The silence that followed Xulthas's declaration was not empty it was the sound of a thousand predators drawing breath at once. Then, the hissing began.
It was a low, wet sound that started at the back of the hall and swept forward like a tide . The humanoid forms of the court officials began to ripple and buckle.
Noblemen who had been sipping fine wine moments ago now bared rows of needle-like, grotesque teeth. black horns tore through their head , feathers sharp as razors burst from their backs in a cacophony of tearing fabric. They weren't just angry , they were hungry. The smell of a Celestial in their midst had triggered a primal, ancestral bloodlust.
Zaliyah stood frozen on the dais, the crimson of his robes now looking like a target rather than a royal garment.
Suddenly, two blurs of movement intercepted the air in front of him. Iruna and Harun, his twin chamberlains, had abandoned all pretense of servitude. They flew to the dais, landing in front of Zaliyah like a living wall of shield and spear. Their own horns elongated, their feathers snapping aggressively as they hissed back at the baying crowd, a defensive barrier of pure ferocity.
"How dare you, Malachi!" a high-ranking official screamed, his voice filled with rage.
The time for honorifics was dead. "To bring that... that abomination onto the throne, You have mocked us all!"
Malachi didn't move. He stood with his head bowed, massaging his temples as if trying to stave off a headache that had finally turned into a migraine. He hadn't seen this coming not today, not with Xulthas.
Kizari flew to Malachi's side, her eyes darting to Zaliyah with newfound revulsion. To her, the boy was no longer a "pretty toy" he was a biological insult.
Yet, she stood firmly behind her King. She had made her choice;she would burn the world down if that was what Malachi decided to do.
Mephisa, watching from her seat, let out a cold,loud laugh. "A Celestial sitting on the throne? Malachi, you've played in our faces long enough. This is unacceptable! This is treason against our very nature"
"He should be executed!" a noble roared, slamming a fist onto a table. "Take him to the Execution Tower! Chop his head of on the bridge of sins , Let his blood water the black flowers of the abyss"
The chant caught like wildfire. "Execute him, Execute him ! Execute the Celestial!"
In the back of the room, Karas stood paralyzed. For the first time in his life, he was helpless. He was a grain of sand in a sea of monsters.
He could see Zaliyah . small, pale and surrounded by monsters . but the distance between them felt like a thousand miles of teeth and claws.
Xulthas, the catalyst of the chaos, stood back and grinned. It was a dark, melodic sound. To him, the irony was delicious. No one cared that a man was pregnant a biological miracle they only cared that his soul burned with the wrong light.
Ailla scurried to her brother's side, whispering with glee, "brother you never cease to amaze me , I've tried so hard to ge rid of him and you only did it in a day You've ruined him! Thank you so much brother, you're the best "
Xulthas looked at her with a blank, confused stare, as if she were a bug he had forgotten to crush. He didn't answer. He just watched the mob surge toward the dais.
"STAND BACK!"
Malachi's roar was not human. It was a tectonic shift.
His brown eyes bled into a terrifying, incandescent red. Massive, ink-black feathers shot from his back, casting a shadow so heavy it felt like the ceiling had collapsed. Scaly dark horn's spiraled from his brow as a glowing red sigil burned into his forehead. His fingernails elongated into long claws, and his teeth shifted into massive predatory fangs.
Zaliyah stole a glance at him and felt a wave of pure disgust. This was the true Malachi. He wasn't a man; he was a catastrophe. But beside him, Ailla and Kizari stared at the transformation with red cheeks, burning admiration. To them, this was the peak of power.
"The boy will not be executed," Malachi hissed, his voice vibrating in the floorboards.
"Shed your horns," Kizari commanded the audience, "Swallow your feathers. The banquet will continue."
The nobles laughed, an ugly sound. An elder nobleman stepped forward, his eyes milky with age and hatred. "One imagines your predecessors are resting quite uneasily in their graves , knowing you You protect the very species they loathed most. You are a disgrace to the royal bloodline."
"My predecessors," Malachi growled, "are nothing but bones and dust. I am King."
