In a small town of the Samar Duchy within the Sariel Empire, a five-star hotel stood tall and vibrant, its glowing lights illuminating the quiet streets. It held the highest rating in the town and was known for its excellent reviews. From the outside, it appeared refined and welcoming—nothing about it hinted at what lay beneath.
But deep inside its basement, far from the sight of its guests, two demons sat together. Their black, curving horns framed their dark, mottled skin, streaked with shades of green and black. Before them lay a large plate piled with roasted meat, alongside thick bones cracked open and stripped bare.
Their table was not one of refinement, but of indulgence. Flesh was ripped apart with their hands, teeth sinking in without hesitation. Grease and darkened juices coated their fingers as they fed in a manner that was both savage and disturbingly satisfied, as if this was the finest feast they could ever desire.
Not far from them stood a row of cages—each barely thirty-two inches high, just enough for a macaque to sit upright without its head brushing against the metal ceiling. But inside these cages were not animals.
They were humans.
Each person was confined to their own small enclosure, forced to remain hunched, unable to fully stand or stretch. Their eyes were wide with fear, their bodies trembling as they watched the demons eat just a few feet away. For them, this was not just a meal—it was a glimpse into their possible fate.
Earlier that morning, one of the cages had been opened.
A woman had been taken.
Her screams had echoed through the basement, sharp and desperate, filling the air with terror. The others had listened helplessly, unable to do anything but endure the sound. It went on for a while—long enough to carve itself into their minds.
And then… it stopped.
Silence followed, broken only by the occasional clink of steel crockery, faint and distant.
No one spoke.
No one needed to.
Whether she had given up… or had become part of the meal now being devoured before them—they already knew the answer.
Now her remains were being devoured with moans of pure bliss. A rib bone cracked again. Another slurp of marrow. One demon belched contentedly, patting its swollen belly, while the other picked a shred of meat from between its fangs with a claw and flicked it toward the nearest cage.
Mira and her parents who were at one of those cages they were also afraid of them and were more worried of their daughter who's in a separate cage in front row. They haven't eaten since last night and when they attacked attacked last night when they were on their room at the first floor the demons had beaten Mira's father badly he wanted to protect his family but is now unable to even lift his hands or feet. Her mother still had tears on her face.
Mira sat inside her cage, trembling uncontrollably, her small body curled into itself as she clutched her hands and feet tightly. Tears streamed down her face without stopping. The image of her father, beaten and bleeding, refused to leave her mind. And worse… far worse…
The woman from the next cage—the one who had smiled at her, who had tried to encourage her just hours ago— Now… she lay on the demons' plate.
Her head… her head was thrown carelessly on the kitchen floor. From where Mira's cage was placed, she could see it clearly. The lifeless face… the pain frozen in her expression… her hollow eyes staring straight at Mira as if asking why.
It was too much.
Far too much for a ten-year-old child.
Her body shook violently as sobs escaped her lips again and again. "I don't want this… I don't want this…"
Her voice broke as she pressed her forehead against her knees.
"Please God… please… please save us…"
Her prayers were desperate, childish… fragile.
"Or… or give me power… please… I'll fight them… I'll make them pay…"
Even as she said it, her body trembled harder. She was afraid and terrified.
And yet— Somewhere deep inside her—She refused to accept this.
Time passed slowly.
Eventually, night arrived.
The demons left after finishing their meal, and a suffocating silence filled the basement once more. Some of the remaining prisoners tried to speak, their voices weak but desperate, clinging to hope.
"It will be okay… someone will come to save us…"
"Just hold on…"
Among them, a boy—barely older than Mira, dressed in what was once noble clothing—lay collapsed inside his cage. His voice trembled as tears rolled down his face.
"It's over… I shouldn't have rebelled… I shouldn't have left the house without guards…" He sobbed helplessly.
"Now I'll die here… eaten by those monsters… Wuwu… Mama… Daddy… save me…"
His cries echoed through the darkness.
Mira listened. Her own tears didn't stop. But something inside her… shifted.
'…Why?'
