Rebirth: Necromancer's Ascenscion-Chapter 74: Demons and Sovereigns

The room was quiet again, but not at peace.

Ian sat on the edge of the bed, gaze fixed on the shard barely glowing beside him. Eli stood by the open window, letting the early light of dawn spill across his shoulders, projecting golden shadows onto the marble floor.

He hadn’t spoken in a while.

Then, finally, Eli broke the silence.

"I suspected it."

Ian didn’t look up.

"Suspected what?" he asked flatly.

"That you were a Sovereign."

Ian turned his head.

Eli met his gaze now—no longer the light banter between warriors or allies. This was the kind of silence that preceded things like war declarations.

Truths too heavy for breath.

"I suspected it from the moment I first saw you survive in Blackblood Forest," Eli said. "But I buried the thought. Chose not to speak it aloud." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Why?" Ian asked.

"Because of how absurd it is," Eli said simply. "Because the Voidborne Sovereigns were extinct. Purged. Their bloodlines erased from the records of men and gods alike. Because the last one died many hundred years ago when he split the sky and cursed the realm with silence for an entire day."

Ian’s mind shifted to the words of the entity.

To the battle it has spoken off.

Ian frowned. "They fought old wars?"

"Not just the old wars." Eli stepped closer, folding his arms. "They were the end of wars. Beings who had surpassed bloodlines and magic. Each Sovereign was an apocalyptic force wrapped in flesh. And you—"

Eli gestured at Ian.

"—you carry the Void. It makes sense now. The power over death. The soulbinding. The way you gain power from others perishing. That... thing you became in the arena."

Ian stared down at his hands, flexing the fingers slowly, as if unsure they were still his.

"I’ve been called a demon more times than I can count," he said quietly. "Sometimes with curses. But I’m not certain what a demon is even."

Eli gave him a long look.

Then walked back to the window, resting one hand on the ledge as the sun crept further into the room.

Eli exhaled. "Then listen carefully."

---

"There are many tales told about demons. Some say they’re fallen gods. Others say they’re born from sin, shaped by mortal hatred, wandering between the cracks of our world and the next."

Eli turned away from the window and walked slowly toward a chair, lowering himself into it.

"But the truth is simpler. And darker."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Demons are beings native to a realm called the Hellscape. A place so far removed from our world that even the laws of reality twist there. They have no ’kingdoms’ like we do. They have Reaches—ten in total—each ruled by an Archdemon."

Ian’s eyes narrowed. "Ten?"

Eli nodded. "Ten Reaches. Ten Lords. Each Reach is a world of its own. Mountains of bone. Seas of screaming flame. Forests that devour the mind. And the demons who live there aren’t just monsters—they’re reflections of human sin and divine betrayal. They are ideas given flesh."

Ian was silent for a moment. Then, "And the demon subjugators?"

Eli allowed a faint grin.

"Those who step foot into the Hellscape and return alive are known as Demon Subjugators. The strongest warriors, mages, and spirit-bound assassins from across the realm. The Empire has entire legions dedicated to it. The Sanctum of Light commands their own—cloaked in holiness but soaked in the blood of horrors. Even the ancient guilds... the Order of Severance, the Crimson Vigil—they all have teams."

He stood again, pacing now.

"To become a Subjugator, you must survive a Reach. Not a battle. A Reach. That means weeks, sometimes months, inside a land where everything wants to kill you, devour you, corrupt you."

Ian looked up. "And you?"

"I’ve been to two Reaches," Eli said softly. "The first, called Silence, and the second, Ashspire. Lost a dozen good men. Killed two demons that could warp space. Got out with shards and scars and stories no one wanted to hear."

Ian leaned back slightly, the significance of Eli’s words dawning on him like sunset.

"So demons, they’re... worse than people say."

"Terribly worse," Eli said. "But make no mistake. The worst thing about demons isn’t their power."

He paused.

"It’s how they change you."

Ian furrowed his brow. "Change?"

Eli nodded. "They speak in truths you’ve tried to forget. They whisper your failures. They twist your memories. They don’t just want your body—they want your soul to break. And those who return from the Reaches often come back different."

He met Ian’s gaze again.

"Some say changed. Others say cursed."

Ian was quiet. Then, "if I’m not a demon, the church chases after me for nothing?"

"They know you aren’t a demon—they know exactly what you are" Eli’s eyes narrowed. "...and that’s why they want you as bad as they do."

"You...are you a demon?" Ian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Eli.

"Barely" Eli responded with no hesitation "I have the slightest bit of demon blood in me, no more."

"And Velrosa?" Ian looked at him.

"Don’t ask difficult questions" Eli tone grew sharp.

Ian sighed.

"A great slaughter is coming Eli," he said after a moment.

Eli lowered his head. "I know."

Ian looked up, eyes dead calm.

"But before then, ill finish the things i started"

There was no need to ask, Eli understood him.

He let the silence settle before finally speaking again.

"Then we have to prepare," Eli said. "Because the trial won’t be just politics. They’ll bring magic. Faith. The Sanctum may already be planning a public Inquisition."

"And what will you do?" Ian asked.

Eli turned toward the window once more, this time drawing his sword and resting its edge gently against the sill.

"I’ll do what I always do," he said. "I’ll stand beside Velrosa. And if necessary..."

His eyes flicked to Ian.

"...beside you."

The shard pulsed again. Outside, bells rang distantly—the kind that announced public trials, or perhaps public executions.

War was coming.

And in the dark quiet of the room, Ian understood for the first time the significance of his existence.

That meant the doom of many.