The ancient library in the eastern wing of the demon fortress was silent except for the soft rustling of pages and the occasional excited murmur from Lyria. Jin-ho sat across from her at a massive obsidian table, surrounded by stacks of scrolls and ancient tomes, his tail curled tightly around the chair leg to prevent it from accidentally destroying anything else.
It had been three days since the feast, and while most of the court believed he was in deep meditation or planning military campaigns, Jin-ho had been secretly meeting with Lyria and her apprentice Syltherin to investigate alternative solutions to the impending war.
"Look at this," Lyria whispered, sliding an ancient manuscript across the table. "It confirms Syltherin's theory. The Marriage Circle's power isn't limited to divine or royal blood. It responds to the connection between entities of different realms."
Jin-ho leaned forward, his enhanced vision picking out the faded script despite the dim lighting. "So theoretically, any demon and human with a...connection could activate it?"
"Not just activate it," Syltherin added, his tattoos writhing with excitement. "They could potentially create new circles. If we found the right pairs-"
A soft sound made Jin-ho freeze. His enhanced hearing picked up something the others couldn't—the slight rustle of fabric, a carefully controlled breath, someone trying very hard to remain hidden.
We have an observer, the Demon God warned.
Jin-ho held up his hand for silence. His ears tracked the sound to a shadowed alcove between towering bookshelves. The scent reached him next: fear, sweat, and something else. Humanity. A human spy.
Without thinking, Jin-ho sprang from his chair, his new body moving with inhuman speed. In three strides, he reached the alcove and grabbed a figure dressed in dark clothes. The spy- a young man with sandy hair and terror in his eyes—had a dagger drawn.
"My King!" Lyria called out as the spy broke free from Jin-ho's grip.
Everything happened in seconds. The spy wheeled around, dagger flashing toward Lyria, who had stepped closer. Jin-ho reacted instinctively, reaching for the same power he'd used at the Void Chamber. Shadows erupted from his hands, shooting forward like spears.
The spy's eyes widened as the darkness pierced his chest. He dropped to his knees, blood spreading across his shirt. His mouth worked soundlessly before he collapsed, the dagger clattering from lifeless fingers.
Jin-ho stared at his hands in horror. The shadows receded, leaving only the dead spy and the growing pool of blood on the ancient stone floor.
"My King," Lyria said softly, her voice trembling. "You...you saved me."
But Jin-ho couldn't hear her. The room spun around him. He had killed someone. Not in battle, not as part of some grand conflict, but here, in a quiet library. A human being was dead because of him.
"I...I need..." Jin-ho stumbled backward, his tail thrashing wildly. He knocked over a bookshelf, sending precious texts cascading to the floor. "I can't..."
Jin-ho, control yourself, the Demon God urged. It was necessary. He would have killed Lyria and reported everything to the humans.
"Necessary?" Jin-ho gasped, feeling like he couldn't breathe. "I killed him. He's dead because of me."
"My King-" Lyria started to approach him, but Jin-ho held up a hand.
"Guards!" he called, his voice cracking. "Clean this up. No one can know what we were discussing."
He fled the library, leaving Lyria and Syltherin to handle the aftermath. His feet carried him to the one place he didn't want to go but knew he must—the military wing where General Vassek held court with his loyal officers.
The training hall was filled with the sounds of weapons clashing and soldiers drilling. Vassek stood on a raised platform, observing the exercises with several of his commanders. They all turned as Jin-ho entered, immediately dropping to their knees.
"My King," Vassek said, rising with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "To what do we owe this honor?"
Jin-ho's hands still shook. He could still see the spy's face, the fear in his eyes as the shadows struck him. "We've had a security breach," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "A human spy in the eastern library."
"Impressive that you caught him yourself," Vassek replied, his ram-like horns gleaming in the torchlight. "Though I'm surprised you came to me rather than Kraxis."
"This is a military matter," Jin-ho said. He realized too late that he was playing into Vassek's hands by acknowledging his authority over security.
"Indeed." Vassek's smile widened. "And what became of this spy? Shall we interrogate him?"
Jin-ho swallowed hard. "He's dead."
"Dead?" Vassek raised an eyebrow. "How unfortunate. Did he fight well, at least?"
"No," Jin-ho admitted, the word like ash in his mouth. "He...he tried to attack Lyria. I stopped him."
