CHAPTER 181: DEMONBOUND

Jack stood before the Temple of Radiant Dawn once more. The massive doors loomed ahead, carved with intricate patterns that hurt to look at directly.

It had been over a month since his last visit.

But now he was back. And he had something to deliver.

’Two hearts,’ Jack thought, feeling the weight of them in his system storage. ’But damn, I did not like S’s answer to Malakai. Why’s it got to be so complicated.’

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

The doors creaked open as Jack approached, that same grinding-bone sound echoing through the air.

Darkness swallowed him immediately, the oppressive shadows and flickering torches creating an atmosphere that felt more appropriate for a tomb than a temple.

A different demon priestess emerged from the shadows this time. Her crimson robes were identical to the first one’s, but her features were sharper. Her red eyes tracked Jack’s movement with predatory interest.

"Soul Warden," she said, her voice carrying that same unsettling harmony. "You return to seek communion with the divine."

"I do," Jack confirmed, his voice steady despite the nervous energy building in his chest.

She gestured toward the familiar corridor. "The chamber awaits. The blood fruit has ripened in your absence."

Jack followed her through the twisting passages, Kyren’s hollow footsteps echoing behind him. The temperature dropped as they descended, his breath misting in the cold air.

Everything was exactly as he remembered, the oppressive darkness, the sulfur-sweet incense, the feeling of descending into something ancient and dangerous.

They reached the circular chamber. The stone altar stood at its center, and upon it rested the tree bearing its crimson fruit.

The blood fruit pulsed with that same rhythmic throb, veins visible beneath its skin like a living heart.

"Consume the offering," the priestess instructed, stepping back into the shadows.

Jack didn’t hesitate this time.

He approached the altar, plucked the fruit from the tree, and bit into it without ceremony.

The taste exploded across his tongue, sweet and metallic, like honey mixed with copper.

Juice ran down his chin as he consumed it in three quick bites.

The chamber spun. Darkness deepened. And Jack was falling.

---

When his vision cleared, Jack found himself standing on the massive rock once more. The impossible purple-red sky stretched overhead, and in the distance, he could see the dark castle with its ominous spires.

’No Maurice this time,’ Jack noted, looking around the empty landscape. ’Guess I don’t need a guide for a second visit. Such a shame I was hoping to throw him off the ledge."

He began walking toward the castle, his boots ringing against the strange stone that felt both solid and insubstantial.

The journey felt shorter than before, as if the space itself recognized him and contracted to accommodate his purpose.

The bridge did not collapse, it was solid this time.

The castle doors stood open. Jack stepped through without pause, his eyes adjusting to the throne room’s dim light.

The black stone walls. The flickering lanterns with their dark flames. The massive bone throne at the chamber’s far end.

And sitting upon it, exactly as Jack remembered, was Dreknar the Black Flame.

The demon god’s jet-black skin was something to admire.

His horns curved back from his skull like a crown of bone. Those green flames burning in his eyes tracked Jack’s approach with interest that felt almost hungry.

"Well, well," Dreknar’s voice rumbled through the chamber, making Jack’s chest vibrate. "The little lamb returns. And so soon." His smile revealed those perfect white teeth. "Tell me, did you complete your task? Or have you come to beg for mercy after failing?"

Jack stopped at the base of the throne’s steps. He met those burning green eyes without flinching, his hand moving to his system storage.

"I completed it," Jack said simply.

He pulled out the first heart.

The organ was massive, easily twice the size of a human heart.

Dark blood still dripped from it despite being stored for weeks, and the demonic essence radiating from it made the air shimmer. Jack held it up so Dreknar could see it clearly.

"Vok’thar’s first heart," Jack announced.

Then he pulled out the second one, equally massive, equally potent with residual power.

"And his second."

The throne room fell absolutely silent. Dreknar’s expression shifted from amused interest to something that might have been genuine surprise.

He leaned forward, those green flames intensifying as he studied the hearts in Jack’s hands.

"Both of them," Dreknar said slowly, his voice carrying a note Jack couldn’t quite identify. "You took both hearts."

"You asked for one heart from either leader," Jack said. "I brought you both from the same demon. Figured it would prove I was thorough."

Dreknar stared at Jack for several long seconds. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

The sound was massive, shaking the very foundations of the throne room.

The black flames in the lanterns roared higher. The bone throne creaked and groaned beneath the demon god’s weight as his shoulders shook with genuine mirth.

"Thorough!" Dreknar’s laughter continued, booming through the chamber. "You ripped both hearts from a War Chief’s chest and call it being thorough!" He wiped at his eyes as if tears of amusement had formed.

"Oh, little lamb, you’re either the most practical mortal I’ve ever met or the most ruthlessly efficient killer in this tower."

Jack waited patiently for the laughter to subside, still holding both hearts. Blood dripped onto the stone floor, forming small pools that seemed to smoke slightly in the strange atmosphere.

Finally, Dreknar’s amusement faded to a wide grin. He gestured with one massive hand.

"Bring them here. Let me see them up close."

Jack climbed the steps, each one requiring more effort than it should have.

The pressure of Dreknar’s presence intensified.

Making his muscles strain and his demonic essence pulse wildly. But he pushed through, reaching the top and holding out both hearts for inspection.

Dreknar leaned forward, his face close enough that Jack could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

Those green flames studied the hearts with an intensity that made Jack’s instincts scream.

One massive hand reached out, a single clawed finger touching the first heart.

The moment contact was made, black flames erupted from the point of contact. They consumed the heart in seconds, burning with an intensity that should have hurt but only felt warm against Jack’s palm.

The heart turned to ash, then to nothing, absorbed completely by Dreknar’s power.

The demon god touched the second heart and the result was the same.

When both hearts were gone, Dreknar settled back into his throne with a satisfied sound.

"Well done, little lamb," he said, his voice carrying genuine approval. "You’ve completed your first task admirably."

[DING!]

[Quest Complete: Dreknar’s Favor Part 1]

[Objective: Return with either Seryth’s heart or Vok’thar’s heart - COMPLETE]

[Bonus Objective: Return with both of Vok’thar’s hearts - COMPLETE]

[Reward: +100 Skill Points]

[Reward: Class Unlocked - Demonbound]

[Current Skill Points: 200]

Jack dismissed the skill point notification, his attention fixed on the new class information flooding his vision.

[Class Unlocked: Demonbound]

[Description: The first step on the path of demonic transformation. You have bound yourself to the essence of demons, walking the line between mortal and monster. This class grants abilities that draw upon the dark power flowing through your veins]