The mortals Azeron had summoned were returned to their world—broken, trembling, their souls scarred with visions of mirrors and shadows. Their whispers spread faster than plague, painting his name across the land.
But Azeron's gaze did not fade with their departure. From his throne upon Nex, he lingered, watching through cracks in the veil. His power reached like threads through the kingdoms of men, tugging at hidden secrets, unraveling buried desires.
And then… he saw her.
Within the royal palace of Estrellia, a grand kingdom of marble and banners, sat a young woman with a crown of gold at her feet. She was no queen—yet. A princess only, trapped by her father's decrees, silenced by her mother's hand, forgotten behind the brilliance of her elder brother.
But her heart… her heart boiled with venom.
"Why must I wait? Why must I bow? Why must I pretend that my blood is not royal enough to rule? I am more cunning than my brother, more ambitious than my father, and far less weak than my mother. Yet they deny me. They keep me as their caged songbird."
She clenched her fists. Her nails drew blood. Her eyes burned with a hunger the palace walls could not contain.
Azeron smiled.
"Ah… yes. I see you, little bird."
That night, as the palace feasted in laughter and wine, the princess sat alone in her chamber, gazing at the moon. Her reflection in the glass window shimmered—until it was no longer hers.
Crimson eyes stared back at her. A shadow stretched across the room, cloaking the silks and jewels in darkness. The air grew heavy. Her heart froze.
Azeron:"You dream of a crown, child."
She staggered back, her hand reaching for the dagger at her waist. But the shadow swallowed it whole before she could lift it.
"Wh–who are you?"
The shadow laughed. "Who am I? You already know my name. You felt it burn across your skin when I dragged your priests, your nobles, your peasants into my heaven. You know the truth, even if your tongue trembles to speak it.
Say it."
Her lips quivered. She whispered— "…Azeron."
The crimson eyes gleamed.
Azeron:"Good. And now you will listen. You resent your parents. You despise their rule. You dream of their crowns, of your throne, of obedience from the world that laughs at you. Do not deny it."
She gasped, her mask of royalty cracking. "I—I only want what I deserve. What is mine by right!"
"Lie to others, child. Do not lie to me."
The princess collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face, her voice breaking into rage.
"I want it all! I want the throne, the kingdom, the power to make them kneel. My father is a coward, my brother a fool, my mother a puppet. They should bow to me! I should be queen!"
The shadows curled around her, whispering, caressing her face like chains. Azeron's voice lowered, venomous, divine.
Azeron:"Yes… now you speak truth. You are like me. Caged. Scorned. Denied. Do you not see the pattern, child? Mortals mock what they fear, suppress what they cannot control. Just as they buried me, they bury you.
But I broke my chains. And so shall you."
The princess's breath quickened. "How?"
"Swear to me. Cast aside the lie of family, the lie of loyalty. Swear yourself to my throne. Obey my will, and I will shape you into a queen not by blood… but by fear. Your crown will not be gifted. It will be taken."
Silence filled the chamber. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She glanced at the moon, then at the empty crown upon her desk. Slowly, trembling, she bowed her head.
"I… swear."
The shadows surged, swallowing her in darkness. When they receded, the princess's eyes glowed faintly red, a spark of Azeron's power pulsing within her. She rose with a smile sharp enough to cut glass.
From that night forward, she was no longer just a princess.She was Azeron's seed of rot within the palace.A puppet? No.A tool.A herald.
And soon… a queen carved from betrayal.