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The city of Alysia was something to be marveled at.

Hundreds of buildings stood tall and mighty, brimming with demon folks of all kinds. Canines, felines, or even scalies all gathered within the city, bustling with astir back and fo with their own agenda. Whether if it was about what to eat for dinner or what they strived to achieve, the ambitions and safety of the Alysians will always be protected by the city's wall.

Like the wings of the mightiest dragon, the stone barrier, grand, and impenetrable, engulfed the entire city in its embrace. But the wings are without their owner. Domineering over the mortals' insignificant lives and pitiful woes, a palace older than the people's language stood firm.

And on the highest floor, seven of the most powerful in the entire nation congerated, with the most powerful of them all - the king of demon, Cyrus Edergarde perched on his throne, overseeing the six generals.

From head to toe, Cyrus radiated the full peerless might of a dragon, despite being half of one. His small build slightly leaning onto the overly too big throne as his tail rested comfortably by his side. Despite looking considerably younger and smaller than the six other demons in the room, no one dared to even move nor speak in the presence of Cyrus.

Cyrus, however, does not care to pay the crowd any mind. His gaze is fixed onto the water circle in the middle of the room, swirling and bubbling in midair with the reflection showing the sight of a full human boy, no older than Cyrus is, wearing garments unfamiliar to him while completely incapacitated in a field somewhere.

All eyes were waiting on the half-dragon's judgment.

"Elizabeth." Cyrus suddenly called out, making the storm incarnate jumped up in surprise.

"Y-yes! My lord!"

"Struck him." He commanded, and instantly, the sky in the reflection darkened as a bolt of lightning was sent flying down. But before it was able to hit the unconscious boy, a divine barrier suddenly materialize and cloaked around him, absorbing the bolt completely.

"Certainly interesting..." Cyrus mumbled to himself as he put his hand on his chin in contemplation. The Divines have made a move already, huh? Sending a warrior from another world is quite a pitiful move by them...

No matter, then. He has many other means to dispose of the warrior beside brute force.

"You're all dismissed." He said coldly, and without waiting for them to leave, Cyrus has already stormed off the throne room and heading straight toward his study.

~~~

"M-my lord..." A voice behind him wealy called as Cyrus's attention fully engrossed in a tome.

It was his oldest and most trusted advisor, Sallazar. The old bird's frame slouching against the door for support as he asked.

With a huff, the half-dragon slammed the tome closed and turned to look back at the man, "State your purpose, Sallazar."

"I-I was just wondering... W-what are you planning to do about that him, sir? Since we can't directly hurt him and all..." He coughed, a hint of fear detected in his voice.

"Why does it concerns you?"

"N-no, sir! I was just worried. What if he ended up fulfilling the prophecy and kills us all?"

"Foolish question," Cyrus retorted. "You think this is the first time the Divines sent an other-worldly hero? No. Those sky crones have done this before, numerous times even. I have my ways to deal with him."

"R-really?"

"Correct." A smirked ran across his face. Though the memory felt hazy and distant, Cyrus can recalled a way to kill heroes like that boy. The celestial can withstand even Cyrus's most powerful attack, but in the face of any internal harm that was caused by the owner, even it will become useless.

And with a simple body swap spell...

"Sallazar." He called.

The bird jumped up in shock but quickly answered, "Yes, my lord."

"How loyal to me are you?" Cyrus asked.

"My entire life is eternally devoted toward serving you, my lord," Sallazar answered, a hint of suspicion and anxiety in his voice.

Oh really? Your "life", huh?" Cyrus mused and started to take his first step toward the bird, dragging his tail behind as he does so.

"Y-yes, sir..."

"Tell me, my dear general. Does your back hurts these days?"

"O-only a slight a-ache, my lord."

"Hm... Can you still wield the blade, Sallazar?" Cyrus, now only a few meters away from the man asked the trembling bird again.

"N-no, sir... B-but I can still cast magic!" Beads of sweat started running down under the bird's feather as he stood paralized, watching the smirking king slowly getting closer to him every passing second in horror.

"That's good... That's good..."

The few distances left between them were instantly cut short when Cyrus, in a blink of an eye, appeared right next to the fear-ridden bird.

"Then, Sallazar. I want you to die for me, and for our country by switching vessel the warrior and killing yourself. Is that clear?"

The sheer shock caused by the half-dragon left the old general a panting mess on the ground, holding his chest in pain as his weathered heart goes crazy inside his frail body. As the bird busying with not dying by a heart attack, Cyrus was already at the study's door. A page of the body swap spell laid there on the ground.

However, just before the half-dragon leave, he turned back at the cowering Sallazar. "Don't blame this on me. You're weak and fragile now. You'd be useless in the war, so I'm giving you an honorable way to die. Sacrifice yourself and become a hero rather than a burden."

And with that, Cyrus was off.

