Chapter 76: The Birth of the Dark One

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Birth of the Dark One

The room was silent.

The sound barrier kept humming .Theon, Ifrith, and Silver remained firmly in place, cutting them off from everything outside. Theon sat with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Ifrith. He had waited long enough. Too many secrets. Too many unanswered questions. After everything that had happened with Nova and Lazaria, Theon refused to accept another incomplete explanation.

He looked directly at Ifrith.

"You two..."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Silver before returning to Ifrith.

"Don’t you think it’s finally time you came clean and explained everything?"

Silver lowered her head. Ifrith remained silent for several seconds. Then he nodded.

"You’re right, Master."

He took a slow breath.

"There are things you deserve to know."

Theon leaned back slightly.

"Then tell me."

Ifrith met his eyes.

"All right, Master."

He paused.

"Let me start from the beginning."

{Note: everything From here on is an analepsis of Ifrith past and how he became the Dark One}

[ANALEPSIS] meaning = (A narrative shift to and earlier event)

Since the dawn of time, the demon realm had been divided into different ranks. Lesser demons occupied the lowest tier. Upper demons held positions of authority and influence. Above them all stood the primordial demons, beings of immense power who had existed since the realm’s creation. Power determined everything. The stronger a demon was, the higher their position could become.

Among the countless lesser demons born throughout the ages, one particular child came into existence. His name was Ifrith.

At the time, nothing about his birth seemed extraordinary from the perspective of the world. He was born into a poor family of lesser demons who possessed little. They lived in a small, worn-down house on the outskirts of their territory. They had barely enough food to survive. Yet the child they brought into the world was different.

Although Ifrith was born as a lesser demon, his magical power was unlike anything his family had ever seen. His aura was overwhelming. Even as a newborn, it was powerful enough to make nearby livestock become restless. Some animals became sick. Others died. His parents didn’t understand it. They only knew that their son possessed an enormous amount of magical energy.

Then, on the night of his birth, something happened.

The sky changed. The moon slowly turned crimson. Then it grew. And grew. Until an enormous blood-red moon dominated the night sky. Its light covered the entire demon realm.

Demons emerged from their homes and stared upward. Some immediately understood the meaning. Others whispered among themselves. But those who knew the ancient records understood what they were witnessing. A huge blood moon appearing at the birth of a demon wasn’t necessarily an omen of death. It meant something else entirely.

A new sovereign had been born.

Somewhere in the demon realm, a child had entered the world who possessed the potential to stand above every demon. But the knowledge was kept secret. Those who discovered the truth understood what would happen if the information spread. A child born with the potential to become a sovereign would never be allowed to grow peacefully. There would be assassins. There would be ambitious nobles. There would be demons who wanted to control him. And there would be demons who wanted to kill him before he became powerful enough to become a threat to them.

So the truth about Ifrith’s birth remained hidden.

For a while.

But a secret that powerful could not remain buried forever.

As Ifrith grew older, his extraordinary aura became harder to hide. His magical power continued to increase. Even though he was still only a lesser demon, his presence was different. Demons could feel it. They began to notice. Whispers spread through the territory.

Then came the first attack.

An assassin emerged from the shadows. The young Ifrith barely understood what was happening. The attacker lunged toward him. But before the assassin could reach him, an overwhelming aura erupted from Ifrith’s body. The assassin froze. His body trembled. He couldn’t move.

That was the first of many attempts. Some came with weapons. Some sent demon beasts. Others tried to ambush him in the forest. But none could get close. Ifrith’s natural aura protected him without him even realizing it. The more enemies attacked, the more they understood one thing. Killing him directly would not be easy.

So they changed their strategy.

If they couldn’t reach Ifrith, they would reach the people around him. His family.

The attacks against his family began while Ifrith was away. His parents became frightened. But they had nowhere else to go. They were poor lesser demons. They possessed no great influence. No noble house would protect them. No powerful demon would care about them. And the demons who feared Ifrith knew exactly how vulnerable his family was.

Still, Ifrith continued living. He hunted and gathered food and also protected his family as best as he could. He didn’t understand why people feared him. He didn’t understand why livestock died around him. He only knew that his family loved him. And that was enough.

He spent his days in the forest, hunting for food and avoiding the whispers that followed him wherever he went. His mother would greet him at the door with a warm smile. His father would pat his head and tell him he had done well. His brothers would tease him about his adventures. His little sister would run to him and wrap her arms around his leg.

Those moments were the only peace he ever knew.

