"Kill him."
The whisper coiled inside Vaelis' mind, as it always had. Old and hungry.
The chains pulled at him as Elder Kwan gripped him roughly. "I said move!" he barked, marching forward without noticing the fire blazing in the boy's red eyes.
Vaelis did not move. He never did. Not until the voice was quiet. Not until he could steady himself.
Elder Kwan muttered an old chant under his breath, words Vaelis had memorized by heart—the Holies of Holies, as Elder Kia had taught him. Whenever the voice inside him grew loud, whenever the dark urge threatened to consume him, this chant was the only thing that kept him tethered to restraint, the only thing stopping the devil in his mind from breaking free.
He was dragged forward, falling weakly under the weight of chains that had bound him since childhood. He had never walked of his own will. He had never stood. Only fallen and been lifted, dragged and commanded.
Elder Kia's hands rested lightly on the edge of the barrier that separated him from the court outside, though his heart ached. He had spent years teaching Vaelis, begging the king to show mercy, praying that the child could survive. And yet… each bruise, each scar, each cruel strike from the Heavenly Chants had built this boy into something fragile, yet terrifying.
Elder Kwan was assigned to accompanied Vaelis as he was taken from the kingdom of Aethrune, flanked by armored guards. The journey was long and punishing, six days across harsh plains and crumbling roads. Each stop for water or food went ignored for him. The boy, chained and beaten, received nothing.
"Aren't you the devil? Get yourself some food, then," Elder Kwan had mocked once, his tone sharp with amusement. Vaelis said nothing. He never did.
Perhaps, for the first time in his life, he allowed himself to wonder what awaited him in this new kingdom. Perhaps here he would find respite. Perhaps the chains would loosen. Perhaps the world would finally see what he was—or what he was not.
Velthryn appeared on the sixth day. The kingdom rose before them like a living fortress. Towers of black stone pierced the sky, their tips jagged as if designed to pierce clouds. Gardens of strange, luminescent flora clung to the walls, glowing faintly against the dark stone. Even in its beauty, there was horror—a sense of power too vast for any mortal to touch.
This was a kingdom at the peak of aura. It was said that Velthryn alone could tame beasts that no other realm dared approach, and the air itself pulsed with a strange, dangerous energy. Even the guards faltered as they crossed the threshold into the royal courtyard.
They entered the palace, massive and severe, every corner bristling with the aura of authority. Elder Kwan bowed deeply as they approached the throne.
"My king," he said, voice low, "we have brought the boy."
King Rhaekor II sat high on his throne, eyes cold and unblinking. A man of legend. A conqueror who had bound beasts thought uncontrollable, who had ruled with terror. If ruthlessness had a face, it would be his. He did not rise. He did not speak. He only watched.
"The boy," he said finally, and the guards immediately moved to bring Vaelis forward.
Two men dragged him, one on either side, his head bent low, the chains clanking with every step. King Rhaekor examined him like a jeweler inspecting a gem.
"This is the Devil's reincarnation?" he asked at last.
"Yes, my king," Elder Kwan said, bowing.
King Rhaekor's gaze lingered on Vaelis. "Why do you ask?" Elder Kwan inquired, though the answer was plain.
"We expected a devil, not a joke," a general muttered. Another general laughed outright, and the sound echoed off the stone walls.
"I…" Elder Kwan began, but he was cut off.
"Daddy!" a voice screamed from the doors.
All heads turned. The court immediately bent in deference as a young lady swept in, her presence commanding, her tone sharp. She was Nyxara, youngest daughter of the king. Spoiled, fearless, and utterly ruthless. The king's pride in her was clear; he would have torn down nations to grant her whim.
"Daddy!" she shouted again. "You won't believe what just happened!"
The king's stern features softened instantly. The hard lines of power melted into warmth, a smile breaking across his face. "What is it, my dear?" he asked, genuinely pleased.
Nyxara began to speak but froze as her gaze fell on the man in chains.
"What is that?" Her voice carried disgust as she stepped closer, inspecting him.
"Oh, let me guess," she said, hopping lightly onto the arm of her father's throne. "A new animal?"
The king shook his head.
"Okay, okay, then a demon?" she tried again, bright curiosity and amusement mixing in her tone.
Again, the king shook his head.
"Then what?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"The Devil Lord," Elder Kwan supplied, but the words seemed to amuse her far more than they should.
Nyxara burst into laughter. "This…" She pointed at Vaelis. "…this is the Devil Lord?" She gestured wildly at the small, thin figure chained at their feet. "This ugly creature? Even the hounds of the Deep Abyss look fiercer! He looks like he would cry any moment now!"
The entire court erupted into laughter—generals, guards, and even Elder Kwan found themselves shaking with amusement.
Nyxara moved closer to Vaelis. Her eyes glinted with cruelty masked as curiosity.
"And why is he so dirty and smelling?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Hey," she commanded suddenly. "Look at me!"
Vaelis did not move. His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
"Look at me!" she ordered again, and with a flick of her wrist, she grabbed his long hair, yanking it back. Vaelis winced. Pain was familiar. Obedience was not.
"So, you are the Devil Lord…" she said slowly, mockingly. "Prove it. Show me something. Fangs, claws… just anything."
Vaelis did nothing.
Her voice sharpened. "I'm running out of patience."
"Papa!" she screamed again. Her father looked at Elder Kwan for a signal.
Kwan leaned close to Vaelis and whispered, sharp and urgent: "Do something, devil. Do not humiliate me."
But Vaelis did not move. Not a muscle. Not a glance. His head remained bent.
"He just disobeyed an order from the king!" Nyxara declared, pointing at him with a bright, dangerous smile.
"To teach him a lesson," she said suddenly, turning to the gathered court, "we will send him to the Oblivion Chasm."
Gasps filled the room. The name alone chilled the court. The Oblivion Chasm was forbidden. No mortal with skin intact could survive its depths. It was closed for centuries, a place whispered about in fear.
"Any objections?" Nyxara asked, her tone leaving no room for discussion.
The generals looked at King Rhaekor. Even they knew the punishment was extreme.
"No," the generals answered in unison, though their faces were pale.
"Then it is settled," Nyxara said, her smile bright, ruthless, and utterly satisfying. All the while, Vaelis remained motionless, chained and silent, his red eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his long hair.
And in the quiet that followed, the voice whispered once again, deep inside him:
Kill them all.