Chapter 26 A Letter from The Demon Lord

 "Rein. What happened in there? Did the general say anything to you?"

 "Nothing worth repeating. Why, Liora? Should she have?"

“Demons lie, Rein. They’ll tell you anything to get into your head. I’ve seen it too many times. They use illusion magic. Voice mimics. Face steals. They pretend to be someone you know — someone you trust — and lure you out. Then they replace you. We’ve already lost knights that way. Intel leaked. Supplies vanished. Some never even realized they were being watched by imposters until it was too late.”

She stepped a little closer, voice dropping.

“Don’t trust anything they say. Don’t listen to them. It’s all a trick. Every word they speak is a trap.”

"I know, Liora, don't worry. Demon lies do not affect me."

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 A month later.

Rein stood atop a crumbling watchtower, scanning the horizon beyond their freshly fortified stronghold.

Then, a trumpet call rang out. Moments later, soldiers below shouted.

 “Someone’s approaching! Alone!”

Rein leapt down, landing beside Commander Kael and Liora just as the gates creaked open.

A lone figure approached — cloaked in dark, ceremonial garb, face obscured by a bone-white mask. No weapons. No hostility. He walked with hands raised in peace.

Liora stepped forward.

 “Halt, demon. State your intent.”

The masked figure stopped a few paces from her. 

“I come bearing words, not weapons. A message from the Demon Lord. To diplomat Liora's hands only.”

The messenger slowly reached into his cloak and pulled out a sealed scroll, bound in obsidian ribbon and extended the scroll, Liora took it.

“Is this a trap?” Rein asked.

The messenger tilted his head.

 “A request. For peace.”

Without another word he disappeared into the fog as silently as he had arrived, teleportation circle fading where he stood.

Liora broke the seal and read quickly. Her lips parted slightly, just once.

“What does it say?”

“It’s a letter… addressed to the king himself. The Demon Lord wishes to negotiate peace. An end to the war.”

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 Rein, Kael, and a handful of senior knights stood around the war table, maps and notes scattered, lit by the flickering glow of a lantern. Liora stood at the center, the scroll in her hand.

“The letter is from the current Demon Lord. He claims he wishes to end the war. He says… he no longer wants innocent lives lost. That he is open to peace negotiations, if the king is willing to listen.”

 Rein took a step forward.

“He claims? After all this! Do you really believe him, Liora?”

“Yes, I do.”

Kael asked, “Why now? Why ask for peace after everything?”

She rolled the scroll tightly and tucked it under her cloak.

“I don't care about the reason, Kael. This is the only chance we may have to end this without more bloodshed. If there's even a thread of possibility, we have to follow it. I’m going back to the capital to deliver this to the king. His word will be final. No one else is to know what’s in this letter. Not until I’ve spoken to His Majesty.”

Then she turned to Rein.

 “Don’t be reckless while I’m gone. We’ve come far, don’t undo it.”

 “Kael, I’m leaving the front in your care. Until I return, no further assaults. Not even if monsters provoke. We are not to move on the next stronghold under any condition.”

Kael started to object, but she raised her hand. 

“I’m not asking, I'm telling you. I’ll be back in a few days. A week at most. I’ll push my magic as far as it’ll take me, but this gets to the king. And until I return, none of this leaves this tent.”

With that, she turned and exited into the darkness, a glowing teleportation sigil lighting up beneath her feet.

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Rein sat alone inside his tent, staring at the floor, fists clenched over his knees. 

“She believes the letter. Just like that… After everything she told me about how deceptive demons are. What a joke, a peace offering… from the Demon Lord. After everything they’ve done? The attacks, the strongholds, the lives lost?”

Rein stopped at the table, slamming both hands onto the wood. Papers fluttered.

“Why now? Why would he offer peace? What kind of game is this? …And Liora. She knows something. I’ve seen that look. She didn’t tell us everything. She looked me in the eye and lied. Just like before.”

He dragged a hand through his hair, eyes wild with frustration.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. I trained for this. I bled for this. I lost everything—My parents, Aura, my friends, all the others—just for him to walk in here with a letter saying, ‘let’s talk’? Something’s not right, and everyone’s acting like it’s normal. I’ll find the truth. One way or another.”

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Demon Plains Outpost – One Week Later

The air shimmered near the center of camp— a teleportation spell.

A moment later, Liora stepped through the fading glow. She looked exhausted, but her posture remained sharp and composed. Commander Kael was the first to notice.

“Liora!” 

Others stopped in their tracks. Rein emerged from his tent the moment he felt the magic pulse. 

She gave a brief nod and addressed both Kael and Rein.

“It’s done. I’ve returned with the king’s answer.”

Kael asked quickly, “What did he say?”

Liora reached into her cloak and pulled out a sealed scroll with a wax royal insignia. 

“He has agreed to the peace talks. We are to travel to the Demon Lord’s castle immediately… with his official response in hand. These are the king’s terms for peace. I will read them directly to the Demon Lord.”

She turned to Rein.

“You're coming with me. If our peace talk fall apart, I will need you to act fast.”

“Let’s go then. The sooner this end, the better.”

Mari blinked, her mouth dropping open.

“Wait, wait, peace talks? With the Demon Lord? That’s… that’s a little above our pay grade, don’t you think? I mean, I thought we were supposed to break gates, not… negotiate. Guess I should’ve brought my formal robes instead of fireballs.”

Selene rested her spear across her shoulders.

“…If it comes to peace, then good. But if it’s a trick, if they’re luring us in, we’ll be surrounded before we even draw breath. Rein, if she tells you to strike, you don’t hesitate.”

Kaia lowered her voice, glancing at Rein.

“P-peace... with the Demon Lord? If it’s real, maybe we could finally stop all this fighting... but... What if it’s not real? What if we’re just walking into a trap?”

Rein kept his anger steady for the girls’ sake, but his chest tightened at Kaia’s words. A trap. A trick. That was what he kept telling himself. That the Demon Lord can’t be trusted. 

“Don’t worry. If the Demon Lord so much as twitches the wrong way, I’ll blow that entire damn place off the map. That’s a promise.”

Liora raised her hand, gathering energy again. Kael signaled his knights to prepare. Only a small escort would go — high-ranking, elite, trusted.

As the teleportation circle formed beneath their feet, Liora spoke one last time, “Keep your head clear, Rein. Don't go off casting magic and blowing things up. No matter what happens in that castle… you need to do as I say.”