[Year 1024]

[Location: Liora's Royal Palace]

Under the gorgeous moonlight, the royal castle of Liora stood out unevenly while it burned with crimson flames.

The walls were blast opened, as smog erupted high in the sky. The ripped off arms and legs of shoulders and maids were scattered all over the place like it rained corpses. The torso and head were missing.

The fountains situated across all over the palace showered their red water as it reflected the gruesome scene on it.

Munch..! Munch…! Crack…! Munch…!

The munching sound of bones was terrifying, and would make anyone listening to it lose their last thread of hope.

Inside the palace was no different.

"Huff…Huff..!! Ack–!. Haaah!" Eula ran towards Rinna's room, slicing off every lesser demon which counters her path. Purple blood spattered as she sliced each one with precision.

At just the age of sixteen, she had become a two star orange-core, spellweaver. One of her kind, talented and gifted individuals among the three sisters. At that age, people started making assumptions that she would become Liora kingdom's next Breaker rank human.

BAAM—!

She dodged an axe directed towards her head fluently, kicking off the ground she jumped, rotated her body in the air and jumped behind the lesser demon, before finishing him off.

Holding her long single-edged blade, she looked around only to find herself in the main hall, where several half-eaten bodies were scattered like broken dolls. Her breath trembled. And her mind was racking. She had never expected something like this to happen in her life.

"Father… Mother…" her voice slipped out her pink lips.

She looked left and right, but found no human presence around her. Only a few lesser demons crouched far in the corners, munching on corpses like they were feasting at a banquet.

Eula took one slow step back, then turned her gaze toward the staircase.

"Rinna… Sister…" she whispered.

They should be in their room right now, sleeping. They were laughing a few hours ago… Everything had been normal.

Her legs moved before her thoughts did. Without thinking twice, she dashed toward the stairs, gripping her blade tighter until her knuckles turned blue.

It all happened too suddenly.

Just a few hours before sleeping, everything was normal at the palace. The maids were moving around with their usual gentle smiles, the butlers stood in their calm elegance at every direction, and the guards greeted her happily whenever she passed by them.

Everything was so normal that it felt unreal now.

Then why? Why was this happening?

A demon rampaged in the middle of the kingdom, and that too inside the royal palace. That was unheard of. Not even the worst-case scenarios ever pictured something this insane.

As she ran, her eyes flicked toward the castle courtyard visible through the massive window. Her steps halted to take in half a breath.

A gigantic mana barrier covered the entire castle in an eerie purple dome shaped honeycomb structure.

"That explains… why barely any knights are inside," she muttered.

"Tsk…" She clicked her tongue softly.

But how would a mana barrier suddenly appear out of nowhere… trapping the palace along with humans?

'It's all a setup.' Eula deduced it instantly.

There was no way this was an accident or a normal demon attack. Someone must have planned this.

But who? And why?

Someone was against the royals?

That much was true.

These past few months, Liora—or more specifically, Charlotte, the first princess had made many enemies.

Enemies who wanted the royals dead.

Charlotte had executed corrupt nobles, she beheaded ministers, she dragged criminals from their mansions and exposed their sins in the middle of the capital. And she recently convinced the king to execute a high-ranking official accused of rape, murder, and bribery.

She didn't show any proof this time. Because she didn't have any. She only used her insane intuition and deduction skills to make an insanely believable scenario of what actually happened.

And somehow the king always agreed to her without questioning a thing.

Now that Eula thought about it, it was… strange. So, so…. Unnaturally strange.

'What was the reason?' she wondered, climbing the third floor with hurried steps. 'Father was never the type to agree blindly with anyone. Not even his own daughters and son. Then why did he this time—'

"ACK—!!"

Something slammed her gut like a boulder. Her vision flashed white as her body bent forward, the bile rose in her throat before she crashed into the wall behind her.

"GHAAAAAA—!!"

The pain tore through her ribs and stomach. She gasped, coughing violently as she lifted her trembling eyes.

