The room was silent after Liora's final words.
"You train. You grow. Because he's waiting… not to be defeated—but to see if any of you are worthy of stopping him."
No one responded.
Chris sat on the edge of the infirmary bed, bandages still fresh across his chest. Rhea stood behind Kira, hand resting lightly on his shoulder. There was a weight in the air that even words refused to lift.
Then… the door creaked open.
Footsteps. Not rushed. Not hesitant.
A man stepped inside—tall, broad-shouldered, clothed in robes darker than ink. His presence was calm but immense, like a tidal wave in slow motion. Horns curved back from his temples, and his eyes… were ancient, glowing a faint crimson.
"Valtheron," Liora said, her voice softer than usual. "I didn't call for you."
"I came for him," Valtheron replied, gaze settling on Kira for a moment… then shifting toward the empty window, as if Leo still lingered there in shadow.
"The demon king himself…" Chris murmured under his breath.
Kira turned slightly. "You knew Leo?"
Valtheron let out a long breath, one that rumbled in his chest like thunder restrained.
"Knew him?" His voice was lower now. "The demons once feared him more than they feared death."
He walked further into the room, placing a heavy book on the table. Its cover bore a faded insignia—one none of the students recognized.
"He came to us… two centuries ago," Valtheron began. "Not as a man. Not even as a warrior. He came as ruin dressed in silence."
—Flashback: 200 Years Ago—
The Demon Continent was in flames.
Battalions fell like waves crashing into rocks. Magics that twisted reality tore through armies, and none of them were cast by a demon.
At the heart of it all stood a boy—not older than seventeen, but his gaze… empty. His sword dripped with blood, not because he enjoyed killing—but because he had nothing left to protect.
Leo.
He had appeared without warning. No allegiance. No name. Just fury… so cold it melted entire cities.
Valtheron's voice trembled slightly in memory. "He demanded only one thing: 'Let me end it.' We didn't understand at the time. But he wasn't there to conquer."
Kira whispered, "Then what was he doing there?"
"He was looking… for something to kill him," Valtheron said quietly. "He wanted to die."
Gasps broke the silence.
"But none of us could," the Demon King continued. "Not even my ancestors. So instead, we offered him a pact. One even he didn't expect."
—The Pact of Ash and Void—
"We offered him sanctuary… on one condition: That he protect the borders between our realm and the human world from the real threat. The Order."
Chris's eyes narrowed. "The Order? The one the school pretends doesn't exist?"
Liora's expression darkened.
"The same. They feared him. Even now, they fear what he might become if he ever stopped suppressing himself."
Valtheron nodded slowly. "The demons knew we couldn't bind him. So we asked to walk beside him. And for two centuries, Leo stood watch… on both sides."
"Why did he leave?" Kira asked.
Valtheron turned his eyes to Liora. "Ask her."
All heads turned.
Liora remained still. Her silence screamed more than any words could. But then… she nodded.
"Because we called him back."
"We summoned Leo back into this world… for the Tournament of Awakening," Liora confessed. "He didn't come of his own will. He came because we broke the pact."
"You used him," Rhea said softly, tears forming in her eyes.
"No," Valtheron cut in. "We betrayed him."
"And what about Marla?" Kira asked suddenly, eyes burning.
Liora flinched.
"She was there… in the final days before Leo disappeared," Kira said. "And now she's gone. Did she fall during the incident?"
The silence that followed was different. Sharper.
"She didn't die," Liora finally said. "She followed him. Voluntarily. We haven't seen her since."
Chris leaned forward. "You're saying Marla went with Leo?"
"She was the only one who understood him. Maybe even the only one he allowed close."
Valtheron stepped to the window and looked out at the darkening sky.
"You ask what kind of power Leo uses," he said slowly. "The truth is… none of us know."
He turned toward them, expression grim.
"But if you wish to survive him… then stop looking for what he is—and understand why he still lives."
And in that moment, Kira understood—
Leo didn't survive because he wanted to live.
He survived because the world hadn't yet earned the right to let him die.
"Now you guys know this I hope this information will be of help to you" Liora said in a low yet calm tone.
"If one of us is to become or let's say gain power too much for the authorities to handle, what will happen to us" Kira asked.
Liora taken aback by his question, she forced a smile. "We will protect you with everything we can so don't think about it" she said and she and
Valtheron left the room.
Silence broke as they thought about the information they received and started to wonder if they will ever reach the stage where they can fight toe to toe with Leo.