Also more about Deon!!! That I've read and want to touch upon:
To address the complaints about Deon being "unlikable" because he kills people around him, including those who were kind to him—or that he's "coddled" by the narrative: you're evaluating a psychological tragedy through the lens of a typical hero's journey.
Deon is in the middle of a total mental breakdown, losing his sanity, and harboring deep resentment toward a world that denied him basic agency. Expecting morally sound choices or rational behavior from a completely broken character misses the point. Explaining his backstory and psychological state isn't the author "coddling" him or asking us to baby him; it's establishing why he collapses into destructive chaos.
He isn't a saint, and his actions aren't meant to be excused. The ultimate tragedy of his arc is that in his desperate, unhinged lash-out against having no free will, he ends up becoming driven by the same selfish destruction that ruined him in the first place. If you're uncomfortable with truly unhinged protagonists or dark psychological spiral arcs, that's fin, but that's a preference issue, not a flaw in the story's writing.
I read this story back in 2023–2024 and let it marinate until now. This might be one of my faves! I found it incredibly enjoyable, though heartbreaking (I legit cried so hard and went out of my way to look up TikTok edits to cry some more HAHAHA). Now, I’d like to discuss a few things I’ve seen in the comments and share my own perspective. I’ve become quite passionate about this story LMFAO.
First of all, if you don't like unhinged MCs and unhappy endings, this story simply isn't for you. Claiming a story is "bad" just because the MC is insane and the ending isn't happy is a pretty weak argument. Personally, I don't mind an unhinged MC or a tragic ending, especially here. Adding Tragedy and Psychological tags from the start probably would have saved a lot of people from reading something outside their taste.
Second, what made this story hit so hard for me was the revelation of the pact between the Demon King and the Duke. Ruining someone's life and treating them like a plaything purely for power and entertainment... it mirrors real-life dynamics so well. People in power constantly toy with the innocent, leading them to complete self-destruction. Whether the author intended that direct commentary or not, that parallel is why it resonated so deeply.
Third, our Deon. I was so sad to see how far he fell, even going to extremes himself. He didn't deserve any of what happened to him, but we have to remember he wasn't just angry at the Demon King and the Duke, he was reacting to a total lack of free will. The World forced him into a role he never asked for, using him as a pawn. So in his mind, he might as well burn it all down. Plus, the tragic contrast between what Deon thought was happening versus reality... oof. He was so deeply loved by both his found family and his real family, yet never truly saw it. It hurts so much.
Ultimately, this story stuck with me because of that lingering "what could have been" feeling, the tragic loss of agency, and the terrifyingly real theme of people destroying everything around them for selfish gain.