Aria's POV
I stand before the massive gates of Moonveil Academy and take a deep breath.
Five hours ago, I was nobody. The failed F-rank who scrubbed floors and took abuse with a smile.
Now I'm Aria Nakamura. SSS-rank contractor. The girl who came back from death.
"Ready?" Azrael asks beside me. He's in his human form—elegant black suit, silver hair pulled back, crimson eyes hidden behind dark glasses. He looks like a CEO, not a Demon King. But I can feel his power thrumming beneath the surface.
"No," I admit. "But let's do it anyway."
His smile is sharp with approval. "That's my girl."
We walk through the gates together.
The ceremony grounds are packed. Hundreds of students in their formal robes. Important families from across the region. The tamer council members sitting in the VIP section. Everyone who matters in the spirit world is here.
And they all turn to stare as we enter.
At first, there's just confused silence. Then the whispers start.
"Who is that?"
"Is that... Aria Russo?"
"No way. Aria's dead. She ran away three days ago."
"But look at her eyes..."
I keep walking, head high, feeling every gaze on me. The black dress Azrael gave me flows like liquid shadow. My hair—no longer hidden under a cap—falls down my back with those new white streaks framing my face. And my eyes, my REAL eyes, are visible for the first time. Violet. Unmistakable.
Nakamura eyes.
"It IS her," someone gasps. "But she looks completely different!"
"What happened to her?"
"Why is there a man with her? Who's he?"
I reach the center of the ceremony grounds and stop. Azrael stands beside me, and even though his demon aura is suppressed, people sense something dangerous about him. Students back away instinctively.
Good. Let them fear what's coming.
Master Sato sits in the headmaster's chair on the raised platform. When he sees me, his face drains of all color. He half-stands, then sits back down heavily like his legs won't work.
"Impossible," he breathes, loud enough for nearby people to hear. "You should be—"
"Dead?" I finish for him, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent grounds. "Yes, I know. You tried very hard to make that happen."
Gasps ripple through the crowd.
"What is she talking about?"
"Did the headmaster try to kill a student?"
Master Sato recovers quickly, forcing a concerned expression. "Aria, dear child, you're clearly confused. You've been missing for three days. We've all been so worried—"
"Liar." The word cracks like a whip.
More gasps. You don't call the headmaster a liar in public. Not unless you want to be expelled.
But I'm not afraid anymore.
"Three nights ago," I continue loudly, "you and your clan tried to sacrifice me in a forbidden demonic ritual at the Old Shrine. You murdered my real parents seventeen years ago, stole me as a child, and sealed my memories so I'd never know who I really was."
The crowd explodes with shocked whispers. Council members lean forward, suddenly interested.
"These are serious accusations," one council member says sharply. "Do you have proof?"
I smile. "I have something better than proof. I have witnesses."
I pull out a recording crystal—the same one I used at the shrine. But this version has more. Everything. Audio and visual recordings from the ritual, extracted from Azrael's memory of that night.
"This crystal contains footage of the attempted murder. The forbidden summoning circle. Master Sato admitting to killing my parents." I hold it up for everyone to see. "Would the council like to view it now?"
Master Sato shoots to his feet. "She's lying! That's fake evidence planted by the demon she's contracted with!"
Every eye swings to Azrael.
He removes his sunglasses slowly, revealing those burning crimson eyes. Power radiates from him in a wave that makes even the council members stiffen.
"Demon King Azrael," he introduces himself calmly. "And yes, I'm contracted to Miss Nakamura. But I don't need to plant false evidence. The Sato family's crimes speak for themselves."
"NAKAMURA?" The head council member stands abruptly. "You claim to be a Nakamura? That bloodline is extinct!"
"Not extinct." A new voice cuts through the chaos. "Just hidden."
A man strides through the crowd—tall, dark-haired, with violet eyes identical to mine. He wears the formal robes of a high-rank contractor and carries himself like someone used to command.
My breath catches. I know him from my recovered memories.
"Kaito," I whisper.
My brother reaches me and turns to face the crowd. "My name is Kaito Nakamura. I'm the last surviving son of the Nakamura clan." He gestures to me. "And this is my sister, Aria Nakamura. The Satos have held her prisoner for seventeen years."
The ceremony grounds erupt in chaos.
"The Nakamuras are alive!"
"This is impossible!"
"If this is true, the Satos committed genocide!"
Master Sato tries to speak, but his voice is drowned out by the uproar.
Then another figure pushes through the crowd, and my stomach drops.
