Kaiden stood before the crowd consisting of over a hundred rescued men and women, children and elderly.

He took a slow breath before speaking.

"I want to say something before we move forward. You all swore your allegiance to me, but I know that oath wasn't made under the best of circumstances. You'd just been freed from your chains and taken revenge on your oppressors. Emotions were running high, and I won't pretend I don't understand what that does to a person."

He looked over them, the starved, the scarred, the survivors. "So if anyone here wants to step back from that promise, now is the time. I won't hold it against you. I'll understand completely."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Some lowered their heads, whispering to one another. But before it could spread, two figures stepped forward.

Taigi, the young woman who had been ordered to seduce Kaiden by Varek, knelt first. Beside her, the quiet male hunter who had taken charge of the men did the same.

"Chief Kaiden," Taigi said, bowing her head. "We may be weak right now, but we are not without honor."

The hunter nodded firmly. "We didn't pledge ourselves out of fear or confusion. You gave us our lives back. Our fealty stands, so long as you'll have us."

The words struck through the crowd like a drumbeat. Kaiden studied the faces around them, seeing the tired and uncertain expressions, but no one stepped away. If anything, their stances grew firmer.

He nodded slowly. "Then I'll accept that loyalty. But I should be clear about one thing. I don't have land of my own for you to settle on."

He paused, then glanced at Calypso, standing proudly a few steps behind, watching the scene with a happily flicking demonic tail behind her.

A smile emerged on his lips.

"Or at least, that was the case until recently."

He reached out and pulled the demoness close by the waist, drawing a delighted purr from her. Calypso waved at the crowd as if she'd just been called onto the podium at a concert, entirely unbothered by the attention.

"This wonderful demoness here has offered me her home," Kaiden explained. "A place you might call… otherworldly."

He felt the eyes of the black-armored government agents watching from afar. He didn't doubt that not only were they watching but recording as well in one way or another.

He gave them a sidelong look and added, "I can't explain everything right now. But it's not the kind of place most people imagine when they hear 'demon's domain.'"

His gaze returned to the tribespeople. "You can live there, hunt, gather, and build. You'll be safe, as much as anyone can be in this chaotic world. But if you'd rather not live inside what some might call a demonic hellscape, I understand-"

A low, amused purr from Calypso cut him off.

He stopped, realizing what he was seeing. The faces staring back at him weren't fearful at all. They were in awe. Eyes wide. Hands clasped. Whispering to one another as if they were hearing a legend made real.

Taigi's voice trembled with barely contained excitement. "A land where we can live without fear… where demons protect us, and monsters stay away? That sounds like the dreamland, Chief."

Kaiden blinked. "The what now?"

Before he could say more, she explained, "A place the elders spoke of, where the hunted would become safe, and the earth would not reject us. After the Pale Ones came to our lands and forced us into reservation camps, we thought it was just a story of the past, one that was not meant to be witnessed with our eyes."

He stared at her for a long moment, then exhaled a short laugh under his breath. "Well… I believe you won't be disappointed."

But then his tone grew serious. "Listen carefully. The information about the inside of my dungeon, Calypso's home, can't be leaked. Not to outsiders, not to anyone. That's why, at least for now, once you go in, you won't be able to leave until I say otherwise. Maybe we can find a solution within days, maybe never."

He waited, expecting hesitation if not outright denial. Being locked inside a dungeon? That was something he'd never accept.

But instead, it was nothing of the sort. Heads nodded. Shoulders straightened.

"Chief," the male hunter asked after a moment, "will the demons inside attack us?"

Kaiden shook his head. "No. I'll make it official to them; I'll declare you all as my subjects. That means you'll have the protection of every demon under my command."

The hunter smiled, showing a rare, genuine expression that crinkled his weathered face. "Then we have no further reservations. It sounds like the dreamland."

Kaiden stared for a second longer, but then, as he thought about it, about how these people had been hounded by both monsters and humans, it made sense. To them, a locked world guarded by demons wasn't a cage. It was paradise.

He turned his gaze to his companions. Bastet, Aria, Luna, Nyx, and even Calypso were all grinning.

"Looks like it's been decided," Kaiden murmured.

