Howl of the wind they heard. It's a calm night contrast to the chaos inside their mind. Chilly sweat they have. Their hopes are their swords and arrows. Holding it tightly while breathing is being counted. The race of humanity is soon to be eliminated. The man in the post above blew the horn in the middle of the night.

"The demons have infiltrated! They're coming! Prepare for a battle!"

The clamor of fighters broke the silence of the eerie night. Charging towards the threat of humanity– demons. Screaming was their way to throw the fear in their hearts. Bloodsheds can not be computed anymore. Countless deaths and mourners as soon as the sun rises.

"How long do we have to endure this?"

"Do we even have a chance to live peacefully?"

"I wonder if we can win against demons."

"I, Claudio Lockstream, will try to make it happen. We will win!"

Another night came again and when the sun appears, another life has been taken away from someone, someone dear to the ninth king.

"You promised me! Open your eyes! Damn it! Hey!" The king hugged his friend. It's already late. They both protected people. When a demon was about to attack him, he was saved. When he looked at the person who pushed him, he rattled and immediately killed the demon who stabbed his savior.

"My king, the retrieval squad had arrived and the captain." He weakly tilted his head and cried out loud when again, another friend had died. A long yell of no, Claudio wailed his heart out. His childhood friends, Max and Esperanza have perished.

Everyone has their own personal pain. A pain they have to set aside for the sake of humanity. Wiping their tears while facing the morning sun. King Claudio stood up in front of everyone.

"This night, we will end this agony. We have to give our all for this battle. We should not... their sacrifices should not be put in vain. For the kingdom and for humanity!" They all shouted out their pain and suffering. The fear in their eyes turned into a determination. Determined to achieve the peace they long to get.

The awaited night arrived. The last battle that will decide the fate of humanity.

Screams and splash of blood. Explosions and clashing sounds. The number of demons is overwhelming but King Claudio dominated the fight. Attack after an attack as he leads his knights. Creating high-class magic for offense and defense. It was a long crimson night.

The king stood up in the middle of the dead demons and humans. Ragged and wounded, he waved the flag of their kingdom and all cried for their victory.

\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~

Eight months after the battle and the kingdom is recovering day by day. It took a year and a half before the kingdom recouped to its old self. The forgotten smiles and laughter returned gradually. King Claudio bitterly smile to the sky.

"I wish you guys were here too. It's a little lonely." He solemnly closed his raven eyes and breathe the fresh air. The view from his room is beautiful. He promised to his self. "I will protect this beauty you guys left." From then on, Claudio changed the kingdom's system.

In a village far from the heart of the kingdom, demons reappeared and began to slaughter the inhabitants. The incident reached the king after a week. He then sent a squad of knights to investigate immediately. King Claudio couldn't wait and uncomfortable with the reappearance of the demons. He decided to do his own investigation while doing his own job as the king and leader.

One afternoon where the skies were vermillion. An injured, fatigued, and hungry woman collapsed near a river. She saw humans and tried to attack one of them to restore her weak body but stopped in doing it. The curse of the demon is getting stronger than the spirit of nature inside her. There's a small village nearby. The demons who are after her might attack the villagers.

"I should just die but not here. I have to leave this place as soon as possible."

Barely making a step, she decided to just crawl. "I have to get away, " but her body stopped moving. Shutting down her eyes and felt the death coming closer to her, a hideous demon appeared coming from the sky. It shakes the ground where it landed and destroyed anything before its sight.

"I smell something nice, " the demon followed the scent and saw the village.

"Humans." 

"You come all the way here to kill me so there's no reason to touch those humans. Let's settle this somewhere."

"I shall be thankful to you."

"What are you saying?"

"I didn't know that these humans have such good life forces. It's my very first time seeing them. You can see it too right? The glowing life forces in their fragile body. I want to taste their flesh!"

A boy child fetching water from the river saw them and dropped his jar. The young boy just blinked his eyes then he was already in the arms of the frightening devil.

"Don't hurt that boy, " she forced herself to stand up. Gritting her teeth, eyes set to the demon. The boy cried as soon as he realized the situation

"This is interesting. A demon like you showing some empathy for this food." The boy cried again closing his eyes because of fear.

"I don't want to die." The demon just let out a laugh full of terror and lifted the kid in the air. The veins in the boy's head began to show up as he reddened trying to gasp for air.

"Food is just-food. Thank you for the meal!" The demon's mouth opened so wide that the skin around its mouth apart.

