The atmosphere was heavy; only the echo of violent impacts against the devastated ground broke the silence of the area, a place that not long ago had been the stage of a colossal battle.
What had once been a vast forest had disappeared completely, while the sky remained covered by a dark haze, stained by the smoke of combat.
The ground, cracked and scorched, was soaked in blood. There were too many corpses of enormous beasts that, just by naming them, generated terror in those who heard of them.
The famous millennial dragons that ruled during the golden age of the demons. Beasts so large, capable of razing an entire kingdom on their own.
They lay dead on the ground; some pierced by powerful magical attacks, others mutilated. Many were even still falling lifeless from the sky, after the battle had already ended.
The sound of footsteps began to echo among the ruins; several knights, warriors, and adventurers who had managed to survive the massacre advanced slowly, gathering at a single point to be treated by healing mages.
'How did all this happen…?' were the thoughts of a young man on the brink of death.
From the entire battlefield, a single tree managed to survive, even in perfect condition. It was an abnormally larger tree than those that had once inhabited that place.
Its azure-colored leaves shone with a strange gleam of victory after the battle. At its base was a young man, leaning his back against the enormous trunk.
Anyone who saw him would know it: this young man was dying. He was missing parts of his body, such as his left arm and his right leg. He had deep cuts all over his body, along with a huge gash across his neck.
Despite all those wounds, he was still breathing, wondering how all of this had happened.
His armor was in pieces, to the point that it seemed as if he were not wearing it at all. The bandage that covered his eyes had fallen long ago during the battle.
The name of this young man was Reo Amatsu, former heir of the Amatsu family, one of the most influential and powerful in the Zerynthia empire.
"I thought I had made the best decisions… I did the best I could" he murmured to himself in a low tone.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching his direction, he could not help but slightly raise his gaze. He saw several distorted figures.
After a few seconds, they were face to face. The people who had just arrived were students from the prestigious magical academy of the empire.
Two young men with imposing appearances, tall and good-looking, both with serious expressions on their faces.
Their companions were three women from the same academy, with the only difference being that they bore different emblems on their uniforms.
Each emblem referred to the country they came from. The tallest of the three was a complete beauty: she had beautiful bicolored hair between white and black that reached her waist, large blue eyes, and an enviable figure.
The other two girls were identical, at first glance twins, both with dark blue hair and large eyes of the same color.
All of them observed the young man who was about to die. Even in those conditions, his appearance was impossible to distinguish due to the dense mana that covered him.
"Even in that state he still scares me…" murmured one of the twins, averting her gaze from Reo.
Her sister hugged her from behind to calm her, while she too looked away. The other three young people, for their part, intensified their gazes.
"Are you still resisting… little brother?" the white-haired one was the first to speak, proclaiming herself as Reo Amatsu's sister.
She was Himari Amatsu, Reo's younger sister. Despite the arduous battle, they seemed not to have fought in it, judging by their clean uniforms, unlike Reo.
After the combat ended, they had been attended to quickly, healing their wounds and changing their clothes.
"You knew that your mere presence in that academy would cause all this, and even so you decided to enroll. What did you gain by betraying your own family? Tell me, Reo" demanded one of the young men, taking a few steps closer.
'This guy only says shit after shit', thought Reo as he slowly turned his gaze toward Seiran, the young man who had spoken.
"Anyone can… Anyone can enter that academy" he replied with difficulty.
Apparently, his response annoyed the entire group. Even the sisters who until recently had feared him had now gathered the courage to confront him.
"Anyone who is normal!"
"A phenomenon like you should have been removed from the world!" both exclaimed angrily.
Reo only listened, saying nothing. He was completely accustomed to those comments; they produced neither anger nor sadness in him. It was not as if he could feel them.
"Do us a favor and die quickly" said the second young man, who until then had remained silent. He was Renzo, the strongest of the group.
Without another word, he turned around and began to leave. The others were quick to follow him, except for Himari, who remained silent, observing her older brother.
The only thing she could see was the blood that stained the ground and the trunk against which he was leaning.
"I expected nothing from you, and yet you still disappointed me" she declared, not caring about the weight of her words.
"… " Reo remained silent, as if he were not paying them any attention.
'I did everything I could… I did what that person told me to do…' he questioned in his mind, while he felt his consciousness growing increasingly dim.
With the little energy he had left, he raised his gaze toward his sister. He could not see her well; he had never been able to see someone as they truly were.
He had learned to perceive people's mana to use it in combat or, at the very least, to know that someone was there.
Himari slowly turned to follow her group of friends. As she did, she saw one of the leaves of the great tree pass in front of her.
She looked upward and watched as the leaves began to fall, as if marking the end of an era.
She smiled faintly at the sight and resumed her walk, moving away from the lifeless body of Reo Amatsu.
◇ ◇ ◇
A red-haired woman of short stature was observing the dead body of her companion. Her gaze was cold, devoid of any emotion; even the weather seemed to accompany the situation.
The rain fell gently. The area was clear, and all the soldiers who had been there hours earlier had left, leaving the bodies of their enemies abandoned.
"Again…" she murmured.
She crouched beside Reo's body and, gently, placed her hand on his cheek. She was the only person in this world capable of seeing him as he truly was.
"Let's go back…" she babbled.
She pressed her forehead against his while murmuring inaudible words. An intense purple light began to manifest, forming a magic circle beneath both bodies.
The light intensified until it seemed to replace night with day. It lasted several minutes, until it finally disappeared abruptly.
Leaving no trace of either of them.