The room around Xyenn began to twist as the demon baby's third, spiraling red eye flared with a sinister glow. The walls of the stronghold warped and melted, dripping away like blood running down cracked stone. The golden light of the clerics' runes flickered and faded, swallowed by a suffocating darkness that spread like an infection. The air grew heavier, colder, and then the screaming began.
Screams. Thousands of them.
It was as though the very essence of Hell itself had seeped into the space, filling the air with the sounds of endless torment. The cries of agony, despair, and rage clawed at Xyenn's ears. He tried to block them out, but they were everywhere—inside his head, in the air around him, in the ground beneath his feet.
The room was gone now. Xyenn stood in a parallel domain, a twisted landscape of endless darkness and blood. The ground beneath him was slick and wet, and with each step, his boots sank into the viscous red ichor that coated the surface. Around him, jagged spires of black rock jutted out of the ground like the broken teeth of a long-dead beast.
The sky—if it could be called a sky—was an endless void, cracked with veins of crimson light that pulsed faintly, as if alive. Shadows moved within the darkness, shapes too grotesque to fully comprehend, and their whispers joined the cacophony of screams, creating an oppressive, maddening symphony.
The demon baby, still bound by faintly glowing chains of light, floated in the center of this hellish domain. Its grotesque form writhed, its red eye unblinking as it stared directly at Xyenn. The chains that held it seemed weaker now, their glow flickering, as though the demon's presence in this place had drained their strength.
Xyenn stood frozen, his dragon arm twitching at his side. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears like a drum. He clenched his fists, his breathing shallow as he tried to steady himself.
"Don't show fear," he whispered to himself. "It's trying to scare you. That's all this is. It feeds on fear. Don't give it what it wants."
But it was hard. The screams, the darkness, the suffocating presence of the demon—it was all too much. His mind raced as he struggled to push down the rising tide of anxiety, but it kept crawling back, gnawing at the edges of his resolve.
The demon baby's voice broke through the chaos, low and mocking. "Do you like my domain, little Jotyin? I made it just for you. A perfect reflection of your fear. The fear you hide behind your feeble bravado."
Xyenn tried to speak, but his throat was dry. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand straighter. "You're wasting your time," he said, his voice strained but steady. "I'm not afraid of you."
'The hell is Jotyjin…?'
The demon baby's twisted mouth curled into a grotesque smile. "Oh, but you are. I can feel it, Xyenn. I can taste it. The fear in your heart, the doubt in your mind, the shame buried in your soul. You think you're strong. You think you've come here to prove something to yourself. But deep down, you're still that broken little boy, crying in the dark, begging for someone to save you."
Xyenn's fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms. The demon's words hit too close to home, stirring memories he'd buried long ago. Memories of hunger, of loneliness, of the nights he spent curled up in a corner, too scared to move, too weak to fight back.
'I won't let this bastard get to me. I won't. He's just talking. Trying to get into my head. I can't let it feed off my emotions, that's how it'll grow stronger.'
The demon's third eye glowed brighter, and the blood beneath Xyenn's feet rippled as the screams grew louder. "Shall I tell you a story, little Jotyin?" the demon hissed. "A story about the seeds of the Tree of Ohnupilath. Do you know it? No? Let me educate you…"
"Why the hell should I care? I should be asking the questions—."
"My my. You've never done an interrogation before it seems. The only way you'll get the answers you want is if you hear me answer my own questions."
The air around them shimmered, and faint images began to form in the darkness—visions of a massive, radiant tree, its branches stretching endlessly into a star-filled void. Its bark glowed with a soft golden light, and its roots burrowed deep into a realm that seemed to exist beyond comprehension.
"The Tree of Ohnupilath," the demon said, its voice dripping with mockery. "Created by the Dragon God of Light, Lancelot, at the command of the great King of Sen, father of the First Dragon and the First Monarch. The first being of existence now perished..Do you understand what that means, Xyenn? Do you understand the weight of your lineage?"
Xyenn's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond.
"The Jotyin family," the demon continued, "seven sons and daughters, born from the seeds of that tree. Everything besides draconic mana was born from the Tree. The Jotyin, Crafted by the King of Sen himself, were meant to be heroes. Warriors who would carry the name of Gabriel, destined to invade Hell and destroy the First Monarch. But they were premature, their power incomplete. So they were hidden in the Astral World, a realm of spirits, until they could fully sprout. They were meant to be born under Gabriel's eyes, and lead the charge to Hell. But.."
