Scene 1
Staring down into the field, I watched the men gather after Rook summoned everyone.
Only half of them had returned.
The injured ones had already been accounted for and moved to my new village as trainers. Those who accepted offers from Lady and Lord Sitiri to join the Sitiri army or palace guards were only a fraction of the soldiers I had trained. The rest stood below me now, armor worn from months of hard movement, bodies carrying scars they no longer tried to hide, and eyes sharp enough to prove the first stage had done its job.
They were no longer soldiers waiting for orders.
They were men waiting for a path.
"I promised you guys I'd teach you something better once enough of you reached High-Ranking Devil," I said, letting my voice carry across the field. "I intend to fulfill that promise."
The wind shifted over the mountain behind me, dragging a pressure through the air heavy enough to make a few of them look up on instinct.
"Now take a look around and remember this place. Once the barrier goes back up, the pathway here will be covered by barriers from my grandparents."
They followed my direction.
Some looked toward the forest first, where black trees bent around the edge of the field like they were trying to avoid touching the mountain. Others focused on the floating rock formations hanging above the higher ridges, pieces of broken land held in place by laws thick enough to ignore gravity. A few stared at the demonic beasts moving in the distance, massive shadows slipping between stone pillars and ruined Titan walls without daring to approach.
The smarter ones looked toward the mountain peak behind me.
That was the real key.
After placing Mount Orthys near the village through a request to Rhea, I had relocated a Titan stronghold close enough for my men to reach and far enough for no one else to stumble across it by accident. Ancient stonework cut through the mountain in broken rings, half-buried beneath black moss, old ash, and roots thick enough to strangle towers. The ruins breathed with old authority.
Most of them failed to sense it properly.
They could feel the weight, but they could not name it.
The laws here were thick in every breath.
"We'll call this place Demon Mound," I said. "It will serve as your training ground until the next war. All three thousand of you will become the original members of the Black Sun Clan."
The name moved through them like a physical thing.
Some stood straighter.
Others looked toward the mountain again, as if realizing the ground under their feet had already become something more than a training field.
"This place holds multiple secrets that can unlock different futures for you. But for now, we'll start with laws."
I let the silence settle before continuing.
"This place is covered in naturally forming laws from various domains. Life. Death. Wind. Earth. Fire. Water. You get the point. Once you've stepped into High Rank, gaining more energy becomes pointless if you can't direct its transformation."
A few of them frowned.
Good.
Confusion meant they were listening.
"Once you reach this level, your goal should no longer be bigger attacks or flashier spells. Any idiot with enough energy can make something explode. That isn't mastery. That's waste."
I raised my bandaged left hand.
Black lightning crawled over the dark fabric, branching between my fingers before climbing along my wrist. The men below stiffened as the air above them darkened.
"Your goal is refinement. Everything you are should be sharpened until your power becomes part of your being."
The lightning leapt upward.
A magical circle formed above them, not drawn by ink or demonic energy, but by black lightning twisting itself into symbols. The natural laws around the mountain responded to my command, bending under the pressure of my will as they transformed into my demonic lightning.
Then the sky cracked.
Black bolts struck the ground in a perfect ring around my men, blasting stone apart and leaving molten scars in the earth. Several soldiers stepped back before forcing themselves still. Others stared upward, caught between fear and hunger.
"This is only the beginning," I said. "The spell above you exists as proof. If you can't command your power to live inside your every movement, then all that energy is pointless."
The lightning circle pulsed overhead.
"Learn what your power is made of. Then learn everything surrounding that domain. That is how you grow past simply being mortal. That is how you begin the road toward truly becoming a Satan."
I looked over them from my cliff.
"Relying on pure energy is a fool's idea of divinity."
That line landed harder than the lightning.
"Take it from a real God, and not devils who stole a Yhwach idea of using a mortal body to step into the full mantle of his name. Laws are the one thing your race lacks a direct connection to. This place aims to fix that before you fall behind the next generation of devils."
I cut my connection to the spell.
The rain of black lightning came to an end, leaving smoke rising from the ring carved around them. The silence afterward was deeper than before.
