The decaying temple was silent, the thunderous, muffled roar of the waterfall echoed outside. Karas stood in the center of the mossy stone floor, his chest heaving with raw terror.
The blind hermit didn't waste any time. He didn't offer comforting words or a chance to back out. He raised his gnarled wooden staff, and the dead fire in the center of the room suddenly flared to life with a sickly, emerald green flame.
"Kneel, boy," the hermit commanded, his voice echoing with a sudden, supernatural tone.
Karas complied, dropping to his knees.
"This is going to hurt more than any weapon a mortal can forge," the old man warned, his milky eyes glowing faintly in the green light. "I am going to rip away a portion of the life force anchored to your soul to forge the bridge. Do not lose consciousness. If you pass out before the gate opens, the void will swallow you."
"Just do it," Karas grunted, gritting his teeth.
The hermit raised his free hand, his fingers curling like claws. He made a sharp, sudden pulling motion toward Karas's chest.
Instantly, Karas let out a scream of pure, unadulterated agony.
It didn't feel like physical pain. It felt like his very essence was being hooked and dragged out through his ribs. The emerald fire flared violently, spiraling around Karas's body as the hermit literally tore away his future. Karas felt years of his life-mornings he should have seen, breaths he should have taken-being violently ripped out of his chest.
His vision went white. His heart hammered in his chest, threatening to burst out . He felt the cold creep of age and exhaustion settle deep into his bones, far before its time.
A streak of his dark hair, right at his temple, turned a shocking, silver white.
"Hold on!" the hermit roared over the rushing wind in the cave. "Do not fall!"
Karas bit down on his tongue so hard he drew blood, using the physical pain to ground his slipping consciousness. He pictured Zaliyah's face. He pictured that gentle smile. I love you more than my name, more than my blood, his mind chanted like a lifeline. He refused to die here.
With a final, violent wrenching motion, the hermit slammed his staff against the floor. A swirling, violent vortex of black and purple energy tore open in the air in front of Karas.
"Go!" the hermit screamed, sounding suddenly exhausted. "The gate is open, but it will not last for long!"
Karas, panting heavily, forced his newly weakened body to stand. Trembling, he took a step forward and threw himself into the abyss.
In the Underworld, the atmosphere was far less violent, but no less heavy.
Zaliyah was still in the gargantuan Royal Library, seated at the heavy stone table. Little Princess Nyxian was still leaning against his leg, quietly tracing patterns on the floorboards with her small fingers.
Having realized that he needed to understand the mechanics of the world he was trapped in, Zaliyah had pulled a massive, dusty tome based on the economy and social structures of the Demon Realm.
As he read through the descriptions of the vast, dark cities stretching below the palace, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Harun, Iruna," Zaliyah spoke up, looking away from the ancient book. "What do the regular subjects in the city below the palace do? Do they farm? There is not enough sunlight here... how do they grow food? Are they forced to eat those grotesque plants I saw in the garden?"
The twins looked at each other, and then back at Zaliyah with identical, patient expressions.
"Unlike humans, your highness, us demons do not survive only on food," Harun explained smoothly. "Food isn't a necessity for our survival."
Zaliyah blinked, resting his chin in his hands. "Then how do you survive? How do the commoners live?"
"The lowly beasts and the lower-class citizens survive on flesh and rotten meat," Iruna answered, her voice clinical and matter-of-fact. "They feed on open wounds. Most times, they will actively cross the realm or find ways to inflict the 'rotten plague' on humans. Once the disease rots the human's flesh, the beasts feed on it."
Zaliyah felt the color drain from his face. His stomach did a violent flip, and he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from puking. The absolute disgust was written across every line of his face.
"Even though the King has made this practice strictly illegal," Harun added quickly, noticing Zaliyah's distress, "the lowly beasts still do it in the dark corners of the realm."
"This is one of the main reasons the subjects are divided against him," Iruna explained, leaning against a shelf. "Because the king is actively abolishing the old, savage practices."
Zaliyah swallowed hard, slowly lowering his hand from his mouth. He rolled his eyes toward the dark ceiling. "How graceful of Malachi."
At the mention of the King's name, Nyxian's bright red eyes shined brightly. She looked up at Zaliyah, her little baby horns tilting. "Bro... bro... brother?"
"Poor thing got excited at the mere mention of his name," Zaliyah murmured softly. He reached down and gently patted the top of her wavy, dark hair. "You miss your brother, Xian?"
The little girl gave a quick, enthusiastic nod of her head.
"Do you want to see him?" Zaliyah asked.
To his surprise, Nyxian immediately shook her head vigorously, a look of pure shyness crossing her face.
Zaliyah let out a soft, amused giggle. "Me too. I don't want to see him either."
Nyxian's face fell, looking suddenly sad. "Bu... bu... but why?"
Zaliyah ruffled her hair gently, steering her away from the topic. "Don't ask too many questions xian." The child nodded, content with the affection, and clung tightly to Zaliyah's leg.
Zaliyah looked back at the twins. "Well, if food isn't a necessity, what do the high-class demons eat?"
"Unlike the lowly beasts, we, the high class, have a demonic core," Iruna explained, tapping the center of her chest. "It is the source of all our power and energy. Food isn't a necessity to us. We just need to keep cultivating and meditating on our cores to survive and sustain ourselves."
"To become more powerful?" Zaliyah asked, tilting his head.
