As soon as I fell asleep—or at least, I think I did—
I found myself back in that same place.
An endless white land stretched in every direction, while a black sky loomed above it. The contrast was sharp, almost unnatural… and yet, somehow, it worked. Like two opposite things that didn't belong together—but still completed each other.
The real question was—
Why am I here again?
I looked around.
Nothing.
No movement. No sound. Just empty space.
"Well… might as well explore," I muttered.
I didn't fully understand this place, but I had a rough idea. The last time I was here, it wasn't just some random dream.
I fought that demon here.
And when I killed him… he got absorbed into me. Just like the first time in the real world.
So this place—
It had to be connected to his soul.
It was a stretch, sure. But I didn't have anything better to go on.
I started walking, lost in thought.
Then suddenly—
"So… you're here again?"
I froze.
The voice came out of nowhere.
I turned quickly toward it—
And got even more confused.
Floating in front of me… was a small ball of fire.
It had eyes.
And a mouth.
Like some weird cartoon character.
"…What?" I blinked. "Who are you?"
The fireball tilted slightly, almost like it was judging me.
"You should have figured that out by now," it said. "Don't play dumb."
I let out a slow sigh.
Yeah… I had a pretty good guess.
But still—
"How are you alive?" I asked. "And what is this form? I mean… you weren't great before, but this is just… sad."
The fire flared brighter instantly.
Anger.
"Watch your words, human," it snapped. "And for your information—you failed to kill me. Twice."
I didn't like that answer.
Or the smug tone.
But I kept my expression calm.
"No," I said flatly. "I did kill you. At least partially. Otherwise, you wouldn't be stuck like… this."
I gestured at him.
"So either you're lying… or you're only half alive."
I paused.
"Which is it?"
That shut him up.
His expression changed. The smugness faded.
After a moment, he sighed.
"…At least you're not completely stupid," he muttered. "You'll need that."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing you need to worry about yet," he replied. "You'll understand soon enough. But for now—just know this."
His tone shifted.
Serious.
"What you've become… isn't something simple."
I crossed my arms.
"I already figured that out," I said. "I'm half demon. Pretty obvious."
"You're only half right," he cut in.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Yes. You are half demon," he continued. "That part is me. But you also inherited something else."
Something about the way he said that made my stomach tighten.
"And what's that?"
He stared straight at me.
"The power of Cataclysm."
The moment he said it—
Something changed.
The air… shifted.
That same feeling from before returned.
Like something was watching.
But this time—
It was heavier.
Deeper.
Darker.
My body stiffened. Sweat formed instantly.
This wasn't like the creatures.
This wasn't even like the demon.
This felt like standing in front of something absolute.
Something that didn't just exist—
But defined existence.
I couldn't explain it.
And honestly—
I didn't want to.
The fireball seemed shaken too.
Way more than me.
But after a few seconds, he steadied himself.
"…So it's already started," he muttered.
Then he looked at me.
"You're one hell of a kid… you know that?"
I blinked.
That… was unexpected.
Before I could respond, he continued.
"I know you have questions," he said. "And you'll get your answers. But right now—you need to listen."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked. "You tried to kill me."
"Technically, once," he replied. "The second time was a test."
"…A test?"
"Yes," he said calmly. "If you couldn't defeat me in that weakened state… you wouldn't survive what's coming."
I frowned.
"You keep saying that," I said. "Stop being vague and get to the point."
He paused.
Then sighed.
"Fine."
His voice lowered.
"There are people who are going to try to kill you."
I stiffened.
"And yes," he added, "they're after you because of me."
Of course they are.
I stared at him for a moment.
Then exhaled.
"So what—you expect me to just trust you now?"
"I don't expect anything," he said. "But whether you like it or not… we're tied together."
He paused.
"We're on the same side now."
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
Thinking.
I didn't trust him.
Not really.
But…
He wasn't wrong.
Whatever this was—I was already involved.
"…Fine," I said. "I'll listen. But I'm not promising anything."
"Fair enough," he said.
There was a brief pause.
Then he straightened—well, as much as a floating fireball could.
"Let's start properly," he said. "I am known as Demon Lord Draken."
I stared at him.
"…Kray," I replied. "Also known as Kray."
He just looked at me.
"…This is going to take a while," he muttered.
I smirked slightly.
"Yeah. Probably."
He continued.
"Tell me—what do you know about the supernatural? About the worlds beyond yours?"
"Nothing," I said honestly. "You're my first experience. And it wasn't a great one."
He sighed.
"Of course."
Then his tone shifted again.
Serious.
"Then listen carefully."
The white world around us felt quieter somehow.
Like it was listening too.
"Millions of years ago… the world wasn't like it is now," he began.
"At that time, many races existed—demons, angels, dragons, vampires, werewolves, elves… each ruling their own lands."
I frowned slightly.
"The world itself was larger back then," he continued. "And every race fought for dominance."
His voice grew heavier.
"But they weren't just fighting with strength."
"They used power. Magic… or whatever each race called it. Different names—but the same idea."
"Energy that let them do things far beyond physical limits."
I listened quietly.
"And because of that…" he said,
"The scale of destruction was far greater than anything you can imagine today."
He paused.
"After countless years of war… the leaders of each race finally decided to end the meaningless bloodshed."
"That doesn't sound very demon-like," I muttered.
He ignored me.
"But pride remained," he continued. "So instead of full war… they agreed on one final battle."
"A controlled one."
"One champion from each race."
"A free-for-all."
"No interference."
I raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like a terrible idea."
"It was," he said simply.
"A forbidden land was chosen. A place where no one cared what got destroyed."
His voice lowered.
"And when the battle began…"
He paused.
Something about his tone made my chest tighten slightly.
"That's when everything went wrong."