Ramiel was resting in the Forest of Life.
It was a quiet, lush place, perfect for resting, and best of all, it had plenty of meat, which Ramiel loved more than anything. His escape from Hell had been nothing short of luck. Sometimes he wondered what Asmodeus would have done to him if he hadn't gotten out in time. Probably something unspeakable.
After several days of eating, lounging, and chasing butterflies, boredom began to gnaw at him. He needed something thrilling. Something risky.
Then he remembered: the old shaft Draelos once spoke of.
Sealed, dangerous, oozing with demonic energy... and full of mystery. That was enough to hook Ramiel's curiosity.
It would be reckless to try, but if things went wrong, Rhonex would come. He always did.
Ramiel shifted into his human form. He looked almost identical to Rhonex, so much that most people couldn't tell the difference. But their auras were miles apart. And where Rhonex's hair burned crimson and eyes gleamed gold, Rommel's features were softer, blue-eyed, with a lighter colour of red hair. He reached out through their magical bond.
"Hey Rhonex. I'm heading to the old shaft. Just want to explore a bit, maybe find my mate, something useful… or someone delicious."
He grinned at the last part, hoping Rhonex would chuckle or scold him.
Minutes passed.
No reply.
Maybe Rhonex was busy.
Shrugging, Ramiel closed the bond and teleported straight to the shaft's location.
As Draelos warned, the air was thick with demonic energy. Almost choking. He crouched behind the bushes and activated his magical sight, a rare gift he was born with, to peer into the shadows of the shaft and trace the source of the corruption.
But something blocked his view.
Powerful. Ancient.
The only thing he could sense… was a connection to Hell.
And just as he was about to step forward,
a hand gripped his shoulder.
*********
Far away, beyond all known realms, in a land long thought barren, where no mortal nor immortal dared to dwell, stood a colossal castle.
Etched into its obsidian gates were the chilling words:
"I shall rule all the realms."
Within, in the cold heart of its throne room, something sat.
Its form, unclear, shifting, almost inhuman, was both terrifying and enthralling. Even its loyal followers couldn't decide if it was a man, a god, or something else entirely.
Before it, a trembling figure dropped to his knees.
"M-My Lord," he said, voice tight with fear. "Y-y-you called for m-me?"
"Yes, I did," the throne's voice replied—rich, deep, commanding.
"Tell me, how many armies have you gathered in the past week?"
The man began to explain, "My Lord, this days---", but the voice cut him off sharply.
"I don't need stories. I don't need excuses. I want numbers. Exact figures."
Swallowing hard, the man stammered,
"A-as of last week, we've secured 250,000 warriors ready for battle… and another 50,000 assigned to weapon crafting and labor."
A low hum echoed from the throne.
"And for the past 28 days?"
The man bowed deeper, voice barely above a whisper.
"W-we've reached 700,000 in total, my Lord.
The trembling man swallowed hard.
"Everything happened in a blink of an eye…"
But before he could say more, the thing sitting atop the throne lunged forward, faster than anyone could react.
His hand pierced the man's chest with brutal ease.
He ripped out his heart and, without flinching, bit into it.
Gasps echoed across the grand hall.
Every servant, soldier, and general nearby fell to their knees, heads bowed to the cold marble floor.
The thing stood slowly, licking the blood from his fingers, eyes glowing beneath the mask he always wore.
"This is exactly what happens," he said in a voice that cracked like thunder, "to anyone who fails to meet my expectations."
No one dared look up.
No one ever looked directly at him.
Even if they tried, they couldn't see much.
The mask never came off.
He scanned the crowd, then pointed with a single bloodstained finger.
"You."
A soldier in the front row froze.
"You are the new overseer of the armies. And I expect 500,000 new soldiers every week."
His voice dropped an octave.
"That means… 2 million soldiers every 28 days. Am I clear?"
The chosen man was shaking as he nodded.
"Y-yes, my Lord. I will not fail you."
The thing sat back on his black throne, crossing one leg over the other.
