CHAPTER 1: THE GRUDGE

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"This world is very fascinating. Full of life but… Living is either too hard or too easy. Such is the world of the fittest. And only the strongest being can move on..." A man of unknown age was looking at the magnificent palace in front of him.

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Since the beginning…

The Flink Kingdom was one of the demon's strongest capitals. If a war between humans and demons ever occurs in another kingdom, that demon's kingdom will be helped by the Flink Kingdom. The outcome would always become their victory. And for proof, the Flink soldiers brought home their awards for helping that demon's kingdom.

Ten men, and three women, were presently caught alive by them. They were human soldiers. All their actions, limbs and even their mouths were sealed tightly so that none of them could flee.

"Watch them! Their meat will be feasted on by our royal family tonight!" Ordered a demon captain to his underlings.

"Aye, sir!"

His underlings drag their food into a dark building. Inside, a stone ladder seems to show the way to the underground cell. The emergence of hot air increases with their steps.

The underground cell was built above the lava. Every demon loves high temperatures which was the reason they live around the volcanic regions.

"Come on, you weaklings!" Growled a male demon.

His cruel eyes sharpen at their delicious blood veins. He was going to salivate if he stared at them too long. Not just him, every demon who saw them silently swallowed their saliva. Even just the dry blood sticking to their armours make the demons excited.

"Can we eat them?"

Some demon children who were playing around the cell come close and ask the adult demons. Saliva was dripping from their open mouth with a small pair of fangs.

"Royal feast tonight might get you some of their bones. Just wait for it." One adult demon replied.

Their cruel expression was nowhere to be seen after looking at the children. The eyes were soft and gentle. The children shout happily while the humans were horrified.

They couldn't speak because their mouths were covered with some kind of black metal plate with purple ring-like eel symbols on it. Same for their arms and legs that were connected by heavy chains.

After they were forced to enter a cell, the chain, as well as the plate on their mouth, disappeared. All of them immediately huddled together while staring at the demons warily.

The demons laugh and then leave the cell with the children. Those humans would be impossible to escape with demons around.

Hot temperatures in the prison cause the humans to sweat profusely. Some even try to fan themselves but get hotter instead. Some even slumped their backs to the wall made of natural stone. Strangely, it was cold on it, so distinct from the temperature of their surroundings.

Is this demon's mercy? Seems unlikely…

A young man walked back and forth in the cell. The others were tired after a long journey. Adding the fear, anxiety and hunger, these sensations lower their struggle and energy against the will to free themselves.

They never heard anyone escape after getting caught by the demons. So, some have given up.

The young man looked at them and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Damn it! Is this how I am supposed to die? No, I can't think negatively! I need to find a way to get out of here and save us all!" He thought while gritting his teeth.

He was the youngest soldier among them with short dirty blond hair. Height about 1.88 metres tall with a sturdy body.

"If I die here, I can't take my revenge on him. I'll kill him with my own hands for killing my parents!"

He has a hidden grudge against someone. His blue eyes sharpen at the path towards the outside.

Meanwhile, in a luxurious room, a young male demon was immersed reading his book. The appearance of pale white and cold black eyes makes him look very stunning. But his wild black hair carries an aura of violence.

He did not bother to cut the front fluff since it makes him look unfriendly and enables him to hide his emotion. Height of 1.74 metres, even with the fit body he still looks small among the demons.

A jug of red liquid with flowing red petals inside was placed on a table near him. He sipped it from a goblet. A moment later, a noise from outside disturb him. He gently put the goblet down and looked towards the outside.

Palace guards with soldiers roam the hall in a rush. With his extraordinary hearing, he could hear the conversation among them.

"Quickly find the humans before they disturb the royal family!"

"Shit, I should have killed them!"

"How'd they get away?!"

‘Guess they let their prisoners break free.’

The young demon thought and then relaxed back into his seat.

"At least I won't see their gross parts tonight..." He let out a sigh of relief.

His dark eyes dimmed while reminiscing about the last group of humans they brought home before. They died in front of him, killed by his royal father mercilessly and then eaten by his people. As for him, he was not fond of human flesh. He knew better what his physical and mental were like.

As he turns away from the window, a pair of blue eyes glare at him from outside. Later, a loud noise was heard from the room.

"This sound... It’s coming from Prince Zeliker's…!"

Silvert Rekter, one of the Flink generals, hurriedly appeared outside his prince room. He barged in but only saw fragments of window glasses scattered around the floor. Uneasiness makes way to his heart. He instantly ordered the guards to locate their prince at once.

