Back in the room
Soral (calm, but her presence slightly heavier now): You're going to tell me everything.
Her eyes narrow slightly.
From the very beginning.
The air grows tense again
But this time…
It's not fear of the curse.
It's something far greater…
Soral (smiles faintly, eyes focused): So… you found a fragment that belongs to an ancient demon, enh…?
She nods slowly.
…I see now.
Dranexx (telepathy, tone slightly serious): Stand down, love. Looks like we've dragged you into this too much.
You're a Grandmaster a god-level being capable of destroying universes…
He exhales.
And now here we are, making you do something like healing a princess… just leave
Soral (telepathy, cutting him off): And where did I complain, enh, Drane?
Dranexx (telepathy, pauses): Um…
Soral (telepathy, firm): Exactly. I didn't complain.
So neither should you.
Her gaze sharpens slightly.
And one more thing… I want that demon who cursed her.
Soral (out loud, calm): So… what kind of fragment did you see…?
She pauses, then her eyes narrow slightly.
Wait… is the demon's name Koyai?
Princess (quickly, slightly panicked): Yes yes! That's the name of the demon!
Dranexx (calmly, glancing at Soral): So… you know this demon?
Soral (smiles faintly, almost nostalgic): Oh yes… I do.
Koyai…
He's a powerful demon who became a Demon Lord over 4000 years ago.
He was never killed… nor defeated by anyone.
Her tone deepens slightly.
After conquering the mortal world, he returned to the Demon Realm…
to build an empire so he could cross back again.
She folds her arms.
But the gateway connecting the mortal world and the Demon Realm…
was sealed by a powerful hero blessed by the Grandmaster of Celestial.
Soral (continues): Koyai was overwhelming… not even the strongest heroes could take him down.
It was only when that one hero stepped in… that the passage was sealed
stopping him from crossing freely.
Dranexx (curious, leaning slightly): Wait… so this hero do you have any real knowledge about him?
I mean… what happened to him?
Soral (shakes her head slightly): I don't know, actually.
He brought peace to this world…
She pauses.
Then he vanished… before Raiga came in.
Dranexx (calmly, connecting the dots): Then Raiga was defeated by Shieyen…
the man blessed by the Grandmaster of Judgment, enh.
Akube (laughs loudly, shaking his head): Wow… so many heroes who couldn't even finish their job properly.
They just keep leaving their dirty work for someone else!
Everyone (turns, surprised): Huh!!?
Dranexx (calmly, nodding slightly): He's right, though.
He steps forward slightly, analyzing.
Look at it carefully
after the hero blessed by the Grandmaster of Celestial sealed Koyai…
he brought peace… then vanished before Raiga appeared.
His eyes narrow.
There's no way he wouldn't know Raiga was coming…
He waves it off slightly.
But leave that aside.
Raiga dominated… then got defeated by another hero
blessed by the Grandmaster of Judgment.
He exhales slowly.
Kudos to Shieyen…
He maintained peace and balance for 2000 years up till now.
His tone sharpens slightly.
So yeah… he's the only hero I respect.
He pauses… then scoffs faintly.
But the other one…?
Nope.
He just left everything behind for someone else to clean up his mess.
The room falls quiet…
The weight of history settling in.
Soral (calm, but eyes slightly sharper now): Regardless of the past…
Koyai has made a move again.
She looks at the princess.
And this fragment you found…
Her voice lowers slightly.
Where exactly did you see it?
The tension rises again…
Soral (calm, eyes locked on the princess): Where exactly did you see it?
Princess (hesitates, gripping the sheets tightly): I… I found it deep within the ruins beneath the eastern valley…
Her voice trembles.
It wasn't just an object…
She swallows hard.
It was… beating.
A brief silence.
Akube (frowns): …Beating?
Princess (nods weakly):Yes… like a heart…
Her breathing becomes uneven.
Dark… pulsating… it felt alive…
And the moment I touched it—
Her body shivers violently.
Princess (fear in her eyes):—I heard a voice.
Soral (calm, but sharper): What did it say?
Princess (whispers):"Return what is mine… and I shall return."
A heavy silence fills the room.
Dranexx (eyes narrow slightly):…Tch. So that's what this is.
Soral (low voice): Not just a fragment…
Her gaze hardens.
It's a core shard.
Akube (confused):Core… shard?
Soral (explains, tone steady):When beings like Koyai cannot be destroyed…
She folds her arms.
They split their existence.
Not just their power…
Her eyes darken slightly.
Their essence.
Soral (continues): Fragments like the one you found…
Are pieces of his true existence.
Hidden… scattered… waiting.
Dranexx (smirks faintly):So basically… a resurrection mechanism.
Soral (nods slightly): Exactly.
She looks back at the princess.
The "heart" you saw…
Wasn't just alive…
Her voice lowers.
It is him.
