Chapter 343

Grand King Daemonikai

Daemonikai found Vladya in Blackstone’s training grounds. The clang of steel rang out over the open yard, along with shouted commands and the dull thud of boots.

When Vladya sighted him, he signaled to Yaz, who continued giving instructions to the soldiers before striding toward Daemonikai. Something in his face made Vladya wary. “Are you well?”

“When am I ever?” Daemonikai turned and began to walk. “It’s coming again, soon. Tonight.”

Vladya didn’t ask his usual, “Are you sure?” “I’ll have Yaz prepare the chamber.”

“The voices have been relentless,” Daemonikai ground out. “This one will be stronger.”

Vladya stopped. “Daemon.”

He halted, turning to face his old friend. The pity in Vladya’s eyes was unmistakable.

“How do you bear it?” Vladya asked softly. “It cannot be easy. Knowing your pregnant female believes you are bedding others, sick with sorrow over it. Enduring the voices constantly. Fighting to separate their lies from truth. Being unable to enjoy the child you’ve always longed for because you’re terrified of hurting it. The investigations are crawling, and the Oracle is absent from Urai.”

Daemonikai said nothing. The clang of weapons and barked orders filled the silence between them.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” he revealed in a fractured voice. “Every day feels like walking a blade’s edge. The urge doesn’t stop at blood and sex, Vladya. I want to kill and destroy. I want to burn one of my villages to the ground just to hear dying screams.”

Vladya listened without flinching, offering understanding, not judgment.

“Perhaps Zaiper was right. Perhaps I will always be the Mad King.”

“Zaiper is a bastard, and if he’s truly behind this, we will nail him!” Vladya hissed.

“Has there been any news on him? That male is rarer than sapphire gemstones these days.”

“None,” Vladya answered grimly. “Our investigators have found no ties to dark magic. No sightings of him meeting with mages, no travel to Mysticaria, but the investigations continue. Questions are still being asked.”

Daemonikai suppressed his frustration. None of this was Vladya’s fault.

“I have an incredibly beautiful, softhearted female carrying my life within her,” Daemonikai said quietly, staring at the horizon. “Yet all I can manage is to keep my distance, because when I’m near her, the voices scream for me to hurt her. One moment, I’d die to protect her; the next, I imagine throwing her against a wall and raping her senseless for days.”

“You’re aware it has worsened because you haven’t satisfied Sexlust in four months,” Vladya said, his lips thinning. “You’re starving yourself, Daemon. No Urekai should starve their instincts this long. Why not try harder with Emeriel?”

“She’s not ready.”

“And you know this, how?” Vladya countered. “You told me you stopped initiating months ago. How would you know if she’s ready if you no longer try?”

“You’re not the one who has to hold her when the memories come,” Daemonikai snapped. “Not the one who hears her apologize as if she’s to blame. It’s not you who has to watch her walk around like an empty shell for days afterward.”

“I understand, but do you truly think those memories only come during intimacy? You really believe she’s not in pain now?”

Daemonikai looked away.

“If you want her to heal, you need to take the first step. She needs you to make her whole again. You both need that.” Vladya glanced toward the training soldiers. “I worry for you both. In her condition, she should be getting your seed often. You should be fucking her every chance you get, preparing her body for birth, as the connection forged during intimacy aids with delivery. She’s carrying a Urekai, Daemon. It’s essential.”

“You are right,” Daemonikai admitted. “After tonight, I will try again. Perhaps… do something different. Maybe take her to the cottage; we had good memories there.”

“That is a wise idea.”

“Something has to give. We cannot continue like this.”

A brief hush settled upon them.

Vladya broke the silence. “About the missing females in heat, there’s been an update.”

Daemonikai wasn’t particularly interested, but he gestured for Vladya to continue.

“An eyewitness saw men dressed in black dragging a female from her dwelling at night. It was the last time she was seen,” Vladya said. “He said her scent was strong—he believed she was approaching full heat.”

“Can he identify any of the males if he sees them again?”

“That is our next step. I’ve already given the order to bring him in.” Vladya nudged Daemonikai. “Look.”

Daemonikai followed his gaze. Across the field, beyond the plantation rows, Emeriel and Aekeira had emerged, carrying hand baskets filled with fresh vegetables. Their heads were bent close together as they spoke, their laughter carried on the breeze.

Daemonikai’s ears perked up. Watching her—carefree, at peace, radiant in a loose dress—eased his headache.

“I have been thinking.”

Vladya gave him a sidelong glance.

“If I’m cured of this madness, and our bond isn’t restored, Emeriel and I will do the bonding ritual.”

Vladya scoffed, surprised. “You would?”

His eyes remained on Emeriel. He would never tire of seeing her this way. He would do anything to capture that happiness forever.

“If we are no longer Soulbonds, then I will make her my bondmate. Ukrae may be the master of cruel jokes, but he’s a fool if…”

Chapter 348

The following text appears to be a corrupted excerpt and requires significant correction beyond the scope of simple editing. It is not included in this cleaned version.