Daemonium

prologue

"Can you believe how big this palace is?" Enlai murmured as he looked around the beautifully decorated palace. Maids and servants were rushing around with a bundle of items in their arms, their faces twisted in anxiety as they worked, and a spring in their steps at having the honor to work in the Royal Palace. The Palace was exquisite—gold and silver embroideries hanging on the walls, thick rugs of various colors, polished ebony floors, gleaming vases and candle holders, and richly decked doors and walls. Every detail in the palace was meant for the richest of the rich and the most privileged. It was odd to think that we—commoners—were given this opportunity.

"I know," I murmured, walking along the hallway. My eyes darted to the servants running out. Some of them were pale faced, their eyes wide as they stumbled out of a certain hallway. My brows bunched together as I glanced at the corner of the hallway where a few of the servants were running away from. I quickly dismissed the idea as I glanced at Enlai. "I can't believe that Daiyu is going to marry the Emperor!" I said excitedly. "She's going to be the Empress? Can you believe it?"

My younger brother shook his head. We were the youngest of the family, Enlai being fourteen while I was fifteen. When Daiyu had been taken away by soldiers telling her to participate in the Emperor's selection for a concubine, nobody in the family thought she would be chosen. Not just that, but for a position for Empress, not concubine. It was the greatest honor that could ever befall our poor family. Father had nearly cried in shock, while Mother kept muttering about how Daiyu had managed such a feat. The fearsome and ruthless Drakkon Meilin had chosen our sister.

I looked down at my plain hanfu. It wasn't much of anything and it had been cleansed so much that it had lost the soft blue color and morphed into the gray that it was now. It was rough against my skin and as sad as it was, it was my best dress. The Emperor had ordered for us to receive new clothing, but we hadn't received anything yet. Besides, even if we did, did we really deserve such finery? What had we done to deserve such a thing? It was crazy to think a poor farmer's daughter would become an Empress of the empire.

I ran my fingers over the material, a soft smile tugging on my lips. "Soon enough, we won't have to worry about meals or fixing old clothes. We'll live in luxury. Isn't that crazy, Enlai? How many people in the village laughed at Daiyu for being unmarriageable? How many of them questioned her virtue and said all those horrible things about her honor? How many people had thrown insults at her for being so old, pretty, and yet not married? Now look at her." I smiled smugly. Daiyu was too sweet to be shut in the house all day and amount to nothing. There were so many in the village that didn't like her because they thought she was tainted by Heng, her previous lover, and that she was promiscuous. "She's going to be the Empress! The Empress!

Enlai bobbed his head vigorously. "I know! Those kids and stupid older people have finally learned their lesson. I can still remember their faces when the Imperial soldiers came to our village to tell them that Daiyu was chosen as the wife of the Emperor. Remember old man Fu's face? His eyes were about to pop from their sockets!"

When the soldiers had come, bearing the insignia of a dragon, we knew at that instant that it was the Imperial soldiers. We had been scared that something was going to happen, but when the soldier flipped out a scroll and announced to the whole village that Yin Daiyu from the Yin family was to be the Empress and wife of Drakkon Meilin, the entire village had lost it. Father had almost collapsed from shock, Mother couldn't believe it, and the rest of my siblings—including I—had only gawked as if we couldn't believe our ears. Even now I could still remember the faces of those women that had always laughed at my sister and our family. "Drakkon has honored us," I said softly. "The Emperor has honored our family."

"He has—" Enlai's words were cut off as he made a choking sound, his eyes enlarging as he stared at something in the distance. I slowly turned my head towards the corner of the hallway, where the maids had been hurrying away from. A boy with silver hair and short horns was ambling towards us, his eyes cast down at his arms. The sleeves of his tunic were yanked up to his elbows, blood drenching his bare, pale arms. Black markings swirled around his skin, contrasting deeply with his pallid skin. His eyes flicked up and connected with mine.

Never before had I seen a pair of dangerous and terrifying eyes as his. The whites of his eyes were black while his eyes themselves were a red bloody color. A smatter of blood streaked his cheek and dripped down to his neck, though it didn't look like his blood. His elbows were lathered with the red and his face was a blank mask. Lethality and darkness hung onto him like a cloak, hungrily eating away at whatever life filled his body.

My mouth went dry and my legs shook as I took a step back. I had seen him briefly before when we had seen Daiyu for the first time in the palace. I hadn't gotten a good look at him but I had seen that he was drenched in blood, just like last time. This time, however, his hardened gaze was pinpointed at me. I could barely breathe, it felt like I was suffocating.

Enlai held onto the wall for support, his entire body trembling at the sight of the strange boy. My legs quivered like a leaf in the wind, my mind blanking out as fear staunched me. My fingers curled into fists and I grabbed onto my elbows, my eyes widening. The horns, the silver hair, the dangerous eyes—he was a demon. A demon. A creature of darkness and power. A creature borne from evil. A creature of madness, arrogance, and raw power.

"A-A-A demon," Enlai stuttered.

The demon cocked his head to the side to stare at my younger brother. His expressionless face didn't slip as he took another step down the hall. He flexed his fingers, flecks of blood flicking against the spotless ground in tiny freckle like dots against the gold and red colored carpet. One hand had more blood than the other, coating his pale skin in red. He didn't seem fazed by it and instead stared at Enlai. My brother, in turn, took a step back.

"Lan . . . Fen?" the demon whispered, tearing his gaze away from my younger brother and instead looking at me. The red and black of his eyes froze me on the spot and I inhaled sharply, my breath feeling as if it had been sucked out of me. I couldn't remember if my lungs had ever worked properly before, or if my heart ever beat as quickly as it did in my fear induced horror. "You are Lanfen? Empress's sister?"

My heart felt like it would explode out of my chest. Fear colored me white and I took a shaky step back, my breathing suddenly becoming very rapid. "Who are you?" I whispered. Tears burned the corner of my eyes as I watched a drop of blood trickle from his fingertip to stain the gold section of the carpet.

"I . . . I'm Remus—"

"Stay away," I cried as he took another step forward. The demon, Remus, hesitated and blinked back slowly. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Something flickered in his eyes and he slowly backtracked. His shoulders dropped but his expression remained somewhat blank. He stared down at his feet, his silver hair obscuring his face. "Enlai, let's go," I managed to blurt out as I spun on my heels. My hands shook as I took my brother's cold hand in mine. Together, we quickly ran as fast as we could.

Demons truly were terrifying.

I almost choked on fear and when the hype was over. I let go of Enlai's hand and grabbed onto the wall, my breathing coming in heaves. My knees buckled and I sank to the ground, my eyes widened in horror and terror. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. We had run a decent amount and had distanced ourselves from the demon. Everyone around me blurred as I squeezed my eyes shut.

His eyes terrified me the most. Those deadened and evil eyes. So much darkness hung onto him that I couldn't stop from shaking and tearing up.

A demon.

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Author's Note

Hope you guys enjoyed this prologue! I will be updating this story weekly. Which day of the week would you like this story to be updated? Would love to hear your thoughts! <3

Maham :)