Prologue

*For clarity's sake, all of Razalith's/Rachel's POV will be in first person. For any other character, the narrative will switch to third person. Please, enjoy.*

Yawn...

The throne room is dark. Dozens of windows line the wall, and the sconces posted near each of them burn with intense, violet flames. Yet, the throne room is dark.

I brush aside my scarlet curls and sit up straight, folding my left leg over my right while trying not to expose my lack of underwear. The frills of the black dress act in my favor, so I wipe my eyes and clear my throat.

Someone is coming, and I do not want them to know that the abysmal state of my throne room is putting me to sleep.

The metal doors open with a shriek. An armed guard enters to inform me, "It is Lord Denver, Your Majesty."

My pointed ears twitch when I see who it is that has come. It is an aged butler, slender and grey, with a number of scrolls in hand. His outfit is neat and clean, stature tall, ramrod and strong.

"Your Majesty," the butler kneels, "it is I, Denver Wilt."

I smile, glad that it is him and not another of my subjects. I think of a few of the more eccentric ones and sigh, thankful for Denver's arrival.

"You may approach, Denver."

I rise from the throne and descend the short flight of stairs in order to embrace him, but Denver hesitates.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you are no longer the little orphan that I once looked after. You are the Demon Lord now, soon to be Ruler of the Known World."

As Denver continues, I frown. In an effort to alert him to my dissatisfaction, I reveal my pearly white fangs and hope he understands.

He does not.

"Your status is now elevated beyond measure, and so I cannot accept this embrace."

I sigh, and return to my throne. I recently learnt that trying to convince any of my subjects to act in any way other than a devout servant is a losing game.

"Fine then. Why have you come, Denver?"

The butler shifts his weight and opens one of the scrolls.

"As we speak, the Subjugation Army makes its way toward the Human Realm."

Hearing this, my eyes narrow slightly. In the light of the two moons of the Demon Realm, infiltrating through the windows of the throne room, my golden pupils glow.

"The teleportation circles drawn up by Your Majesty will be used to instantly transport 250,000 of our soldiers to the Runia Empire. As suggested by General Farlord, 20,000 mages have already departed with ships and will arrive during the second wave."

"The elite forces await your command."

"The Royal Magus, Earl von Tian, has returned from the Flying Continent with the requested items. He seeks an audience with Your Majesty."

As Denver goes on and on, I struggle to pay attention while battling drowsiness. The clouds blot out the moons once again, and darkness returns to the throne room.

"Finally, the Count Dreikov will be visiting the Royal Capital today. You asked to be informed. That is all."

With a bow, Denver awaits my orders. I ponder whether or not to send him away, but a thought comes to mind.

"Denver?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"What of the human captives?"

"Ah. Sir Pander took them to the dungeon until Your Majesty could decide what to do with them."

Hearing that they have not yet been skinned or castrated, I smile and nod, indicating that he is free to leave.

He bows deep, then leaves.

In solitude again, I try to catch a glimpse of the world beyond my windows. I am too high up in the castle, so I barely see the treetops in the distance. I cannot even see the city just beyond the castle.

"How boring. I should summon the Royal Magus."

I raise my hand, focusing on my inner self. Urging the mana within my Magic Wells to flow outward, my index fingernail begins to glow a blood red. I use it to draw a simple square in the air, then speak the words, "Transmission. Earl von Tian."

The red square becomes three-dimensional before my eyes, creating a window that breaches and folds space. The square opens up, and I see a startled blonde jump up from his chair in fright.

He had been relaxing in his quarters, it seems.

"Your Majesty!" Earl takes a knee and bows, but I do not want to stress him out any more than I have-- especially during his moment of 'de-stressing.'

"Your success has been noted. Present the items before me within the hour. Do try to get some rest."

I end the transmission, feeling a bit bad. Knowing him, he would find it impossible to relax after such a startling occurrence. He may even come to the throne room straightaway.

Before I can properly shift in my seat, a breach opens before me and Earl steps out. His long golden hair is a mess, his robes have clearly been thrown on hastily and he is sweating from head to toe.

In his hands are a thick wooden staff and a small chest, within which I can only guess are the items he brought back from the Flying Continent. He bows again.

"Earl... You're here..."

"Yes, Your Majesty. May I approach?"

"Mm. You may."

He nods and begins walking toward the stairs leading to the throne. While ascending, he lets go of his staff and it vanishes from sight, then he opens the chest and places it at my feet.

"I would not dare to question Your Majesty's motives, however, your subjects in the God Realm caution against the studying of these tomes. They say that the magic in them was forbidden by the past era's God King, whose son you defeated in combat."

Earl withdrew two five-inch books from the chest, covered with black cloth and metal. On the spine, characters in the God Tongue were written.

I read them, and cannot help smiling.

"The Tome of Life and Death Magic- both volumes as well. For once, my subjugation of the Flying Continent proves beneficial to me."

Earl hears my words and shivers, regarding me as something more than the monster I am. I smile and disregard his newfound fear, eagerness taking hold of me.

Opening the first volume of the tome, I begin to peruse its contents.

"Do you think forced reincarnation is possible, Earl?"

I see the Royal Magus jump again. He is easily startled today.

"Well, uh... It could be, but the ramifications of such an endeavor are unknowable. Tampering with death and life is an intolerable offense in the eyes of Heaven."

"Tch. These Gods and their laws. I conquered the God Realm, but Heaven does not act against me. Not openly. Yet, when I wish to alter my own life, they find fault with me."

Earl gulps and I notice the moonlight shining in again. The clouds seem to part in order for Heaven to look directly upon me as I discuss matters pertaining to it.

"I tire of the world as it is, Earl. All will fall before me eventually, yet I am finding myself less and less satisfied. I thought that usurping the Demon Lord's throne would allow me to enjoy life, but the decisions I've made have led to me being feared and respected above all else."

Earl listens while I rant, and his expressions vary from outrage to confusion, then finally realization. He seems shocked, possibly because he has now grasped my reason for wanting to study the Tome of Life and Death Magic.

"With or without me, things will fall into place. The Demon Realm will expand its territory to the ends of the earth, and it shall belong to us. Therefore, in light of our inevitable victory, I have chosen to leave."

Hearing the words come from my mouth, Earl gasps and covers his mouth. I do not look at him, and he tries to remain as quiet as possible.

For a moment, I forget that he is not one of us. He is a demigod, son of a mortal man and a goddess. His unique constitution was the reason he was chosen by the noble demons and appointed Royal Magus.

The fact that he was raised among demons was of considerable merit, as well.

As I look at the pale moonlight on the floor of the throne room, I feel as though a divine presence has entered.

The eyes of Heaven have never been opened this wide in order to look down directly at me.

"Whether Heaven likes it or not, I will be bending Life and Death to my will. I will be reincarnated in the body of a demon, a descendant of today's generation."

I look at Earl and notice his eyes are glittering. They are welling up with tears.

"Do not be saddened. Tell the others in my stead. I shall seal myself in my quarters until I grasp the concept of the tome. Ensure no one disturbs me."

I return to reading the tome, but something odd catches my attention. The moonlight seems to have become brighter, but I cannot really tell. Leaning forward in my seat, I realize that the feeling of being under the gaze of divine entities has intensified. I feel as though my words have caught Heaven's attention.

I could not have known what this meant, and I could not have known what feelings were truly exploding to life within the heart of the Royal Magus.

I could not know.

I should have known.