it was a dark night filled with mist and noise. In that dark mist, there stood a mansion buzzing with lights.
It was the mansion of the Valethorics, who were celebrating the birthday of the youngest heir.
All of the people were enjoying the banquet, which was filled with music, dances, and a wide variety of food.
But in that mansion, which was buzzing with lights, there was one room that was dark, and from within it the sound of a child crying could be heard.
"Sob… sob…"
But the sounds of cries were overwhelmed by the music and the commotion of the banquet, and none of the guests heard those noises.
Just then, a woman in her late thirties, with long dark-green hair and a youthful body that most would mistake for her early twenties, walked up to the dark room from where the crying came.
Her heels made a —'tick-tock'— sound, speeding up as she neared the door.
The boy inside the room could hear the sounds approaching from outside, and fear began to fill his heart.
'no no no no ' 'no no no no'
Suddenly, the lady opened the door with a bang, startling the boy inside.
The boy, already consumed by fear, jolted — that fear was eating him alive.
The woman before him twisted her face in disgust and began shouting:
"Disgusting wretch. How many times must I repeat myself? We are hosting a party. Do you want the guests to hear your pitiful whining? If you had even a fraction of your brother's worth, you wouldn't be rotting in this state."
She stepped closer to the boy, who pressed his hands tightly over his mouth so no sound could escape.
Fear was visible in his eyes.
He was trying his best not to get beaten.
At last, he removed his hands from his mouth, intending to plead with his aunt not to hurt him—
But it was too late. She came closer to the boy, who was trembling with fear. Without a trace of guilt, she kicked him in the gut.
"Thuuud!"
It was a brutal kick. —"Hhhffff—" Unable to scream, he could only let out only a faint breath before collapsing with the clang of his chains.
She slammed the door shut, not feeling an ounce of guilt for her actions.
She was clearly disgusted by the sight of his blood.
Even while unconscious, he coughed blood continuously, spreading it across the floor, already stained from previous torments.
The blood was thin red with tints of black disturbingly similar to human blood.
This was unlike the blood of the noble demons, which was black-crimson.
That was why all the members of the family despised him simply because his blood resembled that of humans.
They could have killed him, but instead they kept him alive only to send him to the Empire as their representative in the war.
Though weak, one heir from each noble house was required to be offered, and his death in battle would only strengthen the family's reputation.
To die in war was considered an honor, and his sacrifice would not diminish the family name. On the contrary, it would spread their fame.
Furthermore, the family wished to avoid appearing cruel before the other houses, so they kept him alive isolated, chained, and forgotten.
When everything seemed peaceful in the mansion, suddenly — "BOOM!" — echoed through the halls. Glass shattered, doors splintered, and the demons who had been casually enjoying the banquet jolted in alarm.
From every direction, human knights stormed in, their armored boots poundin —"CLANG! CLANG!"— against the floor, swords clashing — "SHHHHNK!"
The knights attacked from all sides, catching the demons off guard. The demons, unprepared and weakened, were unable to fight back properly.
The halls soon filled with the screams of the slaughtered.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!"
Ten minutes later, the boy in the room awoke, his face covered in dried blood. Feeling uneasy, he struggled to process the screams.
After a few seconds, he came to his senses and could clearly hear them countless screams mixed with the clash of metal.
His room was cramped, but he forced himself up and staggered toward the door. Each step carved pain into his face, yet he moved forward.
—"CLINK… CLANG… SCRAPE…" — His chains dragged against the floor with every movement.
Each inch felt like it would tear him apart, but he pushed onward until he reached the small window beside the door.
Through it, he saw the massacre in the banquet hall.
The heads of the friends he once played with, the bodies of those close to him — all lay scattered across the floor.
Then, a human knight came into view, dragging a child by the hair.
The boy heard it clearly: the —SCRAPE — of armored boots grinding across the blood-slick floor…
The child's desperate cry —"AAHH!"— ripping through the air…
And the knight's heavy breaths —"HUFF! HUFF!"— with every brutal tug forward. Each sound struck the boy like a hammer, forcing him to watch even when he wanted to look away.
It was Vroric Valethoric, the younger heir the one he had always been compared to…