David jolted awake, his body drenched in a cold, clammy sweat that clung to him like a shroud. His chest heaved, each breath a jagged shard of glass slicing through his lungs. Beside him, Luna slept soundly, her peaceful form a cruel contrast to the tempest raging within him. The fire's dying embers cast flickering shadows across the campsite, their dance ominous and foreboding, as if mocking his torment. In the distance, wolves howled—a primal chorus that echoed the screams still reverberating in his skull. His nightmare clung to him like a parasite: Ruby, his little sister, his student, his everything—dying over and over again. A thousand deaths, each more grotesque than the last. A sealed version of himself, bound and helpless. And that voice—low, guttural, sinister—pulling the strings of her suffering.
"I'm the key," he muttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles cracked like breaking bones. "I'll save her—no matter what." The words were a vow, a prayer, a curse screamed into the void. Sadness gnawed at his core, a hollow ache that threatened to swallow him whole, but rage—rage was the fire that kept him alive, burning hotter with every heartbeat.
As the sun clawed its way over the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of blood-red and ash-gray, David and Luna broke camp and set out for Henwards Kingdom. Hours bled into one another as they traveled, the silence between them heavy with unspoken truths. Above, a flock of Arctic Terns sliced through the sky in a perfect V, their wings beating a rhythm of purpose as they headed north. Below, two figures on horseback approached the towering gates of Henwards. The guards' eyes narrowed, but Luna flashed the badge of the Holy Church, its golden emblem glinting like a promise of sanctuary. The gates creaked open, a groan of iron welcoming them into the kingdom's shadowed heart.
David dismounted, his boots hitting the cobblestones with a dull thud. He turned to Luna, his voice low and strained.
"It's been… nice traveling with you, Luna. But we part here. If I get the chance, I'll come find you."
Luna's lips parted, her hand twitching as if to reach for him. Her eyes shimmered with something unspoken—love, perhaps, or desperation—but the words died in her throat. She loved him, had loved him for longer than she could admit, but the confession remained caged behind her teeth. David didn't notice, his mind already elsewhere, consumed by the ghosts of his nightmare. With a final nod, he turned and strode toward the Magic Tower, leaving Luna to drift toward the church, her heart a silent wound.
At the tower, David approached the receptionist, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud.
"Hi. I'm David, a dark magic mage from Ruins Kingdom. I'm seeking work here."
The receptionist, a young woman with wide eyes, blinked up at him. She stammered as she asked for his badge. David slid it across the desk, the dark insignia of Ruins glinting ominously. She nodded, her voice trembling slightly.
"You'll need to meet the Tower Master. Up the stairs, his chamber's at the top."
As David walked away, she stared after him, a flush creeping up her neck. "Wow… what a handsome man. A dark mage, too—so charming, so dangerous," she thought, her pulse quickening.
David ascended the spiraling stairs, each step a thudding echo in the stone corridor. At the top, he reached a heavy oak door and knocked—thud, thud, thud—the sound reverberating like a drumbeat of fate. He pushed it open and stepped inside. There sat Leon, the Archmage, a 9th Circle Magician whose aura pulsed with raw, unyielding power. His silver hair gleamed in the candlelight, and his piercing gaze locked onto David like a predator sizing up prey.
"Well, Mister David," Leon's voice rumbled, deep and commanding. "I hear you're a dark mage. Rare to see one of your caliber walk through my door."
David met his stare, unflinching.
"Yes. I'm a dark mage. And I'm here for a job."
Leon leaned back, steepling his fingers.
"Hmm. I have something specific in mind, David. How does a position as a dark magic professor sound?"
David's brow furrowed.
"A professor?"
"Yes," Leon replied, his tone firm. "Only that. Salary's 1,000 gold per month."
David's mind raced. A thousand gold—a fortune, a lifeline. He nodded slowly.
"I'll take it."
Leon's lips twitched into a faint smile.
"Good. Come to Henwards Magic Academy tomorrow. We'll settle the details there."
