The stale air of my apartment, thick with the scent of cheap instant noodles and yesterday's regrets, had been my entire universe,I've been unmotivated and depressed for as long as I could remember.
Just moments ago, I was knee-deep in fan theories about demon lords and their brooding gazes and overpowered armies, nursing a half-empty bottle of soju. Life was a predictable cycle of hangovers ,Anime and fictional crushes.
Then, a shriek. Not from me, but from the very fabric of my wall. A jagged, shimmering tear ripped through it, spewing not plaster dust, but glittering motes of what looked suspiciously like fairy dust.
My brain, already swimming in soju, barely registered the impossible before my foot slipped. The soju bottle, now completely forgotten, tumbled from my nerveless fingers as I plunged headfirst into the unknown.
I landed with an undignified thump amidst what felt like a thousand years of dust and glowy, squiggly lines. My head spun, a delightful symphony of nausea and exhilaration.
But more potent than the fall was the vibe of the place. It was heavy, ancient, like a museum after dark, but with a palpable hum of immense power. And then, I saw him.
He was sitting there, somehow both utterly still and radiating enough presence to fill the entire vast, shadowed chamber. He was encased in what looked like a giant, shimmering bubble, with glowy chains piercing him like a sad, beautiful art installation.
But even imprisoned, he was it. Dark hair cascaded over impossibly broad shoulders. A face carved from shadows and sharp angles, eyes that promised centuries of brooding. Every inch the overpowered demon king of my wildest fan-fiction dreams. He wasn't just a character; he was the character.
"Oh. My. God," I slurred, the words thick and slow, bubbling up from the delighted depths of my inebriated soul. My voice, embarrassingly loud, echoed back at me.
"You're real. You're actually real. And so... overpowered looking! My kind of guy!"
My internal monologue, usually so quick-witted, had apparently also succumbed to the soju.
All I could think was: Fangirl mission accomplished.
Ten out of ten, would fall through spatial tear again.
He just stared. No, not stared. Glowered. Like a statue that suddenly realized it had a drunk admirer.
He was probably trying to figure out if I was a new form of torture, or just a particularly persistent cockroach. But I didn't care. I swayed forward, a magnetic pull drawing me towards him. My hand, despite my best efforts, wobbled wildly. It brushed against the shimmering barrier, a strange tingling sensation shooting up my arm. And my soju bottle, the one I'd heroically managed to hold onto through all that portal-jumping, finally slipped.
It didn't shatter. Instead, it tumbled, and a few precious drops of liquid amber sloshed out, landing with an almost audible plink directly onto a glowing, squiggly line at the base of his prison.
And then, BOOM.
Not a little pop. Not a gentle fizz. A blinding, deafening ROAR that felt like the universe itself was tearing.
Light, so bright it hurt, erupted from the very spot where my soju had landed. Cracks, radiating a chaotic, luminous energy, spiderwebbed across his shiny prison, then across the ancient walls of the chamber. The tower, which had probably stood for millennia, sounded like it was having a very dramatic tantrum.
Then, with a final, earth-shattering CRASH, the glowing bubble just… poofed.
The glowy chains around him crumbled into sparkly dust.
My demon king was free.
He rose. Oh, he rose. Taller, more imposing, radiating an aura of dark power that actually made my teeth tingle.
He looked down at me, his eyes twin pools of obsidian, now strangely focused. I felt a weird hum, like a gigantic, cosmic tuning fork had just resonated inside me. It was like I was connected to him, a power line plugged directly into his very essence.
I could feel his power, now that it was free, drawing from… me? Like I was his own personal, perpetually intoxicated battery. I didn't know why or how, just that the weird power I'd randomly gained – the one that buzzed in my veins when I was drunk – now belonged to him, too. It was all somehow ingrained in my tipsy mind: drink, get power, power goes to him.
And another weird thing happened. As the tower continued to grumble and crack around us, I vaguely thought, I wish this floor wasn't so dusty, my feet are getting gross. And then, the dusty floor beneath my feet seemed to shimmer for a second, almost like new. Huh. My drunken brain filed that away under "Things to investigate later, maybe."
He spoke.
His voice was a low, resonant growl, like a thousand thunderstorms brewing in a velvet cloak. "So," he rumbled, his gaze still fixed on me, "you are the one who wields such chaotic might. The power capable of shattering the Immortals' folly. Such destructive ability... you are, indeed, worthy."
Worthy? Me? The girl who cried over K-dramas and ate instant noodles for breakfast? My demon king thought I was worthy! It was probably the soju talking, but my heart fluttered.
This was even better than fanfic.