He stepped forward one more step and spread his arms wide toward the tribe. "Then from this day on, I, Kaiden Grey, welcome you into my lands with open arms. May we prosper together, rise together, and never bow before tyranny ever again."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Taigi stood, raising her hand high.

"Hoka hey!" she cried, a traditional cry of courage and readiness for life or death, echoing from her chest with the strength of a drumbeat.

Dozens joined her. Then a hundred, including little children and even wrinkly grandmothers.

"Hoka hey!"

"Hoka hey!"

"Hoka hey!"

The shout rolled across the plains like thunder.

Kaiden felt it vibrate in his bones, making him grin. "Who would've guessed that I would become a chieftain of my own tribe? Truly, only in the mana apocalypse…"

He lowered his arms and turned toward the east, where his dungeon gate stood.

"Alright, everyone. Let's move. The sooner we're inside, the sooner you can rest."

However, before reaching the final destination, they made a quick stop at the tribesmen's previous home, where they could gather all their belongings, tools, meager food supplies, etc.

Upon reaching the shimmering dimensional doorway, the black-armored agents were already pulling back. They'd done their job, namely, monitoring the transition, ensuring no ambush incidents occurred. Their commander gave Kaiden a sharp nod before turning his convoy around.

That was part of the deal.

The arrangement Kaiden had struck with the President and the Guild Chairman was simple: no permanent military oversight. No leashes around his neck. They'd guard the entrance when necessary, namely during transitions, and nothing more. What happened beyond the gate was his domain entirely.

Freedom, the real kind, was rare in this world. But Kaiden had just carved some out for himself and his people.

Then a blur dropped down from the trees.

He reacted on instinct, which saw his arms snapping out just in time to catch a figure mid-air.

Alice.

The girl clung to his chest like a koala. Her black hair was wild, and her face bright.

By then, Aria and Bastet were already taking charge of the transition.

"Alright, everyone, one line!" Aria voiced like a drill instructor. "We'll move in groups of four. No pushing, no panicking."

Bastet's golden eyes swept over the crowd. Somehow, her mere presence was enough to calm the natives. The girls couldn't help but wonder if her tanned skin and dark hair made the woman seem more approachable to the tribals. After all, their pale skin meant they were the descendants of the European invaders who took their lands from them. While Calypso… was a red-skinned demon with horns.

The people nodded, shuffling nervously. The male hunters puffed out their chests, pretending bravery for the sake of the women and elders, and stepped forward first, going through the gate following Aria's and Bastet's example.

Luna and Nyx stayed near the gate, both acting as ushers, ensuring no one made a frantic accident due to being worried about the nature of the gate, which, to people like them who had never seen one before, would be more than understandable.

And then there was Calypso.

The demoness moved through the line of nervous people, stopping at a grandma holding the hand of a little boy.

"It's okay!" she promised with a sweeter tone than her exterior could ever make one expect. "My Darling's home isn't scary! You'll like it! And I don't just mean because I enjoy it! Bastet and my human friends love it as well!"

How much her promises helped was up for debate, but her earnestness made the grandma's heart ease just a little bit. Calypso looked like a worried child trying to reassure guests that her haunted mansion was perfectly fine. Such an absurd scene somehow served to calm some nerves.

Amid the controlled chaos, Naira approached Kaiden. Her mother was being carried nearby on a stretcher by two sturdy tribesmen, wrapped tightly in blankets.

The girl bowed deeply. "Chief Kaiden… thank you. I owe you everything and more. But… may I ask what your plans are for my mother?" She looked up, eyes flicking toward the strange swirling doorway. "Will she be treated inside that… place?"

Kaiden smiled softly. "You don't need to be so formal with me. Just Kaiden is fine. And to answer your question, no. She won't remain here."

Her face fell. "Then…?"

He turned his gaze to the fading shadows cast by the dying light. "My mother will take care of her."

And then, as if summoned by his words, the darkness behind him rippled.

The shadows stretched unnaturally, folding in on themselves like ink spilled across glass. From their depths, a lithe figure emerged. She was silent, regal, and utterly terrifying.

A woman of impossible grace and cold command.

Her long black hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes burned red. Her presence alone dimmed the torches as if even light dared not offend her.

Vespera Ashborn.

The Shadow Monarch.

She was here.

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