The ceremony had finally began .
Kizari's dark hair cascaded like a silk waterfall and her hips were swaying with a hypnotic grace as she stepped onto the dais. Below, the younger demonesses gushed in hushed, envious tones, their eyes burning with the desire to stand where she stood, as the architect of the Underworld.
Kizari leaned over Zaliyah, with a smile. "You look so beautiful, darling. Like a jewel set in ivory."
With a flick of her wrist, she lifted Zaliyah's red veil. The cool air hit his face, exposing him to the room. She poured a dark glistening liquid into a golden chalice, the traditional Opening Toast.
Zaliyah's face hardened. In the human realm, he had never so much as tasted ale. Now, he was expected to swallow this viscous, pungent brew under the eyes of the most powerful beings in the realm. He scanned the crowd, a frozen smile plastered on his face. He could feel the auras, the generals and commanders were like crushing mountains of energy. They were gauging him. They were tasting his weakness.
He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and drained the cup in one swift motion. The liquid was like liquid fire mixed with iron, it burned his throat and it was like lead in his stomach. He felt a wave of nausea so violent he nearly doubled over, but the hall erupted in a deafening cheer.
The banquet had officially begun.
At the edge of the hall, Karas was a ghost in the crowd. His eyes were glued to the dais, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of a table.
"I thought you were hungry?" Vexra's voice snapped him back to reality. She was already picking at a plate of fresh fruits. "Why are you not digging in? You've been staring at the stage for ten minutes."
"Oh," Karas rasped, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had been so consumed by the sight of Zaliyah looking so fragile yet so terrifyingly regal ,that he had forgotten the gnawing pain in his own stomach.
"I know, I know," Vexra giggled, leaning in close. "He looks drop-dead gorgeous. But I'd advise you to stop looking before people think you want to covet His Majesty's prized goods. In this palace, looking too long is the same as stealing."
Karas forced himself to look away.
The governance here was a nightmare of dictatorship and ego. He moved toward the buffet of human goods, piling a plate with bread and meat that tasted like ashes in his mouth. Even as he ate, his eyes inevitably drifted back to the red figure on the throne.
Zaliyah stood up, his gold earrings chiming in the silent hall, it was time to deliver his practiced speech to the subjects. When he speaks, his voice sounded like a soft melodic cadence that pulls the listeners in, forcing even the most hardened demon generals to lean forward to catch every note.
"My King... and to those who call this vast night home.
To be welcomed into the embrace of the royal family is a grace I did not expect, yet one I cherish with every breath I take. I look upon these halls, the velvet, the gold, and the strength of those gathered here and I feel the weight of a history far older than myself. It is indeed a beautiful weight.
I know that I am a new melody in a song that has been sung for eons. But I promise you this: I will learn every note of your struggles and every harmony of your triumphs. I do not come to change the darkness, but to honor it.
I pledge my heart to the King, and my soul to the service of this kingdom. As these red silks wrap around me, let my devotion wrap around the needs of our subjects. I am grateful for your acceptance, and I vow to earn it every day .
His voice was steady, a chilling imitation of royal grace. He spoke of his "gratitude" for joining the Royal Family and his "devotion" to the people of the Underworld. To the demons, it was a lovely performance.
Malachi and Kizari's eyes fell on him ,for the first time, they were impressed by him .
To Karas, it was the sound of Zaliyah's soul slowly losing its light.
Then came the introductions. An endless mountain of nobles, council members, military strategists, and court sycophants began to file past, piling gifts at Zaliyah's feet . Ancestral blades, soul-stones, ivory, silks of the finest calibre and forbidden scrolls.
Malachi leaned toward Zaliyah, a dark amusement in his eyes. "That was a wonderful speech , I was almost convinced for a second"
Zaliyah rolled his eyes .
Malachi chuckled as Kizari turned her gaze to him
"You seem to be tired already"
Zaliyah didn't look at her. His jaw remained tight. "Tired? No shit! I am literally boiling in these layers of clothes."
Kizari let out a low giggle. "Steady yourself. The banquet has just begun."
The military commanders followed, their names words of harsh consonants and ancient titles. Zaliyah nodded and smiled until his face felt like it would become a sculpture . Then, the Royalty stepped forward.
First were the triplets, Malachi's favorite concubines. They moved in perfect unison, their voices honeyed but dripping with venom. "Long live Your Royal Highness," they sang, their bows shallow and mocking. They left their gifts like insults and retreated into the shadows.
Then, the air shifted. Ailla stepped forward, her brown eyes dancing with a secret triumph. Behind her, Shakdam carried trays of gold.
"Long live Your Royal Highness," Ailla purred.
Zaliyah froze. That voice. He looked at her, then at the Chamberlain behind her. The memory hit him like a physical blow the market in the human realm. The poisoning. The beginning of his nightmare. This was the woman who had orchestrated his ruin.