Just as I was basking in the glory of being "worthy," a new, blinding light erupted from outside the crumbling tower. Ugh. More light. A figure descended, bathed in a golden glow, shimmering armor, and a halo of "hero."
He landed with a divine thud, his golden armor glinting.
He was impossibly handsome, with eyes that practically sparkled with righteousness. Definitely a generic male lead from a basic fantasy novel. I vaguely registered his aura as "good guy energy."
"Lin Suching!" The golden figure's voice boomed, sharp and clear, cutting through the dust. "After a thousand years, you dare to return! The peace of the realms shall not be broken again!" His eyes, initially filled with righteous fury, scanned the desolate, ruined chamber... until they landed on me.
The God of War, Hai Luming, froze. His battle-hardened gaze softened, then widened in surprise, then quickly shifted to unmistakable, undeniable infatuation. In my dust-covered, soju-reeking glory, he looked at me like I was the last slice of pizza. It was uncomfortable.
Oh, for crying out loud, I thought, wrinkling my nose. Another hero. Too bright. Not nearly enough angst. My demon king is way hotter. I might have even muttered, "Too bright. Needs more shadows," without realizing it.
Lin Suching, my newly freed demon king, stiffened, his obsidian eyes narrowing at the golden hero. "Hai Luming," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Still clinging to your pathetic 'peace'?"
The God of War, however, wasn't looking at Lin Suching. He was looking at me. His eyes, still wide with adoration, flickered with a strange urgency. "Maiden," he began, his voice surprisingly gentle, "fear not! This demon lord shall trouble you no more! I shall send him back to the abyss from whence he came!"
He then shifted, his divine weapon, which looked like a ridiculously oversized golden spear, glowing ominously.
He really meant to attack Lin Suching. And my demon king looked ready to return the favor, his shadows lengthening, his power coalescing.
Oh, hell no, I thought, a sudden, panicked wave of protectiveness washing over my drunken mind.
This was my demon king! The overpowered, angsty kind! This shiny hero was going to try and fight him right after he'd just been freed, probably mess up his glorious return, and maybe even send him back to prison before I could even ask for a decent meal.
This was not how my fanfic played out!
Still thoroughly drunk, and with the God of War now an obvious, luminous threat to my newly acquired "overpowered demon king," I waved a dismissive hand, my exasperation clear. "Ugh, hey ! , you get away from my husband "She said irritatedly as she hugged Lin suching , wishing they where somewhere more private away from this stupid light bulb.
The world shimmered. The God of War's face, frozen in a of heartbreak as he was about to launch an attack to stop them from leaving , space stretched and warped as they disappeared right before his eyes
" No I must save that fairy from , he's vicious clutches at all cost " he said as he left to ready his army .
The crumbling tower around us dissolved into a swirling vortex of dark energy. I barely had time to blink before it was gone.
We reappeared in a flash, not in some glorious celestial realm, but in a place that reeked of sulfur and felt perpetually shadowed. Jagged, dark mountains clawed at a twilight sky, and twisted, spiky plants dotted the desolate ground .
This was definitely not Earth. This was… creepy . This was… perfect. This was the Forbidden Forest, a landscape ripped straight from the darker corners of my imagination, conveniently outside what looked like a massive, brooding, very demon-king-appropriate palace , it was so huge it dwarfed over even the tajmahal in size.
Lin Suching looked around, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his lips. I could almost feel the distant stirrings of something ancient and powerful, like slumbering beasts waking up. His army, probably that was so cool .
"It seems," he said, his voice now imbued with the dark amusement of a king returned, " Your powers are more then what meets the eye ."
I just giggled, swaying again. "I told you, you're my kind of guy. My type. Now, what's for dinner? I could use some spicy noodles after all that... portal jumping. And can we please avoid any more interruptions from sparkly heroes , now quick spoil me before this dream ends ?"
The Demon Lord Lin Suching, returned to kin , this lands where he had started his rise , but now its where his entire army hides tucked out of site like rats , surveyed his new, chaotic reality. He was back and he would reclaim his honour , how many more immortals fo they have left to sacrifice and a strange, yet funny wife to look after .
He already felt the persistent thrum of her energy, flowing into him like a bizarre, unwanted transfusion , it was a constant buzz surging into his demon core , he could feel his power returning gradually . " Dream ?" He asked in confusion but chose to ignore it .
He would need to understand this 'Power' of hers, and more importantly, he would need to find a way to curb her incessant drinking. for her own health, of course.
Her drinking happits where trouplesome , he just ,He just knew it was going to be an annoying nuisance.