Inside the Palace of the Demi-Human King, a heavy silence hung over the vast royal hall while the king sat upon his massive stone throne, staring coldly at the Dark Elf messenger standing before him with strange composure.
The torches hanging from the gigantic pillars cast dancing flames throughout the hall, their shadows reflecting across the hanging swords and armor, giving the place a terrifying majesty.
The King of the Demi-Humans let out a small laugh born from overwhelming anger—a short and frightening laugh that emerged from deep within his chest—before speaking in a low voice filled with clear menace:
"Tell me again… what exactly do you want? It seems I did not understand what you were trying to say."
The expression of the Dark Elf messenger did not change in the slightest. Instead, he repeated his words coldly, as though he were not standing before a monster capable of tearing him apart at any moment:
"We want half of the treasures taken from your kingdom… in exchange for forgiving your betrayal, Your Majesty."
Silence filled the hall for several moments.
Then the King of the Demi-Humans began to laugh.
At first, the laughter was quiet, but little by little it became louder and more terrifying until he suddenly roared in overwhelming fury:
"It seems that you rats hiding inside your burrows have forgotten that we are not humans… but monsters!"
The moment the king uttered those words, something horrifying happened.
Before the messenger could even respond, the king suddenly drew his sword.
In less than a second, he vanished from his throne and appeared directly before the messenger, swinging his blade with terrifying speed.
Everything happened so quickly that the people present could not even comprehend what had occurred.
And the messenger himself did not realize what had happened…
Until his head fell from his body in a grotesque and horrifying manner.
Strangely, the blood did not spray immediately. The body remained standing for a brief moment as though it had not yet understood that it was dead, while the king held his sword stained with only a thin line of blood.
Then he calmly returned to his throne and sat upon it as though nothing had happened.
And the moment he settled onto the throne…
The corpse finally collapsed onto the ground.
Blood splattered across the hall in a gruesome and horrifying way, to the point that some servants and guards turned their eyes away from the sight.
But before the king could order the guards to remove the body…
Something happened that sent chills through even the strongest warriors.
The severed head suddenly moved.
It lifted slightly in a twisted and horrifying manner, then opened its crimson eyes and stared directly at the king.
A cold and strange voice emerged from the severed head:
"So… this is your answer, monster."
The king's eyes widened for a moment. Then he quickly stared at the severed head and asked in a shocked yet questioning tone:
"Priestess of Darkness… is that you?"
But the head did not move afterward.
It simply continued staring.
The king frowned slightly before muttering in a low voice, almost doubting himself:
"Did… the head actually speak?"
One of the guards standing nearby answered immediately, visible tension covering his face:
"No, my lord… the corpse has not moved, and the head has not spoken a single word since you severed it."
The king's frown deepened as he realized the Dark Elves had begun using strange and terrifying methods—methods capable of infiltrating the magical barriers within the palace with frightening ease.
He remained silent for several moments in thought before finally speaking firmly:
"Bring the court magicians immediately… and strengthen the palace's magical barriers more than before. I do not want the powers of the Dark Elves moving through this place in such a manner ever again."
The moment he gave the order, one of the shadow guards protecting him disappeared into the darkness, rushing away to carry out the king's command.
The King of the Demi-Humans sat upon his throne once more, but his mind was far from calm.
He was thinking about what he should do next.
For a long time, he had suspected the humans, and he had intended to cooperate with the dwarves and the merfolk, his old allies. But after what had happened, he realized an important truth…
He could not rely solely on outside powers.
If he wished to survive the wars to come, he needed true strength within his own kingdom.
A power he could control with his own hands.
And suddenly…
He remembered his son.
That child whom he had imprisoned years ago because he could not control his terrifying power.
The king sighed slowly as conflicting thoughts battled within his mind.
More than anyone else, he knew how dangerous that child truly was.
In fact, he also knew that he was the only person in the kingdom capable of stopping him if he lost control.
"If I release that child now… he may become a true disaster for the kingdom."
The king thought those words silently while frowning in concern.
Yet he also knew something else.
If he managed to properly utilize his son's power…
He might gain a terrifying weapon to stand beside him in the coming conflicts.
The king remained silent for a long time, weighing the advantages and dangers while the flames danced throughout the dark hall as though waiting for his decision.