"Ah." Vassek's scent shifted, taking on that bitter edge Jin-ho had come to associate with contempt. "The mighty Demon King, defending his favorite scholar. Tell me, did the human beg for his life before you ended it?"
Something in Jin-ho snapped. "Shut up," he said, his voice quiet but dangerous.
Vassek continued as if he hadn't heard. "Or did he cry? Humans often cry when they realize their end has come. Like demon babies, really, all whimpering and-"
Jin-ho moved before he realized what he was doing. One moment he was standing in the entrance, the next he had Vassek by the throat, lifting the larger demon off the ground with strength he didn't know he possessed. The shadows around him writhed and coiled like living things, responding to his rage and grief.
Jin-ho spun in place and threw Vassek against a wall. The wall shook with the impact, a few pieces coming off and falling to the ground.
"You think this is a joke?" Jin-ho snarled, his face now inches from Vassek's. "You think death is something to laugh about?"
Vassek's commanders reached for their weapons, but the general raised a hand to stop them. Vassek managed to smirk. "There it is," he choked out. "The real power of the Demon King."
Jin-ho grabbed Vassek's throat again and threw him to the ground, leaving a small dent in the stone ground, followed by cracks. Jin-ho's fist connected with Vassek's face, again and again. Each blow released months of frustration, fear, and now, guilt. The shadows lashed out around them, cracking the stone floor and sending training equipment flying.
"Is this what you wanted?" Jin-ho roared, punctuating each word with another strike.
Vassek's face was a bloody mess, but he was laughing. "Yes," he gasped. "This is our king. This is what we need to destroy the humans."
Jin-ho raised his fist for one final blow, shadows gathering around it in a deadly concentration. He could end this. End Vassek's challenges, his mockery, his constant push for war.
But as he looked down at the beaten general, Jin-ho saw another face- the spy's, eyes wide with terror as the shadows pierced his heart.
"No," Jin-ho said, lowering his fist. The shadows dissipated. "I won't become what you want me to be."
He stood up over Vassek, who rolled to his side holding his side, still laughing despite his injuries.
"You can't change what you are," Vassek spat blood onto the stone. "You're the Demon King. War is in your nature."
"Maybe," Jin-ho replied, stepping back. "After 500 years in the void, I decide what kind of king I'll be now."
He turned and walked out of the training hall, leaving shocked silence in his wake. His hands were covered in Vassek's blood, his knuckles raw from the beating he'd delivered. But it was the spy's blood he felt more keenly- invisible, indelible, marking him as a killer.
Jin-ho made it to his chambers before breaking down completely. He collapsed against the door, his tail curling around him protectively as sobs wracked his body. The tears came freely now, mixing with the blood on his hands.
"I killed him," he whispered. "I killed him, and I can't take it back."
It was necessary, the Demon God said gently. Sometimes, to protect those we care about, we must do things we hate.
"Is this what you wanted?" Jin-ho asked through his tears. "To turn me into a killer?"
I wanted you to protect the demons. Sometimes protection requires hard choices.
Jin-ho didn't answer. He sat there for hours, alone with his guilt and the echo of the spy's final moments. When Kraxis eventually found him, still sitting against the door with dried blood on his hands, the general said nothing. After Jin-ho moved a bit on the floor, Kraxis sat beside him in silence. Kraxis, trying to offer the comfort of his presence without judgment.
"I heard what happened," Kraxis said finally. "Both in the library and with Vassek."
"I lost control," Jin-ho whispered. "Twice."
"You showed restraint," Kraxis corrected. "You could have killed Vassek. You chose not to."
"But I killed the spy. He was probably someone's son, someone's brother..."
"He was an enemy who would have killed Lyria and exposed our research," Kraxis said firmly. "You chose to protect your people. That's what kings do."
"I don't want to be this kind of king," Jin-ho said, his voice breaking.
"Then be a different kind," Kraxis replied. "But understand that even the kindest king must sometimes make impossible choices."
They sat in silence as night fell over the demon fortress. In the distance, Jin-ho could hear whispers spreading through the halls- news of the spy's death, of his confrontation with Vassek, of the terrible power their king had displayed.
Tomorrow would bring consequences. Vassek would seek revenge. The humans would know their spy had been discovered. The path to peace might be harder than ever.
But for now, Jin-ho allowed himself to grieve for the life he'd taken, for the innocence he'd lost, and for the increasingly complex web of choices that awaited him.
The Demon King had blood on his hands, and no amount of washing would ever make them clean again.