Kael's year of grueling training had finally come to an end. With only one week left until the Academy entrance exams, Kael was pushing his limits on the training grounds, wielding his sword with grim determination. Suddenly, the air turned ice-cold. The atmosphere grew heavy, and the sky transformed into a bleak, oppressive gray. Every hair on Kael's neck stood up; his body felt frozen, as if held by an invisible, spectral hand.
He forced his head to turn, and a figure appeared before him. The creature had a human-like form, but it was a race Kael had never seen before. His eyes were pitch black, housing pupils as red as fresh blood, and two massive wings stretched from his back, dark as the void.
"Hmm..." the entity murmured, his voice a rasping whisper that clawed at the soul. "To think I would travel all the way from the Demon Realm just to see Lord Abaddon's progeny. This scent... you smell just like Lord Abaddon. Without a doubt, you are the one I've been waiting for. But I am disappointed; you are nothing but a frail human boy."
In an instant, the demon flickered and appeared right in Kael's face, his crimson eyes boring into Kael's own. "What is the matter? Can you not even move from fear? Tell me, child, what is your name?"
Kael was being crushed under the sheer weight of the aura radiating from the monster. Neither his uncle's presence nor the strongest mages he had ever encountered could compare to this suffocating pressure. Just as the words caught in his throat, a deafening explosion of wind tore through the air.
As the red-eyed demon was forced back, Zephyros appeared beside Kael like a guardian shadow. "Kael! Pull yourself together!" he roared. The shockwave of his uncle's gale allowed Kael to finally catch a desperate breath.
Zephyros knew instantly that the being before them was no ordinary creature. The wings, the eyes, and the toxic aura saturating the entire estate pointed to one terrifying truth. "Kael, on my signal, run toward the manor!"
"But Uncle—"
Before Kael could finish, Zephyros thundered, "Listen to me! This is not an enemy you can fight! We are facing a true Demon! Do as I say, and when I give the signal, run and don't look back!"
For the first time in his life, Kael felt the true, bone-chilling terror of what a demon actually was.
The demon let out a mocking, condescending laugh. "It seems there is a misunderstanding here. No one is going anywhere." His voice resonated with the power of an absolute command: "Kneel!"
Kael and Zephyros were slammed to the ground, as if tons of lead had been dropped onto their shoulders. The demon's words carried a spell powerful enough to warp gravity itself. Zephyros spoke through gritted teeth, his voice strained: "What could a... Baron-level demon... want with us?"
The demon smirked. "Ah, humans are such simple creatures. You look like you would break if I merely touched you. I asked you a question, boy. What is your name?"
"My name is... Kael."
"Ah, Kael... Our Lord's son. I sense so little demonic power from you." The demon's gaze sharpened, locking onto the seal ring on Kael's finger. "Hmm... So that's the trick."
With a casual flick of his hand, the demon pulled Kael toward him like a puppet on strings. Zephyros cried out in desperation, "Kael! If you harm him, his father will not leave you breathing!"
The demon, with an infuriating calm, flicked a sphere of darkness toward Zephyros. Upon impact, Zephyros was sent tumbling meters away. "Uncle!" Kael screamed.
"Who gave you the audacity to lecture me?" the demon said coldly. He grabbed the ring on Kael's hand and crushed it into dust in a single motion. As the seal shattered, the dark magic trapped within Kael erupted like a shockwave, forcing even the demon back a few steps.
"Ah! There it is! It's as if Lord Abaddon himself were standing beside me... Splendid."
Kael struggled to keep his consciousness from fading. "No... the seal is broken," he thought in horror. "If I lose control, this place will turn into a zone of absolute chaos."
The demon asked mockingly, "What is this? Can you not even control your own power? Ah, I suppose it's because of your half-human blood... How pathetic."
In that moment of turmoil, Varkas charged into the clearing. Seeing Zephyros bleeding on the ground and Kael on the verge of losing control, he froze for a split second. He could sense the terrifying strength of the entity before them, but he couldn't stand by. Drawing his blade, he lunged at the demon with everything he had.
The demon stopped Varkas's massive sword with just two fingers. "How lacking you are in basic intuition. You are like ants, rushing to help one another even when facing certain death." With a flick, the demon shattered the sword like glass and hurled Varkas against the training field's wall.
Zephyros knew things were spiraling toward a catastrophe. Forcing himself up despite the pain, he began to gather every ounce of his mana for his signature technique. "Wind Overdrive!" It was a forbidden method that forced external mana into the body to surpass physical limits. Storms began to swirl around Zephyros as he formed a blade of pure mana and launched himself forward at a speed that shattered the sound barrier.
Enveloping Kael in a protective barrier of wind, he began a relentless assault on the demon from every direction. The demon's eyes widened with excitement. "Ha ha ha! Not bad for a human! Entertain me more!"
Zephyros did not relent: "Wind Overdrive: Second Level!"
His speed doubled. He managed to carve deep gashes into the demon's skin, but the wounds healed within seconds. "In that case," the demon said, "I shall get a bit more serious. Demon Art: Army of the Dead!"
From the earth, dozens of skeletal warriors shrouded in black magic rose. The greatest trump card of noble demons—the Demon Arts—was now in play. As Zephyros tore through the skeletons one by one, the demon clasped his hands together: "Void Flare!"
An explosion of dark energy surged toward Zephyros. He tried to cleave the spell with his mana blade, but the power was overwhelming. With a massive blast, he was thrown back once more.
"What's wrong?" the demon asked, stepping through the dust. "Have you already reached your limit?"
Sweat and blood pouring down his face, Zephyros stood up with the last of his strength, his eyes burning with defiance. "Wind Overdrive: Third Level!"