Royal Bastard’s Bloodstained Regression

Dameon smiled—this girl really was something. Stubborn, loud, a bit too proud. It was almost a shame he might have to kill her.

He stepped closer, standing just in front of her as she dangled from the tendrils.

"What's so funny, you lunatic?!" she spat, struggling harder.

"You should be more careful with your words," he said coolly. "I might take them the wrong way... and act on them."

Nyxtriel crossed her arms, expression flat. "Want me to skin her? Or maybe light her up. People talk when they're on fire."

"No need," Dameon said, eyes still on Lilac. "She's close to breaking."

He reached forward slowly, fingers brushing near the edge of her fabric. "Or maybe... this is what you meant when you said I could do anything. Is this what it'll take for you to talk?"

Her cheeks flushed. "You perverted bastard! Don't touch me!"

He tilted his head. "But you said I could do anything, didn't you? I'm just helping you understand what that means."

"Fine! I'll help you!" she screamed, panic overtaking defiance.

He snapped his fingers, and the dark tendrils dissolved. She dropped to the ground, panting, glaring up at him with hatred in her eyes.

"You're disgusting," she hissed. "Just wait. Everyone's going to come looking for me."

"Pfft. You really think the holy temple has time to worry about one missing saintess?" Dameon scoffed. "Sure, they'll notice you're gone—but they've already got a much bigger problem on their hands."

Lilac narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled, calm and cold. "Zaria. Let's just say... she's not an angel anymore."

Lilac's breath caught. "What... what do you mean?"

"Oh, that's right. You haven't heard." Dameon's voice was smooth, mocking. "The temple's golden girl has fallen. No wings. No divine aura. Just another fragile human."

Lilac's face went pale. "No. No! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ZARIA, YOU MONSTER?!" she screamed, eyes wild with panic. "You're lying! You're just messing with me!"

She turned to Nyxtriel, desperate. "Tell me he's lying! You didn't let him do anything to her—right?!"

Nyxtriel glanced at Dameon. She didn't know the full details—he hadn't told her everything. He could be ruthless, even reckless. Still, she was curious herself. "My lord... did you kill her?"

Dameon shook his head casually, brushing past the question. The less said about that, the better. No need to stir up trouble with Nyxtriel over a detail.

Instead, he stepped toward Lilac and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward. "Enough talk. We have work to do. I need to learn how to channel divine power—and you're going to teach me."

He dropped to the floor, sitting cross-legged with eerie calm.

Lilac clenched her jaw, trembling. She didn't want to help him. Not after everything. But Nyxtriel stood by, silent and watching. No escape.

Grimly, Lilac knelt behind him, placed her palms on his back, and began to channel divine energy—hating every second of it.

Lilac closed her eyes and was pulled once again into that grotesque inner world—a vast sea of blood. The same abomination stood before her, its twisted form writhing with mouths, eyes, and twitching limbs.

"Disgusting!" she hissed, leaping back as it lunged at her.

Planting her feet, she raised her arm. Divine chains materialized from her fingertips and shot forward, piercing the creature's side. It let out an ear-splitting shriek, and the shockwave sent her flying backward through the air.

She caught herself mid-roll and turned quickly—only to face something even more terrifying.

Suspended above the ocean of blood was a massive, pulsating red orb—Dameon's Astra core. But at the center of it glowed a faint yellow light—divine energy. The core was unstable, the darkness and light constantly clashing.

"The creature's... protecting it?" she whispered.

Lilac narrowed her eyes, then laughed bitterly. "You fool. If I destroy that core... you'll die the most painful death imaginable."

She darted forward, weaving through the sludge and screaming tendrils. But the creature lashed out—its flesh morphing into razor-sharp spears and spiked limbs. She barely dodged them, her chains forming a glowing shield around her.

The stench of decay hit her hard.

"Yuck! What is this place?!"

Suddenly, pale bloody hands rose from the red liquid beneath her, clawing at her legs, dragging her downward.

"Damn it!" she shouted, bursting upward with divine energy, flinging the hands away.

She hovered, panting, surveying the endless crimson landscape. The deeper she went into this place, the more wrong it felt.

Then—she saw them.

Children. Dozens of them.

Silent. Hollow-eyed. Still clutching burned teddy bears, toys melted into their hands. They stood within the ruins of what looked like an orphanage... her old orphanage.

"No..." Her voice trembled.

They didn't have faces. Just empty sockets and twisted, lipless mouths. And yet... they were staring at her.

