4. Demon King Graham

Kyle walked along a path, and a chain bound both of his hands. The demons were everywhere, and he could even see one demon whipping a woman on a pole. He wondered if the Earth had finally been conquered.

"Welcome to hell, kid. You must probably be wondering where and why you're here," the demon in front of him said as it walked ahead.

Its dirty cloak fluttered as it dragged the chains ahead.

"No."

The demon's hood, which covered its eyes, slightly raised, showing the obvious curiosity about Kyle's response.

"I have sinned," Kyle said, looking down.

It wasn't even surprising. Even he couldn't vouch for anyone in the world that hadn't sinned.

The world changed, and everything collapsed. To survive, one has to be strong and dominate.

"So what is my punishment going to be?" he asked with a sigh, and the demon chuckled but didn't reply.

They walked for over an hour, and Kyle began to see a large structure on a mountain, which was the highest point. Only when he was close to it could he actually see that it was a building.

The demon suddenly leaped into the air, pulling the chains after him, and Kyle was surprised as his wrist was dragged into the air.

The demon landed on the stone ground in front of the castle, and Kyle landed on the ground, breaking his skull against the pavement.

His vision began to blur, and his breathing became heavy. All of a sudden, all the pain subsided, and he got up.

Touching his head, he was healed, and he didn't understand what was going on.

"Haha, in hell, you cannot die. Only suffer pain. Let's go in. He has been waiting for you for a long time," the demon said, and for some reason, Kyle thought he saw a smile.

"A demon..." he muttered.

He used to join people and burn these things at a stake if they caught one. And now he's going to see their said king.

The large doors in front of them opened, and then he walked in along with the demon. The sides of the large corridor were adorned with aesthetic candles that had skulls burning.

At the end of the corridor, there seemed to be a hall, and he could hear chatter coming from there.

"Am I going to be judged?" Kyle asked as he dragged his bare feet across the ground.

"Oh, no. I'm also curious why the king would want to meet with such a weak human. But his interests are my interests," the demon responded, and then they stepped into the large hall.

There were more than a hundred creatures seated all around, and they all stared at Kyle, growling as he stepped towards the large throne in front.

There were three seats beside the large throne and seven on the other side, filled with demons, and Kyle looked up to the throne.

His vision immediately went black, and he frowned, looking down again.

"Don't look at him unless he tells you to," the demon pulling him said, and Kyle's vision returned.

They were finally in front of the throne, and the demon put a hand on Kyle's shoulder, forcing him to kneel down.

Kyle had no choice and couldn't even look up to see the figure in front of him.

That feeling of demonic presence—the very same one he felt back on Earth, the same one that he hated—was all around him at this moment.

"Kyle..." A voice came from his front, and he frowned.

"Betrayed by your best friend, who has been deceiving you for your power for six years..." The voice halted, seemingly taking it in.

"You've not lived a life at all. If I were to give you a second chance to go back, what would you do?" the king asked, making Kyle curious.

"If I had a chance, I would definitely make him suffer, and I would kill him." Kyle clenched his fists, staring at the glassy floor below him with gritted teeth.

"Even if you take down the world with you?" the king asked with a stern tone.

"Even if it takes down the world with me."

The king chuckled, and then he stood up from his throne. The sound of metal clashing against the tiles echoed, and all the demons kept quiet immediately.

"You may look."

Kyle raised his brows, and then he looked up, and his eyes widened. The chains binding him vanished, and his eyes became teary.

In front of him was a handsome man who had green eyes and long black hair, resembling him in facial features.

"Big brother... Graham?" Kyle fell to his knees as he kept his eyes on the figure in front of him.

There was no mistaking it. The scale-like eyes and horns were not his brother's, but the face—he would never forget the face. The face of his elder brother.

"Come with me."

The demon king grabbed Kyle by the arm and suddenly vanished in a mist of black smoke along with the human boy.

...

Kyle reappeared on the roof of the castle, and he couldn't help but hug the person in front of him.

"Are you... Are you really my brother?" Kyle asked as tears ran down his eyes.

"It's me, Kyle. I've been waiting for you," Graham said, sitting on the ground.

"Why didn't you come back that day? You went out on a rainy day and didn't return," Kyle questioned, looking at Graham.

Graham was his only direct relative in a world filled with people who wanted to use him for benefits.

His brother, who took care of him from birth.

"It's as you guessed. I died inside the dungeon. But not because of the demons—I was abandoned by my squad mates," Graham explained, and then Kyle sat beside him.

"And now you're the king of hell. How did that happen?" Kyle asked.

It felt like he was talking to his long-lost friend.

"Well, I was able to use my awakened power in hell, and I used it to defeat all of the former king's followers and take over," Graham said with a smile, revealing his fangs.

A silence fell between them, and then Kyle looked at his brother again.

"Is it really possible to send me back?" he asked with a serious face, and Graham smiled before nodding.

His green eyes glowed, and a mirror materialized out of thin air.

"Hell has become a whole civilization under my rule. You'll have to become a demon and become a reaper, sent to Earth to recover souls. But I'll release your seal to allow you to access a proper body on Earth," Graham explained, and Kyle nodded his head with a smile.

It seemed like this wasn't going to be the end of his story either way.

Graham raised his hand, and the mirror's surface rippled like water. Within it, Kyle saw a familiar city skyline bathed only with starlight—Earth, but twisted, overrun by creatures of the abyss.

"You have two goals, Kyle," Graham said, his voice calm but firm. "Find the one who betrayed you… and drag his soul to hell."

Kyle clenched his fists, his reflection in the mirror shifting—his human form fading, replaced by something darker, something not human. His eyes burned crimson, his teeth sharpened, and a black sigil etched itself onto his chest.

On his head, two black horns emerged from the sides and black wings sprouted out of his back. He looked at his hands to see black claws replacing his fingernails.

A chill ran down his spine, but he didn't hesitate, nor panic.

"When do I start?" Kyle asked, his voice laced with a newfound hunger.

Graham smirked.

"Right now. Go down to the city of hell and play around. I'll prepare a gate for you to go back." Graham said before standing up.

The mirror shattered. A force yanked Kyle forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was falling—straight into the crowd of demons who bathed with blood.