He gestured to one of the women standing silently at the side of the hall.
Without a word, the woman retrieved a silver plate, and on it, crawling slowly, was a black spider, its body pulsing faintly with green energy.
"Feed it to him."
The soldier's eyes widened in terror.
"The day you betray me," the thing said calmly, "this spider will kill you."
"Not quickly. Not mercifully. But slowly… painfully… until you regret ever being born."
The woman approached the soldier, forced his jaw open, and slipped the spider in.
He gagged, but swallowed, he had no choice.
Everyone brought into the thing service took the same fate.
A pill to bind them.
A creature to warn them.
A curse to control them.
This was his kingdom now, and no one escaped it.
In a few days' time, he would arrange to meet Death, and offer him something in exchange for the bodies Death had claimed.
Using hollow magic, he would awaken the dead, bend them to his will, and swell his already massive forces.
He had Hell under control.
But now, his eyes were on the Celestial Realm.
With that realm conquered, he would become unstoppable, strong enough to face his enemy or rather enemies.
The one, or perhaps the ones, he hated more than anything.
He would not destroy them quickly.
He would start with suffering.
He would make them bleed, mentally, emotionally, physically.
Just like he had.
A soft hand caressed the mark on his cheek.
Another touched the scarred skin of his chest.
"My lord," a girl whispered, her voice really seductive.
Another girl, angelic in tone, added, "It's time."
The *thing ruler* rose to his feet.
Ten girls surrounded him, standing in silent reverence.
It was time
The time of pleasure.
Time to feel.
Time to forget.
Time to escape the pain of that memory,
The day his left eye was burned out… with fire.
"Come, girls," he said, his voice low and commanding. And with a flick of his wrist, he teleported them all to his chamber
*********
Carista followed the directions Corvin had given her.
She soon caught sight of Molan, standing like a statue outside the Forbidden Wing, waiting for his lord.
She paused.
Adjusting her gown.
Using her fingers to keep the curls on her red hair intact
She reached into her pocket, pulled out a lipstick, and gently retouched her lips.
Why was she doing this?
Even she didn't know.
Maybe I just want to look presentable in front of people...
Every lady should, right?
Yes. That had to be it.
She walked toward him.
The quiet clicks of her heels were enough for Molan's sharp ears.
He turned slowly, expression unreadable, until his eyes met hers.
"My lady," he said, bowing slightly.
Carista didn't respond immediately.
Instead, she sat on the chair opposite the Forbidden Wing and crossed her legs gracefully.
"You didn't even take the hanky I offered you."
"Elves have naturally cool bodies," Molan replied calmly, "so I didn't feel the need. My apologies if that action of mine offended you."
"Offended me?" Carista scoffed lightly.
Truth be told, maybe it did sting a little.
But she wasn't about to show that, not in front of a butler.
"I'm not offended." She stood up to leave, but Molan's voice stopped her.
"My lady."
Her heart skipped slightly.
He pulled something from his cloak, a small vial filled with green liquid.
"I sense wounds on your body," he said, matter-of-factly.
"This will help. Apply it to the affected areas."
Carista's mind formed an O.
How did he know she had wounds?
Must be one of the perks of being an elf… or a fairy, she thought.
She didn't say thank you.
Carista wasn't used to saying that to anyone.
But she did something rarer.
She smiled.
And Molan, who hardly smiled, returned it.
***********
Rhonex found himself in another place, unfamiliar, yet hauntingly familiar.
This time, he saw his sister, Reenie, sitting on the floor, her body shaking with quiet sobs. Tears streamed down her cheeks, staining the floor beneath her. Rhonex blinked, his vision blurring as a wave of dizziness hit him like a storm.
He couldn't remember.
Something was wrong.
His dismemory, the block in his mind, was preventing him from understanding what she was feeling. He needed to unlock it. He stepped closer, narrowing his eyes.
Tiger claw marks.
Fresh ones. Red and raw, etched all over her skin.
Rhonex froze.
No… it couldn't be.
