A crowd had gathered near a narrow alleyway.
Curious, Xerxes stepped closer to see what had happened.
His eyes fell upon the lifeless body of a young woman.
Her abdomen had been ripped open.
One of her arms and a leg were missing, and her body had become unnaturally pale and shriveled, as though every last drop of blood had been drained from it.
"What a terrible way to die... That poor girl," an elderly woman murmured.
"I know... She's missing an arm and one of her legs," another person replied.
"It looks just like what happened years ago," a middle-aged man whispered.
Xerxes frowned thoughtfully.
Impossible...
A vampire couldn't have done this.
Vampires drank blood, but they didn't devour human flesh.
Nor could it have been the werewolves.
The werewolves and vampires had long upheld a treaty forbidding either race from harming humans.
Could it be... a Chimera?
Without another word, Xerxes turned and walked away.
The world was home to far more than humans.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Merfolk.
Mages.
Witches.
Demons.
Angels.
Chimeras.
Fairies.
Countless races lived in secret alongside humanity.
But which one was responsible for these attacks?
.
.
Xylon turned toward Sagi.
"Someone was attacked in town last night?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sagi answered. "A young woman's body was discovered this morning. Judging by the condition of the corpse, it was undoubtedly the work of a monster."
Xylon fell silent, deep in thought.
"Who could be behind this..." he murmured.
He looked back at Sagi.
"Go investigate the town. Speak with the bats as well. They may have witnessed something."
"At once, Your Majesty," Sagi bowed before leaving.
Moments later, Arden entered through the open window and approached Xylon.
"I heard something happened last night," Arden said.
"Yes," Xylon replied grimly. "It seems another disaster is approaching."
"Do you think the witches are involved?" Arden asked.
Xylon looked at him. "What makes you think that?"
"One of the bats told me that several witches have been acting strangely lately."
"I see..." Xylon's expression darkened. "I have a bad feeling about this. Witches wield powerful magic... and we have no idea what they may be planning."
.
.
.
As Akuma walked through the academy grounds, he accidentally bumped into a young woman.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's alright," the girl replied politely, bowing before continuing on her way.
Akuma thought nothing of the brief encounter and continued walking as well.
The moment she was out of sight, the girl hurried behind a nearby tree.
A sly smile spread across her face.
Slowly, her appearance began to change.
Within seconds, the young woman transformed into a child.
It was Ji Park.
She looked down at the strand of hair she held in her hand.
The hair she had secretly taken from Akuma.
"Perfect..." she whispered.
The next instant, she vanished without a trace.
.
.
"Did you guys finish our math assignment?" Akuma asked as the four of them gathered in the classroom.
"I did," Mist replied casually. "It was pretty easy."
"Good for you," Viel groaned. "Why does math even have to exist?"
Akuma chuckled. "So... you couldn't finish it either?"
"I finished it," Viel sighed. "But I'm pretty sure every answer is wrong."
Mist turned toward Akuma. "What about you? Did you finish yours?"
Akuma scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. "Hehe... not really."
The three of them then looked at Lucas.
"What about you, Lucas?" Viel asked.
Lucas blinked in confusion. "...Lucas? Is that my name?"
The three of them stared at him, completely speechless.
Mist simply rubbed his forehead. "Never mind, Lucas."
Just then, their teacher entered the classroom.
Everyone immediately returned to their seats as the lesson began.
.
.
.....
The witch let out a triumphant laugh.
"At last... a strand of the prince's hair."
She dropped Akuma's hair into the boiling flesh inside her enormous cauldron, where dark magic swirled beneath the bubbling surface.
The room fell silent.
Nothing happened.
The witch frowned deeply.
"Ji Park," she snapped, glaring at her. "Are you certain this hair belongs to Akuma?"
"Yes, Mistress," Ji Park answered confidently. "I took it when we accidentally bumped into each other."
"Then why isn't the spell working?" the witch growled. "This is supposed to be the hair of the Prince of Hell... Leviathan's own son."
One of the Chimeras cautiously stepped forward. "...Could it be that he isn't the prince after all?"
The witch immediately turned toward him.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" she hissed. "Akuma is the very child who was raised by the demon wolf, Xerxes! I've had my servants watching him for years."
"Then... why is the ritual failing?" Ji Park asked. "How are we supposed to reopen Hell if the spell won't respond?"
