Chapter 149: Before the Throne

Time quickly passed in quiet celebration, and the tension that had weighed on everyone in the room for so long finally began to ease. Rune, who had been starving ever since Ethan lost consciousness, received the biggest share of the cake and devoured it voraciously, glancing back at Ethan every few seconds as if making sure he was still there.

Ethan couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, knowing the cub hadn’t eaten anything all these days because of him. But seeing him eat so happily now brought him quiet satisfaction, and he decided he would treat Rune to all of his favourite dishes later.

Soon after, Aisha went ahead to prepare some proper food. Amelia quickly tagged along, declaring that she wanted to look at everything, and took Rune with her before anyone could stop her. Rune could only follow reluctantly, looking back at Ethan one last time before disappearing through the door. Amelia’s cheerful voice could still be heard echoing down the corridor long after they had left.

Marcus, Elena and Sarah remained in the room.

Once the room had quietened down, Elena sat beside Ethan once again and looked at him carefully. "You’re feeling okay, right?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Mother," Ethan said. He knew how worried they must have been, believing he had fallen into Hollow Sleep, so he reassured them once more that he was feeling better than ever. Even so, Marcus wasn’t willing to take any chances. Despite Ethan’s insistence, he called for one of the high-tier healers to check on him again.

A short while later, one of the high-tier healers of Northwatch stepped inside. He was an older man with a neatly trimmed grey beard, and he had been the one checking on Ethan for the past few days. Even though he had already been informed that Ethan had woken up, he was still visibly surprised to see him sitting up so soon. He had seen cases of Hollow Sleep before, and most of them had taken months, if not years, before the affected person finally woke... if they woke at all.

He quickly checked Ethan’s condition, but he found no further issues. If anything, Ethan’s body was in a far better state than when he had last examined him. The healer wanted to ask a few questions, but the moment he opened his mouth, he caught Marcus’s stern gaze and reluctantly swallowed his words. Instead, he simply advised Ethan to rest for a few more days before quietly taking his leave.

———

The Demon Realm — Grand Palace of Greed

High above the grand hall, the higher demon stood calmly on the stone balcony, his gaze fixed on the crimson sky stretching endlessly before him.

By now, he should have received word. If the plan had succeeded, he would have heard from the idiot he had granted his power to, and his consciousness would have been summoned to the human realm once again. And even if, by some chance, it had failed, the power he had granted should have returned to him, though he had considered that highly unlikely. Whichever way it went, he should have known.

By his estimation, the outcome should have reached him long ago. Yet he had neither received any word, nor had a single trace of his power returned. He waited, and waited, and still, there was nothing. No matter how many times he went over it, he couldn’t understand it.

"What is that fool doing...?" he cursed under his breath.

This bastard is just as useless as their leader... His anger flared at the thought, but he forced himself to calm down.

He had planned everything himself and left nothing to chance. From the information about the Ice Dragon’s location, which he had obtained long ago, to the purple mist and the artifact, each piece was priceless. His claws tightened against the balcony stone as he thought about it. The Soul Rending Abyss Haze wasn’t something that could be obtained easily. He had acquired it only recently, through a massive fight against another higher demon, one who served the Demon Lord of Gluttony.

That demon’s power had almost rivalled his own, and their battle had torn apart an entire region before it was over. Ever since then, he had been formulating a plan against the Ravencrest family, only to be disappointed, as the Abyssal Pact remained in hiding. But after a few years, which meant nothing to a demon like him, he was finally summoned by a member of the Abyssal Pact. He had responded instantly, something he would never have done otherwise.

At the time, he had taken it as a sign that fate itself favoured him, and he had given his instructions to Riennal without hesitation. He had been so certain of the outcome that he had even informed his Lord of the plan. And now, it had completely backfired.

With growing irritation, he closed his eyes and reached for the connection he had left within the human. Yet he hesitated for a moment. That thread was no ordinary link, and it was something he had never even told Riennal about. Through it, he could enter Riennal’s consciousness directly for a brief moment and understand everything that had unfolded.

Establishing the link had required a tiny part of his soul and his demonic power, and every time he used it, a fraction of his power was lost. He had already tried several times, and each time, the result was the same. Gritting his teeth, he tried once more. He could still feel the thread, stretching somewhere far beyond the Demon Realm. Yet however much he forced his consciousness along it, he couldn’t follow it. It was as if something had wrapped itself around the other end, leaving him grasping at a thread that led nowhere. The strain grew heavier with every second, until a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his lips... but still, he couldn’t reach anything.

"AHHHHHH... WHAT HAPPENED? WHY CAN’T I FIND IT?!" he roared in fury as his eyes snapped open.

CRACK!

The balcony stone shattered beneath his hand, and his presence burst out across the grand hall below like a storm. The moment the pressure fell upon them, the weaker demons gathered there collapsed to the floor, blood leaking from their mouths, while the rest dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling as they pressed their heads against the stone. A few of them tried to crawl towards the exits, only to be crushed flat before they could get far. Unlike the last time, he didn’t even bother to restrain it. He didn’t spare any of them a single glance.

For a long moment, he remained there in silence, his chest rising and falling as he forced his rage back down. Then, slowly, he turned away from the balcony and began walking deeper into the palace. His mind swirled with thousands of thoughts about what could have happened, until he finally arrived at a bitter conclusion, one that neither he nor his Lord would be happy about.

Only three possibilities remained. Either that idiot hadn’t done exactly as he had been instructed, or he had backed out at the last moment... though that was impossible, given the enormous rage he had sensed flowing within him. Or someone else had interfered with his plans.

He released a slow breath.

The corridors grew quieter with every step he took, until even the lesser demons who guarded the inner halls were nowhere to be seen. At the end of the final corridor stood a gate so massive that its top disappeared into the darkness above. Its surface was carved with countless figures and murals, demons and mortals alike, all reaching upward with their hands outstretched, as if begging for something they could never have.

He stopped in front of it, and for a brief moment, he hesitated... then the gate slowly opened on its own, without a single sound.

The moment he stepped inside, the pressure descended. It came from every direction at once, from above, from below, from the very air around him, pressing down on his body as though the entire throne hall had turned its attention towards him. His steps slowed, his shoulders grew heavy, and his knees threatened to buckle with every step he took. Cracks spread across the floor beneath his feet.

He was a demon whom even the nobles of the Demon Realm avoided, and yet here, he could barely keep himself standing. Even breathing felt like a struggle. He didn’t dare raise his head. He walked forward until he could go no further, then lowered himself to one knee before the throne, his head bowed so low that his obsidian horns nearly touched the floor.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a figure a few hundred metres away. A human sat cross-legged in the middle of a vast demonic formation carved into the floor of the throne hall. Layers upon layers of crimson runes slowly rotated around him, each circle feeding into the next, pulsing in a steady rhythm like a heartbeat. The human didn’t move. He didn’t even seem to be breathing.

The demon’s gaze lingered on him for only a second, and in that second, a flash of anger crossed his face before he quickly reined it in... he couldn’t afford to let his Lord notice.

Then, the voice came.

It didn’t echo through the hall, nor did it come from the throne. It simply came from everywhere at once, so deep and so heavy that the demon felt it in his bones before he even heard it.

"Speak."

The demon opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.

"..."