Zayn and I slipped out of the collapsing Demon King's castle and vanished deep into the earth—into the hidden sanctuary where I had lived my entire life: a village of Eternal Night.
Carved into the ridges of the world, black structures clung to the cavern walls like stacked citadels, layered level above level, connected by suspended bridges that formed a glowing cobweb pattern in the air. The pathways shone faintly with runic light, guiding the lurkers of the clan.
No men could imagine such a place, as big as a large village, existed beneath the Demon Continent. Even most of the highest ranked demons had no idea of its existence.
The cold bit at our skin as the zephyr snaked through the cavern ridges which I barely felt. Shadows like me thrived in this environment. Zayn, however, shivered behind me.
Eventually, we saw the jellyfish-like creatures which was the only source of light floating gracefully overhead, illuminating the darkness with their soft glow. One drifted in front of me, its light reflecting off our blue and crimson eyes.
Soon, we arrived in the center which was an obsidian castle built for the leader of the Shadow Legion.
In the throne room.
"How did it go, my Lord?"
A beautiful woman, Melissa, greeted me with her usual poised smile, kneeling with the others behind her. She has dark hair like a waterfall, flawless skin, and eyes that hid too much behind their gentleness. My most powerful aide.
"It was successful," I replied, expressionless.
Behind me, Zayn stiffened in surprise. Not only was he caught off guard by the scary looking women who all looked like humans in the hall, he could not believe what he had heard.
'Successful my ass!' he thought to himself. 'You really came just to steal our treasure! Now the Demon Race has fallen and demons will be hunted everywhere!'
I grabbed his coat and put him forward.
"Let me introduce someone. This is Zayn—the youngest and seventh son of Valier's heirs. He'll accompany me to the surface."
Melissa's eyes softened with understanding and sadness. But at the same time, disbelief. He knew his master too well to know and found it weird he had chosen a kid to accompany him, even if it was a demon prince. But there were more important matters.
"So… how long will you stay above? Will you visit us?" she asked quietly, hesitantly, seemingly about to kneel and cry. Some women on the room acted the same.
I paused. I had removed the ring on my finger, and like I expected, I felt nothing at the sight of her and everyone showing tightened expressions.
"I've already decided. I've told you all before."
With my crimson eyes, I looked each of them in the eye.
"I am retiring. The Shadow Legion is no longer needed. The Demon King is dead; a new era begins. Our clan's oath to the demon throne ends today. Until a new demon king emerges, the Shadow Legion is disbanded."
Their faces froze, expressions tightening.
I continued. "You are free. Live your own lives. Do not follow me. From this day, I am no longer your Lord."
A silence heavier than stone filled the room. No one cried, but their throats tightened. They had expected this—yet hearing it still hurt. I produced twelve identical silver rings and placed them in Melissa's hands.
"These rings will hide your demonic energy. Use them to survive. With these, you could go anywhere. This is my final gift."
I glanced at the child with me. He was in his demon form and his mana had dwindled so much he looked exhausted and pale from copying the artifacts on the way. But still, he managed a weak smile. Twelve was his limit—impressive since the ring was more than the worth of mere high-grade magic items.
With nothing more to say, I turned my back, leaving my subordinates.
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A week later, we arrived in the Human Realm.
It was not a pleasant sight.
The scars of war were still fresh. Just like in the Demon Realm, ruined villages dotted the land, and humans and demons clashed in scattered conflicts.
Still, a smile bloomed across my face as an unfamiliar sensation coursed through my body.
We were far from the chaos of the Demon Realm now.
Passing through a stone statue outside of a ruined village, I knelt and touched the grass, the stones, the bark of trees.
'It's been a long time.'
We didn't stop by and walked further deep.
A day later, we looked from a high ridge overlooking green mountains which rose in layered waves before us, their peaks reaching the clouds on the white blue sky.
"~~~" – the wind was whistling.
The wind carried scents I had almost forgotten—pine, stone, distant water. From here, the entire northern horizon stretched out—rolling green fields, mountain silhouettes in the far distance, and a sky so blue and beautiful I could spend everyday looking at.
Zayn shielded his eyes, squinting. "They're… endless," he said softly.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months.
We walked through valleys where some villages once stood. Or what remained of them.
Then we came upon a fort.
It was no longer livable.
A few numbers of demons, dwarves, and humans lived there together—starving, wounded, waiting to die, and some even killing each other. There was no ruling power. Only the abandoned.
They lived in collapsed wooden and stone frames jutted from the earth like broken ribs. Stone foundations that were blackened by fire. Wells had dried, roofs had caved in, and old tools lay half-buried in weeds. No voices lingered—only silence and the faint stench of death long since settled into the soil.
Zayn slowed whenever we passed such places.
"Did demons do this?" he murmured once, kneeling to touch a cracked doorstep.
"War did." I answered.
He didn't ask more.
"This was once a strategic fort," I added. "It fell a year ago when Valier himself appeared and killed four of the strongest human mages."
After that, we never saw people.
Only monsters.
Mutated wolves, goblins, deer, mountain cats, hounds—each twisted with too many eyes and iron-like spines—which usually attacked without warning.
A hound leapt from the brush, razor teeth snapping. Zayn stumbled and fell.
I didn't break stride.
My shadow stretched, peeling from the ground like liquid night. Blades of darkness shot forward, pinning the creature midair. It died silently before it could hit the dirt.
Zayn stared, swallowed as he was stunned, but over time, he became used to it.
Later came strong humans. No, it was demons who had possessed humans who seemed to be former soldiers.
Later came stronger foes—demons possessing human corpses, likely former soldiers. They laughed hysterically when they saw us, charging like madmen.
To them, we were probably just unarmed human travelers.
I caressed the ring on my finger. Even now I am impressed, as not a trace of mana could be sensed.
Zayn moved backwards.
"They must be maddened by hunger—unlucky creatures," I guessed, as shadows crawled at my feet. Sharp, shadow-forged spikes erupted and pierced them, one after another, leaving their bodies lifeless before my eyes.
One was stronger than the rest. It tore itself free and lunged straight for my head. But as long as shadows existed, her fate was sealed.
Darkness surged around her, wrapping her like a shroud. When it finally unraveled, she was already dead—her body collapsing to the ground as blood pooled beneath it. Before my shadows, even screams were silenced.
To Zayn, it must have looked effortless—almost cruel. To me, it was simply habit.
I glanced at him. From the moment we met until now, he was still clearly afraid of me. And yet, he often initiated brief conversations, even smiled and laughed a lot.
We eventually reached a wide lake, its surface mirroring the trees along its edge. Above us, countless stars spilled across the sky, painting a breathtaking tableau that shimmered in the water below.
We moved on in silence. When we stopped to drink, I watched the lake reflect the heavens, the ripples bending starlight into fleeting patterns.
Not long after—perhaps two months into our journey—we finally found signs of humans again.
We looked at a long zigzag dirt path wounding through a forest, skirting a high cliff and leading toward another mountain.
Then we heard it—the creak of carriage wheels, the murmur of voices and people.
We exchanged a glance and smiled.
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