The only happiness he ever experienced.

And they were the only things that made the constant fear and suspicion bearable.

----

One day, Ifrith left home to hunt.

His family had almost nothing to eat. His mother had been rationing food for days. His father’s blacksmith job could barely bring food to the table. His younger siblings had begun to grow thin. So he entered the forest with the intention of bringing back enough meat for everyone.

The forest was strangely quiet.

Ifrith noticed it. Usually, whenever he ventured outside, someone eventually tried to attack him. An assassin would emerge from the shadows. A demon beast would charge from the trees. Something would happen. But that day, nothing happened. No assassin appeared. No demon beast attacked. No strange movement came from the trees.

It was almost peaceful.

The young Ifrith wondered about it. Had the assassins finally become tired of chasing him? Had they finally given up? He didn’t know. Eventually, he pushed the thought aside. Then he found his target.

A primordial griffon.

The enormous beast towered over him. Its wings spread across the forest. Its roar shook the surrounding trees. Yet Ifrith didn’t run. He fought. The battle was brutal. The griffon attacked repeatedly. Its claws tore through the earth. Its beak snapped toward him with deadly precision. But Ifrith’s overwhelming magical power eventually allowed him to defeat it.

The primordial griffon collapsed.

Ifrith stood over its body. For a moment, genuine happiness appeared on his face. He had done it. He had killed something that enormous. There would be enough meat for his family. He quickly prepared the carcass and began making his way home.

He was excited. For once, he couldn’t wait to see his family’s faces. He imagined his brothers being impressed. His little sister getting excited. His mother preparing the meat. His father praising him. He hurried through the forest, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

But when he finally reached the place where his family lived, he stopped.

Smoke filled the air. His smile disappeared. The small house was burning. Flames consumed the walls. The roof was already collapsing. Ifrith stood frozen, the meat slipping from his hands.

"No..."

He rushed forward. He looked around. Nobody was helping. Not a single demon from the surrounding area had come. The same people who had watched his family struggle for years were nowhere to be found. Ifrith ran into the burning house. The heat struck his body. He ignored it. He searched desperately.

Then he found them.

His father. His mother. His two brothers. His little sister. And the unborn child still inside his mother’s womb. They had been slaughtered. The small home that had once held his family had become their grave.

Ifrith stood there. His body trembled. Something inside him broke. His breathing became heavier. His hands clenched. His heart filled with rage. Hatred. Pain. Grief. Everything he had held inside for years exploded at once.

The aura surrounding his body began to change.

Dark magical energy erupted from him. The air shook. The ground cracked. His eyes lost their normal light. His emotions consumed his reason. He had entered the Primal Awakening State. In that state, a demon no longer fought through ordinary thought. Instinct took over. Power surged through the body. The dormant strength buried deep within him demon awakened.

Ifrith didn’t understand what was happening. He didn’t care. All he could think about was one thing. Whoever had done this would not live to see another daylight.

But before that, he had to get his family out.

Ifrith entered the burning house again. The flames surrounded him. He ignored them. He lifted his father’s body. Then his mother’s. Then his brothers. Then his little sister. One after another, he carried them outside.

Nobody came to help. Not even when he walked into the flames. Not even when the house began collapsing. The people around them simply watched from a distance. They had always called him a cursed child. They blamed him whenever livestock died. They called him bad luck. They feared his aura. They whispered whenever he walked past. But now, when his family had been murdered, not one of them stepped forward.

Ifrith didn’t care anymore. He had spent his entire life ignoring their words. Now he had nothing left to ignore them for.

After carrying everyone outside, he stood silently among their bodies. His eyes moved toward the burning house. Something caught his attention. His father’s sword. It had survived the flames. Ifrith walked over and picked it up.

He remembered his father’s voice. A sword was meant for protection. A weapon existed to protect the people you loved. Ifrith looked down at the blade. His father had possessed a sword. Yet it hadn’t protected anyone. His family was dead. The house was burning. And he had been powerless to stop it.

His fingers tightened around the sword. A single thought entered his mind.

I will kill anyone who has done this.

He turned away from the bodies. Then he began walking.

---

North.

He didn’t know exactly where he was going. But he knew where the strongest demons lived. Afterall he has been attacked a lot by powerful assassins who didn’t belong in the lower relem and the only place they could be was The primordial relem. The ones who ruled over the demon realm. The ones who had created the world he had been forced to live in. He would find them. And he would make someone answer for what had happened to his family.

