Kol and Jacob skidded to a halt at the temple's entrance, their eyes locked on the swirling vortex of energy spiraling above them. The ground trembled beneath their feet, as if something beneath the surface was struggling to break free.
Jacob exhaled sharply. "Tell me she didn't just wake up something worse than you."
Kol's fists clenched. "I don't think she knows."
Inside the temple, Lisa stood frozen, her pulse hammering. The ancient symbols on the walls pulsed with a fiery glow, the energy thick and suffocating. She barely noticed the blood dripping from her palm where she had cut herself for the ritual. It had required a sacrifice—one she hadn't known she. Made.
The voice echoed again, louder this time, ancient and commanding.
"You cannot stop what has already begun."
Lisa's breath hitched. Shadows twisted at the edges of the chamber, forming into something—someone.
A figure stepped forward from the darkness, towering and wreathed in power. Not just any power—Kol's power.
No… older. Stronger.
Lisa stumbled back, her mind screaming in recognition. The manuscript had warned of this.
The true Demon King.
The one erased from history.
Kol stormed inside just as the figure fully materialized, his golden eyes widening in shock. He knew instantly—this was the origin of everything.
The figure's gaze flickered toward him, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
"So," the entity murmured, voice like distant thunder. "You are the one who carries my blood."
Kol's throat went dry.
The past wasn't just haunting them anymore.
It had come to reclaim its throne.
The air in the temple grew unbearably thick, charged with an ancient force that made even Kol's skin crawl. The figure before him was no mere specter—he was real. Alive. Powerful.
Lisa clutched the manuscript to her chest, her breath shallow. "Kol…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kol didn't respond. His entire body was rigid, every fiber of his being screaming at him to act—but something held him back. Something primal.
The figure took a step forward, his movements deliberate, controlled. "You wear my power well," he said, his voice a dark rumble. "But you wield it like a child playing with fire."
Kol's fists clenched. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure smirked. "A name long erased. But you… you already know what I am."
Lisa's mind spun, the pieces clicking together. The first true Demon King. The one history tried to forget.
The temple trembled as his power surged, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the stone.
Jacob moved closer, muscles coiled for a fight. "I don't like this," he muttered.
Kol exhaled slowly, then smirked. "You talk a lot for a dead man."
The Demon King's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Is that what they told you? That I died?"
Lisa's stomach dropped.
Kol barely had time to react before the Demon King moved.
Faster than thought.
Kol's world exploded in pain as a hand slammed into his chest, sending him flying across the temple. He crashed into the far wall, stone shattering on impact.
Jacob's sword was already drawn. "Lisa, move!"
But Lisa couldn't.
Because the Demon King wasn't looking at Kol anymore.
He was looking at her.
"You," he murmured, tilting his head. "Your blood sings with something… familiar."
Lisa couldn't breathe.
Then he smiled.
"A goddess's lineage. How unexpected."
Kol forced himself to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. "Stay away from her."
The Demon King barely spared him a glance. "She is not yours to protect."
Kol's eyes darkened. "Like hell she isn't."
The ground rumbled again, the temple threatening to collapse.
The past wasn't just returning.
It was rewriting itself.