Kenji.
He's wearing pristine ceremony robes and that insufferable smirk. Yumi clings to his arm, both of them looking confident and beautiful. The perfect couple.
My hands clench into fists.
"This is ridiculous!" Kenji's voice cuts through the noise. He's always been good at commanding attention. "Aria Russo—or Nakamura, or whatever she's calling herself today—is clearly unstable. She disappeared three days ago and comes back with wild stories and a demon contract?" He laughs, and it sounds so reasonable. "Obviously the demon corrupted her mind. She needs help, not a platform for her delusions."
Several people nod. It's a good argument. Demon corruption is a real fear in tamer society.
"He's right," Yumi adds, dabbing fake tears from her eyes. "We were her friends. We're so worried about her. That demon obviously twisted her memories."
I stare at them. At their perfect acting. At how easily they lie.
Three days ago, these people tried to murder me.
Now they're playing victims.
Rage burns hot in my chest, but I keep my voice cold. "You want proof I'm not corrupted? Fine." I turn to the head council member. "I challenge Kenji Sato to a formal spirit duel. Right now. In front of everyone."
The crowd goes silent.
Kenji's smile falters. "What?"
"A duel." I meet his eyes across the distance. "You're supposedly an S-rank contractor now, having bonded with Seraphiel during the ceremony three nights ago. I'm supposedly a corrupted F-rank." My smile is all teeth. "So it should be an easy fight for you. Unless you're afraid?"
I'm backing him into a corner. Refusing a formal challenge in front of the council and all these witnesses would make him look weak. And Kenji's ego would never allow that.
His face hardens. "Fine. I'll prove you're just a failed contractor who got lucky with a demon. I'll destroy you in front of everyone."
"Kenji, wait—" Master Sato starts, but Kenji waves him off.
"It's fine, father. This will be quick." He steps onto the dueling platform at the center of the grounds. "Come on then, ARIA. Let's see what you've got."
The crowd parts as I walk toward the platform. Whispers follow me.
"This is insane."
"She's going to get killed."
"Even with a demon contract, she's still F-rank against an S-rank."
I step onto the platform across from Kenji. The head council member moves between us, establishing the formal rules.
"This is a spirit duel. First contractor unable to continue loses. Killing blows are forbidden." His stern gaze sweeps both of us. "Do you both understand?"
"Yes," we say in unison.
The council member steps back. "Then... BEGIN!"
Kenji wastes no time. "Seraphiel! Manifest!"
He holds up his hand, summoning the angelic spirit he stole from me.
The beautiful being of white light and golden wings appears behind him, radiating holy power.
The crowd murmurs with appreciation. An angelic spirit is rare and powerful.
Kenji's smirk returns. "See? S-rank power. What do you have, Aria? Your demon?"
"No," I say calmly. "I don't need Azrael for this fight."
His eyes narrow. "You're not even using your contracted spirit? Are you suicidal?"
"I said I don't need him." I raise my hand, and silver-white lightning crackles between my fingers. "Because unlike you, I don't need stolen power to be strong."
I summon my chains.
They erupt from the ground around me—beautiful and deadly, edged with silver light instead of pure darkness. My own power, not Azrael's. My birthright as a Nakamura.
The crowd gasps.
"She can... she can manifest without her spirit?"
"That's SSS-rank level control!"
"Impossible!"
Kenji's face goes pale. "No. You can't be—"
"SSS-rank?" I finish for him. "Yes. I am. Because I'm a NAKAMURA." I let my power flow freely now, and the air itself seems to tremble. "The Satos sealed my abilities when I was five. Made me think I was weak. But that seal broke three nights ago."
I take a step forward, and my chains move with me like extensions of my body.
"You tried to kill me, Kenji. Threw me into a demon summoning circle like I was garbage. Stole my spirit. Stole my life." Another step. "But you made one fatal mistake."
"What?" His voice shakes.
"You didn't make sure I stayed dead."
My chains shoot forward, faster than anyone can follow.
They wrap around Seraphiel before the angelic spirit can react. The angel screams—not in pain, but in absolute TERROR.
Because my chains aren't attacking it.
They're showing it the TRUTH.
Through our contact, Seraphiel sees everything. How Kenji stole the contract. How I was the one who earned the right to bond with it. How Kenji is a fraud.
The angelic spirit takes one look at its "contractor" with new understanding.
Then it breaks the contract.
The bond shatters with a sound like breaking glass. Kenji screams as holy power is ripped from his body. He collapses to his knees, suddenly powerless.
