Chapter 58
The three slowly walked up to the cottage.
“Shall we enter?” asked Leo.
Gilda replied,
“Leo, whatever is inside, it is left for you. I think it is appropriate if only you go in.”
Leo looked at Maria. She too nodded.
Then Leo opened the cabin and entered the dark room. The door shut behind his back.
The cabin lit up.
Inside the cabin was a table. On it sat a letter. On its cover was written:
From Sara Sinclair to my son Leo.
Leo’s hands started to shake. His eyes teared up.
He slowly opened the letter. It said:
“My dear son,
If you are reading this, then what I feared occurred. We were unable to break the cursed cycle. It means we died trying, and my suspicions were true — the crown prince really chose to do the unthinkable. He decided to take the power for himself.
He chose an alternative which your father and I disagreed upon. If the huge population is the problem, then if we could kill a few, stability should return to the realm.
My son, whom I brought here from the human realm, decided to do the unthinkable — all for the sake of the throne.
My son, you have to stop him. Forgive your parents for leaving this huge burden to you. We trust you, Leo.
Forgive me and Dad for not being there for you. Forgive me for missing out on all your birthdays and leaving you alone with your sister Lera.
My son, remember — no matter where we are, we will always love you.
With love,
Mother.”
A drop of tear fell on the letter, smudging its ink.
Leo cried out,
“I love you too, Mother.”
He kept the letter back on the table.
At that moment, the house trembled. All the mana there began to converge on the table in front of him.
In a moment, light glowed from the table. It gathered in its center, forming a familiar face.
Leo, stunned, muttered,
“Big brother Drake.”
The figure looked at Leo and said,
“Welcome home, brother.”
Leo laughed.
“Brother, is that really you? Are you alive?” he asked.
The holo-projection spoke:
“If you are here, that means I have died before doing my duty. But fret not. You are here — that’s all that matters.
Now, Leo, listen carefully. Unlike your mother, I don’t believe that there is any hope for this realm anymore. If we stay here, history will repeat itself.
So behind her back, I made a plan.
See ahead — you will find a door. This is the path to the outside. Unlike the one used by your parents, I have stabilized it using a simple principle.
The body can get destroyed, but the soul is immortal.
This door is capable of refining the body into a soul and turning the soul back into a body. But the limit is that the space in between is unstable. The space will collapse after 12 uses.
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Each time, one person and a bag of things — 12 square inches — can be taken with them.
If this goes as it is supposed to, then you can escape this forsaken realm. You can also bring those precious to you.
But remember — only 12 people.
You can escape. Start fresh. Start anew.
That’s all this big brother can do for you, Leo.
You have to make a decision.
Anyway, whatever you decide to do, remember, brother — I am always proud of you. Follow your heart and have no regrets.”
" I almost forgot , I left a present for you" he said as
The light vanished.
Leo calmed down after a long moment of thought.
on the table appeared a box , Leo opened it and his eyes widened ,he smiled and said" thank you brother ".
Leo came out.
Gilda and Maria asked,
“What happened inside?”
Leo told them about the letter and Drake’s contingency plan.
Gilda, hearing this, spoke,
“Leo, please go. You are our future. If the king survives, the kingdom lives on.”
Leo smiled and said,
“No, Grandma. What is a king without his people? I was born amidst these people, and I shall fight and die among them.”
Gilda suddenly remembered her past — when she was there with the queen and the king.
Gilda had asked them,
“My king, please take care of yourself. You are the kingdom itself.”
He smiled — Leo’s father.
“Gilda, the king doesn’t make the kingdom. It’s made by its people. I am but a mere protector of the kingdom.”
“Gilda,” Maria called, “are you alright?”
Gilda smiled, shook her head, and replied,
“Yes, just an old memory of mine.”
“Now let’s go out. We have a lot to do,” said Leo.
The trio went out through the rune gate and arrived at the tunnels.
Outside the academy, the two demonic stars stood at the ultimate exit of the tunnel with the remaining knights.
Harry spoke,
“They have no other way to escape. They have to come out via here.”
Reginald said,
“We just have to wait for them patiently.”
Time went by.
The trio slowly walked and came to the end of the tunnel.
Gilda said,
“Leo, Maria, get ready. We are at the end. If Harry was as good as he was before, he would already be waiting for us out there. I shall distract them. You guys escape in the meantime.”
Maria spoke,
“No, Grandma. We can’t lose you too.”
Gilda came near her, stroked her hair, and said with a smile,
“Don’t worry, child. I have already lived long enough. If my life is used to save two of my young, then it’s a great way to go.”
Maria cried, hugging her.
Leo too hugged her.
As they stood on the verge of the exit, the trio, carrying their swords, came out and stood at the exit before the knight army and the two demonic stars.
Maria stood with her sword drawn in her hand.
Leo and Maria were ready to run.
Leo spoke,
“Goodbye, Grandma.”
The two demonic stars released their mana. Leo and Maria could feel their power from the distance.
Gilda released her mana.
Reginald commanded,
“Knights, go get them. Kill them.”
The knights charged at the trio.
Gilda was ready to swing her sword. Leo’s eyes searched for the optimal path to escape. Maria was ready to clear the path forward.
At that moment, the mana in the air shivered.
A voice rang in the air:
“No more deaths today.”
The trio, the knights, and the demonic stars looked in the direction of the voice.
It was a young demon, his hands holding mini mana bombs.
Leo spoke,
“You sure took your time.”
The figure replied,
“You are not so easy to find, Captain.”
Harry looked at him and asked,
“What can one more demon do against my army?”
Ryan replied,
“Who said I was alone? My brothers and sisters — our time is here. Rise above. Let our name break the skies.”
At that moment, tens, hundreds, and thousands of shadows popped up in the distance on the academy building.
Harry took a step back.
Reginald, seeing this, spoke,
“What can mere pests do to us? We are the demonic stars.”
Ryan replied,
“Is a demonic star so special? Seniors, please take the stage.”
Three hooded figures jumped from the building and landed near Gilda.
One tall and well-built.
One old and ill-built.
The next a mix of both — an old, fit demon.
They removed their hoods.
It was the old Tower Master, the Demonic Hell Star, and the Demonic Spear Star.
Seeing this, Gilda smiled.
The Hell Star spoke,
“Gilda, it’s not fair to have such fun by yourself.”
The old Tower Master spoke,
“Sorry for the delay.”
The Spear Star spoke,
“Didn’t know you still lived, you old fossil.”
Gilda spoke,
“I never thought I would be glad to see you old fools.”
The Hell Star got in front and spoke,
“It’s just like old times.”
The others smiled.
Gilda spoke,
“Exactly.”
The Spear Star said,
“Let’s go teach these children what it means to fight the demonic stars of the previous generation.”
Leo spoke,
“Greetings, seniors.”
They replied,
“Wait for us here, Prince. We will be back in a blink.”
Harry asked,
“We are dead, aren’t we?”
Reginald replied,
“We are so dead.”
Then the four disasters moved forward like a raging storm, decimating all in their path.
In the blink of an eye, the great army of knights was replaced by a great army of corpses.
The Demonic Sword Star and Reginald were both beaten unconscious, their state worse than clothes damaged by a tornado, barely alive.
Ryan jumped down, hugged Leo and said,
“Brother, I missed you.”
Leo replied,
“Me too.”
Ryan continued,
“Shall we go home now?”
When all was going smoothly, the skies turned grey. The clouds gathered around the area.
Half-dead Harry spoke,
“You are all dead… he is here.”
The space split open.
Out of it emerged the Demon King.
His aura alone forced the four demonic stars to the ground.
He spoke,
“It’s been a while, brother.”
