sitting in his study, was the current emperor of the empire of man 

the last standing human-run country after the great demon war, the war that felled all the other countries after the heroes disappeared.

such a man was clutching his grey and old hair 

his body sickened with worry over the crown prince, not because he is an incapable heir to the throne no its because he is an amazing heir 

so much, in fact, that its a problem 

he would have been amazing as a true emperor but as a marionette he is useless

a true ruler can't exist in this era 

today he is to meet the marionettist himself 

to pledge servitude, for the prosperity of our people and the survival of humankind,

and so a week before the crowning of the prince, he needs to meet the true rulers, the puppeteers,

and so under the cover of darkness, the old emperor and his oldest son moved into the dungeons 

"father what is happening "asked the confused prices 

confused at his father's actions 

and how his face is covered in worry 

"We have no time axles, we can not keep it waiting"

such words only served to confuse the prince even more 

my father is making hast to meet something

his father who only cared himself with pride 

and never patterned an eye when meeting kings and popes, is shaken with worry and fear? something is amiss.

 

the corridors led to a dead-end

yet the emperor continued on the straight towards the wall 

 "father be care....what"

the prince looks on in confusion 

after all the emperor waked through the seemingly solid wall 

"axles we have no time"

his father's voice called him from beyond 

must be an illusion, thought the prince 

stepping into the wall that theory was proven wrong as the stone felt like a viscose Fluid, behind the wall he saw a chamber, in the middle of it, stood a man wearing a suit often worn by Butlers and in front of the man was his father 

”thank you for answering his summons, I would have been forced to take drastic measures if you have refused sir maxims”

said the Butler 

”no it's I who is thankful for your patience sir” bowed the emperor  

Seeing his father bow and to a servant no less made the prince speechless

“Let us make hast we cannot let his lordship wait much longer” 

After Saying so the butler's shadow expanded covering the room in darkness 

Soon the darkness reclined back to the shadow of the demon 

But instead of the dark stone room, they were in what appears to be a pathway in the middle of a beautiful garden 

With a Madrid of elemental roses 

Each and everyone is worth treasures of smaller kingdoms.

The air was fragrant, the breeze was gentle, the sky was a beautiful blue, even though it was the middle of the night in the empire, the area was dense with pure mana, something rarely found outside of the depth of the greatest dungeons. This must be a labyrinth it is impossible otherwise.

”Follow me, gentlemen,” says the Butler already moving forward along with his father, leaving the mesmerized Prince behind after a few minutes of walking in the gardens a great Palace comes into view, high towers reaching for the sky 

, Detailed architecture, the masterpieces of the greatest of dwarven architects pales in comparison 

All coloured in jet black with gold, silver, Mithril, decorated the walls of the Palace

Displaying the wealth of the owner 

In front of the gates stood two lines of knights adorned in black armour mana sense telling him tales of the power of these knights and their armour and weapons. all stood at attention in front of these Knights, stood another two lines of maids whose power surpassed the best of the empire's knights, turning around the butler speaks with a loud and proud voice 

 ”Welcome to the everlasting obsidian Palace "

After his announcement, the great gates behind him opened soundlessly 

Moving through the columns of Knights and maids we make it into the Palace

Only to see the most beautiful room he saw 

The floor seemed to be made of thin glass displaying what layers under it, 

an Ocean with fish, sharks, whales, and leviathans swimming in the crystal clear waters, the sight took his breath away, the walls were of white marble lined with gold and silver 

The high ceiling was decorated with a crystal Chandelier that held what he could only explain as a sun 

The room had many doors leading to many corridors and stairs leading to floors above 

”this way gentlemen,” says the Butler leading them up the most beautiful stairs 

what is this place, who are we meeting, father, called them "it" the butler called them his lordship so I am to expect a male I highly doubt him to be human, then who, who owns such a grand castle and leads those powerful knights? many questions yet no answers 

reaching the top of the stairs they walk through corridors decorated by statues and paintings 

every banting moved to depict many events and legends he read the history and stories of

yet the paintings showed far more than what was taught to him from the history books 

the most disturbing one was depicting the demon war 

the battlefield of the war devil 

which showed the figure of the war devil with disturbing detail 

tentacles building its nightmarishly huge body 

sikes eyes mouths and heads of dragonic nature

its head holding uncanny resemblance to the mark of the origin of darkness and destruction 

from its hand's strings growing and attaching themselves to all those in the battlefield like a marionettist and their marionette 

the statues were telling a history unknown to me 

demons stand on mountains of corpses 

demons crying 

demons fighting each other, then the same demons fighting side by side

finally, we reach the end of the grand corridor

only to find a similarly grand gate made of Mithril and filled with enchantments the complexity of which was mind-boggling 

on each side of the gate stood a guard 

as soon as they see the butler they open the gates

and behind the gates was a throne room

knights lined the walls, people who appeared to be high nobles 

stood in front of them 

all of them had horns 

demons 

his father kneels to the being sitting on the grand throne 

it looked like a child, a young boy about seven years of age 

he had a childish grin on his face

his hair is white so was his skin, white as snow, eyes red as blood,

horns as black as obsidian, and similarly black tentacles sprouting from his back attached to the walls 

"Max, how are you doing? hope your cancer is completely gone" asked the boy nonchalantly.

cancer?

"this servant is doing better after your help your majesty "

I remember father being rather pale these past days was he sick?

and this kid is the one who healed him 

what are these people

 all of them are demons.... powerful demons

why is father, the man who fought for the freedom of humans

for all his life, kneeling before a demon child like a servant before their master 

"So is he your heir?" askes the child while pointing at me

"yes, sire, he is my heir" speaks father with a weak voice 

"come forwards, child" from the child came a powerful voice 

it wasn't loud yet it was commanding 

when I came back to my senses, I was standing in front of the child's throne  

"good now come closer "  

leaning closer and kneeling, I get in eye level with him

he smiles and jams his finger in my left eye socket breaking his way into my skull 

before I could scream in pain my world is covered in darkness

and I see the truth behind the past