The Hobgoblin fell, its skull shattered by Leon's reinforced wooden blade, but the victory felt hollow. Over the next week, the "Golden Trio" became the heartbeat of the school's survival.
Lucas used his memories of the "First Era" to lead them to hidden caches of mana potions and gear, while Elena and Leon fought side-by-side at the front lines. The bond between them shifted. They weren't just classmates anymore; they were a unit. They ate together, slept in shifts together, and bled together.
Elena, who had always viewed Leon as a rival to surpass, found her perspective warping in the heat of battle. She watched the way he moved—not with the arrogance of a boy who knew he was strong, but with the heavy, weary responsibility of a man who refused to let anyone else die.
One night, while cleaning their blades in the moonlight of the gym, she looked at him. Truly looked at him.
"You're doing it again," she whispered, her voice softer than it had ever been.
Leon didn't look up from his sword. "Doing what?"
"Carrying the weight of every life in this building on your shoulders alone." Elena reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and placed it over his. "We're best friends, Leon. Me, you, and Lucas."
Leon's golden eyes softened for a fraction of a second. "I don't know how to be anything else, Elena. If I stop, people die."
In that moment, Elena realized Lucas was right. Her desire to "prove she was his equal" was vanity. She didn't want to beat him anymore; she wanted to protect the boy hidden behind the mask. The competitive fire in her chest didn't die—it transformed into a fierce, protective love.e sky over the school didn't turn black; it turned the color of a fresh bruise. The System, usually clinical and blue, glitched into a violent red.
[WARNING: GLOBAL ANOMALY DETECTED]
[Event: 'The Queen's Visitation' has been triggered 1,000 days early.]
The cafeteria roof was torn away as if it were made of wet paper. A chilling, floral scent—roses and old blood—filled the air.
Standing in the center of the debris was a woman of impossible beauty. Her skin was porcelain, her dress a flowing river of crimson silk, and her eyes... they were the color of the apocalypse.
"Carmilla," Lucas hissed, his knees hitting the floor. Fear, raw and primal, paralyzed him. It's too soon. He's only Level 15. He's not ready!
Carmilla ignored the screaming students. She walked straight toward Leon, her heels clicking on the linoleum. Leon stepped forward, his golden aura clashing against her suffocating darkness.
"So it was you," Carmilla purred, tilting her head. "A King's soul in a fledgling's body. How delicious."
With a casual wave of her hand, Elena and Lucas were slammed into the far wall by an invisible force. Elena let out a strangled cry as she was pinned, unable to move a muscle.
"Stop!" Leon roared, lunging at the Queen.
He was fast—faster than any human should be—but Carmilla caught his wooden sword with two fingers. She shattered it into splinters and, in the same motion, pulled Leon into a mock-embrace. Her fangs grazed the pulse point of his neck.
"You are strong for a mortal," she whispered into his ear, "but I am an Origin. If I fight you, this entire school becomes a graveyard. Your little violet-haired girl? I'll drain her first."
Leon looked at Elena, who was struggling against the invisible weight, her eyes wide with terror and a desperate, unspoken love. He looked at Lucas, who was weeping in frustration.
Leon knew he couldn't win. Not yet.
"What do you want?" Leon asked, his voice deathly calm.
"A contract," Carmilla smiled, her red eyes glowing."Come to my castle. Be my Consort. Give me your blood, and I will declare this school 'Forbidden Territory' for all other monsters. Your friends will live. They will be allowed to level up in peace."
"Leon, no!" Elena screamed, blood trickling from her mouth. "Don't do it for us!"
Leon looked at her one last time. The girl who had finally looked at him with love instead of rivalry. The friend he had sworn to protect.
"I accept," Leon said.
Carmilla laughed, a sound of chilling triumph " let the world know you belong to the Night."
A black crest burned itself into his throat. The red mist rose, swallowing both the Queen and the boy.
When the mist cleared, the roof was still gone, but the monsters in the hallways had turned to ash. Leon was gone.
Elena fell to the floor, clutching the spot where he had stood. "I didn't tell him," she sobbed, her heart breaking. "Lucas... I didn't tell him."
Lucas stared at the empty space, a new, cold resolve entering his eyes. "We have three years' worth of growth to cram into months, Elena. If we want him back, we have to become monsters ourselves."