'In this twisted world, bombs and guns have already lost their power, and instead, magic is what rules the current world. To wield magic, people will do everything at all costs—even become demons themselves. And yet, there are still some people lucky enough to inherit magic from divine beings and be praised as saviors of the world, while others, for their own survival, had to become the "villains" by contracting with devils. That's what started the war between Demons and the Ascendants, where almost everyone sided with the divine, treating those who relied on Devil's power as threats.'
The man sighed, as he knew—in the end, this war would bring forth the end of the world. So all he could do was write a different ending for this twisted story. He flipped the book back to the beginning and picked up his quill. As he wrote, the words on the pages began to change. Lines of magic symbols flowed out, glowing, ethereal script—like living threads of magic—spilling from the book's pages and weaving through the air in spiraling patterns. Then, everything slowly faded away.
Lucas Vaughn, a normal 21-year-old boy, lucky enough to be the son of a mayor from a town that focuses on developing magic, is now on his way back home. The boy was excited, as today was the day his dad promised to bring home a contract with their town's guardian to help him learn magic. Lucas didn't know yet what type of magic he would inherit, but he was sure his dad wouldn't let his son have weak, low-level magic.
But unexpectedly, before he could return home, Lucas was hit from behind and lost consciousness. Somebody had kidnapped him.
Moments later, Lucas slowly began to wake up as he heard some voices nearby:
"Is it long enough?"
"It should be. He won't be able to change anything from here."
"Let's start already. Boss is gonna be furious if he's not dead yet."
Before he could catch up with what was going on, one word from the kidnappers caught his attention—'dead.' Lucas tried to break free, but his hands were tied behind his back, and both of his legs shared the same fate. To make matters worse, the kidnappers had also sealed his mouth with several layers of duct tape. At least they didn't cover his eyes, so he could still see his surroundings—a very small room with nothing but a single door leading outside.
'No! I have to do something—they're going to kill me if I don't escape in time. What about… no, they already know about that thing! How could they know??'
Not long after, the door opened. Two men wearing strange masks and black hoodies entered the room and picked him up.
'No, no, no! This can't be happening! I just woke up—I didn't have time to do anything yet! Please, no! Please!!'
Lucas was brought into a room that looked like some sort of cult gathering place—like those documentaries he saw at his dad's workplace. The place was huge, almost like his school's gymnasium. There was no light source except for candles. Skulls were everywhere, from animals to what looked like humans. In the middle of the room, a red circle could be seen, with an altar at its center and a strange-looking knife beside it.
Lucas didn't need any explanation to know what these items were used for.
As the cultists placed him on the altar, hundreds of voices echoed through the room. They were chanting something, and Lucas couldn't understand a single word. The two men who brought him also began their roles—one took out a bowl, seemingly for collecting blood, and the other picked up the knife, slowly moving it toward his neck.
Lucas, paralyzed with fear, shut his eyes tightly and prayed for some kind of miracle. But the only thing he felt was the sharp pain at his neck—an unforgettable pain. He tried to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. Slowly, the pain faded—so did his life.
Moments later, Lucas woke up. To his surprise, he wasn't dead—or perhaps he thought he was still alive, and where he was lying now must be heaven. The pain in his neck was already gone, and when he touched it, the wound seemed to have healed itself like it never existed in the first place.
"Am I dead?" Lucas tried to speak, but instead of his voice, a strange high-pitched sound came out. He stood up, trying to move around and figure out what was happening. That's when he noticed something—something was wrong with the right side of his vision.
His right eye saw magical symbols floating in the air, and all the objects appeared as if in the sandbox mode of a game. He could see the objects as 3D models—just like his friend once showed him. There were even some highlighted parts on them that he didn't understand.
Lucas closed his right eye so he could at least see normally to find a way out of this place. The moon was already high above—he had to hurry and get help. To his left was a large old-style English castle, and to his right, some moldy high walls. Lucas decided to head toward the castle, the only visible shelter.
