It had been a wild ride since Baldwin and Athan arrived in this world. After a series of chaotic events and misunderstandings, they now found themselves riding with the so-called Light Side army. Baldwin still didn't fully grasp their rules—they simply followed. Finally, they arrived near the city.
The city was now a war zone. The Dark Army was expected to strike again soon. Most of the citizens had already evacuated or gone into hiding. As they neared the city gates, their magical carriage veered off the main road and entered the forest path.
"Let's stop here. We'll explain everything once we're inside," Lucas said.
Baldwin and Athan exchanged confused glances but didn't question it. They followed the rest of the soldiers, stepping out of the carriage and walking behind Lucas.
"So Baldwin, we're here. A war is coming soon, so I'll help you two leave by tomorrow morning," Lucas said.
"Oh, thank you, sir," Baldwin replied sincerely.
After a short walk, they reached the outer gate, guarded by a few tense soldiers.
"Raise your hands!" one of them barked.
"Watch your tone, Knight. It's me—Lucas Whitecat, Knight Generalissimo," Lucas said sternly.
Immediately, the soldiers bowed in shock. "Sir, you're alive!"
"Give me a full report. What happened while I was gone? Has everyone evacuated?"
"Yes sir, the city's been cleared," the soldier answered.
"Good. Take these two to the rest area. As for the rest of us—we need to discuss the strategy."
The soldier opened the gate. Baldwin's eyes widened at the sight. The city was beautiful, surprisingly advanced. Magical devices hovered, transporting people. Lamplights lined the streets. The roads were well-built. But it was eerily empty, now void of the life it once held. Baldwin and Athan understood why.
They were led to the rest area—a place like a hotel, though not nearly as luxurious as what they were used to. They asked to share a room, and the request was granted. Soon, they found themselves in a small room with two beds.
Once the soldier left and the door was closed, Athan plopped onto the bed.
"This room's tiny. Is it a one-time-use toilet or what?" Athan grumbled.
"Stop complaining. We've got bigger problems. We're stranded here with no clue how to return to our world," Baldwin replied, sighing.
"Oh no, now you're the one panicking? I'm gonna cry," Athan teased.
"Crying because you got lost on the way here? You're hilarious," Baldwin said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah. Actually, I've got a question," Athan said, sitting up.
"Go on, ask."
"How does your Manak work? That power of yours—does it regenerate?"
Baldwin smirked. "Now that's a loaded question."
"Don't play games with me, man."
"Alright, fine. Manak is… strange. It's like a bottle of water—once it's emptied, it doesn't refill."
"Wait, what?! You mean it doesn't regenerate at all? Then what happens if you use it all up? There has to be some side effect."
"Well, it doesn't tire us out immediately, but something does feel off after using it. We feel lighter… empty. But we can still sense the Manak's energy. It's powerful against regular enemies, but not strong enough to match hero-tier powers. So we usually mix it with our sorcery, magic, or abilities to enhance the effect and stand a chance."
"So it's like… a support power? Kinda lame against heroes, isn't it?" Athan said.
"Not exactly. I don't think the heroes are our real enemy. There has to be a reason only Demon Kings can access Manak—and only one appears at a time."
"Huh. So how do you even know when someone's a Demon King? Like, do you emit a special aura or something?"
"There's a crystal for detection. Only the Eight Noble Families possess it. Without them, no Demon King would ever be identified."
"Okay, I get it now. But what if they run some test on us and say we're spies for the Dark Army or something?"
"Trust my sealed magic. I've already deceived the celestials. If anything's off, we'll escape. Remember, we have the power to destroy this whole city."
"Now that's the Demon King talk I was expecting. For a while, I thought living with your fake 'hero mom' turned you into one."
"Haha. That's not happening—even in your wildest dreams. Speaking of which, remember that small item I got from Kamata?"
"Oh, that? I figured you tossed it."
"Nope. As an emperor, I accept any gift—even from my enemies."
"Alright, alright, calm down, your majesty. You're glowing like those fake gods blessed you."
"You're in a good mood," Baldwin said, pulling the item from the shadows. It was a small knife. As he revealed it, the blade expanded and transformed into a long, thick sword, reminiscent of the Xing Fu Dynasty's sword style.
"Was this crafted by your ancestors, Athan?" Baldwin teased.
"How the hell did it grow like that?!"
"Wait, this sword isn't normal… Something's missing," Baldwin muttered.
"Use the shadow. See what happens," Athan suggested.
As Baldwin let a shadow flow across the blade's edge, it suddenly sliced through the darkness.
"Ahh! It cut the shadow! Is this your first time seeing that?" Athan asked, wide-eyed.
"No. The second. But it's still unbelievable. My shadows can block celestial powers—even hero-level magic. But this blade just sliced through it."
"Thank the gods Velisara didn't have it back when she was queen. She'd have used it, no doubt."
"Yeah, that joke went too far. Don't forget—she used to be your enemy too," Baldwin reminded.
"True, but she's not a fake mother like someone I know," Athan said with a sly cough.
"At least she saw me as her son. I've got a way to escape. Do you?"
"Nah, I think I'll manage. She's not queen anymore, and she gave up her hero title. Hey—try something, Baldwin. Are you still here or zoning out?"
"I'm here. Just thinking."
Dark liquid shadows began to spill from Baldwin's feet, crawling along the walls, ceiling, and floor until the entire room was consumed by darkness.
