Seraphina sat on a chair near the window with Kaelthar—now living as a human baby named Aurelia—in her lap. The late afternoon light filtered through the thin curtains and fell softly across the wooden floor, filling the room with warmth and calm.
In her hand was a small spoon containing smooth porridge that had just been prepared by the kitchen servants.
She lifted the spoon slowly.
“Come on, dear. Open your mouth.”
But Kaelthar did not open it.
His tiny lips remained tightly shut. He even turned his face slightly away, causing the spoon to brush only against his cheek before Seraphina pulled it back.
Seraphina blinked.
“Hm?”
She tried again.
The spoon moved closer once more.
The small mouth stayed closed.
Seraphina chuckled softly.
“Oh… so Mother’s little princess is sulking today?”
Behind the annoyed expression of the baby’s face, Kaelthar’s mind was working hard.
He was upset.
The feeling was still new to him.
There was a strange pressure in his chest, a faint warmth in his face, and a strong urge to refuse something he usually enjoyed.
This was not hunger.
Nor was it physical discomfort.
It came from within him.
Sadness.
His thoughts drifted back to the fireplace earlier.
The dancing flame.
He had almost touched it.
Almost.
But then his mother had lifted him away, and the fire had disappeared.
At that moment he had cried.
A different kind of crying than before.
Previously, he cried because his body needed something—hunger, cold, or a wet diaper.
But this time he lacked nothing.
He simply did not get what he wanted.
And that made him sad.
The concept confused him.
As a demon, he had once absorbed human sadness—the grief of a soldier who failed to protect his comrade, the despair of a mother who lost her child, or the sorrow of a merchant who lost everything.
He knew what it felt like.
Human sadness was a very powerful emotion.
And very delicious.
But demons never truly experienced it themselves.
If something did not go according to plan, they simply sought something else.
There was no sense of loss.
No tears.
Only a simple conclusion.
Finished.
Now it was different.
Just because the fire moved away, this human body cried as though the world had collapsed.
Strange.
Very strange.
Seraphina tried to feed him again.
“Come on, Aurelia. This is good.”
The spoon approached once more.
Kaelthar kept his mouth closed.
Not because he was not hungry.
Quite the opposite.
He knew exactly what would happen if he opened his mouth.
He would enjoy the taste.
This human body would react immediately—warm, sweet, soothing.
And then his thoughts would blur.
He had learned that already.
Every time he ate or nursed, a wave of comfort arrived.
So powerful that he almost always fell asleep afterward.
That comfort was dangerous.
Not because it hurt.
But because it was too pleasant.
If he ate now, his mind would sink into that comfort.
His analysis would disappear.
Seraphina tilted her head.
“Hm… very stubborn today.”
She tried again.
Kaelthar turned his face away.
His mouth remained closed.
Seraphina finally pulled him closer to her chest.
“Why are you like this today?” she murmured gently.
She stroked her daughter’s soft hair.
Kaelthar stared at her with a serious expression.
Seraphina smiled faintly.
“You wanted to touch the fire earlier, didn’t you?”
She pointed to the fireplace in the corner of the room.
“You mustn’t go near fire.”
Her tone was clear.
“It hurts.”
Kaelthar blinked.
Pain.
He knew that word.
He had heard humans scream it.
When their bodies were torn apart.
Stolen novel; please report.
When their bones were broken.
When they burned.
But for demons, pain was not something to avoid.
On the contrary, pain often produced extremely strong emotions.
He had even injured humans deliberately just to create those emotions.
Their screams produced rich energy.
And even when he himself was wounded in battle, he never felt fear.
Instead, he felt more alive.
So why did humans avoid it?
He looked at the fireplace again.
The flames still danced there.
Seraphina spoke again softly.
“Fire can hurt your skin.”
Kaelthar considered that.
Would this human body also enjoy pain?
The question was very interesting.
While he was lost in thought, Seraphina tried feeding him again.
The small spoon approached once more.
Kaelthar did not notice.
Unconsciously—
his mouth opened slightly.
The spoon slipped in.
Warm porridge touched his tongue.
And instantly—
comfort arrived.
Soft.
Warm.
Slightly sweet.
His small body reacted immediately.
His muscles relaxed.
His sharp thoughts began to soften.
He swallowed.
The second spoon came.
He swallowed again.
Seraphina smiled with relief.
“That’s better.”
Kaelthar still tried to think.
But his mind was becoming hazy.
The comfort spread throughout his body.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Pleasant.