Xyenn thought, 'The Astral World…created by the Tree, and everything else with it. I'm not part of that, am I? I can't be. I grew up powerless, without any runes on my soul. I was meant to be an outcast, it was destined for me to be one. I fucking grew up as one. It was mentioned before by Illyana that The dragon god of light was close to Gabriel, but they were close. He helped with the creation of everything. And the source was the Ohnupilath Tree. The world didn't just come from thin air, it was birthed.'
The images shifted, showing seven glowing seeds cradled within the branches of the tree. But then, the vision darkened, the seeds falling into shadow.
"It's still a mystery how the seeds were taken from the Astral World and brought to Kyrrin," the demon said. "But there are whispers. Whispers that it was Yuuna's human mother, that damn cleric, who meddled with fate and brought them here. And now, the seeds have awakened. You, Xyenn, are one of them."
Xyenn's breath caught in his throat. "You're lying," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "You're just trying to mess with my head. It won't work. Whatever you're telling me this story for, I'm not coming to your side."
The demon laughed, a horrible, grating sound that made Xyenn's skin crawl. "Oh, am I? Tell me, Xyenn, have you not felt it? The way your power grows stronger, faster than it should? The way you defy fate itself? That is the mark of a Jotyin. The mark of those destined to destroy the First Monarch. But tell me… do you even know who you are? Do you even understand yourself? You, King Haldrek of Vördrheim, King Samuel the first dragon vessel of Lancelot, and many others are Jotyin. You all have the power to defy fate, able to cultivate your strength to be able to kill the First Monarch. No other being can do this to that extent. All of the Jotyin have no runes in their souls. Wanna know why? So they wouldn't become cursed by the First Monarch's magic."
Xyenn looked down, his fists trembling as the demon's words ate away at his confidence. He remembered all the times he'd felt out of place, all the times he'd questioned why he was still alive when so many others had fallen.
"Shut up…" he muttered under his breath. "None of that changes the fact of how I grew up. At all! I still grew up worthless…hated..beaten..pushed around and used..none of that can justify my past. And I still fucking hate the dragon gods for now hellsing me even when I cried out to them. No matter if I had runes or not. Not even followers and worshippers of the dragon gods. Saying their gods told them not to help me. No one saved me…but Yuuna."
The demon's smile widened. "I see the darkness in you, Xyenn. The trauma in your eyes, the weight of every choice you've made. You carry it with you, every moment of every day. You think you're strong, but you're just a weak, scared little boy, trying to look like a man."
Xyenn's chest tightened, his breathing shallow. He tried to push the demon's words away, but they clung to him like tar, dragging him down.
'He's just trying to get in my head..'
And then the demon's voice grew darker, colder. "And what of Yuuna? The First Monarch will return, Xyenn. He will come for her. His daughter. His Queen of Darkness. Do you know what he will do to her? He will break her. He will butcher her. He will have his way with her body until she submits, until she is nothing but a vessel for his will. And you—"
"STOP!" Xyenn roared, his voice cracking as his fear and anger boiled over.
The demon's chains began to crack, the light binding it fading as the darkness in the domain grew stronger. Its grotesque form twisted and shifted, its body elongating and reshaping into a humanoid figure. Its skin was pitch black, rippling with veins of deep crimson light. Long, grotesque strands of red flesh jutted from its body, writhing like living tendrils. Its face retained faint, unnerving traces of its baby-like features, but warped—its eyes sunken and hollow, its mouth stretching impossibly wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
The demon's voice was now a deep, guttural snarl. "Let me have your soul, Xyenn."
Xyenn froze, his body trembling as he stared at the creature. Xyenn's stomach twisted, his fear momentarily replaced by a deep, gut-wrenching sorrow. "No…" he whispered.
The demon snarled, its tendrils writhing as it stepped closer.
The demon's grotesque form clawed its way closer to Xyenn, its pitch-black skin rippling like liquid shadow, its red, tendril-like strands writhing with an eerie life of their own. The spiraling red eye in the center of its head pulsed with a maddening intensity, illuminating the warped domain of darkness and blood around them. The screams of Hell itself rose to a deafening crescendo, as if the voices of the damned were clawing at Xyenn's soul, ripping him apart from the inside.
Xyenn stood frozen, his fists trembling at his sides. His breathing was shallow, his chest heaving as his mind raced. The overwhelming pressure of the demon, the oppressive air of the domain, and the ceaseless screams made his vision blur. Blood dripped from his nose, a faint trail running past his lips and down his chin. He couldn't move. His body refused. His emotions—fear, anger, and despair—bound him tighter than any chain ever could.