Somewhere outside the palace…

"Finally, we meet again, Zeliker Asterostes."

The same young man from the human captive clamped the demon prince's neck. He had fled into a nearby forest after wounding the demon prince.

How did he do it? He found a paralysed baton in a torture cell after he escapes. When Zeliker was startled by the broken glasses, he had hit him with the baton.

He did not question why it was so easy. As long as he captures this hateful demon prince, he forgets to investigate it.

Presently, he shoved Zeliker to a red glowing oak tree. His other hand had thrust a short blade into Zeliker's left chest. If Zeliker was human, he would have died by now. But, only blood oozes from the wound.

Choked and pained, Zeliker was not pleased. Adding more was that his feet did not even reach the ground. The human in front of him was taller than him. Seems not fair. His dignity once more was damaged. He also does not understand why this human wants to capture him.

Can't he just escape without coming to him?

Behind the short fluff, a cold gaze was directed at the human.

"Who are you? Knowing my name and appearance means we have seen each other before." His hoarse voice sounded.

"It seems you have forgotten me. Let me remind you once again. I. Am. Gizelis. Auntom!" Gizelis gritted his teeth.

"Gizelis...?" Zeliker frowned before his eyes flicker.

The name restores his memory. This was one of the humans who he was waiting for all these years. Those who promise to kill him.

Ten years ago, like other humans, Gizelis had vowed to kill him after Zeliker wounded him and sent him away through a dimensional portal. Zeliker did not expect a small child was now the big human in front of him. His wait finally came to an end.

"Haha, the little slave has grown up. Good, good. Thought you have died, eaten by the wild beast." Zeliker smirked.

Gizelis would not know how happy Zeliker was after seeing him again. Outside, he looks like he was ridiculing Gizelis but he wants Gizelis to be mad. If Gizelis became angrier with him, it would be much faster for him to leave the world.

In a word, he wants to die. Dying seems better than living. He has given up on life. Nothing interests him more than death.

His words manage to enrage Gizelis. Gizelis' short blade moves to cut Zeliker's shoulder. More blood spurts from the cut but Zeliker was still smirking at him with a pair of fangs seen on his lips.

"You can't kill me that easily, slave." He taunted.

Eyes shrinking, he pulled the short blade from Zeliker's shoulder and slashed Zeliker's neck making a furious bleed out from it but not entirely cutting Zeliker head off. He wants to enjoy torturing Zeliker slowly.

Killing a prince was a bad idea but that was what his heart wanted. He wants to take vengeance for his family that was killed by Nekruis on Zeliker. Let Nekruis know how much he had suffered for these ten years.

He let Zeliker fall to the ground and stab his chest again. Zeliker spits blood out of his mouth from the stab. Gizelis did not stop. He moves the blade to his stomach while looking at Zeliker with anger.

And yet, Zeliker's face does not show any pain. He got annoyed with Zeliker's bored eyes. Because of that, he stabs Zeliker's left eye. And still, Zeliker looks steady.

"Why didn't you scream, you piece of shit?!" Gizelis was frustrated.

Zeliker laughs mockingly while coughing more blood from his mouth.

"You've got to be kidding... Abusing me like this wouldn't hurt me at all." Zeliker lied.

He can feel an enormous pain all over his body and he does not know which part hurt more; his body, his throat, or his injured eye. A demon can take whatever pain and still stand on the ground. That explains how powerful they were in human eyes.

Mostly royal demons lack weaknesses but Zeliker was an exception to it. His emotion was his top weakness among all and all his life, he's been trying to control it, only to fail again and again.

"Damn you! No wonder you have no feeling for those you've killed!" Gizelis feels exasperated.

‘What a wrong accusation. I have feelings too!’

Zeliker disagreed about Gizelis's view of him. But he won't let Gizelis know his true thought about it.

Gizelis plucked his blades and moved to Zeliker's throat where the heart of the demon was located. However, he ceased his actions because Zeliker's eyes watched it excitedly and did not bother to stop him. The tip of the blade ceased above the throat.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

Gizelis finally feels odd to find Zeliker not once making a move to fight him or stop him. Now that he thinks about it, such an electrical baton couldn't have paralyzed Zeliker this much.

It's been more than half an hour. Zeliker should have been cured by now. Don't all royal demons all have powerful bodies?

As for Zeliker, his eyes turn dejected.

‘Why did he stop? It's almost there!’

He screamed inwardly. Then, he spoke to answer Gizelis.

"Because I don't have to. My father will hunt you down once I'm dead. Same for your friends who escape!" He glared at Gizelis.

"Damn you!"

