The sun cast a warm glow over the sky, its gentle rays illuminating the clouds as they slowly formed and drifted across the horizon. The atmosphere was serene, with a hint of a breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. However, the peacefulness of the scene was starkly contrasted by the tension that filled the principal's office.
Ares paced back and forth, his eyes blazing with anger as he glared at Valeria. "A bloody Darkling infiltrated the school grounds, possessed one of my students, and went on a rampage!" he growled, his voice rising to a scream.
If there was anyone to blame, it was Valerie for not being so careful with the Academy.
Valeria sat calmly, her hands clasped together in her lap, but her eyes betrayed a hint of concern. She took a deep breath before responding, her words carefully chosen. "That's impossible, Ares. We have measures in place to prevent something like that from happening."
Ares's anger only intensified, his face reddening with rage. "Do I look like I'm lying to you?" he demanded, his voice dripping with indignation. "Do I?"
Valeria's expression remained serene, but her voice took on a hint of skepticism. "Yes."
"Why would I lie?" he snarled.
Valeria's response was measured, her words chosen with care. "I don't know... maybe you're just looking for a reason to end this entire guild thing. I mean, you don't really love kids, do you?"
Ares's growl was low and menacing, his eyes flashing with anger. He couldn't believe she was throwing this card at his face. "You're unbelievable," he spat.
Valeria's hands clutched together in front of her face, her eyes never leaving Ares's. "Tell me then... if you're saying a Darkling infiltrated the school grounds, who took it down? Was it you?"
Ares's anger seemed to deflate slightly, replaced by a hint of frustration. He sighed, his voice dropping to a more subdued tone. "I sat back and watched. There was this student who fought it."
Valeria's eyes narrowed, her expression skeptical. "So you let something dangerous be dealt with by the students I assigned to be under you?"
Ares knew how stupid this sounded, but he did. "Yes."
Valeria's expression turned thoughtful, her eyes narrowing as she considered Ares's words. "Let's say that I believe you," she began, her voice measured. "How did this student win against a Darkling, of all things?"
Ares slammed his hands on the table, still trying to figure out a way to express this. "I know it's a stupid thing to say, but amongst the students you gave me, there's one, he was using Demon Arts!"
Valeria's eyes widened, her calm demeanor momentarily shaken. She took a deep breath, her voice returning to its usual serene tone. "That's impossible. Humans can't use Demon Arts... it'd only take someone with demon blood to use Demon Arts."
Ares's face reddened with indignation. "I know exactly what I saw. You think I'd be lying about that too? I saw him summon an undead, used healing magic... and his magic power, it suddenly spiked after he defeated the Darkling."
Valeria's eyes glazed over, her mind caught up in thought. After a moment, she refocused on Ares, her voice calm and collected. "What's his name?"
Ares's expression turned guarded, his eyes narrowing. There's no way he was going to reveal such a detail, not when he knew he didn't trust her enough. "His name doesn't matter. Just know it was one of my students."
"If what you're saying is true, then I suppose we might be having an anomaly in our midst." Valerie said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "We might just be able to survive this war....train him...make him stronger then."
"Why?" Ares cocked a brow.
She smiled. "Sometimes if we are fighting fire, we use fire to make more fire."
"....don't tell me you're planning to having these kids added to the army, are you?" Ares wasn't expecting a certain answer. They might have had been able to use fancy magic, but that didn't mean they were capable to win against a demon. In all his days of fighting, he had seen quite the number of fights....he had seen powerful foes. But demons, they always stood out....
Valerie took a deep, calculated breath. "As much as I hate to do that, I must. It was an order."
"Don't tell me the order can from the bloody Church?"
"I'm afraid it did and there's nothing we can do about it," her lips stretched into a smile. "However, I want you to do something for me."
Ares narrowed his eyes. "Something like what?"
"I received word pertaining to the Catalyst." Valeria's eyes sparkled with amusement as she leaned forward, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I've done a little research, and it seems there's a secret organization that's actually producing this Catalyst. And word has it, it's called Pegasus."
Ares grumbled, his expression unimpressed. "Why should I care about what it's called?"
Valeria's smile grew, her eyes glinting with excitement. "I want you to find the Barons, they're the only ones who might have an idea about where to find this cult... but this is what I want you to do. With your guild, I want you to bring this cult to the ground."
His eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "You want me to take down a cult, just like that?"
Her expression turned serious, her voice firm. "Yes, I do. We can't let them continue to produce these Catalysts. It's too great a risk.... especially for the kingdom."
*
Meanwhile, something was brewing just outside Gran'le. A group of soldiers stood at attention, some on horseback, others on foot, clutching their swords, shields, spears, and arrows. Amidst the sea of armor and steel, one man stood out - the general, sitting atop his horse, his scarlet cape flapping roughly in the wind behind him.
His eyes absorbed the horizon, eager to see if the threat was as dangerous as they had been told. His gaze fell upon a young soldier, who was showing signs of hesitation, his spear trembling under his grip. The general's lips curled into a teasing smile.
"Are you scared, boy?" he asked, his voice light and playful.
The young soldier's face reddened, and he looked up, trying to defend himself. "N-no, sir! I'm just... just making sure I'm ready, sir."
The general chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, I see. Well, it's natural to feel a bit nervous before a battle. But we'll be fine. We've fought demons before, haven't we, men?"
The soldiers nodded, their voices murmuring in agreement. One of them, an older veteran, spoke up. "Aye, we've taken down our fair share of demons. But this one's supposed to be different, sir."
The general's expression turned serious. "Different? What do you mean?"
The veteran hesitated before answering. "I've heard it's a high-ranking demon, sir. One of the ones from the inner circles."
The young soldier's eyes widened, his voice barely above a whisper. "Inner circles? What does that mean?"
The general's expression turned grave. "It means this demon is powerful, boy. More powerful than anything we've faced before."
The soldiers exchanged nervous glances, their faces pale. The young soldier spoke up again, his voice laced with doubt. "But... but where's the demon army? They're supposed to be attacking us, aren't they?"
The general's eyes narrowed, his voice low and serious. "They'll show up, boy. They're never scared... just waiting for the perfect moment to ambush us."
The young soldier's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why aren't they attacking us now? Are they scared?"
The general's expression turned cold, his voice dripping with certainty. "They're never scared, boy. They're just waiting... waiting for us to let our guard down."
The young soldier's eyes went back to the horizon, his gaze lingering on the rolling hills and fields beyond their camp. Suddenly, he noticed a figure approaching in the distance - a man walking with a young girl who held a rod-like object in her hand.
The young soldier's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with confusion. There was something off about the man, something that didn't quite feel right.
As the figure drew closer, the young soldier's eyes widened in shock. He could see it now - the man's eyes, the way he carried himself, the aura that surrounded him.
It was unmistakable.
The man was a demon.
But where was the rest of the rest of the Army?