The Demon King
A being that should have never existed.The king of a continent even the gods had abandoned.
Nézraeth.The cursed land of demons.A place where even the sun refuses to rise.It was from there that everything began to collapse.
And now…He stands before me.Alone. Untouched.As if he never even had to fight.
But that's not what chills my blood.It's not his power.Not even the corpses of my comrades strewn across the battlefield.No… it's what he is.
He has no face.No skin.No defined form.Just a presence.A living nightmare made of shifting shadows and suffocating silence.
His body is an abyss.A tangible void, oozing something my mind refuses to name.He's like a scar on reality.An entity the universe itself is trying to reject.
Every time I look at him,my vision blurs.My heart stops.My memory fades.My mind begs me to look away.As if just perceiving him condemns me to madness.
He doesn't speak.He doesn't move.He doesn't need to.
He simply is.
And yet… we were hundreds.Heroes. Prodigies.Sacred warriors from every nation, of every race.For the first time in centuries, the world had united.An alliance of humans, elves, dwarves, giants…All gathered for one purpose:
To stop the Demon King.
But all of it…All that courage, all that resolve…Meant nothing.
Me?I'm the last one still standing.
Kael(trembling, gasping, the sole survivor) —Why… why didn't you kill me…?
(The Demon King remains silent. The air thickens around him. Then, he speaks. His voice is… unnatural. Like an echo from a bottomless pit.)
Demon King — You carry… my blood.
Kael(shocked) — What…? What are you talking about…?
Demon King — You're not like the others.— Your aura… your system… It's not human.(He slowly steps forward. The ground cracks silently under his feet.)
Demon King(curious, almost thoughtful) —How can someone born among mortals… possess this?
Kael(screaming, backing away) — I… I'm human! I have nothing to do with you!
Demon King(calm, unshakable) — You don't know what you are.— Your power is sealed.— But that power… that core…
(He extends a hand toward Kael, palm open.)
Demon King —You were born with a system. Like me.— An anomaly… like me.
Kael(on his knees, panicking) —No… no, that's impossible…
Demon King(touching his own chest, over his heart) —Awaken.
(Instantly, a supernatural light bursts from Kael's chest.Memories not his own flood his mind — visions of a power he never knew how to control.His body trembles. His system activates. And then…)
Everything collapses.
I fall.
Or maybe I'm drowning.
There's no ground beneath my feet.No sky above.Just this void.
My body is torn apart.My mind unravels.Something is burning me from the inside.
…This power.Was it always in me?
A voice whispers.The system's voice.An interface I'd never seen before today.
[Unique System detected.][Unknown lineage confirmed.][Anomaly recognized.][Core restoration in progress…]
My memories come back.Not someone else's.Mine.Fragments of my life…
— What… is this…?
Then, everything becomes light.
Silence.
Then...
A gentle light filters through the curtains.A warm breeze brushes my face.The scent… of jasmine?
My eyelids slowly open.
A familiar ceiling.Clean sheets.A bed too comfortable to be real.
— …What…?
I sit up suddenly, gasping.My fingers tremble as they clutch the sheets.My heart is racing. Way too fast.
I look around the room.It's my room.In the Thundrael manor.The black wood furniture. The golden curtains. The old wardrobe. The cracked mirror in the corner.
Everything is exactly… as it was.
Too exactly.
— Am I… dead?
The door opens softly.
A silhouette steps in.
A young woman in a maid's uniform, carrying a tray with warm bread and a steaming cup.
Her brown hair tied up hastily, her eyes soft yet alert.
— Good morning, young master Kael. You overslept again.Your father will scold you if you're late for training.
She smiles.A genuine smile. Gentle… alive.
My heart stops.My lips barely move.
— …Siria?
She tilts her head, surprised.
— Well, who else would it be?
I can't speak.I can't breathe.
Siria.The one I saw get gutted in front of me years ago — for me.No… Not in this world.
— No… it's impossible. You were… you are…
— I'm what, young master?