"Is this... an illusion?"

She took a step toward them, reaching out.

But the more she ran, the farther they seemed. The blood thickened beneath her, and every step dragged her down. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Don't tell me..." she muttered. "These... are the souls of those he's killed?"

She froze.

Or maybe... maybe it was worse.

Maybe it wasn't just his guilt echoing in this place.

Maybe it was hers, too.

She ran toward the children, heart pounding—but flames erupted around them, devouring the ground. The children screamed. Their cries echoed through the burning illusion, the same way they had that day.

Lilac stopped cold.

This was supposed to be his inner world, his chaos. Why was it reacting to her fears too?

She clenched her fists, shaking off the dread. "Screw this," she muttered. "I'll kill that thing myself."

She turned and sprinted toward the grotesque beast. It lunged, hurling its fleshy mass at her. She rolled to the side, divine chains forming and coiling around her fists like makeshift gloves.

"You're going to be my punching bag now!"

She struck. The hit landed, distorting one of the creature's mouths. It roared and lashed out. She ducked under a swipe and slammed her foot into its side—but it grabbed her leg mid-kick and flung her like a ragdoll.

She hit the ground hard, her dress soaked in thick, black-red blood.

"Ugh, disgusting!" she spat, scrambling to her feet.

A voice echoed behind her. "Yeah. I think the creature agrees."

She whipped around.

Daemon stood there, arms folded, watching her.

"You again? What—how are you even here? Were you watching me?"

"Of course," he said casually. "I told you to stabilize my Astra core, not start a brawl with the guardian of it."

She scowled. "Well maybe if your pile of meat didn't attack me—"

"It only reacts to killing intent," Daemon cut in, his voice low. "You were planning to destroy my core, weren't you?"

Lilac turned away, arms crossed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

But her silence spoke louder than anything else.

"But the fact you have this thing as your guardian..." Lilac muttered, eyeing the monstrous creature. "Typical. I should've expected it from Seraphiel."

Daemon gave a faint shrug. "Then stop projecting killing intent and focus. I need more divine energy to stabilize the core."

She hesitated, then sighed. It was better to obey than be ripped apart by his will.

"You're still hesitating," he said flatly. "You're holding back."

"OF COURSE I AM!" she snapped, her voice cracking. "You really think I can just shut it off? I want to kill you, Daemon! I hate you more than anything in this world. I wish you'd never been born! You took everything from me!"

Her words echoed across the sea of blood. But Daemon didn't flinch. He stood silently, unreadable.

Then, quietly, he said, "Alright. Let's get this over with."

He stepped toward the fleshy guardian. Strangely, it didn't react—it simply sank beneath the surface of the crimson waters, leaving only the large, pulsing orb of his Astra core floating in its place.

Lilac scoffed, stepping beside him. The orb radiated thick, malevolent power.

"What's this ominous pressure?" she asked, unsettled.

"Demonic energy," he replied simply.

She sighed. "Right. Dumb question."

Her eyes narrowed on the center of the core, where a faint golden glow pulsed. "That light in the middle... divine energy. It must be mine."

Daemon smiled faintly. "Yeah. You pushed me hard enough to awaken it. For that, I'm grateful."

"I'm not," she snapped. "You stole it. You leech."

Ignoring the insult, she stepped forward and placed both hands against the surface of the orb. "I'll start now. Don't interrupt me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Daemon said, his smirk returning.

She exhaled slowly and began channeling divine energy. At first, everything progressed smoothly—the unstable core began to settle, its violent surges dulling to a faint pulse.

But then, a dangerous thought crept into her mind.

What if I overload it?

What if she poured in so much divine energy that the core collapsed under the pressure? Would it kill him? Would it tear him apart from the inside out?

It was risky. But the thought of saving millions, of changing the future... it was worth it.

Lilac gritted her teeth—and pushed harder.

Daemon's body tensed. His breath caught in his throat. "What are you doing...?"

She didn't answer.

"Lilac," he said again, more urgent. "What the hell are you doing?!"

A soft smile curved her lips. "I thought... maybe I could save everyone. The people you're going to kill. The ones I failed to protect. This way, we both die."

His expression froze. "You bitch—"

She closed her eyes, ignoring him. Faces filled her mind—High Priest Orlan, Zaria, the orphans, the innocents of Varyndor, all those who would suffer if Daemon lived.

"I can finally kill you," she whispered. "And maybe make up for my sins."

The core began to vibrate violently beneath her hands.