"Since Rook is the easiest to translate, we'll use him as an example."
Rook stepped forward without needing to be ordered. His expression remained calm, but his shoulders were tight. He knew being used as the example in front of three thousand men could either elevate him or bury him.
"As a devil with a water affinity, your job isn't to copy standard water laws," I said. "Most Sitiri clan members like him are born with a high affinity for water. Direct bloodline members of Sitiri usually carry an even stronger affinity that leans toward ice."
I gestured toward him.
"Since he isn't a direct member of the family, he's stuck leaning into water. But is that a loss?"
The men stayed silent.
"It depends on how small his imagination is."
Rook's eyes narrowed slightly, not in offense, but thought.
"Water is too broad to be treated like a simple spell. Rivers. Oceans. Seas. Rain. Mist. Blood. Pressure. Drowning. The weight of the deep. The force of dragging another devil into the lake of the Demon Forest and letting pressure crush their body before they can scream."
A few men shifted at that.
Good.
They understood violence better than theory.
"Then there's my favorite twist."
Black lightning rose from my hand again, forming weapons in the air. Spears. Swords. Axes. Chains. Each one flickered between shape and concept as the laws around us bent to hold them.
"Why stop there?"
The weapons dissolved into water for a breath before turning dark.
"For all Lucifer's flaws, he did not go cheap when it came to your magical abilities. If you can think about it and see it as reality, then you're already ninety-nine percent of the way toward finishing a spell."
The dark water twisted into a serpent above them.
"So why not imagine demonic water laws? The waters of Envy. The waters of Sloth. Waters that remember sin. Waters that drag thought down before the body. Waters that rot courage. Waters that drown pride."
The serpent burst apart into black rain that evaporated before touching the ground.
"The future is only as limited as you make it."
That finally did it.
The look in their eyes changed.
Not all at once. Not cleanly. But enough.
Fear sharpened into determination. Confusion became hunger. Men who had once waited for orders began looking toward the mountain as if the ruins had personally challenged them.
"Explore," I ordered. "Find where your affinity reacts. Don't force answers. Don't chase what looks impressive. Listen for what answers you back."
Rook bowed first.
The rest followed.
Then the three thousand original members of the Black Sun Clan split into groups and began climbing the mountain that would become their home.
Scene 2
Serafall POV
"Why are you calling a meeting, Sirzechs?"
I entered a side chamber within Gremory Castle, already irritated by the formality of it.
The room was smaller than the main halls, but still too rich for something being used during wartime. Red curtains hung over tall windows, blocking most of the Underworld's dim light. A polished table sat in the center with a map stretched across it, weighed down by carved pieces representing armies, cities, and clan territories. The air smelled faintly of wax, old wood, and expensive wine no one had touched.
I nodded toward Ajuka and Falbium.
Both were ignoring each other.
Wonderful.
"To discuss our future as Satans," Sirzechs said, "along with what it means to hold leadership over our crippled Devil race."
I took my seat as the crimson-haired devil grinned, gaining the attention of both his best friend and former best friend.
"And what does this future hold, Sirzechs?" Falbium asked.
He spoke without flair, resting his head against his hand as if the meeting had already become a headache. His black hair partly covered his face, making it harder to tell if he was tired, annoyed, or simply wondering why he hadn't ignored the invitation.
"The betterment of our people," Sirzechs said smoothly. "Something we all agree with, yes?"
I nodded absentmindedly.
Being devils was the one thing none of us could step away from, regardless of the Satan titles being pushed toward us. We were not comparable to the original Satans. Those four had been akin to gods for Devilkind.
We were replacements born from a crippled age.
"Keeping that in mind," Sirzechs continued, "I would like to offer some rules so we don't kill off our soldiers in pointless battles."
His hand moved over the map.
"To start, I would like everyone to place a mark on the map showing where their future headquarters will be. After the destruction of Beelzebub City, we must prevent such destruction from spreading to every major city."
My eyes shifted to Ajuka.
That was the first I had heard of him losing his city.
