The crimson void remained deathly silent. The guards were no more, consumed by the crimson light. As far as you could look there was nothing but an endless red horizon. Zavala stood in the void deep in thought, weighing up his options and trying to discern the true purpose of this encounter.
If I attack now.. I will be at a disadvantage.. maybe it is best to probe for information and then plan my next move..
Zavala knew he needed to take a calculated risk. Zavala then broke the silence first. His golden eyes burned with quiet contempt as he stared across the circle.
"And why would I want to speak with an Orion?" he asked coldly.
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk forming. "Did you forget about the history between us?"
Across from him stood a hooded figure cloaked in black and crimson. His face was hidden behind shadow, but his eyes glowed a deep, unnatural red. Zavala already had an idea of which Orion stood before him.
"This will allow us to speak without interruption," the hooded man said calmly.
His voice carried an eerie stillness that contrasted sharply with the roaring red particles surrounding them. Zavala scoffed.
"Have the council finally decided to give the order?" Zavala asked.
No response came. Zavala's rage simmered deep inside him, a volcanic force building beneath the surface, threatening to erupt at any moment.
"You Orions wield divine power… yet kneel to cowards. They use you to destroy any challengers who dare speak up against them." he continued.
He pointed a finger toward the hooded figure.
"You are blades," he continued. "Forged, sharpened and then discarded."
The words hung in the air like accusations thrown into a battlefield. The hooded man just stood there. Zavala's rage was boiling deep inside him, he despised the Orions for what they had done to him and his people. The hooded man finally spoke.
"You are right," he quietly responded.
Zavala blinked, surprised by the lack of denial. He couldn't believe that an Orion who worked for the Angelics would easily agree with him. That is the exact moment Zavala knew that there was more at play here. This wasn't just a chat, this had a deeper meaning.
"The Angelics preach peace," the hooded man continued, lifting his head slightly. "But their throne stands on bones."
His glowing eyes narrowed as he continued. "I know the truth."
Suddenly the red particles around them seemed to intensify as his voice lowered.
"And what truth have you uncovered?" Zavala demanded.
The hooded figure stepped forward. A slight tremor followed each step. The red light reflected across the sharp edges of his armor.
"That they are the rot." he said with conviction.
The tremors intensified with each word that was spoken. Zavala could feel this intense heavy aura that rendered him motionless.
"And the universe will not heal while they rule," he continued.
The hooded figure stopped in his tracks when finished his sentence. Silence once again took over the void. Zavala clenched his jaw as he tried to fight off the weight of the aura that held him in place.
"I was once blind to their lies they would teach to us. How they were the saviors hand picked by the Goddess herself. They teach you to be closed minded... to think the same as them." Valak continued.
Zavala looked at Valak puzzled but intrigued at the same time as the aura that once held him in check seemed to vanish. The pressure that felt ten times the force had now become normal. Zavala could feel himself breathe with ease again.
"A powerful entity came to me and freed me from the spell that had been put on me since my birth. I know the real origin behind the universe." Valak spoke as the red void trembled.
"The universe is dying.. it calls out for help. All I have done is answer that call." Valak continued with a stern voice.
Zavala carefully watched Valak trying to understand if he was being played or not. Thoughts once again raced through his mind.
The true origin of the universe? What is he talking about? And what was this aura that I felt coming from him… I need to figure out his true motives..
"You know we cannot leave… you have trapped us here." he said after a moment. "The seal binds us to this hell. We have tried to get free but nothing can break the seal."
The hooded figure lifted his hand up. The energy acted instantaneously, bending to the will of the hooded figure. A seal appeared before them made from red energy that looked identical to the one that had been put in place to contain the demons in their forsaken realm.
"The seal cannot be broken by mortals," he said.
Then he paused. "But to a…" His voice intensified with authority as he spoke the word. "…God."
Slowly, he reached up and pulled back his hood. Silver hair spilled into the red light. Crimson eyes gleamed with quiet certainty. Recognition flashed across Zavala's face.
"You…" Zavala spoke with a simmer of anger.
Valak smiled faintly as he spoke. "We want the same thing."
He extended his hand toward Zavala.
"Freedom from Angelic dominion." Valak continued.
Zavala didn't take it. Not yet. His eyes studied the man before him carefully.
Then Valak tilted his head. "Do you not desire vengeance?"