Mephisa stepped forward, her aura clashing against Malachi's. "You dare call yourself a king? You are a scavenger in silk! You betray your lineage, your throne, and your people for a piece of Celestial filth?"
"Worse than the mud freaks," another spat. "At least they know what they are. You fold over a piece of ass."
"If the late Empress were here, she'd kill herself a second time," Mephisa sneered. "Disgusting homo."
Malachi laughed then, a hollow, terrifying sound of a man who had finally lost all reason. He caught Uphior's eye and gave a sharp, subtle nod. Get him out.
Uphior grabbed Zaliyah, hoisting him up. The twins followed instantly, and Karas, seeing his window, slipped into the shadows to follow.
"You have made up your minds," Malachi said to the room, his claws extending. "Then I shall show no mercy."
As Mephisa lunged, her own daughter, Lilith, intercepted her. And then, the banquet turned into a bloodbath.
The halls were a blurred nightmare of sounds. Uphior led them through the back corridors, his face completely ruined, this one the day he feared the most. He shoved Zaliyah into his quarters and looked at the twins.
"Stay at the door. Kill anyone who isn't the King." Then, he vanished back toward the screams.
Harun stayed outside, his back to the door, while Iruna followed Zaliyah inside. Zaliyah collapsed onto the bed, his hands shaking so violently he had to sit on them.
"With... With child?" he muttered, the word tasting like ash. "Pregnant?"
"How do you feel, Your highness?" Iruna asked, her voice soft with worry.
"I don't know," Zaliyah whispered. "Everything... it's too fast."
From the distance, the cries of dying demons drifted through the walls. It was a wet, agonizing sound flesh tearing, bones snapping. Zaliyah shivered. He didn't understand the hatred for his kind. He didn't understand why his blood was a sin.
"Is it possible?" Zaliyah looked up at Iruna. "A man... pregnant? I've read every book in the human archives. It doesn't exist. It's a lie. They're all lunatics."
"It happens in the Celestial Realm," Iruna replied gently. "A man with a weak core can develop a womb. If the commander sensed a core... then it is true."
Zaliyah buried his face in his hands. "This is bad. This is so bad." Uhh why do bad things keep happening, I'm so tired...He went quiet, his mind racing back to the only time... the only person... "Can a man get pregnant after... after only once?"
Iruna's eyes widened, but she tried to remain positive. "On the bright side, if the child is the King's, you are invincible. No one can touch the heir or bearer of the heir."
Zaliyah rolled his eyes, a spike of his old fire returning. "I wouldn't touch Malachi with a two-foot pole, Iruna."
Iruna froze. A cold sweat broke out across her brow. "Your... Your highness... this isn't something to joke about. If it's not the King's..."
"I'm not joking," Zaliyah said flatly.
Iruna's breath hitched. She reached out telepathically to her brother outside. Brother... Harun, the child isn't the King's. What do we do? I'm so scared.
"He's dead meat" Harun replied, his mental voice grim.
Outside, the banquet hall was being painted in crimson. In the slow motion of a nightmare, demons were torn apart.
Feathers were stripped from wings like autumn leaves, broken horns rolled across the polished floors like discarded dice. High-class energy balls detonated against the walls, shredding ancient tapestries.
Ryuna, Kizari's guard, appeared at the door, her sword dripping with blood. "The Queen sent me to protect him," she said to Harun.
A group of high-class demons charged the door. "You slaughter your own to protect a Celestial?" one screamed.
"Her orders are more important than my values," Ryuna replied, her blade whistling through the air.
Inside, the shadows in the corner of the room rippled. A small, trembling figure emerged. It was Nyxian.
"Nyxian?" Zaliyah stood, quickly scooping the child into his arms. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"
"Wha... wha... what is happening?" she stammered, her eyes wide.
"She has shadow powers, Your Majesty," Iruna explained. "She goes where she pleases."
"Bb... brother," Nyxian whispered, clutching Zaliyah's tunic. "Bb... brother's aura is everywhere."
"The King's aura is suffocating the palace," Iruna said. "It's enough to knock out any pure demon whose cultivation is weak."
