Blackhorn

Jorghan turned to see a figure behind him. He was spooked by the sudden appearance, and he didn't even feel his presence.

He clutched the stone tightly. He had heard about Blackhorn, a demon race being, and powerful too. He did his research before coming here to get this stone from Blackhorn.

Blackhorn stood in the doorway, his massive frame blocking the exit completely. He was taller than any being Jorghan had ever seen, easily reaching nine feet. His skin was ashen grey, covered in a constellation of red dots that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.

A single horn protruded from the left side of his head, the same light red colour as the dots on his skin.

But it was his eyes that captivated Jorghan—pools of liquid darkness with pinpricks of crimson light where pupils should be. They held ancient wisdom and unfathomable cruelty in equal measure.

The demon's expression was one of genuine surprise as he regarded the small human child standing before his most prized possession.

"A human child?" Blackhorn said, his voice rumbling like distant thunder.

"In my sanctum. Holding the Red Sapphire." He tilted his head, studying Jorghan with increasing curiosity. "And yet... you're not entirely human, are you, little one?"

Jorghan remained silent, his mind racing through options.

Fight was impossible—even with his abnormal strength, a direct confrontation with a demon of Blackhorn's status would be suicide. Flight seemed equally unlikely with the demon blocking the only exit.

"Your silence speaks volumes," Blackhorn continued, taking a step into the room.

The liquid shadow floor rippled under his weight. "I can smell the power on you. Abnormally strong sensation."

The demon's lips curved into something that might have been a smile on a human face, but on his features it looked predatory and unsettling.

"Tell me, child. How did you bypass my defences? How did you know about the sapphire? And most importantly..." Blackhorn's eyes narrowed, the red pinpricks flaring brighter.

"Why does it accept your touch when it has burned all others to ash?"

Jorghan tightened his grip on the sapphire, feeling its power resonating with his own.

The tattoo on his neck began to burn, the lily pattern glowing beneath his clothing. The arcana stone was something primal and pulsed with magic of old.

Unlike ordinary sapphires, Arcana did not merely shine—it burned with an internal radiance, an eerie, molten glow shifting like liquid fire trapped beneath a translucent shell. Its colour was not just red but a thousand shades of crimson, shifting between the deep hue of spilled blood, the fiery brilliance of a dying sun, and the dark ember glow of something that had long since transcended mortal understanding. When held, it did not feel like stone, but something alive, thrumming with a pulse akin to a slumbering god's heartbeat.

One cannot simply hold it and live, unless they are attuned to the stone.

"I need it," Jorghan said finally, his voice steady despite the danger. "To leave this domain."

Blackhorn's laugh was like stones grinding together. "Do you now? And what makes you think I would allow such a thing? That stone has been in my possession for centuries, little boy."

The demon took another step forward, and the air in the room grew heavier, charged with malevolent energy.

"Though I must admit," Blackhorn continued, studying Jorghan with renewed interest, "I find myself curious about you. Not many could reach this chamber undetected. Fewer still would dare to touch what is mine."

The demon's eyes fixed on Jorghan's neck, where the glow of the lily tattoo was now visible above his collar.

-

The air in the chamber grew dense with power as Blackhorn's initial surprise gave way to cold calculation. His massive frame straightened, his horn gleaming in the strange light that emanated from both the sapphire and Jorghan's glowing tattoo.

"I see Sigwuarna's hand in this," Blackhorn said, his voice like grinding stone. "She is the only one aware of the possession of the stone in my hands."

The demon's lips curled into a snarl.

Sigwuarna was the one who told him about the stone and its power. It contained a lot of arcane magic, which would make it possible to open a gate to the outer world. But she wasn't sure about it, as it required a lot of mana.

Jorghan had pestered her about how to get out of this domain, so she merely mentioned Blackhorn and the stone, but she wasn't aware that this child would go after it.

She thought she was just satisfying a child's curiosity and didn't think that he would dare to go after Blackhorn.

Blackhorn chuckled, "To think that old sorceress would send a child to take the stone from me, what a senile old bitch."