"You're pathetic," he thought to himself, his teeth gritted as his dragon arm trembled. "You came here to prove something, didn't you? To show you could handle this. And what are you doing now? Standing here like a scared little boy."
The demon crept closer, its claws dragging across the bloody ground with a sickening squelch. Its jagged teeth glinted in the dim red light, its mocking grin widening. It could feel his fear—taste it. The demon fed on it, growing stronger with every passing second.
"You're still that child," Xyenn's thoughts screamed at him, his heart pounding in his chest. "That weak, broken child who couldn't save anyone. You're nothing but a failure. A coward. A joke."
'This isn't my thoughts…?'
'They're my thoughts?!'
'They're yours.'
'All this time you haven't really grown…have you? Still a 19 year old brat who had sex with a demonic queen of darkness because he was lonely and wanted love..'
'That's not true..'
'But it is.'
'Fuck out of my head!'
He clenched his fists tighter, his nails digging into his palms until they bled. He could feel the demon's presence pressing down on him, the weight of it suffocating him, pulling him deeper into a pit of despair. He wanted to move, to fight, to scream—but all he could do was stand there, paralyzed by his own emotions.
The demon's voice slithered through the chaos, low and mocking. "Look at you. Trembling. Silent. You think you're a man? You think you're strong? You're nothing, Xyenn. Nothing but a weak, little boy playing hero. But let me have your soul, I can make all of it go away.."
Xyenn's breath hitched, his eyes darting to the ground. His anger and fear warred within him, a storm raging in his chest. He hated this. He hated himself. "Why can't I move?" he thought, his teeth grinding together as tears threatened to well in his eyes. "Why am I so weak?"
'I came in speaking tough, then to be weighed down by this dark pressure, I haven't grown an inch..was I really just bluffing…? Am I really not ready?'
The demon loomed closer, its tendrils reaching out, almost brushing his face. Its jagged maw opened wide, its rancid breath washing over him as it whispered, "Accept it, Xyenn. You've already lost. Just give in. We're going to conquer Kyrrin, and we'll have Haldrek leading us. Since he's already made a soul binding contract with Death, now a high ranking demon in Hell, once he uses his contract, his soul will be ours for manipulating. He will be unstoppable. We want all the Jotyin…all of them! And with your elder dragon gods tampering with the powers of Hell to escape the Cycle of Rebirth, we'll have so many puppets! And most of all..The First Monarch wants you…he wants you more than his own daughter Yuuna—."
Xyenn gritted his teeth, "That's why…we're gonna kill Haldrek before he—."
"It's too late, haha! His soul is already connected to Hell! Even if he dies now, he will be there. You may want to use that Lysfødt's puppet Kassius Velmire to help you kill Haldrek, but he's 100 times stronger now since dealing with Death. Even if Haldrek survives your little invasion, he can easily pave the way for us!"
'It's just like before with the Lysfødt. They warned me if I killed Yuuna and kept her from killing the draconic deities of Kyrrin, I would save the world. If I don't, Kyrrin would fall due to the lack of draconic deities holding the world together. And it makes sense now, the Ohnupilath Tree holds it all together, the draconic deities being roots, draconic mana being the branches, and the idea of good and evil being the bark..and life and fate itself being the leaves. Haldrek must die, but if he dies, then Hell would have gained another strong warrior by their side! And Yuuna's mother, could she really be connected to me? We can't leave Haldrek alive, but either way…we're at a disadvantage! Haldrek is a threat to this world, but he will be a threat regardless if Hell claims him!'
Then, something happened.
The demon froze, its red eye widening in shock. It gasped, its grotesque form recoiling as its gaze snapped downward. There, on the blood-soaked ground, was an arm—a woman's arm, made entirely of crystalline white light. It shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance, refracting the dim red glow of the domain into dazzling beams of radiant light.
Xyenn's eyes slowly followed the demon's gaze, his breath catching as he saw it too. The arm was motionless, yet its presence was undeniable, cutting through the oppressive darkness like a blade.
"What….?" Xyenn muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The demon snarled, backing away as the arm began to move. Slowly, it rose from the ground, its crystalline surface glowing brighter with each passing second. The light spread, forming the shape of a woman's body—tall, ethereal, and impossibly beautiful. Her skin was smooth and translucent like diamond, her eyes made of fiery rubies that flickered with radiant energy. Her hair was a flowing cascade of glowing white light that seemed to defy gravity, and above her head floated a massive crystalline halo, jagged and intricate, refracting light like a thousand shards of glass.
