That castle was impressive. Whoever built it—definitely using magic—was someone remarkable. Worthy of respect, criminal or not.

William moved through the space carefully, eyes sharp. He wasn’t just hunting for information about his class and the demonic artifact—he was watching for danger.

Danger never came. No traps triggered as he explored.

But he did find makeshift beds on the floor. Sleeping sacks made from animal hide, dead lanterns, pots with dinner residue.

"People are living here," he thought.

Strange.

At first, William figured this was a secret base for whoever was spying on the city. But the deeper he went—through corridors, down stairways—the more it felt like a dungeon.

Walls covered in drawings and writings in a language no one there would recognize.

But William did.

That language had been burned into his mind long ago. The tongue of the demon race.

William stopped beside the wall, viewing it through his puppet’s eyes.

"Entrance to the palace of the demon prince..."

Unbelievable.

That plain-looking farm was hiding a castle belonging to demon royalty.

So much still didn’t make sense. Why had he been chosen to wield this energy? Were demons even the bad guys in all this?

Maybe he’d finally get some answers.

He passed a panel showing a young man in black armor—the demon prince—and started down a long stairway.

Ancient steps, but intact. Easy descent. Bluish torches lined the walls, burning steady and silent.

Halfway down, he spotted someone.

A man sitting on the steps. Dark cloak, long greasy hair, unkempt beard. Looked like he’d been living rough for a while.

The guy was catching his breath, each exhale echoing through the chamber.

William hesitated. Without his real body here, approaching felt risky. No way to defend himself if this man meant trouble.

He decided to roll the dice.

William stopped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, friend. You good?"

The man—fifties, maybe older—looked up with a smile. Yellowed teeth.

"Just catching my breath." He wheezed slightly. "Not as young as I used to be, but that didn’t stop me." His eyes narrowed with curiosity. "What about you, kid? You here for the inheritance too?"

William blinked. "Inheritance? I heard some rumors, figured I’d check it out. Don’t really know the details though. You?"

The man chuckled like that was the most natural thing in the world.

"Kids. Always diving in headfirst." He patted the step beside him. "Sit down. I’ll fill you in."

The two of them sat on the stairs, talking.

"We’re inside an inheritance. Nobody knows whose, exactly—at least I don’t," the man explained. "Can’t make heads or tails of what’s written on these walls. Lots of people coming here trying their luck."

William paid close attention. Apparently, there were multiple entrances to this place.

"You came through the Rainy Kingdom entrance?" William asked.

"Yeah, that’s the one. Heard there are other entrances scattered around, but who knows? Could just be rumors." The man stretched his legs. "The real problem is that locked door down below. Our group’s starting to figure things out, though."

From the start, William had heard about criminals and people trying to infiltrate the city for nefarious reasons. But looking at this man—listening to how he spoke—he didn’t seem like a bad guy.

"Honestly, I’m pretty lost here," William admitted with an awkward laugh.

"Well, want to meet the others downstairs? You’ll understand better." The man grunted as he shifted. "I’ve rested enough."

William stood first, then helped the older man to his feet. Together, they descended the remaining steps into a massive open chamber.

A camp sprawled across the space.

People scattered everywhere. Men, women, young and old. Some had tents, others slept on beds made from whatever they could find. A few had to share their spots.

But you could tell—they were close. A community doing whatever it took to hold together.

The power levels down here were all over the place. Some strong, others weak. Every kind of person had come to explore this so-called inheritance.

But one corner of the chamber was more restricted. A large table sat there with people gathered around, deep in discussion.

The ones running the operation. Trying to figure out how to open that door they’d been working on.

"To understand better—everyone here is from the same region," the man explained. "We found out about this inheritance, and our tribes came together to come here. Problem is, to open the door and access this special place—this inheritance or whatever—we need a key. And that’s where things get tricky..."

He paused, lowering his voice.

"There’s a guy living in the city—Zanyi. He knows where that key is. He came here a while back, looking for it himself."

William couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

His mind reeled.

"Zanyi?" William asked. "You mean the old guy who builds magical formations and stuff like that?"

He needed to be sure. Maybe there was someone else with the same name.