"I said don't hurt that boy!" It's only a matter of time. If the vines didn't stop the demon's mouth from closing, the boy is now dead. She struggled to keep the demon's mouth open. If she let go of her hold on the magic, the child's body will be cut into half.

"I have to hold on," but the demon is too strong due to the fact that she's not in good condition. Her gaze met the boy's innocent eyes. She then saw that he is uttering something.

"My sis...ter... please." What happened occurred so slow in her eyes. The kid smiled. The vines ripped and the boy was cut into two. His blood mixed the river. Those were the child's last words.

"This! This is so delicious! The smell! This taste! I want more!" Hearing the demon exhilarating awakens the strange power inside her.

"I told you didn't I?" The demon paused as its instinct tells great danger. The ripped vines grew again rapidly entangling the demon. It forcibly opened the astounded demon's mouth. Her green iris' luminance brings terror to the creature.

"Die!" The ripping sound of flesh and bones joined the calm gushing river. The demo's head was ripped apart.

"May your soul finds peace in the afterlife." She closed the boy's eyes. In the bush near her, there was a movement that her peripheral vision caught. She guarded herself and looked at the bush intently until she heard a sob of a girl.

"Could it be his sister?" She used the vines to check the bush and it was a girl of three to four age.

"What's your name? Come here, I won't hurt you." Smiling and tried to sound soft. The little girl walked out of the bush and hugged her.

"Brother dead?" Her tiny finger pointed the body of his brother. She caressed the little girl's back and a tear formed in her eyes.

"I am sorry." She regretted coming to this village. Someone just died because of her. Again.

"Look, monster. There." Her eyebrows greeted.

"Monster... many." The child hugged her tighter and shortly, she felt the coldness. Stiffened in her position, the aura coming from behind. It's a more dangerous one. She need not have to look back instead prepared her magic.

"Baby, we will run very fast so hug me even tighter and close your eyes okay?" The child nodded and did what she told. 

"Ray of the sun hit me,

Grow these seeds fully.

Cover everything to green,

I command you nature, begin!" After citing the incantation, all the plants within her vision's reach grew hastily and covered the whole village. A massive forest just emerged! The demons behind her got distracted. She used that moment to run while enduring the searing pain all over her body. The luminance in her eyes is fading away. She is reaching her limit. The soil she stepped instantly grew a gigantic tree that made the pace of the horde of demons impeded.

"Hug me tighter!" She focused the magic on her eyes and another forest materializes in front of them. She then raised her right hand a vine lifted them.

She knew the demons are still catching up to them particularly the one with the sinister aura.

"Don't ever open your eyes, okay?" She raised her magic and halted to gave them a powerful offense.

"Spirits of nature is what I need,

Unlock your gates and come forthwith,

Dance in this forest that I made,

I'll hear from you soon, just heed my greed!"

Her emerald eyes glowed even more and one wave of her hand grew a large leaf in front. As soon as the horde of demons reached the vicinity of her magic. She discharged all the spirit energy from the leaf. The whole forest was illuminated by a blinding light that lasted about ten seconds. When the light was gone, it appeared that most of the demons were eradicated but one was left. Her eyes widened. It was her strongest attack but it survived. She can't make another one and right at the moment when she's about to run. She was stabbed, lifted up, and thrown yet secured the safety of the kid. The enemy released its sinister aura and transformed into a creature near to a human with bat wings.

"Protect this little girl, please, " she whispered to her vines and the vines enveloped the child.

"Now we can continue. I was born to help regulate the flow of order in this world. Humans are not your food."

"Come with me."

"No, you have changed."

They fought until she killed the demon and her, in a grave state. The last image she saw before passing out was a man riding in a horse.

When she woke up, she found herself in a room.

"Oh, you wake up!" The man walked towards her with a big smile.

"I found you in the–" he didn't finish his words. Interrupted and stunned as the woman landed a soft bite to his neck.

"What are you doing– ack!" she pinned him down and sucked his blood. The wounds all over her body recuperated. When she opened her eyes, she screamed out of shock. They both stared at each other and then the woman shouted.

"You?!"

"Yes, it's me. Why did you bite me? It hurts a little actually." Claudio massaged where the bite was and collapsed. Before his head hit the floor, the woman caught her.

"I'm really sorry Claude! I didn't mean to do it. Is it really that painful?"

