As the sun sets, more people join the festivities.

Many Elite fighters are fully rested, and the construction team under Maurice takes a load off from their hard day.

This is both the debut opening of the first large bar in town on the main street and a symbol of the beginning of a new civilization that will grow from nothing into a force to be known by the world.

I give a short speech and a simplified version of today's events once everyone has shown up but leave them all on a simple note.

"We are no longer under attack from any nations within the Dark Continent. We shall grow and prosper from the ground up moving forward. Enjoy yourselves tonight. Consider this the beginning of a new Era!"

There are clanks of drinks, cheers, and people go off and enjoy their night.

I share a drink with my team, but the passive poisin resistance perks of my self-regeneration skill negate its effects instantly.

It's clear that the advancement of everyone's mana and Qi control lessens the intensity of mind altering toxins as well, but we do it more as a tradition to celebrate.

The night goes on, but all of my main teammates end up right back on that rooftop once the main events calm down. We bring food, drinks, chairs, blankets and lights up and surround the silver throne I created earlier to have our own private party and talk candidly amongst ourselves.

It makes me happy to see the villagers enjoying themselves, and I entertain the fun conversations taking place here on the roof, but there are really only a few things left on my mind.

The events of the battle replay in my head, the feeling of awakening and absorbing mana and Qi in a trance like state for months feels like a blur, and the fact that I've achieved the goal I set out to do is still flooding my body with endorphins. However, I want more.

The chatter calms down, and we listen to the music that plays from below us in the town while staring up at the night sky and finally taking a moment to relax.

Once the golden sun comes up over the desert horizon, I raise a question to Ember who calmly watches the city lights get drowned out by the rising sun too.

"What is a Demon Lord?"

Ember turns to me with a curious gaze. No one has said a word for nearly an hour, enjoying the view, and this is the first thing that comes out of my mouth.

Based on his expression, and the perked-up expressions of everyone else around me, I follow up this question with a statement.

"Well, I heard the Lich King mention he would be the next Demon Lord."

Then, I pull out the 5 Arch Demon Cores from my storage, letting them hover over my left palm while pointing to the dark abyss that is barely visible in the morning light.

"It seems a lot of people get obsessed with this Demonic Energy. The Association tried to kill all of us just to get a hold of the remains of Demonic Energy after a labyrinth was destroyed. The old Sector 4 and Sector 2 leaders were clearly colluding to take the resources of the Abyss for themselves and had no problem trying to kill me to take my core.... Now even the Lich King, the most powerful creature here on the Dark Continent, the underground leader of Sector 1. It carried 5 of these cores around too, and claimed it will be the Next Demon Lord. So, what does it mean? What is a Demon Lord? What is Demonic Energy? What are Demons?"

Ember lets out a sigh, staring off at the dark clouds of the Abyss that are far away from the town near the canyon of dungeons.

"Well, if you really would like to know, I'll tell you. It won't make sense to a lot of your teammates. I can only explain it in terms that you and I have experienced together."

"That's fine. We can fill them in on the missing details as you explain. It's just been eating away at the back of my mind, I need to know why people want this power so badly."

I let the cores fall back into my storage, then listen closely as Ember continues.

"Well, the reason people want power is an impossible question to answer in itself. Every individual seeks power for their own needs, but to be more specific, why do people want Demonic Power? There could be a number of answers to this question too. Ancient texts are hard to translate correctly. Sometimes Demonic Energy, Mana, and what some call the god particle; Qi, are hard to separate as the powers always shift as new eras come and go. There are always fights over powers that are unknown. If it is not the majority power source on planets, it will always be more valuable even if it is weaker than the main planet's power source. Sometimes, even the power of the divine is mixed into this misinformation. It is hard to know anyone's true motivation without knowing where they came from and what they know."

He pauses.

"However, to stay on topic here, I can tell you why the Lich King in particular wanted to harness this Demonic Power. Great power comes from claiming the throne of the Demon Lord."

Ember eyes the Abyss one more time, then focuses his attention back on us.

"For any of you that have dealt with Demonic monsters before, you know they do not exactly use the same energy as humans. The majority of power users on this planet use mana-based magic, and a mana-based system. Mana is the most abundant in this environment over every other power source. It has seeped into all life on this planet and naturally found a balance, adapting to the human world. If there was not any mana in your body to begin with, and no mana on this planet to manifest dungeons, the system would not be here to allow you to absorb the power around you and grow in the first place."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Everyone nods along as Ember continues.

"Demons come from the Demonic Realm. You walked through a rift to challenge one of their trials with a rift key once. Their world is mostly abundant with Demonic Energy, not mana. Their system and progression patterns to grow stronger do not work the same way as you humans."

I nod, pulling out the purple-white glowing rift key that I still have that unlocks the next trial for everyone to see, and respond.

"That's right... but I can sometimes see Demonic Energy in my system text... I have a skill for it, and even Demonic Artifacts show up in my appraisal skill."

I pause and think to myself before speaking again.

"What about Demons that run labyrinths here? They have levels. Most of them don't even use Demonic Energy at all, they use mana. What's with that?"

Ember turns to me and grins.

