The mysterious man stood inside the huge crack in the wall of the cave, cloaked in black. The only visible feature was his red eyes, which sent a chill down the spine of anyone who saw them.

  Raina was in a big predicament. She had been very alert until now, but she still hadn't sensed this person. If he were to attack them, she wouldn't have been able to protect herself, let alone Zain. It signified the gap in strength between them.

  "Who are you?" Zain asked, his expression unwavering despite the danger.

  "He is strong. Let's run, Zain!" Draig urged.

  "Draig is right, Zain. But I am not sure if we can avoid the situation by running." Raina added.

  Even Draig's instincts told him that this man was dangerous. But Raina knew it wouldn’t be easy to escape.

  The man quietly observed them as they talked. He didn’t reply to Zain’s question immediately.

  "I guess my Abyssal energy finally started disrupting the outside world. Anyway, you lot gave me quite a surprise."

  In a blink of an eye, the man was standing in front of Draig. As he was now closer, they could finally see his face. He had a deathly pale complexion with red glistening eyes and a murderous aura. His full focus was on Draig.

  "I never thought that I would find an Abyssal Dragon on this plane. How did you find your way here?" the man asked.

  Both Zain and Raina were shocked by his words. Before embarking on this journey, Izark had told Zain a secret about his mother. When Zain was still in his mother’s womb, she had drawn a concealment formation on his soul as a defensive measure to protect him from those who might harm him because of his precious bloodline. Izark was told by Zain’s mother, Vanessa, that even a Nova wouldn’t be able to discern Zain’s bloodline. This concealing formation protected Zain from the prying eyes of others.

  Zain had also found out that Draig had a similar formation on his soul. As Draig was an Abyssal Dragon and Abyss was one of the most violent planes, he wouldn’t be welcomed in any other planes and would be considered a threat to the masses. To keep his identity hidden, Zain’s mother also made a concealing formation for Draig.

  Zain was now sure that the person in front of them was definitely a Nova!

  "Who are you?" Draig asked this time.

  The mysterious man smiled, which made everyone present shiver, then replied, "I shouldn't tell this to anyone of this plane. If not for you being an Abyssal Dragon, I would’ve already killed the three of you. But I guess your time has not come yet. Behold, as I am the Demon King of Abyss, Azazel, called the destroyer of countless planes and the Abyss’s top Warmonger."

  Boom...

  This made Zain and Raina's hearts drop.

  'Of all the demons in Abyss, it had to be him!' they both thought.

  Azazel was a well-known Demon King. It was said that he was one of the top five Demon Kings in the Abyss and had destroyed more planes than any other demon. That alone said a lot about him; he was even mentioned in many books that Zain had read.

  "Now that I have introduced myself, tell me about yourselves. I am quite curious about how you made it to this foreign plane." Azazel asked.

  Instead of answering, Draig turned to look at Zain.

  "He is with me." Zain replied on his behalf.

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  Azazel started laughing. "So, who would you be, one who has an Abyssal Dragon as his pet?"

  "He is my friend, not a pet." Zain corrected.

  "Fine, so who are you?"

  "I am Zain Gremory, son of Duke Izark Gremory of the Zinovia Empire."

  Zain thought there was no reason to lie as the opposite party was really powerful. Lying could do them more harm than good.

  "Good. And here I thought you would lie to me, giving me a reason to kill one of you to make an example. I would've killed that cute girl who is trying to form a communication spell. Such a cheap trick is not going to work, my dear."

  Raina, who had been standing straight till now, had a panicked expression as she heard what Azazel said. She had indeed been completing a high-grade communication spell. Just as Azazel finished his sentence, the mana she concentrated for the spell vanished, and she could no longer feel any mana. As she was a mage, without mana, she felt like a bird without wings. That caused her to panic.

  "Now, let's change the scenery, as I also have a task for you." Azazel said.

  As he clapped, they found themselves in a totally different place. It was like a cave with a red mist and signs of space distortion.

  Raina could feel a vast amount of Abyssal energy there.

  "Where are we?" Zain asked.

  "This is a small pocket where space and time have bent to make this place with my Abyssal energy working as a source. First, tell me, how did you end up with an Abyssal Dragon when you are just a thirteen-year-old baby?"

  Zain didn’t like being called a thirteen-year-old baby, but he was also surprised at how Azazel could guess his age.

  "He was given to me as an egg. He hatched from the egg just a month ago."

  "Who gave you the egg?"

  "My mother."

  "Where is she?"

  "I don't know. She left me after I was born."

