4 Years Later 1

"Just where is he....?"

Inside the headmaster's office, a handsome young man with aurburn hair sat behind his desk, staring pensively at the moon through the window. The pale glow of the moon cast an eerie light over the room, mirroring the haunting memories that refused to fade away.

His room, once adorned with cheerful paintings, had now taken on a somber atmosphere. The shelves that once held books were now replaced by mementos and photographs of him with his fiancee and the others.

A knock on the door interrupted William's contemplation. "Come in," he called out softly, not taking his eyes off the moon. The door creaked open, and in walked a blonde beautiful girl, Lumine, the sister of his fiancee... Yes, the boy before her was none other than William.

"William," she spoke gently, stepping closer to him. "It's getting late. You should take some rest. You've been thinking too much about her death since the past four years. It's time for you to... move on..."

William sighed and turned his gaze towards Lumine. "I know, but it still feels like it happened yesterday, doesn't it? I can't help but wonder if there was more we could have done to prevent it."

Four years had passed since the horrifying massacre that had befallen the once vibrant academy. However, the scars left by that fateful day were still etched into the minds and hearts of those who had survived.

Lumine placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled tiredly. "We did everything we could, William. It was a terrible act of senseless violence, and sometimes there are things beyond our control since we were a child and too weak to defeat those true demons."

Since after the massacre that happened four years ago, William... Well, not only him, but everyone had changed in such a short time. Not only the person, but also, the world fell in chaos.

After four years, many things had happened. Athan was later deemed as criminal for 'accidentally' killing dozens of students during his fight, Athena and Lilian went missing, the principal died without anyone knowing what happened to her head, the whole academy collapsed, and most of all, because of Alicia's death, a high ranking noble from the demon realm, it sparked war between the human and demon races.

Truthfully, everyone who had the power of a high ranking nobility knew that the demons had only used Alicia's death to go to war. The king of Arcadian and other human kingdoms knew that the demons only wanted to join forces together with the True Demons.

As for Alicia's mother's case, though she was against this idea of war, she had no choice but to accept it. However, her joining humanity instead of her kind caught many by surprise. She didn't give any reason for this, however, even without talking about the reason, His Majesty, Adam and Lumine's parent knew that because of the deep bond and connection between the Vladimir and Lohengramm Household, even though the Lohengramm had possibility already been wiped out if not for Athan had yet to be confirmed dead or alive, Alicia's mother was willing to betray her kind in order to join forces with the humans even with the consequences of being excommunicate to the noble bloodline of the demons and vampires.

"I can't help but feel responsible," William said, his voice filled with remorse. "And... I was supposed to protect Persia, to keep her safe! I-."

"You don't have to feel that way," Lumine replied firmly, cutting his sentence short. "Nobody blames you. Many saw how hard you fought that day to shield as many as you could. Even though you're not originally from this kingdom, you didn't try abandoning any of my father's people."

She continues, pulling William into a tight hug. "We may have not save my sister... your fiancee, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world for us, right?"

William sobbed as he hugged back, appreciating Lumine's support. "I just wish there was a way to bring her back... I just can't bring myself to forget about her."

"We will honor her," Lumine said, her voice tinged with determination. "The memorial we've been preparing will be a beautiful tribute to Persia and the lives of the students that had been lost, so there's no need to think hard about this one."

As Lumine spoke, a sense of hope flickered within William. He knew she was right. The memorial would serve as a constant reminder of the consequences of violence and the value of cherishing life. It would be a place for healing, for the families, friends of the victims to find solace....

And for him.

"You're right..."

William said, a renewed strength evident in his voice. He knew that he couldn't just stay here in his room forever.

Lumine smiled warmly, slowly pulling back. "That's the spirit, William. Now, let's get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day, we still had something better to do. I also came here to say hi on Arthur's behalf, with the intention to visit."

With a final glance at the moon, William nodded, feeling a mix of emotions wash over him. As he and Lumine left his room, the moon's glow continued to cast its light upon the whole academy at the far distance outside the window, serving as a reminder of the darkness that had enveloped them four years ago.

"I'll take a quick walk..."

Lumine smiled gently, "Yeah, you should."

Soon after that, the two parted their ways. William walked out of the building and went to the academy, while Lumine headed to where Arthur is at.

***

Crack!

