Volume 1 chapter 2 - Truth

Ruby barged into Azire's room, her face pale, eyes wide with shock. The sudden intrusion startled Azire, making him drop the book he had been reading onto the floor. He sat frozen on his bed, staring at her as she stood in the entrance, unmoving. Her eyes darted between him and the book, her breaths becoming uneven.

Then, as if the weight of the moment crushed her, she collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

Azire sprang up from his bed, rushing to her side. His heart pounded as he gently shook her shoulders.

"What's wrong, Ruby?" His voice trembled with concern. He shook her again, his panic rising. "Ruby!!"

Through her tears, she choked out, "I was hoping you wouldn't find this. I thought… I thought I could protect you from the dangers of this world." Her voice cracked. "I've failed."

Azire stared at her, stunned into silence.

She sniffled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt before looking at him with sorrowful eyes. "How far did you read?" The way she asked it—it wasn't a question. It was a statement, a realization.

Azire swallowed hard. "All of it."

She let out a shaky breath, her expression darkening. "So I take it you know of your race now… demon."

Azire flinched. The way she spat that last word, filled with venom, caught him off guard. It wasn't just a label—it was an accusation. Still, he nodded, trying to steady himself as the conversation turned into something far more ominous.

Not knowing what she meant His voice was cautious now. "What's your race?"

At that, she stood up abruptly. Azire instinctively took three steps back, his mind screaming at him that something was very, very wrong.

She exhaled, closing her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. "You can stop calling me Ruby now."

Azire's brows furrowed. "What—?"

Before he could finish, she lunged at him. A glint of silver flashed in the dim light—an enchanted pocket knife in her grip, its tip coated in a deep, sickly green substance. Poison.

Azire barely dodged, leaping onto his bed as he yelled, "RUBY, STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" she shrieked, fury contorting her face. "YOU DESTROYED THE MEANING OF THAT NAME THE SECOND YOU PICKED UP THAT BOOK!"

Her breathing was ragged, her hands trembling as she tightened her grip on the knife. Then, with a chilling calmness, she continued, "I am not this 'Ruby' you've so desperately clung to all these years. I am Ara, Queen of the Humans."

The words struck Azire like a bolt of lightning.

Another swipe—this time, she managed to graze his arm, leaving a thin, burning cut. He stumbled backward, knocking over a chair in the process. She wasn't holding back. This wasn't some kind of test. She was trying to kill him.

"You demons," she seethed, pacing like a predator stalking its prey. "You care about no one. You crave power, destruction, and dominance over this world." Her eyes gleamed with hatred. "Long ago, there was a great war. Every race united to push your kind back. And when your precious king fell, we thought it was over. But now—" she gritted her teeth "—I have to finish what they started."

Azire's mind reeled. "Why are you saying 'they'?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Her response was swift.

She lunged again, knife aimed straight for his heart.

Instinct took over—Azire rolled to the side, barely avoiding death. His breath came in quick gasps as he scrambled for the door. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, RUBY?!"

She let out a bitter laugh. "To end the demons once and for all. I tried to hide the truth, to keep you in the dark, but now that you know…" She tightened her grip on the blade. "I have no choice."

Her voice wavered, but her resolve didn't. "As Queen of the Humans, I've worked tirelessly to infiltrate your kind. I made you trust me. I made you mine." Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "It was all planned from the start."

Azire's blood ran cold.

Heart hammering, he bolted out of the room, sprinting down the hall. He didn't know where he was going—he just had to get away.

The guards outside noticed his panic and, more importantly, the furious woman chasing him with a poisoned weapon.

"STOP HIM!" Ruby bellowed. "HE TRIED TO KILL ME!"

The guards hesitated, confused, but the fear in Azire's eyes spoke louder than words. One of them stepped forward and grabbed his arm, whispering urgently, "Run with me."

Without question, Azire followed, weaving through corridors and down staircases, desperately trying to escape.

Behind them, Ruby was losing control.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFY ME?!" she screamed at the guards who dared to block her path. "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT PEASANTS! INCOMPETENT FOOLS!"

She raised her staff high, dark energy swirling around it. "Look upon this glorious staff," she hissed, "for it shall be the last thing you see."

A devastating explosion erupted from her magic, ripping through the halls. Blood magic coursed through her veins, feeding her power as she cut down anyone in her way.

Outside, Azire's escape took him to the city streets—only to be met with horror.

Buildings were ablaze. Bodies littered the ground. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and death.

"W-we have to—" Azire tried to speak, but before he could finish, a chilling voice echoed from above.

Ruby stood atop the castle, eyes blazing with fury.

"You can't run from me."

With a flick of her wrist, twenty-five razor-sharp ice shards shot toward them at blistering speed.

The guard with Azire reacted instantly, lifting him into the air. "WHIRLWIND!"

A powerful gust of wind carried Azire away just as the ice spears crashed into the ground where he once stood.

"NOOOOOO!" Azire screamed, watching the destruction unfold below.

His whirlwind-assisted escape sent him soaring away from the chaos, but before he could reach safety—

THWACK!

An arrow buried itself into his shoulder.

A human sniper.

Pain seared through his body, but he had no time to dwell on it. The whirlwind continued carrying him far beyond the battlefield, past the burning capital, past the reach of the Queen of Humans.

When he finally landed, he was breathless, bloody, and broken.

He forced himself to his feet, staggering to the edge of a nearby mountain.

From there, he could see it all.

People fighting, killing, and burning they have been inflitrated.

His home—reduced to rubble. The people he once knew—gone.

Tears streamed down his face.

This world… It's cruel.

No one will save me. I can only rely on myself now.

Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the carnage. He had to disappear. Lay low. Survive.

With that, he walked toward the nearest village, hoping to find refuge.

A new life. A new purpose. A new chance.

Little did he know, his journey was just beginning.