After the loss... Everyone decided to go and look for a place to sleep in. 'We should go to that abandoned house in the Keiko Forest...'' Silverwing says. Julia was carrying Yuro while Maggie was sleeping on Silverwing's back. Elijah was in Silverwing's arms. The aura kept clinging onto Corvus as he walked. There were so many things on his mind... He did not say a word since they left. Elijah's death... It really went to waste... I should have moved back then. I should have died instead of Elijah... All because of me... A tear slid down his cheeks, but he did not even notice. Suddenly, while Corvus was walking... Something did not feel right. He paused... It was like... this was not grass after all. He looks down at the grass under him. It did not look real either. Corvus crouches. The Keiko Forest was full of secrets after all. A dark aura surrounds his fist, he punches the ground. He flinches... This was not grass... This was metal! His knuckles were red already. Silverwing looks at him. ''That is not metal, dummy. Ever heard of 'The Entrance for Innocent Souls'?'' Silverwing asks, letting Maggie lay on the ground. Silverwing puts his hand on the grass, and the grass starts shining. Then the grass disappeared, showing a stairway that leads into a dark place... Corvus goes in, Julia follows while Silverwing puts Maggie on his back. He gets in, the grass appears again after they enter. It was dark... He could not see a thing. No one could, but we could hear water dripping from... Somewhere. The lights go on, lighting up the neat underground base. Someone lived here. Corvus looked around, noticing that everything was HEAVENLY cleaned. They hear a door opening. A girl with sky blue wavy hair and blue eyes comes out of the bathroom. She looked like a 14-year-old girl, in Corvus' opinion. ''Welcome, I am impressed you have found this. I rarely get guests,'' she says, bowing. Corvus narrows his eyes at the formality. Silverwing: ''Who might you be...?''. The girl: ''Xuria is my name. It is an honor to meet you all.'' Julia smiles at her, her yellow eyes glistening. Xuria looks at Maggie and Yuro... Her eyes widened. ''What happened to th-...'' she paused mid-sentence, as Corvus fell on the ground with a loud thud. Julia was about to grab him but... It was a bit late. Xuria: ''Put them on the ground, I'll be right back!''. Xuria disappeared in the hallways... After a bit, she comes back with healing potions and a first-aid kit. ''What happened...'' she says while inspecting the four people. She looks at Silverwing... He sighs. ''A fight against the Queen and her heroes,'' he says. Xuria's eyes widened... ''Against them? What kind of devil possessed you all to do that?!'' she says, clearly mad at them. Silverwing looks down, biting his bottom lip... ''I... They kidnapped me... So, he came to save me, but it all failed... They ended up retreating...'' he answers, his voice low. Xuria nods in understanding. ''Who is he...?'' she asks out of curiosity. ''Corvus... Leader of The Dying Light or you could say... The last devil,'' he answers. Xuria looks at him. ''I think... Those two will be hard to save...'' she says, pointing at Elijah and Yuro. Silverwing and Julia's eyes widened. ''I will do my best,'' Xuria says while bringing all the injured ones to a room somewhere in the distance...
After what felt like an eternity, but was just 2 days, Corvus comes back. He had a hurt look on his face. Julia and Silverwing stare at each other... The dark aura was still around him, as if he were consumed by the darkness. ''Will he be okay...? He is blaming himself for their deaths... I feel like I want to talk to him but at the same time... I fear something. The aura around him. It is as if he wants to be left alone. He is suffering alone. No one can heal him from this traumatizing fight. He fell into a pitch-black void, he cannot escape it,'' Silverwing thinks. Corvus walks past Silverwing and Julia... He heads towards the exit and opens it. ''Where are you g-...'' before Silverwing finished his sentence, the door closed. Corvus left the base. Silverwing sprints to the exit and opens the door but... Corvus was not there. He disappeared into thin air. Silverwing falls on his knees. ''Where did you go... Corvus...?'' he says to himself.
