Somewhere else, Nyx was putting his armor on, and he carried a long black sword gleaming in the light.
Unaware of the betrayal from his closest relative, he heard footsteps coming behind the door.
He lifted the sword; Soren's face became surprised upon seeing a blade across his neck. He raised his hands. "Brother!"
Nyx revealed a stern smile. "Brother, what are you doing here?"
Soren had a strange look in his gaze. Then he smiled. "I heard that the grandmaster was here, so I came here as soon as I could."
Nyx nodded. "I will be fine. I want to go to my wife and son and protect them. They're my weakness, and the righteous cultivations might try to take advantage of that."
Nyx turned around, gathering his hair up. His brow furrowed when he felt a sharp pain in his side; he turned around, caught off guard.
Siren had an expression he had never seen before. Cold. Ambition. Hatred.
It was like staring at a different person.
Nyx twisted around and moved away; the blade stuck in his side pulled out, and Nyx gritted his teeth, holding his sides.
"W—What are you doing?!"
Siren revealed a cruel smile. "Brother, you have no idea how long I hated you. You have everything I wanted."
His eyes filled with malice. Then he smiled softly, "Don't worry, brother. I'll send you to the underworld with your wife and child."
Nyx finally revealed a panicked expression. "What are you talking about?"
His face filled with shock and betrayal. His only family betrayed him. He knew that families and friends betrayed each other; it happens in a brutal world like theirs.
He thought that Soren was different. They have been closed for as long as he can remember. They always stood by each other's side, protected each other, and grew up with each other under their abusive father's hands.
Nyx finally revealed a bloodthirsty gaze. "What's the meaning of this?"
Siren replied. "It's true, I betrayed you. It's exactly what it looks like. I just killed your wife and son. You might as well join them and give me your throne, which should have been mine a long time ago. You are far too soft and weak."
Soren tilted his head, his gaze fully maniacal. "Not just that, the blade was poisoned, very poisonous to demons, and you will have about an hour left."
Nyx struck out his blade toward Soren, who dodged swiftly like a storm, and then he moved to the side. He looked out the window when he heard sounds of horses.
A faint smile curled on his lips.
When Nyx saw that smile, he had a bad feeling. He narrowed his eyes. "Do you have something to do with them?"
Siren turned back to him, "Hmm. Since you are about to die, I might as well tell you. Yes, I made a deal with the grandmaster. He and I have been wanting to get rid of you for a long time."
Nyx stared numbly at his brother. His heart breaking, he never knew that his brother hated him this much.
How did he not see this? His brother always looked supportive and kind despite living in the demon world.
Without a warning, Nyx revealed a cold smile, sending a chill down Soren's spine.
Nyx spoke calmly, "Brother, I'm not a demon king for no reason. You should have killed me when you had a chance."
Siren narrowed his eyes, then a hint of shock appeared in his gaze. A small spike invisible to the human eye struck Soren's sides so deep that Soren fell to the ground.
Soren's face turned twisted savagely. "W—What is this?"
Nyx grinned, "Just a friendly weapon created by me. It's painful, isn't it?"
Nyx continued, "I just made it recently, so I haven't used it yet."
Nyx no longer paid attention to his brother and disappeared from his spot. He used his abilities to locate his wife and son.
When he appeared, he knew that his wife was dead by looking at her chest. There was no movement. None at all.
His son, Sonny, covered in blood, was shaking his wife, crying miserably with tears falling down his cheeks.
He ran to his son despite the pain radiating from his side. He whispered hoarsely, "S—Sonny."
Sonny turned upon hearing his father's voice. When he saw his father, he cried out, "Father! Mother is hurt! You need to help her!"
He couldn't accept that his mother was dead. He just couldn't accept it. If he accepts that his mother is dead, he will never see or hear her sweet voice. Hearing her telling him stories. Cooking delicious food for him.
Why did this happen?!
Nyx knew he needed to be strong for his son if he wanted his boy to survive. He grabbed his son's shoulder. "Snap out of it! She's gone!"
His harsh voice caught Sonny off guard. Sonny always knew his father was a stern man, but he had never used a harsh voice on him before.
He couldn't stop crying.
Nyx wanted to hug him, but he didn't have enough time. He can hear the righteous cultivators breaking into the house, and every instinct is telling him that something is going to happen. And he can tell he won't survive.
Since his brother poisoned him, he had recognized the poison, and he had no clue how his brother had it, but it's one of the rarest poisons.
When he heard the cultivator's footsteps, his red eyes narrowed, and he looked at his son. He had an idea forming in his mind. It might just work.
He grabbed his son's hands and dragged him down the hall to the servant's quarters.
Sonny couldn't resist his father's strangers. "F—Father! We can't leave Mother. Where are we going?!"
Nyx turned to his son, "My boy. Stop crying; she's gone, and I'm going to make you survive no matter what."
His gaze and tone were steady, despite losing his beloved wife. Once he reached the servant's quarters, he pushed the door open without warning.
The servant, the human, woke up sharply from the bed. When he saw the demon king. His face was paler, and he stumbled to the floor. He asked, "M…My king. How can I—I serve you?"
The demon king bored his heavy gaze on the man, sharp and piercing. He knew he had no choice but to rely on the human.
The man felt a chill down his spine.
The demon king spoke calmly. "Human, get up. I have something for you to do."
The human nodded his head like a chicken, "Y…Yes. Anything…"
The human felt his heart racing when he saw the boy. He knew it was the demon king's beloved child. He had seen the demon child in the day by his mother's side.
The demon king pushed the boy to his side. "I want you to pretend this boy is your little brother, and if you keep him safe, I'll reward you greatly."
The human felt dizzy. How can he keep the demon child safe? Impossible! He's just an ordinary human with no powers.
The demon king's eyes narrowed dangerously, and then the human nodded. "Yes, I'll k—keep him safe…"
The demon king smiled. He turned to his son, "My boy. Remember this: you are my son, and you'll see many things in this world, and never forget that I and your mother love you."
Sonny felt tears burning his eyes again, and he grabbed his father's hands. He can sense something wrong, like this was a final goodbye. "Father! What are you saying?"
The demon king pulled his hands away, then Sonny began to shriek, fear growing in his heart.
The demon king looked sorrowfully at his son and knocked him out. He carefully put him on the bed.
He turned to the human servant and narrowed his eyes. "Do you have some clothes with you?"
The human stared speechlessly at who knocked out his son, and when he heard the demon king's question, he nodded his head rapidly. "Yes…"
The demon king wasn't worried about the servant betraying him. After all, all the humans who served him in his sect carried a secret curse on their bodies. If they ever betrayed him, they would experience their bones being shattered, one by one, an experience worse than death.
The human went to the closet and grabbed one of the smallest clothes that would fit the boy. The demon king grabbed it from him with a smile and removed his son's clothes. The cultivators outside would have been suspicious if they had seen a young boy dressed in silk robes, so he might as well wear servant's clothes.
If he's going to die by their hands, he wants to make sure his son survives. The righteous cultivator despises demons and hunts them down for a living.
He was satisfied when he saw his son changed into the poorer quality clothes, and he messed up the boy's hair on purpose.
One last thing he needs to do—seal his son's powers so the cultivators won't be able to detect it.