"I miss you, Flora," Claude gave her a drunk look and uttered words, words that sounded like music. He was the first to accept her as a human, not a monster. Flora was born half-mortal and demon. During her mother's pregnancy, their village was attacked by a single demon. It was a formidable one. Caught inside their house, the demon smelled an aroma coming from a womb. The demon attacked her by its sharp nails. The father tried to protect his family and shouted 'run!' for all he could do was to delay the devil. Running away while crying, her water bag bursts; she's already watering. She managed to make it to the garden of zeymer. A flower with the color of ocean and spring season, turquoise green. It secretes an invigorating scent and is used for magic. In order to give birth without making any noise, she bit her arms. She hurriedly pushed hard for the poison of the demon might catch her baby. In her last shout, a baby girl was born. Tears filled her vision when she saw the poison has reached her baby. She doesn't have much time left. She begged for someone to came but none.

"Anyone, please save my baby. Please." Begging before she dies, the zeymers glowed and a spirit showed. "My child, please." The spirit looked at her. A mother's dying wish, a mother's love. The spirit gently nodded and granted her plead. The baby was then covered by the flowers.

"Thank you, " she said and freed her last breath; she vanished along with the wind. When the morning came, a survivor found the child and gave it to an orphanage.

"It's been so long since I've got to touch you and be this close to you. Where have you been? What took you this very long?" Claude hugged her. Flora's smell was still addicting as ever like sweet honey and blooms of the spring season.

Flora explained everything from the day she left the kingdom to gather information up to what happened in the village. She then asked Claudio about the kid.

"She's sleeping– oh right! Is the kid yours?" Made Flora smile.

"Who's the father?" Flora laughed femininely and cupped Claudio's face.

"Silly jokes really suit you." Flora went to the window and watched the people below.

"I'm glad that you have survived Claude. So where are the lovely couple Max and Esperanza?" He didn't answer for a long moment so Flora looked back at him.

"Claudio? Did...did they died?" She's lost for words to say. The four of them were always together before the infiltration happened. Max died during the retrieval mission and Esperanza sacrificed her life for Claudio. They were a talented magician and a swordsman. The four of them are basically the foundation of the kingdom. Claude and Flora are the brains, Max and Esperanza are the strengths. They keep humanity from total obliteration in the surface of the world against the demons for years. Back when Claudio's parents died in service, the people thought it would be their last day alive. But Claude gave them hope even when he was still young at that time.

Now that the two are gone, it's hard for him to live each day. However, many have sacrificed their lives so he must move on but promised to his self to not forget the lessons. With the return of Flora, Claudio felt he's not alone anymore.

"Max and Esper are heroes." The king walked to her and embraced her from the back.

"Claude, we need to prepare for a possible battle again. This might be a war now."

"Flora, what really happened during your mission?"

"Claude, the demons you had defeated were only a fraction of their own. A big wave is coming. The one I fought in the village was their retrieval troop. Like us humans, they also have a system. I'm afraid that there will be more bloodshed."

The days have passed. Everyone has prepared for the upcoming fight. Magicians or not, all trained most especially in the night. Demons are nocturnal, they get their inhumane strength from the darkness.

Days have passed again and a horde of terrifying demons first appeared in the southwest. On the second night, demons infiltrated the west. The traps and formations lessen their numbers but still made it to the heart of the kingdom. On that night, it was the doom of the demons. People celebrated their victory the moment the sun rose from the east. Smiling, cheering, and shouting. They believe it was a new start for them. They won so fast without any casualties but a moment later, all the proud people screamed in horror. Everything happened in a blurring way for the king's sight. The ground was painted using the blood of his people. The painters were the demons different from the normal one they had known for years and then an explosion made him fly. Grunting and trying to stand up, his eyes darted at the woman lying unconscious. Statued on his feet, he knelt down and clenched his fists. The anger and guilt he felt that moment caught the attention of every demon as his body releases a cloud of suffocating aura. A flying demon spits out its sharp tongue directly into his back. Before it reached him, it already turned to ashes.

"Flora." Her right hand and leg were cut off. Claudio glared at who dis amputated Flora and decapitated that demon using the blade made of blue fire. He began citing an incantation and when knights heard him, they all ran away. It was his most powerful magic.

"Flames of the western Phoenix hear me,

Threefold your fire and radiate

Dry this land with your breath

Everything before my sight shall obliterate," the wind surrounding him heated and grew. All the demons caught by that wind dried up even the human corpses.

Flora has regained consciousness. She felt the heat in the wind and automatically thought of Claudio.

"Claudio!" Trying to wake up the rampaging king, Flora shouted his name in all that she could. The scope of Claudio's magic is increasing quickly. She must stop him before he could obliterate the kingdom. The magic Claudio was performing is just at the start. Soon, if he cites the second incantation, everything before him will burn to ashes.

