In the world of Earthus,
where the boundaries of old worlds have faded and myths have collided to weave a new reality, Leo Takahashi dragged his life under the shadow of a noble family that saw him as nothing but a disgrace. He was the illegitimate son of an unknown girl who vanished without a trace after his birth, bearing the prestigious Takahashi family name, renowned for water magic and martial arts. But for Leo, this status was nothing but a heavy burden, one he paid for daily with the contempt of those closest to him.
Leo awoke at dawn on another day, burdened by shattered expectations and stinging words. As he tried to gather his weary spirit to eat his breakfast, his stepmother, Shiomi Ichibaru, pounced on him. Her harsh slap to his face shattered the silence.
"You disgrace to our family, you corrupt son!" "Aren't you ashamed of your existence?" Shiomi screamed, her sharp voice stinging like a whip. Leo collapsed to the ground, his pain piercing his very soul, piercing beyond his frail body. His nearly lifeless eyes reflected all the contempt and rejection that had taken root within him. The words echoed relentlessly in his head: "Scum... weakling... disgrace..."
At that very moment, in another part of the mansion, Zeref Takahashi, Leo's father and head of the family, was speaking with his eldest son, Kono Takahashi, who embodied everything Zeref aspired to, from strength to the ideal son.
"Kono, how are your preparations for the Tankyou Academy going?" Zeref asked, his tone a mixture of pride and high expectations.
"Everything is perfect, Head of the Family," Kono replied confidently,
wearing the academy's elegant robes. "I've reviewed all the spells and mastered the fighting techniques." Zeref smiled with deep satisfaction. "You're a genius, as always, even in the way you speak." "Listen, son, you must be the undisputed strongest. I want you to reflect a glorious image of our family before everyone, an image without blemish."
"Yes, Chief," Kono replied solemnly, his eyes reflecting unwavering ambition, as if he had already carved out a place for himself in the future.
The Illusion of Hope
On his first day at the elite Tankiu Academy
Leo walked alone, lost in his dark thoughts. "How pathetic I am… Everyone around me is a genius, possessing talent and strength, except for me. Why was I born like this?" Along the path to the academy, Kono stopped him, his face devoid of any warmth. "Listen, you fool. Your existence means nothing to me. Just make sure you represent our family properly." "Don't bring shame on us at the academy." Leo lowered his head, his heart aching. "Alright, Big Brother..." he whispered resignedly, knowing his words wouldn't change anything about their bitter reality.
Everyone arrived at the large arena, where Minato Kobayashi,
the academy's headmaster and "The White Ghost of the Kingdom," stood proudly. His calm but firm voice cut through the crowd: "Welcome to the elite Tankyo Academy. Here you will train, but you must understand that the path to power begins with progressing from the lowest to the highest levels. We will now divide you based on your innate skills and what you have learned." The division of students began, and with each name announced, looks of disdain turned toward Leo. Kono was in the top "A" rank, and some of the sons of powerful families were in "B" and "C." Leo was in the last rank, "F." That moment was a formal declaration of his failure, making him vulnerable to the ridicule and beatings of his classmates.
Amidst this daily hell, only one girl stood up for him: Hana Sato,
The third daughter of the powerful Sato family, a master of ice magic, and possessor of the uncanny skill of reading forbidden black magic. She tried to talk to him every day, like a lone glimmer of hope in the darkness of his life.
"Good morning, Leo-kun. How are you today?" Her words held a warmth he had never known.
But Leo, accustomed to being ostracized, was always ashamed of her and tried to avoid her kindness, afraid of causing her trouble. The bullies, who admired Hana, never stopped harassing him because of him.
One day, things reached a breaking point. Leo was surrounded by a group of bullies, being beaten and insulted, their cruel words tearing at what little dignity he had left. Then, Hana appeared like a storm, standing before them with unwavering strength, her eyes blazing with anger.
"If you don't stop right now," Hana growled, her voice trembling with the sharpness of ice, "I'll report you immediately! And believe me, the Sato family's punishment won't be easy!"