"Thank the stars I'm a vampire. Otherwise, I'd be freaking out," Athan muttered.
Suddenly, red crackles surged from Baldwin's hand. A few red sparks, fire, water, and smoke—deep crimson in color—swirled around.
"Athan, let's try infusing Manak into the sword."
"Huh? What part again?"
Before Athan could finish, the sword lifted from Baldwin's hand, hovered, then was engulfed in brilliant red light. Its shape changed, glowing intensely before returning to Baldwin's grip. The surrounding shadows receded, returning to Baldwin's feet. The room looked normal again.
"Baldwin… are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Athan asked.
"Yeah. The sword absorbed my Manak—and changed color."
Suddenly, both of them felt a strange, overwhelming power outside.
"Is it the sword? Or something else?" Athan asked.
"No, it's not from the sword. Look out the window. Something's out there," Baldwin said.
They peered outside and saw a man dressed in all black, floating in the air at a distance.
"That guy's flying, but why does it feel like he's radiating such intense pressure?" Athan muttered.
"It's not him. It's that thing in his hand. You stay here. I'll check it out," Baldwin said.
He spread his dark feathered wings and leapt out of the window.
"Oh right… I forgot he had wings. He pranked me with them last time," Athan mumbled as he lay back on the bed.
In a blink, Baldwin appeared before the black-cloaked man.
"Huh? How did you—what are you—" the man stammered.
Baldwin grabbed his mouth. "Shhh. It's a secret—let's keep it that way," he said, eyes locked on the glowing, round object in the man's hand.
"This is about to get interesting," Baldwin whispered to himself.
Far away from the current world—back in Baldwin's original realm—the scorching heat of the Red Moon Empire blazed across the skies. Deep within the royal palace of Soulless, inside the grand throne room, sat a woman draped in elegant robes of black and crimson. She looked like a queen, and she was. Katz Abyzou—the first demon lord and current governor of the Red Moon Empire—sat upon a smaller throne beside the main one, her eyes closed as though in slumber.
But she wasn't sleeping.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open, filled with unease, as if jolted awake by a nightmare.
"Baldwin... I can't sense Baldwin. What happened to him?" she muttered, panic building in her voice. "I can't stop worrying... how much has he grown now? What if... what if he's dead?"
The atmosphere in the throne room shifted instantly. Dark shadows surged across the walls, spreading like wildfire. The stained glass ceiling shattered, and the heavy iron doors slammed open as if caught in a storm. The power of Abyzou's emotions rippled through the room like a wave of destruction.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and calmed herself—just barely.
"I hope you're alive, Baldwin... my sweet little brother," she whispered. "I can't just sit here doing nothing."
From the shadows beneath her throne, a figure began to rise. It looked exactly like her—identical down to the smallest detail—but its eyes were hollow and lifeless. A clone.
Abyzou unsheathed a small blade and plunged it into the clone's chest. Instead of resisting, the blade sank in like it was sinking into water, fusing with the clone.
"Go to the Rance Republic—the so-called neutral lands," she commanded. "Find my idiot brother."
"Idiot?" the clone repeated, its voice now carrying a strangely human warmth. "When Baldwin was still in the womb, Mother was too sick to even sit up. She asked you to care for him like your own child. After she died giving birth to him, and Father disappeared like a ghost, all of Soulless whispered that the Demon King had been born by killing his own mother. But you... you didn't listen."
The clone's voice turned soft.
"Remember the first time you held him in your arms? He was crying, but stopped the moment you hugged him. You refused to hand him to the maids. You fed him yourself. You stood by his side like a silent shadow. When he locked himself in his room, you stood outside all night, unable to rest because you were so worried. Everything he did... you supported him."
The clone smiled faintly. "So tell me... who's the idiot here?"
Before the clone could say more, a blade—the same scythe she had once wielded—was already resting against its throat, gleaming in the throne room's broken light.
"Oh? Did someone get offended because they heard the word 'idiot' directed at their brother?" the clone teased.
"I… whatever," Abyzou said, pulling the scythe away. "Enough lectures. Give me your hand."
"You know I can't touch the blade's sharp edge. It would hurt me. I am just a clone, after all."
Abyzou stabbed the scythe into the floor, the blade humming with dark energy.
"Then give me your hand, properly. I'll transfer something to help you," she said.
The clone offered her hand without hesitation. A black substance flowed from Abyzou's palm to the clone's, like liquid shadow.
"Oh... I feel it. Power," the clone whispered. She picked up the scythe, tossed it into the air—then it vanished, dissolving into smoke.
"Good. You've already grasped the basic shadow techniques," Abyzou nodded.
A shifting darkness rose from the clone's feet, and soon, her appearance changed entirely—no longer a copy of Abyzou, but someone new.
"Why did you change your appearance?" Abyzou asked, narrowing her eyes.
The clone didn't answer. Instead, she began to slowly sink into the shadows.
"What a mess you've made," the clone chuckled, glancing around at the shattered glass and cracked pillars. "Well, I don't mind. As one of your super clones, I'll take a name—Alisha. As ordered, I'll head to the neutral lands. Until then, don't worry too much about your half-brother—the one you think of as your own child."
Her voice echoed as she disappeared completely.
"He may be the weakest Demon King in history... but in this era? He's the strongest of them all."
Silence returned to the throne room. Abyzou said nothing—she simply sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.
"Brother... where are you? Please... at least connect with me through the Shadow Link."
And with that, she sat back on her smaller throne, eyes filled with worry.