In a world shaped by princes, demons, and magic, there lives a red-eyed prince named Luci Star. He is the last surviving member of the Star bloodline, the only family capable of defeating demon lords. Twelve years ago, the Holy War tore through the Kingdom of Camellia, leaving Luci orphaned and burdened with a duty too great for one man to bear. The legends say his scarlet eyes marked him as a bearer of the Power of Light—a gift from the angels and a symbol of the eternal expectation of heroism. He is humanity’s shield, their beacon of hope against the demons.

But Luci carries a secret, one that would see him cast out by the very people he protects: he doesn’t want to fight. He dreams, even now, of a world where demons and humans live side by side. As a child, he once imagined befriending one of them, sharing laughter instead of bloodshed. Yet such thoughts are heretical, a betrayal of all the church and his kingdom hold sacred. And so, Luci buries his hopes deep inside, carrying his lonely vision to the edge of despair.

The Kingdom of Camellia sits near the Mystic Forest, the sprawling no-man’s-land that separates humanity from the abyss of Hell. For years, Luci has guarded its borders, fulfilling his duty with quiet reluctance. He has long resigned himself to solitude—his dreams of peace mere shadows he cannot afford to chase. It is his destiny, or so he believes, to live and die alone, humanity’s hero in name but a prisoner in spirit.

When Luci turns twenty, rumors of unrest in the demon lands ripple across the border. Rival demon lords, hungry for power, wage bloody turf wars that spill into human territory. Chaos spreads like wildfire, and the fragile peace humanity has clung to for years shatters. The Holy War begins anew, and Luci—despite his hatred for violence—has no choice but to join the battle. But this war is different. It is not a simple clash of humans versus demons. It is a three-sided storm of destruction: demons versus demons versus humans.

In the heart of this storm, fate takes an unexpected turn.

Luci’s sword cut through the air with a flash of golden light, the edge singing as it clashed against a demon’s curved claws. The creature hissed, its blackened skin crackling where the blade met flesh. Luci swung again, this time severing the demon’s arm. It fell with a shriek, but before he could catch his breath, another lunged at him from the side.

He ducked just in time, the creature’s claws slicing through the air where his neck had been a heartbeat ago. The sharp tang of sulfur filled his nostrils as he twisted, his blade arcing upward in a desperate counterattack. The blade pierced its chest, and a burst of light magic erupted from the wound. The demon collapsed in a heap, its body crumbling to the ground.

Around him, the battlefield raged—a cacophony of metal clashing, creatures roaring, and magic tearing through the air. His army was somewhere in the chaos, fighting to hold the border. He had been with them earlier, commanding the defensive line, but the unrelenting surge of demons had pushed them apart. Now, he could barely make out the sound of their horns over the screeches of demons and the pounding of his own heartbeat.

“Hold the line!” he had shouted before he’d been separated, his voice hoarse from exertion. But the tide of battle had swept him away like driftwood in a raging river.

Now, he stood alone.

The demons kept coming. No matter how many he cut down, more clawed their way forward, their grotesque forms twisting and snapping with relentless hunger. Luci's sword felt heavier with each swing, his breaths labored. He’d trained, of course—he’d had no choice—but fighting had never come naturally to him. The guilt of each kill weighed on him, no matter how monstrous his enemies seemed.

They’re animals, he told himself, repeating the words the church had drilled into him. They’re mindless beasts. But it didn’t make the blood on his hands feel any lighter.

A flash of movement caught his eye. One of the larger demons lunged at him with an ear-splitting roar. The force sent him sprawling, his sword clattering to the ground. He scrambled backward, grabbing for the weapon, but another demon took the opening. It struck him hard in the side. Pain shot through him like fire, and he gasped, clutching the wound as blood seeped between his fingers.

His vision blurred. The demons circled him now, their snarls low and guttural, their glowing eyes fixed on his every move. He had lost the track of his army. He had lost his strength. And now, with the cliff’s edge at his back and nowhere left to run, he was sure he would lose his life.

This is it, he thought as he pressed a shaking hand against his wound, the blood pooling warm and sticky beneath his fingers. His other hand reached for his sword, the weight of it suddenly feeling impossibly heavy. He had no energy left to channel his light magic, no strength left to swing. He tried anyway, forcing himself to rise, but his legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.

The demons inched closer, their snarls reverberating through his chest. He closed his eyes, summoning what little mana he had left. If he was going to die, he would take them with him. He focused his energy into a final spell, one that would burn away everything within its radius—himself included.

And then, the sky screamed.

The air shifted as something massive descended from above, its wings slicing through the smoke. Luci’s eyes snapped open just as a shadow passed overhead, and the next moment, the world erupted into chaos. A new roar ripped through the battlefield, louder and more feral than anything he’d ever heard. A demon—no, a demon lord—landed with earth-shaking force, its claws carving through the pack that had surrounded him.

Luci blinked, his breath catching as the creature tore through his attackers with deadly precision. One after another, they fell, their bodies crumpling beneath the demon lord’s wrath. It moved like a predator, its wings spread wide, its strikes so fast Luci could barely follow them.

He staggered to his feet, clutching his side, his mind racing. Why would a demon help him? It didn’t make sense. But there it was, standing before him, its back to him as it roared again open wings. Its presence was overwhelming, its mana radiating in waves that made the air vibrate. The lesser demons scattered like frightened animals, leaving Luci alone with the towering creature.

For a moment, neither moved. Luci’s hand tightened on his sword, his instincts screaming at him to run. But there was nowhere to go. The demon’s back was to him, its enormous wings folding in as it surveyed the battlefield.

Arrogant. Did it think him so weak that he wasn’t even worth noticing? Luci gritted his teeth, anger flaring alongside desperation. This was his only chance. The demon’s exposed back was a glaring vulnerability, and he would not waste it.

He raised his sword, light flaring brighter along the blade. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he didn’t hesitate. With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, aiming for the demon’s heart.

Then, just as his blade neared its target, something glinted in the fading sunlight—a ring on the demon’s finger. A golden band marked with the prince's coat of arms, unassuming yet painfully familiar.

Luci faltered. His breath hitched, and his strike veered off course. The blade grazed the demon’s side, drawing blood but failing to land a fatal blow. The creature turned, its movements slow and deliberate, its eyes glowing faintly in the twilight.

Luci’s heart stopped. The face staring back at him wasn’t a monster’s. It was familiar. Devastatingly familiar.

“Asher?” The name slipped from his lips, barely audible. His mind reeled. It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.

Memories rushed back to him in fragments: a demon boy with a laugh like sunlight, a promise made on the edge of the Mystic Forest, and a bond he thought was figments of his imagination. But now, standing before him, was a ghost from his mind made of flesh, wearing the armor of the enemy—a stranger wearing the face of his friend.

The demon flinched, his glowing green eyes narrowing. or a moment, something flickered across his face—hesitation, perhaps? Pain? It was gone before Luci could name it, replaced by a mask of quiet intensity. He stared at Luci with an intensity that made the prince’s chest ache, as though he were searching for something—an answer, a memory, maybe a fragment of the boy he used to know.

Both stood frozen, their gazes locked—one filled with disbelief at the demon who might still be his childhood friend, the other with quiet betrayal at the human who had tried to pierce his heart.