The Unmasked Chapter 3
A massive wave of nearly 300 demons approached the children and teachers. Fear rippled through the battlefield. Exhausted and outnumbered, the teachers exchanged grim looks. They knew there was a 90% chance they wouldn't survive this. But if they were going to die, they'd go down fighting—and take as many demons as they could with them.
That fierce resolve lit a fire in the students. They braced themselves, gritting their teeth and charging alongside their teachers.
The demons surged forward like a black tide. The clash was immediate—brutal and bloody. Children fought with trembling hands, screaming war cries through gritted teeth. Swords clashed. Magic roared. The battlefield became a chaotic storm of violence.
A scream pierced the chaos. A student collapsed, his chest torn open by a demon's claws.
Terror seized the others.
"Don't be afraid! Give it everything you've got!" Isla shouted, her voice slicing through fear like a blade.
Leon gritted his teeth, his tone unwavering. "Keep fighting! Protect each other!"
Amelie, amidst the chaos, was a quiet miracle. Her hands moved with desperate speed, glowing with healing light. Every wound she closed, every child she saved, came at the cost of her own energy. Still, she pressed on.
But the tide was too large. A handful of demons broke through the lines and reached the back.
There, 4,500 powerless children stood.
Screams erupted as the demons descended. The teachers, too locked in combat, could only watch in horror.
It was too late.
Blood splattered the field. Tiny hands reached out for help that never came. Bodies crumpled. Innocent lives were ended without mercy.
Teachers screamed. Some wept as they fought, unable to protect them. Guilt clung to Leon like chains. He turned his blade with renewed rage—until a demon lunged at him.
He staggered, blood spilling from his side.
Before the killing blow landed, roots exploded from the ground. The demon was impaled, frozen mid-snarl.
"Leon!" Amelie cried.
She wheeled herself to him, dropping beside his body. She cradled his head in her lap, her fingers already glowing with healing light. Her smile trembled as she wiped the blood from his face.
But then—a sharp sound. A gasp.
A demon had slipped behind her.
The blade struck.
Amelie's body jerked. Blood soaked her dress. Leon screamed.
"No! Amelie!"
She collapsed over him, gasping.
Leon tried to hold her, to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing he could do.
Her trembling fingers brushed his face. "Love you, Leon… thank you… for everything…"
He shook his head, sobbing. "No, no, stay with me—please! Amelie!"
Her eyes dimmed.
Fifteen minutes later, silence fell.
The battlefield was painted in red. The ground soaked in the blood of 4,500 powerless children and over 50 gifted ones. Demons lay dead, but victory felt meaningless.
The surviving children limped toward the medical room, dragging broken limbs and shattered spirits.
Leon didn't move.
He knelt in the blood-soaked grass, cradling Amelie's lifeless body.
Her head rested in his arms. Her hand, still warm, rested in his palm.
He looked around blankly. The world was too quiet.
His scream shattered the air. Deep, raw, animalistic. The kind of scream that no human should ever make.
The sky darkened.
Rain fell.
His cries were swallowed by the storm, but the pain remained—etched into the earth itself.
Blood leaked from Leon's eyes like tears, a grotesque mirror of his soul's torment.
Then, his body gave out. He collapsed beside her.
A single petal, torn from a tree, drifted gently down… and landed in a pool of blood.
Years ago—Leon was six. Black hair, black eyes. He was chasing a beetle through the jungle with his grandfather.
"Don't wander too far," his grandfather warned.
But the beetle darted forward, and Leon followed. There, hidden deep in the woods, stood a house.
A girl sat in a wheelchair, staring at him.
Golden hair. Golden eyes.
They looked at each other in silence. Curious. Unafraid.
His grandfather stepped in behind him. "Seems like you've found a new friend."
He gently nudged Leon forward.
"I'm Leon," the boy said shyly.
The girl smiled. "I'm Amelie."
She picked a white flower and handed it to him.
From that day on, Leon returned often. He never saw Amelie's parents. One day, curiosity got the better of him.
"Why don't I ever see your mom or dad?"
