’s done when he gets back."
If he came back whole.
The Demon King hated the thought as soon as it formed.
He had not invested in Ty out of charity. He needed a moving piece that Erebos, the Angelics, and even the old powers would fail to predict.
But a useful piece that shattered too early was just another corpse in a kingdom full of them.
Standing up from his desk, he eventually walked into his throne room, where he originally met Ty. He peered over the massive door covered in skulls, stating aloud, "With the way things are going, you might be finished sooner than expected.
However, Erebos is still becoming a wildcard here, and the fact that Ty might be at risk is another huge issue."
"Maybe I should offer up some resources from one of the Twelve. The heroes and supporting heroes are all either preoccupied with orders from the Twelve or still coming to terms with their lives here."
I could send the--
A portal began to open in front of his doors, interrupting him. Slightly annoyed, he muttered, "Great, what now?"
To his surprise, the young lady from before appeared from the portal, wearing an odd set of clothes. The Demon King looked rather confused.
Forming a mass of pure Reiesencia in his right palm, he stated, "What are you doing here, and give me a reason I shouldn’t just turn you into an ash stain right now?"
"Mr. Demon King, Sir, I do not apologize for the random intrusion as I believe you should be dead, but I came here in secrecy about Ty," she said.
"This is also about that Vampire Erebos. He showed up in my private quarters, and I was wondering if he is here?"
"You are unwelcome here, Angelic Lady. Also, I have done nothing to you for you to harbor such a nasty grudge against me. You are but a child with no understanding of the workings behind this," he retorted.
"I know plenty about the suffering you have caused to others in the teaching, but I am here about Erebos. Is he here or not?!" she demanded.
"He is not. He has gone rogue lately, and I am unaware of his current objective. But it’s a moot point altogether, as I can’t be overly bothered with it," he replied dismissively.
"If that’s all you wanted, be gone and out of my sight before I create more problems for the Angelics to clean up."
Holding her hand over her chest, sweat beginning to drip from her forehead, she yelled out, "I don’t care if you kill me, but Ty deserves better than suffering and dying! If what Erebos told me is true, he will end up dying on that planet."
The Demon King, a bit perplexed, stated, "How does Erebos know where Ty is right now?"
Kieran, taken aback, her left foot drawing an inch away, replied, "I don’t know, really, but I assumed he would be here, and I might find out where he is exactly."