Thunder rolled across the skies like the roar of an angry god.
Screams tore through the night.
Aethrune burned.
Fireballs rained from the heavens, crashing into homes, temples, and streets, turning stone into ash and flesh into shadows. Beasts—twisted creatures born of corruption and shadow—flooded the kingdom, ripping through men, women, and children without mercy.
The moon above glowed blood-red.
"Please!"
"Have mercy!"
"Save us!"
The cries of the people rose into the air, desperate and broken, but no mercy came.
High above the chaos, standing upon a floating mass of dark flame and smoke, Vaelthrix, Devil Lord of the Abyss, watched it all unfold.
A slow, cruel smile curved his lips.
Aethrune was in ruins.
Exactly as he wanted.
He spread his arms slightly, inhaling deeply as if savoring the scent of destruction. Fear tasted sweet. Despair even sweeter.
"Beautiful," he murmured.
Below him, the capital crumbled.
"VAELTHRIX!"
The shout cut through the storm.
Vaelthrix did not turn.
King Aethryn of Aethrune stood atop the shattered steps of the High Citadel, his armor scorched, his sword trembling in his grip—not from fear, but from rage.
"Stop this madness immediately!" the king commanded. "This ends now."
Vaelthrix laughed softly.
A cold, hollow sound.
Without looking back, he answered, "Why should I?"
"Because this is wrong," Aethryn said, voice steady despite the carnage around him. "You are slaughtering innocents. This is your final warning. Leave this realm and never return."
Vaelthrix turned then.
His eyes glowed like burning embers.
"Wrong?" he echoed, amusement flickering across his face. "You call this wrong? I call this inevitable."
He raised one hand.
The fire rain intensified.
The screams grew louder.
Vaelthrix threw his head back and laughed—loud, wild, unhinged.
The ground shook violently as figures emerged around him.
The seven Elders of Aethrune.
They moved in perfect unison, forming a wide circle in the air around the Devil Lord. Ancient symbols ignited beneath their feet, glowing gold and white, clashing violently against Vaelthrix's dark aura.
"Now!" Elder Kia shouted.
They began chanting as one, their voices merging into something ancient and powerful.
"By the Covenant of Light and Blood,
By the Oath of Earth and Sky,
We bind the Unholy,
We sever the Abyss—"
The air screamed.
The space around Vaelthrix warped as invisible chains slammed into him, locking him inside a shimmering barrier of light.
The sky cracked.
Vaelthrix's smile did not fade.
"You think you can kill me?" he asked calmly.
His aura exploded outward.
"I cannot be killed!"
Flames burst from his body as his flesh began to burn—not in agony, but defiance.
"You have done enough, Vaelthrix," King Aethryn said, stepping forward despite the violent winds. "It's time you return to hell."
"We must destroy his primordial spirit, not just his body," one elder warned urgently. "His flesh is only a vessel."
The chant grew louder.
"—By name unspoken, by sin undone,
We strip the devil of form and bone—"
Vaelthrix roared as his physical body ignited completely, burning into blackened fragments that dissolved into ash.
The kingdom shook.
Then—silence.
Within the glowing formation, red smoke began to swirl violently, thick and alive, slamming against the barrier like a living thing.
"That's his primordial spirit!" Elder Kia yelled. "He's trying to escape!"
The red mass slammed into the barrier again and again, cracks spreading through the formation.
"Hold it!" the king ordered. "The chant must be completed or he'll break free!"
They resumed the chant desperately.
"—By blood denied, by fate undone—"
A sudden scream cut through the air.
One of the elders was yanked violently backward, dragged into the darkness by a massive beast still under Vaelthrix's influence.
The formation shattered.
Light collapsed.
The red smoke surged upward, free.
Laughter echoed through the sky.
"I told you," Vaelthrix's voice boomed, no longer bound by flesh. "I cannot be killed."
The crimson spirit hovered above them, pulsing with malice.
"You may have destroyed my body," he continued, "but my spirit will remain. Watching. Waiting. So close."
The air darkened.
"I promise you this," Vaelthrix said slowly. "On the Night of the Blood Eclipse, I will return. And when I do… there will be nothing left of this world."
Then—he vanished.
Darkness swallowed the sky.
Silence followed.
"My king…" Elder Kia said weakly. "What do we do now?"
King Aethryn lowered his sword, exhaustion weighing heavily upon him.
"He will need a mortal vessel," the king said. "Without one, he is nothing."
He turned toward the ruined city.
"I have already prepared for that."
He raised his voice, infusing it with magic.
"Every soul in Aethrune has been bound with Elarion Root," he declared. "As long as it flows in their blood, the devil cannot possess them."
"The fragment is sealed… as long as it remains apart, he cannot rise fully."elder Kwan the oldest of the elders added.
Hope flickered faintly.
That night, back at the royal palace, Queen Elmyra stood on the balcony, her hands resting on her swollen belly.
The wind was cold.
"My queen," her personal maid said gently, "you don't need to worry. I'm certain His Majesty has already defeated the devil."
"I know," the queen replied softly. "But why hasn't he returned?"
Concern clouded her eyes.
"You're almost due," the maid said. "Let me get you some water. You must stay calm."
She turned and left.
The sky darkened.
Red clouds gathered silently above the queen.
Then—a voice whispered.
"You are perfect."
The queen froze.
"My perfect reincarnation." you will help me one last time my beloved, came the devil's voice
Her breath hitched.
"No…" she whispered, turning to run.
Too late.
The red mist poured down, slamming into her body, forcing its way into her womb.
She screamed as dark energy twisted violently inside her.
Labor began instantly.
The maid returned moments later and dropped the water in horror.
"My queen!"
The palace erupted into chaos.
Inside the chamber, screams echoed through the halls.
King Aethryn arrived just as the doors slammed shut.
"How is she?" he demanded.
The midwife stood trembling.
"My king… I—I don't—"
A scream cut her off.
Something tore violently from the queen's body.
Silence followed.
Then—a cry.
The queen lay still, lifeless.
"No!" the king roared, rushing forward.
Horror washed over everyone.
The infant lay among blood and shadow—eyes glowing red.
"He ate his twin," the midwife whispered, shaking. "He's a monster."
"He feeds on blood," another maid cried as the child licked blood from his skin.
Burned into the infant's chest was a name.
VAELIS "He who bore the echo of the devil."
"My king," an elder said grimly. "We must kill it."
The king said nothing.
They tried.
Chants. Blades. Sacred fire.
Nothing worked.
Finally, the king made his decree.
"Chain him,
" he said coldly. "Seal him in the Exile Realm. Where beasts and devils rot."
The child did not cry.
He only smiled.
24 YEARS LATER