Hostility surged in his blood, but he forced it down. If he released even a spark of his true aura, these monsters would tear him apart. He merely nodded, his eyes like cold amethysts.
Ailla smiled vigorously, sensing his recognition, and swept away. Zaliyah was burning with rage.
Suddenly, Queen Lilith approached. Her chamberlain, Elianis, followed with silks wrapped in silver. Lilith moved with a strange energy. She bowed, but as she lifted her head, her breath hitched.
She stared at Zaliyah, her eyes wide and wet. She reached out, her fingers trembling as she touched his jawline. "Oryon?" she whispered, her voice a broken reed. "Oryon... why --whats going on... Why do you-?"
Elianis coughed nervously. "Your Majesty... please, let us move on."
But Lilith was entranced, her hands moving over Zaliyah's face as if searching for a ghost. Zaliyah pulled back, his skin crawling. "Thanks for the gifts ," he said, his voice loud enough to draw stares. "Now stop touching me."
The line snapped Lilith back to reality. She withdrew her hand as if burned, her face twisting into a mask of confusion. As she retreated, she whispered fiercely to Elianis, "Investigate that boy. Every detail. Now."
Zaliyah exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Why are all royalties such lunatics?"
Malachi smiled, unfazed. "Well, I'm not a lunatic."
"You and Kizari are the biggest lunatics I've ever met , it's no wonder why you two are married, you deserve eachother" Zaliyah added
"Need I remind you , you are also wedded to him? We are made for eachother my darling, even the great king Vhalos couldn't forge this bond" Kizari said , twirling a curl of Zaliyah's hair around her fingers.
Zaliyah rolled his eyes , he was few hours away from looking like boiled chicken, he had no strength left to argue with two lunatics.
The hall went deathly silent. The music died in the rafters as a new figure approached the dais.
It was Xulthas.
He walked with quiet confidence.
His long, silky black hair cascaded down a back clad in the ornate, fur-trimmed leathers of the Northwest. His emerald green eyes were fixed on Zaliyah with a terrifying clarity.
Ailla leaned forward in her seat, her breath hitching. This was it.
"Long live Your Royal Highness," Xulthas said, his voice resonant and chilling. "I am Xulthas, Commander of the Northwest Territory."
Zaliyah rolled his eyes internally. "I gathered as much."
Xulthas smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I was in a haste to see the King's new possession, and as such, I brought no gifts. I hope Your Royal Highness will forgive my... lack of preparation."
Zaliyah nodded, wanting him to simply leave. But Xulthas didn't move.
"It is interesting," Xulthas continued, his voice cutting through the silence of the room. "I could hear His Highness's heart beating from the moment I stepped into this palace. But if I may be bold... does the Royal Consort have two hearts?"
Malachi's brow furrowed. The amusement left his face. "What do you mean, Xulthas?"
The Commander stepped closer, his gaze piercing through Malachi's essence that still coated Zaliyah. "I can hear two heartbeats coming from the Consort. One fast and terrified... and another, smaller, slower pulse."
The hall was so quiet you could hear the soul-jars flickering. Karas felt the world tilt. The bread in his hand fell to the floor.
"I think there must be some sort of a confusion," Zaliyah said, his voice trembling despite his training. "I only have one heart."
Xulthas's smile widened into something predatory. "No. I mean... you are with child."
The word hit the room like a thunderclap. Karas felt the sound continuously roar in his ears like a drumbeat of horror. Pregnant? Zaliyah?
Malachi stood up ,"Xulthas, you've never been the one to crack jokes. This is not the time to start."
"As such, I am not joking," Xulthas replied calmly.
"Then you must be going insane!" Zaliyah shouted, his voice echoed in the banquet hall as he stood to face the Warlock. "I'm not shocked, really. Everyone here is a lunatic, You hear things that aren't there because your own mind is rotting!"
Ailla's jaw dropped. The audience was in an uproar of whispers and gasps. But Xulthas wasn't finished. He took one more step, his eyes glowing with an ethereal green light that seemed to strip Zaliyah naked.
"But that is not the most interesting thing I sense," Xulthas added, his voice dropping to a deadly, audible whisper. "I sensed some faint, non-demonic energy in his soul. I sense light magic. I sense a purity that doesn't belong in the underworld."
He pointed a gloved finger directly at Zaliyah's chest.
"He has a Celestial Core."
The silence that followed was absurd. It was the silence in a graveyard , Every demon in the room froze. In the Underworld, "Celestial" was a word of war, of hatred, and execution.
Karas looked at the dais, his heart breaking. The mask was gone. The secret was out. And Zaliyah was standing in the center of a room filled with thousands of monsters who now knew exactly what he was.
The banquet of honor had just become a banquet of blood.