A demon was standing there.

Its body was a grotesque mix of lizard scales and bear-like muscles. Two violet horns curled upward, pulsing with demonic mana. Its tail dragged behind it, scraping the marble floor with a screech that sent a chill down her spine.

A mid-rank, the build looked similar to a greater demon.

'A Greater Demon!' she cursed internally, pushing herself up with shaking arms.

Blood dripped down her chin as she spat to the side and wiped her mouth with her hand, smearing her own blood across her cheek.

A metallic, sour taste filled her mouth instantly.

Her fingers fumbled inside her pocket, pulling out a small glass bottle. She uncorked it with her teeth and swallowed the entire healing potion in one go.

Her breath steadied slightly.

She stood straight again and slid her foot back, taking her stance. A faint glow spread through her irises, turning her sky-blue eyes brighter as she whispered the incantation under her breath.

Her gaze locked onto the greater demon's eyes without a hint of fear.

The demon growled, then let out a crooked laugh. Its chest rumbled as it stepped forward slowly, taking its sweet time, dripping saliva like some starving beast. Its eyes roamed over her body up and down with disgusting hunger, enjoying how small she looked compared to its massive frame.

Eula didn't move an inch.

When the demon crossed that invisible line that she had measured in her mind, she exhaled once and spoke almost calmly.

"Kill yourself."

The demon halted.

Its eyes shook, bulging as if something inside its skull twisted. Its enormous arms rose to its sides, without fighting itself, then slammed together around its own head.

Splash–!

Purple blood splattered across the floor like rain as its skull imploded between its own palms. The body twitched for a moment, then collapsed at her feet with a heavy thud.

Eula didn't blink, as blood splashed onto her cheeks, dripping down her chin like someone had painted her with it.

Her eyes remained coldly on the floor.

She deactivated her [Command of Grace].

The glow faded from her eyes. Eula wiped a smear of purple blood from her cheek with the back of her hand.

"…Out of my way."

She stepped over the corpse and continued running towards Rinna's room.

Sliding on the floor, she opened the door of Rinna's room and stepped inside.

Her breath caught the moment she saw her.

Rinna was lying on the bed, completely unaware of what was happening.

Her small body curled slightly under the blanket, and her breathing was slow, as if she was in a deep peaceful sleep.

"Rinna…?" Eula whispered, walking toward her with shaking legs.

She placed her hand on Rinna's shoulder and shook her lightly, but her little sister did not react at all.

Rinna's eyelids didn't even tremble.

'Is she under a spell…?' the thought burst inside her mind.

She looked at the door again, then back at Rinna's calm sleeping face.

It hit her suddenly.

'This spell… it must be on everyone.'

Whoever was behind all this… they had put Rinna under a sleeping spell as well. They didn't even bother killing her.

'Why let her sleep though…? And why am I not affected?'

It was a question she had no answer to.

She sighed shakily and gently patted Rinna's tiny head. Her lips trembled as she stroked her hair once.

"I will come back for you… so stay like this," she whispered quietly.

She walked out of the room and closed the door with a soft click.

Her eyes narrowed.

The one doing all of this did not want the royals dead. If that was their goal, Rinna would have been torn apart like the others. The guards outside the barrier were unharmed too. Only the inside was attacked.

They were being separated and trapped like fish inside a jar.

Maybe the spell that trapped everyone somehow failed on her… maybe her mana resisted it. It was possible.

With that thought lingering, she stepped back into the corridor and took a sharp turn in the direction of Charlotte's room.

'It will be fine,' Eula told herself as she jogged, 'I will wake Sister Charlotte and everything will be fine.'

Charlotte was the eldest. The one Eula relied on the most. The one who carried the weight of their house with a smile, and if anyone could fix this situation, it was her.

Her steps slowed as she saw someone near Charlotte's door.

A man with broad shoulders and blond hair was standing near Charlotte's door.

He wasn't fighting or anything, nor was he panicking.

