CRUCIBLE OF SHADOWS

The grand library of the demon castle was vast and dimly lit, its towering bookshelves stretching into the shadows above. The scent of aged parchment, wax, and burning torches lingered in the air. Kairos Wilder sat alone at a long obsidian table, a single candle flickering beside him. His golden eyes reflected the flame's unsteady dance, but they remained cold-void of warmth or kindness.

Dressed in a white robe, an unusual choice for a demon, Kairos reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. A simple thing-a silver chain with a small, worn pendant. His fingers trembled as he held it up, staring at it with an expression that twisted between grief and rage. His grip tightened around the trinket, his knuckles turning white.

Memories surged through him, crashing against his mind like waves against a jagged shore.

And so, he remembered.

The village was alive with laughter. The sound of children's games echoed through the dirt streets, and the scent of fresh bread and roasted meat wafted from nearby houses. A ten-year-old boy with golden eyes and tousled blonde hair ran through the fields, his laughter joining the chorus of his friends'. He was fast, darting through the tall grass with the energy of youth.

Then, he heard it-a scream.

It came from his home.

His mother's voice.

His joy turned to ice. His feet moved before he could think, carrying him toward the small wooden house at the edge of the village. The door was broken, hanging limply on its hinges. Inside, his mother, Lucy, was struggling against two hulking figures-demons. Their skin was dark as charred flesh, their horns curving like those of beasts. They held her by the arms, dragging her toward a swirling black portal in the center of the room.

And then he saw him.

His father- a demon- Keba.

Standing there, silent.

"Kairos! Run!" Lucy screamed.

One of the demons turned toward her and snarled. "Where is the child?"

Lucy pressed her lips together, refusing to speak.

A massive fist struck her stomach. She gasped, falling limp in their grip.

Kairos stepped forward. "Stop! I'm here!" His voice cracked with fear.

The demons turned toward him, their glowing red eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

His mother sobbed. "No... Kairos..."

The boy looked at his father. "Dad... please... help."

But Keba did nothing.

He stood still, his gaze hollow.

The fire spread fast. It consumed the houses, the fields, the people. The screams of his friends and neighbors became a chorus of death as the demons set the village ablaze. The air thickened with smoke, choking out the stars above.

Kairos and his mother were dragged into the portal.

The demon castle was a world of stone and shadows. The throne room was vast, lined with pillars carved from obsidian. At the far end, seated upon a massive throne of bones, was the Demon King. His presence alone made the air heavy. His eyes were cold pits of darkness.

Beside him stood Vagid, the king's most trusted advisor. A demon draped in regal red, his gaunt face twisted with disdain as he looked down upon Lucy and Kairos.

"What you and Keba have done is an abomination," Vagid declared. "Humans and demons were never meant to mix. It is law."

Lucy did not cower. "He is just a boy."

Vagid sneered. "He is a mistake."

Keba finally stepped forward. "I did my part. I led you to them. That should count for something."

Silence.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as realization set in.

Betrayal.

Kairos, still trembling, turned to his father. "Dad.."

Keba did not meet his eyes.

Instead, he lunged forward and wrapped his hands around Kairos's throat.

"This is your fault," Keba snarled. "If you had never been born-"

The boy gasped, his small hands clawing at his father's grip. His vision blurred.

Lucy screamed. She threw herself at Keba, but a single backhand sent her sprawling.

Kairos could barely think. The pressure on his throat crushed his voice, his strength. His father's face twisted with fury, but before the world faded completely-

A flash of steel.

Blood sprayed across Kairos's face.

His father's head hit the ground, rolling to his feet.

His body crumpled beside it.

A demon guard wiped his blade and stepped back.

Lucy, still gasping for breath, crawled toward her son, clutching him tightly.

But the nightmare was far from over.

"Kairos Wilder," Vagid's voice echoed. "You, too, must die."

"I object." The voice was strong and unwavering.

All eyes turned to Princess Veyra, the Demon King's daughter.

"He had no part in this," she said firmly. "He is a child."

Vagid scoffed. "A child who should not exist."

They argued. Words clashed like blades,

" if the boy truly is a demon, let him prove it," suggested a figure in the crowd, his voice calm. He was wearing a white intricate robe and a cloack that covered his head, a golden necklace hang loosely from his neck.

" let him prove it! Let him prove it, " the gathered demons shouted in unison.

Kairos's gaze flickered to the figure who was wearing a white intricate robe, and the figure left wending his way through the crowd.

And in the end, Vagid made his decree.

"If the boy is truly a demon, let him prove it."

The next day, Kairos was thrown into a cell.

He did not sleep.

The arena roared with laughter.

Kairos, still small and frail, was thrown into the sand. Above him, thousands of demons watched from the stands, waiting for his death.

At the center of the arena, a demon guard carried a massive sack. He approached, dragging it across the dirt. Then, he upended it.

A bloodied body tumbled out.

Lucy.

Her face was pale, but she was still alive.

Kairos ran to her, shaking. " mother are you alright?"

" Don't worry Kairos, am fine," she responded her voice far from convincing.

Vagid stood and raised a hand. "If the boy is truly a demon... he will eat."

The crowd erupted in savage delight.

Lucy's trembling fingers reached for Kairos's cheek. "Do it," she whispered. "Do it, my son."

Kairos shook his head, tears falling freely. "No... no! I won't do it mom."

She smiled while handing him her necklace. " if you don't do it will both be killed."

" I don't care," Kairos intervened, hugging his mother tightly.

Lucy kissed her son on the forehead. " please Kairos do this for me."

she grasped his tiny hand, her eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity. She forced his fingers to close around her wrist, the tender skin of his palm meeting the soft, vulnerable flesh of her arm. A shiver ran down his spine as she guided his hand, her grip like a vice, until his fingers sank into her skin like hot knives through butter.

Blood burst forth, a crimson fountain that splashed across his face, warm and sticky on his tongue. The metallic taste filled his mouth, choking him, as the world around him dissolved into a mad swirl of colors and sounds. His hands trembled like leaves, his small body shaking with sobs, as he was forced to consume the very essence of her being.

The air was heavy with the stench of blood and decay, and the demons that lurked in the shadows began to chant his name, their voices like a cold wind that sent shivers down his spine. "Eat, little one, eat!" they cackled, their eyes glowing like embers in the dark. "Drink the blood of the innocent, and become one of us!"

As he ate, his tears fell like rain, mingling with the blood that dripped from his chin. His mind recoiled in horror, but his body seemed to move of its own accord, driven by a hunger that was both ravenous and repulsed. The sound of his own bones cracking, his teeth grinding against his will, was like a death knell in his ears.

And when he finally finished, the world snapped back into focus, leaving him gasping for air. He stumbled back, his eyes wide with terror, as he gazed upon the carnage he had wrought. Lucy lay before him, her body broken and still, her eyes frozen in a permanent scream.

He was no longer a child, not after what he had done. He was something else, something broken and hollow, a vessel for the darkness that had consumed him. The demons fell silent, their eyes gleaming with approval, as they welcomed him into their ranks. He was one of them now, a monster forged in the depths of hell.

Back in the library,

Kairos smiled. " I remember."