Flames devoured the sky.
The air reeked of burning flesh and spilled blood as the village crumbled under the relentless attack. Screams of agony echoed through the night, but to one ten-year-old boy, none of it mattered.
His small hands trembled as he clung to two lifeless bodies—his parents.
His white and black hair was stained with soot and blood. His heterochromatic eyes—one crimson red, the other ocean blue—were wide with horror. His body shook, but still, he forced himself to carry them, step by agonizing step.
From behind a burning house, a young girl peeked out.
Her eyes widened in shock. "L-Leo Benu…?"
A sword tore through her body.
Her small frame split apart, blood spraying onto the charred ground.
Leo''s breath hitched. His arms tightened around his parents.
A horse''s hooves crushed the dirt nearby, kicking up dust and embers.
A knight in dark armor, sitting tall upon his mount, yanked his sword free from the dead girl''s body.
Then, he turned to Leo.
His gray eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.
The knight captain swung off his horse, landing with a heavy thud.
He stepped closer, towering over the trembling child. "Hey, brat." His voice was cold. "Are those your parents?"
Leo hesitated. His throat burned. "Y-Yes, Lord…"
The captain grinned.
"Hah! You wanna live, kid?"
Leo swallowed. His small fingers curled into fists. He lowered his head. "Yes, Lord… Please… have mercy…"
The knight crouched, pressing the cold steel of his blade beneath Leo''s chin, forcing it up.
"Mercy?" His smirk widened. "Oh, I can be merciful."
Laughter erupted behind him.
Other Una knights emerged from the shadows, their bloodstained armor glinting in the firelight.
One of them sneered. "Captain, why waste time on a half-breed?"
Another''s gaze darkened as he stared at Leo''s mother''s unconscious body.
"She''s still alive… and young." His lips curled. "She''d make a good slave."
Leo''s heart pounded.
"No! Lord, please—she''s my mother!"
The knights laughed again.
The captain raised an eyebrow. "You think we care?"
His boot slammed into Leo''s chest.
Leo collapsed, coughing violently.
His mother''s body slipped from his grasp, landing beside the captain''s feet.
The Una knight crouched down, brushing a hand against her cheek.
"Soft skin…" he muttered. "Perfect condition."
Leo''s vision blurred. He scrambled forward, grabbing the knight''s leg.
"No… Please don''t touch her!"
The captain''s smile twisted into cruelty. He yanked Leo up by his hair.
"You should''ve kept quiet."
A sharp, burning pain tore across Leo''s back.
Blood gushed from the wound as he screamed in agony.
The knights laughed louder.
Then—
A silver blade cut through the air.
A severed hand flew, landing in the dirt.
The Una captain''s scream shattered the night.
"AAAHHHH! MY HAND!"
A deep voice rumbled through the battlefield.
"You damn mortals."
The knights turned—only to be met with a golden gaze.
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Leo''s father.
Blood dripped from his blade.
His wounds should''ve been fatal, yet his body healed itself in mere seconds.
Leo choked back a sob. "D-Dad…?"
His father never took his eyes off the enemy. "Leo. Take your mother and run."
Leo shook his head violently. "But—"
His father placed a hand on his head.
"You must live, my son… for the sake of this world''s peace."
Tears spilled from Leo''s eyes.
"I love you, Dad!" he sobbed.
His father smiled softly. "I love you too, my son."
Then—
Leo turned just in time to see—
His father''s head roll across the ground.
Leo''s heart stopped.
The Una knights scoffed.
"Damn Yahu. Their heads come off, and they drop like flies."
Leo''s mind was blank.
Then—
A loud shriek pierced the air.
A massive griffin swooped down, its golden wings cutting through the smoke.
A group of Yahu warriors leaped off, their armor shining under the fire''s glow.
The Una knights cursed.
"Enemies incoming! Take formation!"
One Yahu captain stepped forward.
His eyes landed on Leo''s mother.
He froze.
A shadow crossed his face.
Then—he drew his sword.
Leo''s mother gasped.
A silver blade pierced her chest.
Leo felt his soul shatter.
"...W-Why?" His voice barely came out.
The Yahu captain''s face remained emotionless.
"She was Una," he said simply. "Not one of us."
Leo''s ears rang.
His knees buckled.
His fingers dug into the dirt, his nails cracking.
His breath grew ragged.
His vision turned black.
Then—
A pulse of energy exploded from his body.
The ground shook.
A red and black aura erupted from him, stretching into the sky.
The clouds turned dark.
The knights—both Una and Yahu—froze.
"W-What is that?!"
"That… That''s not normal Aura!"
Leo lifted his head.
His white and black hair turned completely white.
His eyes turned blank.
A storm of crimson and black energy crackled around him.
Then—
He moved.
A blur of death.
One knight blinked—only to see his head flying from his shoulders.
Another felt his body being ripped apart.
A symphony of screams filled the air.
Leo''s rage consumed him.
He tore through mortal and immortal alike.
The battlefield became a slaughterhouse.
The Una captain, trembling, staggered back.
"This… This isn''t human…"
A final slash.
Darkness.
---
Silence.
Blood painted the ground.
And at the center—
A lone boy stood.
His white hair was stained red.
His small hands trembled.
In his arms, he cradled his parents'' lifeless bodies.
"Mom… Dad…"
His voice broke.
Then—darkness.
A group of robed figures stepped into the ruins.
One of them knelt beside Leo, brushing the hair from his tear-streaked face.
"So… this is the prophecy child," he murmured.
The others nodded.
"Let''s take him."
---
End of Chapter 1.