Ajuka's expression gave away nothing, but the silence around him felt sharper than usual. Falbium's face darkened as well, probably thinking about his own territory and how easily a city could become a graveyard if one of us stopped caring about restraint.
"Second," Sirzechs said, "we will only engage in open warfare on battlefields. Whoever wins the battle takes the city being defended."
I nodded.
Logical enough.
I wouldn't want my new lands destroyed either. Devilkind had already lost too much population and infrastructure. If every future Satan decided to settle grudges by burning cities down, then there would be nothing left to rule except ash and empty titles.
"Third, the Satans must tell each other where we are going to be."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"To avoid three-way fights," he added. "Two Satans fighting each other shouldn't be interfered with. It would only ruin morale if news spread outside the Satan territories that average devils had to watch us fighting like children over scraps."
Sirzechs looked around the table, measuring each of our reactions.
Ajuka said nothing.
Falbium sighed.
I accepted it after a moment.
The public logic was reasonable. If the new Satans looked divided too early, then the surviving clans would start testing us immediately. The common devils needed symbols, not proof that the future rulers were already aiming knives at each other.
Still.
Something about the rhythm of the meeting felt too clean.
"Lastly," Sirzechs said, "only full-blooded devils will be included—"
"No."
The word left my mouth before he finished.
I stood, chair scraping against the floor as I pointed at him.
"You're aiming for me specifically."
Ajuka and Falbium both focused on me.
Their expressions turned ugly for different reasons.
Sirzechs didn't lose his grin.
"It's not about you, Serafall. It's about protecting our image for the future among all Satans."
My stomach sank.
I had already stepped into it.
"This includes Ajuka's Evil Pieces," Sirzechs added, "which will be released in the next five thousand years. If you don't want to agree, then we won't pressure you."
There it was.
The trap closed so neatly I almost admired it.
Almost.
He had placed Tenebris and Ajuka's future pieces into the same category. If I objected, I looked like I only cared because my own abnormal advantage was threatened. If Ajuka objected, he admitted the Evil Pieces were more dangerous than he wanted us to believe.
Sirzechs had dressed the chain like a balance scale.
"Fine," I said.
The word tasted like ice left too long in the mouth.
I sat back down and ignored the rest of the meeting.
Not because it stopped mattering.
Because I had already heard enough.
I would need new methods to fight larger, better equipped devil armies using my family forces and Satan armies. Methods hidden well enough that Sirzechs couldn't write them out of existence with polite rules and future-minded speeches.
And worse, I would have to keep this from Mother.
If she learned how badly I had been cornered here, I risked losing my place as commander of our family armies.
That thought bothered me more than Sirzechs' grin.
Because unlike him, Mother would not bother pretending the knife was anything other than a knife.
Scene 3
Lady Sitiri POV
"Thank you, Mari."
I read through the report the spy had handed me.
The paper was thin, clean, and written in a steady hand. Every line detailed the secret meeting inside Gremory Castle. The rules proposed. The responses given. The moment my daughter stood too quickly and allowed Sirzechs to frame her objection before she understood the full shape of his trap.
The war room remained quiet around me.
Maps covered the central table, layered by territory, supply lines, military positions, and clan loyalties. Leopard-shaped chess pieces marked Sitiri forces across the board, while smaller markers represented minor clans, contested cities, and roads that had become dangerous after the last few campaigns. Oil lamps burned low along the walls, casting gold light across old stone and the faces of advisors who had survived too many wars to mistake this report for a small matter.
I lowered the paper.
"Send word to Tenebris. As of this moment, he is officially Head General of the Sitiri armies."
Several eyes lifted.
"Get everyone's locations and shift them around. Send the weaker armies to protect Leviathan City."
I looked down at the map.
"And let's give a tiger wings since one child failed to understand her cards."
One of the army advisors bowed immediately and began sorting through the markers.
Another hesitated.
"Ma'am, if I may. Are we sure it's a good idea to take Princess Serafall's commander position?"
I looked up slowly.
The room went still.
Every pair of eyes eventually met mine, though a few of them clearly regretted it.
"Who said anything about taking it from her?"
No one answered.
Good.
"She will still be commander in name," I said. "But she has lost her right as a general and leader."