The question lingered in the burning air. Zavala looked toward the distant horizon where the endless red stretched beyond sight. Deep in thought, the demon king knew he could not match Valak strength for strength. This was a battle he could not win, he needed to figure out a way to win without engaging in combat.
This feels like a trap.. we want the same thing.. Can I trust him? Or will he turn on us once we are no longer of value to him.
Zavala's internal battle continued, his mind telling him one thing while his past experiences express the opposite. He knew he needed to know more about this plan.
"The Arcadians will not bend the knee," he said quietly.
"They won't get the opportunity to." Valak chuckled.
His red eyes gleamed with dangerous confidence. Zavala finally smiled. This was not a happy smile. It was a sharp and dangerous smile.
"You really are a monster," he said.
Zavala didn't sound afraid, not in the slightest. Valak stood there in a red void. His cloak rippled within it. Slowly, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The sound echoed softly across the Void. At once, the world trembled. The ground cracked open like a wounded beast. Waves of molten energy surged through the ruined city. Buildings collapsed into the glowing fractures as the land itself split apart. Zavala stood nearby, watching Valak change the environment. Zavala instantly noticed that it was the Angelic capital that was burning. Valak looked back at Zavala with a calm smile.
"If removing the weeds of the universe makes me a monster…" he said quietly.
His red eyes gleamed like embers as the words came out of his mouth. "Then so be it."
Zavala folded his arms. An Orion who is willing to act on their own and not on commands from the council intrigued Zavala. A lot.
"And what of the Orions?" he asked. "What is the plan for them?"
Zavala knew that this was going to be their biggest obstacle. Fighting the Orions wasn't plausible in any way. They were too powerful and he wasn't sure Valak could take them alone.
A cold, certain smile. "I will kill them myself."
The words were spoken without hesitation, void of emotion as his crimson eyes burned brighter as he continued. "One by one."
Silence settled between them. Zavala studied him carefully, as if weighing the truth of those words. Zavala knew Valak was powerful but could he really kill them all? However, he knew the only way out of this hell was with Valak.
"What makes you believe I won't try to betray you once we are free?" Zavala questioned trying to navigate through the mind of Valak to find a weak point.
"Zavala, you are an intelligent being. We both know that I am your only hope of restoring your kind to its peak." Valak said, turning the mind games back onto Zavala.
"If you wish to refuse my offer then I might as well kill you and your kind now. Ending your family's pathetic so-called legacy." threatened Valak.
This angered Zavala deeply, fueling his rage even more. However, Zavala quickly controlled himself and took the hit to his pride. He knew Valak was right about needing him, he also knew Valak could end them if he wanted to. Zavala decided he would swallow his pride for his people's future. His legacy would not be the same as his father's. He would become the greatest Demon King in their history.
Finally, he exhaled and shook his head with a faint chuckle. "Very well."
A dangerous grin appeared across his face. "We will join your crusade."
The two men stepped forward and clasped forearms. Their alliance was forged not with trust, but with shared hatred and agendas that may come back to haunt each other. Zavala took Valak to the seal that was keeping them here.
Valak slowly raised his hand toward the ancient seal. Scarlet energy gathered around his palm, at first little more than a faint glow, but it quickly began to intensify. The demons standing nearby instinctively backed away as the pressure in the air grew heavier. Cracks began spreading across the surface of the seal, crawling through the ancient markings that had kept their people imprisoned for centuries. Valak stared at it for a moment before speaking.
"Thy must Gods will, strength is thy upon us. Destruct all that was and will be." Valak chanted.
His fingers tightened and the seal shattered. A violent wave of scarlet energy erupted across the Demon Realm, throwing dust and debris into the air. The ground beneath the fortress cracked as the shockwave traveled through the surrounding landscape. Several demons stumbled backward, struggling to remain on their feet as the ancient barrier finally collapsed. For the first time in centuries, nothing stood between the demons and the rest of the universe.
But the energy didn't disappear. Instead, it began gathering above the shattered seal. Valak looked up as the scarlet light twisted together, forming a massive column of energy that stretched toward the sky. The clouds above the Demon Realm were pulled toward it, spiraling around the growing pillar as thunder rolled across the heavens.