He was in a garden—a very, very big garden. There were more than a hundred types of flowers, each in a different color. Grass fences, stone paths, and even a water fountain covered in climbing red roses filled the area.
After 10 minutes of walking, Lucas finally encountered someone—a girl with long white hair wearing a red dress. She was sitting inside a tea pavilion having a tea party with fragrant tea and delicious-looking treats: muffins, cream puffs, even chocolate cake. Lucas approached her. When she noticed him, she smiled and invited him to join.
Lucas tried to speak, remembering his condition. The girl laughed.
"With that throat of yours, of course you can't speak. Let me give you something."
She handed him a pendant with a red magical-looking crystal in the center and told him to wear it. As he did, his voice returned.
"Hey, I can speak again!" Lucas said in relief.
"That didn't cure your voice—the stone just makes you sound human, that's all. By the way, what's wrong with your right eye?"
"Oh, that? I've had some weird vision affecting my sight, so I keep it closed to walk around easier."
"Hang on, let me see your eye."
Lucas opened it. The "weird sandbox vision" returned. The girl looked into his eye and was visibly shocked. Then she drew something with her finger in the air. Through his right eye, Lucas saw a magic circle appear. Slowly, his vision returned to normal, and a crystal-like square glass formed in the girl's hand.
"It'd take too much time to make a proper one-sided glass for you, so this should work for now. Keep it safe—you'll need it."
"Thanks a lot!" Lucas replied, laughing awkwardly, unsure how to repay her. Then he remembered something she said earlier.
"Wait… What did you mean by 'sound like human'?"
The girl laughed, nearly spitting out her tea. "Hey big guy, do you know what you look like right now?"
Lucas froze. He looked at his arms—way too white. He touched them. Fur?
Seeing his confusion, the girl chanted again. A mirror appeared.
Instead of his handsome face (it's true, not just in his mind), he now saw a white-furred werewolf. Not the hulking beasts in stories, but still... a wolf.
"What happened to me?"
"You seriously don't remember? You died in that ritual. To save you, I put the devil they summoned into your body. That's why you're alive."
"Wait—are you saying I'm a demon now?!"
"Correct!" she said sarcastically.
'No! No! No! How could this happen?! I was just walking home to get my magic, and now I've become a demon?! People will hunt me down! What do I do?!'
"Oh, and the devil inside you will eventually take over. If you don't act fast, you'll lose your mind."
More bad news. Lucas didn't know how much more he could take. At this point, he had no one to rely on—except her.
"So... can you help me?"
"Of course I can—but only if you accept my terms."
She performed another spell. A leather contract appeared.
"I'm a witch. Like devils, I make contracts. Become my servant and I'll help you return to normal. Just protect me for now while I figure out a way to help you. Sound fair?"
"You're a demon too?" Lucas asked. But the girl didn't answer.
He sighed and signed the paper. The contract burned, scattering into flower petals.
"With this, our contract takes effect! You must obey my commands—or the servant mark will force you!"
"Also, my name is Ellie. Ellie Lioraeth. What about you?"
"Lucas Vaughn," he replied, clearly annoyed.
"Lucas, huh? Well, you need a demon name now!"
"A demon name?"
"Yup! The name you'll use for magic. And for me to summon you when I need you!"
'Summon me?? Isn't that too much?!'
"What about L?*v$#'K@#%? Cool, right? Fits your look!"
"I—" Before Lucas could object—
"It's settled! I'll call you Lucas normally, but I'll use your demon name when needed. Keep it secret—if someone else learns it, they could control you too." She laughed wickedly.
Before he could protest, the name burned into his soul. He had no choice but to accept it—for now.
"It's late. Come on, I'll get you a room," Ellie said, pulling his hand as they walked toward the castle.
"And once again, welcome to the ruined castle of the Witch of the End—Demon King of Wrath."