I think I've told you this before, but I always had an ability to just disconnect with my emotions when I wanted to.

To act without any hesitation and move toward the outcome I needed to achieve.

To simply blank out my mind and replace all other thoughts with cold logic.

I remember the very first time I faced a Spirit Beast back in my family's private dungeon. It was when I was a kid. I wasn't even an Awakened.

Obviously, I lost in seconds. The beast trapped had me under its claws and was about to make a feast out of my flesh.

But even as I watched its disgusting maw draw closer, I felt nothing at all.

All I remember thinking was, 'Huh, that's it?'

Ever since then, I had countless near-death encounters.

I had faced people bigger and stronger then, people more experienced than me who had no qualms about killing.

I had been beaten to an inch of my life on multiple different occasions. I had screamed and bled and broken more bones than I cared to remember.

But every single time, when the moment came — when fear should have rooted me in place and panic should have clouded my judgment — something inside me simply… clicked off.

I never trembled or fell to desperation. There wasn't any heroic resolve either. Just silence. Simple as that.

That's the same reaction I had when I saw Vaeghar at the top of the caldera for the first time.

I knew all the terrible stories about him. I knew how dangerous he could be.

And while I felt the wave of terror radiating from him getting stronger and stronger the closer we got to him, I didn't feel fear.

Okay, well, I did. But that wasn't real fear. It wasn't mine. It was artificial, shoved upon me by an external force.

Crushing spiritual pressure and murderous intent, that's all it was. A projected emotion, sharpened and refined into something that bypassed reason and went straight for the instincts.

Vaeghar wasn't just frightening because he was strong.

He was frightening because he wanted you to be afraid.

That fear crawled over my skin like a foreign thing, whispering run into my bones, urging my body to betray my mind.

But just like always…

Click—

I shut it off.

Like flipping a switch, I shut off any awe, dread, or an instinctive urge to kneel or flee that I might have felt.

So instead, when I saw the Eighth Demon Prince… I saw him just to make a clean, clinical assessment.

Vaeghar stood at the heart of the caldera like a blight carved into reality itself.

The air around him warped, like when you'd see heat shimmering off asphalt on a particular hot summer day.

Only here, it wasn't because of heat, but due to the sheer density of his presence. Cracked obsidian floated lazily around his body, caught in invisible currents of power.

He was bigger than I imagined, towering well over twelve feet tall. I figured I'd barely reach the end of his torso if I were to stand next to him.

Appearance-wise, he looked like a human.

…Well, if humans had lanky frames, glossy black skin, sharp spikes protruding from their spine, and thin arms that reached till their knees and ended in clawed hands with too many joints to look natural.

His face was almost handsome in an unsettling sort of way with sharp cheekbones, a narrow jaw, and eyes like burning embers sunk too deep into their sockets.

Two horns curved back from his temples, smooth and polished, as if they'd been worn down by time rather than grown.

A long mane of ashen hair spilled down his back, drifting weightlessly as though submerged in water.

Oh and, speaking of water, the entire caldera — which was thousands of yards in diameter, to give you an idea — was filled with a shallow lilac pond.

Patches of violet heather-like flowers bloomed in that lilac pond, dotting the surface.

And standing in the middle of it all, Vaeghar looked as divine as he was unholy, as tragic as he was evil, and as terrifying as anything I'd ever faced.

By now, everyone else had also reached the top and were standing at the ridge of the caldera, looking down at the basin-shaped depression… and at the monstrosity at its center.

Unlike me, most of them were visibly shaken.

Lily nearly collapsed under the weight of Vaeghar's presence. Ray, too, almost doubled over. Kang found his legs wobbling slightly, and even Alexia had trouble standing straight.

Only Michael seemed somewhat immune. Juliana was slightly better.

Kevin was obviously loving here, since he was rapidly eating our excess negativity. So much so that I swear I saw him immediately grow a couple of inches.

But the one who surprised me the most was Vince. He managed to keep his composure on the level of both Juliana and Michael.

Yes, he was gritting his teeth and inside of his cheek every now and again, but otherwise he looked fine.

I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. Fear stops having a hold on you once you've seen the worst of what life can throw at you.

Once your body and mind have been destroyed and rebuilt enough times, the very concept of fear becomes just another variable to calculate rather than a sensation to succumb to.

And life hasn't exactly been kind to Vince.

So, yeah, he was taking it better than the majority of our party, which he proved with a joke, "That's him? After your scary story of him devouring a whole world, Sam, I expected someone bigger."

That diffused the situation a bit.

Lily and Alexia managed a chuckle between laboured breaths.

Ray rolled his eyes. "You can have the frontline if you're that disappointed, bud."

Michael shook his head at them, then faced me. "Should we try going through the air, flying over his head across the caldera?"

I looked past Vaeghar and saw the entrance of a dark cavern that I no doubt was leading to the Valley of the God Who Eats Is — precisely where we needed to go.

Unfortunately, like I said, it was past Vaeghar.

After a thoughtful moment, I clicked my tongue. "No need. We'll be vulnerable mid-air."

I'd been hoping to find Vaeghar hog-tied and fastened to the ground with chains and shackles.

Instead, I found just four golden ropes tied around his limbs and one around his neck like he was some petty criminal being transported in leg irons, collar, and handcuffs, not of a mythical being capable of unimaginable destruction.

In fact, the glimmering cords tied around all four of his ankle joints and neck allowed him enough slack to easily walk around if he wanted. The restraints didn't even appear to be anchored to the ground.

I wasn't sure what was keeping Vaeghar from leaving the caldera whenever he wished. Did the Monarchs just politely ask him to stay here?

No, really!

If I was Duchess Sofia Zen Valkryn, the woman who died during the battle against that guy, I would've been livid at the Monarchs and the other Dukes for pulling off this tawdry work at the cost of my sacrifice.

"Okay, then," whispered Ray. "Guess we really have no choice but to—"

Thump—!!

Whatever words he was about to utter stayed stuck in his throat. Everyone's breath hitched and I even felt my blood freeze in my veins.

Because in that instance, Vaeghar's head tilted slightly. His smoldering eyes glowed brighter… and locked onto us with a sniper's precision. "Cease the chatter and come down here, fledglings. Accompany me."

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