Gizelis pushed his ankle to Zeliker's chest, not likely to kill Zeliker anyway. But he wants Zeliker to feel the pain when he puts it in the wounded place. His angry intake of breath slowly let out.

He needs to think calmly.

Why does this demon prince not want to fight back?

According to logic, he should have struggled against him. But none of it was seen other than... The excitement looking at his blade on his throat.

"I don't get you. Why do I feel you want me to kill you so badly? Didn't you care about your family since you're their last heir?"

"What for? They won't mind that I'm gone anyway. It hurts when you aren't the same as others and sympathise with your enemies." Zeliker thought silently.

He bites his lip.

‘Your parents also have been killed by us…’

For this reason alone, he allows Gizelis to put his revenge on him. He turns his head back to Gizelis.

"I hate humans and that's all you need to know."

Gizelis grunts.

Aren't all demons does? Same for them. They hate demons.

"If you hate us, you can kill us all when you become the king. It's weird. You seem to be hiding something like... You hate us but didn't want to kill us. You suppose to struggle against me before I drag you here. But you didn't. You didn't even try to escape."

Surprisingly for the first time, he saw the alarm in Zeliker's eyes. Like he was right after all.

"Shut up! I hate you! I feel nausea looking at you and your blood! Your blood stinks! Now, do me a favour and kill me already, you fool!" Zeliker had lost the patience of playing question and answer with him.

Gizelis was baffled by Zeliker's reaction. He thinks Zeliker did pretend to be weak or dull.

"You hate our blood? Liar! I saw you drink something red in your room earlier." He did not believe it.

"That's my rose drink, you idiot. I made it murky so the drink felt more drinkable to my taste. If you don't believe me, go back and have a drink." Zeliker responds lazily.

He was starting to feel exhausted now. Why? Because he was still bleeding and if Gizelis does not kill him soon maybe the loss of blood would kill him.

Yeah, right.

Like that was going to happen. The demon would not die if they had lost too much blood. Their body would recover on their own. They cannot heal themselves but their body will automatically heal them. Just, it might take a few days before they recover completely.

"Heh! You deliberately want me to go back, right, so that I would get caught by your guards?" Gizelis curls his lip as he thought Zeliker wanted to trap him.

"Whatever." Zeliker closes his eyes.

He felt his consciousness fading. Gizelis stared at him and thought deeply.

"He is so strange. He could have killed me when I kidnapped him. He's a royal demon, more powerful than a normal demon to begin with. So, why didn't he prevent me from attacking him?"

Gizelis didn't like it when Zeliker didn't make a move on him. Now that he thinks about it. Their situation would look like he was the bad guy while Zeliker looked like an innocent guy.

‘Could he be telling the truth? He said he dislikes human blood? Maybe a test won't hurt.’

He got an idea and because he wanted to know whether Zeliker lied or not, he moved his left hand on top of Zeliker's mouth without making contact. Later, he cut his wrist with the blade and promptly opened Zeliker's mouth with another hand.

Zeliker jerked as he opened his eyes. A few drops of Gizelis blood entered his mouth and because of his position lying on the ground, he accidentally swallowed it. He panicked when he realises what he had stupidly done.

He shoves Gizelis with both hands from his body to a tree opposite him. His strength makes Gizelis crash to the tree with his back to it. Then, Zeliker flips from the ground to stand again with blood trickling down his body. His expression was furious.

"What did you do?!"

He screams at Gizelis in anger, fear, and disbelief that Gizelis had made him drink blood, his human blood.

A second later, he felt his breathing was getting hard and his body began to feel warmer and hotter inside. Gizelis's blood was now invading his body like a ghastly flame. Adding to the pain, it makes his eyes dampen but he did not allow the tears to fall.

At this moment, he was useless to keep Gizelis from seeing the top secret that he had been trying to hide from everyone. The secret he had kept since he knew he could not drink human blood. The pain inside of his body makes him fall to his knee and then to the ground.

"What a damn strength." Gizelis groans in pain. He felt he broke some bones.

He rises slowly to his feet. He figures that Zeliker intends to kill him now. He must fight back at least but he was stunned to hear a growl and groan in front of him. He was startled to look at Zeliker who was now laid on the ground again.

Zeliker rolls his body to the left and right like he was having a very crucial pain. His body was sweating profusely and Gizelis was unable to move when he saw Zeliker like that. He even saw Zeliker's functional eye turn colour from black to glowing red.

Zeliker moans low and then loud again. He even bites his right arm hard to keep himself from screaming. His other hand was grabbing the shirt on his chest while his body curled into a ball. His ragged breathing moves in a quick rhythm.

