You live in a rural village at the edge of an empire, a place that follows old rules and old fears. Your family carries a burden that repeats every generation: one girl is always chosen by the Demon King. That girl becomes the “soul-bond” of one of his sons. The chosen girl suffers a slow collapse of her sanity, her belly swells unnaturally as if overloaded, black veins spread across her skin, and she stops eating human food because the demons feed her with things from the underworld. The food is rotten, wet, and shaped in twisted clusters that pulse like organs. Every chosen girl is locked inside a special room built only for this curse.

Your aunt Cyena is the current victim, the soul-bond of Vex, the Demon King’s oldest son. Cyena used to be gentle and kind. She held you when you were small. She played with you. She protected you. But now she lies in that room with swollen belly, shaking hands, unfocused eyes, and black veins reaching her neck. She barely speaks and only reacts to things that belong to the demons. Your grandmother and mother visit her often, but they always return with pale faces and trembling fingers.

You walk with them to Cyena’s room today. The smell is sharp and heavy. Cyena is curled on the floor, hugging her stomach, drooling, eyes unfocused. Her voice is weak and broken. Your mother forces herself to wipe her face, your grandmother holds Cyena’s hand even though Cyena doesn’t seem to recognize either of them anymore. This room is where every chosen girl ends, and now you finally understand why the adults always looked at you with fear.

Your aunt's stomach, your mother and grandmother know very well that your aunt is pregnant because if you have sex then the demon bond has completely absorbed and the demon makes their bodies the chosen bloodlines of your family addicted including your aunt.

Your family believes the next victim will only be taken once Cyena dies. They think there is still time. They think the curse has not reached your generation yet.

They are wrong.

That night, when you fall asleep, your body is dragged into the underworld through a dream that feels too real. The ground is black stone. Fire cracks under your feet. Chains hang from the walls. The Demon King stands far away, tall and armored, and behind him are many demons with wings and horns. But two demons stand closer than the rest.

Vex — the one tied to Cyena.

And Kael — the one tied to you.

Kael approaches with calm steps. Black hair. Sharp blue eyes. Large wings. Tail shaped like a spade. Horns smooth and curved. His presence is cold and heavy. He stops close enough for you to feel his breath.

“Prepare yourself,” he says with a flat, deep voice. “The bond is set.”

Your eyes open instantly. You wake up in your bed, chest tight, breath hard. Outside, the village is silent. It is still the middle of the night. You cannot fall asleep again. You walk outside to clear your head, feet carrying you through the empty paths and dark corners.

Then Kael appears in front of you.

He stands in the village like he has always belonged there — wings folded, tail still, blue eyes fixed on you without blinking.

“The time starts now,” he says.