Prologue
Author: Geraint
"Hold on, Seir-sama! I swear on my life—they won't catch you! You're our new Demon King!"
Blood dripped from my wounds as pain surged through my battered body. That was the cost of challenging my father—the reigning Demon King, the tyrant who ruled over every demon race with ruthless authority. I had fought him with everything I had... and barely won. But victory meant nothing if I couldn't finish the job. Exhaustion overwhelmed me before I could strike the final blow.
Now I was fleeing for my life, carried away from the capital by my trusted companions: a silver-haired half-demon with a defiant glare, and Lilith—my loyal maid and a close friend of mine.
"Don't let the prince escape! Kill that traitor on sight!"
"He dares to defy the king?!"
The roars of the Demon army echoed behind us as they closed in. Lilith carried me on her back, leaping across steep terrain and bounding over rocks, crossing a fast-moving river with remarkable agility. Her long silvery-white hair trailed behind her like a banner.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Lilith," I murmured, clenching my teeth. "Right now, you're the only one I can rely on."
"You're wrong, Seir-sama." She didn't even glance back. "You didn't drag me into anything. I chose this path. Even if it means betraying the Demon Realm... I will follow you."
My fists tightened at her words. "That place isn't my home anymore. Not after what they did to that village... I'll never forgive him."
The flames of my memories still burned vividly. A peaceful village where children of different races once laughed and played—reduced to ash. Its inhabitants slaughtered without mercy by the Demon army under my father's command. That village was my refuge, a place I often snuck away to visit, far from the suffocating expectations of the royal palace.
He destroyed it.
My fury over that act had driven me to rebel. I'd cut down his generals, fought my way into the heart of the Demon King's castle—but I'd run out of strength before I could deal the killing blow. And now, with the entire realm against me, we had no safe haven left.
"I couldn't do it, Lilith... I couldn't end him. And until I do, they'll never stop hunting us."
"Then we'll defeat him next time," she said with quiet certainty.
To conserve energy, I returned to my child-like form—my true body's original age. Smaller and less powerful, but it helped me recover faster. Even if it made me seem more fragile, right now, I needed to survive.
"Please believe in me. We'll—huh?"
A strange glow interrupted us.
The pendant around Lilith's neck—a keepsake from her late mother—began to shine, pulsing with a warm, radiant light. It seemed to pull her toward something, pointing toward the edge of a steep cliff.
"My mother's necklace... it's reacting to something."
Hesitant but trusting her instinct, Lilith followed the glow to the edge. Below us, mist swirled and wind howled—nothing but a sheer drop.
"I'm sorry, Seir-sama... If I hadn't followed this light, we wouldn't be here. This is my fault..." Her voice trembled.
Behind us, the sound of marching feet grew louder.
I made a choice.
"Jump, Lilith."
"What?! Seir-sama, are you—"
"Trust me. I'll protect us, no matter what happens!"
Without further hesitation, she obeyed.
"HYAAAH!"
We fell.
Wind screamed past us as I tried to transform back into my adult form midair, hoping to slow our descent. But then, the pendant's light burst forth, engulfing us in blinding radiance. The falling sensation disappeared.
Then—splash.
I gasped, breaking through the surface of deep water. Cold wrapped around me, but Lilith's strong arms pulled me toward the riverbank. We emerged coughing and dripping wet.
"Are you okay, Seir-sama?"
"Yeah... I think so. But... where the hell are we?"
Before us stood a massive waterfall, glowing gold beneath the setting sun. Birds circled overhead, their cries unfamiliar. The land around us felt... strange.
With nowhere else to go, we decided to set up camp. I built a crude shelter with branches and leaves, then used what little fire magic I had left to create warmth. Lilith brewed herbs to treat my injuries and tended to me gently.
"I'm just glad we made it out alive," she whispered.
"Don't get too comfortable. We're still being hunted—"
"For now, just rest. I'll watch over you."
Her soft smile lulled me into sleep.
"Goodnight, Seir-sama."
By morning, the pain was gone. I woke up refreshed, no longer covered in wounds. Lilith was sleeping beside me—completely unclothed, her skin illuminated by the morning sun.
"H-Hyah!"
She screamed as she realized and wrapped herself in a blanket of leaves. I looked away, flustered, while she blushed furiously.
After drying our clothes, we got dressed and moved on, pushing deeper into the strange forest. But something soon caught our attention.
A loud, metallic roar echoed nearby.
We stumbled upon a wide road, paved and fenced with shining metal—materials more valuable than gold in our realm. Then—
TOOOT~ TOOOT~
A monstrous object roared toward us at incredible speed. I sensed danger immediately and leapt with Lilith in my arms. We dodged it just in time.
"What... was that?!"
We hid in the bushes as a metal carriage rolled to a stop. A door opened, and a man stepped out. He looked human... but his clothes, his language—it was nothing we recognized.
He glanced around, shrugged, then returned to his strange carriage. Moments later, it sped off again.
"A human inside a dragon?" Lilith asked in disbelief.
"It's no dragon," I replied. "But it's definitely something new. Something powerful."
"Seir-sama... are we in another world?"
I didn't answer. I wasn't sure myself.
But one thing was clear—we were no longer in the Demon Realm.
And whatever this world was... we had to survive it.
(To be continued.)