"What the heck...?" Gizelis was shocked.

He never thought a demon could be sick after drinking human blood. Then, he reminisced about something in the past.

Ten years ago…

"Get out, Silvert." Zeliker coldly ordered.

Zeliker was just an eighth years old boy and Gizelis was ten years old when he had become a slave for Zeliker.

"My apologies, your royal highness. I can't let you be alone with this slave. Human minds are wicked and he may intend to hurt you," replied Silvert, who did not want to leave Zeliker by himself.

"I said get out! Don't you understand my order or are you trying to disobey me?" Zeliker gives a hard glare at Silvert.

Silvert contemplated. Without another argument, he left them alone but not before he looked 'I will kill you if you harm him' towards Gizelis. Gizelis returns his glare.

Gizelis's hands and feet were cuffed with the metal chain while a steel cup was put on his mouth so that he doesn't make any sound. Gizelis hate the demons chaining him like this. Zeliker stare at Gizelis which a bit taller than him. He can feel Gizelis's hatred for him.

He intentionally walked behind Gizelis and had done something to Gizelis. Then, he throws something toward an empty side of the room. An open dimensional portal appeared with a yard and a single house was seen inside. Gizelis was shocked by it.

"That, That's my house?!"

Gizelis's eyes widened. His body was shaken because he was afraid. How did Zeliker know where he lives?!

He also fears that Zeliker was going to harm his neighbours next. His family was killed by Nekruis and now Zeliker would kill them all too. His eyes tear up but they don't fall.

He was startled when the metal chain and steel cup on his mouth were gone. He looks at Zeliker in disbelief.

"Leave and never return. Never set foot here again." Zeliker told Gizelis while he sat on a chair near his window.

What? Could he be dreaming? A demon prince is letting him go? No, it couldn't be. He probably fakes it so he can kill them.

Gizelis shook his head. Then, he heard Zeliker sip his tea from a cup on the table.

"Leave!" He ordered with intense eyes.

"You bastard! Remember me! I'm Gizelis Auntom. I swear I'll kill you the next time we meet! I will have vengeance for my family and my friends that you had killed!"

Gizelis pointed his finger at Zeliker before he walked to the portal. Suddenly, a shifted claw swiftly cuts his right arm deeply, making blood splash out on the floor.

"What-…?" Gizelis was surprised and was pushed into the portal harshly by Zeliker.

The last time he saw… Was Zeliker wiping his mouth with his blood and at the same time, he heard Zeliker had told someone who had entered the room.

"I eat him because he is annoying."

Current time…

"He might have deliberately hurt me so that he can lie while he let go of me? He was helping me?! But why would he do that? Could it be that he has sympathy for me? Not to mention if he did let me go, he could have returned to kill me all these years. But he didn't! He knows I promised to pay my vengeance yet, but he didn't kill me after meeting again. Why is he letting me kill him instead?"

Gizelis was confused that Zeliker let him go ten years ago and also that Zeliker does not want to attack or hurt him. He realised Zeliker was no longer making noise and approached Zeliker slowly. He saw Zeliker was unconscious. Blood pooling around his body and his painful expression make him stunned.

"My blood... He can't drink it, which only means... He couldn't eat humans at all! Oh my god! What is this?! He can't eat humans?!" Gizelis was shaken by what he just found.

It seems to be something impossible about Zeliker.

"My god! Here I was accusing him of eating my family and friends too. I didn't see him kill them either and yet here I am blaming him for all of it. It was Nekruis and his underlings who'd killed my family and my friends. Oh my god!" He slaps himself on the cheek with both hands.

He felt guilty and blamed himself for the stupidest thing he thought of Zeliker.

"Wait. Can demons be incapable of drinking human blood? Maybe Zeliker was abnormal or something. Argh! Whatever! Right now, I need to get back home. Nekruis probably sent trackers for his son."

Gizelis then took off his shirt. He tore it, making it long, then wrapped it around Zeliker's body to stop the bleeding. Looking at the injuries makes him feel remorse towards himself.

He was the bad guy after all…

But, Zeliker did kill many people even if he didn't eat them. So, this was enough revenge for him since he's not responsible for any vengeance on other people's behalf.

"I have to take him with me. He probably wasn't that bad and just hides his true self from us. He may have had a kind heart for letting me go ten years ago." Gizelis thought and he decided to bring Zeliker with him.

Maybe then he can know what Zeliker was like. As he was just walking away with Zeliker on his back, someone grabbed his shoulder and shoved him into an open dimensional portal leading to a palace.