Her voice was calm, serene, yet carried the weight of divine authority. "The All Mother of the Lysfødt rebukes demons. And those who are dangers to the world of Kyrrin." She had looked at Xyenn when she said that, and Xyenn just stared at her blankly.
The demon hissed, its tendrils writhing as it snarled, "The All Mother's body… a dreadful Lysfødt."
Xyenn stared at her, his fear momentarily replaced by awe. He couldn't speak, couldn't move, as the radiant figure turned her ruby eyes to him. Her gaze was piercing, yet gentle, as if she could see straight through him, into the deepest parts of his soul.
"Only those affected can be within a casted domain," she said softly, her light illuminating the blood-soaked ground around them. "Those who are in your field of vision. I have always been here, Xyenn. Watching. Waiting."
Xyenn's mouth opened, but no words came out. The Lysfødt's presence was overwhelming, her radiance pushing back the darkness of the domain, but her words carried a weight that made his chest tighten. He didn't want to see her here. Not now. Not after last time. Not while knowing what she wanted from him.
She stepped closer to him, her crystalline body shimmering like starlight. "You will make a decision to kill Yuuna," she said, her voice calm but unyielding. "I believe she still plans on killing all the draconic deities to save herself, yes? I see how your bond with her grows. It is… sickening. And I will deal with you next."
Her words pierced him like daggers, but Xyenn said nothing. He simply stared at her, his emotions a tangled mess of fear, anger, and confusion.
'Of course…
The Lysfødt turned her attention back to the demon. "I will not let you kill him before he makes his decision," she said, her voice colder now.
She raised her hand, and a crystalline staff materialized in her grasp. The weapon was a masterpiece of radiant beauty, its shaft adorned with intricate carvings of light and jagged crystal formations. The head of the staff blazed with a brilliant white light, its glow almost too bright to look at.
The demon snarled, its tendrils lashing out as it prepared to attack. But before it could move, something happened.
A blade, massive and jagged, pierced through the Lysfødt's face.
The weapon was coated in dark sun magic, its aura radiating malevolence as blood-like ichor spilled from the wound. The Lysfødt gasped, her crystalline body convulsing as cracks spread across her face.
Behind her, Xyenn stood, his hands gripping the hilt of the massive blade. His face was twisted with rage, his pitch-black eyes burning with an unnatural light. Without hesitation, he ripped the blade free and plunged it into her back, again and again, each strike brutal and unrelenting.
The Lysfødt screamed, her body shattering with each blow. Her radiant light dimmed, replaced by the sickening glow of dark sun magic. Xyenn spun, his movements almost feral, and with one final, savage strike, he slashed her head clean off.
The Lysfødt's body crumbled, her shattered head falling at the demon's feet. The demon stared at it for a moment, then turned its gaze to Xyenn.
Xyenn stood there, his transformation complete. His once-grey-and-black hair was now pitch black, his eyes voids of darkness. A jagged, dark pink and sun-colored halo floated above his head, its edges sharp and menacing. A single dark sun hor jutted from his forehead, paired with a black one, and parts of his skin were covered in black dragon scales, even across his face. His tail glowed with a dark sun hue, and the massive blade in his hand pulsed with dark energy, its aura radiating raw, unbridled power. And in the middle of his forehead, Was the crest of a glowing sun surrounded by black stained streaks passing by it.
"I'll fight my own fucking battles," Xyenn growled, his voice low and filled with malice. He raised the blade, its edge gleaming with dark sun magic. "I'm a man now. I got this."
The demon stared at him for a moment, then began to laugh. Its grotesque form shook with amusement, its tendrils writhing in excitement. "It's been ages," it snarled, its red eye gleaming with hunger. "Ages since I've fought someone this… entertaining. I will let you remember my name: Zerzoth."
With a guttural roar, the demon lunged, its tendrils lashing out like whips. Xyenn didn't move. He simply stood there, his dark presence radiating a power so immense that the very air around him seemed to tremble.
'I have grown. I'm not a child. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let this demon get the best of me. But I won't let anything get in my way of trying to be better, trying to be something that is the opposite of what I was before: a weak coward. I fail a lot, I had failed so many times, failing myself when I set goals and never completing them. But in order for me to survive, in order for even my adversaries to take me seriously, I have to conquer myself along with my enemies.'