Meanwhile at Shinjuku Academy... Everyone in the city gathered, waiting for Dante and Fianna to speak... Fianna clears her throat... ''With this, I want to say... A new devil has appeared. One a lot stronger than Arnold and Nocturnes. We thought it was over but... The devil has striked again. This will be the last devil for sure. The heroes' exam will start tomorrow, whoever dares to risk his life for humanity, please raise your hand!', she says, her voice loud because of the microphone. No one raises his/her hand until... Almost 10% raise their hand, most of them were young, around seventeen or so. The hands increased, 14% of the people raised. ''Whoever raised their hand, please come to the first row. The others who did not want to go, the news will be posted tomorrow live at 7 p.m,'' she says as the people who did not raise their hands left the academy. ''Brave warriors, 3 days ago, we encountered a devil. He had allies too, but the problem was... The new Angel King is his ally too. As you all may know, King Lauren ended up getting poisoned by an unknown man, who is the new Devil King. His name is Corvus, he used to come to Shinjuku Academy and was born without magic. We had a fight, a lot of us got injured, so did I. I'm going to die soon enough. With this I want to say... The strongest man and woman under the age of eighteen will be Prince and Princess. The strongest man and woman above the age of eighteen will be King and Queen,'' Fianna says, making sure to explain everything. Fianna: ''And... We have found someone who supported the new devil king...'' Everyone looks at Taehyun as he was forced onto the stage, dragged by a group of heroes. His wrists were tightly bound behind his back, the restraints biting into his skin. They pushed him down to his knees, his body slumping forward slightly from exhaustion. Fianna stepped forward, her expression smug as she addressed the roaring crowd. "Here he is; the director of Shinjuku Academy," she announced, her voice sharp and commanding. "A devil worshipper. Now, tell me... What do you wish to do with him?" The crowd erupted into a frenzied chant, their voices unanimous: "Kill him!" One of the heroes stepped forward, unsheathing a gleaming sword. He pointed the blade at Taehyun's bowed head, the edge trembling with anticipation. But then, Taehyun chuckled. The laugh started low and soft, but quickly grew louder, filling the air with an eerie defiance. ''Pfft... You call yourself the queen?'' he spat, lifting his head to glare at Fianna with a wild grin. ''You won't achieve anything by killing me! Hah! All you're doing is adding more fuel to the Devil's heart. What are you planning, you evil witch?!'' His words echoed through the stunned crowd, piercing through their bloodlust. For a moment, there was silence... Until the hero with the sword moved swiftly. With one fluid motion, the blade slashed cleanly through Taehyun's neck. His head tumbled to the ground, blood splattering across the stage. But even in death, Taehyun's laughter persisted, his lifeless blue eyes gleaming with a haunting light as if mocking them from beyond. Corvus arrived just in time to witness the horrifying scene. He froze where he stood, his breath hitching. The world seemed to grind to a halt around him as his wide eyes fixated on Taehyun's severed head, rolling lifelessly on the stage. The laughter lingered in Corvus's ears, cutting deeper than any blade ever could...''WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU MONSTERS!!!'' he yells. Everyone looks at him. His eyes were wide open. ''Am I really seeing this...?'' he thinks to himself. The dark aura around him starts multiplying... Fianna looks at him, a hint of fear in her eyes. It became quiet... The aura was just... Terrifying. Taehyun's head gets re-connected to his body. ''You have seen him... Scary, right, Fianna? I thought you were a brave old snake... But it looks like you are scared. Has he hunted you so much you even had to retreat? Such a shame, I think even your parents would be disappointed if they saw you like this,'' he whispers in her ear as he suddenly appears behind Fianna. ''Have you seen what humans, people like you do to others? You make them monsters; they get consumed by the darkness and achieve greater power because of society. Do you think this is normal... It all started since Cesare died. You let him die, even though he saved your life. You have led society on the wrong path... So much a father even wanted to kill his son, a friend's parents tortured him, everyone started using him. Nocturnes could have lived. You ruined it for your disgusting freedom. Say goodbye to the world, Nocturnes will decide your fate,'' he continues as her eyes widen even more. He takes a kunai knife from his pockets and looks at her. ''Your heart... Your mind... Your hands... They are all cursed,'' he says, cutting her left hand with a swift move. ''Does that hurt? Well, it is absolutely nothing compared to your sins,'' he continues, a wide grin on his face. Dante trembles... Plop... Both of Fianna's hands are cut off. ''Tell me... How much does it hurt?'' he asks looking into her eyes as if he was reading her mind. Corvus was surrounded by a dark circle...
