The Damned Demon

The dusk had settled like a soft shroud over the vast Draconis Kingdom when Lysandra, with the stealth of a seasoned warrior, returned to her domain.

The shadows of the evening were her allies, cloaking her movements in secrecy until a voice shattered the silence, anchoring her to the spot.

"Mother!" Rhygar's call rang out from below, slicing through the quiet with the urgency of a worried son.

Lysandra's flight halted abruptly in mid-air; her jaw clenched tightly, eyes ablaze with a cold, fiery light.

The warmth of the day that was lingering within her had vanished, replaced by a chill that seemed to emanate from her very being.

Yet, as she faced the one who resembled Drakar in many ways except being young, her expression smoothed into an icy mask of control.

With a graceful, calculated descent, she landed beside Rhygar, her tone as frosty as the night air, "What is so urgent for you to call out to me now?"

Rhygar, taken aback by her frosty demeanor, which was more severe than usual, managed a weak chuckle, his voice tinged with concern, "It's nothing, but I haven't seen you since morning, and you also weren't present anywhere in the kingdom until now. That made me feel a bit worried, and I—"

"Do I have to tell each and everything I do to you? If you have nothing useful to do, then find something to make yourself useful instead of getting worried about useless things. Our kingdom is at war, and this is the best you can do as the heir to the throne?" Lysandra's rebuke was sharp, cutting through Rhygar's words like a blade, leaving him speechless, a lump forming in his throat, "M-Mother, I-I only wanted to—"

"Enough of this. I am tired, but I am going to rest. Don't disturb me unless I have something to say to you," she declared dismissively, her wings unfurling as she took to the skies once more, leaving Rhygar alone with his thoughts.

"Why...Why can't you allow me to even worry about you..." Rhygar murmured to himself, his voice barely audible as his fists clenched in helpless frustration.

He watched her silhouette disappear into the night, the distance between them more than just physical.

Upon landing on her balcony, Lysandra exhaled a sigh of relief, yet her eyes were still brimming with uneasiness now that Rhygar noticed her coming in this late.

She was fortunate that Drakar wasn't present in the kingdom when she returned. She knew he was away for some war business and shouldn't be back for at least another week.

He usually spared her the interrogations about her whereabouts, accepting her sparse explanations that she visited vassals to ensure they would stay in line.

Yet, returning this late was unprecedented for her, and she hoped his mind was too preoccupied with his own schemes—particularly those involving Asher and the elusive 'key'—to notice her unusual return today.

But her hand unconsciously lingered around her lower abdomen, feeling a lingering sense of gentle warmth...a warmth she was beginning to wish it wouldn't just go away.

—

As they cut through the tumultuous, stormy crimson skies, the scene was almost otherworldly.

Asher clung to Lori's muscular yet elegant scaly body, which undulated gracefully through the air. Her serpentine form was powerful and imposing against the backdrop of dark clouds and intermittent lightning.

"A flying snake? If you had wings, people would mistake you for a dragon," Asher remarked, his voice raised over the howl of the wind.

"Sssssbrat, you should stop calling me a snake. I am no ordinary one like you see in your streets. I was supposed to be the Dreadhearth Queen. My grandfather was Itecu, the Dark Sovereign and the king of all serpents and many other beasts. Even the strongest dragons of that time feared him and didn't dare offend him. He had two heads. I repeat, 2 heads! The closest bloodline to our great Hydra, sssss. Now, do you realize the power of the Dreadhearth blood flowing through my veins?" Lori hissed back with unmistakable pride.

Asher absorbed her words, recalling the name 'Itecu' from the dark chapters of history he had learned.

The Dark Sovereign was a figure shrouded in terror, a serpent king from over a thousand years ago.

But he thought it died without any heirs and had no idea the Dreadspine Serpent was its descendant. She couldn't be bluffing for her to talk about it so proudly.

"That doesn't change the fact that you have only wind but no water-based powers like your ancestor, Hydra, and no multiple heads. Myth says that if you cut off Hydra's head, two would rise in its place. Do you at least have that ability? Or how come nobody knows you are the Dark Sovereign's descendant?" Asher challenged, his skepticism mingling with curiosity.

"Enough with your ridiculous doubts, Sssss!" Lori hissed sharply, visibly annoyed, "You know nothing about our complicated family history. My grandfather, he... he banished my father. Why do you think my father and I lived in the middle of nowhere in some smelly cave-like lowly creatures and hid our true lineage? It's because my father fell in love with a woman from a lowly tribe. But my grandfather killed her after I was born to punish my father. He even tried to kill me but fortunately my father saved me from him.

