There she was—the darkness and all her glory. Zeus knew that face, knew that figure; it was too similar, too identical to the one haunting his dreams. Maybe he was still dreaming. After all, the last thing on his mind before the elevator collapsed had been that stupid game. That absurd romance simulator where he'd played as a knight tasked with saving a kingdom from the demon queen.
And now, here she stood—her crimson eyes glinting like embers in the void, her presence suffocating yet intoxicating.
'...but this feels too real.' He thought, disbelief clawing at his chest even as fear coiled tighter around his spine.
His distraction did not go unnoticed. The guards flanking the throne bristled, their anger palpable enough to make any man shrink back. But Zeus? Zeus thrived in chaos. It was what kept him alive when logic said he should be dead.
"You dare not reply to her majesty!" A red-skinned demon roared, stepping forward with an axe already swinging toward Zeus's neck.
BOOOM!!
Zeus jerked as blue blood sprayed across his face, warm and viscous, painting streaks over his hair and shoulders. His wide eyes locked onto the source—a headless body crumpling to the ground, its axe clattering uselessly beside it.
The red-skinned demon who'd been poised to kill him lay decapitated, his life extinguished faster than Zeus could blink.
An intense fear gripped him then—not for the death itself but for the power behind it. This wasn't some cheap simulation or fever dream. No, the weight of reality pressed down on him like a collapsing ceiling.
'...this is no fucking dream...' His instincts screamed louder than his rational mind could silence them. Tremors raced through his limbs, his pulse pounding so hard it felt like his veins might burst.
He looked up again, meeting the cold gaze of the woman before him. Her expression hadn't changed, save for the faintest flicker of amusement tugging at the corner of her lips. She wiped her fingers clean of mana residue, the motion casual yet deliberate, as though swatting away an insect.
"...filthy devils always have no manners..." she murmured, almost bored. Then her attention snapped back to him, sharp and unyielding. "So, where were we? Ah yes. Little human, you have indeed passed the test. Your heart is already black as us demons—you've abandoned your family, your friends, everything."
Her voice dripped venom, each word laced with disdain. Yet there was something beneath it—a curiosity, perhaps, or hunger. Whatever it was, it made Zeus's stomach churn.
She paused mid-sentence, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. Slowly, deliberately, she rose from her throne, every step resonating like thunder against the obsidian floor.
Something shifted in the air, electric and dangerous. Zeus swallowed thickly, his throat dry despite the metallic tang of blood coating his tongue.
"...somethings different..." she said softly, her tone edged with doubt. "Your heart just turned even darker. Are all humans capable of such... evolution?"
Her words hung heavy between them, probing, testing. She grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. Up close, her beauty was cruel, alien—a predator sizing up prey.
Zeus clenched his trembling hands behind his back, hiding the evidence of his fear. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, buying time. Fear was natural—it was survival—but weakness? Weakness would get him killed.
And Zeus wasn't weak anymore.
He straightened, tilting his head ever so slightly into her grip, his eyes locking onto hers with newfound resolve. His voice emerged steadier than he expected, smooth and velvety, carrying the weight of practiced seduction.
"Only me," he replied, his tone calm, almost playful. "And I assure you, you will find no human like me. One who can betray his own kind in mere heartbeats. But this dark heart of mine will never betray you—I solemnly swear."
The queen's fingers lingered on his chin for a moment longer before releasing him. She stepped back, her crimson eyes raking over him like flames licking flesh. For the first time since he arrived, her icy exterior cracked—a sliver of intrigue softening the edges of her cruelty.
"...let's see, human. Time will tell."
Her smile was fleeting, but it burned brighter than anything else in the room.
.
.
.
Zeus was finally alone.
The room they'd given him was a mockery of hospitality—a stone slab for a bed, damp walls that wept with condensation, and the faint drip-drip of water pooling in the corner like a ticking clock counting down to his doom. He stared at the puddle, rippling faintly under the flickering torchlight outside. His reflection stared back, distorted but unmistakable.
It wasn't just some random face plucked from the void. It was HIS Well, not entirely his—this body belonged to another Zeus, a character he'd once played in a game so stupid it made him want to laugh now. A mid-tier villain who betrayed his family, sold his soul to demons, and died pathetically at the hands of the demon queen after failing her one last time.
A typical side character arc. Predictable. Disposable. Dead before the credits rolled.
But this wasn't a game anymore. This was survival. Every second stretched taut like a wire pulled too tight, humming with the tension of what could come next. Death loomed closer than ever—not as an abstract concept or a scripted event, but as something real, visceral, inevitable unless he fought tooth and claw against it.
He touched his face again, tracing the sharp angles of cheekbones he didn't remember having in life. Blue eyes glimmered faintly beneath the dim light, veins of molten gold threading through his skin like cracks in porcelain. Alien. Unnatural. Beautiful.
'...typical side character,' he thought bitterly, letting his hand fall. 'Just another pawn on the board.'
He slid onto the cold slab, his body folding into a meditative position. Panic would solve nothing; fear was a luxury he couldn't afford. Not here, not now. If he wanted to survive, he needed clarity. Focus.
"Any means necessary," he muttered aloud, testing the weight of the words. They felt heavier than they should have.
This world wasn't Earth—it was a realm of magic and swords, where power determined worth and weakness meant death. Even his own family, nobles honed by centuries of combat, had cast him aside because he lacked their skill.
But sadly he lacked the skills, one of many reasons he was disowned.
He needed a way to escape here first. If he stayed here, he was destined for death. And the only way to escape from the demon queen's castle was if she let him out. But for her to do so, there needed to be a sense of trust.
He remembered that slight smile beyond her darkness.
'....that's the foundation I will sway upon.' He thought.
He stood up, opening his eyes. Taking a breath in and out. 'According to the game, she has a weakness, but I need to use that weakness in a different way, at the end, she is also a woman.'