"That is true, but imagine you were born without an ounce of mana in your body in the Demonic Realm. You wouldn't awaken the same system you have, your body and magic would adapt to the environment you're placed in. Once in contact with certain energies, the system will adapt to it too. A great example is Soul Energy. Its power is not always visible on the system either, but sometimes buffs and skills can be visible on it once mixed with mana or altered to fit an unmodified mana-based system."

Ember points to Monk.

"My case and point here. Even without leveling up, or using the mana-based system, you grew stronger using an external energy source for many years before we met, Qi."

Monk nods, and Ember keeps talking.

"Sure, you were born with mana, but living creatures adapt to their environments. There are many energy sources and ways to control the world around you. Far more than you can comprehend right now."

He pauses, then speaks in a more serious tone to all of us.

"The progression of a Demon is simple. It goes from a weak basic hatchling Demon, to a Greater Demon that guards a labyrinth. This is considered a very strong form in their race, like humans would look up to an Elite fighter, or a B-Class ranked up hunter. Once it grows strong enough absorbing enough Demonic Energy, or if placed in a mana-based environment, enough mana, it may have the chance to evolve into an Arch Demon. It gains more skills, awakens a new core, and has the capacity to grow stronger far faster. This is considered a peak level soldier in the Demonic Realm. An Arch Demon's growth rate and possibilities are endless."

Ember lets out another sigh.

"Just like any powerful being, the greed for more power is never satisfied. There is a final progression for a Demon, but it requires an enormous amount of energy, physical ability, and time. It isn't exactly a feat one can just unlock from leveling up or absorbing more energy, they have to pass trials and claim the Demon Lord's throne. In doing that, they're able to finally reach their true peak form."

He turns to me and looks me in the eyes.

"Whenever a Demon Lord's throne begins to show itself, it is a sign that there will be a great war during that era. It's really only called the Demon Lord's throne because the highest concentration of energy is usually in the Demonic Realm, it's not very often one forms on other worlds. Another species is capable of claiming it, reaching their final forms too, but something like this basically never happens. The Demons always win. This is why the name of this special rank up process has been written into history as the ascension to Demon Lord."

Everyone sits in silence, but Ember keeps going on.

"It isn't uncommon for a new throne to emerge after a past Demon Lord is defeated, or a cataclysmic event triggers energy stores to create a rift. Most of the time, these great challenges happen within the Demonic Realm, but I've seen them emerge on other worlds too."

He turns back to the abyss for a final time.

"So, when the Lich King said he was on the path to becoming the next Demon Lord, he meant he was building an army, and becoming stronger to one day challenge all of the Demons and other beings that may show up to claim the throne."

I turn to him with wide eyes, and a fast-moving heart full of excitement.

"So, what you're saying is the Lich King wasn't even strong enough yet to take that throne?"

Ember shakes his head.

"Not even close. What I'm saying is, there are other beings watching this throne awaken too. Demons, Demonic monsters, and creatures from other worlds are always watching. I'm sure you've seen for yourself, many lurk in the abyss, waiting for it to awaken so they can challenge it themselves. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The fight for the throne has already begun. If the Association is really that strict about Demonic Energy, odds are, there are members in that organization that hope to reach this throne too."

My mind races at all of these possibilities, reshaping potential plans for the future based on what Ember has told me, but not setting anything in stone before I know exactly what I'd be getting myself into.

"So... How strong do I have to be to take this throne... and how far away is it from awakening?"

Ember shrugs.

"Who knows. A week? Six Months? Ten Years? The progression could speed up or slow down at any time. Throne awakenings are unpredictable. The trials are never the same either. Whenever it does happen, it isn't up to you. Your best bet is to keep training and getting stronger as usual for now. You may feel like you are on top of the world right now, but I assure you, if you want to find true power, you've just scratched the surface of what is possible."

The sun fully rises, and no more questions are asked.

Ember's words sounded like they were initially meant as a warning to all of us, but the more we listened and think about his words now, they feel more like a wake-up call, or even a motivational speech.

It is great to celebrate, but this is not the end, there is still far more work to do to reach the top.

This sentiment sinks into everyone, and the town below finally falls asleep and stops partying as the morning comes.

I make sure to give my doubles plans for the day while everyone goes and rests for a few hours, and I tell them to meet me back here at noon. Even I do the same, checking out a luxury suite at the top of the apartment complex that was specifically built for me. Many of my teammates have their own suites all made on the same floor. Monk goes to check on his master, but he has fallen into a deep sleep after making it back here and has not woken up since.

The suites have large beds, nice views, and basic needs all figured out, but they aren't as classy as some of the Vice, Solaran, or Valor city high rises I've been to. However, they're very nice for such short notice and limited building materials.

I take a hot shower and get ready for the day ahead.

A few hours pass and we all meet back up on the rooftop, feeling refreshed and ready to face the world.

Fisher, Lydia, Monk, Arie, Abby, Maria, Ember, and I all stand in a circle.

I hand out transportation crystals to those who don't have any, while those that do pull them out from their item boxes.

"It's time to get back to business. Let's break the news to Lith, and see how things are going in Sector 1."

In a flash of white light, crushing the crystals in our hands, we're all transported into the white-walled lobby of the Galeheart Tower.