Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot
Chapter 74 - 73 - Demonic Order 2.

Chapter 74: Chapter 73 - Demonic Order 2.

Demons.

Everyone knew what those words meant, but did they exist?

That was a question very few could answer.

No. It would be better to say that everyone could give an answer, but only a few knew the right answer.

Raven, who knew the plot, happened to know more about demons than anyone else.

After all, the ’Raven Tale’ novel focused on fighting demons.

From the first trial to the part Raven had read, the demons were the main villains.

They were so strong that the weakest of them was as strong as a plate-six magic swordsman.

Unlike corrupt beasts, who could kill with corrupt poison, the demons were different.

They could turn others into demons and control them.

Worse, they loved everything evil.

They were truly evil, unlike the corrupt beasts that the Vaise family dealt with.

According to the plot, these demons were supposed to start their plans two years ago when Raven entered the academy, but since Raven hadn’t enrolled in the academy, he had thought that it would be fine.

After all, the plot follows the protagonist.

Above all, these demons didn’t have it easy.

It was said that there was a crack in the barrier that separated the human realm from the demon realm, but since the crack was narrow, only the weaker ones could pass through it.

The demon realm was a realm filled with destruction, and the weaker demons, who could pass through the barrier, came to this world with a single objective: making the world similar to the demon realm.

Only by causing destruction and mayhem could they make the barrier separating the realms thinner.

Raven, however, was supposed to stop them.

But now, because of his absence for two years, these demons have progressed a lot.

Raven didn’t know it yet, but the demons’ influence extended far and wide.

It was to the point that they knew who Raven was and how strong he was.

They had been keeping an eye on him, observing him. Now, when they saw him finally stepping into the real world, they decided to approach him, as he could become quite a valuable asset to anyone.

He was the best among the Vaise family—the same family whose worst talent is also a genius when compared to others.

But unfortunately, he rejected them.

He even attacked Travis, who had come to meet him as a messenger, making it impossible for them to reconcile until Raven begs them to.

As for Travis—

Whoosh!

—As soon as he vanished from the academy, everything turned white for him.

"He should’ve submitted to the demonic order," he whispered to himself, enduring the pressure of the teleportation. "Now, an outstanding talent like him will have to die."

Soon, the white light faded.

Travis stumbled as he materialized atop a rusted summoning circle etched into the concrete floor, choking on the smell of iron, ash, and something far fouler.

A metallic stench stayed in the air—one that never truly left this place.

Blood, rot, and suffering.

As he looked around, he realized that he hadn’t escaped danger.

Raven was something he could handle, but the ones he would meet now were different.

He wiped his brow with a shaking hand, glancing around nervously as the darkness of the abandoned structure swallowed him whole.

This was the Cradle of the Molten Vein—a forgotten bunker beneath the city, hidden by layered curses and illusion barriers so thick that even beasts with the most acute senses couldn’t find it.

Travis didn’t waste a second.

He knew his presence was sensed by some people as soon as he teleported here, so he ran.

Tap-Tap-Tap!

As his boots clapped against the floor, he ran past rooms lined with chains and bone-laced altars.

There were even some cages that pulsed softly with faint heartbeats.

As he went farther, he passed through the whispering walls that laughed when he ran by.

He didn’t look. He didn’t stop.

Because he was being watched.

Always watched.

Then, there it was.

The Gate.

A massive, half-rotten door of obsidian stone carved with writhing glyphs. Some were moving—slithering across the surface like maggots in open flesh.

The handle wasn’t a handle but a tongue, dry and twitching.

Only those the gate judged as worthy could enter the room.

Only a demon could enter.

Steeling his nerves, Travis reached for it—

But the door opened on its own.

A gust of fetid wind slammed into him.

Travis gagged, covering his mouth.

’They’re already waiting for me.’

The air beyond was dark.

Not just black—but hungry.

Shadows clung to the corners like parasites, and the torches inside didn’t burn with flame... they burned with souls—little screaming lights trapped in glass.

Still, he entered.

The door closed behind him without a sound.

Click.

Travis, however, didn’t have time to focus on that, as before him were the Five Eyes of the Deep.

The leaders of this base. Each one was a fragment of a greater horror. Each one was wearing something vaguely human, like a bad actor in someone else’s skin.