I leap out of bed.I throw the curtains wide open.
The sky is blue.Birds fly above the garden.Servants bustle in the courtyard.
It's alive.It's real.
But it can't be.
I stumble.Siria rushes over.
— Kael! Careful! Are you ill?
I push away, almost in panic.My breathing erratic. My mind in chaos.
— This isn't real…— This can't be real…
— …Master Kael?
I stare at her. For a long time.As if she might suddenly turn into a corpse again.
She doesn't understand.Of course she doesn't.
— Did I… come back?
My hand rests on my chest.My heart beats.My aura… unstable.Something pulses deep inside.Like a core that's just awakened.
…This isn't a dream.
I'm alive.
Back before the fall.Before the war.Before everything collapsed.
Kael collapsed back onto his bed, breathless.
Siria had just left the room, worried.He had lied. Pretended. Smiled. Reassured.
But inside…it was chaos.
Something was vibrating inside him.No — living inside him.
A pulse.Slow. Deep.Like a second heart.
Then…
[SYSTEM: ACTIVATION IN PROGRESS]…Analyzing host: Anomaly detected. Compatible profile.Original Core partially sealed — access at 4%…Loading initial status…
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Name: Kael ThundraelRace: ???Current Class: Elemental SwordsmanLevel: 9Awakening Status: InitialElemental Affinity: LightningAlignment: UnknownAge: 16Height: 1.78mWeight: 72kgPlace of Origin: Lumen Empire — Thundrael ManorNoble Status: Minor Heir of a Ducal House
[Base Attributes]
Raw Strength: 22 (Rank D-)
Agility: 157 (Rank A+)
Endurance: 28 (Rank D-)
Reflexes: 144 (Rank A+)
Vitality: 34 (Rank D-)
Total Mana: 111 (Rank B+)
Mana Control: 77 (Rank B−)
Mana Recovery: 42 (Rank D)
Magic Perception: 31 (Rank D−)
Raw Aura: 0 (Not awakened)
Intelligence: 36 (Rank D−)
Willpower: 44 (Rank D)
Survival Instinct: 70 (Rank B−)
Magic Resistance: 27 (Rank D−)
Charisma: 85 (Rank B)
Luck: 44 (Rank D+)
[Skills and Masteries]
Sword Mastery: Rank C — Solid base, fast and fluid
Mana Channeling: Rank B− — Allows efficient weapon infusion
Lightning Affinity: Rank S — Perfect sync, partial immunity
Stance: Light Swordsman: Rank C+ — Specialized in mobility
Reflexive Evasion: Rank C+ — Instinctive reaction in battle
[Unique Trait & Active Passive]
[Conduction Body — Thundrael]The host's body is a living conduit for lightning energy.→ Natural electricity immunity→ Nerve signals transmit 5× faster→ Brain processes info at accelerated speed during combat
[Electrocellular Overload]Temporarily boosts agility, perception, and reflexes at the cost of endurance
[Secret Style – Thunderblade: Absolute Velocity]Inherited technique based on rapid assassinations, lightning-fast combos, and invisible cuts→ The faster Kael is compared to the opponent, the greater the raw damage dealt
[Host's Global Rating]
Current Level: 9Estimated Rank: Base AwakeningSystem Evaluation:↳ High-level genius (Potential unmeasurable)
Threat Level: Medium (Unidentified anomaly present)System Compatibility: 91% — Stability rising
Overall Status:↳ Abnormal profile↳ Latent traits detected (unable to analyze)↳ Exceptional technical skill and mana reservoir for age↳ Special Classification: Latent SSS Potential — Locked
Kael trembles.
His eyes never leave the screen.
— This… is me?
He raises his hand, touches the interface softly.
— I've never… seen this before.
Then, a new message appears:
[System Quest – Priority]
Would you like to accept the following mission?
Objective: Enroll in the Central AcademyTime Limit: 90 DaysFailure or Refusal: Immediate death of the hostReward: None (mandatory step for survival and evolution)
Accept Refuse