Then the energy erupted upward. A massive beam of scarlet light shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds and continuing far beyond the atmosphere. Its glow spread across the darkness above the Demon Realm, bright enough to be seen from worlds far beyond its borders. The demons stood in silence as they watched it. Zavala slowly lifted his eyes toward the sky, the enormous red beam reflected in his golden eyes.
"What have you done?" he asked.
Valak continued staring upward, his expression calm. "I made sure they know we're free."
The beam continued to burn through the sky, carrying the energy of the shattered seal far beyond the Demon Realm. For centuries, the universe had known the demons only as a forgotten race sealed away after an ancient war. That was no longer the case. The Demon Realm had announced its return and somewhere beyond its borders, someone was already watching.
Meanwhile outside of the stronghold the demon realm was about to expect a new visitor. A portal of shadows opened outside of the demon realm castle. From the swirling void stepped a lone figure. Black armor gleamed against the firelight as his long cloak whipped behind him. His golden eyes scanned the burning landscape.
"So this is the Demon Realm," he murmured.
Zether stepped forward cautiously, his boots crunching against the cracked earth. In the distance, a massive fortress floated above the wasteland like a dark star. Crimson energy streamed from its base into the ground below. Zether's eyes widened slightly.
"It can't be…" His voice lowered. "The seal."
Zether wove the surrounding shadows together, forming a swirling portal of darkness.
Meanwhile back at the castle the demon forces all stood before the seal. Valak and Zavala both at the front. From a fissure in the ground, a hand stretched out grabbing one of the demon soldier's feet who stood at the back of the group. The demon soldier struggled upward, clawing desperately at the cracked earth as he was dragged into the depths of the darkness.
"Wait!" the demon screamed. "Stop!!"
His armored hands reached toward the surface as the shadows consumed him. The ground collapsed beneath him. The fissure swallowed the demon whole. Two burning eyes appeared within the swirling shadows. A massive shape shifted within the darkness, its presence warping the air itself. The ground beneath him trembled again as the shattered seal continued to split apart. Crimson energy erupted through the cracks like lightning trapped beneath stone.
A blazing portal appeared where the seal once was. Valak and Zavala watched as the gateway stabilized into a blazing ring of fire. Beyond it lay a completely different world. A lush forest bathed in green sunlight. Valak noticed a change in the atmosphere. It was subtle, but the presence felt familiar.
Valak smiled. "Looks like we have some company."
Zavala's eyes sharpened. "Allow my men to deal with this intruder."
But Valak raised a hand, stopping him. His gaze shifted toward the growing darkness.
"Your men can't fight a shadow." he stated.
The swirling mass of black shadows behind them began to form a shape. Eyes opened within the darkness.
Valak stepped forward slightly. "Leave this to me." he said with confidence.
Behind them, the portal burned brighter. The shadows moved. They twisted like living smoke, gathering near Valak as if drawn by an unseen gravity. From within that darkness, two burning eyes slowly opened. They were watchful and filled with quiet accusations. The air between them grew heavy.
A deep voice echoed from the shadowed figure. "Releasing the same plague that consumed the universes before."
The glowing eyes narrowed. "Bit hypocritical, wouldn't you say?"
The words lingered like poison in the air. Valak didn't flinch. Instead, a faint smile spread across his face. Flames danced behind him, reflecting in his crimson eyes.
"Sometimes," he said calmly, "you must release a predator to reset the system."
The shadowed figure tilted its head slightly. The darkness forming its body rippled, as if reacting to the words.
"So that is your justification," Zether said.
His voice was neither angry nor surprised, only certain. Valak's gaze sharpened.
"Have you come to lecture me?" he asked quietly. "Like Renku would?"
"We both know that will not work. Like you said.." Zether stepped forward. "Action is the only answer.."
Valak chuckled to himself.
"Do you have what it takes to do what is necessary, Zether?" Valak questioned as the tension in the air grew with each response.
"I will not hesitate like Renku." Zether responded with zero hesitation and a firm tone. Zether knew that at this moment he could not go soft on Valak. This was kill or be killed. No exceptions.
Valak's Crimson energy flared across his armor, lighting the cracks in the scorched earth beneath his feet. The two figures stood face-to-face now. Opposites. One forged from shadow and the other burning with destructive resolve. Neither of them intended to step aside. The battle between the shadows and chaos was about to engulf the demon realm.
End of Chapter 3