The demon realm was a place where mountains floated and rivers burned.
Storms of black fire rolled across the sky, and the ground pulsed like a living heartbeat.
Deep within this cursed land, at the throne of shattered obsidian, a lone figure knelt before a pool of swirling shadows.
His name was Ravnos.
Brother to Kanji's father.
The betrayer.
The one who murdered his own blood for the prophecy.
The shadows in the pool twisted into a vision.
They showed a forest.
Monks.
And a small boy with silver hair and glowing golden eyes.
Ravnos grinned slowly.
"So the child lives," he whispered. His voice was like two blades scraping together. "The spell could not kill him after all."
Behind him lay the sword of Kanji's father—still embedded deep into the ground, still chained by runes, still refusing to serve anyone but its true heir.
Ravnos had spent years trying to wield it.
He could not.
The sword rejected him every time.
He glared at it now, hatred burning.
"You will bow to no one but that child… isn't that right?"
The sword pulsed once, as if answering:
Yes.
Ravnos's smile twisted.
"Then I'll kill him," he hissed. "And melt you into nothing."
Thunder cracked overhead.
He rose to his feet, stepping onto a dark platform carved with ancient runes. A circle of demons—his loyal hunters—knelt around him.
"Lord Ravnos," one asked, trembling, "is the prophecy true? The boy carries wizard and demon blood?"
Ravnos clenched his fist.
"He carries what his father stole," he growled. "And what should have been mine."
He raised his hand.
A portal ripped open, swirling like a hungry vortex.
"Find the monks," Ravnos ordered. "Find the boy. Bring me Kanji alive… or bring me his heart."
The demons bowed low, their bodies dissolving into black smoke as they entered the portal.
Ravnos walked toward the sword, placing one hand on the hilt.
The blade burned him instantly.
Smoke rose from his skin.
Blood dripped from his fingers.
But he didn't move his hand away.
He leaned closer to the blade, whispering:
"You think he'll rule the demon realm? Me? Bow to a child?"
His voice dropped to a cruel whisper.
"No… when I find him, I will show him what happens to children born of cursed destinies."
The sword pulsed again, brighter this time.
THUMP.
The shockwave shook the ground.
Ravnos snarled and stepped back.
"So you still protect him, even from here…"
He laughed—a dark, broken sound.
"Let's see how long that lasts."
He turned away, cloak snapping behind him as he stepped into his own portal.
---
Meanwhile — In the Mortal Realm
Kanji sat wrapped in a wool blanket beside a small fire.
The monks set camp near the river before returning to their temple at dawn.
Kanji stared into the flames, quiet.
"Are you alright?" Seiji asked softly.
Kanji nodded, but his golden eyes trembled.
"I heard a voice," he whispered. "When I used my power."
Ryou paused. "A… voice?"
Kanji swallowed.
"It said… 'Come home.'"
The fire crackled.
Ryou's face tightened.
He knew that voice.
A demon's call.
A king's call.
Kanji's heritage was waking faster than expected.
Far too fast.
Before the monks could speak, the forest wind shifted.
A scent of sulfur.
Ash.
Demon magic.
Ryou's heart dropped.
"They've already found us."
Kanji stood, clutching his chest.
His father's sword—far away in the demon realm—pulsed again.
And in the darkness behind the trees…
Several pairs of glowing red eyes opened.
The hunt had truly begun.
--