As he stood amidst the ruins, a mix of emotions swirled within William - sorrow for the past, anger for the injustice of the attack, but also a growing sense of determination for the future.

With each step, he would recall the memories of the fallen. He had learned that true strength lay not in succumbing to anger from his father, His Majesty, but in channeling it towards a purpose greater than oneself. However, he was struggling to contain himself from doing so.

After four long years, the devastating aftermath of the academy massacre still haunted the whole kingdom.... Ultimately, the whole world.

Tak.

Trieek~

As William stood in the remnants of the once-thriving academy, memories of the tragic events resurfaced, and the weight of what had transpired seemed almost too much to bear.

Fooosh~

As the cold wind blew, William looked around. Thus, the video that he saw from his phone the following day after Alicia died resurfaced in his mind. "Damn it!" Gritting his teeth, William decided to turn back back after recalling something painful.

Tak.

Tak.

Tak.

With each steps he takes, his footsteps echoed the whole place.

He was about to take his last step to go outside before turning his head slightly to glance at the middle of the arena for the last time.

"Haaaa... Athan just where were you when Alicia."

The arena had been the most memorable for him. This certain place was where he took the first test to enroll at the academy, and this was the last thing he'll see before the whole academy get demolished tomorrow.

Just when he was about to leave,

"Huh?"

It was then... He realized something.

"Wait..." William's voice trembled, his emotions starting to rise like a tempest within him. "After Alicia died, the professor subdued Roche. Because he was going on a rampage, the professor had no choice but to kill him..."

The gravity of those words weighed heavily on William's heart. But as he surveyed the desolate surroundings, he knew there was so much more that had transpired since that dreadful day.

"I know that Athan and Roche had something in the past, then when he and Roche fought, with Roche being the supposedly the loser, Athan just gave up his match after whispering something to him. Not only that, he asked me and Lumine to give up our match, too... A day after Roche woke up, they both started to change."

A surge of confusion threatened to overwhelm William. The enormity of the events that unfolded since the massacre left what it seem like a never-ending questions.

"What did he say to him...?" He thought deeply and closed his eyes to reimagined the scene unfolding before him as he take a step forward, then slowly opening his eyes once again. As he continue on walking, he gazed at the middle of the arena while remaining silent, everything was beginning to show in according.

After Athan crouched down just a little above the level of Roche, he pulled him close and whispered.

'You still have to do your job.... Don't disappoint... me...'

Seeing this unfolded, William then look to where he was sitting that day before reimagining what happened next according to what he saw on the video.

Two days later, Roche killed Alicia while mumbling something.

Though the video didn't managed to catch on what he was saying, with William's incredible photographic memory and understanding on how to read lips, he was able to somehow understand what Roche said after murdering Alicia.

'I must kill.... For him...'

"...."

In that very moment, his mind became hazy because of every realization as he begins to throw up on the floor.

'I must kill for him.'

'Don't disappoint me.'

The words that came out of Roche and Athan's mouth echoed hauntingly, and he clenched his fists, feeling his anger rising. "Don't tell me, the real 'mastermind' behind all of this was Athan himself... Did he actually plan this all?" he questioned aloud, trying to piece together the puzzle, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and anxiousness.

He knew that Athan had talked to Roche the two days before Roche killed Alicia.

However.

What's more confusing is that Athan disappeared after a couple of hours, missing Alicia's match and returning just in the middle of the massacre that was happening. Just what did he do during his free time?

And after all of that, the next thing William knew, Athan attacked him.

Yet, in the midst of his confusion and growing anger, William hesitated.

'I...'

William could still vividly recall Athan faltering upon realizing what he did. He knew that Athan's panic emotions that day wasn't a lie. Because of this, Athan's demeanor during the tragedy had left him uncertain. It didn't seem like he knew what happened and why he reacted like that.

"From the look he showed back then, it didn't seem like he knew that this would happen... Just why did Roche go on a rampage?"

The enigmatic question in his mind only deepened William's intrigue. But as his anger threatened to consume him, he closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his breathing, and finding solace in the memories with him and Persia together.

"No matter," he finally said, his expression turning cold as he gaze at the bright moon above.

"I could only hope that Athan is not actually the one who planned this, because..." He closed his eyes and thought of Persia smiling in his mind.

Unsheathing his sword that was hanging on his waist, William directly plunged it to the ground, to where Alicia's body had fell when she died.

"I'll be the one to kill him if he did."