"Precisely," Iruna smiled. "Food is purely a luxury. It isn't a necessity to us at all... but my brother here simply likes eating."
Zaliyah turned his head and gave Harun a questioning look.
Harun's cheeks flushed a dark purple, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. "What? Everyone loves eating. It tastes good."
Iruna giggled at her brother's embarrassment, and even Zaliyah found himself smiling faintly at the normal, human-like interaction. It made the cold library feel a little warmer.
Zaliyah turned back to his book, tracing a map drawn on the page. "Are there other cities? Or is this just one massive, dark capital?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" a smooth, dangerously deep voice suddenly purred from the entrance of the library aisle.
At the sound of the King's voice, the playful energy in the library aisle evaporated instantly.
Harun and Iruna went rigid, stepping back from the table. Both of them immediately bowed their heads low, their hands clasped in front of them. "Long live His Royal Majesty," they spoke in unison, their voices flat and formal.
Malachi paid them no mind whatsoever. He stepped out of the shadows of the massive bookshelves, wearing heavy, dark robes lined with gold thread.
Nyxian let out a squeal of pure joy, letting go of Zaliyah's leg and running as fast as her little legs could carry her toward Malachi.
Malachi's cold, calculating face broke into a genuinely warm smile as he opened his arms, easily welcoming the enthusiastic embrace from his sister.
The Chamberlains' heads remained bowed. They didn't dare look up at the King without permission.
Malachi effortlessly lifted Nyxian up, placing the giggling girl onto his broad shoulders. The child reached out, her small hands playfully pulling at his dark, curved horns.
Zaliyah sat at the table, utterly stunned by the display. It turned out even a demon king had a soft spot for kids.
Zaliyah looked at the stressed, rigid postures of the twins and felt a wave of protective annoyance. "You two can leave,"
Zaliyah said, dismissing his chamberlains.
Iruna was clearly a little scared and hesitated to move, her eyes darting nervously toward the King.
Zaliyah caught her eye and gave a subtle nod toward Harun, signaling him to take her away. Harun understood perfectly; he gently took his sister's arm and pulled her out of the aisle.
Malachi watched them go, adjusting Nyxian on his shoulders as the little girl continued to tug at his hair. "Your chamberlains act like I'm a messenger of death rather than your husband," Malachi noted, his voice dripping with amusement.
Zaliyah rolled his eyes, turning back to the map in his book. "What do you want, Malachi?"
"Ouch. My poor heart," Malachi said teasingly, stepping closer to the table. "I just wanted to come and spend some quality time with my husband."
Zaliyah just rolled his eyes again.
Nyxian, looking down from her high perch on Malachi's shoulders, tilted her head in absolute confusion. "Hus... hus... husband?".
Malachi looked up at his little sister, his red eyes crinkling at the corners. "What is it, little Xian?".
"Mo... mo... mother said she's your wife,"
Nyxian stammered, pointing a small finger at Zaliyah. "S....s- so why do you call her husband?".
Malachi burst out laughing. It wasn't a cruel laugh, but a loud, booming sound of pure amusement that echoed off the high library ceilings. He laughed so hard he had to steady Nyxian on his shoulders. He couldn't believe his little sister thought Zaliyah was a girl.
Zaliyah sighed heavily, massaging his temples. "It's not the first time someone thought I was a girl. Even Karas thought I was a girl when we first met..."
Malachi's laughter stopped abruptly. The air in the library seemed to grow a fraction colder. His heart stung a little at the sudden, casual mention of the human man's name.
"You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Malachi spoke, his voice losing its teasing warmth.
Zaliyah ignored the King's sour mood and gave the little girl a reassuring smile. "Nyxian, I'm not a girl, okay? You can just call me big brother."
Nyxian looked even more confused. Her little brows furrowed. "Sis... sister in-law?" she asked, stumbling over the words.
Malachi let out a small, genuine giggle at that.
"No, Nyxian," Zaliyah massaged his temples in annoyance. "I am not your sister-in-law-I."
"Bu... bu... but you are married to bro... bro... brother, no?" Nyxian interrupted, trying desperately to understand the royal adult politics.
Zaliyah looked at her, and then glared pointedly at Malachi. "Listen to me, You will call me big brother, or I won't let you come around me anymore and you'll have to watch me from the shadows like Malachi did."
Malachi let out another amused chuckle, shaking his head. "You still haven't forgotten that? Who knew I would be on your mind so much."
"Don't flatter yourself," Zaliyah snapped.
Nyxian looked between them, her eyes wide. She tested the new title out cautiously. "Bi... bi... big brother?"
Zaliyah smiled. He had to stand up on his tiptoes to reach her head on Malachi's high shoulders, but he gently patted her hair. "Good girl."
Malachi scruffed, shifting his shoulders. "Don't treat my little warrior like she's some weak, fragile human, Zaliyah."
Nyxian didn't like her brother's tone. She reached down and pulled hard on Malachi's right horn, signaling him to shut up.
Malachi let out a dramatic cry of pain. "Little Xian! You've known me your whole life! You've known this man for just one day and you're hurting your brother for him? I don't like you anymore."
Pouting dramatically, Malachi put the giggling child down on the floor and turned his back to her, crossing his arms like a petulant child.
Zaliyah just rolled his eyes and sat back down. He couldn't believe his peaceful reading session was getting derailed by this petty family drama.
[Check authors Note to win an iPhone 17 (JK)]