Chapter 11:The Truth of the War

Chapter 11: The Truth of the War

Kaito sat at the long wooden table, finishing the last bite of his meal. The cafeteria buzzed with quiet conversation, but no one paid him much attention anymore. They had already accepted him as one of their own.

Across from him, the silver-haired demon woman sat with her arms crossed, observing him carefully.

He had been curious about her from the beginning, but now that he was here, actually sitting with her, he realized—he didn’t even know her name.

He swallowed the last bite and leaned forward slightly. "So… what’s your name?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You don’t remember it?"

Kaito shook his head. "I don’t remember anything about myself or anyone else. If we met before, I wouldn’t know."

She watched him for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to believe him. Then she sighed. "It’s Selene."

Selene.

The name suited her. It sounded strong but elegant—just like her.

Kaito nodded. "Selene… Alright, I’ll try to remember that."

She rolled her eyes. "You better."

A brief silence passed before Kaito rested his elbows on the table. "Can I ask you something else?"

She gave him a look. "You’re asking a lot of questions for someone who just woke up with no memories."

He shrugged. "I have no memories, so I want answers."

Selene sighed but didn’t argue. "Fine. What is it?"

Kaito took a deep breath.

"Why are we fighting?"

For a moment, she didn’t answer. She just studied him carefully, her golden eyes searching for something in his expression.

Then, finally, she spoke.

The Truth of the War

"We fight to protect our homeland," she said, her voice steady but laced with something… deeper. Something heavy. "The human empire—the very people you fought for—are the real demons."

Kaito frowned. "How?"

Selene’s fingers tapped against the wooden table. "This war didn’t start because we attacked first. It started because of greed."

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.

"Centuries ago, humans and demons lived in separate territories, with barely any conflict. We didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother us."

Kaito listened intently as she continued.

"Then… a human emperor—one of your so-called great rulers—broke that balance. He led an army into our lands, slaughtered our people, and started capturing us."

Kaito’s stomach twisted.

"Why?"

Selene’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Because of what we are."

She raised her hand, and for a brief moment, a swirling blue light flickered to life in her palm—pure magic, raw and untamed.

"We demons are born with innate magical properties," she explained. "Unlike humans, we don’t need to use spells, circles, or incantations—we can directly absorb magic into our bodies and store it."

She closed her fingers, making the light vanish.

"This lets us live for thousands of years. And for that reason, the human emperor sought to use us."

Kaito’s hands clenched under the table.

"He wanted… immortality?"

Selene nodded. "He and his nobles experimented on us—ripping out our cores, draining our bodies of magic, dissecting us to find a way to extend their own lifespans."

Kaito felt sick.

"But that wasn’t the only reason they came after us."

Selene’s voice dropped lower, her expression darkening.

"Our bodies contain something else—precious gems that grow within us, inside our bones, absorbing magic as we age. These gems are powerful energy sources."

Kaito’s eyes widened. "You’re saying… they harvest demons for resources?"

Selene nodded. "The emperor and his nobles saw us as nothing but living mines. The older we are, the stronger the gems inside us become. They’d capture us, let us live for centuries in cages, then kill us and harvest the gems when we were worth the most."

Kaito’s hands trembled.

It was worse than he thought.

And then Selene added one last thing—her tone colder than ever.

"And lastly… they wanted our women."

Kaito stiffened. "What?"

Selene exhaled sharply. "Female demons have a higher magical concentration in their bodies. Many human nobles sought them out—not just for their power, but for…" She trailed off, her disgust clear. "For reasons you can probably guess."

Kaito felt a sharp rage rise in his chest.

He had already seen what the human army did to captured demon women.

Now he understood.

It wasn’t just about power. It was about control.

Selene leaned back, her golden eyes locked onto his.

"So tell me, ‘amnesiac warrior’…" she said, her voice slow and deliberate. "If you were fighting for the humans before… what exactly were you fighting for?"

Kaito had no answer.

Because for the first time…

He truly didn’t know.

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