VOLUME 6: PROLOGUE

VOLUME 6: PROLOGUE

“Did something good happen? You look quite happy, Elder.”

The Elder – a demon whose body resembled a withered tree, was gently smiling, his eyes closed. A small broken horn protruded out of his forehead and a pair of almost inconspicuous, tattered white wings sprouted out of his back. 

The Elder opened his eyes, revealing a pair of golden eyes reminiscent of snakes. 

“Ah,” said the Elder. “Just… reminiscing. I didn’t expect to see a familiar face now, of all times.”

The two demons were currently deep inside a large cavern comparable to the size of the entire Capital. Above them, several large kalrane stones dripped down the ceiling, forming spikes. Each of them brightly glowed and illuminated the cavern, as their tips aboveground continuously absorbed light from the sun. 

“Familiar face?” asked the other demon. He greatly resembled the Elder, but looked exceptionally younger and bulkier. 

“Luvart, you’ve met Tristan before, right?” said the Elder. 

Luvart furrowed his brows. The name sounded familiar. 

The Elder chuckled, “You don’t remember? The human kid we encountered back then.”

Luvart finally remembered. Indeed, they picked up a dying human kid hundreds of years ago. The kid was so gravely injured and had lost so much blood that simple potions and healing spells from priests would have been rendered useless. If the human kid hadn’t encountered the Elder, he would have died back then. 

“That annoying brat who pointed his sword at us the moment he woke up?” spat Luvart. 

The Elder heartily laughed. “Isn’t that the normal reaction? When a human sees a demon?” 

Luvart sighed. The Elder was too soft on those humans. Had the human kid pointed his sword at other demons, his head would have been blow off his body in an instant. No questions asked. Truly, that human kid was fortunate. 

“But Elder, that human should be dead by now,” said Luvart. “It’s been hundreds of years since then. It’s unlikely that he’s still alive.” 

“Who I saw isn’t Tristan, but his descendant.” 

“Descendant?” 

The Elder slowly nodded. “His descendant finally got rid of the pact.”

Luvart’s eyes slowly widened. “T-That’s impossible! They said that the method used by humans had been lost along with the fall of the Magic Empire over a millennium ago!”

“Luvart, humans are no different from us demons. Although their lifespans are short, they are capable of tremendous growth. Although the Magic Empire fell, the humans would eventually regain their former glory once again. Everything is only a matter of time. This severed pact… it’s an undisputable proof of the humans’ ability to grow despite their fleeting lives.”

Luvart sighed and didn’t reply. The Elder had stood by this belief for more than a thousand years now. Even when the demons ravaged the Magic Empire to the ground, only the Elder and his tribe tried to stop the demons from massacring the remaining humans. 

The Elder’s broken horn and his small tattered wings were the aftermath of that battle. The injuries he sustained that day were so massive that he never managed to fully recuperate even after all these years. 

Luvart looked at the five-meter large ice crystal at the center of the cavern. The ice crystal used to be almost as large as this cavern itself, but the ice magic maintaining the spell had slowly melted with the passage of time, despite the fact that the Elder regularly enforced the ice prison with his mana. It was only a matter of time before the demon enclosed inside it woke up. 

Just thinking of this sent shivers down Luvart’s spine. 

If that creature woke up, the entire world would be turned upside down. With the Elder’s current weakened state, he would probably die without even putting up a decent fight. 

Luvart was sure that the moment the creature woke up, the members of their tribe would be the first ones to be erased from this land. 

“Elder, how much time do we have left before the ice melts?” 

The Elder gazed at the ice prison. “A year or two at most. It’s a pity, but it’ll probably be the end for us Arzomos.” 

Arzomos. One of the three strongest tribes of demons. 

The tribe of demon responsible for the eternal slumber of the Demon Lord Kalkarus. The same tribe who sealed the creature currently sleeping in the ice prison – one of the three strongest demons in history – Demon Lord Barkuvara. 

Unfortunately, the countless wars took its toll on their tribe and now, only around a hundred of them remained. 

Right now, the Elder and the current Tribe Leader were the only ones keeping the demons at bay. Even the High Demons didn’t dare venture into human land in fear of earning the Elder and the Tribe Leader’s wrath. 

If even one of those two died, the balance in power will be tilted and the demons would revolt and forcefully open the portal. 

