A bright sky dawns on a sleeping figure in the open fields of grass. The clouds are clear, and the breeze is enlightening. The man smiles gently as he dreams on with contentment.

"...Sato!" A voice calls out in the distance; the man gently tilts his head to the name.

A still silence.

The gentle breeze.

"...Sato Haruki!" The voice is closer but still hard to understand.

Again, it was a slight reaction, but nothing worth noting.

Until a cold grip touches the man's leg, he tries to open his eyes but finds them still and unresponsive.

"...W-who's there?" The man finally speaks; his speech and the words that leave his lips are deeper and lighter than he thought. Somehow, his voice surprises him.

"Sato Haruki, get up!" The voice is now next to the man. He begins to react once again before thinking to himself. Almost like a distinctive memory, the man raises his right hand in trying to reach for the voice. Until he realizes who the voice is...

"Sensei...!"

Caleb opens his eyes, his right hand reaching to the ceiling. A cold sweat drips off his forehead... Upon realizing where he is, a slight sigh rings from his lips, and the hand falls to the side.

"Oh... That's right, Sato isn't my name anymore..." Caleb blinks for a moment and attempts to move, but the moment he does, a stinging pain pierces his body. He releases a soft gasp and notices the bloodied bandages on his hand and arms. Another tied around his head. 

*

That's right, I was fighting an assassin. The memories are hazy, but I do remember that I killed him before he got away. My fingers on my right hand are stiff and almost unresponsive, a result of the feedback of using too much magic all in one go.

Click

The door opens, and Milia enters the room with a wash bin and cloth. However, they splash to the ground the instant she sees your face.

"C-Caleb! Come quick! He's awake!" Milia turned and called out of my room for others.

Soon, my father, Soldia, Celia, Zao, and Eckhart rush into the room. The look on their faces shows signs of relief and comfort.

"Dad...? What...-Where am I?" I speak with a raspy voice.

"Son...-Caleb, you were attacked by an unknown assailant; however, you were able to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do." Valum kneels next to my bed and gently grasps my hand. It hurts, but I don't show it.

"I see..." I begin to blank out as I still feel weak. A sudden thought hits me.

"Wait... Where's Tia? Is she alright!" I sit up, pain burning through my chest and arms instantly.

"Calm down, Caleb. Tia is beside you; she hasn't left you for days." He motions to the sleeping Tia, who has leaned her body and head onto the bed. She is in a deep sleep.

"Thank goodness... I feared that she was...-" Feeling faint, I lean back. Valum catches me and gently eases me back to bed. A warm smile as a single tear leaves his cheek. However, he clears his throat and regains his composure.

"I am grateful that you protected my daughter, young Caleb. She's the very reason you live now." Soldia speaks. His voice is calm as he kneels beside his daughter, rubbing her back. "She has spent endless hours mustering all her strength to cure the poison that ravaged your body, healed your wounds as best as she could, and never once left your side these four days.

"Four days...? Have I been out that long? It only feels like minutes..."

"I will bring you up to speed in the meantime; for now, try to get some rest." Valum stands up and turns to the other spectators.

"My lord, you have to tell him-"

"I know Eckhart. That's why I need everyone to leave me alone with my son." His voice is sharp and stern. So, everyone listens without question and bows before leaving the room. Soldia picks up Tia and gently carries her out.

"When she wakes up, I'll let her visit, don't worry."

"Thank you..."

He leaves, and the door closes; the privacy of the room is secured.

"Now that we are alone, I need to ask you. Did you get bit by a wolf a day or two ago before this event?" I can see his eyes are serious; I know lying is my worst decision.

"Yes, I did, the night before the party. There were two of them; I fought them off to save Tia. I killed them, well, we killed them."

"I know, we found their carcasses just a bit away from the manor. Upon our investigation, they were magically altered. Their fangs carried a highly deadly and toxic venom that slowly kills their target, making it seem like a sudden illness. I am just glad that we spotted it when we found you. That was when young Tia dedicated all she had to prevent it from spreading, and now it's barely present. You must be feeling a burning sensation still."

"Yeah, I feel like fire is in my blood."

"I assumed so; the mark is still infected. Thankfully, with Tia's help, we should be able to eradicate it in the next few days."

There is a cold silence between us.

"I know it was the Empire that sent that assassin. He told me he was after me. Father, I know the Empire is after me and is going to war with you, with our house."

"How did you-"

"I heard you talking."

"Of course you did. Then I will come clean to you. The Empire is indeed coming after you. Mainly, they are coming after you because you are my son and a cursed child."

"The assassin was a decedent. He said the Empire was going to use me."

"Those bastards... I heard an increasing number of kidnappings and children carrying a Demon King's blood being taken to the Royal Empire for something. They must be turning them into weapons."

"And they want me because I am a cursed child. And they have a reason for going to war now against house Aris. But why go so far? Please, father, why do they want me for?"

"...A cursed child is likelier to become a Demon Lord Candidate than rising to Demon Lord status. They and the church fear the possibility of a Demon King rising in the next fifty years, so they are making sure that doesn't happen on Gana, with no exceptions. They may claim it is a holy mission if anyone asks why they would declare war on our house, the Scarlet Order. However, they will be even more motivated to know that you are also a decedent." He looks at me with stern eyes.

