-Damian-

  The heat felt so good against my skin.

  The capital streets, once so pristine and bustling with laughter and love, were now choked with smoke and the sheer stench of death. Buildings crumbled under the weight of flames licking at their walls, their rooftops collapsing as fire chewed through the wooden beams. The acrid stench of charred flesh filled my lungs, thick and heavy, settling in my chest like a second heart.

  I loved it.

  A soldier groaned at my feet, his face was practically half-melted from the flames I’d thrown at him. His fingers twitched toward the sword lying just inches from his grasp.

  Just give up already.

  I stepped on his wrist, grinding my heel down until I heard the bones snap. He wailed in pain, his voice a garbled mess.

  “Stay down,” I muttered. He wasn’t worth the effort required to kill.

  The city guards had been the first to fall. They were weak, fragile things, their swords trembling in their hands as they stood against me. No surprise that they didn’t last long.

  The soldiers though? They at least tried to put up a fight. A group of them had set up a barricade just ahead, using overturned carts and fallen debris as cover. They were barking orders at each other, armor clanking as they shifted their positions.

  I sighed and flexed my fingers, my bones cracked and my flesh twisted. My right arm bulged unnaturally, the skin splitting apart in jagged, uneven lines. Scales pushed up through the openings and my fingers stretched into razor-sharp talons.

  The moment the knights saw me, they launched their attack. Arrows whistled through the air, aimed for my heart, my head, my throat. The moment they neared, my flames roared to life around me, burning them to ash.

  Then, they screamed and charged, swords gleaming in the firelight. The first one swung for my side—I caught his blade between my claws, metal shrieking as I crushed the steel like it was nothing more than glass. Before he could react, I drove my knee straight into his gut, feeling the crunch of his ribs. He spat blood and I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him for all to see.

  His comrades stopped in their tracks, hesitating, waiting, as they gripped their weapons tighter.

  “Really?” I asked. “Just gonna let him die?”

  None of them moved.

  I sighed. “Cowards.”

  I clenched my fist, his neck gave way with a sickening crack. I tossed him aside like Empress had often done me. I lunged forward, my flames trailing behind me like a black cloak. My claws tore through steel and flesh alike, I felt bones snap under my grip, I heard the wet gurgle of men drowning in their own blood.

  My left leg cracked, muscle reconfiguring as scales crawled up my thigh, burning through the fabric of my pants. I moved faster now, the dragon’s power fueling every step. A knight screamed and swung his greatsword in a wide, desperate arc. I caught it mid-swing and pulled the knight right into my hungry claws.

  I rammed my talons through his stomach and lifted him off the ground, watching as blood bubbled up from his mouth. Our eyes met, his almost looked desperate. Pleading.

  With a twitch of my hand, he split apart. The rest of them were already scattering, dropping their weapons as they sprinted for safety.

  I took in a deep breath, and then exhaled, fire pouring from my lips in a black inferno. Their screams cut through the night before fading into silence.

  The palace was waiting for me ahead, it was untouched by my destruction, its golden spires glinting under the light of my fire that raged below. The great marble steps leading to its entrance were slick with blood, bodies of fallen guards and devils strewn across them.

  I climbed, step by step, not bothering to avoid the corpses beneath me. The throne room doors stood before me, tall and imposing; I raised my right arm and pulled my first back, the scales pulsed with my power as I drove my fist into the oak.

  The doors exploded inward, wood and steel shattering as they were sent flying across the room. The crash echoed through the vast chamber, dust and debris swirling in the air.

  Sitting atop the throne as if I hadn’t barged my way in here. As if the city outside wasn’t burning. As if he hadn’t started all this.

  A slow grin curled my lips. “I’m home, Mr. Calor.”

  “Damian!” he said, voice warm. “It’s been far too long.”

  I kept walking, slow and steady, my feet echoing against the floor. How could he be so calm?

  “I must say,” he continued, “you’ve made quite the entrance. The whole city is lit up like a festival gone wrong. But I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything less from my favorite rat.” His gaze lingered on my shifting body. “Or, I’m sorry, my favorite dragon. Good to know those experiments worked.”

  I stopped. The heat in my chest twisted in fury.

  “You think you have control don’t you?” My voice was quiet.

  Calor sighed, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. “I don’t wish to fight you, Damian.” He drummed his fingers slowly against his armrest. “I’d rather welcome you home with open arms.”

  I lunged, flames exploding behind me as I shot forward, claws aimed for his throat.

  He moved just as fast. A golden shield of pure light flared to life, and I slammed into it. I barely had time to brace myself before I was thrown backward, skidding across the marble floor. My feet caught the ground and I dug my claws in, stopping myself.

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  So he just wasn’t gonna sit and die, huh? Good. Now I can vent out some frustrations.

  Calor rose to his feet, light flickering in his palms. His golden robes billowed as power radiated from him. “I don’t want to kill you, Damian,” he said, voice firm. “But I will if I must.”

  I growled and lunged again.

  In an instant, a sword formed in his hand—pure energy shaped into a gleaming blade. He swung, aiming for my throat. I ducked under it, twisting my body at an impossible angle before kicking myself off the ground, my claws aiming for his ribs.

  A burst of light erupted from his free palm, blasting me back mid-air. I hit the ground hard, rolling to my feet just in time to block his next strike. His sword met my claws in a shower of sparks.

  I pushed back. He slid a few inches across the floor but quickly recovered, twisting his sword in a tight arc. It nearly caught my side, but I managed to dodge in time, fire bursting from my heels to propel me away.

  A flicker of light, a sudden rush of air, and then Calor was behind me, his blade buried deep in my shoulder.