Again. This feeling, all my energy... They killed him... His hair starts flying up as his horns appear again. His body turns red... The mark was visible on his back this time, it was glowing. ''I will kill her. I will go beyond my limits... Everyone will die.', he thinks. Suddenly, a red figure appears in front of him. ''What kind of idiot are you exactly?'' he asks. It was not Arnold... ''I am Nocturnes, the first devil king. Use your power, take your teacher and head back. Do not fight. That will cause too many problems, considering your energy not even at half,'' Nocturnes says. He was... even bigger than Arnold. He disappears, so does the circle. Corvus looks at the place where Nocturnes stood. "I should listen..." Corvus thought, his determination solidifying. With a burst of speed, he dashed through the heroes, his claws slicing through the air as he grabbed Taehyun. Taehyun flinched but quickly composed himself. "Stay in the air!" he shouted. Corvus obeyed, halting mid-flight and hovering high above the chaos. Taehyun pulled out two knives, his sharp eyes locking onto Fianna below. He steadied his aim, making sure to strike precisely. The first knife flew, slicing through the air and landing with a sickening thud right in the middle of Fianna's forehead. Her body wavered before collapsing to the ground. Gasps filled the stage as the crowd stood frozen in shock. Taehyun didn't hesitate. His second knife followed, plunging into her chest, directly into her heart. Blood quickly pooled, painting the stage in deep red. Corvus, unfazed, turned away, his wings carrying them both toward the Keiko Forest. "She would have died either way," Corvus said coldly, his voice steady as they disappeared into the night. Taehyun looks at him. ''You've gotten strong, huh?'' Taehyun says, smirking. Corvus grits his teeth. ''No. Not yet...,'' he says. Taehyun sighs as they arrive. The door opens this time. As they go down, a loud cheerful sound is heard. The door closed behind them. Corvus sees Silverwing, Julia, Xuria and... Maggie was fully covered with bandages. There was a scar on her neck as well. Silverwing's eyes widen as Corvus comes. ''I thought you left...,'' he says. Corvus transforms back into his human form. ''What kind of idiot are you exactly?'' he asks, repeating Nocturnes' words. Silverwing suddenly pushes him, making Corvus fall on the ground. Corvus squints his eyes as he fell, Silverwing standing in front of him. ''Don't call me an idiot!'' he yells. Julia and Xuria just laugh as they watch the scene unfolding. Corvus stands up and walks to Maggie. He crouches to her height as he puts his hand on her shoulder. ''I am glad you are alive, Magnus. You are brave and strong; I give you that. You did great protect your brother, he will be happy when he hears it,'' he says, his voice turning soft as he smiles at her. Maggie's eyes light up. ''Thanks, leader!'' Maggie answers. ''Drop the formalities, call me 'Corvus', you do not have to call me 'leader' or anything like that,'' he says, putting his hands in his pockets. Taehyun suddenly moves a barrier in front of Corvus' face. Inside it there were the books Nocturnes wrote before he died. Taehyun: ''Jeez, all that trouble just to bring this to you.'' Taehyun deactivates his barrier, letting the books fall on the couch. ''How are Yuro and Elijah doing...?'' Corvus asks Xuria. She looks at Julia. ''I am not sure... Even if they survive, they will not be able to use their powers ever again...'' she answers, a hint of sadness in her voice. Corvus' eyes widen... ''You're joking right? There is no way...'' he says as he disappears in the hallway.
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