"I'm not unconscious," Zaliyah noted.
"It only works on pure demons," Iruna reminded him.
Zaliyah looked at the little girl in his lap. "Why aren't you asleep, little Xian? You're a powerful one, aren't you?" He pinched her cheek gently. The child's face burned a bright crimson, but before she could speak, a noise at the door made Zaliyah stiffen. He pushed Nyxian toward the shadow. "Go, Xian. Hide. Now."
The child vanished. But the door didn't burst open with violence. Instead, it opened with a click. A familiar scent hit Zaliyah sandalwood and home.
"Karas?"
Karas didn't wait. He sprinted across the room and threw his arms around Zaliyah, pulling him into an embrace so tight it felt like he was trying to merge their bodies.
"I'm sorry," Karas sobbed into Zaliyah's neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry it took so long."
Zaliyah stood in shock, his hands hovering in the air before finally settling on Karas's back. "It's okay... you don't need to apologize."
"I don't hate you," Karas cried, his voice breaking into agonizing, pitiful wails. "I never hated you. I was just angry... I was so stupid and angry. Please, Zi. Please forgive me."
"I know," Zaliyah whispered, a tear finally rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. You didn't deserve that."
Karas pulled back, his face a mess of tears and grime. "Then let's go. Let's leave this hell right now. You can't survive in this beastly haven. Come home with me."
Zaliyah shook his head, his eyes filled with a hollow grief. "I can't, Karas. I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Riru has been crying nonstop!" Karas begged, falling to his knees and grabbing Zaliyah's hands. "Mom hasn't slept in weeks! They're dying without you! Zaliyah, I cannot live without you. I understand how you feel now, I do—"
"No, you don't," Zaliyah cut him off. "You don't understand how I feel."
"Then make me understand!" Karas cried, his tears falling onto Zaliyah's onyx-hide boots. "Every breath you take in this place makes me feel like my heart is being stepped on. There's nothing waiting for you here but death!"
"And there's a paradise waiting for me in the human realm?" Zaliyah asked, his voice bitter.
"No," Karas gasped, looking up with raw, agonizing desperation. "I can't guarantee paradise. But we can create one! I will make the universe a paradise for you, Zaliyah. We'll go somewhere they don't know us. I'll protect you from everyone."
Zaliyah looked down and saw it the white streak of hair on Karas's head. His eyes filled with terror. "Karas... what did you do to yourself?"
"It doesn't matter!" Karas pleaded, clutching Zaliyah's legs. "Just come with me! They'll kill you here, I'm begging you, Zi... please don't let me lose you again."
Zaliyah's fist clenched. Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto Karas's hair. "Love is not enough," he whispered, his heart shattering. "And all we have is hurt. I'm sorry... but I have to let you go. I can't go back to being a burden."
"We've been through it all!" Karas stood up, cupping Zaliyah's face with trembling hands. "Good times and bad. We'll figure it out. We can move to a different town, a different country. A world tour, Zaliyah! We can start fresh. You and me. Me and you. Just the two of us. Don't deny yourself happiness. Please... just look at me."
Outside, the heavy thud of boots approached. Malachi and Kizari, both soaked in demonic blood, walked toward the room. Harun stood his ground at the door, even as Ryuna stepped aside for the Queen.
"Step aside, Harun," Kizari commanded.
Harun didn't move.
"Is that defiance?" Kizari asked coldly.
In a flash of movement, Harun was pinned to the stone wall. A long, serrated knife pierced through his shoulder, pinning him like an insect to a board. He let out a choked gasp of pain.
Inside, Zaliyah looked at Karas the man who had crossed worlds for him, who had giving him everything till he had nothing left to give , the man who had taught him what love feels like . He leaned in, grabbing Karas's face and kissing him with all the grief and love he had left.
At that exact moment, the doors barged open.
Malachi and Kizari stood in the threshold, the stench of fresh blood clinging to them.
They froze, their eyes widening as they witnessed the Royal Consort in the arms of the human intruder.
The silence that followed was more violent than the slaughter in the halls.