They sat in a twisted semicircle of bone thrones. None of them moved. But their eyes tracked him like hawks over a dying animal.

He couldn’t breathe.

The one at the far left was Lirus, the Blood Prophet.

He looked the most human—young, thin, and blindfolded—but the blood dripping from beneath his cloth spoke of eyes that saw too much.

His hands were dipped in something red and sticky, and he kept muttering in a language that hurt to hear.

Beside him was Mala, the Corpse Queen.

A grotesque figure of bloated femininity, her skin was stitched and re-stitched from corpses—male and female, child and elder. Her teeth were someone else’s. Her eyes didn’t blink.

Third was Krall, the Whispering Maw.

He had no face or eyes, just a constantly churning spiral of mouths that whispered secrets to themselves.

Travis could hear it muttering his own thoughts back to him, a second before he thought them.

Next sat Veyron, the Bone Architect.

His entire body was a lattice of jagged bones, fused into a throne of skeletal wings.

Every time he moved, bones cracked somewhere in the room.

Finally, at the center—calm, unmoving, and so still it hurt—was Theon, the Heartless Flame.

He wore a mask of gold and fire.

But there was nothing behind it.

Just absence.

Just hunger.

All five of them were demonic warlords, a rank just below the generals.

They were strong enough to command lesser demons like him.

Travis fell to one knee, panting and sweating, the pressure of the five beings of higher blood impossible for him to bear.

"I-I bring news," he stammered. "From the academy. About the Vaise boy."

None of them replied.

Until Theon raised a finger.

That was all it took.

The air froze.

His voice came like a whisper inside Travis’s skull.

"Speak."

Travis gulped. "He knows about the demonic mana. H-He has a squirrel that senses the demon’s mana. It bit me."

The mouths on Krall erupted into giggles and screams.

Mala’s stomach growled. A face inside her belly grinned.

Travis continued, trying not to faint. "He said it aloud in front of the others. He even tried to kill me. He almost succeeded—if not for the tentacle treasure you gave me..."

"He what?" Lirus whispered, head cocking.

Mala’s laugh was wet and rattling. "A child almost killed you?"

Krall’s mouths hissed, "Weakling... worm... coward..."

"I-It’s not like that!" Travis said desperately. "He moved faster than I could see! H-He’s stronger than we had thought! Please believe me!"

Theon’s masked face tilted slightly.

"You mean, we judged wrongly?" He echoed, his voice now tinged with interest.

"N-No, my lords! But I’m speaking the truth! H- His eyes were different. He seemed to know more about us! I-I believe Selena might also be exposed soon."

The room stilled.

Even the mouths went quiet.

Veyron leaned forward, bone armor rattling. "Selena... you weren’t supposed to meet with her."

Travis shook his head violently. "I-I did not! I wouldn’t dare to go against your words! She even hated me, Travis."

Veyron’s voice was heard again. "Did that Vaise boy find out about Selena?"

"N-No!" Travis quickly replied, his voice filled with panic, as he knew one wrong answer could mean death. "She hid it well. I couldn’t even smell the demonic scent on her, nor could the squirrel that attacked me."

The silence deepened.

Then Theon rose.

Just slightly.

But the ground trembled.

He extended his golden hand, a black flame burning in his palm.

"Bring her to me."

Travis paled. "B—But she’s too guarded, my lord! A-And the Vaises are with her now—"

He was merely a demonic grunt with plate-six power in the demon realm. Here, because of the lack of the world’s destruction, his powers were suppressed, and he was only a plate-five.

He could tell he would lose to Raven, so he didn’t want to do this, but before he could complete his words, Theon’s flame grew.

"Then bring me his corpse."

The command dropped like a guillotine.

Mala clapped her bloated hands with glee. "Ooooh~ I want to wear his bones!"

Krall howled with laughter. "Yes! The squirrel, too! I want to eat its little screaming soul!"

Travis didn’t move. Too scared.

Then Theon turned to him.

"Fail..."

"...and I will make you beg to return to the womb of your demon."

The flames vanished.

So did the air in Travis’s lungs.

He dropped, gasping, his vision fading.

Theon sat down again, and the room grew cold once more.

Travis knew what he had to do.

And for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure he could do it.