Two days had passed since Kravos left Grimveil City.

No message.

No report.

No return.

Inside the city lord's tower, Baron Zathrek stood near a wide table carved with demonic symbols.

His fingers pressed slowly into the stone surface, leaving faint traces of ash behind.

"…Two days," he muttered.

His eyes narrowed.

"For a Baron, that is already excessive."

He straightened his back and turned slightly, the faint sound of ash drifting from his body following the movement.

"Kravos is not dead weight," Zathrek continued.

"He would not disappear without reason. And he would not ignore protocol."

His gaze sharpened.

"Unless something forced him to."

The air in the chamber felt heavier.

Zathrek lifted one clawed hand.

"Velkyr."

The shadows near the wall stirred.

A pale figure emerged silently, his form slightly blurred at the edges.

Velkyr knelt on one knee, head lowered.

"City Lord," he said. "You called."

Zathrek did not look at him right away.

"Have you received any word from Kravos?" he asked.

Velkyr hesitated for a fraction of a second. His brow tightened.

"No," he replied. "Nothing."

Zathrek turned his head slowly.

Velkyr continued, choosing his words carefully.

"Yesterday, I dispatched an observation group to retrace his route. Elites and scouts. They were ordered not to provoke anything."

Zathrek's eyes narrowed further.

"…And?"

"They have not returned yet."

The silence stretched.

Ash drifted from Zathrek's shoulders.

"Not even a signal?" he asked.

Velkyr shook his head once. "None."

Zathrek let out a low breath through his nose.

"That group should have returned by now," he said. "Unless they were delayed."

"Or restrained," Velkyr added quietly.

Zathrek's lips pressed together.

"Hm."

He walked around the table slowly, claws scraping faintly against the stone floor.

"Kravos still has unfinished obligations here," he said. "He would not abandon them willingly."

He stopped and turned back toward Velkyr.

"And the timing is bad."

Velkyr lifted his head slightly.

"The Demon Count," he said.

"Yes," Zathrek replied. "His arrival draws near."

His voice dropped.

"If Kravos fails to appear before then, it reflects poorly on this city. On me."

Velkyr's fingers curled slightly.

"Should I send another group?" he asked. "A larger one?"

Zathrek shook his head.

"No. Not yet."

He raised one hand.

"If something strong is involved, sending more bodies only feeds it."

He looked directly at Velkyr.

"When the first group returns, I want a full report. Every detail. Every irregularity."

Velkyr nodded. "Understood."

He was about to step back when his body stiffened slightly.

His head tilted, as if listening to something only he could hear.

The blur around his form rippled once.

Zathrek noticed it at once.

"…You received something," he said.

Velkyr straightened. "Yes."

He lowered his voice.

"City Lord. The observation group has returned. They say they have… important information to report."

Zathrek's eyes narrowed.

"So they are alive," he said. "That alone is already strange."

He paused for a moment, then waved one hand.

"Tell them to wait. I will hear it myself."

Velkyr bowed slightly. "As you command."

Moments later, both demons moved through the tower halls.

Zathrek walked at the front, his steps slow and heavy.

Ash drifted faintly from his shoulders with every movement.

Velkyr followed half a step behind, his presence thin and quiet.

They entered a wide chamber used for reports and judgments.

Three demons knelt in the center of the room. Their armor was damaged.

Their posture was tense. One of them was breathing a little too fast.

Zathrek stopped a few steps away from them.

"Speak," he said. "And be precise."

One of the scouts swallowed and raised his head slightly.

"City Lord," he said, "we reached the location of Black Ash City."

Zathrek watched him closely. "And?"

"There was nothing there."

The room fell silent.

Zathrek's brow furrowed. "Explain."

The scout hesitated, then spoke faster.

"Not ruins. Not debris. Nothing. No walls. No towers. No streets. The land itself was… wrong. Flattened. Twisted. Like it had been crushed."

Another scout quickly added, "There were no survivors. No bodies. No lingering structures."

Zathrek took one step forward.

"What do you mean, nothing?" he asked. "A city does not simply disappear."

The first scout lowered his head.

"Just as we said, City Lord. There was nothing left."

Velkyr's eyes widened slightly. "Nothing… at all?"

The third scout shook his head. "Even the ground was warped. Mana flow was unstable. It felt heavy just standing there."

Zathrek's gaze darkened.

"…And the Demon Gate?"

The scouts exchanged a glance.

"It's gone," one of them said quietly. "Completely gone."

Zathrek froze.

The ash drifting from his body slowed.

"…Gone," he repeated.

"Yes," the scout said. "There was no trace of it. No frame. No residual structure. Only distorted mana and pressure."

Zathrek slowly straightened his posture.

"A Demon Gate is not easily destroyed," he said. "Not by Barons. Not by armies."

His eyes narrowed.

"Only one thing can erase a Demon Gate completely."

Velkyr's voice was low. "…A calamity."

Zathrek did not deny it.

"That explains Kravos," he said. "He did not return because he could not."

The scouts lowered their heads further.

"…He is dead."

The word hung heavy in the room.

Zathrek clenched his fist once, ash spilling between his fingers.

"A calamity capable of destroying a Demon Gate and erasing a city," he muttered. "This is not a simple incident."

He fell silent for several seconds, thinking.

Then his eyes sharpened.

"…So that is why a Demon Count is coming."

Velkyr looked up. "You believe the Count already knows?"

"He would not move otherwise," Zathrek replied. "Counts do not travel for rumors."

He turned toward Velkyr.

"Kravos is gone. His responsibilities do not vanish with him."

Velkyr nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Recruit intelligent demons," Zathrek ordered. "Those who can think, calculate, and observe. Not brutes."

Velkyr's fingers curled slightly. "To replace Kravos' duties?"

"Yes," Zathrek said. "Temporary. Quietly."

He glanced back at the scouts.

"You did well returning alive," he said. "You are dismissed."

The scouts bowed deeply and hurried out.

When the chamber was empty again, Zathrek exhaled slowly.

"Prepare everything," he said. "The residence. The streets. The hierarchy."

Velkyr lowered his head.

"And the Demon Count?"

Zathrek's eyes hardened.

"We make no mistakes," he said. "Not now."

Ash drifted thicker around his feet.

"If this calamity has truly entered the demon world," he continued, "then Grimveil City must survive the scrutiny."

Velkyr nodded once.

"I will ensure it," he said.

And deep within the city, unease began to spread.

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