The Demon King stood in the center of the smoking crater. He did not roar like the feral monsters of his ruined dimension. He brushed a layer of grey ash from his dark shoulder plates. He looked up at the clear blue sky breaking through the toxic clouds.
"Blue," the Demon King whispered. His voice was perfectly human. It was deep and resonant and filled with an ancient sorrow. "I have not seen a blue sky in a thousand years. The Phages ate our sun first."
He looked at the heavy brass cylinder of the Mana Jammer lying dormant near the fountain. He understood exactly what had happened.
"You locked the door," he stated plainly. He turned his silver eyes toward Valeria. "You doomed my people to the Void."
"Your people were bringing the Void with them," Valeria replied. She kept her sword raised. "I protected my world."
The Demon King nodded slowly. It was a gesture of absolute and terrifying understanding.
