Empty. Dark. That was what this place was. A little boy was lying alone in the middle of such a place. He curled up in a fetal position, with his hands cuddling his legs. He did not feel cold but in his mind he was craving for a source of warmth. Not just any but from his mother.

It was to be expected. It did not matter if he was more matured than kids at his age. In the end, Alastor was still a child who was never separated from his mother.

Nonetheless it was too late. He already lost her. He wondered in his mind if he has taken her for granted. If he could only more time with her. He remembered her soup. How horrible it tasted. How funky it smelled. How ghastly it looked. But most of all how his mother struggled to make them for him and how she smiled at him. Nevertheless, memories stayed as memories, echoes of the past.

He felt guilty. He wondered if there was something else he could do to prevent this. Perhaps if he managed to stop Alice from coming out of the house during that time, Morgan would not be injured and they could have gotten away. Or maybe if he has mastered his power from the beginning, things might have gone differently.

Tears poured from his eyes. The sadness was consuming him. The guilt was eating him. "If only I have died..."

SLAP. His cheek was hit by something. It came from an elven woman in her thirties in appearance. Her dark hair had an asymmetric hairstyle with one side longer than the other. Wearing a purple dress, she looked down on Alastor with anger.

"Don't you dare say that!" It was Asmodeus. Normally she was a shadow but now she just looked like a normal person, as if she has been washed off the darkness that usually covered her.

Alastor swiped his tears and tried to regain his composure.

"So you have your colors back. What do you want with me? Was I too weak for your expectations?" Alastor said with sarcasm.

"You stupid!" Asmodeus lifted her hand again. But her arm was stopped by another bulky man. It was Belz. A large, almost chunky, beastman. His body was covered with a coat of brown fur, wearing a heavy armor.

"Wait wait! Didn't you say you want to conform him? Why are you hitting him like that for?" he tried to calm Asmodeus down.

"Let me go! As his sister I have to educate him."

"Shut up!" Alastor said in a small voice then he yelled out "SHUT UP! What do you even know about me? Don't you call yourself my sister! Because you are NOT!"

Asmodeus was blown away. She could not utter a single word. Despite being on the verge of crying out but she tried hard to hold her tears.

Meanwhile, Beelzebub stood in the middle of them. "Alastor, you did not mean that! Asmodeus, he is still young! Let it go!" Belz desperately tried to calm both side. But it did not seem to work.

"Get away from me!" Alastor ran towards the darkness, leaving a panicked Belz and a somber Asmodeus behind.

A shadow approached them. He looked at the running Alastor then turned to Asmodeus. "Should you let him run away like that?"

"He doesn't want to see me. What do you want me to do?" Asmodeus hesitantly replied.

"No no I don't mean that. It's just... isn't he running toward that?" The shadow calmly spoke.

"What do you mean tha.... OH NO!" Asmodeus and Belz realized at the same time. The Abyss seemed like an endless surface but it actually had different levels. And at the lowest level, there was something else. Something the shadows usually avoided. And the only way to go there was to go in the direction Alastor was running toward.

"That guy is over there!!! That creepy guy!" Belz screamed. He once went there by curiosity a few years ago, only to running for his life without even looking back. What could scare even the demon lord?

"Shit! Let's go after him!" Asmodeus rushed with Belz reluctantly followed behind.

The shadow was left alone. He scratched his head and then lied down on the ground. "What does it even matter anyway? At worst we find another one."

Meanwhile Alastor just kept running toward nothing. At first he thought he managed to lose Asmodeus but then he could hear her shouting his name from behind. So he kept running. And he fell.

It was too dark to see but there was a cliff and Alastor did not see it. "Is it how I die?" he thought out loud. As he fell into this seemingly bottomless cliff. He turned up and saw Asmodeus screaming his name. He muttered gently as he fell "I am sorry!".

Accepting his fate, he closed his eyes and let himself drop down. After what felt like an eternity he finally hit the bottom. The boy lied paralyzed, but surprisingly he was still breathing nor did he suffer any injuries, aside from the disorientation and a massive headache.

