The Demon king's Last oath

The chamber was cold, the air thick with a heavy, oppressive energy that seemed to seep into Caius's bones. He stood before the pedestal, his eyes fixed on the shard of black crystal. It pulsed faintly, its surface shimmering as if alive, the rhythm matching the pull in his chest.

Behind him, the stranger lingered near the entrance, their silver eyes darting between the glowing runes and the shard.

"Don't touch it," they warned, their voice low.

Caius ignored them. He stepped closer, his hand hovering inches from the shard. The pull was almost unbearable now, a silent voice whispering in the back of his mind.

"Come closer… remember…"

"What is it?" Caius asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger shook their head. "Trouble. That thing's radiating old magic. Dark magic. You don't want to mess with it."

"I don't think I have a choice," Caius replied.

The shard pulsed again, and for a moment, the runes etched into the walls flared brighter. The faint hum of magic grew louder, a low, resonant vibration that seemed to fill the room.

Caius clenched his jaw, his hand trembling as he reached for the shard.

"You're insane," the stranger muttered, but they didn't move to stop him.

As Caius's fingers brushed the crystal, a surge of energy shot through him. His vision blurred, and the world around him dissolved into darkness.

When Caius opened his eyes, he was no longer in the chamber. He stood in a vast, barren wasteland, the sky above him churning with storm clouds. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and dry, stained black as if scorched by fire.

In the distance, a massive army stretched across the horizon. Rows upon rows of soldiers, their armor gleaming in the dim light, stood at attention.

And at their center, on a throne carved from obsidian, sat a figure cloaked in shadow.

Caius's breath caught in his throat. He knew this place. He knew that figure.

"The Demon King…"

The figure rose, their crimson eyes glowing like twin stars in the darkness. They raised a hand, and the army roared, their voices shaking the ground beneath Caius's feet.

For a moment, Caius thought the figure was staring directly at him.

"You swore an oath," the figure said, their voice deep and resonant, echoing through the wasteland. "A promise to protect the balance. And now, that balance is broken."

Caius tried to speak, but his voice failed him.

The figure stepped closer, their form shifting and flickering like smoke. "The world you left behind is unraveling, child. And you… you must decide what you will become."

Before Caius could respond, the vision shattered, the wasteland dissolving into a blinding white light.

Caius gasped as his senses snapped back to the present. He was on his knees in the chamber, his hand still resting on the shard. The pulsing energy had stopped, and the room was eerily silent.

The stranger knelt beside him, their silver eyes wide with concern. "What the hell just happened?"

Caius didn't answer immediately. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling as he tried to process what he had seen.

"The Demon King," he said finally, his voice hoarse. "This shard… it's part of him."

The stranger frowned. "Part of him? What are you talking about?"

Caius slowly pushed himself to his feet, his gaze fixed on the shard. "It's a fragment of his power. His essence. When he died, the power didn't vanish—it fractured."

"And now it's calling to you," the stranger said, their tone laced with suspicion.

Caius nodded, his jaw tightening. "It's more than that. It's tied to what's happening now. The Shadowborn, the storms, the creatures hunting me—it's all connected."

The stranger studied him for a long moment, their expression unreadable. "You know more than you're letting on, boy. What aren't you telling me?"

Caius hesitated. He had spent his entire life keeping his true identity a secret, but now… now the past was clawing its way to the surface, refusing to be buried.

Finally, he spoke. "I was there. When the Demon King fell."

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "You're not old enough to have been there, unless…" Their eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. "Unless you're not who you seem to be."

Caius met their gaze, his expression grim. "I swore an oath to protect this world. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep that promise."

The stranger leaned back, their silver eyes narrowing. "Well, that explains a lot. But if what you're saying is true, then we've got a bigger problem."

"What do you mean?" Caius asked.

The stranger gestured to the shard. "If that thing's a piece of the Demon King's power, then you're not the only one looking for it. Something—or someone—else will want it. And they'll kill anyone who gets in their way."

As if on cue, a faint rumble echoed through the chamber. Caius and the stranger both turned toward the entrance, their bodies tensing as the ground beneath them trembled.

"Looks like we've got company," the stranger muttered, rising to their feet.

The runes on the walls began to flicker, their glow dimming as the hum of magic grew louder. Shadows pooled at the edges of the room, twisting and writhing like living things.

Caius stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger. The pull in his chest had faded, replaced by a growing sense of dread.

From the darkness of the archway, a figure emerged. They were tall and cloaked, their face obscured by a hood. In one hand, they held a staff that crackled with dark energy, and in the other, they gripped a chain that trailed behind them.

At the end of the chain was a massive beast, its eyes glowing with the same unnatural blue light as the Gatekeepers outside.

"Step away from the shard," the figure commanded, their voice low and cold.

Caius didn't move. His blue eyes burned with determination as he drew his dagger, dark flames flickering to life around his hand.

"If you want it," he said, his voice steady, "you'll have to take it."