A blood stained crescent hung low, its weak light barely pierced the choking fog over the *Demon Graveyard*. Shattered bone shards crunched under Raven's knees as he knelt, the ash of the dead assassin still smoking at his feet. Ozone and rot stung the air; his skin hummed with a violet pulse that throbbed in rhythm with his racing heart.
The assassins had fled, their stolen loot abandoned glimmering demon cores spilling onto cracked earth. Among the debris lay a single parchment, edges singed, a black rune stamped upon it. The symbol twisted like dark spirals, each curve pulsing faintly as if breathing.
Raven's hand trembled as he lifted i
"What have I become? A conduit for souls, a pawn for the darkness that swallows everything…
If I keep this, I'll eat humanity from the inside, turn into a monster like them."
His breath hitched. A cold wind brushed his nape, carrying the sour stench of decay. Footsteps soft, measured crunched behind him. Fear surged; muscles locked, the rune's hum rose to a scream in his mind. The beast inside clawed, ready to burst.
A silhouette emerged from the mist.
"—Raven?"
Jasper Haide stepped forward, eyes red rimmed, scarlet cloak fluttering. The toxic wielder from yesterday's class, the one shunned for his unstable power. Jasper's hand clenched, knuckles white. "My twin…my brother. He—" His voice cracked, a guttural growl rising. "—was devoured before my eyes. Demons tore him apart while I could do nothing. I still see Jarin's smile, his hand reaching for me, then ash."
He slammed a fist into his chest. "The Legion found me, pulled me from the wreckage, taught me to control this poison so it wouldn't happen again."
He stared at Raven, anger flashing like lightning. "You think you're the only one who's felt that fire? I've lived it. I fight so no one else watches their loved one become a meal."
Raven's throat tightened. Tears welled, spilling over his cheeks. "Jasper… I didn't want this. I—"
Jasper's fury softened for a heartbeat. His hand hovered, then dropped. "I see it. The darkness in you. I've felt it. That's why I'm here. Not to kill you. To save you… before you become what they need."
A tense silence fell. Jasper's shoulders slumped, breath ragged. "Why are you out here, Raven?"
Raven swallowed the surge of power, hid the soul sucking truth. "I… I was chasing a demon core. It… it attacked me. I fought back, but…"
Jasper nodded, a flicker of respect crossing his face. "Stay close. We'll figure this out together.
Morning light scraped the stone corridors of the Legion Fortress. Officers dragged Raven before Professor Prosper, the truth‑saying ability humming in the room.
"Did you enter the graveyard last night?" Prosper's voice was smooth, eyes glinting. Raven's rune burned faintly. The spell fizzled, slipping off him like water off oil.
Prosper frowned. "Impossible." CommanderAetos stepped forward. " The rune on the parchment matches the one on the Abyssal gate. Looks like he found the traitor." Aetos gulped. Mira, arms crossed, whispered, "The rune on the parchment… it matches the one on the Abyssal gate. You are right aetos. Whoever is behind this just made a big mistake. I will give this to the investigation department." Raven's heart hammered, but he held his tongue.
The clang of steel echoed in Combat Hall. Professor McKelly Stones, an ex‑soldier with a scarred jaw, glared at the rows of students. "Today, Natasha, you'll duel Jane Sean."
Natasha stepped forward, bow strung, eyes fierce. Jane smirked, hand hovering over a blade that glinted with green poison.
Jane snapped her wrist. Sand erupted from the floor, a swirling vortex obscuring vision. The grains glittered like glass. Natasha's arrow sang, cutting through the storm. Jane thrust the poisoned knife, the blade flashing. Sand surged, wrapping Natasha's ankle, pulling her down. The knife slashed across her arm,blood bloomed, dark and fast. A gust lifted sand, scattering scarlet droplets like shattered rubies. Raven lunged, heart pounding, but McKelly's cold stare pierced him. "Do not move, Raven. This is a lesson." Ravenfroze, breath shallow, watching Natasha bleed, her healing light sputtering, not yet strong enough. Her eyes turned to him, blinking back the tears. She squinted as tears bit her eye lid.
In the dim command room, Commander Salem, Mira, Aetos, and others stood around a cracked map of the kingdom.
Salem's voice was low. "Another Abyssal Gate opened at the ruined city. We must assume a traitor walks among us."
Mira slammed a piece of parchment on the table. The black rune stared back. "This was on Raven's chest. It matches the sigil on the gate."
Aetos's eyes widened. "The Chosen's rune! My vision—"
Salem cut him off. "Was the vision true, or was it a lie?" Mira's jaw clenched. "If our savior is the one releasing demons…" A shiver ran through the room. Breaths tightened, chests rose and fell in unison
Hall of Scavs
Sun blazed over a lost land, ruins of sand and bone stretching to the horizon. A massive banner hung in a hall of twisted pillars, a scorpion, purple and gold, its eyes flickering like ember.
Inside, Cecil Talon, scar across his left brow, purple hair slicked back, laughed maniacally.
"The assassins spoke true. A soul‑sucker walks. If we bind him, the Veil opens, power is ours!"
His followers erupted in laughter, the walls trembling with tension. Cecil fought back the tears in his hands. His finger clenched as he heard his sister's lonely scream. " Cecil!" The shrill cry bit into his heart. The legion had refused to help then. He had begged but they forsake him because he was a sorcerer.
" Sorry, we can't help now, the city is under attack." Salem had sent a correspondence. Cecil tore it in anger, biting his lips and winced at the sharp pain coursing through his lips.
" Oh now you will. Legions, now you will need all the help." Cecil hummed.
Back at the fortress, an Abyssal Gate ripped open outside the walls, a vortex of black flame roaring. Soldiers assembled, swords ringing.
Salem's voice boomed. "All students, lock down. Normal classes proceed. Commanders, to the front!"
Raven slipped through the corridors, heart a drum. McKelly's stare caught his movement. Victor, eyes glinting with malice, slipped behind him.
"Thought you could hide?" Victor whispered, a cruel smile forming.
Raven sprinted, the gate's howl echoing behind him, the world narrowing to the sound of his own breath and the dark promise of what lay beyond.
Victor was just close behind, he could here his little self screen in pain as another knife poked into his leg. Tears bit his eye bridge. He inhaled sharply, his chest tightened and he clenched his fingers becoming incorporeal. " One less weakling in the world." He hinted with a wicked grin.