Amelie looked away.
"Please, tell me," Leon insisted.
She sighed, voice low. "My dad left my mom for another woman. She was never the same. Always depressed. And when she saw me… she said I looked like him. She started to hate me. One day, I accidentally knocked over a flower vase. She snapped. She… stabbed my legs with the broken glass."
Leon's heart shattered.
"After that, I moved in with my grandma."
He hugged her tightly. "You don't need anyone else. I'm here. Always."
Doctors worked tirelessly in the academy's hospital. Green-blooded healers poured their magic into the wounded.
Leon's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry. Around him, his classmates lay bandaged and broken.
A memory struck—Amelie. Her last words. Her blood on his hands.
Tears flooded his vision. He broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Finn rushed to him, grabbing his shoulders. "Leon! You have to be strong!"
Leon shook his head, voice cracking. "She's gone, Finn. Amelie's gone."
Finn swallowed hard. "I know. I know… But look around. So many others are gone too. We have to be strong, Leon. We need to become powerful. So this never happens again."
Leon looked up.
There were tears in Finn's eyes.
Something snapped inside him.
His fists clenched.
"I'll kill them. Every last demon. One by one. I'll wipe them off this world."
Finn tried to calm him. "Leon… you need to rest."
Leon didn't respond. His grief was a furnace, burning into resolve.
One week passed.
Leon stood before Amelie's grave in a black suit. He held white flowers in trembling hands. The cemetery was quiet. Too quiet.
Her smile danced in his mind. Her laugh. Her touch.
Finn approached slowly, placing a hand on his back. "Amelie wouldn't want you like this. She wanted you to smile."
Leon nodded slowly. He laid the flowers gently. "Rest well, Amelie."
At Astralis Academy, Magnus Holloway slammed his fist on a table. His voice roared.
"Why were all the knights removed from the school?! Thousands of children died because of your incompetence!"
A knight stood his ground. "The king ordered us to the border. Demons attacked in numbers we've never seen. We had no choice. For 500 years, the academy was untouched. We never expected this."
Magnus's voice broke. "What do we tell the parents?!"
The knight bowed his head. "I'm sorry… but we only followed orders."
"Your sorry won't bring them back."
Darius Falken placed a hand on Magnus's shoulder. "Enough."
The knight left.
Darius turned to his friend. "We failed them. But we still have students who survived. We train them. Make them ready. Stronger than ever."
Magnus exhaled. "You're right."
Selene and Edric entered. Selene's voice was soft. "The students are broken. We need to lift them up."
Darius nodded, but Magnus disagreed.
"No. We use their rage. That anger will make them stronger. They aren't just grieving. They're burning inside. Let them burn."
Selene frowned. "Don't push them too far. They've already lost so much."
Darius smirked. "I'll try. Can't promise anything for Magnus."
Elsewhere, in a chamber deep within the kingdom, the heads of four noble families met with the king. Their whispers were hidden from the world.
Back at the academy, Leon stepped into his hostel. Finn followed him inside.
The room was lavish. "This place is amazing!" Finn grinned. "Let's go meet our neighbors!"
Leon sighed. "I'll pass."
But Finn dragged him to the next door.
A girl opened it.
Golden hair. Sharp eyes.
It was Isla Beaumont.
She looked at them. Then her gaze locked on Leon.
Recognition dawned.
"You… You saved me. During the attack."
Leon shrugged. "It's nothing."
Finn stared, stunned. "She's talking to Leon?!"
Isla's tone softened. "I heard about Amelie. I'm sorry."
Leon nodded. "Thanks. I'm… trying to move forward."
Hoping to lighten the mood, Finn grins. "Why don't we all have lunch together?"
Isla shakes her head. "No thanks."
Finn's face falls in disappointment.
Suddenly, a knight approaches them and hands over a letter.
They open it and read:
"All students must prepare for training and lectures starting tomorrow."
Finn gasps. "Already?! After everything that happened, they're starting classes this soon? We need more time to recover!"
Leon, however, smirks. His eyes gleam with determination. "No… this is perfect."