Then he heard a combination of sounds: footsteps with clacking armor, followed by a sound of something heavy being dragged on the ground. But his limbs felt sluggish. His head, torpid. He could not move at all. The creeping noise just went louder and louder. Suddenly it stopped.

Alastor could see an armor legging in front of him. He felt distressed because of the creepy heavy breathing he heard. And that was the last thing he remembered before falling unconscious.

* * *

Alastor's POV

I opened my eyes. My head still hurt like hell. But I immediately forgot about the pain when I saw what was in front of me. A giant flame, looking like a bonfire, was blazing in this middle of the Abyss. I thought this place was empty.

"Isn't it wonderful ?" a grave inhuman voice spoke to me. His words echoed in this place.

Before I realized it, I have completely forgotten about the person in front of me. It was difficult to ascertain if it was really a male or a female from the look alone. But judging from the voice, I assumed it was male. A slender and tall body, wearing a fine white armor with a dark blue cape. The armor seemed to have seen better days. There were some tiny cracks and it has lost its gleaming. You could say that the armor now had a mixture of black and white color as some parts seemed almost burned. The cape itself was worn out and a bit soiled. The person wore a helmet with a slim blue plume attached to it.

There was a greatsword behind the knight, impaled to the ground. At least twice my height in length. Although it was showing signs of rust, I felt this sword could easily cut me in two.

I tried to look at the person's face but was startled. There was nothing inside the helmet. Rather I could only see darkness inside as if the person had no face. It reminded a bit of the shadows I saw.

He was staring at the flame. I decided to talk to this enigmatic knight.

"Who are you?"

"...No one" the knight paused then replied. He kept looking at the fire.

"Did you save me from that fall?" I asked again.

"....." But I did not receive any replies.

"What are you doing here?"

"Watching over the flame. The flame must go on!" Another cryptic answer

"Where is this place?"

"...Core!" The knight answered but I did not understand.

I kept asking questions but he remained silent the whole time. He did not seem like a talkative type so I did not press anymore.

We stayed quiet for a while. Then my memories started come back to me. About what happened before.

Empty, perhaps that was what described me best right now.

I wanted to let my anger rage. I wanted to trample everything around me. At the same time I wanted to forget about this sadness I felt.

Now that I thought about it, it was the first time I lost someone close to me. Those who have not lost anyone cannot comprehend the depth of my despair.

I could feel my heart aching, seeking for revenge. I hated the ones who stole mother from me. I hate those who attacked my village. But most of all I hated myself for being powerless to do anything.

Demon lord's power? What a joke! What use was it for if I could not even protect my loved ones?

"You... have that look in your eyes!" My thoughts were disrupted. The knight finally spoke something.

"What do you mean? What look?" I asked him.

"Despair....Rage....Crave for power! A warrior look!" the knight spoke with his eerie voice.

I was surprised that this stranger whom I met for the first time could see right through me. He definitely was not just some wandering shadow like the others. He seemed perceptive and very powerful judging from his sword.

Then for unknown reasons I decided to tell my story to the knight. I told him everything. Since the very beginning. The years I spent in Caine village. Morgan, Gazel, Alice. Then the attack. How I lost mother. Everything.

There were times a few tears dropped from my eye but I did not stop. I did not even know him and now I was telling him the story of my life. How strange.

For the whole time, the knight kept quiet. He listened to my tales without asking a single question. He just listened.

I kept talking for how long I did not now. Until I finished telling him everything. I remained silent for a while.

I felt suddenly much more lighter. As if a great burden has been lifted off me.

"Do you know what to do now?" the knight asked me.

"Thank you for listening to my tale! I think I get it now!" I smiled at him.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Just now I became aware of what was behind me the whole time. I did not notice when I talked to the knight but there was a colossal door behind me. The gate seemed ancient. On it was imprinted the image of a great tree divided into six branches. Each branch leaded to a circle, each had a character inside. However it was in a strange language I could not read at all. So I decided to ignore it for now.

Perhaps it was time for me to go back. I could not stand here doing nothing for the rest of my life. Hiding here would not solve anything.