"If saving the people means dying, " she gets some blood from her arms and draws a pattern in the ground. A small flower then grew and she picked it.

"I am willing to die." Looking at the man who showed love for her made her cry.

"I didn't know farewell could be this sad knowing I'm the only one to say that word. In my next life, I want to live a life with you in the place you always envisioned. A lively and peaceful. I hope your dream will come to reality." Flora started to focus all her left energy into her eyes and cited the incantation for eternal sealing. The demon sensed what she was doing and attacked her. Even when stabbed and another leg torn apart, she continued the incantation. Claudio saw them and there he went back to normal. Running as fast as he can to stop her but Flora's weakened smile paused him.

"Goodbye." The flower illuminates a blinding light and when the illumination faded, gone was the woman he adores.

Twelve years had passed. The kingdom lived in peace since the day she sacrificed her life for everyone. If Max, Esperanza, and Flora were still alive. The four of them would be happy. The king's dream has finally come true only them were missing in the picture.

In his room, he was busy writing a story about his life. He gazed at the turquoise flowers in the vase and smiled.

"I'm dying to see you again."

He opened the book Flora was always reading and found a letter. He immediately opened it with so much care.

"Dearest love of my life;

Just look at the flowers and call my name, you'll feel my embrace. I want you to live that dream. Do what you think feels right. I am so proud of you as my king, as my friend, and as my lover.

Forever be thankful to you since the day we met,

Flora"

The breeze entered his room and embraced him.

"I will."

The 9 am sky was at bright blue with cloudscapes in the south of a place named, Spring Kingdom. When you look at the Kingdom from above, it is a prosperous place with a lively culture. Nobles interacting with people, students focused on learning, music, and dancing, and the crowd of people with smiles and laughter. An ideal place that the late ninth king envisioned a millennium ago.

"I believe that one day, that silly dream I always dreamed they say will come true. It may not be now but someday it will do. Together with my queen, we will begin the very first step. For the future!"

The Kingdom was shaped to a square and a circle inside. The square measurement is 400,000 kilometers per square where each point is guarded by four defensive Masters. Wind in the north, Water in the South, Earth in the East, and Fire in the West. The circle is 50,000 kilometers per square where most of the important person resides. 1,300 years ago, the Kingdom was divided into ten regions by the ninth king. The Spring's land was wide and it was the reason why the legendary ninth king decided to separate his people. He appointed leaders to every region and these leaders were connected to the royal family. Hundreds of years passed by, the people protested to the king on why they had to be so far from the main Spring Kingdom. The current king then answered their outcry by visiting each of the regions.

"One reason is that we don't have enough land for you to stay so as the land we need to plant for our food sources. In the places you're now staying has all the resources. Abundant enough to sustain daily consumptions. If one region needs help, the other region will help. If two or all the regions need help, the main Spring Kingdom is responsible for all the help. My people, maybe you have forgotten that we are not the only living creature that craves to survive. The ninth king did this for all of us."

And soon, the people began to realize that it was really for their own good. The new system is effective and it made the entire kingdom live in prosperity with little worry. The ten regions of the Spring Kingdom prospered as the year counts. However, peace didn't last long. It was so unexpected and tragic as the Malac region fell from the hands of demons. The whole kingdom was put to the edge of annihilation but the kings of every generation fulfilled their part just to secure the future of everyone. And in the process, many lives were taken. Death was just inevitable in their world.

All seems to be normal for the day. A girl wearing a dress and its silk is as soft as the petals of expensive roses. Though her face was covered by a mask, her presence is still attracting people. Like a garden of captivating flowers, bees are drawn. It has been weeks that she was wandering anywhere and the people she'd meet couldn't help but stare at her enticing beauty that she agreed to put on a mask. The only place she would like to be at when exhausted, was the largest and biggest library of Spring Kingdom, the Aclatan. On her first day setting her feet in the library, she found peace. Sitting in a chair and observing how the others behave as they read was new to her. Opening a book was new for her with images and words she cannot read. She was happy. This young girl came from the outside of the Spring Perimeter. Alone living at the foot of Northern Mountain ranges. Above her little house was the Sky Castle Region. On a rainy night, a squadron of knights patrolling the outskirts of the Northern Region was caught off the defense. A demon attacked annihilating them by half. They managed to do a counterfeit but to their surprise, the demon was a D5 category- the deadliest of all the known demon. They soon understand that their situation was one foot off the grave. One by one, before they could even shout, they're dead. Only one knight managed to escape the scene and on his way of escaping, he saw a young woman staring at her flowers.

