B y the time I’d fought my way through the Blood Lake’s demons, my boots were too soaked to be comfortable.
“Blasted Demon Lord of a father,” I cursed. Unlike the upper Realm of Light, no one cared who’s name you spat or what you called them.
That was the beauty of the Underworld.
Which meant I could call my father, the King of the Underworld, an ashless sucker of shit.
As I raised my hand to the dark void beyond the Cliff of Despair, the chasm below moaned. It alone held the barrier between the living realms and the Underworld.
But I was the Demon Prince.
And the void always answered me.
It owed me a favor, anyway.
“My Princccee…” it whispered. “What honor has brought you to my cursed edge?”
I bowed deeply and then rose to my full height once more. “I require a portal. One that my father cannot follow me through.”
The void seemed to wonder about my words. But it had no place to question my desires.
It replied, “I can make no guarantee. But I believe I know the realm that will allow you such a protection. You wish for the Unburnt Land. The one they call Ria.”
“You’re very sharp for a void. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times.”
Its voice chuckled in my head, deep and baritone. “Always with the humor, my Prince. Very well. You know the rules.”
I did. But there was no need to assure the void of my understanding. It had taught me enough to know that I knew that it knew…
I sighed. “I will miss our little talks.”
“Time means nothing to us, Prince. I will see you again, whether in this incarnation or the next. May your fire burn bright…”
“… and may your blood soak the valley,” I finished.
“Your mana, my Princeee…”
Yes. The catch in this elaborate escape. “Of course, void.” I reached into the near boundless pool of dark mana within me. With an iron resolve and an unflinching command, I channeled it outward and into the blackness beyond.
The void shifted, pulling at my mana. Soaking it in to create a doorway that soon parted open.
In the center, the darkness parted like a curtain, and whatever was beyond nearly blinded me.
The void said, Enjoy your mortal existence. And do be sure to write…
I didn’t look away as I stepped through the portal. Into my future.
The Dark Prince would be no more.
I, Luc Vale, was claiming the mortal world as my own.