I opened the door and went out. I recognized this place. This seemed like where I fell down from the cliff. I looked back at the door. From here I could still see the knight and the bonfire but if I tried to go around it, there was nothing on the other side. It seemed that the only way to go to the flame was by passing this door.

I then heard the sound of the door closing. I rushed back at the entrance, only to see that gate has already been closed. No matter how I tried to open it, it would not budge at all. Seemed like I could not see him again, for now.

BAM. Something fell down behind me. I turned back and realised it was Asmodeus. Once she saw me, she rushed toward me. I thought I would receive a slap for what I said to her. I apologized immediately but all she did was asking if I was hurt and checked my body for injuries.

I chuckled at her actions. The face she made when she panicked was too cute for me to stop her. She was quite embarrassed about it and told me to stop laughing. A few moment later, Belz jumped down too. He was a bit scarred to jump at first as the first time he did, the knight chased him away. I asked if Belz knew anything about him but he did not know anything.

We returned back to the surface with Asmodeus holding me. Oddly it only took a few minutes to get back. I should wake up and check on Alice. I did not think the demons we met were evil but Alice must have been so confused after last night.

After saying goodbye to Asmodeus and Belz, I realized that now I could "wake up" whenever I want from this place. This should prove useful.

As for the mysterious knight, I should come back seeing him when I got the chance. He did not even tell me his name.

* * *

Alastor woke up  in an extravagant room. The place was decorated with golden ornaments. The floor, covered with expensive looking red carpet. The sunlight came in the room through a big window embroidered with long  and fancy curtains.

He looked on the spacious bed he lied on, there was Alice sleeping next to him. Her crimson hair brightened under the sunlight. She showed such a peaceful expression on her face as if nothing has happened yesterday.

'Please let things stay like this' Alastor wished in his mind.

Then he felt someone was holding his hand the whole time. But no it was not Alice's. Then he looked down on his hand. A white haired girl was staring at him. Although her hands were not human, it emitted a certain warmth just like one.

"Hum... Good morning, Stella" Alastor said to the doll.

"Are you ok? Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked slowly. Despite the fact she did not show any expression, Alastor could sense her worries about him.

"I am fine. Where are we?" the boy replied.

"We are in the demon lord's castle on Ragna continent.You fell unconscious after what happened yesterday so we decided to bring you back here" answered Stella.

"Wait what about Gazel? What about grandpa?"

Stella explained their decision to leave. Alastor understood their reason. It was the logical choice. He knew. But it still haunted his mind. Stella reassured him that they sent a few scouts in the area so if there was any news he would be informed.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of opening door. A skeleton in robe walked in.

"Ah you finally awake. I am sure thing are very confusing for you right now and I understand that you have many questions for us. But for now take your time and prepare. Stella can you bring him to the parlor when he is ready?" with that the skeleton leaved.

Alastor tried to get out of the bed silently, avoiding waking up Alice. Sure she was older than him but much more innocent. He did not want to make things complicated for her so it was best to leave her here and tell her when the time was right.

Stella has already prepared an attire for him on her hands. She insisted on helping her change. Alastor resisted at first but finally gave up.

Once done, Stella leaded him out of them room. In his way to the parlor, Alastor passed through a number of halls. Being raised as a commoner, Alastor was left speechless seeing all these fancy decorations. But alas he wanted to focus on the main thing and the only one who seemed to have the answers were these demons.

Upon entering the room, Alastor recognized the lich from earlier.

"Ah young Alastor! You have come. The others have some matters to discuss first so they will arrive later. As for me I am Noroeth, a lich. Please take a sit!", Noroeth presented himself.

Alastor has heard of these undeads before but it was his first time seeing one. Powerful undead magic caster could be were created by necromancers to do their bidding.

" Never mind the formality. Can you now tell me what is going on? Who are my parents? Am I really a demon?" Alastor directly jumped at the subject.

"One question at a time young one." The lich sighed before resuming. Honestly speaking, he did not know to approach the subject. He thought he was prepared for this moment but now there were still doubts in his mind. Nonetheless, he continued.

