The Demon King's throne room was vast, carved from obsidian and ancient bone, its ceiling lost in a darkness that swallowed light itself. Pillars etched with forgotten runes pulsed faintly, as if the hall were breathing.
At the center sat Demon King Azhyrael.
He did not move.
He did not need to.
Power clung to him like gravity—silent, crushing, absolute.
Before the throne stood two figures.
On the right, Lynvar, his strategist—eyes sharp, mind sharper, hands folded behind his back as if holding the world's secrets.
On the left, Rivanel, the executioner—arms crossed, presence heavy, a blade at his side that had tasted kings.
The silence broke when Lynvar spoke.
"Reports from the northern mistlands confirm an anomaly."
Azhyrael's crimson eyes opened slowly.
"Speak."
Lynvar inclined his head.
"The Fairy Kingdom's border mana fluctuated. Brief. Precise. Too controlled to be natural."
Rivanel snorted.
"Fairies don't do 'controlled.' They panic."
Azhyrael's gaze sharpened.
"And Hollowspire?"
Lynvar's fingers twitched.
"Witnesses claim two individuals were seen walking there—unaffected by the mist, unaffected by distortion."
The throne room cooled.
"Hollowspire rejects gods," Rivanel said quietly. "Even we avoid it."
Azhyrael leaned forward a fraction.
"And yet… they walked."
"Yes," Lynvar replied. "One male. One female."
The Demon King was silent for a long moment.
Then—
"Kaelith."
The name echoed like a verdict.
Rivanel's eyes narrowed.
"So he's moving again."
Lynvar continued, carefully.
"Kaelith later confirmed it himself. He stated that among them… was someone carrying dragon blood."
The air cracked.
The runes along the pillars flared violently before settling.
Rivanel's posture stiffened.
"…Dragon blood? In this era?"
Even Lynvar's calm fractured for a heartbeat.
Azhyrael rose from his throne.
Every demon in existence would have felt it.
"Impossible," Rivanel said. "The last dragon fell before the Heavenly Accord."
"And yet," Lynvar replied, "Kaelith does not lie about blood."
The Demon King's expression was unreadable.
"Did he name them?"
"No," Lynvar answered. "Only that the bloodline is dormant… but pure."
Silence.
Then Azhyrael spoke, voice low and dangerous.
"Dormant blood awakens only when the world begins to tilt."
Rivanel smirked darkly.
"Looks like the board's shifting again."
Azhyrael turned his gaze toward the unseen horizon.
"Fairies. Dragons. Heaven's observers moving openly."
A pause.
"And Kaelith… watching instead of acting."
Lynvar hesitated.
"There is one more detail."
"Speak."
"Lunareth," Lynvar said. "She was present."
At that name, the Demon King's eyes flickered.
"Did she intervene?"
"No. She observed."
Rivanel laughed quietly.
"That's worse."
Azhyrael closed his eyes.
"When watchers stop guiding… it means they've found something worth waiting for."
He opened them again.
"Double surveillance on Hollowspire. No provocation."
Rivanel frowned.
"And the dragon-blood carrier?"
A slow, dangerous smile curved Azhyrael's lips.
"If they awaken… the world will announce it for us."
The throne room dimmed.
Far away—unknown to kings, demons, or heaven—
A young man named Reeve was speaking with something that was not supposed to exist.
And the system… was listening.