The witch narrowed her eyes.
"Ji Park... continue watching Akuma."
"As you command, Mistress."
With a respectful bow, Ji Park vanished into the shadows.
The witch clenched her fists before sinking into her chair, frustration written across her face.
.
.
.
"The prince's birthday is about to come," Lilith said with a gentle smile.
"He'll be turning eighteen soon," Aria replied excitedly. "I can't wait."
Heberlin looked toward Xylon. "Are you going to visit Viel at the academy, Xy?"
"I'll go after the council meeting," Xylon answered.
Xenon folded his arms. "You really put the council before your own son."
Xylon smiled wearily. "You all know being king isn't easy."
Blake chuckled. "Fine, fine. Leave the birthday preparations to us."
.
.
.
"Guys, did you know our birthdays are just around the corner?" Viel said.
"Huh?" Lucas blinked. "You two have the same birthday?"
"Yeah," Viel laughed. "I was surprised too when I found out we were born on the exact same day."
Lucas tilted his head. "Doesn't that basically make you twins?"
"In a way," Viel replied with a grin. "Twins... but born to different mothers."
Akuma's cheerful expression suddenly faded.
Mist immediately noticed. "What's wrong?"
"I... just remembered my mother," Akuma said.
"I thought you said both your parents died during the war," Mist said quietly.
Akuma nodded. "They did. My older brother was the one who raised me."
Viel lowered his gaze. "My mother died in an accident."
Lucas sighed. "So not only do you share the same birthday... your mothers met similar tragic fates."
Silence settled over the group.
After a moment, Akuma forced a smile.
"But let's not dwell on the past. It's already behind us."
Viel quietly wrapped an arm around Akuma's shoulders, offering him silent comfort.
.
.
.
"ROAAARRR!!"
Monstrous roars echoed throughout the town.
People screamed in terror as they fled through the streets.
"Help! Somebody help!"
Sagi and the others immediately rushed to the scene.
"I'll handle these guys!" Sagi shouted confidently as he drew his enormous sword, a blade nearly as tall as he was.
"They're nothing!"
"Alright!" Blake grinned, pulling out his flute.
"It's party time!"
The melody of his flute filled the battlefield.
In an instant, Xenon teleported behind several monsters, cutting them down before they could react.
Nearby, Zake raised one hand.
The stones, carts, and broken debris scattered across the street floated into the air before launching toward the monsters like deadly projectiles.
As the battle raged on...
A masked young man silently watched from the shadows.
"...Grum."
The moment he spoke, a massive creature emerged behind him.
It was Grum—
The very same monster that had brutally slaughtered the young woman several nights earlier.
"They're yours," the masked man ordered.
Grum let out a savage roar before charging into battle.
.
.
.
"Hah! I'm almost done wiping you all out!" Sagi laughed as he cleaved another monster clean in half.
Not far away, Blake was sent tumbling across the ground after taking a powerful hit.
"Blake!" Xenon shouted as he instantly teleported beside him. "You alright?"
"Yeah..." Blake answered while brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Good thing my face didn't get scratched."
Before anyone could relax—
The ground suddenly shook.
A gigantic monster appeared before them.
"An... Ogre?" Zake muttered.
Without warning, the Ogre charged straight at the monsters they had been fighting.
"Whoa..." Sagi blinked.
For a moment, no one knew whether it was an ally...
Or an even greater threat.
The Ogre tore through the remaining monsters with terrifying ease.
Within moments, every last one of them lay dead.
Then...
The giant slowly turned toward Sagi and the others.
Its blood-red eyes glowed with hunger.
Drool dripped from its massive jaws.
Blake instinctively stepped backward. "...Uh-oh."
"I think it wants to eat us," Sagi muttered.
Everyone immediately prepared for battle.
The Ogre charged.
Its enormous footsteps shook the ground as it rushed toward them.
Just before it reached them—
"GRUM!"
A commanding voice echoed through the battlefield.
Everyone turned.
A masked young man stepped out from behind a nearby streetlamp.
"That's enough. We're going home."
The Ogre immediately stopped.
Without hesitation, it vanished into thin air.
The masked man pulled his cloak over himself.
Moments later...
He disappeared as well.
"...Who was that?" Xenon asked.
No one answered.
They simply exchanged uneasy glances.
Something told them...
This was only the beginning.