One of them, Dan Wataru, grinned maliciously. "Hana-san, why are you defending him? He's just a piece of trash who doesn't deserve your time."
Dan Wataru chuckled derisively and gestured to his companions. "Well, Miss Ice, we'll leave him alone. He's no good anyway. This weakling will never amount to anything."
The bullies left, leaving Leo stunned, barely able to believe what had just happened. He turned to Hana, his eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and astonishment. "Why did you save me? I'm just a weakling... a disgrace to everyone."
Hana smiled gently, but her smile held something mysterious, as if she were hiding a deep secret. "There's no particular reason, Leo-kun. I just felt you should stay standing." The Price of Ambition
As time passed, Leo and Hana grew closer. Their friendship began to deepen, or so Leo naively believed, his heart yearning for love. He was captivated by the illusion of care and affection Hana displayed, unaware that behind her gentle smile lay a hidden agenda woven with dark magic. Leo spent more and more time with her, sharing his dreams and sorrows, while she wove a web of feigned emotions around him, a tightly woven tapestry.
After he had fallen completely in love with her, Hana made a request that would change his life forever. "Leo-kun," she said in her soft, sweet voice, "I need the holy book... the Book of Osiris, the God of Wisdom.
It is essential for your training to become stronger. I know you want it, don't you?"
Leo hesitated. The divine book was sacred, a family trust that the emperor had commanded him to protect since time immemorial. "Hana-san, why do you want this particular book? Is it really that important for my training?" Hannah responded with a barely concealed coolness, her tone barely masking the underlying concern, yet her face still wore a mask of feigned worry. "Don't worry, Leo-kun. This is all for you, so you can become stronger and prove to everyone that you're not weak. Don't you want to break free from the shackles of the past and escape this shame that haunts you?"
Leo was worried, but Hannah's words about strength, about self-realization, struck a raw nerve in his soul, which yearned for recognition. She drew closer and kissed him gently, her whisper melting away the last vestiges of his resistance. "Don't forget that you're now my future husband, Leo-kun. And I want to see you as the strongest in all of MacLaerline."
Leo smiled a defeated, desperate smile. "Fine, I'll try to get him for you."
Hannah's response was sharply serious, her smile vanishing completely, as if the mask had fallen away. "Don't tell anyone about this. Also, five days after the moon's transformation, you must bring him to me at God Mountain." Leo nodded with blind optimism, deluded by the promise of love and strength. "Okay, Hana-san. I'll be there."
The Betrayal of God Mountain
Five days later, Leo slipped into the darkness and entered the family's secret chamber, where the Holy Book, the Emperor's Trust and the crown jewel of the kingdom, lay hidden behind ancient magical seals. With a heart trembling as if foretelling his own demise, he took the book and set off for God Mountain. "Father, forgive me," he whispered into the darkness, his voice barely audible, "this is so I can become strong... so I can be worthy of the Takahashi name."
As he approached the entrance to God Mountain, Leo was shocked by what he saw. Hana wasn't waiting for him alone. The bullies were there, and at the front stood Dan Wataru, grinning a blood-curdling, malevolent smile.
"Guys, here comes the scum!" Dan sneered, as if telling a lame joke to his audience.
Leo froze, fear seeping into his bones. "What are you doing here? Where's Hana-san?" he asked, his anxiety growing, a strange chill unlike any other in the night air.
Before he could comprehend anything, they pounced on him like ravenous hyenas. They seized him and dragged him roughly into the depths of the mountain, where darkness slowly swallowed him whole, like a gateway to hell.
Leo opened his eyes with difficulty to find himself bound by cold chains, shimmering in the center of a massive, magical circle inscribed with ancient runes. Pain and fear swirled within him in a vortex of despair. "What's happening? Where's Hana-san?"
He screamed, his voice echoing in the dark void.
Then, Hana appeared. Her usual smile wasn't on her face; her gaze was icy cold, her eyes filled with utter cruelty. She held the Book of Osiris in her hand, as if she possessed the world.
"Here I am, my faithful dog," she said with unbelievable coldness, cutting Leo's breath and piercing the last vestige of hope within him. "Now, it's time for you to be reborn... as a sacrifice!"
