Chapter 50

  The twin suns swam in the skies above the land of Hell Star. The people who survived returned to their families. Those who didn’t were received and honored by their families. The demons of the realm all paid their last respects to the great warriors who gave their lives to protect the land and its people. Their bodies were recovered and buried.

  In front of the graveyard, Hell Star stood and gave a final farewell to his sons, his knights, and his people who protected this land. The suns slowly set down, and as the blue moon rose up the skies, silence followed.

  In Hell Star’s castle, in his room, there was a dead silence. Hell Star, Goodwin, Lara, Melody, Riley, and Ryan stood there.

  “How are you, Ryan?” asked the Hell Star.

  “Sir, my heart is not beating. My blood is frozen, yet I am not dead. I can breathe. No other changes in my condition, sir,” he spoke.

  “I will study more about this,” said Melody.

  “Here, use this,” said Hell Star as he took out the notes he recovered from the blood mage Fin and his son Garry’s room.

  “Thank you, sir,” said Melody.

  “Where is Leo?” asked Riley, who had just woken up.

  The demons there went silent. Their eyes became moist. Voices started cracking.

  Hell Star said, “He is dead.”

  “No, you are lying,” said Riley as she was unable to accept this. She started to go crazy. Ryan rushed to help, held her hands, and hugged her. She hugged him back and cried.

  “I don’t think it’s that simple,” said Melody.

  “I agree,” said Lara as she continued. “Did anyone notice? All the dead souls visited their families before bidding them farewell. Even Gilbert and Garry were there, but Leo was not seen anywhere.”

  Riley looked up and asked, “So you say he lived?”

  “I know he lived,” said Melody. “We just have to search for him.”

  At that moment, a bang on the door was heard.

  “Come in,” said the Hell Star.

  The door opened, and on the other side stood a very old demon with an old frame. Hell Star looked at him. His eyes widened. He bowed down.

  “Greetings, Royal Grandmaster,” said the Hell Star.

  It was none other than the master of Leo.

  He came forward and stood before Lara, the masked figure. He knelt before her and said, “The subject greets the royal princess Lera.”

  As he said that, Lara finally removed her mask. Riley, who knew her, was shocked.

  The old man continued, “Forgive me for not being able to come faster.”

  Riley, just out of shock, spoke, “Sister Lera… you are alive.”

  She ran and hugged her.

  “You have grown well, Riley. I am proud of you, kids,” said Lara.

  Ryan, confused, as if he was the voice of all those clueless beings in the room, asked, “Riley, just who is this Lera?”

  With a smile, Riley spoke, “This is Leo’s blood sister, Lera.”

  The Hell Star, Melody, and Goodwin all knelt immediately.

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  “Greetings, princess,” they said.

  “Get up, my friends. We went through too much together for such formalities,” Lera said.

  They got up.

  She continued, “Master, Leo vanished into flames, leaving behind the corpse which turned to ash.”

  “Hahahahaaaa. Mere flames dare not touch him. For in him flows the blood of his mother, the greatest mage of the kingdom, a descendant of the phoenix. It’s dormant in him. Maybe the fight released the seal on his power. Whenever the power is used, space gets bent, and maybe he was transported somewhere else,” he said.

  “So he lives?” asked Melody.

  “That’s what I think,” said the old master.

  “What should we do now?” asked Grey.

  Lera stepped forward. “We need to start the search discreetly. This time, the crown in the skies—he has caused a huge commotion. It’s better for him to stay dead for a while.”

  All there agreed to it.

  “After that, what next?” asked Ryan.

  “Next, we burn the throne of the Demon King,” replied Lera.

  All those present there took the incident to their hearts, a scar that they would never forget. They all started going their own way to get stronger, waiting for their king to come back and call upon them.

  In the dark throne room of the central kingdom, on the throne sat the Demon King—the eternal sovereign, the destroyer, the tyrant.

  In front of him stood his minister. Hesitantly, he spoke, “Your Majesty, it’s back. The medallion has reappeared.”

  The Demon King stood from his throne and asked, “Where?”

  “In the Hell Star’s domain, wielded by a knight named Leo,” he said.

  “Hahahahahahaaaaaa. Finally, brother, I found you. This time, you are not escaping me,” he said, as his laughter sent shivers through the whole of the central kingdom.

  In a domain unaffected by such chaos, in the most prestigious academy for knights, there existed a pond.

  As the twin suns rose up in the skies as usual, students came to attend their daily practice. They started their mock duels. All was going as normal until one student, whose sword was deflected and fell near the pond, went to pick it up and saw a body floating in the water, with a bag hanging at his waist and his hands gripping a half-broken crimson blade.

  He went to call the instructor. In that moment, a demon who swept the academy grounds crossed there. He took the body out of the water.

  The crimson sword started to burn. It floated in the air as it finally entered the body at his heart.

  Finally, a beat was heard.

  The old man carried this soaked demon to his cottage. There, he lay on the bed.

  In his dreamscape, the Fairy King stood.

  He whispered, “My boy, now your second trial. A fate worse than death—the fate of forgetting all you were, all that you stood for, and all that you loved. May the mana be with you, O child of mana.”

  As he slowly faded away.

  The Season 3 End