He was just standing there… looking inside the room with an expression she didn't understand.

"Father…?" she called.

Aster's head slowly turned toward her. His ocean-blue eyes glimmered strangely, it was way too calm for the situation.

"Eula? How did you wake up?"

"Father," she whispered. She felt relief rushing through her chest. He was safe too, just like Rinna, and he's here. Now everything would be okay.

"Good. This is good," Aster said quietly.

Eula frowned as she stared at his eyes. Something felt wrong in them. Something felt empty in those blue eyes. He turned his head back toward Charlotte's room.

"Come here," he said. "You must see this."

Eula blinked. 'See what…?'

She placed her blade back at her waist and walked slowly toward him. Each step made her heartbeat louder.

A crackling sound echoed faintly from Charlotte's room, something wet and crunchy…

She stood beside her father and looked at his face first.

She studied his expression, trying to make sense of it. She couldn't understand at all.

What looked like relief on his face.

Relief? Why would he be relieved…?

Something cold crawled up her spine instantly as a sudden thought clicked.

She turned her head toward Charlotte's room.

Her vision shattered in a single heartbeat.

She didn't blink at all. She tried but she couldn't.

Her eyes widened so much it felt like they might tear apart any moment. Every hair on her body stood on end, and her jaw locked painfully tight.

Her stomach twisted violently.

"BWAAAAAAAA—!"

She vomited instantly. Blood mixed with half-digested food splattered on the floor. Her throat burned like fire. She threw up again and again until nothing but bitter acid came up.

Her eyes were glued to the scene inside the room.

Five higher demons stood in a circle, their bodies hunched over something. Their movements were rhythmic, messy, and horrifying. They were feasting, tearing, and crunching something.

Until Aster spoke.

"Stop. Let her see."

The demons halted instantly, as if obeying him.

They stepped back.

Thud.

A heavy thud echoed and a female corpse fell onto the floor.

It had no head.

For a moment… Eula felt relief. Relief that the corpse had no head. Relief that she couldn't see the face. Relief that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't—

The corpse's muscles were torn, the belly ripped open. Intestines spilled across the floor like ropes. One lung missing, the heart gone entirely. Chunks of flesh bitten off like a wild beast had been snacking piece by piece.

It was a rotting feast.

Eula's relief shattered when something rolled across the floor.

A wet, round object bumped gently against her foot.

She looked down and saw a head.

Half-eaten on the right side. The brain cavity is empty. The jaw dangled open loosely.

Yet the hair… soft and silver-white… still as beautiful as the moon outside.

It was Charlotte's head.

Her sister. Her best friend.

Her everything in this world.

"No…" Eula whispered. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably and she turned her head to look away.

But Aster grabbed her head with one hand and turned her face forcibly toward the half-eaten head.

"Look," he said calmly. "Look at what happens to anyone who tries to bite me."

His voice was cold, and it sounded almost amused.

"She tried to bite me," he said. "And look. Hahaha. She got bitten in pieces in return."

His laughter echoed behind her.

But Eula didn't hear anything anymore.

Her sense of hearing, smell, and touch had faded.

Even her breath stopped.

Only her eyes kept staring at Charlotte.

Until her vision finally blurred… to darkness.

— — —

Present. [Year 1030]

Eula sat curled on the sofa, clutching the red ribbon which she undone tightly against her chest. Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"Did you get it now… what I want…"

Leon listened to every word. He could not believe any of it. Her sister's death was in the game, but not this.

Not the king's involvement, and not the demons working under the king. Not… that scene which she described so clearly.

Her own father forced her to look at it. Leon had no words for what kind of man that was.

He looked at Eula. Her body seemed so small now, hugging her knees beside him. All that pride, all that coldness, it was shattered completely.

'Ah… that explains her anger.' Leon swallowed hard.

He asked quietly. "What do you want me to do, Eula."

She lifted her face and a smile appeared which tried to hold her expression together.

"Help me kill that man." She said that wearing a smile.

She craved for revenge.

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