"Let's just start with the beginning. What do you know about the demon invasion ten years ago?" Noroeth asked the boy.

"All I know is that ten years ago the demon lord Asgore declared war on the world. All the Prime races joined together and formed a hero party to kill the demon lord. That's just about it." Alastor claimed.

"It was actually eleven years ago. And the truth is there was not any war declaration. What Asgore sent to all kingdoms was not a war declaration but a declaration of independence. He wanted to establish a country for demons.

As you know the continent of Ragna has been the refuge of demons for centuries. But in fact it did not belong to any country. So adventurers could come and go as they please. Demons subjugation were not uncommon. Slavers and criminal organisations built their hideouts here since there was no law enforcement.

In short it was a heaven for the lawless. That is until demon lord Asgore became king. He managed to retake control of the continent and exiled all the others races. But he envisioned more than that. He did not want us to be secluded on this continent forever. He wanted for demons to be recognized as a race of this world. So he sent those declaration to each kingdom. Needless to say, this did not please the leaders of every race.

So the leaders claimed that Asgore has declared war. So they picked out their best fighters and sent them to kill Asgore. Of course Asgore expected this. He knew that peace would not come so easily. He thought if he could push back every assassination attempt, eventually they would give up." Noroeth stopped. He glanced at Alastor.

"Do you understand what I am saying? You should have realised who you are by now."

"Am I Asgore' son? is that what you are implicating?" this thought did cross Alastor's mind a few times. He knew he was a demon based on what the celestial Mikael said. If he was important enough for the demon royal guards to come fetch him, he must have been someone important enough for them to risk this. Not to mention the mysterious powers he had. "

"Yes!" Noroeth replied.

"Then who is my mother? Is she also a demon?" Alastor asked brashly.

"About that.... let me continue. As I have said before. Asgore managed to repel all his assailants without even killing one. After a few month of failure, the leaders were desperate. So they finally sent their ultimate weapon: the heroes. Each race chose their strongest and formed the hero's party. But...." Noroeth paused. Some old memories came back to his mind, making him silent for a while. Then he continued. "There was something else no one at that time expected. Not even the Gods.

I think it would be better to show you directly. Come!" Noroeth stood up and went to the door. Alastor and Stella followed behind.

They walked inside the castle until they reached a dead end.

"Although it is custom for demons to bury the members of the royal family in the royal tomb, Asgore was an exception. After his death, the demons built a hidden room to serve as his final resting place instead of putting him together with the previous demon lords." Noroeth explained.

"Why is Asgo... I mean my father an exception?" Alastor inquired. He found this whole deal of secrecy very suspicious. Although Noroeth did tell him many things, he did not mention how Asgore was killed. Not to mention he just discovered that there were special circumstances behind Asgore's death.

"You will see."

Noroeth pushed his hand on the wall and murmured a few words. The wall revealed to be only an illusion that revealed the path only to those who knew the password.

The trio entered the room. Inside the place was only lighted with candles. Then Alastor noticed something else. There were two stone coffins on each side of the room. A stone monolith stood in the middle of the room. Alastor approached and read the inscription on the monolith.

"Here we commemorate King Asgore's companions for their honorable acts"

Two names were under it.

"Izago, King of the mountain

Theoron, the Sage

May you all find peace in the next world"

Alastor was bewildered. How could the name of the heroes be here, inside the demon lord's tomb? And why was one of them be crossed out.

Noroeth remained silent. Before Alastor could even speak, he told him to go to the next room.

The second room was a bit different. There were many more candles floating on the air. Another two coffins lied at the end of the room but this time they lied next to each other. There was another stone monolith in the middle of the place. There were some writings on that.

As if it was calling to him, Alastor walked toward the stone and read the inscription on it.

"In memory of our King Asgore and his beloved ....." The next word Alastor could not read out loud. He fell onto his knees. He looked again at the stone in disbelief. Then he finally read the last word "Lakyus".

"Yes. Ten years ago, demon lord Asgore met the hero Lakyus and they felt in love with each other. They had a child. That child is you, Alastor." Noroeth slowly spoke.