Volac stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief, as if time itself had stopped. His mind struggled to process the scene before him: Andre stood there, his hands drenched in Volac's father's warm blood, dripping slowly onto the ground. Volac's lips trembled before a scream tore through the silence, a cry laced with agony and loss:
"Father!"
At that moment, Andre slowly raised his head. But the gaze he cast upon Volac was not that of the friend he knew. His eyes glimmered with an ancient, dark coldness. It meant only one thing: the one standing before him was not Andre, but the Demon Lord.
Volac gritted his teeth until they nearly shattered, his body surging forward in a blind, murderous rage. But the Demon Lord, with a swift, emotionless movement, grabbed the corpse of Volac's father and held it up as a human shield.
Volac halted abruptly, as if struck by lightning, his feet stumbling backward in fear of desecrating his father's body. He screamed, his voice cracking:
"Let go of my father's corpse and fight me with honor!"
The Demon Lord painted a mocking smile on his face. With cold blood, he slowly drove his sword into the limp body.
Fire ignited in Volac's chest, his veins bulging with fury.
The Demon Lord spoke in a deep, arrogant tone:
"Does that anger you? Good... let the anger flow. But direct it toward the right person. I am not the one who took your father's life."
Volac shouted, veins pulsing in his neck:
"Don't toy with me! I saw you cut his head off with my own eyes!"
The Demon Lord shrugged indifferently:
"The one whose head I cut off was your father, yes. But... his body was merely an empty vessel. An 'Undead Resurrection' spell had been cast upon him. He died a long time ago."
Volac's face went pale, and he took a step back, his legs barely holding him:
"Impossible... Are you saying my father...? How can I believe such a lie?"
The Demon Lord pointed to the open wound in the corpse:
"Look. The living bleed, and their hearts beat with life. But this... his heart stopped long ago. The reason his body didn't regenerate is that the Summoner knows full well that using his power to truly resurrect him would cost him his own life."
Volac looked at the entity occupying his friend's body, his voice filled with suspicion:
"When I look at you, I don't see an ally... You just want to get to the Summoner, don't you?"
The Demon Lord laughed, a sound that sent shivers down Volac's spine:
"You are sharp. Yes, I want him. For two reasons: First, to take me to an old friend. And second... to claim his soul."
Suddenly, the father's corpse began to fade, turning into black dust scattered by the wind. Volac reached out, grasping at the air.
"Father! What is happening?"
The Demon Lord said with boredom: "The magic has been canceled."
Volac stood silent, watching the dust vanish. He didn't cry; instead, he forced back his tears, composing himself with great difficulty before asking coldly:
"Can you find the Summoner?"
The Demon Lord closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, pointing a finger:
"No need to search. I sense power radiating from that cave."
Volac rushed toward the cave, while the Demon Lord stood still with terrifying poise. Inside the pitch darkness, Volac found no one, but the faint sound of whimpering reached his ears. He followed the sound until he found the missing child lying on the ground. He picked him up gently and carried him out, finding the Demon Lord waiting.
"Why are you standing like that?" Volac asked.
The entity replied: "I will return control to the boy, Andre. But before that, a word of advice from a demon... Beware the people of your village. I smell the stench of treachery on them."
Before Volac could question him, Andre's body suddenly went limp, as if he had lost consciousness, then his eyes fluttered open. This time, the gaze was confused and innocent. Andre had returned.
Volac ignored the demon's warning for the moment; his only concern was the child.
Andre looked at his hands, speaking with regret: "I am so sorry, Volac..."
Volac interrupted him firmly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder: "No need to apologize. As for the one responsible for this... I will make him wish for death."
The two moved toward the village. Upon reaching the tent of the child's parents, the air was heavy with grief. The mother looked like a ghost; her face pale, her eyes sunken from endless weeping and starvation.
The moment she heard the baby's cry, she bolted like a madwoman, running with overwhelming maternal desperation. She snatched the child from Volac's arms, clutching him to her chest, laughing and crying simultaneously:
"My baby! Thank God... Thank God you are alive!"
She tried to nurse him, but the father intervened with a gentle voice, holding his wife's trembling hand:
"You must eat first, my dear. Your body is weak; you won't have milk for him."
The mother devoured the food quickly and ravenously, her eyes never leaving her little one. Then she held him again. The baby grasped his mother's tunic with his tiny hands and began to nurse in silence.
In the dark outskirts of the village, Morris stood watching from afar, a malicious smile playing on his lips.
He muttered to himself: "It's a good thing I switched sides to the 'Lord of the Dead'. If the Demon Lord had caught me, I would be dead meat by now."
The Watcher beside him asked: "And now, what is your plan after the first one failed?"
Morris's smile widened until it looked terrifying: "Failed? There never was a plan. I just wanted to have some fun. But don't worry, the real plan is proceeding exactly as I wished. That child... is the best gift for Andre. It's true he saved him, but it was too late. Tonight... the sun will never rise."
Back to the mother, who was gazing lovingly at her child. Suddenly, she gasped in pain. Sharp claws emerged from the infant's hands, digging into her chest, drawing blood. Small horns began to push through his skull. The scene shifted from tenderness to pure horror; the innocent baby was gradually transforming into a demon!
The father recoiled in terror, his face reflecting unspeakable fear. But the mother... she held on. The claws were tearing her flesh, yet she refused to let go.
Volac shouted: "Andre! What is happening?! Did that bastard dare to turn the child?!"
Volac and the father tried to snatch the baby away, but the mother screamed frantically, hugging the little monster closer:
"No! Stay back! This is my child! He came back to me, and I won't let him go!"
The father tried to speak: "But he is..."
He was cut off by the mother's tears, which poured down onto the transforming child's face: "I know... but he is my son, and I will love him no matter what he looks like!"
A warm tear fell onto the child's face. Suddenly, something strange happened; the little one calmed down and fell asleep in his mother's arms like an angel, leaving everyone in shock.
But the silence was merely the calm before the storm.
Suddenly, the father fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming from a pain that seemed to tear his insides apart. His eyes turned blood-red, and horns burst from his head. His transformation was not calm like the child's; he turned into a raging beast, thirsty for blood.
The transformed father lunged savagely at his wife.
Volac intervened with lightning speed, kicking the father away before he could slaughter the mother.
Volac shouted, panting: "The child, and now the father! What in the hell is going on here?"
The father did not stop; he attacked again with even greater ferocity. This time, Volac had no choice. He drew his sword, and with a single decisive swing, the father's head flew into the air.
The mother's agonized scream echoed inside the hut, but it wasn't the only sound.
From outside, terrifying screams began to rise. Volac and Andre rushed out, only to find that hell had opened its gates in the village. The villagers were transforming into demons, one after another, tearing each other apart.
Amidst the symphony of screams and blood, Morris watched from the hill, laughing with manic ecstasy:
"Yes! Let me hear your screams! And now, Andre... I have set the stage, and you are the hero of this show. Tell me, how will you handle this? Entertain me! Hahahaha!"