“Elder, I’ve been meaning to ask this for a long time now,” said Luvart. “But why are you so fixated on those humans? Even the Tribe Leader sees those mortals in favorable light.”

The Elder looked into the distance. A smile slowly formed on his face as memories of a distant past resurfaced in his mind. “The current Tribe Leader and I made a promise to that man.” 

“A man?”

The Elder closed his eyes and nodded. “A human. A very powerful one at that.” 

This was the first time Luvart heard of this. He asked his father before why their tribe was trying to coexist with humans, but only received a vague reply. 

“A powerful magician who killed two Demon Lords in the past.”

Luvart was stunned. He looked at the creature sleeping inside the ice prison. “T-Two Demon Lords? Elder, why haven’t I heard of this before?” 

The Elder looked at Luvart with eyes filled with understanding. “You are still young. You haven’t been born back then. At that time, fifteen hundred years ago. At an age where humans were feared by demons.” 

Humans were feared by demons? 

Impossible. 

Why would demons, who could live for more than a thousand years, fear those short-lived mortals?

It was preposterous. 

If Luvart hadn’t heard this story directly from the Elder’s mouth, but from another demon, he would have called the other demon delusional. 

“Even that guy trapped in the ice prison almost died several times after fighting that human. He was lucky, since the two Demon Lords before him were immediately killed on their first encounter with him.”

Luvart heard before that the two demon Lords preceding the one currently trapped in the ice prison had short-lived lives. But he didn’t know that it was because they were killed by a mere human. 

“You made a promise with that human?” said Luvart. 

“That’s right, a promise.” 

The Elder trudged toward the ice prison and stood right in front of it. He stared at the creature trapped inside. 

“That fateful encounter… We were around your age. No, younger. Your father and I encountered that human during our journey at the Frost Mountains of Yleonor. We were sure we’re going to die back then. That human was like a God, capable of destroying the entire mountain.”

“Your father and I were trembling with fear as we resolved ourselves to fight to our deaths. Deaths befitting of warriors of our tribes.”

The Elder turned around and looked at Luvart. His eyes glimmered as he recalled the memories of a distant past. “But do you know what that human said to us?”

The Elder chuckled. “I could still remember his words clearly, even after all this time.” 

The Elder looked up. His lips formed a broad smile. “Go back. If you’re looking for the The Frost Dragons, they have already fled this place. I’m so sick of fighting after brawling with those lizards for several days. Just this once, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you guys.”

The Elder laughed, as though it was the most hilarious thing he’d heard in his entire life. 

“Such conceited words, but we were sure that that human could easily back them up,” said the Elder. “Your father and I readily accepted the human’s offer. We were simply glad that we managed to preserve our lives. But Luvart, fate is such a twisted thing. We encountered that human once again, and again, and again. For some reason, each and every time, the human spared us.”

The human would not hesitate to cull a Demon Lord but decided to spare young demons? 

There were several things Luvart couldn’t understand. If someone was that powerful, killing the Elder and his father would have been as easy as breathing. If Luvart was in that human’s shoes, he would have killed his enemies in a heartbeat. 

Was it foolishness or was it mere benevolence of the strong?

“On our fourth encounter, we decided to follow the human on his journey throughout the land. Your father and I were still young back then. We grew up indoctrinated that humans were enemies we should slaughter on sight. But that man – Evander – was different. He wouldn’t hesitate to annihilate an army of demons trying to invade human nations, but he would always spare the lives of those who had no intention of harming the human race. Demons, Beastmen, Dwarves, Dragons, Savages – he treated everyone just the same. The children shouldn’t be punished for the sins of their forefathers. Evander told us these words. That time… was a truly blessed encounter.” 

“But Elder…” said Luvart. “If a human as powerful as him existed, why did the Magic Empire fall to the demons?”

Sorrow momentarily appeared in the Elder’s eyes. “Human lives are short-lived, Luvart. I heard that he tried extending his life through a spell but failed. Evander… he was already long dead when the demons tried annihilating the human race.”

“Sometimes, I wonder. What if his spell worked? What if he was still alive back then? I’m sure the Magic Empire would have survived the Cataclysm with his help. It’s such a shame that someone as powerful as him was born a human. If he had the lifespan of a demon, he would have achieved far greater heights.” 

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Next Chapter: In 2 days