That struck the room harder than shouting would have.
"If she is more concerned with taking care of devils who will stab her in the back than protecting the house that gave her the right to stand there in the first place, then it is time I allow the future man of her house to take over the violence like the old man from above designed men to do."
A few advisors shifted at that, but none were foolish enough to interrupt.
"Her only saving grace is that I do not have brothers. My father produces succubi, and we follow the same path as succubi. If this were a game of politics, then with proper training, my daughter would be difficult to compete with."
I tapped one finger against the report.
"In warfare?"
My gaze moved over the map.
"As we have seen throughout this rebellion, she is too easily sidetracked by things that do not aid her war."
The truth was ugly, but it had ripened too long to ignore.
"Sirzechs has prolonged the Leviathan War by inviting her to explore taboo regions and minor worlds he already took over. Minus a few decent treasures she found, he has left her behind when it comes to mastering her own abilities."
The advisors understood that part immediately.
Several of them had wondered where Serafall vanished during stretches of the war.
Now they knew.
"It would not be an issue if she maintained authority over her forces," I continued. "But she has given minor clans too many chances to disrupt her authority and ignore her orders. Something I should not have to remind any of you comes with rolling heads as punishment under us."
The room remained silent.
"The minor clans? Forgiven. Allowed to take root in Leviathan lands. Sirzechs' plots to keep her busy? Allowed to continue because they seemed harmless enough at the time."
My jaw tightened slightly.
"Although it worked out in the form of Tenebris, her path forward was always leading us into ruin."
That was the part I disliked most.
Not because it was false.
Because it was true despite the miracle we had received.
"Bael approached us with an offer," I said.
Several advisors froze.
I watched the information hit them before I continued.
"Either we marry Serafall to Sirzechs, or we cut her ties to our clan once she becomes Satan."
A few recoiled.
Others stared harder at the map, as if the answer might appear there instead of in my mouth.
"So either way, we were placed in a losing position after the deaths of our four glorious leaders, who somehow failed to see through the old Bael man's trickery and realize killing the old man above was possible."
The lamps crackled softly.
No one spoke.
Good.
Let the weight sit.
The Battle of the Big Three had taken more from this world than pride. Five gods dead. Two Heavenly Dragons gone. The old balance shattered in a way most devils still lacked the mind to appreciate. To survive a war like that, even as a smaller piece on the board, was no small feat.
Most of the men in this room understood that.
They were not ornamental advisors.
They were survivors of clan wars, minor skirmishes, and battles where the difference between a noble and a corpse was often one correct order given before fear could spread.
That was why I trusted them to act now.
Not later.
Now.
The advisors began moving pieces across the board.
Several Leopard chess pieces were lifted and placed into new defensive formations. Others shifted toward supply roads and contested territory. Then one advisor reached for the small box Mari had placed near the edge of the table.
Inside were new markers.
Black Suns.
One by one, several Leopard pieces were replaced.
The sight changed the entire map.
Sitiri territory did not disappear, but its military spine altered. The old family symbol remained where politics required it. The Black Sun appeared where violence would answer.
That was how authority truly changed hands.
Not through speeches.
Through who the army obeyed when blood touched the ground.
"Um," one of the younger aides said carefully, "how do we find Lord Tenebris?"
I looked at him.
For a brief moment, I had to remind myself that not everyone had learned the easiest method.
"Go get the maids," I said.
He blinked.
"They will serve as messengers for you."
Around the room, several men began to laugh.
Quietly at first.
Then harder once they realized the boy genuinely had not understood.
I rubbed my head as the sound spread.
They laughed because Tenebris, a god dragged into our world, a future Head General of our armies, and the living abnormality currently changing our family's entire military future, was still easiest to locate through the people carrying his daily meal.
Once a day.
To cut back on him eating pure demonic beast meat like some half-starved divine animal left alone too long in the forest.
"Move," I ordered.
The laughter died instantly.
The aides and advisors scattered to carry out my commands.
I looked back down at the map as the Black Sun pieces settled into place.
Sirzechs had changed the rules.
So I changed the war.