And finally…
He made his choice.
The king slowly rose from his throne, then looked toward the guards around him with cold eyes and declared:
"No one follows me."
The moment he spoke, the king suddenly vanished from the throne hall, leaving behind a heavy silence and terrifying pressure that filled the entire place.
The royal guards exchanged uneasy glances. They knew very well that the king never moved personally unless the matter was extremely dangerous.
Yet despite their curiosity, none of them dared disobey his command or even question him.
So they remained silently inside the royal hall, waiting for their lord's return.
Meanwhile, the king had already arrived at the deep underground chambers beneath the palace.
The corridors there were cold and dark, and the ancient stone walls were covered with strange magical markings that occasionally glowed with a faint blue light.
The king walked heavily through the terrifying silence until he stopped before a wall that looked ordinary at first glance.
He slowly extended his hand and pressed against a specific stone embedded within the wall.
An ancient mechanical sound echoed through the corridor before a hidden dark passage opened before him.
The king entered without hesitation.
The moment his feet stepped into that passage, his expression changed slightly.
He looked down the long road ahead with silent sorrow while old memories unwillingly resurfaced within his mind.
It had been a long time…
A very long time since the last time he descended into this place.
He remembered that day clearly.
The day he brought his son here.
At the time, his son had only been fifteen years old, but his power had spiraled completely out of control, forcing the king himself into a violent battle against him.
A battle that had nearly destroyed half the forest surrounding their kingdom.
The king sighed slowly as he walked deeper through the long stone corridor, descending farther and farther until even the air itself began to feel unbearably heavy.
Finally…
He reached the end of the passage.
A gigantic door stood before him, its surface covered with thousands of intricate magical symbols.
The king pulled out a necklace he always wore around his neck.
The pendant was shaped like a strange black key.
He raised it toward the door, and the moment it touched the surface, the symbols began glowing one after another.
Then…
The door slowly opened.
And the instant it did, a terrifying wave of energy exploded outward from within.
It was an energy filled with rage… madness… and killing intent.
Even the floor of the corridor trembled under the pressure of that power.
Yet the king remained standing calmly in place without moving.
He merely sighed while frowning slightly before thinking silently:
"It seems imprisonment did not weaken him… it made him stronger."
For a moment, concern rose within the king.
Had he truly made the right decision?
Could he really control his son now that he had become this powerful?
But before he could think further…
He heard a voice emerge from behind the opened door.
A voice filled with mockery and madness.
"Oh… my dear father."
The king stopped in place.
Then the voice continued with a horrifying smile that could be felt even without being seen:
"What brings you here? I thought you had already forgotten about me."
The king remained silent for several moments before finally stepping inside.
The chamber was enormous, more like a battlefield than a prison.
At its center stood a transparent cube-shaped barrier covered in magical seals and chains that endlessly rotated around it.
And inside that barrier…
Was his son.
The king lifted his eyes and looked at him silently.
Then he gave a faint smile and said quietly:
"I have not seen you in a very long time… my son."
The son immediately burst into laughter upon hearing those words.
But it was not a normal laugh.
It was cold and terrifying, making even the air feel heavier.
Then he quickly replied mockingly:
"Yes… and I have not seen you in a very long time either."
He stepped closer to the barrier while a wide smile spread across his face.
"I wish you knew how much I missed you."
Then his tone rose into something horrifying as he said:
"Let me out of here… so I can show you just how much I missed you."
The king remained silent as he observed his son.
His long golden hair had grown wild and unruly, while his glowing crimson eyes radiated danger even to the king himself.
As for his sharp black claws, they scraped against the magical barrier every time he moved.
And the king realized something very clearly…
His son was no longer the child he had imprisoned years ago.
He had become far taller than the king himself, and far more terrifying than he had imagined.
He resembled a true monster trapped within the body of a young man.
The son continued laughing, mocking, and complaining with obvious hatred, yet the king did not interrupt him.
He merely stared at him silently for a long time.
Then he finally spoke in a calm and heavy voice:
"Your aunt is dead… my son."
The moment those words left his mouth…
Everything froze.
The smile vanished instantly from the son's face.
A horrifying silence filled the prison chamber.
Even the monstrous energy flooding the room stopped for a brief moment… as though the world itself had been shocked by what it had just heard.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]