"Pleasure," David said, but before he could turn to leave, the air shifted. A suffocating presence crashed over them, thick and malevolent, pressing down like a physical weight. Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Did you feel that, David? That power?"
David's jaw tightened, his senses screaming.
"Yes. I felt it. I'm going to check it out."
Leon rose, his robe rustling.
"Wait. Let me assist—"
"No need," David cut him off, his voice icy. "I'm stronger than you think."
In a blink, he vanished, teleporting into thin air. Leon chuckled softly, staring at the empty space.
"Well, you're certainly something."
David reappeared in a wasteland of ruin—crumbled stone, scorched earth, the air thick with the stench of death. A voice slithered through the silence, chilling and guttural. He followed it, his boots crunching over debris, until he saw it: a man—or a monster—standing amidst the carnage. Its mouth was torn wide, a jagged maw leaking blood, its eyes dripping crimson tears. And there, at its feet, lay Ruby—unconscious, her head a mess of blood and matted hair.
"Ruby?" David's voice broke, a raw, anguished cry. He teleported to her side, hands trembling as he checked her pulse. Alive. Barely. Dark magic surged from his fingertips, weaving tendrils of shadow to knit her wounds. Nearby, two girls—Alice and Casca—lay bleeding, one with a gash in her arm, the other a wound in her leg.
"Who are you?" Alice rasped, her voice weak. "Do you know Ruby?"
David's eyes burned, tears threatening to spill.
"She's everything to me."
Behind him, the creature laughed—a sound like nails on glass.
"Well, well. Why aren't you afraid? Every human fears me. I am Fear!" Its voice rose to a shriek, a sound that clawed at the mind.
David's head snapped up, his gaze locking onto the demon—one of the Demon King's seven generals.
"You did this to Ruby?"
Fear grinned, its torn mouth stretching wider.
"Yes. I did."
In an instant, the world blurred. Fear's vision spun as its head flew, severed by an unseen force, tumbling to the ground in a spray of black blood. David didn't flinch. He turned back to Alice and Casca, healing their wounds with a flick of his wrist.
"Take Ruby. Get her somewhere safe."
They obeyed, lifting her fragile form and fleeing. David rose, his shadow stretching long and menacing. Fear's headless body twitched, its severed head reattaching with a sickening crunch.
"Ahh! My head! You're dangerous, mage!"
David said nothing. Around them, the city screamed—citizens young and old collapsing as their flesh melted to bone, black tendrils snaking from their mouths to feed Fear's growing aura. The ground cracked, wind howled, and a thousand souls perished in an instant. Fear's power swelled, a towering wave of darkness.
"Now you'll see what fear truly is!"
David snapped his fingers. The world went black—pitch, suffocating black. Fear's voice trembled.
"What… where am I?"
Its head exploded in a burst of gore, only to reform.
"How am I alive—"
Its body shattered, then regenerated. Zombies surged from the void, tearing into Fear's flesh as it screamed—dying, reviving, dying again in a relentless cycle of torment. For the first time, Fear felt fear, its bravado crumbling as it knelt, broken, in the restored city square. David loomed over it, his crimson eyes glowing with a malevolent light.
"You felt fear? No. You didn't feel it. You met it. Me."
He plunged his hand into Fear's chest, ripping out its still-beating heart. Blood dripped from his fist as Fear collapsed, lifeless. David crushed the heart, gore splattering the ground.
"You shouldn't have hurt Ruby. Big mistake. You killed a thousand—I don't care. But you hurt my Ruby, my sister, my student. Now you know death."
He turned, the weight of a thousand corpses pressing on his soul.
"What a fucking grand entry to Henwards," he muttered, exhaling sharply. "Time to find Ruby."
Moments later, Leon arrived, his breath catching at the sight: buildings reduced to rubble, bodies stripped to skeletons, eyeless sockets staring into nothing. Fear lay dead, a gaping hole in its chest.
"Where did David go?" Leon whispered, the question hanging in the air as the chapter closed.