The air around them grew heavier. A deep, unnatural chill seeped into their bones as shadows twisted in the smoke-filled sky.

Then came the laughter.

Slow, mocking, dripping with amusement.

Seungho’s grip on his sword tightened as he turned, his sharp gaze locking onto the figure emerging from the darkness.

A tall, ominous presence loomed before them—a man, yet unmistakably not human. His long, dark robes trailed like flowing ink, his eyes glowed an unnatural crimson, and his very presence felt suffocating.

The Demon King.

The being feared by all kingdoms, whispered of in terrified hushes, and now standing before them in flesh.

"Well, well…" the Demon King mused, tilting his head as his piercing gaze flickered between Seungho and Jiwon. "Look at the great royal scholar, clutching so protectively onto his little prince."

Jiwon, still weak from grief, managed to stand, picking up his fallen sword with shaking hands. Seungho immediately moved in front of him.

"Tsk. How touching," the Demon King sneered. "Tell me, scholar, do you think you can protect him from me?"

Seungho didn’t answer. He simply raised his sword.

The Demon King’s grin widened.

Then he attacked.

A gust of dark energy shot toward them like a storm, and Seungho barely had time to push Jiwon aside before parrying a strike that sent a shockwave through his arms. He gritted his teeth, his feet sliding back from the force.

Jiwon staggered to his feet, ignoring the pain in his chest, and rushed forward to fight alongside Seungho. Together, they slashed and countered, their movements perfectly in sync. But the Demon King was too powerful. Every hit they landed felt like striking solid rock, and every attack they dodged only grew stronger.

Then—

A glint of steel.

Jiwon gasped. Pain seared through his side as a demon’s sword found its mark. His vision blurred, his knees buckling.

"Jiwon!" Seungho’s voice was sharp with panic.

Jiwon stumbled, blood spilling down his robes as he struggled to keep himself upright.

The Demon King chuckled. "How fragile."

Seungho turned back to him, fury in his gaze, but before he could move, the Demon King raised a single finger.

And then—

Agony.

Seungho fell to his knees, a sharp, burning pain coursing through every vein in his body. He clutched at his throat as an unbearable heat surged through him, something foreign and monstrous sinking into his very soul.

The Demon King watched in amusement as Seungho writhed. "A fitting punishment for a devoted little guardian, don’t you think?" he mused, glancing at Jiwon, who was barely holding on. "Since you love your prince so much, why not let him be the first meal for the new you?"

Jiwon’s blood ran cold.

Seungho’s body twisted unnaturally as his cries of pain echoed through the ruined kingdom. His golden eyes darkened—shifting into a glowing, blood-red hue. His breathing turned ragged, his teeth lengthened into razor-sharp fangs, his skin paling into a ghostly shade.

The transformation was complete.

Seungho stilled.

Then, slowly, he lifted his head.

Gone was the composed, intelligent scholar. In his place stood a beast—hungry, mindless, and driven by an overwhelming thirst.

And his gaze was locked onto one thing.

Fresh, flowing blood.

Jiwon.

Jiwon’s breath hitched as Seungho lunged.

"Seonsaengnim—!" Jiwon cried, stumbling backward, his vision spinning from blood loss. He lifted a weak hand, trying to push him away. "It’s me! Seonsaengnim, please—!"

But there was no recognition in those red eyes.

Seungho grabbed him, his grip iron-tight, and before Jiwon could protest further, sharp fangs sank deep into his neck.

Pain.

Jiwon gasped, his body going rigid as Seungho drank deeply, each pull of blood sending shivers down his spine. His vision darkened, his limbs numb.

"Seungho…" he whimpered, his voice barely above a whisper.

But Seungho did not stop. He was lost—lost in hunger, in darkness, in the curse that had stripped him of his very soul.

The Demon King chuckled as he seated himself on the ruined throne, watching the scene unfold.

"How poetic," he murmured, his voice dripping with mockery. "To be devoured by the one who swore to protect you."