The Demon Realm was a land of harsh realities, its streets lined with warriors, slaves, kings, and clans. Since their defeat in the Second War with the Gods, the demons had been left shattered. Their once-proud egos were now broken like glass. Their defeat had left them wary of the divine, their hatred for the gods boiling beneath their surfaces.
The city streets were in chaos as the news spread. People hurried home, pulling their wives and children away from danger. Warriors, champions of various clans, prepared for battle, their eyes searching for the source of the unfamiliar aura that was beginning to seep into their realm. It was a power like no other—one that did not belong to any mere mortal or demon. It belonged to a god.
As the demons rushed to the wastelands where the aura was strongest, they found themselves in the presence of a man wearing a deep purple robe. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as he sat on the ground, casually playing with rabbits, oblivious to the approaching army.
Valieon stood up as he noticed them. The demons took their positions, weapons drawn, ready for war.
"I am not here for war," Valieon said calmly, raising his hands in peaceful gesture.
The demon leading the charge sneered. "We don't want gods interfering in our lives anymore!"
Valieon's expression remained unchanged. "I am not here to be a god to you. I am here to show you your true purpose."
The demon scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
Valieon's voice grew stronger, echoing across the wastelands. "You were never demons. Your race was formed from the energy of the Cosmic Sovereign. Even this realm you live in—this wasteland—was once part of the Cosmic Sovereign's army. When the previous Sovereign fell, the gods wanted to erase everything he had touched. But you fought bravely in the Second War, and because of that, they sought to erase you too."
The demon's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his weapon. "So what? Every god knows that. What's your purpose for coming to our realm?"
Valieon stepped forward, his voice unwavering. "I want you all to wake up. I want you to rise again and rebel against those puny gods who think they can control everything. I want you to fight once more, and this time, you will not lose."
A silence fell over the demons. The leader glared at Valieon. "But you're a god. You want us to rebel against your own kind?"
Valieon's expression softened, but his resolve was clear. "So what if I am a god? I'm against them too. I am the Cosmic Sovereign—the one who controls the cosmos itself."
The demon leader laughed bitterly. "Stop joking! We don't tolerate jokes about him! He is no more than a myth!"
Before anyone could react, one of the demons—a warrior of considerable strength—charged at Valieon. The moment he got close, Valieon moved faster than anyone could see, effortlessly stepping aside and placing his foot on the demon's chest, pinning him to the ground. The warrior's eyes widened in shock, though he was not dead—only subdued.
The demon leader gasped. "That was one of our strongest champions. How?"
Valieon glanced down at the defeated warrior. "I could've easily killed him. But you've all suffered enough already."
The demon could not speak, his mouth dry with disbelief.
Valieon's eyes gleamed with the weight of his words. "Join me, and I will end your suffering once and for all. I will free you from the tyranny of the gods."
The demon looked back at his fellow demons, their faces filled with doubt and curiosity. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low but resolute.
"All Hail the Cosmic Sovereign!"
The demons cheered, their chants filling the air. The rebellion had begun.
---
The March to the Void
As the newly-formed army of rebels prepared to leave for the Void of Nexus—their new realm—the leader of the demons stood by Valieon's side. The Cosmic Sovereign turned to him, curious.
"What is your name?" Valieon asked.
The demon hesitated. "We… don't have names. We are just demons, born without titles, without history."
Valieon's gaze softened. "You need names. You need a purpose. And what of the Cosmic Clan?"
The leader's eyes flickered with a painful memory. "The Cosmic Clan—they were once the greatest of us. The previous Sovereign ruled over them, but after his death, they were cast aside, discarded as slaves. Now, they live in the far corner of the demon realm, abandoned, forgotten."
Valieon's brow furrowed. "Take me to them."
They traveled to the farthest corner of the Demon Realm, where the Cosmic Clan had been exiled. What they found was a large community, but one that had fallen into despair. The people were malnourished, drunk, and hopeless. The streets were filled with sadness. Valieon approached one of them—a man sitting by a broken fountain, staring at the ground with hollow eyes.
Valieon knelt beside him. The man didn't react at first, but when Valieon's shadow fell upon him, he looked up slowly, his eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion and sorrow.
"What is your name?" Valieon asked gently.
The man blinked, as if waking from a dream. "Name… name?" he repeated, his voice cracked. "What's the use of a name when there's nothing left to live for?"
Valieon's gaze softened, and he sat down beside the man. The other demon clans walked past, avoiding eye contact, as if they were afraid to acknowledge the man's pain. But Valieon didn't look away. He let the silence hang between them, before speaking again.
"What happened to you all?" he asked, his voice firm but filled with empathy.
The man's voice trembled as he spoke. "We were once part of something great… we were once noble. The Cosmic Clan—we were chosen by the Sovereign himself. But after he died, we became nothing. We were discarded, thrown aside like trash. They treat us like dogs, feed us scraps, let us rot in the corner of this realm. We were left to suffer without care. No one sees us. No one cares."
Tears welled up in the man's eyes as he continued. "They say we're cursed—our very existence is a reminder of the past, a past that the gods want to erase. They gave us nothing but punishment, nothing but hunger, nothing but despair. We… we are forgotten."
Valieon's expression hardened as he listened. He could feel the weight of this man's suffering, the suffering of the entire Cosmic Clan. His heart ached at the injustice.
Without a word, he raised his hand, tapping into his cosmic power. A wave of energy rippled through the air, and in a flash, the Cosmic Clan's community began to change. Malnutrition faded from their bodies, their once hollow eyes brightened with life. The smell of decay was replaced with the scent of fresh food.
The man beside Valieon gasped, looking at his now healthy hands, his body no longer weak and frail. "What... what have you done?"
"I've given you what you deserve," Valieon said softly. "You are the people of the Cosmic Sovereign. You will never be forgotten again."
As Valieon turned to leave, a child's voice rang out, piercing the air. "Look! It's our Cosmic Sovereign!"
The people gathered around, their voices rising in unison.
"All Hail the Cosmic Sovereign!"
Valieon nodded, his eyes filled with determination. This was only the beginning. The gods would fall. And in their place, the Cosmic Sovereign would rise.