Kevin's mind raced. How could it not, when the man in front of him declared himself as the son of the man who had killed his father—the one hated by the entire world?
Raphael, the Black Emperor. Also known as the Devil, the one who betrayed his own race for power.
He had sent hundreds of thousands of abominations to attack Falcon Scott. If not for the Awakeners who resisted the hordes of abominations until the Clans came to the rescue, millions of lives would have been lost.
Not to mention what he had done during the Battle of the Black Skull...
Even though Kevin felt anger, he didn't show it. He didn't dare.
The man in front of him, Amon, spoke of Raphael as if he were talking about a god.
Kevin could clearly see that Amon was proud to be his son.
Kevin feared that if he showed even the slightest hatred toward Amon's father, Amon might kill them.
"You're the son of that Devil?!" Amy blurted out.
Kevin's skin turned pale as he glanced at Amy. Amy had always been a naive girl, someone who spoke her mind without hesitation. But now, her naivety might bring their doom.
Kevin quickly looked back at Amon. To his surprise, there wasn't the slightest hint of anger on Amon's face.
"Technically, he's a Daemon, not a Devil, but both could work, really," Amon replied casually.
Kevin's eyes widened as he processed Amon's words.
'Did he just say his father is a Daemon?'
Kevin shook his head. He knew it wasn't the time to theorize about what the Black Emperor truly was. They had to deal with his son first.
"What do you want from us?" Kevin asked, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.
Amon looked at Kevin and grinned, a smile that made Kevin tremble for a moment.
"I want... nothing. I'm merely doing what my father asked me to do," Amon said.
Kevin frowned and asked, "What did the Black Emperor ask you to do?"
Kevin didn't dare to speak "his" name carelessly. Unlike Amy, he wasn't someone who sought death!
"Well, what else but to bring you to him?" Amon replied.
Kevin tried to speak but was cut off as Amon continued.
"Of course, if you'd rather stay here and become food for the abominations roaming this place, that's your choice."
Kevin remained silent. As much as he hated the Black Emperor to his core... staying in the Burned Forest wasn't an option. The only way to survive was to go with Amon.
"We'll go with you..." Kevin finally said.
"Are you for real?!" Amy shouted.
Kevin looked at Amy. It wasn't just him who had lost a relative to the Devil. Amy's brother had been a Master of Clan Song. To her, her brother had been everything after their parents died.
And the Black Emperor had taken her brother's life...
Fortunately, before Amy could do something reckless, Rachel acted quickly, striking her on the neck and rendering her unconscious.
Looking at Amy, Amon shrugged and said, "Well, let's not waste any more time."
Amon walked toward the sea of black blood and coughed.
"Eve, open the portal."
Unfortunately, there was no response.
"I know you can hear me, dear sister," Amon said, his tone firm.
Still, there was no response...
Amon sighed. He really hadn't wanted to resort to this.
"You know, if Father finds out you're leaving these pitiful kids in this place, he'll be disappointed."
Amon didn't need to say another word. A portal opened in front of him.
He chuckled and looked back at the four.
"What are you waiting for?"
Kevin looked at Amon and gulped. He glanced at Ren and Rachel and nodded.
The three of them walked past Amon and entered the portal.
At first, there was nothing but darkness. Then, the light of the sun hit Kevin's eyes.
Looking ahead, Kevin's mouth dropped open in awe.
The scenery before him was nothing short of breathtaking.
A city filled with people—most of them young, like them. Their laughter echoed even from where he stood. Houses made of wood and concrete lined the streets. Green trees and grass were everywhere. The breeze carried the warmth of the sun, and the light hitting his face made him feel alive.
Surrounding the city was a wall so massive that nothing beyond it could be seen. But what made Kevin hold his breath was the castle in the center of the city. Its walls were built from radiant white stone, with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It was truly a castle befitting an emperor.
From his right, he heard Amon clearing his throat.
They all turned to him and were greeted with a smile.
"I welcome you to the Bright City! The City Beyond the Mountains!"
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Amon walked toward the castle, leaving the four kids to fend for themselves. After all, he wasn't their nanny.
As he reached the castle, the soldiers opened the door for him.
Though they weren't truly soldiers—they were all Sleepers. They were more like servants than guards.
Walking through the hallway, Amon reached a large set of double doors. Unlike the castle's entrance, there was no one guarding these doors.
He opened the doors and stepped inside. In the room, he saw a throne. Sitting on the throne was a man with black hair streaked with gold. His eyes were shut, as if in deep slumber. His face was godlike—beautiful yet undeniably handsome.
Looking at his father, Amon sighed. Since all of his father's children were part of him, having taken one of his soul cores, they could feel what was happening in their father's soul.
The battle between Raphael and Nether had reached a point where Raphael could no longer remain awake, as Nether might seize the opportunity to attack more fiercely.
When his father had resided in the Dark City, he had split himself into six parts, which he called his children.
These six parts weren't independent entities. No. Using his supreme ability, Transcendence Transformation, and Nether's knowledge of creating life, Raphael had brought life to these six parts.
Of course, these parts were still connected to Raphael. They could think and live like any human, but they remained part of him.
Each part symbolized an aspect of Raphael.
The First, Adam, the Child of Fate, symbolized his father's authority over fate.
The Second, Medici, the Child of War, symbolized his father's strength and his origins as a human born in the War Realm.
The Third, Amanises, the Child of Darkness, symbolized the dark side of her father.
The Fourth, Herabergen, the Child of Destiny, symbolized his father's omniscience and knowledge.
The Fifth, Eve, the Child of Imagination, symbolized the dreams and past of her father.
The Last, Amon, the Child of Time, symbolized his father's transcendence over the law of time.
As Amon looked at his father, he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw a man with golden hair and a beard, wearing a simple white cloak.
"You're back," the man said.
Amon nodded. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "I can't sense Medici anywhere. Do you know why, Adam?"
"Father has sent him," Adam replied.
Amon's eyes widened. For his father to send that lunatic, something important must have happened while he was away.
Adam looked at his younger brother and spoke, "Father has begun... The preparations for the Day of Redemption have started."
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I nailed the Quiz so I decided I will drop a chapter even though I've a Midterm exam after tomorrow (I might be fucked up)
If you have any questions, you can find me in the official Shadow Slave discord. just go to the Fanfiction room, and search for mine, it's named after the FF name.
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