My Dragon King System

"The gods created demons," she said.

Aiden turned his head sharply. "How so?"

"But not in the truest sense of it," Cronyssia added quickly.

She gestured vaguely toward the empty expanse around them. "The demon realm was just like any of the dimensions you just discovered, but the one closest to our world."

Aiden waited for her to continue.

"Of course, Adam imprisoning Lilith at the edge of the universe wasn't going to sit well with some of their children," she said. "Some became defiant."

"Arzun, one of their first sons, was particularly vocal about it. He openly challenged his father's decision and refused to accept it."

"Eventually he too was cast away from the City of Gods, Eden."

Aiden's expression remained neutral but his eyes stayed fixed on her.

"Arzun came to this planet," Cronyssia continued. "But Thyron and my siblings had only just concluded the creation of the planet not long ago, and humanity was still in its early stages."

"Thyron didn't want early or undue influence from a god, and told Arzun to seek refuge somewhere else."

Aiden listened intently without interrupting.

"In doing so, Arzun found another realm right underneath Dellheim," she said. "Not long after, Samael found his way there as well, having been cast out of the First Firmament."

"In a way, you could say they were kindred spirits. For some reason there was also no conflict between them, or Samael was too broken at that point to care."

She paused again before continuing. "About a century or two after that, the large gaping pit you saw became a dumping ground for humans."

"Unwanted children, evil men, murderers, whoever rulers of towns and cities didn't like, they'd throw them into the dark pit."

Aiden's expression tightened in a way that showed he clearly didn't like what he'd heard.

"Demon comes from the old tongue, Dym'Orr," Cronyssia explained. "It means 'thrown away.'"

"And those sent into the pit were called Dym'Orrs."

She met his eyes. "With Arzun being an Archon God and residing in the demon realm, his presence alone warped the place. Anyone cast in and lucky enough to survive was inevitably altered by his power. That is how they became what they are now"

"Of course there was further procreation and extension of life after that," she added. "But Arzun, you could say, is the Original Demon."

Aiden frowned. "So where is this Arzun?" he asked. "And shouldn't he be the Demon King instead?"

Cronyssia shook her head slowly.

"I'm unsure what happened to Arzun," she admitted. "But I know that demons went from answering to him to answering to Samael."

She looked down briefly. "Moreover, my siblings and I at some point stopped paying attention to some of these things until Samael decided to bring war."

Aiden nodded slowly and said nothing more.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

It was then that Aiden turned his head slightly back toward the demon lady to see that her appearance had shifted again.

The full demon form was gone, and even the horns she previously retained had disappeared.

A red glow lingered in her eyes, and the dark circles beneath them remained, but her skin was now pale, smooth, and entirely human in shape.

Aiden was genuinely taken aback. He stood and walked toward her with Cronyssia hovering to the side as he did.

He stared at her for a bit.

Although she still looked menacing, she had a calm expression on her face.

"I guess this is the part of you that's human," Aiden noted, but the demon lady said nothing.

He wasn't even sure she could hear him through the space barrier.

With a thought, the avatar maintaining the barrier vanished, and the barrier dropped with it. Aiden lowered himself into a squat, settling at eye level with her as he stared directly into her gaze.

He also couldn't feel her earlier resentment like before.

Was it because he fed her? He wondered what changed.

"What is your name?" Aiden asked, but she said nothing and just simply stared.

Aiden sighed. "Have you no name then?" he asked again, but she said nothing still and just kept staring

He stood back up and stretched his hand to her side.

She became agitated again, standing almost immediately with a growl, while her teeth sharpened into fangs and her horns began to push out from her skull again, bracing for a fight.

Aiden rolled his eyes, and instead of an attack like the demon lady expected, a bed instead materialized.

It was the replica of the bed he laid in within the guild and since that could count as an item, it also meant that his Item Replication Skill could make another version of it.

The fangs receded back, although not entirely but they weren't visible anymore, and her horns faded back in.

"Relax. I wasn't trying to harm you," Aiden said.

Then Cronyssia spoke from his side. "Are you certain of what you're doing?"

Aiden didn't look away from the demon girl. her. "You're part of me now, Cronyssia. You already know the answer. I'm not."

Cronyssia folded her arms.

Aiden continued, "Here's how I see it. She's still half human. Her demon nature forced her body to grow faster than it should have, but her human side never caught up. She's reacting like someone whose mind is still young. The moment I gave her food, all that killing intent toward me just… disappeared."

"Hm…" Cronyssia muttered but said nothing more.

Aiden then spoke toward the demon lady. "I'm still not sure what to do with you, but I will not hold you within a confinement of space. You will have to remain here regardless for the time being."

Another avatar materialized beside him. Then he spoke further. "He will make sure you get to eat as filling as you want, and you may make any other request to him. If it is within my power, I'll have it granted."

The demon lady stayed mute throughout all of this.

Cronyssia had her eyes slightly closed in amusement and then disappeared afterward.

Aiden stared at her for a while. This show of kindness was silly. Perhaps too silly.

Yet, in that moment, he was looking at the face of a human who may have been cast aside unjustly.

He couldn't help but feel a faint pinch of guilt as well.

—-

The next morning came quickly.

The willing members from every guild filled the feasting hall, fully equipped and ready. The remaining captains were present, along with the former ones. Oberon, Thamoryn, Grandal, and Helena stood together near the front.

Aiden stepped forward. "Today will be demanding," he said. "But all of you know what you can do. Stick to the plan, cover each other, and move fast. Trust your teammates, and we'll get everyone back safely."

With that out of the way, he continued. "I'll need four people to lead the groups into four separate teams."

Katherine stepped forward first. She said she would lead her guild members, along with anyone who chose to join them, into one of the dimensions.

Aiden then looked toward Ursula. She moved forward as well, deciding to take on the role, especially now that Lysandra and Lucas were involved. She couldn't stand seeing how distressed Helena had become.

Azam volunteered next, offering to lead another team.

Finally, Thamoryn stepped ahead. As Grand Magus, and with Oberon agreeing, it only made sense that he lead the fourth.

With the leaders chosen, the gathered crowd quickly split into four groups behind them. Aiden raised his hand to the side, and four portals opened across the hall.

Moments later, four versions of him materialized, each standing beside a different team.