Volak froze in his place, his eyes wide with shock and terror, as if time had stopped at that exact moment. His mind could not comprehend the scene before him; Andre stood there, his hands stained with the warm blood of Volak's father, slowly dripping onto the snow. Volak's lips trembled before a scream tore through the silence of the area, a scream mixed with unimaginable pain and loss:
"Father!"
At that moment, Andre slowly raised his head, but the gaze he cast upon Volak was not the gaze of the friend he knew. His eyes gleamed with an ancient, dark coldness, a look that meant only one thing: the one standing before him was not Andre, but the Demon Lord.
Volak ground his teeth until they nearly shattered, and his body surged forward with a blind intent to kill. But the Demon Lord, with a swift motion devoid of any emotion, grabbed the corpse of Volak's father and hoisted it in front of him like a human shield.
Volak stopped abruptly, as if struck by lightning, his feet retreating in fear of harming his father's body. He shouted with a cracking voice:
"Leave my father's body and fight me with honor!"
The Demon Lord painted a mocking smile on his face, and in cold blood, slowly plunged his sword deep into the lifeless body of the father.
Flames ignited in Volak's chest, the veins in his neck bulging with absolute rage.
The Demon Lord spoke with a deep voice carrying a tone of supreme arrogance:
"Does that anger you? Good... let it anger you. But direct your anger toward the right person, for I am not the one who took your father's life."
Volak screamed:
"Do not mess with me! I saw you with my own eyes cutting off his head!"
The Demon Lord shrugged his shoulders with indifference and said:
"The one whose head I cut off is your father, yes. But... his body was merely an empty vessel. The spell of 'Necromancy' was cast upon him, meaning he died a long time ago."
Volak's face paled, and he took a step back, his legs no longer able to carry his weight:
"Impossible... are you saying that my father...? How can I believe such a lie?"
The Demon Lord pointed to the open wound in the corpse:
"Look, the living have hearts that bleed and beat with life, but this one... his heart stopped a long time ago. And the reason his body did not regenerate is that the summoner knows full well that using his power to revive him completely would cost him his own life."
Volak looked at the entity occupying his friend's body, and said with a voice filled with suspicion:
"When I look at you, I do not see an ally... you want to get to the summoner, don't you?"
The Demon Lord let out a laugh that sent shivers down Volak's spine:
"You are smart. Yes, I want him, for two reasons: first, to take me to an old friend, and second... to rip out his soul."
Suddenly, the father's corpse began to fade, turning into black dust scattered by the wind. Volak reached his hand out into the air, trying to grab hold of his father, but he grasped nothing but emptiness.
"Father! What is happening?"
The Demon Lord said out of boredom: "The magic has been canceled."
Volak stood silent, looking at the fading dust. He did not cry; instead, his tears froze in his eyes. He gathered himself with extreme difficulty, asking numbly:
"Can you find the summoner?"
The Demon Lord closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, pointing his finger:
"No need to search. I sense an energy emanating from that cave."
Volak sprinted toward the cave, while the Demon Lord remained standing with terrifying dignity. Inside the pitch-black darkness, Volak found no one, but a faint whimpering reached his ears. He followed the sound until he found the missing child lying on the cold ground. He picked him up tenderly and carried him outside, only to find the Demon Lord waiting for him.
"Why are you standing like that?" Volak asked.
The entity replied: "I will return control to the boy 'Andre'. But before that, a piece of advice from a demon... beware of the people of your village, for I smell the stench of treachery emanating from them."
Before Volak could inquire further, Andre's body suddenly went limp as if he had lost consciousness. He then opened his eyes, but this time his gaze was confused and innocent. Andre had returned.
Volak ignored the demon's warning in that moment; his only concern was the child.
Andre said regretfully, looking at his bloodstained hands: "I am sorry, Volak..."
Volak interrupted him firmly, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder: "There is no need to apologize. As for the one responsible for this... I will make him wish for death."
The two moved toward the village. Upon arriving at the tent of the child's parents, the air was heavy with sorrow. The mother looked like a ghost; her face was pale, and her eyes were sunken from excessive crying and lack of food.
As soon as she heard the baby's cry, she jolted like a madwoman. She ran with an overwhelming maternal eagerness, snatching the child from Volak's hands and hugging him tightly to her chest, crying and laughing at the same time:
"My child! Thank God... thank God you are alive!"
She tried to nurse him, but the father intervened with a tender voice, holding his wife's trembling hand:
"You must eat first, my dear. Your body is weak, and you will not find milk for him."
The mother devoured the food quickly and ravenously, her eyes never leaving her little one. She then picked him up again; the child grabbed his mother's garment with his tiny hands and began to nurse in silence.
On the dark side of the village, Maurice stood watching from afar, a malicious smile gracing his face.
He muttered to himself: "It is good that I switched to the 'Lord of the Dead's' side. Had the Demon Lord caught me, I would be dead by now."
The observer standing next to him asked: "And now, what is your plan after the first one failed?"
Maurice's smile widened until it looked horrifying: "Failed? There was no plan to begin with; I just wanted to have some fun. But do not worry, the real plan is proceeding exactly as I wanted. That child... is the best gift for Andre. It is true that he saved him, but it is too late. Tonight... the sun will never rise."
We return to the mother, who was looking at her child with deep love. Suddenly, she gasped in pain. Sharp claws sprouted from the infant's hands, sinking into his mother's chest, drawing blood. Small horns began to push their way out of his head. The scene shifted from ultimate tenderness to pure horror; the innocent infant was gradually transforming into a demon!
The father backed away in panic, his face reflecting indescribable terror. But the mother... she kept holding him. The claws tore at her flesh, but she refused to let him go.
Volak shouted: "Andre! What is happening?! Did that bastard dare to transform the child?!"
Volak and the father tried to pull the child away, but the mother screamed frantically, hugging the little monster close to her:
"No! Stay away! This is my child! He has returned to me, and I will not leave him!"
The father tried to reason: "But he..."
He was cut off by the mother's tears, which flowed heavily onto the transforming child's face: "I know... but he is my son, and I will love him no matter what he looks like!"
A warm tear fell onto the child's face, and something strange happened. The little one calmed down, falling asleep in his mother's embrace as if he were an angel, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
But the calm was merely the calm before the storm.
Suddenly, the father fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming from a pain tearing at his insides. His eyes turned blood-red, and horns protruded from his skull. His transformation was not peaceful like the child's; he mutated into a raging, bloodthirsty monster.
The transformed father lunged savagely at his wife.
Volak intervened with the speed of lightning, kicking the father away before he could tear the mother apart.
Volak shouted, panting: "The child and now the father! What the hell is going on here?"
The father did not stop; he returned to attack with even greater ferocity. This time, Volak found no other choice. He drew his sword, and with a single, decisive slash, the father's head flew through the air.
The bereaved mother's agonizing screams echoed inside the hut, but hers was not the only voice.
From outside, horrifying screams began to rise. Volak and Andre rushed out, only to find that hell had opened its gates in the village. The villagers were transforming one after another into demons, tearing each other apart.
Amidst the symphony of screams and blood, Maurice watched the scene from the hill, laughing with madness and ecstasy:
"Yes! Let me hear your screams! And now, Andre... I have set the stage for you, and you are the star of this show. Tell me, how will you deal with this? Entertain me! Hahahaha!"