THE PRICE OF POWER

[Scene: The village square, bathed in the golden light of late afternoon. Villagers gather, chatting excitedly as they admire the abundance of their crops.]

---

Villager 1 (smiling, holding a basket of fresh vegetables):

“The harvest this year is like no other! I’ve never seen such bountiful fields. Lord Kaikyo’s reign has truly blessed us!”

---

Villager 2 (nodding, looking over the fields):

“Aye, the soil’s rich, the air’s sweet. We’ve never known prosperity like this. The crops grow as if by magic.”

---

Villager 3 (laughing, wiping sweat from his brow):

“Magic or not, I don’t care. All I know is our children will have food on the table tonight, and that’s more than we could’ve dreamed of a year ago.”

---

Villager 1 (smiling with gratitude):

“We owe it all to Lord Kaikyo. He’s made our lives easier. He’s a true savior.”

---

(The villagers continue to talk, their voices full of joy and praise. In the distance, Lord Kaikyo stands on a balcony, watching them. His face is hard, his eyes distant. The weight of the years and the demon’s promise press heavily on him.)

---

[Scene: Lord Kaikyo’s chamber, deep into the night. He stands before a mirror, his hand resting on his chest, feeling the emptiness inside.]

---

Lord Kaikyo (whispering to himself):

“They praise me, they sing my name... but I can never forget. My son... he will be taken. My empire, my power, all for what? What am I without him? What is all this worth?”

---

(He clenches his fists, his face twisting with conflicting emotions.)

---

Lord Kaikyo (bitterly):

“The crops grow. The people prosper. But what of me? What of the price I paid? I’ve gained everything, yet I’ve lost my soul.”

---

(He turns away from the mirror, staring out into the darkened night.)

---

Lord Kaikyo (quietly, with dark resolve):

“There’s no turning back now. The pact is sealed. And I... I will rule, no matter the cost.”

---

Meanwhile, mayori, Aoki’s mother, noticed the subtle changes in her husband. She had always loved him, but now, he seemed colder, distant, as if the wealth and power had drained the warmth from his heart. She often found him staring into the distance, lost in his own thoughts, his eyes clouded with regret. But she never knew the true reason behind his torment.

---

As the flickering candlelight danced across the grand dining hall, the air grew thick with tension. Mayori leaned forward, her gaze fixed on her husband, Lord Kaikyo, whose expression was unreadable.

---

Mayori: "You have the world at your feet, Kaikyo... yet I feel so far from you. Can you truly say that we're content?"

---

Lord Kaikyo's eyes narrowed, and his hand tightened around the goblet in front of him. He set it down with a thud, his voice low and controlled.

---

Lord Kaikyo: "Contentment... is a luxury we cannot afford. Not with what we’ve built."

---

Mayori’s lips trembled as she swallowed her frustration, feeling the weight of her words like stones in her chest.

---

Mayori: "But at what cost? Power is fleeting, Kaikyo. It can never fill the void we’ve created between us."

---

A flicker of something—perhaps regret—passed through his eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. He rose from the table, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.

---

Lord Kaikyo: "You speak of voids and fleeting power, but you forget one thing, my love. I am not the man you once knew. I am the ruler of this empire. And in this game, there is no room for weakness."

---

Mayori stood, her voice soft but firm.

---

Mayori: "Then perhaps the empire you’ve built is not the one I want to be a part of."

---

For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of their words hanging in the air like an unspoken threat. Kaikyo’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. The gulf between them seemed to grow, as if the darkness outside had crept into their very hearts.

---

And somewhere, in the shadows, the future of their unborn child already began to stir, unseen but inevitable.

---

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***