"Ice cream!" Pixie sang joyfully as she reentered the grand hall, clutching a medium-sized golden container with both hands. The sweet scent of freshly churned vanilla and caramel filled the air as she bounced through the doorway with infectious energy.
"Hah! Bear Bear!" she squealed in delight upon spotting Orso, who was still seated cross-legged on the floor at the far end of the hall, his massive frame resting comfortably against the wall.
With agile little steps, Pixie rushed over to him. Even while Orso was seated, Pixie still had to look up at him. Without a word, Orso scooped her up with one arm and lifted her effortlessly.
Pixie leaned forward and kissed the scar over his left eye, the one that made even hardened warriors pause, before immediately hopping back down with a giggle.
From there, she skipped to the imposing black high chair reserved for their father. No one, not even her older siblings, had dared sit there. It remained empty and untouched, a symbol of their father's authority.
"Hello big brothers, hello big sisters!" she greeted sweetly, her voice bright and affectionate.
A chorus of fond replies followed from her siblings. Even Neko stood from his chair and bent down to scoop her into his arms, spinning her gently before peppering her cheeks with ticklish kisses.
"I missed you! Missed you! Missed you so much!" Pixie giggled, her little hands playfully squeezing his cheeks.
To any onlooker unfamiliar with the truth, it would have looked like a doting teenage brother bonding with his younger sister. Just a seventeen-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl sharing a sweet reunion.
But everyone in the room knew better.
These two, like all of the Demon Lord's children, were not what they appeared to be.
They were ancient. More than a thousand years old.
Still, in this moment, they were just siblings, laughing, teasing, loving.
Then came the question.
"Big brother, do you know the name of my tower?" Pixie asked Neko proudly, golden eyes wide with anticipation.
Neko looked at her dress, black, regal, adorned with a crimson heart over the chest, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm… Alice in Wonderland's Tower?" he guessed.
"Nope!" Pixie grinned, shaking her head.
"Queen of Hearts' Tower?"
"Engggggg!" she buzzed, mimicking the sound of a game show buzzer.
"Sleeping Beauty's Tower?" Neko frowned, genuinely puzzled now. He had run through every fairy tale that might match Pixie's current outfit. She clearly looked like the Queen of Hearts.
Pixie erupted into giggles. "You got it all wrong! It's Princess Rapunzel's Tower!"
Neko blinked. "Princess Rapunzel? But why? You look like the Queen of Hearts right now."
"I was the Queen of Hearts yesterday!" Pixie replied with a radiant smile. "Today, I'm Princess Rapunzel!"
The joy on her face was contagious, and her older siblings, Alpha, Neko, Nugget, Orso, and even Peanut, found themselves smiling too.
Well… all but one.
"Tofu, don't you dare," Nugget warned under her breath, voice low but clear enough to reach her brother.
She had seen the way Tuf's eyes sparkled. The smirk on his face. The mischief brewing behind that charming grin. She knew exactly what he was about to do, and she didn't like it one bit.
Tuf simply raised his brows, still smirking, and wiggled them mockingly in her direction before turning to Pixie.
"You don't look like Princess Rapunzel," he said flatly.
"I am!" Pixie shot back, puffing her cheeks.
"No, you're not. Look at your dress, it's Queen of Hearts," Tuf countered casually.
"That was yesterday!" Pixie insisted, her voice rising in defense.
"So… you haven't taken a bath since yesterday?" Tuf asked, feigning concern. "Father's coming home today, and you didn't bathe? Princesses take baths every day, Pix."
"I will later!" Pixie snapped, not backing down, though her lip trembled just a bit.
Tuf chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her platinum blonde hair. "I'm just messing with you," he said softly, his voice suddenly sweet and affectionate.
That momentarily calmed the tension. Nugget and Peanut both exhaled in relief.
"But hey, it's okay if you don't bathe every day…" Tuf added with a sly grin. "Because you're not a princess, and definitely not Princess Rapunzel!"
Pixie froze.