"Yeah, that’s the one." The man leaned closer, lowering his voice. "From what I hear—not confirmed, mind you—but they say the key to open the inheritance is inside a rift that opened nearby. And the worst part? Zanyi opened it himself, knowing the monsters would destroy the whole city..." He shook his head. "Poor bastards. I’ve visited that city a few times. The situation there now? Depressing."

That was a twist William hadn’t seen coming.

He still didn’t fully believe what this man was saying.

Lucas, his friend, had told him Zanyi was trustworthy. Someone even considering helping them create their secret organization. But now? These rumors about him being linked to the city’s destruction, hunting for this demon prince’s inheritance?

"Why are so many people coming after this inheritance?" William asked. "Isn’t it something meant for just one person?"

"Yes and no. From what we know, one person will be the final chosen one to receive the bulk of the inheritance. But everyone gets something in return." The man scratched his beard. "Apparently, a bloodline gets shared with everyone who completes the inheritance together."

Mid-conversation, one of the leaders who’d been near the meeting table walked over. He looked irritated.

"Looks like you’re wearing city armor. Here to spy on us? Zanyi send you?"

The tension spiked.

William kept his smile easy. "No. But I think we should talk alone about something important. Who’s in charge here?"

"That would be me. Why should I talk to you?"

William needed to make himself valuable. Someone worth listening to. This inheritance had caught his attention—he needed that special class. That demonic artifact.

"Two reasons: I have information about this inheritance. And about Zanyi. What do you think?"

Suspicious as it sounded, the leader couldn’t resist the curiosity.

"If you waste my time, you’re dead."

*

Despite the chamber being mostly open, there were private areas—guarded spots with closed tents.

That’s where William and the group’s leader, a man named Turk, had their conversation.

They sat across from each other at a small table. The first few minutes passed in silence, both men studying one another.

"Let’s take this step by step." William crossed his arms, meeting the man’s gaze coldly. "This body isn’t my real one. I’m controlling this soldier’s mind. Came to explore because Zanyi’s watching me close—I can’t afford to act suspicious."

Turk frowned, clearly skeptical. "You’re messing with me. How the hell do you control someone’s mind like that?"

William just laughed. "Want me to take over yours? Show you how it feels?"

"Cut the jokes. What do you know about this inheritance? About Zanyi? And why should I trust you?"

"The inheritance belongs to a demon prince." William kept his voice steady. "At least that’s what’s written on the panel near the stairs. As for Zanyi, I don’t know much—but I’m with two friends who could help us. If he’s actually guilty of destroying the city."

"Bullshit. You expect me to believe that?" Turk still wasn’t buying any of it. "You could be making up that whole reading-the-panel thing."

"And how exactly do you want me to prove it?" William leaned back. "How about I come here in my real body? We can talk properly."

"Hell no. I’m not bringing some stranger in here. That’d be reckless as hell."

The situation wasn’t going as planned.

Turk was stubborn. Suspicious of everything. William wanted to reel him in with real, valuable information—but the man simply refused to believe a word.

William sighed.

"Look, I’ll be straight with you. This inheritance you’re after? I already have the bloodline you’re all supposed to receive. That means I’ll probably be the chosen one to get the complete lineage." He paused. "But like I heard—everyone here gets something."

"So you’ve got two choices, Turk. Work with me, claim this inheritance, and get your share. Or go against me and walk away empty-handed." William’s eyes locked onto his. "What’s it gonna be? I’m trying to help you here. Besides... the idea of reigniting the demonic bloodline sounds pretty interesting to me."

The whole situation sparked hope in William’s chest.

Maybe the first soldiers of his new organization were already forming...

Maybe—just maybe—he could start taking control. Stand a real chance against that mysterious man hunting him and every summoned hero.

Turk sat there, speechless. He could feel the weight behind William’s words. The threat beneath them.

"If you come in your real body... you can convince me of all this?"

Turk made his choice. He thought of everyone counting on him. He couldn’t afford to disappoint them—or make another enemy.

"Yeah. I can. I can read memories too—share my own. But I need my real body for that." William’s tone shifted. "Problem is, Zanyi’s already suspicious of me. I don’t know how to get back here." He dropped the bomb. "Oh, and speaking of which—they’re hunting some guy named Derick. Planning to raid this place today."

"What? Son of a—why didn’t you lead with that?!"

Turk shot up from his chair, heart pounding.