A soft breeze trailed them as the sun climbed steadily over the jagged peaks of the Demon Realm, its light filtered through low-hanging mist. It painted the world in shades of gray and gold, warming the black stone beneath their feet as Li Yun, flanked by Velmira and Xyris, walked in silence.
Every step was measured. Intentional.
Not because he wanted to seem regal—but because he had no idea where he was going, and he didn't dare let that show.
The palace paths wound like a maze through terraces of carved obsidian and enchanted glass. Strange trees with crystal-petaled leaves grew along the edges, glimmering in the light. The occasional wisp of spirit-flame flickered past, vanishing before he could get a good look. It all shimmered with the kind of surreal beauty that made Li Yun question if it had ever existed in his outline. It hadn't.
Everything here breathed a strange life of its own.
He didn't write this.
Yet here it was.
The path beneath their feet shifted in subtle patterns—runes, maybe—etched into the stone. He didn't dare ask. He didn't want to break the illusion that he knew what he was doing. Or worse, trigger some forgotten magical trap with a casual misstep.
Beside him, Velmira walked at a leisurely pace, arms crossed beneath her chest. She looked like she belonged here. No—like she ruled here. Her gown swished lightly as she moved, the slit along her thigh catching more sunlight than was probably appropriate. Her heels clicked faintly, but even that sounded regal somehow.
She hummed under her breath, something melodic and faintly mischievous.
"You've changed your stride," she said idly, not looking at him. "Less... theatrical. More cautious."
Li Yun gave her a sidelong glance. "Would you prefer I float dramatically down the stairs like a villain in a romance play?"
Velmira's smirk deepened. "I wouldn't mind. The cape swirl, the glowering, the thunder rolling overhead—very nostalgic."
"I'll keep it in mind," he muttered.
Xyris exhaled quietly from his other side. Whether it was a sigh of disapproval or patience, he couldn't quite tell.
"This way," she said simply, veering slightly to the left with the sure steps of someone who had patrolled this path a thousand times.
As they followed, Li Yun took in more of the palace. The architecture was more cathedral than fortress—sharp, elegant, and overwhelming. The air buzzed with latent magic, as though the walls themselves remembered the weight of ancient power. Statues lined the corridors, each one of a demon clad in armor or robes, their expressions ranging from serene to wrathful. Some were terrifying. Some were beautiful.
Some… were familiar.
He frowned at one.
"Who's that?" he asked, pointing to a statue of a woman with six eyes and long, flowing hair shaped like wings.
Velmira tilted her head. "Lady Vael. Your former high priestess."
"Right," he said quickly. "Of course."
He had never written her.
The path opened into a raised overlook—an open pavilion draped with flowering vines and bathed in morning light. Birds with feathers like polished obsidian flitted between the archways. A low hum of life drifted from below.
From here, the Demon Realm stretched far and wide. Volcanic cliffs and endless canyons etched the land, veiled partially in drifting clouds. Red rivers shimmered in the distance. It should've felt terrifying. Like a kingdom forged in nightmares.
But in the morning quiet, it looked… almost peaceful.
Li Yun stopped at the railing and placed both hands on the stone, feeling its faint warmth. A gust of wind brushed his hair back gently. He let it.
Below, he could make out small structures, clusters of villages and outposts. Smoke rose in thin lines from cooking fires. Demonkind, he realized, had continued their lives. They'd built, they'd farmed, they'd survived—even without their lord.
They didn't need him.
And yet here he was.
"You asked to walk," Xyris said, stepping up beside him. "Not for scenery."
"I needed to see," he said. "What I'm supposedly meant to rule."
Velmira leaned lazily against a twisted vine-covered pillar, watching him from the side. "Still sounds like a man trying to convince himself."
"Maybe I am," he admitted.
That caught them both off guard.
Xyris turned her head slightly. Her posture didn't change, but her gaze did—sharpening. Studying.
Velmira arched a brow. "Not like you to say things like that."
Li Yun didn't flinch. He turned to face them slowly.
"I've been gone for centuries. The realm changed. You changed. Everything kept moving while I was sealed. And now I'm expected to act as if I remember how to steer it."
Another silence.
Xyris's voice was quiet when it came. "You're not expected to remember. You're expected to lead."
He met her gaze—and saw no judgment in it. Only certainty. A strange kind of unwavering trust.
Velmira pushed off the pillar and sauntered a step closer. Her tone softened. "We don't need the old you, Veylar. Just one who knows what he wants."
He hesitated.
He could have lied. Could have summoned that commanding tone they thought he still possessed. Could have said he wanted to unify the Demon Realm. Or launch an invasion. Or reclaim forgotten glories.
Instead, he just looked back at the land below.
That was the problem. He didn't know what he wanted. Not yet.
But he couldn't say that aloud.
So instead, he changed the subject.
"The generals," he said. "How many have arrived?"
"Several," Xyris replied. "The loyal ones answered quietly. We've given them temporary quarters within the eastern halls."
Velmira tilted her head. "Still a few out there, pretending neutrality. Watching. Waiting."
"They'll want answers," Li Yun murmured.
"They'll want orders," Velmira corrected.
He gave a dry, humorless smile. "Let's hope they're patient."
He turned back toward the path, brushing a hand across the vines as he passed. They shimmered faintly at his touch, petals glowing briefly before dimming again.
"I'll see them after noon," he said at last. "For now... I just want to breathe."
Velmira chuckled. "Breath and command. You're starting to multitask."
Xyris said nothing, but she followed a step behind, as always.
They continued walking through the sunlit corridors of the realm. The palace was less intimidating in the light. A little.
They passed a fountain of black water—still and silent. A giant moth, its wings marked like a demon's mask, perched atop it as they passed. Li Yun slowed to look at it, and the creature blinked its compound eyes at him before flitting away silently.
He turned to Velmira. "What was that?"
"Messenger spirit," she said. "They like music. They hate lies."
"…Charming."
Eventually, they reached a wide courtyard filled with obsidian chessboards. Some floated in the air, mid-match. Others reset themselves at intervals. A pair of cloaked demons were playing silently in one corner, and they both rose to bow when they saw him.
He gave a small nod, and they returned to their game.
He leaned close to Velmira as they walked past. "What happens if I make the wrong move here?"
She smirked. "Some of the boards bite."
He chose not to test that.
They finally reached a long hall of mirrors—each one subtly warped, each reflecting a different version of the world. Some showed battlefields. Others, empty thrones. One showed a crumbling empire.
Li Yun paused in front of that one.
Velmira stopped too, her gaze following his.
"Not all futures are kind," she said quietly.
"But all are possible," Xyris added.
He didn't speak. Just looked at the reflection of a broken realm and a throne covered in dust.
Was this the future he was steering toward?
Or the one he was summoned to stop?
He didn't know.
But he couldn't afford to freeze.
He took a breath, turned away, and kept walking.
And his generals were waiting.