~~~

As night came, and as the city became shrouded in a veil of drowsiness so does the demon king's castle. All deep in slumber, fully enshrouded in their dream, all except for two people.

Cyrus watched as the bird finished the last touch on the spell circle, filled with complicated symbols and shapes, connected together like an intricate spider web.

"T-that's the last of it, my lord..." Sallazar mumbled and quickly step aside, allowing the king to see the full completed spell.

"An adequate work," Cyrus said as he gestured at the bird. "Now then, general. If you please."

Sallazar gulped as he passed a nervous glance at the circle and back at the half-dragon. Then, with shaken steps, he slowly made his way inside the circle.

Then, when the old general is finally inside the spell, Cyrus waved his hand and the image of that warrior appeared once again. This time it seemed that he was captured somewhere, judging from the iron bars and the straw bed inside the room. Even easier for them to switch bodies.

"Sallazar. Begin the spell." He commanded.

The bird nodded and pulled out the paper Cyrus handed him. Just as the first word came out, the chalk circle glowed a heavenly white and slowly branched out toward the imprisoned warrior's image.

And as the spell kept on going, so does the circle grew more and more massive, spurring out new symbols and new connections. Both inside the throne room and the jail cell, much to the warrior's surprise.

But then it stopped.

Perplexed by the sudden occurrence, Cyrus turned toward Sallazar, who now has stopped chanting entirely. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Before I go, my kind king..." The bird spoke, his eyes squinted in tears as he pitifully looked up to Cyrus. "May I have one last goodbye?"

Cyrus's cold unnerving eyes shifted for a second, flashing what he has never shown to others before - sympathy. After all, Cyrus couldn't decline that he felt a hinge of guilt toward the old bird. Perhaps what he did was cruel? Maybe. But that's for the good of the country, Sallazar was the most efficient and uncostly bunch of his entire rank. Cyrus was sure that his father will approve of this.

At least he could say goodbye for now.

Cyrus approached the bird and extended his hand. "I'm sorry it came down to this, Sallazar. But anything for our country, right?"

"Yes. My lord..." Sallazar mumbled and grabbed Cyrus' hand. "Anything..."

Suddenly, the old bird's grasp tightened around his hand. And before Cyrus could even react, Sallazar forcefully yanked him forward, throwing him inside the circle as the bird leaped out with unnatural vigor.

"WHA-"

But before Cyrus was able to finish his sentence, the bird chanted the last part of the spell and the circle quickly filled the room with blinding white light. The symbols and braches of the circle spurred up from the floor, enveloping the half-dragon completely, closing tighter and tighter around him as well as the warrior.

Then, the drawing fused into his body completely before exploding into thousands of shreds made from pure condensed light. Knocking out both the other-worldly warrior and the draconic demon king.

~~~

A few moments later, Cyrus found out that the entire throne room has disappeared. The soft fabric was replaced with the stone-cold floor. The lavish and well-lit walls were replaced by the dim darkness and the scraped walls of a jail cell.

"Nonononono. This can't be happening." Cyrus quickly sat up and begin to inspect himself. His scale and furs are gone! Replaced by the fleshy and soft skin of a human. Cyrus' hand instantly reached for his ass, but instead of a tail, there was nothing!

He was... a human.

Confusion quickly disappeared and anger hit him like a truck. He was betrayed, he was fooled, by a withering old hag no less!

"SALLAZAR!"