"H-How?"

"I am not an idiot, son; I know the burn marks in that room didn't come from the assassin. The burns and wounds on your hands and arms are from the lightning feedback."

"D-Does anyone else know?"

"No, however, I suspect they will find out soon enough. I had to lie that the decedent was a dual caster. It was good enough to explain the ice on your arm and the burn marks on the walls."

"A dual caster?"

Dual casting was never mentioned in any books about Demon Kings or magic. Only that decedents only retain the magic that the Demon King created when ascending.

"It is a rare type of decedent with the ability to tap beyond their blood. They can access the knowledge of other Demon Kings and conjure different elements of magic at once. I fear that my lie will be seen through in due time. Which leads me to ask you, my son."

"Father?"

Valum looks at me with a troubled expression. His hands grip my shoulders, and he speaks bluntly.

"You must never reveal your power or abilities to anyone. I know that Miss Tia has seen your magic before. I won't need to worry about her telling anyone. But for your sake, you cannot reveal it to anyone; you never know who will turn on you. The Empire must never know that you are a cursed decedent. That will only bring their wrath upon us without mercy. Promise me you will never use magic ever again! For your own sake and for the ones you hold dear... Please..."

He pleads to me with a heavy burden. I stare at him with a soft, broken heart. Just hearing that I needed to stop all attempts to use magic was something I didn't want to do. It took just this interaction to realize that I loved using spells. Something about it was thrilling. I couldn't put it into words, but magic was in my blood, and I was born to express it. Being told I couldn't by my father was hard to understand.

"No," I speak without realizing it.

"Caleb...? What do you mean no!"

"No!"

Something deep inside me was done with being told what to do. I know he is trying to protect me, but I couldn't be a bystander and a child anymore. Even in my weakened state, I pushed through the pain to stand up to my father.

"I love magic... Even if it is a curse, it is something that I can do instead of being locked away in this place. I hate everything else; I hate listening to my brother and sister playing outside my window, and I can't join them. So, no, father, I won't stop."

"Don't be stubborn; you are just going to make it worse if you-"

"Will you shut up!" I push on. Valum is startled by my sudden aggressive behavior.

"Father, you didn't let me finish."

"...Go ahead then, Caleb." He seems to understand how serious I am finally.

"I want to train my magic further to protect those I care about. So I can protect our home. So I can protect my future wife. I don't care what they label me."

"I see." Valum looks into my eyes, trying to read my emotions.

"I still have about a week of recovery, father. I hope you think about it at that time. When I am feeling better, let's talk again under better circumstances. I don't feel great, so I might be thinking ahead of myself." I am giving myself an out of this conversation but still telling the truth. I don't know what the hell I am even thinking. It was stubborn of me to push back. I know Valum won't accept my terms, so I will take the week to think of a proposition until then. He seemed to have the same idea as mine.

"Very well, Caleb. Just continue to rest; I will have Celia and Milia tend to you and aid Tia's efforts in your recovery." He reaches the door and opens it with a forceful display. His lengthy hair flows from the wind that is created. "I am glad to see you awake, son..." He shuts the door behind him. Leaving me to fall back in bed, the pain still hard to manage, I rest my eyes again.

Hours pass, and there is a knock on the door.

"Caleb?" It is Tia. I lean up to see her. She stands next to Celia, holding a fresh bandage roll.

"Come in, you two," I speak with a slight undertone.

Tia approaches my side and gently wraps her fingers over mine. A pained smile appears across her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm not dead, at least. Thank you for that." I make light of the situation. Tia and Celia have a soft giggle. I smirk softly.

"If you can make jokes, Master, then I assume you have the strength to change your bandages?" Celia speaks. Her tan skin glistens as she seems to be sweating from stress. She must have been so worried and still was. I motion her to come to me. The moment she does, I force my arm to pull her into a hug. Tears begin to well in her eyes, and she hugs me back, a soft cry into my shoulder. "I'm so glad you are alright..."

Tia and Celia soon helped remove my shirt to remove the bandages across my body. I was startled when they removed the bandages from my right hand and arm. What I thought would be tame was a series of healing scars that rode up my hand to my arm. With some care and time, they won't look as terrible, but the distinct look of my arm was torn up.

Tia began to heal the poison from my body; the only thing she could do to stop its progression. It took everything she had so none of my wounds could recover from her magic. Celia began to finish the final bandages. The wound on my head wasn't deep, so a tiny wrap was applied, as the cut I suffered on my shoulder wasn't deep enough to be worried about. The only issues were my arms and hands.

"Make sure you don't move them; if you need anything, Milia and I will take care of you. Tia can't do everything you know."

"Celia, you underestimate my abilities!"

"Miss Tia, you have already done enough for Master; I can tell you are exhausted. Let us do our jobs so you can rest as well."

Tia sighs and agrees to the conditions.

Night quickly came that day; I could barely keep my eyes open as a sleeping Tia rested right next to me. I worried about her posture, so I let Celia take her to her bed when she wouldn't wake from being moved. I laid in bed that night with a single thought left in my head.

"Can I protect her as I am now...?"