Leo was stunned. "What are you talking about, Hana-san? Please, tell me the truth! I don't understand!"
Hana smiled mockingly, her gaze filled with contempt. "Haven't you grasped it yet? It was all a charade, you fool. Every word, every touch, every promise... was a mere illusion I created for you."
Leo's defenses crumbled. Tears began to stream down his pale face, mingled with the pain of betrayal and the agonizing realization that overwhelmed him. "I can't believe what you're saying... Why?"
While Leo was bound to the Mountain of God, before Hana began the ritual, she approached him and whispered a single word in his ear that shattered his spirit:
"Do you know why I chose you, Leo? Not because you're special, but because you're 'no one.' Your disappearance won't change anything in this world, and your death is the only value you've brought to your family."
"Come on, Hana-san, let's finish this. Time isn't on our side," Dan Wataru said sarcastically, standing beside Hana, enjoying the spectacle.
"What do you want from me? Why all this?" Leo asked in a broken voice, barely audible.
Hana answered him coldly, a triumphant gleam in her dark eyes. "I needed the book... and the blood of a noble family. And fate decreed that you would be the perfect sacrifice to summon the supreme demon Lucifer, so I could obtain his absolute power!" Leo realized the horrifying truth too late. Remember that the book was a sacred trust from the Emperor to his family, and that what he had done was an unforgivable act of treason. "I'm sorry, Father..." he whispered, his voice filled with remorse. "You were right. I am nothing but scum. I have committed an unforgivable sin... and now I will die. What a disgrace to our family and to the Takahashi name."
Hana began chanting incantations from the Obersik Book in an ancient runic language, her voice rising in ritualistic frenzy. The magic circle began to glow with a terrifying red light, and the chains binding Leo erupted into flames of blue and purple, slowly and painfully consuming his flesh.
"I can't bear this!" Leo cried, his voice breaking into a wail of excruciating pain that tore at his throat.
Sharp swords began to emerge from the circle, piercing his thin body, one after another. With his last breath, as darkness slowly swallowed him, Leo let out a deafening scream—not just a scream of pain.
It was a terrifying promise that shook the very foundations of the mountain:
"Remember, all of you... I will kill you... I will kill you all! I will return... and I will have my revenge!"
At that moment, the mountain began to tremble with unprecedented violence, then collapsed upon itself, as if its latent power had been unleashed. Hannah initially thought she had made a mistake, but what followed was beyond anything she could have imagined. A massive, terrifying aura of dark energy emanated from the mountain's depths—the aura of Lucifer himself! Terror gripped everyone. Dan grabbed Hannah's hand and pulled her out, fleeing the inferno they had just unleashed.
Leo lay dead, his body riddled with sword wounds, the magic circle swallowing him into the earth's core, as if he had never existed.
Suddenly, the entire mountain exploded in a massive blast, shaking the entire kingdom of Union.
Its sky above Erthus was illuminated by a terrifying flash.
Emperor Ryohei Yamamoto, his aide, and the faction leaders were on their way to the mountain, but they found nothing. Only a colossal crater and utter chaos where it had once stood.
"What happened here?" the Emperor asked, stunned, his face reflecting indescribable shock at the devastation.
Zerf contacted the Emperor telepathically, his voice trembling, barely audible over the raging wind. "Your Majesty, a catastrophe... The Book has been stolen! The Book of Osiris is gone!"
"What did you say, Zeref?!" the Emperor replied in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Your Majesty," said Ryota, the commander of the First Division, standing beside the Emperor, surveying the chaos. "The initial investigation indicates that the thief of the Book is Leo Takahashi, the second son of the Takahashi family. He appears to have committed a catastrophic act here, something unimaginable." The emperor ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into what had happened, deeming it a disgrace and an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of the Kingdom of Union, indeed in the history of the world of Earthus. But somewhere deep within the crumbling mountain, amidst the ruins of betrayal and despair, a dark seed was growing, awaiting its moment of rebirth and vengeance.