The Hope

"What?! Disappeared?!" Rina shouted.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness. Two of his friends were found unconscious in two different locations. They still haven't regained consciousness," one of the instructors replied, bowing their head.

"Search the dungeon they entered again, quickly!" Rina ordered.

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

After the command was issued, all the supervisors and instructors were sent to search the dungeon that Evan had explored shortly after his disappearance was reported.

The original Ash and Juliet were found in two different places. Ash was found inside his room's closet, while Juliet was outside the walls of the kingdom of Ethor.

Rina hurriedly left the palace and headed towards the forest where the exam was held, but someone stopped her and said, "Your Highness, a meeting is about to start--"

Before he could finish speaking, Rina turned with an angry gaze because the person who stopped her was none other than Gota.

"You," Rina said, approaching him.

Rina tightly grabbed his collar and with the same gaze, she said, "What have you done to Evan?"

Rina's voice sounded heavier and very intimidating, and those around her also felt a drastic change in the atmosphere.

"W-What do you mean, Your Highness?" Gota asked nervously.

As soon as he asked, the already chilling atmosphere that was enough to make the entire palace shiver was followed by an incredibly threatening feeling. Everyone within the palace radius felt uneasy and scared due to the intensity of the girl's anger.

"No need to pretend you don't know, you pathetic demon," Rina uttered with all the anger she had.

Gota, of course, could no longer hide. He couldn't escape from Rina, but in his mind, he desperately wanted to flee because his instincts told him that he wanted to and could survive. Even if he fought back, it would be in vain.

Gota discarded his royal attire and ran out of the palace like a shadow, incredibly fast.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME," Rina said angrily.

Rina extended her hand towards Gota and used fire magic to stop him. Rina unleashed chains of fiery heat to halt the foolish demon's movements.

"GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The fire Rina unleashed was unlike ordinary fire; her flames were blood-red, causing the castle gates to melt momentarily.

The demon's scream sent shivers down anyone's spine and made them dread causing major trouble with Rina.

Rina approached and saw that the demon had already revealed its true form. What was once human-like now truly resembled a demon, with two horns on its head. "Finally, you reveal yourself," Rina said.

The demon continued screaming in pain without respite. Its skin was heavily burned by Rina's red chains of fire.

"Tell me, where is Evan?" Rina asked.

Gota fell silent for a moment, then said, "Heh," with a small laugh.

Rina was astonished.

"Heh, HAHA HA HAHAHAHA!!!!"

"You foolish humans! It's too late! That child will become our most precious subject! No one can stop us from becoming the RULERS!!!" Gota taunted.

Rina's eyes widened along with her furrowed brows. She immediately choked Gota harshly until the demon's head detached from its body. Its blood splattered everywhere, staining Rina's hands and face.

On the other side, the investigation team had already entered the dungeon that Evan had previously explored. As they entered, they were taken aback by the completely destroyed surroundings. There was no water flooding the entire dungeon; instead, there were houses, trees, and collapsed towers as if they had been hit by a storm.

Going further inside, the large room that Evan's "team" had passed through was also in ruins. Going even deeper, the investigation team managed to reach the last known location of Evan.

There, a portal stood tall, but it was located in a different place from Evan's previous portal. However, the investigation team was unaware of this small detail.

They had searched every corner of the dungeon in their quest to shed light on Evan's disappearance. They had even tried exiting the portal and ended up back outside the dungeon at the initial entrance.

"Father!" Rina called out in the throne room.

"I understand your grievances, Rina. But it's not as easy as you think," the King replied, rising from his seat.

"If that's the case, let's go—!"

Before she could finish speaking, the King interrupted and said, "You know that the Demon Castle is very far away."

"It would take almost one to three months to reach there at full speed," he continued.

"B-but—!"

Suddenly, someone entered the throne room and said, "Report, Your Majesty. The dungeon has been thoroughly searched, and there are no signs of life inside."

Rina clenched her teeth in frustration and lowered her head in great disbelief.

"I suspected as much," said the King.

"It's truly hard to believe. Those demons have very useful pawns," he continued, walking closer to Rina.

Rina raised her head with the same angry expression and said, "I've eliminated Gota, they have no pawns left. They shouldn't have any pawns left, Father."

