Night had fallen over the Demon Palace.
The massive fortress-city of Noctaryn, capital of the Demon Kingdom, glowed faintly beneath a sky filled with strange crimson stars. Dark towers stretched upward like spears, their windows lit by blue demonfire that flickered against the night.
Most of the palace had gone quiet.
But Liora couldn't sleep.
She stood alone on a high stone balcony overlooking the capital.
The wind was cold.
Not human-cold.
Something deeper. Older. Like the air itself carried ancient magic.
Her fingers gripped the balcony railing.
Her mind replayed the throne room again and again.
The crystal exploding.
The silver magic.
The fragments of memories that had flashed through her head.
And the voice.
Queen.
She pressed her fingers against her temples.
"Great," she muttered.
"Now my brain is haunted."
"You are talking to yourself."
Liora jumped slightly.
She turned.
Cairis stood in the balcony doorway.
Silent as always.
His long dark coat moved slightly in the wind, and the faint glow of the palace torches reflected in his crimson eyes.
She groaned.
"You demons really need to start announcing yourselves."
"You sensed enemies earlier today."
"I sensed murder gods, not quiet princes."
He walked out onto the balcony.
The stone beneath his boots barely made a sound.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The silence between them felt different tonight.
He finally said quietly,
"You shouldn't be alone."
Liora shrugged.
"I needed air."
Cairis leaned against the balcony wall beside her.
From here, the entire capital spread out beneath them.
Demon citizens walked the streets below. Markets still glowed with night lanterns. Winged guards patrolled the sky.
Liora studied the city quietly.
"…It's beautiful."
Cairis looked at her.
Most humans would have called the city terrifying.
Dark.
Monstrous.
But she was looking at it with something like curiosity.
Not fear.
"Most humans disagree."
"Well," she said, "most humans are dramatic."
A faint hint of amusement crossed his expression.
Then it disappeared again.
"You lost control of your magic today."
Liora sighed.
"Straight to the scary topic."
"You nearly collapsed."
"And you caught me."
His gaze didn't move from her.
"That is not the point."
She leaned back against the railing.
"Okay then. What's the point?"
His voice grew quieter.
"What did you see?"
Liora froze.
She hadn't told anyone about the fragments of memories.
But of course he noticed.
She hesitated.
Then she looked back at the city.
"…Pieces of something."
"What kind of pieces?"
"Memories, maybe."
His expression sharpened slightly.
"From the Star Witch Queen?"
"…Maybe."
The wind blew stronger across the balcony.
Liora stared down at the glowing streets.
"I saw a throne made of light."
"A battlefield."
"A city that doesn't exist anymore."
She swallowed slightly.
"And someone calling me Queen."
Silence stretched between them.
Cairis didn't look surprised.
That bothered her.
"You already suspected that, didn't you?"
"Yes."
She turned to him.
"You could've warned me."
"You wouldn't have believed me."
"…Fair."
He continued watching her carefully.
"Did you see anything else?"
She hesitated again.
Then shook her head slightly.
"No."
She didn't mention the other fragment.
The one where a dark-haired prince stood beside the Star Witch Queen.
His wings spread wide.
Fighting at her side.
The image had been too quick to fully understand.
But the prince's eyes had been red.
Just like Cairis.
She looked away quickly.
"Anyway," she said.
"I'm still me."
"Memories or not."
Cairis studied her face.
"You are strangely calm about this."
"I'm not calm."
She laughed softly.
"I'm just tired."
Then she looked at him again.
"Tell me something honestly."
He waited.
"If I really am this Star Witch Queen person…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"…does that make me your enemy?"
For a moment
Something changed in Cairis's eyes.
Something dark.
Ancient.
Then he answered.
"No."
The certainty in his voice surprised her.
"You didn't even think about it."
"I already did."
"When?"
"A long time ago."
Liora frowned.
"That sounds suspicious."
He didn't explain.
The wind moved through the balcony again.
The palace torches flickered.
Then Liora noticed something strange.
Cairis was looking at her differently tonight.
More intensely than usual.
Like he was studying something he couldn't understand.
She tilted her head.
"…Why are you staring at me like that?"
"You look the same."
"…Thanks?"
"But your magic feels different now."
"How?"
He hesitated.
Then said quietly,
"Familiar."
Her heart skipped.
"That's not ominous at all."
Before he could respond
Something moved in the darkness above the palace.
Cairis noticed it first.
His body stiffened.
Then his wings snapped open behind him instantly.
"Stay behind me."
Liora blinked.
"What?"
The next moment
A blade of black magic shot down from the sky.
Straight toward her.
Cairis moved faster than she could see.
His sword appeared in his hand with a flash of crimson light.
CLANG.
The dark magic shattered against his blade.
The balcony exploded in sparks of power.
Liora stumbled backward.
"What the"
Figures dropped from the sky.
Three of them.
Demon assassins.
Their cloaks blended perfectly with the night.
Their eyes glowed with killing intent.
Cairis's voice turned cold.
"…So the court didn't even wait one night."
The assassins rushed forward.
Liora's heart started pounding.
"Oh good," she muttered.
"Assassins."
"I was wondering when those would show up."
One of them lunged at her.
Cairis intercepted instantly.
His sword flashed once.
The assassin flew backward, crashing through the stone railing.
The other two attacked at the same time.
And something changed in Cairis.
The air around him grew heavy.
Demonic energy flooded the balcony.
His wings expanded fully.
His eyes burned like crimson fire.
Liora realized something suddenly.
He wasn't just protecting her.
He was furious.
And the assassins had made a terrible mistake.
Because the Crown Prince of the Demon Kingdom had just decided to stop holding back.