  Azazel's demeanor showed how interested he was in this conversation. Even though Zain was just buying time by talking, he was still very curious about what Azazel had to say about this situation.

  "So, it looks like I was right. What a shame, an Abyssal Dragon not reaching one percent of his potential."

  "What do you mean by that?" Raina asked, her expression fierce. Zain also looked at Azazel with a questioning gaze.

  Although he wasn’t as experienced as Raina, he was a smart child. If out of everyone Zain had met so far, no one was able to discern that Draig was an Abyssal Dragon, and if someone would know more about Abyssal Dragons, it would definitely be a Demon King from Abyss.

  "Every Abyssal Dragon, when it hatches out of an egg, needs Abyss source energy to form a powerful core. In this process, Abyssal mana runs through the baby dragon, making it go berserk because of the pain. Almost every Abyssal Dragon loses their sanity during this process. But they're the most powerful beings Abyss has to offer. Even ten Demon Kings like me can't take on an Abyssal Dragon. This is the most secretive process as no one knows where Abyssal Dragons lay their eggs. In my life, I have only encountered one egg, which was not even an egg but just an eggshell. The Abyssal Dragons live in the deepest parts of Abyss." Azazel explained.

  "How come you haven't seen an Abyssal Dragon egg? You are among the top five Demon Kings. It's said you have many Abyssal Dragons under your command."

  "What does this have to do with Draig?" Both Raina and Zain asked their questions.

  "I haven't brought you here to give a lesson on Abyss. There is something I need you to do for me. If you agree, then I can answer your questions, and if you don't agree, then I will kill you all to be done with it."

  Suddenly, the atmosphere changed dramatically. The place became colder, and the air was filled with an oppressive killing intent that seemed to seep into their very bones. It was as if the temperature had dropped several degrees in an instant, making them shiver not just from the cold but from the palpable malice emanating from Azazel.

  Raina and Zain looked at each other and reached an understanding with a brief exchange of glances. Although it was idiotic to work with a demon, they didn’t have much choice in the face of such overwhelming power. The alternative was a swift and brutal death.

  "We agree, but we wouldn’t do anything that would hurt us or harm our plane." Raina made clear, her voice steady despite the fear she felt inside.

  "Don't worry, it won't be something bad." Azazel replied with a twisted smile. "Now, ask what you want to ask."

  "Why did you say that Draig would never reach his full potential?" Zain asked, his voice filled with concern for his friend.

  "Because he has never absorbed the essence of Abyss. The Abyssal Dragons are the most powerful creatures of the Abyss because they absorb the Abyss core energy. And Draig has not gone through this process. He is just an empty shell of an Abyssal Dragon." Azazel explained, his tone almost pitying.

  "So, how can I help him?" Zain asked, his expression worried.

  "Haha..." Azazel started laughing, a sound that echoed ominously through the strange, distorted space. "You really worry about him."

  "Please answer the question." Zain demanded, his voice firmer now.

  "Let's say there is a way. So what?" Azazel said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

  "I want to help him." Zain declared, his voice resolute.

  "Currently, only Abyssal beings above the Demon King Realm can help." Azazel stated matter-of-factly.

  "So you can?" Raina asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

  "It's not a matter of whether I can; it's whether I will." Azazel replied with a smirk.

  "What do you want in return?" Zain asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

  "Let's talk about this later. First, I want you to meet someone." Azazel said, his tone brooking no argument.

  Suddenly, the small place they were in started to expand. The walls seemed to stretch and distort, reality bending in impossible ways. Soon, they were standing in front of a run-down mansion. The sky above was still full of red mist with space distortions and wormholes. Even the ground was red, giving the entire scene an eerie, otherworldly feel. The mansion had four stories and looked very old and creepy, its walls crumbling and windows dark and empty like the eyes of a skull.

  Just as Zain and the group were observing the mansion, they saw a person standing covered in a cloak at the front entrance. The figure stood still, almost blending into the shadows.

  The person lifted the cloak, revealing a beautiful, pale girl with blue eyes and silver hair. Her beauty was indescribable, like an angel from heaven, her features so perfect they seemed almost unreal. She looked at the group with glistening blue eyes that held a strange, captivating intensity.

  "Everyone, meet Lilith." Azazel introduced, his voice echoing in the strange space.

  Lilith stepped forward, her movements graceful and almost ethereal. She seemed to glide rather than walk, her presence adding an even deeper layer of mystery to the already surreal environment. Her eyes scanned each of them, lingering on Zain and Draig for a moment longer, as if she could see into their very souls.