"Your grandfather killed your mother after you were born and even tried to kill you? What the..." Asher interjected, his expression a mix of shock and confusion.

"Ssssthat doesn't even end there. My father was very angry and wanted to take away what my grandfather considered most precious... his kingdom... and thus, he and his kingdom fell before he could realize it. He never thought he would get stabbed in the back by his own son like that. But serves him right. Just because he had two heads, he thought he could bully my father? Neversssss!" Lori spat out the words with venomous spite, her hiss heavy with anger.

Asher was baffled upon hearing her backstory. It was indeed as complicated as she said, but he couldn't believe that the Dark Sovereign caused his own demise because of something that he should never have made a big deal of.

However, he could understand her father's feelings. He also would have done the same.

He was also baffled at how quick Lori changed her tune.

One second she was feeling proud of her grandfather and the next second cursing him.

But he could see that she loved her father more than anything, even if it meant cursing her ruthless grandfather, who was a revered and infamous figure in history.

Thinking about it, the fall of her bloodline was so tragic, partly caused by nature and partly by her own kind. As expected, demons here were very pretty ruthless when it came to bloodline matters.

Wrestling with curiosity and caution, he hesitated only briefly before voicing his next question, "If you don't mind me asking...how did your father get entangled with the Moon Guardian? Was it true that he killed one of the Moon Guardian's women?"

Lori's response was a sharp hiss, her body tensing as she twisted her serpentine head around, "You...How much did you poke around in my head? I never heard of you having any mindforce abilities. I should have known you were one cunning brat, Sssss..." Her words were tinged with vexation and suspicion.

"Obviously, I wouldn't let anyone know the true extent of my abilities unless I have to. I am sure you are also hiding your abilities and also hid the fact from the rest of the world that your Curse of Despair only works if you want to," Asher retorted, his gaze intense as he observed the unique pattern of scales on her back, forming an eye-shaped outline that seemed almost alive.

However, Asher's knowledge didn't come from probing Lori's mind—his source was Merina, who had shared this information.

"He killed her because of me..." Lori suddenly confessed in a subdued tone as she turned her head around, the stormy wind around them carrying her words like a mournful whisper.

"Because of you...why?" Asher asked in a low voice.

"Because that greedy thing was out to kidnap me while I was young and helpless, wanting to harvest my young and beautiful body for their devious needs. Apparently, my precious scales can slow down aging. The younger, the better. Obviously, my father didn't show mercy and smashed her into a bloody paste before she could get anywhere near me. He could have ignored the entire situation since he knew all the werewolf clans could come after him, including that old dog. There was also the fact that he could always produce more offspring even if he lost me. But despite knowing the consequences he saved me...he always kept me safe no matter how difficult things were for him...ssss...." Lori's voice faded into a pained hiss, her sorrow palpable in the chilling air.

"I am sorry to hear that," Asher replied, his tone sincere. The depth of Lori's tale gave him a glimpse into the fierce loyalty and protectiveness her father had shown, traits rare among the power-hungry denizens of their world.

"You really do? Even after making me relive that memory?" Lori asked, turning her head to look at him, her dark purple eyes glowing with a mix of accusation and vulnerability.

Asher sighed, shrugging casually as he met her searching gaze, "You shouldn't have pushed me into a corner. It was either you or me. I did warn you many times though."

"Sssss, I shall accept your half-hearted apology, being the kind and majestic serpent I am," Lori declared with a hiss of indignation, turning her head back to navigate through the clouds.

Asher blinked, a hint of confusion and amusement crossing his features, "I apologized? Wow..." he mumbled to himself with a soft chuckle.

Lori, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, suddenly dipped sharply through the dark, turbulent clouds.

Caught off guard, Asher's grip tightened reflexively around her lengthy body. The world spun momentarily as they sliced through the storm with exhilarating speed.

"Ohuhu, if you hold me that tight, I might start feeling a bit romantic. Did you finally change your mind?" Lori's voice curled around him, teasing and seductive as the wind whipped past them.

"Oh, for devil's sake, just quickly fly to my kingdom before I leave your horny tail behind," Asher retorted, his voice laced with exasperation as he deliberately loosened his hold, trying to make sure she wouldn't get any ideas.

"Sssss, it's your loss, brat!" Lori hissed back, her tone filled with indignation.

With a playful flick of her tail, she accelerated, shooting through the skies like a bolt of lightning. The storm seemed to bow to her will, parting to let her through as she reveled in the thrill of the flight.