Bound By Flame and Grace

Chapter 1

In his office, decorated with ancient weapons along the right wall, Draevos, the Emperor of Malevolence, sat in his chair reading papers given to him by his trusted advisor, Jarvis. He couldn't hide his frustration about the ongoing cold war between his people and the archangels.

The report contained troubling news: the enemy's general commander was making moves to infiltrate their secret base near the warp gate, which the archangels used to travel between realms.

The base, meant to monitor angelic infiltrators, was now in danger.

The enemy commander, known for his ruthless tactics, seemed intent on starting another war between the two races.

Daevos sighed as he placed the paper back on the table, already cluttered with untouched documents he couldn't be bothered to read. The escalating tension between the two races was weighing heavily on him, making it impossible for him to sit still on his throne and disrupting the peace he longed to secure for his people.

His ancestors would have eagerly launched a new conflict to put an end to the enemy's unfair tactics, but Daevos was different.He is a king who does not resort to war easily to resolve the tension between races. He desires a peace treaty, but the other side rejects his offers for peace. Instead, they refuse and continue the war that has been brewing for millions of years.

He was a devoted husband and a loving father to his children. Though he wasn't always physically present in the lives of his three children, he loved them deeply-so much that he would sacrifice himself for their happiness.

"So much for these petty fights," Daevos muttered, his tired voice echoing through the room as he relaxed into the softness of his chair.

He stared blankly for half an hour, lost in thought, when the front door suddenly burst open. Jarvis, his right-hand man, stood before him, panting heavily as if he had run a mile, his face filled with fear.

"My King, I-think you should know this," Jarvis said, struggling to control his breath.

He seemed visibly scared.

Daevos' striking red eyes locked onto Jarvis, bracing himself for the problem he knew would come as soon as he asked.

Judging by the fear written on his right-hand man's face, Daevos had a sinking feeling that his youngest daughter, Lingling, had likely caused yet another disturbance for her own amusement.

He let out a weary sigh. "What is it, Jarvis?"

"Princess Lingling, your first daughter has caused another trouble for our kingdom," Jarvis said in fear, watching as the emperor's neutral gaze turned serious and his eyes glowed like molten lava. Jarvis swallowed hard before continuing, "A high-ranking archangel wants her head because one of their comrades was killed by our princess during her visit to the human world. They are demanding that we hand her over for punishment."

I knew it!

Daevos massaged his temples as he calmed himself down. He should not display his anger toward his advisor.

Not yet.

Or his reputation as a good king to his people would suffer.

"Who is that high-ranking archangel so obsessed with capturing my beautiful daughter?" he calmly asked.

But the frustration he felt was so evident that the advisor would never believe his lord in front of him was calm.

He was essentially trying to suppress those ill-mannered feelings, deciding to stay composed for the sake of his reputation.