Chapter 16 — The Crimson Kingdom
The portal burned like a wound in the air.
Dark energy spiraled violently around its edges, pulling loose stones and fragments of the collapsing Spirit Realm toward it.
Behind them, the sky of that ancient world continued to fracture.
Entire floating islands were already breaking apart, sliding slowly into the widening abyss.
Liora looked back once.
"…Yeah. Definitely not staying here."
Another thunderous crack echoed across the ruined sky.
Reality itself seemed to fold inward.
Cairis stepped forward first.
Without hesitation.
The portal swallowed him in a flash of shadow.
For a brief second, the gateway rippled violently, reacting to the overwhelming demonic energy that had just passed through it.
Liora sighed.
"Well… here goes nothing."
She stepped into the portal.
The world changed instantly.
Heat.
That was the first thing she felt.
Not the suffocating heat of fire — but something deeper, older. Like the warmth of a planet's core slowly breathing beneath the ground.
The second thing she noticed was the sky.
It was crimson.
Not the soft red of sunset.
But a deep, endless scarlet that stretched across the heavens like liquid fire.
Black clouds drifted slowly above towering mountains that looked as though they had been carved from obsidian.
Liora stepped out of the portal and froze.
"…Okay."
She turned in a slow circle.
"…this place is insane."
Below them stretched a vast city unlike anything she had ever seen.
Gigantic black towers rose from the ground like jagged teeth. Bridges of dark crystal connected the structures high above the streets, while glowing sigils floated in the air like lanterns.
Thousands of lights burned across the enormous city.
But they weren't normal lights.
Most were powered by magic.
Some flickered with violet flame.
Others pulsed with eerie crimson energy.
And towering above all of it—
Far in the distance—
Was a colossal palace built into the side of a black mountain.
Its massive gates alone were larger than entire castles in the human kingdoms.
Dark spires spiraled upward toward the crimson sky.
Even from miles away, Liora could feel the pressure radiating from it.
"…That's your house?" she asked slowly.
Cairis stepped beside her.
"Yes."
She stared at the enormous structure again.
"…Your family definitely overcompensates."
Behind them, the witch hunters emerged from the portal.
The commander looked around cautiously.
Her expression tightened immediately.
"…So this is the Demon Kingdom."
The portal closed behind them with a sharp pulse of energy.
A deep silence followed.
Then—
Footsteps.
Heavy armored footsteps.
Dozens of them.
Liora turned.
From the enormous black platform surrounding the portal, soldiers were approaching rapidly.
Demon soldiers.
Their armor was dark crimson metal engraved with glowing runes. Their helmets curved into horn-like shapes, and their eyes glowed faintly with supernatural light.
Each of them carried massive weapons.
Axes.
Spears.
Greatswords.
They moved with disciplined precision.
The lead soldier stepped forward.
He was taller than most humans — easily over six and a half feet — with dark gray skin and sharp golden eyes.
His gaze immediately landed on Cairis.
Then he dropped to one knee.
Every soldier behind him followed instantly.
"Your Highness."
Liora blinked.
"Oh."
Right.
Prince.
She had almost forgotten.
The soldier raised his head again.
But then his eyes shifted slightly.
Toward Liora.
Confusion flickered across his face.
"…A human?"
The other soldiers noticed too.
A ripple of quiet murmurs spread through the formation.
"A witch…"
"Why is a human here?"
Cairis's voice cut through the whispers instantly.
"She's with me."
The tone left absolutely no room for argument.
The soldiers immediately straightened again.
But their eyes still lingered on Liora.
Suspicious.
Curious.
Some even hostile.
The commander of the witch hunters stepped closer to Liora.
"…They don't like us."
Liora shrugged.
"I get that a lot."
But before anyone could speak again—
The ground trembled.
A low vibration rolled through the massive platform.
Then another.
Stronger this time.
The demon soldiers immediately stiffened.
Their leader's expression changed.
"…What?"
Far across the city, something ancient stirred.
Deep beneath the colossal palace built into the mountain.
A massive wave of magical energy pulsed outward across the Demon Kingdom.
It rolled across the skyline like an invisible storm.
The glowing runes on distant towers flickered.
Some dimmed completely.
Others flared brighter.
Then—
A distant alarm echoed through the capital.
A deep, ancient horn.
The demon soldiers turned sharply toward the palace.
"…That signal…"
The commander frowned.
"What is it?"
The lead soldier looked deeply unsettled now.
"That alarm hasn't sounded in centuries."
Liora crossed her arms.
"…That sounds reassuring."
But Cairis had gone completely still.
His crimson eyes were locked on the distant palace.
"…Impossible."
Another pulse of energy surged outward.
This one stronger.
The ground cracked slightly beneath their feet.
Liora felt it instantly.
The magic in her body reacted violently.
Her chest tightened.
Her vision blurred for a moment.
Then—
Something called to her.
Deep.
Ancient.
Far beneath the palace.
A whisper inside her mind.
Not words.
Just a presence.
Waiting.
Watching.
Recognizing her.
Liora grabbed her head suddenly.
"…What the—"
Fragments of unfamiliar images flashed across her mind.
A massive crimson gate.
Ancient runes carved into black stone.
A throne room filled with shadow.
And a voice.
Cold.
Powerful.
"The Star Witch returns."
The vision vanished instantly.
Liora staggered slightly.
Cairis caught her before she could fall.
"What happened?"
She blinked, trying to steady her breathing.
"I…"
Her voice faltered.
"…I think something down there knows me."
The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks.
But before anyone could react—
A new presence appeared.
Not walking.
Not approaching.
Just suddenly there.
Standing several steps away from them.
Tall.
Elegant.
Dressed in black royal robes embroidered with silver runes.
His hair was dark as midnight, falling neatly past his shoulders.
His eyes were deep crimson.
Ancient.
And impossibly calm.
Every demon soldier immediately dropped to their knees again.
The commander of the witch hunters tensed instantly.
Liora blinked.
"…Oh."
She pointed casually.
"…I'm guessing that's your dad."
Cairis didn't deny it.
The man's gaze slowly shifted to Liora.
He studied her silently.
For several long seconds.
The pressure radiating from him was far worse than anything she had felt from the soldiers.
Even the air seemed heavier.
Finally, he spoke.
His voice was smooth and quiet.
But it carried terrifying authority.
"…Interesting."
The Demon King tilted his head slightly.
"…So this is the witch who awakened the Crimson Gate."
Liora frowned.
"Wait."
"…the what?"
Far beneath the palace—
Deep underground—
Something ancient rumbled again.
And for the first time in a thousand years—
The Crimson Gate began to open.