  I twisted, slashing at him. He dodged, but this time, I followed, my shoulder driving into his chest—sending him crashing into his throne.

  The devil groaned but didn’t stay down. He pushed himself to his feet, blood dripping from his lip. “I’m so proud of you,”

  My eye twitched in aggravation and I finally let go.

  Horns sprouted from my skull, wings tore free from my back in a burst of blood, skin, and heat. I surged forward, much faster than before. Calor barely had any time to react before my claws wrapped around his throat, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the ground so hard the marble shattered beneath us. He choked, his magic flaring wildly as he tried to break free.

  “Look at me.” My voice was hoarse, ragged, filled with venom.

  Calor clawed at my wrist, trembling. “Damian, please-”

  “Look what you turned me into!” I slammed my free fist into his face, blood and teeth spattered across the floor.

  “You made her do those things to me!” My voice broke as I screamed, claws digging into his skin.

  “You did this!” Another punch to his face, his nose crunched. “This is all your fault!”

  Calor wheezed, trying desperately to call upon his light, but I crushed his wrist under my foot.

  “P-please,” he cried. “I.. I was only doing what I was taught to do!”

  “Just following orders?” I mocked, eyes wild. “Did you tell yourself that when you let her have her way with me?”

  His lips parted but no words came.

  I let go of his throat, my hand moving to grip onto his blood-stained white hair. I raised my other hand, my claws glinting in the firelight.

  “You will reap everything you’ve sewn.” I drove my hand forward, claws cutting cleanly through his skin, muscles, and bone.

  Blood sprayed like a fountain, drenching my arms and my chest. Calor’s body twitched for a couple minutes before finally going still.

  I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I lifted his severed head, his golden eyes were still open.

  I couldn’t help it, I laughed.

  I turned, stepping over the ruins of the room, moving toward a shattered window. Below, survivors had gathered in the streets, staring up at the palace in horror. I held up the devil’s head for them all to see.

  This was my moment. Luca, you’re not living up to your name, so…

  “I, am Damon. The Demon King reborn!”

  The moment my declaration echoed through the capital, the sky split open with a deafening crack! Lightning surged through the air, illuminating the night in a blinding flash.

  Something unstoppable slammed into my chest like a righteous hammer. I barely had time to register it before I was soaring through the shattered remains of the throne room, my body tearing through stone and steel as if it were paper.

  My body slammed into the hard stone of the city square, cracking the ground beneath me. Dust and rubble exploded into the air as my body carved a crater into the earth. I coughed, blood dripping down my chin, my ribs throbbing from the sheer force of the attack. I pulled myself up from the ground, shaking off chunks of shattered stone. My chest still burned from the impact, but the pain was dulling.

  Who the hell was this guy?

  Above me, standing on the ruined remains of the castle wall, the knight stood firm, his blade still humming with residual electricity. His silver white hair was tied back, streaked with age, but his posture was steady. He wasn’t some idiot trembling in fear, no, this was a warrior who battled monsters and lived to tell the tale. And right now he was looking at me like I was one of those monsters.

  But the bastard didn’t charge me. Didn’t leap down to deal a killing blow. Instead… he turned his back on me.

  With swift, practiced movements, the old knight made his way down from the rubble, grabbing the hand of a woman struggling to stand amidst the wreckage. “Go. Now. Stay low, get to the eastern gate. Captain Lysara is waiting for survivors there.”

  A young boy was wailing, too scared to move. The knight lifted him with one arm, placing him into the arms of another fleeing civilian. “Take him, and keep moving!”

  Then the knight turned back to me, his blue eyes flicking in the firelight. “Looks like I sent you flying a little too hard, boy!” he called down, his voice carrying across the square. “You almost killed some innocent people on your way down. Guess reckless destruction really does run in the Demon King’s blood, huh?”

  There it was. The inevitable speech. He wanted to taunt me? Fine. I could play that game too.

  “Reckless destruction?” I echoed, dragging a clawed hand across my chin to wipe away the last trace of blood. “Funny, coming from the guy who just sent me flying.” I spread my arms wide, a grin plastered on my face. “But I get it! You’re the good guy, right? Savior of the weak, protector of the innocent. Well, where the hell were you when I needed saving?”

  The old man’s gaze darkened, but he didn’t take the bait. He leapt down into the crater with the ease of a man half his age, landing a good distance from me. His sword, still sparking, was held loosely at his side, but he didn’t charge me just yet.

  “I’m here now,” he said simply. “That’s all that matters.”

  “Took your damn time,” I scoffed, shaking my head.

  The knight studied me for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly, as if he were piecing something together. Then, to my absolute irritation, he let out a low chuckle.

  “You’re just a kid.”

  I froze, my teeth grinding.

  “Don’t patronize me, old man.” I took a step forward and the ground beneath me cracked, heat rippling through the air. “You don’t get to act like you know a damn thing about me.”

  “I don’t have to know you,” he said. “I know what I’m looking at.” He was watching me. Assessing me. Like he was a predator, and I, his prey, waiting to see how much of a fight I could put up.

  I hated that look.

  “I know what rage looks like,” he continued. “I know what it does to a man. And I know what happens when you let it burn everything in its path.” His gaze flickered toward the ruined castle behind him before focusing back on me. “Tell me something, boy. When you killed him… did it make you feel better?”

  I did feel better. Didn’t I?

  The knight took a step forward, the shadows casted on his face from the firelight showed his deep lines of age, of experience. “I’m gonna take your silence as your tantrum being over.”

  My vision blurred with red as I lunged for him. “You don’t know a damn thing about me old man!”