For two days, Ifrith walked.

The sword dragged along the ground behind him.

Scrrrrch.

The blade scratched against the earth. Every step was slow. Every step carried him farther from the home he would never return to. Monsters appeared along the way. The first charged at him. Ifrith swung once. The monster was cut apart. Another appeared. One strike. Dead. Another. Slaughtered. Some monsters sensed his aura before they even approached. They turned around and ran.

The young demon didn’t chase them. He simply kept walking. His aura had become terrifying. The Primal Awakening had transformed the already abnormal power within him into something far more dangerous. The air around him crackled with dark energy. The ground beneath his feet blackened with each step. The forest animals fled before he even entered their territory.

For two days, he walked without stopping.

He didn’t eat. He didn’t sleep. He didn’t rest. His body moved on sheer willpower alone. His mind was consumed by a single purpose. Find those responsible. Make them pay. Make them suffer the way his family had suffered.

On the second night, he arrived.

The Primordial Demon Realm. The territory where the strongest demons lived. At its heart stood the Primordial Demon Sovereign Palace. The palace belonged to the ruler of all demons. Lesser demons. Upper demons. Primordial demons. All were under the sovereign’s authority.

Ifrith walked toward the enormous gates.

Several guards immediately stepped forward.

"Stop."

Ifrith continued walking.

The guards moved to block him. One reached for his shoulder. The moment the guard touched him, blood splattered across the ground. The guard fell. Another guard moved. He fell as well. Ifrith didn’t stop. He simply walked through the gate. No hesitation. No fear.

He entered the palace.

But the one he was searching for wasn’t there.

Ifrith looked around. Nothing. Then he heard something. Voices. Laughter. Roaring. A massive sound came from somewhere nearby. He turned his head. To his right stood a gigantic arena. The sounds were coming from inside.

Ifrith gripped his father’s sword. Then he began walking toward it.

Scrrrrch.

The sword dragged across the floor.

He entered the arena. And stopped.

What he saw made his rage grow even deeper. The arena was enormous. Noble houses from across the demon realm filled the surrounding seats. Powerful demons sat comfortably, watching the spectacle below. At the highest position sat the Primordial Demon Sovereign. And inside the arena, humans were being slaughtered.

Two enormous demonic beasts chased them around the battlefield. The humans screamed. They tried to escape. The beasts caught them. One was torn apart. Another was thrown to the ground. The beasts began devouring them. The audience laughed. They cheered. They enjoyed the spectacle. To them, it was entertainment.

Ifrith stared.

His grip tightened around his father’s sword. His breathing became heavier. The sight of humans being treated like toys reminded him of everything that had happened. His family. His burning home. The people who had refused to help. The hatred inside him intensified.

He began walking. The sword dragged behind him.

Scrrrrch.

The sound echoed through the arena. Nobody noticed him at first. Then he stepped into the center. The moment his foot touched the arena floor, his aura exploded. A tremendous wave of magical pressure swept across the entire arena. Every demon felt it. The laughter stopped. The cheers disappeared. The nobles froze.

Some demons struggled to breathe. Others felt their bodies tremble. A chill ran down their spines.

"What...?"

"Who is that?"

"How can a child have this much aura?"

"Impossible..."

The entire arena fell silent.

A small child stood in the center. A sword dragged behind him. His clothes were worn. His body was covered with the remnants of his journey. Yet the pressure surrounding him was monstrous. No one could understand what they were seeing.

Then one figure stood. The son of the Primordial Demon Sovereign. He looked at Ifrith with irritation rather than fear. His face twisted with arrogance.

"Who are you, peasant?" His voice echoed throughout the arena. "And why have you come to disturb us here?"

Silence.

Ifrith didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at him. He simply stood there. The prince’s expression darkened.

"Did you hear me?"

Nothing.

The prince clenched his fist.

"Guards!"

Nobody moved. The guards stood frozen. The pressure coming from Ifrith was too overwhelming. The prince’s face reddened.

"Take him out!"

Still, nobody moved. The prince looked around in disbelief.

"What are you waiting for?!"

No one answered. His eyes shifted back toward Ifrith. Then an idea came to him.

"If the guards won’t move... " His gaze turned toward the two demonic beasts. "...then kill him."

The beasts roared. They turned toward Ifrit. The noble houses watched. The prince smiled. The two beasts lowered their bodies. Then they launched themselves forward. One from the left. One from the right. Their enormous jaws opened. claws stretching toward the child.