“Bound by Blood and Duty”

The Demon’s Oath

The kingdom was burning.

Smoke coiled into the night sky, thick and choking, as flames devoured the palace walls. The scent of blood and steel clashed in the air, the screams of soldiers and civilians alike swallowed by the thunderous roar of battle. Chaos ruled the land, and at its center—standing tall despite the inferno around him—was Prince Kim Seungmin.

Hwang Hyunjin watched from the shadows of the ruined throne room, golden eyes glinting with something dangerously close to amusement. He had seen war before, had walked through its wreckage, had bathed in its blood. But never had he been summoned in the midst of it.

A desperate move.

The king and queen sat on their thrones, their regal presence barely masking the terror in their eyes. Seungmin stood before them, sword in hand, his usually cold face unreadable as he stared down at the summoning circle carved into the stone floor. His blood dripped into the markings, sealing the ancient contract—the call for a protector, a demon sworn to serve.

And so Hyunjin answered.

The moment he stepped from the darkness into the flickering light, every knight in the room reached for their weapons. Hyunjin only chuckled, slow and deliberate, as he let his gaze land on Seungmin.

The prince did not flinch. Did not look away.

Interesting.

“You summoned me, Your Highness,” Hyunjin said, voice like silk over a blade. “Shall we begin?”

Outside, the war raged on.

Inside, a far more dangerous game had just begun.