Demon Legacy

Kiki turned to the Demon Queen, stunned. "You hurt my daughter," she accused.

Kiki replied, "Wait, you have a daughter? With whom?"

The queen shot him a look. "Are you serious? Yes, she's my daughter."

At that moment, Demon Girl interrupted, "No! You're not my mother. You're my enemy."

The queen's face hardened. "Me? The enemy? I see... your father lied to you."

Kiki, confused, asked, "What's going on here?"

Demon Girl snapped, "Stay out of it. This is between the grown-ups."

Kiki sighed, "I'm older than you."

Ignoring him, Demon Girl looked at the queen and asked, "What do you mean my dad lied to me?"

The queen took a deep breath. "Did he tell you why this war began?"

Demon Girl shook her head. "No."

The queen began her story. "I was born in the roughest parts of hell. The former demon king saw me and felt pity, so he took me in. When I met your father, he was a sweet boy, bringing me flowers every day and defending me at school. He was perfect. Then, his family died, and he became king at just sixteen. Despite his age, he was a good king—strong and respected. He helped the poor, built a town for the homeless. We married when he turned twenty, and that was the best day of my life. Then, you were born.

"One day, when you were still a baby, you were kidnapped while I was left to care for you alone. Your father was in an important meeting. When he found out, he was enraged, offering his entire kingdom to anyone who could find you. It took months, and he grew more fearful by the day. When you were finally found, he was relieved but changed. The kidnapper was executed, yet two days later, you were hurt again.

"He blamed me and cast me out. Two years later, I took back 50% of the kingdom, but one of my demons kidnapped you again and hurt you. Your father thought I was responsible, and that's when he attacked my kingdom."

Demon Girl looked troubled. "If I had been kidnapped just once, I might understand why he attacked you. But now, I see... my dad hid a lot from me, never said anything bad about you. I hated you because he always came back injured after fighting you."

Kiki, piecing it all together, asked, "So the Demon King wasn't entirely at fault?"

The queen replied, "In war, there are no clear good guys."

Kiki nodded, though still puzzled. "It doesn't make sense. He must have had a reason to go to war."

The queen responded, "Yes, but he killed many innocents, and so did I."

At that moment, they heard a voice. It was the Demon King, approaching. He sneered, "Did you kidnap my daughter again?"

Demon Girl stepped forward. "No, Father. I came to tell you the truth about the Dead Zone."

The queen tensed. "What?"

Kiki whispered, "It's time to retreat."

The queen agreed. "There's no time to explain. All I can say is that we'll die if we stay."

They retreated to the yellow zone, with the king watching them, confused. "What are you doing here, Demon Girl?"

She looked at him with concern. "The Dead Zone will kill you, Father."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She continued, "The Dead Zone slowly kills its host."