Her golden eyes glossed. Her bottom lip wobbled. Her arms fell limp at her sides.
"You piece of shit!" Peanut shouted, shooting up from her seat, her voice ringing like a whip across the conference hall.
"Ohhh," Tuf turned back to Pixie, clutching his chest theatrically, eyes wide with mock horror. "Is the Princess Not-Rapunzel going to cry?"
His grin widened, ever the instigator, as Pixie's golden eyes shimmered, tears beginning to gather like morning dew.
"Tofu," Alpha's voice rang out, calm, firm, and suddenly serious, from the opposite end of the table. "Enough."
The shift in tone was immediate. The air in the room dropped several degrees colder.
The representatives, especially the younger ones, stiffened at once. Alpha was always composed, steady, and impossible to shake. But now? He had called Tuf by his real name.
That was never a good sign.
Tuf raised both hands as if surrendering, still smiling, though far more cautiously now.
But the damage was done. Pixie was already upset.
Still looking adorably furious, she hopped off the high chair and stormed over to him. Then, with all her might, she kicked him in the shin.
It was the same exact kick she had used on Kaelith earlier, the one that sent a full-grown vampire flying. But on Tuf?
It was like a gentle tap.
"I am Princess Rapunzel!" Pixie shrieked, kicking again, this time aiming for his foot.
"Hey! Stop kicking me, it tickles!" Tuf teased, laughing, which only made her angrier.
Pixie continued her relentless assault of tiny kicks, even as Tuf, still sitting, simply moved his legs left and right, easily avoiding her every strike without even standing.
"I AM PRINCESS RAPUNZEL!!!" Pixie shouted again, her voice echoing like a furious bell through the chamber.
"No you're not!" Tuf shouted back, laughing even harder. "Because Princess Rapunzel wears pink!"
Pixie froze.
Not because he yelled, but because of what he said.
Her expression faltered. Her brow furrowed. Her mouth fell open in disbelief.
Tuf smirked, eyes twinkling in victory. "You hate pink. You've always hated pink. There's no way you're Princess Rapunzel."
"Liar!" Pixie screamed, her cheeks burning red. "She wears blue! Big sister Nugget gave me a blue Rapunzel dress!"
"Me? A liar?" Tuf feigned offense, placing a dramatic hand over his heart. "Cinderella wears blue. Sleeping Beauty wears pink, and sometimes blue. Belle wears yellow. But Rapunzel? She wears pink. Ask them!" he gestured to their siblings with mock innocence. "See if I'm lying!"
"Pixiedoll…" Nugget said gently, her voice like honey as she leaned forward, trying to soothe the storm. "Don't listen to Tofu, okay? Princess Rapunzel is a princess, which means she has lots of dresses."
Pixie's expression softened, just a little.
"She has a lot of dresses, but all of them are pink," Tuf chimed in smugly, completely ignoring the murderous glare Peanut shot him. "And she's not even a real princess. She's a peasant. The witch locked her in the tower because her dad stole from her. They couldn't even afford food."
He gasped loudly and covered his mouth with both hands in mock horror.
"Oh no! Didn't Alpha tell you that?" he whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Did Alpha lie to you, Pixie? Oh no…"
The very thought of Alpha lying to her shattered the last bit of control Pixie had.
Her lower lip trembled, and then, she burst into tears.
"That's it," Alpha said, rising from his seat, calm shattered and fury simmering just beneath his skin. "You're dying today."
He started walking toward Tuf in slow, deliberate strides, each step heavier than the last.
Tuf, still lounging casually in his chair like a smug, satisfied gremlin, leaned back with his hands behind his head, an infuriating grin on his face. Mission accomplished: the youngest sibling was crying. And Alpha, just as predicted, was ready to end him for it.
But before Alpha could reach him, before he could even take his fifth step, everyone in the room felt it.
A sudden, overwhelming shift in the air. An aura so dense and powerful it pressed against their skin like invisible chains. Almost everyone froze, except for Pixie, who was too busy sobbing her heart out to notice.
