My last moments were spent feeling the cold steel of a sword piercing through my heart.

As much as I feared death, I also understood that it was necessary. Someone had to take the fall and it had to be me, as part of the responsibility lied with me.

There’s nothing I could say about it except that it was unfortunate.

It was a failed campaign; the war against the humans was doomed from the start. They were too favored by the gods. Fighting against divine favor never worked.

It all started with my abduction at age 15. My father was forced to take action and executed the initiators, causing a sparked response from the humans.

The demon race was never meant to co-exist with the humans. Despite having no physical differences, we were prosecuted purely due to the fact that we possessed immense magical powers with an affinity for dark magic. As opposed to the humans who possessed affinity for holy magic, dark magic was considered taboo and was feared by humankind. 

A non-aggression pact was established by the monarchs of the world, as a means of temporarily maintaining balance.

Now everything went up in flames, because of me.

The humans proclaimed that we were an enemy of the human race and declared genocide. Negotiations were offered, however the humans never considered diplomacy an option. Because of that, our diplomat, who was a dear friend of my father’s, was killed. It had reached a point of no return.

Thus, with rage consuming both sides, a war broke out. It waged on for many years, with both sides taking heavy casualties. However, due to the natural biological and magical advantages that came with being a demon, we were winning despite the overwhelming number of humans.

The war would have been considered won, if not for divine interventions.

On that fateful day, a group of humans made their names known to the world. Through great valor and determination, they earned the favor of the gods. Equipped with divine enchantments, they quickly slaughtered through our troops. It was defeat of the highest magnitude. At that time that we finally understood; we never had a chance.

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The retreat order was sent out and all our soldiers were recalled. Our army was in shambles and our settlements were destroyed. With nowhere left to run my mother, the strongest mage in existence, created a portal to another realm at the cost of her life.

My father, the great demon king, took up arms and raced out to the battlefield. He held the rearguard, as our final line of defense. Against the might of a ten thousand troops alongside the heroes, my father alone stood his ground, buying crucial time for the evacuation of the capital.

As my father fell, the last members of our race escaped through the portal that my mother built. When I became the only one left to cross over, I hesitated. I knew it was my duty to lead the surviving demons in a foreign land, as my parents had expected me to. However, I refused to escape with my tail between my legs. I held responsibility for the war, it was not fair for my parents and the members of the demon race to take the fall. I needed to pay my dues.

I closed the portal that my mother had created and returned to the castle, awaiting the heroes and my eventual death. Although I had mentally prepared myself, the fear of death never diminished. As I sat on the throne, my hands shook uncontrollably. Fortunately, the heroes quickly made their way to the throne room.

Bruised and battered, I could see that the battle with my father took its toll on them. Nevertheless, I fought back, without mercy. However, there was one thing that I lacked that my father and the heroes had: the will to kill.

With the heroes being exhausted, I had the upper hand in combat, despite having zero combat experience. I cornered the party through sheer magical prowess bestowed by my mother. But without any true killing blows, I was caught off guard. The magician, whom I had incapacitated at the beginning of the fight, recovered and pierced through my magical barriers. With the unexpected turn of events, the party quickly took advantage of my stunned state and turned the tides of the battle. It wasn’t long before I was cornered and overpowered.

As I laid on the ground, exhausted and thoroughly defeated, I began to cry. Not out of fear but out of frustration. Why couldn’t humans and demons just get along with each other? Why fight?

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the human holding the sword heading towards me. With both his hands on the handle, he plunged the weapon into my body, piercing my heart.

With the remnants of my fleeting consciousness, I peeked at the faces of the victor’s party. Instead of faces of triumph, sorrow covered every member. I never did understand the expression but it didn’t matter. Everything’s coming to an end now.

With my last thoughts drifting into the winds, I fell into an eternal slumber.