"No, you're wrong," the King replied.

"W-what do you mean, Father! It's obvious—"

Rina finally realized it, and upon seeing that, the King continued, "As you know, Rina, Feliciel is the most cunning demon in Equilibrium's history. He is also known as 'The Sinister Puppeteer'."

"That title was even bestowed upon him directly by the Demon King Arighore and has been passed down through the generations of Demon Kings, including King Drahalla," Vermillion explained.

"We don't have much time. You have to...let it go," the King said, holding Rina's shoulders.

"It doesn't mean that I don't care about your feelings, but I also hope he can survive," he continued.

Feliciel still holds that eternal title even though King Drahalla has long been dead. In the great history of Equilibrium, Demon King Arighore was the cruelest, and Feliciel was his subordinate. Although Feliciel didn't particularly like King Drahalla, he remained the right hand of the King until now, even though his master is no longer alive.

Meanwhile, in the demon castle, Evan was unconscious in a cold, dark room. There were only iron bars and chains binding him, along with skulls and bones of other deceased humans. He was so tightly restrained that he couldn't use any magic at all.

No one knew about Evan's whereabouts, and no one could help him. No one could travel for months to rescue him. There was only a small glimmer of hope shining in the place where Evan lay unconscious.

In his subconscious, Evan remained silent, unable to speak or even move. He only saw that small glimmer of light in front of his face. The place was cold, devoid of any warmth.

"Evan,"

A middle-aged woman's voice could be heard calling him in that dark and cold subconscious.

"Evan. Wake up. Didn't you promise to bring **** to your place?" the voice said again.

This time, the voice sounded different, as if it echoed continuously in Evan's heart and mind, but he couldn't remember. At the same time, as if being shocked, Evan suddenly woke up from his fainting state in that dark and cold room. There was only a faint light coming from the torch where a guard stood.

Evan was still unsteady and unaware of what would happen to him. His whole body was in excruciating pain. His hands, neck, legs, waist—all were shackled with strong chains, forcing Evan to remain kneeling, helpless.

The prison door suddenly opened, and Evan focused his gaze on the silhouette of someone approaching. The person slowly approached and finally stood casually in a spot where sunlight penetrated the top. It was only the person delivering breakfast to Evan.

The person placed a plate with a piece of bread on it. Evan couldn't clearly see the person's face because he or she were wearing a robe. But he caught a glimpse of a strand of hair from beneath the head covering. Long hair, pink in color.

"A woman...?" Evan muttered to himself.

Right at that moment, Feliciel shouted at them and said, "Alicia. What are you doing?"

"I-I-I was just looking! Th-there's no other intention!" She replied.

"Don't lie, what are you up to?" Feliciel asked.

The girl hesitated and answered, "I-I'm feeding him."

Feliciel sighed and then approached slowly. "Then, what's with the robe? Are you trying to hide from me?"

Then, Feliciel's hand swept the air from bottom to top and opened the head cover of the girl named Alicia. Evan saw the girl clearly. She had long pink hair and two horns on the front of her head, precisely on her forehead.

Unconsciously Evan said, "Oni? No... Wait, what is an Oni?"

The girl's face reminded Evan of someone. In his heart, he felt like he had met a girl named Alicia before, but where?

Feliciel then snapped her fingers, igniting the torches around the prison, making Evan's view even clearer. Alicia, the girl with pink hair, was very pretty.

However, Feliciel obstructed Evan's view of Alicia and said, "Alright... Let's begin."

"What... do you want from me?" Evan asked.

At the same time, a trolley filled with medications and syringes arrived from Feliciel's side. She then took the first syringe and replied, "Nothing... Just curious... how far can you endure."

"What do you mean?" Evan asked.

"Oh, this? Well, let me introduce it to you then. Demon cell serum," Feliciel said.

"What...?" Evan asked again.

Evan still hadn't fully grasped the situation.

"Demon cell serum, the only product I take pride in for creating the 'New Demon,'" Feliciel replied.

What Feliciel had just said caused Evan's eyes to widen, accompanied by a sense of unease enveloping him. He tried to run, but couldn't. He looked at Feliciel's face with fear.

Feliciel's face seems to be thoroughly enjoying this. She smiles cynically, lets out a small laugh, and says, "It's showtime."