A portal appeared, large, circular, and gleaming with deep violet and gold hues, right in the center of the room. Its sheer presence silenced the hall. Even without anyone stepping through it yet, the force it radiated demanded reverence.
The moment the siblings stood up and their postures stiffened into attention, the representatives followed suit. The change was immediate, sharp, everyone rising from their seats, tension thick in the air.
Demon Lord Caelum had arrived.
The first to step out wasn't Caelum, though.
It was Milo.
He looked no older than fifteen, messy blond hair, mischief sparkling in his eyes, carrying his Aetherskate board slung over his shoulder. He looked more like a teenager headed to the skate park than one of the most powerful beings in the empire.
"Yow, siblings!" he called cheerfully, waving as he stepped into the hall. Then his eyes caught on Pixie. The smile vanished.
Concern flashed across Milo's face, and he immediately rushed toward her.
Next came Luna.
Gasps echoed across the room, especially from the male representatives, most of whom were new and had never seen her before. She was breathtaking. Alluring. Dangerous. Her long, midnight hair floated like silk with every step. She was elegance and lethal grace wrapped into one. And it was her aura, not Caelum's, that had been suffocating them since the portal opened.
Luna's sharp gaze immediately flicked to Pixie, who was still crying in front of Milo, then to Tuf. Her perfectly arched brow rose in silent accusation.
Tuf just smirked back at her like a brat who knew exactly what he'd done.
"Papa!" Pixie wailed suddenly, spotting the figure stepping through the portal next.
She bolted toward him, tears still streaming, and flung herself into his arms.
Caelum caught her easily, lifting her with a father's practiced ease. His expression softened as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"What's wrong, Pixiedoll?" he asked in a warm voice, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Who made you cry?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Tuf.
The accusation had not yet come, but the air was thick with blame.
"Alpha did!" Pixie sniffled dramatically, snuggling into her father's neck.
The entire room gasped. Alpha blinked, shocked. His mouth parted in disbelief. "What?"
Even Luna raised an eyebrow. Nugget dropped her head into her hands with a groan.
Tuf, of course, only grinned wider.
Because he knew.
He knew no one could make Pixie cry like that, not even him. Not truly. Not from a kick, or a tease, or a joke.
The only one who could truly break her heart… was Alpha.
And all it took was the thought that Alpha, her beloved big brother, had lied to her or taken someone else's side. That alone could shatter her.
And Tuf had known exactly how to trigger it.
Because that's how you win when you can't win with strength, you outplay.
The last to step through the portal was Vivi.
She had created the portal. Her expression was blank as usual, but when her eyes landed on Tuf, she sighed and shook her head as if to say, 'Of course it was you.'
Without a word, she moved across the room and took her seat next to Peanut. Luna had already taken the first seat beside Caelum's black high chair to the left. Milo slid into the one beside Neko.
Caelum, now seated with Pixie still sniffling in his arms, looked across the room.
"Everyone, take your seat," he said, voice calm.
The room moved instantly at his command.
And yet… disbelief lingered in the air, especially among the new representatives.
This was the Demon Lord Caelum?
The being who instigated the Great Human War.
The ruler who created the Blinding Mist.
The source of peace, fear, and awe for more than a millennium.
They had expected someone terrifying. Someone more intimidating than Alpha. Someone ancient, weathered, full of demonic fire and celestial darkness.
But the man sitting on the Demon Lord's throne…
Didn't look ancient at all.
He looked relaxed. Youthful, even. His aura, whatever fearsome energy they'd expected, was entirely absent. His presence does not overwhelm the room.
If he wasn't seated on that throne, if they saw him on the street, or in a tavern, or walking in a garden, they wouldn't even glance twice.
He looked like a slightly older version of Tuf. Maybe even younger than Alpha or Orso in demeanor. He had warm eyes, soft features, and a quiet patience as he cradled his crying daughter.
No horns. No monstrous aura. No flaming eyes. No crown of shadows.
Just a father. Sitting on a chair. Holding his little girl.