Princess (shaking): N-no… that can't be…
Soral (firm): Every fragment recovered…
Every piece reunited…
The air grows heavy again.
Brings him closer to full resurrection.
Akube (serious now):So… that curse—
Soral: —Is a mark.
She cuts in instantly.
A tracking seal.
A tether.
Dranexx (calmly): Meaning…
He didn't just curse her.
His smirk returns slightly.
He marked her as a key.
Princess (terrified):A… key…?
Soral (nods): Yes.
You came into contact with a core shard…
Which means….
She pauses.
You're now linked to it.
Akube (low voice):So he can use her… to locate it again?
Soral: Not just that.
Her eyes sharpen.
Through her…
He can begin to manifest.
A sudden chill runs through the room.
Lisa (telepathy, serious): So this isn't just a random curse…
This is the beginning of something bigger.
Dranexx (telepathy, amused): Kufufufu… now this is getting interesting.
Soral (telepathy, cold): This is not a game.
She steps forward slightly.
Soral (out loud): How many fragments did you see?
Princess (shakes her head quickly): Just one… I think…
She hesitates.
But…
Her voice lowers.
I felt… more.
Soral (quietly): Of course you did…
Dranexx (smirks wider): Meaning they're already scattered around.
Akube: And someone or something is collecting them…
A brief silence.
Soral (firm, decisive): Then we don't have time.
Her aura subtly intensifies.
If even one more fragment is activated…
Her voice drops slightly.
Koyai won't just return…
She looks ahead, eyes cold.
He'll awaken.
Far away… deep within darkness
A faint pulse echoes.
…Thump.
…Thump.
A cracked, incomplete form begins to stir…
??? (faint, distorted whisper):…Soon…
Back in the room
Dranexx (grinning slightly): So… we're going demon hunting now, enh?
Soral (calm, but absolute): No.
She turns slightly.
We're stopping a resurrection.
The tension spikes.
Akube (smiles faintly): Heh… now this is something worth getting involved in.
The air grows heavier…
Dranexx (thinking, eyes slightly narrowed): Hmmm…
Soral (glances at him, noticing): What's wrong, Drane…? Something bothering you?
Dranexx (calmly, but serious): Yeah…
He exhales slowly.
All this story… it feels off to me.
Something about it doesn't add up.
Akube (calmly, nodding): Yeah… even I'm confused.
Dranexx (turns quickly to him): You feel me, right!?
He gestures slightly.
Look you said that hero sealed the gateway connected to this world, right?
Soral: Yes.
Dranexx (curious, thinking aloud): Then how did Koyai die…?
He pauses, connecting pieces.
I was wondering before… but now I get it.
His eyes sharpen.
Before the passage was sealed… Koyai must have split his core into many.
He steps forward slightly.
Then something happened in the Demon Realm after that…
He raises a finger.
My second theory
He used some kind of ancient forbidden magic… to scatter his fragments across different dimensions.
His tone deepens.
Spreading his soul pieces everywhere…
He smirks faintly.
A form of reincarnation.
He shrugs slightly.
Look… this is a world where crazy things happen.
Soral (reasoning, nodding slowly): …You might be right.
Dranexx (telepathy, focused): Hey, Soral… when that hero sealed the passage…
Did you manage to observe the Demon Realm at that time?
Soral (telepathy, indifferent): No, I didn't.
I don't find the Demon Realm interesting… so I ignored it.
Dranexx (telepathy, thinking deeper): I see…
Then something definitely happened… something you didn't notice.
It might have slipped past your observation without you realizing.
Soral (telepathy, slightly annoyed): What? Don't act like I'm that ignorant.
I just didn't find it interesting.
Her tone sharpens slightly.
Whatever happened back then wasn't my problem anymore.
Like I said… the Grandmasters treat all this like a game
just something to quench their boredom.
Dranexx (telepathy, casual): Yeah… okay.
Akube (telepathy, serious now): Even at that…
If this Koyai guy is really that powerful…
His tone hardens.
We need to stop whoever he sent to gather those fragments.
Dranexx (smirks slightly): Heh… "whoever," you say…
His eyes narrow.
What makes you think… it's just one?
A brief silence falls.
Lisa (telepathy, sharp): You mean… multiple agents?
Dranexx:Exactly.
He folds his arms.
Think about it
A being like Koyai wouldn't rely on just one pawn.
His voice lowers slightly.
He would spread influence… plant seeds… create multiple paths to his return.
Soral (calm, but serious now):Which means…
Dranexx:We're already late to the game.
The atmosphere tightens.
Akube (clenches his fist slightly): Tch… then we don't have time to waste.
Soral (firm):No… we don't.
She looks ahead, her presence subtly rising again.
We find the fragments…
We destroy them…
Her eyes sharpen.
And we crush anything standing behind this resurrection.
To be continued...….