The corridors of the Crimson Abyss Palace were colder than I imagined, though the torches burned bright along the walls. Every step echoed in the marble halls, a rhythm that reminded me how foreign this body felt. The claws at my fingertips twitched every time I tried to grasp something. Even the simplest movement felt like a battle with my own flesh.
"Your Highness." The voice of a courtier startled me. I almost yelped. He bowed low, eyes darting around nervously, as if afraid I might shatter into nothing at any moment. "The council awaits your presence in the War Chamber. His Majesty, your father, asks for your guidance."
Guidance. I swallowed hard. Father. I knew the word, the concept, but it belonged to someone else. Someone I had spent a lifetime fighting against. Yet here I was, called by the very people I had trained to kill.
I followed him, my legs stiff and uncertain. The farther I went, the heavier the weight of my memories pressed against me. Images of my own death flashed again : the spear, the final clash, the voice urging me to "live as the other side." And beneath it all, the faint, unshakable pulse of a demon's power that was now mine.
The War Chamber was massive, a dome of black stone etched with glowing runes. A long table filled with advisors, generals, and scholars stretched across the floor. At the head, sitting with an aura of unyielding authority, was the Demon King : my father, or at least the body I had inherited called him. His eyes, dark and unblinking, fixed on me as I entered.
"You have awakened," he said, his voice low and calm, yet it carried the weight of storms. "The humans thought they could end our reign. Yet here you stand. Aren."
I froze. The name rolled off his tongue like a blade. It wasn't my name, but it was mine now. My throat tightened. I nodded, unsure if I was acknowledging him, or myself, or the lie that my new life had become.
"The northern frontier is unstable," he continued. "We cannot afford weakness. You were trained in strategy and combat beyond any other. Lead us. Or our enemies will tear us apart from within."
I swallowed. Lead. Strategy. Combat. Yes, I had done all of that… but as a human. Now I had a body I barely understood, powers I could barely control, and a mind split between two lives. How could I lead a kingdom whose very existence I had once vowed to destroy?
The council murmured among themselves, waiting for my response. I forced words out, steadying my voice: "I… will do what I must."
Their relief was palpable, though I felt none myself. I was standing in the halls of the enemy, wearing their face, speaking their words, and hiding my true self. But for now, survival meant playing the part.
Later, alone in my chambers, I examined myself in the mirror again. The reflection was not human. Pale skin, eyes sharp and golden in the torchlight, horns curling from my hair, armor etched into my very posture. Yet beneath it, a heartbeat that remembered human warmth. Human guilt. Human hope.
A soft knock came at the door. My heart skipped. A young woman entered, an attendant, or perhaps a servant ; her robes simple, but her eyes curious. "Your Highness… are you well?" she asked, her voice gentle. There was no fear in it, just quiet concern.
I nodded. "I… think so." My voice sounded alien to me, deep and measured, but I tried to add a hint of warmth.
She smiled faintly. "You've changed, haven't you?"
I laughed softly, the sound hollow. "Perhaps."
Her eyes lingered on me longer than they should. In them, I saw something I hadn't expected : compassion. Maybe… hope. The tiny seed of connection planted itself, fragile and uncertain, in the midst of my confusion.
I closed my eyes. The war, the palace, the council, my past life; they were all pressing in at once. And yet, somehow, I survived. I had to. For now, I had to be Aren. The Demon Prince. And if the world was to change, it would start with me.
Because somewhere inside, beneath the claws, the horns, and the inherited power, I still carried the heart of a hero.
And heroes, no matter the body they inhabit, find a way to fight.