Then, from the shadows, Ramiel appeared, approaching her slowly… with intent in his eyes.
Like he was going to kill her.
"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Rhonex shouted, his voice raw with panic.
A dark voice echoed in his head:
"I wonder what he'll do now…"
Rhonex clenched his fists. His heart raced. He knew better.
This wasn't real. It was all an illusion a test.
If he acted out of character, if he fell for it, it would only spiral out of control.
But then something unexpected happened, he laughed.A hollow, amused laugh that echoed through the empty illusion.
He turned his face to the voice and said:
"The emotion here is anger."
A pause.
"Correct," the voice said slowly, almost surprised.
So far, Rhonex had correctly identified some emotions, even while under emotional suppression. Others who had passed this trial on time had done the same. But Rhonex was slow
Was it harder for him? Was he broken? Was it because he couldn't feel?
Another vision formed.
He received a message from Ramiel.
That damn cat.
Rhonex muttered, "Curiosity killed the cat… might kill my big cat now."
But he couldn't do anything, not yet. The trial wasn't over.
Then he saw it, a girl walking toward the magical arena, a place where gifted beings honed their powers. Her steps were light. She approached a young man, her eyes dreamy, her smile soft and uncontrolled.
What's this now?
An emotion again.
"Joy," Rhonex guessed.
"Wrong," the voice said sharply.
"The correct answer is love."
Rhonex scoffed.
"Love… the stupidest emotion of them all."
He crossed his arms.
"So that's why she was smiling like a moron?"
The voice didn't respond.
But something told Rhonex the next test would be worse.
The voice echoed through the darkness again, cold and calculating.
"You've gotten two emotions wrong… and two right."
A heavy pause.
"Four more remain. And you know the consequences if you fail."
Rhonex stood still, eyes narrowed. The pressure was mounting, but he couldn't afford to break.
"I still can't believe," the voice continued, "you got the purest of all emotions, "LOVE" wrong. But… what can I say? No demon is ever pure. Your soul mate, if her soul is still bright, won't be happy in your impending marriage. Even though she's not currently, at least she might hope. Maybe, somehow, she thinks it might work out right."
Rhonex's jaw tightened.
"Funny how you're stuck in here and still talk like you know everything," he replied flatly.
"Even though I'm bound," the voice said calmly, "my magical abilities weren't taken. I still see. I know many things… even the future. Though, occasionally, I may be wrong about what I see. But you?"
A sinister chuckle.
"Your future is unreadable and also unseeable. It's just… darkness."
Suddenly, Rhonex was ripped from the void and thrown into another vision.This time, he saw a woman peeling yam.
Her eyes.
That was all it took.
Rhonex didn't have a heart that beat with feeling, but he recognized what shone in hers.
"Sadness."
"Correct," the voice whispered, its tone softer now.
"My sister used to feel like this… a lot. While I couldn't feel, she felt everything even others' emotions. It nearly crushed her."
Before Rhonex could say any other thing, the scene shifted again.
Now, he stood at the edge of a large festival. People danced, vigorously. Adults laughing, children running around, cakes being passed hand to hand, the scent of sweetness in the air.
It looked… chaotic. Loud. Unpredictable.
He had always been disgusted by human creatures or maybe envious as he would not know what he feels they had a short lifespan, could feel, have a family and most times end up using their own hands to destroy these good things.
"Maybe, just maybe. He might love to be a human, but for now, he had to still deal with some stupid immortals. He saw the humans eating from the gutter. He didn't waste time and said "Disgust".
'Correct,' the voice said.
This kind of thing usually happens when the rich thrive on the poor, thereby leaving them with nothing.
The next thing he saw was a man coming home and bringing a gift for his wife. He gave her a ring made from pearls and the wife smiled.
"Surprise!" said Rhonex.
"Correct!" the voice said.
Rhonex remembered when he brought a man's heart home… because the man had crossed him. The look of surprise on everyone's face was still amusing, even up till now.
"Congratulations, you passed the first trial. The second trial will begin now. Let's see if you will pass that."