His analysis about sadness and pain slowly sank beneath that wave of comfort.
He tried to hold onto his thoughts.
But this baby’s body had its own priorities.
He swallowed again.
And again.
Seraphina chuckled softly as she watched the satisfied expression on her daughter’s face.
Kaelthar did not even notice when he stopped resisting.
His eyes half-closed.
His small body leaned against his mother’s arms.
Faintly, one last thought crossed his mind.
Oh…
life is pleasant.
Then another spoon came.
And he happily ate it.
In a dark chamber lit only by the trembling glow of candlelight, Aurelia sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. The large, powerful demon body felt like a prison to her, but now she was trying to control it. She closed her eyes and focused her mind.
“Hatred…” she murmured, her voice echoing through Kaelthar’s body. “I must hate. If I want to survive in this world, I must learn to produce hatred like they do.”
She tried to think of something that would make her angry.
The Demon King—this body’s father.
His cruelty.
The way he forced his children to fight each other, torment the weak, and glorify strength without mercy.
But every time she tried to summon that anger, her mind returned to the values of her former world—the human world where she had been taught to forgive and seek the light.
She had succeeded once before, days ago, when she became furious at the cruel system of the demon world.
But because she had already released that emotion, she now struggled to feel the same anger again.
“This won’t work,” she muttered as she opened her eyes in frustration. Her fists clenched tightly, the sharp claws of her demon body digging into her palms until they almost bled. “I can’t hate like they do. I…”
Before she could finish her thought, the door burst open violently.
She turned sharply.
A tall, imposing figure stood in the doorway.
It was one of her older brothers—Morthak.
His face was cruel, his smile exposing sharp fangs.
“What are you doing here, Kaelthar? Hiding again like a coward?” His voice was rough, full of mockery.
He stepped inside without permission, his glowing red eyes scanning Aurelia from head to toe with contempt.
“Oh, let me guess. You’re praying that Father won’t kill you?”
Aurelia held herself back from responding.
She knew that answering him would only provoke a fight, yet the demon instincts in her body began reacting to Morthak’s provocation.
A strange urge to retaliate crept into her thoughts.
“What do you want, Morthak?” she asked finally, her voice deep and cold, though inside she felt exhausted dealing with her siblings.
Morthak snorted and crossed his arms.
“Father wants all of us to gather in the training yard. He said this will be our first trial.”
He stepped closer, narrowing his eyes.
“So you’d better prepare yourself, little brother. I want to see how quickly you lose.”
Aurelia listened without showing emotion, though her heart beat faster.
A trial?
The training yard?
What was the Demon King planning now?
Morthak turned to leave, but before exiting he glanced back at Aurelia once more.
“Oh, and Kaelthar,” he said with a cruel smile, “try not to die too quickly. It would be very disappointing if I never get the chance to destroy you myself.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
Aurelia stood and clenched her teeth.
Her body responded to Morthak’s insults with a strange anger.
Dark energy pulsed in her chest, urging her to fight.
But her mind—her human soul—refused.
“A trial,” she murmured as she walked toward the door. “I must be careful. This world knows only violence, and I must play by their rules if I want to survive.”
With heavy steps, she headed toward the training yard, her mind filled with questions and caution.
One thing she knew for certain:
Whatever awaited her there would not be easy.
Aurelia was too irritated to realize that her brother’s insults had triggered her demon instincts, filling her previously weakened body with new energy.
Her footsteps echoed through the stone corridors as she approached the training yard.
Her heart beat quickly—not from fear, but from alertness.
In this world, weakness was unforgivable.
When she arrived, the sight of the training yard made her stop.
The arena was vast and open, surrounded by tall walls lined with metal spikes.
Gray-black sand covered the ground, mixed with stains of dried blood.
The smell of anger, hatred, and envy hung thick in the air, making her body react instinctively with excitement.
Dozens of her siblings had already gathered.
Some were massive and monstrous.
Others were lean and agile like predators.
But what caught Aurelia’s attention most was their expressions—glowing red eyes filled with anticipation, cruel grins, and an atmosphere boiling with the thrill of bloodshed.
Aurelia felt nauseous.
Her old instincts as the Holy Queen told her this was meaningless cruelty.
Yet her demon body reacted differently.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her breathing grew heavier.
A small spark stirred inside her—something like buried excitement.
“Why does this body…” she thought, clenching her fist. “Why does it feel excited by this?”
She tried to ignore the feeling.