"What are you doing here?"

The knight didn't have a lot of time to wait for her answer. She grabbed her hand and they both run. When the sun rose, the young woman found herself in a place called Abelon City and started wandering until she came to Spring Circle.

By weeks of staying in the library, she acquired knowledge. She can now read and speak which her seatmates found surprising. Her first conversation with them didn't last long for she can only nod and smile. But with all the books she had read in the Aclatan, it helped her gain information and knowledge. Moreover, with all the books she had read, fantasy was her favorite but almost storylines got the same objectives. The main character is powerful or powerless. He or she will meet friends along the way and fight alongside with them and grow in all aspects. Camaraderie. Someone has to say goodbye, has to die, sacrifice and there's betrayal. The good must defeat the bad guys to finally achieve peacefulness.

"What if they were forced to be the villain? What if their perspectives were different? What if all their bloodsheds were only a cause of misunderstanding? Or is it of pure evil?"

She was so tired of reading the same thing but when she reached the restricted level of the library, she found an interesting book that made her happy. Doubtingly, there's no one in there so she was able to get the book.

"There is a sign 'restricted' but none were guarding nor looking at this room." She thought of. The book has nothing imprinted on its cover. At first, it looked like it was only a record of those borrowed books but when she opened it, waves of overwhelming memories devoured her. The book glued in her hands. She wanted to stop herself from reading it but her mind tells her to continue. Like she must finish it so that a missing piece in her will be found. She was not actually reading it but just holding. It was like her lost memories returning. She is now wondering. Halfway through the story, her chest tightened up. The book was a romantic tragedy of a young king with her beloved young queen named, Flora Zeymer. And the name of the king was Claudio Lockstream IV. "Claudio," saying his name triggered an emotion she was holding.

"Who are you? Why am I feeling this much...sadness?" The sadness she felt brought her to tears.

"What are you doing here?" A booming voice interrupted her. She quickly wiped the stream of water on her face and now she can clearly see him, a royal. A visage with no painted emotion at all but the cold stare pierced her heart and soul.

"Tell me your name young lady." The man walked to the hesitant girl and towered her.

"Why are you holding that, " it was a threat, not a question. She could feel the pressure of his emitting.

"How can I tell you my name? When I, myself, don't know either?" But those words were spoken only inside her head. The royal touched the book and then a surge of electricity traveled their whole system. The book glowed. They look at each other and stayed in that position for minutes of remembering something the book was channeling. The royal man threw the book while the young girl cried silently.

"Who are you?"

They asked in unison. There's a question in his head like the girl had in her mind.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." Two steps she took then her body was immobilized.

"You can't leave like that." His baritone voice was deepened by the close room and it sounded more threatening. She knew he did something since she can't move her body. Besides that the girl having no name, she can't tell him where she came from.

"Grow, my friends." This is the only spell she knew since waking up and coming out from a gigantic flower back at the Northern Mountain Ranges. The vines from the outside grew fast and strangled the royal hoping it would make him lose control of the binding spell.

"Flora..." She ceased trying to break out from his binding spell and look at him straight in the eye. His voice, the way he pronounced that name was nostalgic for the young lady. The man loses his concentration after her stare that seemed forever.

"Claudio?" Her mouth uttered a name she didn't know but feel like she was always saying it. The royal man, for a moment, thought of the person in front of him was his wife. His head ached that he's forced to close his eyes. The vines entangled him fully and that was her chance. She escaped while thinking his eyes full of unexplained pains.

"Am I having a dream?" The man just let the vines, he felt his strength was sucked out of his body.

A clamor of people, a parade of aristocrats she guessed was the first thing that welcomed her after coming out from an alley. All she did was run after getting out of the Aclatan. It was a perfect thing to fully hide and go back to the knight who brought her to the kingdom. She joined the mass of people dancing and singing with the live drums and trumpets.

"Beautiful lady, can I have a dance with you?" A fine young man offered his hand.

"I take that as a yes, " he held both of her hands and led the dancing.

"The steps are not that difficult but it seems that you're not gifted to dancing."

She just smiled and continue to follow his lead. They danced for a little longer then the lady excused herself.

"I have to go Mr. Good at dancing. It was nice having a dance with you."

She immediately turned her back and left the crowd.

"What's your name?" She glanced back and smiled, "I don't have one."

Right at that very moment, the fine young man knew for himself. He was captured by that smile.