Seraphiel hovers in the air between us, free and confused.
I dismiss my chains and hold out my hand to the spirit. "Hello again. Remember me?"
The angel studies me with ancient eyes. Then, slowly, it bows.
And contracts with me.
Holy light floods through my body, merging with my demonic power and Nakamura abilities. The combination should be impossible—angelic and demonic power together should cancel out.
Instead, they amplify each other.
I feel Azrael's surprise and pleasure through our bond. Well done, little contractor.
The crowd is completely silent, stunned.
I turn to face them, Seraphiel floating behind me, my chains still flickering around my feet.
"My name is Aria Nakamura," I announce clearly. "I'm an SSS-rank contractor. I'm bonded to Demon King Azrael AND the angelic spirit Seraphiel." I let that sink in. "And I'm here to reclaim everything the Sato family stole from me."
Master Sato is on his feet, face purple with rage. "This is an outrage! She's violated sacred contract laws! She's—"
"She's done nothing illegal," the head council member interrupts, studying me with sharp interest. "Spirit contracts can be broken if obtained through fraud. And if her accusations about the Satos are true..." His gaze turns cold. "Then we have much bigger problems."
"Play the crystal," Kaito says, appearing beside me on the platform. "Let everyone see the truth."
I hold up the recording crystal, and Kaito uses his power to project it into the air above us.
The entire ceremony ground watches in horrified silence as the footage plays.
The ritual circle. Master Sato admitting to murder. Kenji throwing me into the summoning circle. The clan elders participating.
Everything.
When it ends, the silence is deafening.
Then someone in the crowd starts screaming. "Murderers! The Satos are murderers!"
More voices join in. Outrage spreads like wildfire.
Master Sato tries to run.
My chains catch him before he takes three steps.
"Going somewhere?" I ask softly, walking toward him. "We're not done yet."
He struggles against the chains, but they hold firm. "You little bitch. After everything we gave you—"
"You gave me NOTHING." My voice is ice. "You stole my family. My memories. My life. You made me your slave and called it kindness." I lean in close. "Now you're going to lose everything, just like I did."
I turn to the council. "I formally accuse the Sato family of genocide, kidnapping, memory alteration, and attempted murder. I have evidence. I have witnesses." I glance at my brother. "And I have a living Nakamura to verify every claim."
The head council member nods slowly. "This council will investigate immediately. Headmaster Sato, you and your family are suspended from all duties pending—"
"NO!" A new voice screams.
Yumi rushes onto the platform, her face twisted with rage. Gone is the sweet, crying friend. This is the real her—jealous and vicious.
"You think you're so special now?" She snarls at me. "You think having power makes you better than us? You're still the same pathetic girl who begged for scraps!"
"Yumi, shut up—" Kenji tries to grab her, but she shakes him off.
"I'm glad we tried to kill you!" Yumi screams. "You deserved it! You were NOTHING! You ARE nothing! Just a—"
Azrael appears behind her so fast no one sees him move.
His hand wraps around her throat, lifting her off the ground effortlessly.
"I believe," he says in a voice that makes the temperature drop, "you were told to watch your tongue around my contractor."
Yumi chokes, clawing at his hand.
"Azrael, don't," I say quietly.
He glances at me, one eyebrow raised.
"She's not worth it." I meet Yumi's terrified eyes. "Let her go. She's already destroyed her own life."
Azrael releases her, and Yumi collapses, gasping.
I turn back to the crowd. To the council. To everyone who ever looked down on me.
"I'm not here for revenge," I say clearly. "I'm here for justice. The Satos will answer for their crimes. And I will rebuild my family's legacy."
The head council member stands. "This council recognizes Aria Nakamura as a legitimate heir of the Nakamura bloodline and an SSS-rank contractor." His voice carries authority. "Furthermore, we will begin immediate investigation into the Sato family."
Master Sato screams curses, but guards drag him away.
Kenji sits on the platform, broken and powerless.
Yumi sobs into her hands.
And I stand tall with my brother beside me, Azrael at my back, and Seraphiel floating above.
The girl who scrubbed floors is dead.
Aria Nakamura has risen.
But as the crowd celebrates and council members swarm forward with questions, I catch sight of someone watching from the shadows.
A woman with ice-blue eyes and a smile that promises trouble.
She looks at me. Then at Azrael. And her smile widens before she disappears into the crowd.
Through our bond, I feel Azrael tense.
Who was that? I ask mentally.
His response is grim. Someone from my past. This just got complicated.