But the eager expressions of her siblings only made the sensation stronger.
Some laughed loudly, mocking a younger sibling standing in the center of the arena.
Suddenly the atmosphere shifted.
A dark aura spread across the yard.
Everyone fell silent.
Even the mocking laughter stopped.
On a raised platform, the Demon King appeared.
The massive figure stood with absolute authority, his eyes sweeping across his children with cold intensity.
His long black robe shimmered with the red glow of magma-like lines across his skin.
When he spoke, his voice thundered through the arena.
“My children,” he said, his voice heavy with power. “Today you will show this world whether you are worthy of my blood. This world knows no mercy. Only strength matters. Weakness is an insult—and insults must be destroyed.”
Aurelia clenched her teeth.
His words disgusted her.
Yet her body responded with excitement.
A drive to prove herself—to fight—to win—began to stir inside her.
“What is happening to me?” she wondered in confusion.
The Demon King raised his hand.
Two siblings stepped forward into the center of the arena.
One was very young, his body small and fragile, the red lines on his skin barely glowing.
Opposite him stood a much larger brother, muscular and towering, with sharp fangs protruding from his jaw.
“Begin!” the Demon King shouted.
Without hesitation, the larger demon attacked.
The first blow sent the smaller child flying to the ground.
The sound of his body hitting the sand made Aurelia freeze.
Her old instincts reacted immediately.
“This isn’t fair,” she thought. “This isn’t a fight. It’s torture.”
Yet before she could move, her body refused.
Something about the way she watched the fight felt different.
Her eyes fixed on the blood beginning to flow from the smaller child’s wounds.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Something inside her trembled—something that felt disturbingly like excitement.
Her siblings began cheering.
Some laughed loudly.
“You couldn’t even last ten seconds!” one mocked.
Others grinned viciously, thrilled to see their younger brother beaten.
Aurelia bit her lip.
“This is wrong,” she thought. “It’s cruel. Why do they look like they’re enjoying this?”
Yet when she glanced at the Demon King, confusion filled her mind.
He did not look cruel.
His expression was cold.
But there was something else there.
Something like expectation.
In the arena, the smaller child finally stood again.
His body trembled.
His breathing was ragged.
But in his eyes something had changed.
Anger.
A determination Aurelia had not expected.
He lunged forward and slashed at his brother with the last of his strength.
The attack did not seriously wound him, but it was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Aurelia froze.
A strange feeling rose inside her—admiration.
The child refused to give up despite impossible odds.
And there was something thrilling in the way he fought back.
His brother grinned viciously, clearly enjoying the resistance.
He struck back more lightly this time, almost as if deliberately giving his younger sibling another chance.
The grin was cruel—but also something else.
Something like pride.
When the smaller child finally collapsed again, the older brother did not deliver the final blow.
Instead he stood over him for a moment.
“Good,” he said gruffly. “You’re not completely weak, little brother.”
The child looked up with mixed emotions—anger, determination, and respect.
With surprising strength, he stood up.
Then he flashed a savage grin.
“I won’t lose forever, brother!” he said before returning to his place.
Strangely, Aurelia realized the anger in the child’s eyes was not the anger she understood.
It felt more like a form of happiness among demons.
Just like the strange excitement she herself felt now, even though her former human heart desperately resisted it.
Aurelia watched everything with conflicting emotions.
Her instincts as the Holy Queen said this was cruelty.
Yet her demon body felt something different.
There was excitement in the violence.
As if pain and suffering were part of some important lesson.
She turned her head away, trying to regain control.
“What is wrong with me…?” she whispered.
The Demon King spoke again.
“In this world, weakness is an insult. But through pain, strength is born. And with strength comes respect.”
His gaze shifted to Aurelia.
“Kaelthar, if you wish to survive, you must learn that pain is your rival—your greatest enemy. You must become stronger than it if you wish to become a true demon.”
Aurelia swallowed hard.
His words disgusted her.
Yet she could not ignore that her body agreed.
Something within Kaelthar’s blood responded to that philosophy.
When the others prepared for the next fight, Aurelia remained silent.
Inside her, a war raged.
Her human side wanted to reject everything.
But her demon body—built for hatred and violence—surrendered to the thrill of this world.
“If I must survive,” she thought at last, “I must play by their rules.”
“But I will not lose myself.”
“I will use this world in my own way.”
Yet deep in her heart she knew the truth.
Every step she took in this world would change her little by little.
Would she remain Aurelia?
Or would this body eventually consume her completely?