'Why are we the ones suffering?
Why do they get to laugh… while we beg?'
Her fingers slowly tightened. Her trembling lips parted slightly as only hiccups were coming out of her mouth.
The night reached its deepest point. And then—They came back. This time, there were more. At least five of them.
Each one different in height and build, yet all shared the same grotesque black and green skin, their presence suffocating the air itself. They spoke in a strange, incomprehensible language, their voices rough and mocking as they laughed among themselves.
One of them stepped forward. Its gaze swept across the cages.
One by one, slowly, deliberately searching among the prisoners as if trying to pick which one will be most delicious.
Just then —It stopped on Mira.
Her body trembled again, her instincts screaming in fear—But her eyes— They changed. She glared at it. A gaze filled not with submission— But with contempt.
As if she refused to acknowledge them as anything but monsters.
Behind her, her parents noticed the demon's gaze on Mira.
Panic consumed them, they began shaking their cage violently, their voices breaking as they shouted, cursed, and tried to provoke the demons.
"Take me instead!"
"Leave her alone!"
"Come here, you monsters!"
Their desperation filled the room.
The other prisoners remained completely still, too afraid to even breathe loudly, fearing that even the slightest movement would draw attention to them.
And it worked.
The demon shifted its focus, it walked toward Mira's father's cage. With a loud metallic clang— it opened it.
Mira's father was dragged out, his body limp, unable to resist.
"Mira…!"
His weak voice barely reached her.
"No… NO…!"
Mira's voice broke as she struggled against her cage.
Then—Another cage opened.
Another victim was taken.
And then— Silence. For a moment, everything felt... uncertain. As if something unseen was deciding.
The demon returned in front of her cage. Thy opened the cage, a large, grotesque hand reached in— and grabbed her by her hair.
Her small body was lifted effortlessly by her long golden hair, her feet leaving the ground instantly.
"Ahhh—!!"
Pain shot through her scalp as she struggled wildly, kicking, hitting, trying to break free.
"Let me go! Let me go!!" Her voice cracked as she screamed.
"Leave us alone! Take us back! Please!!"
Her cries echoed—but meant nothing.
Her mother had already fainted from shock. Mira was dragged into the kitchen, and what she saw there— made her soul freeze.
Shelves lined the walls and on them— were heads.
Human heads at least fifteen of them, placed neatly on a plate. As if they were trophies.
Her breathing stopped, the scene made her soul tremble and movement of resistence still for a moment in sheer horror.
Her father crawled forward, dragging his broken body, placing himself in front of her once more.
Even now— He tried to protect her.
"…Mira…"
The demons showed no mercy, one of them grabbed her father by the head, while another seized his arm.
And then— they pulled it, a horrifying scream tore through the air.
"STOP—!!"
Mira screamed, her voice breaking apart.
"STOP IT!! DON'T DO THAT TO MY FATHER!! STOP!!"
Tears blurred her vision as she struggled against the grip holding her. Another arm was torn away. Blood splattered across the floor. Her father's body trembled weakly.
Her nails dug into her palms as her entire body shook violently. Her fear twisted inside her, something dark and burning rising from its depths.
"I want… I want…"
Her voice trembled, then grew louder, filled with something far deeper than fear.
"I WANT ALL OF YOU TO DIEEEEE—!!!"
In that moment, something within her changed. Her fear did not disappear, it transformed, turned into something unyielding.
'If the strong prey on the weak…
Then I will become stronger than all of you.'
Looking at her father who stooped all his resistance and his screams died down, she swore...
'I will protect those who cannot protect themselves…
And I will destroy every sinner.'
Just then, Mira's body began to glow.
At first, it was faint—barely noticeable, like a soft shimmer beneath her skin. A gentle golden light flickered around her, as if something deep within her was awakening. Her trembling did not stop, but the fear in her eyes slowly mixed with confusion.
The glow grew stronger.
It spread from her chest to her arms, then across her entire body. The golden light wrapped around her like a protective veil, warm and steady, completely different from the cold terror that filled the room moments ago. Even the air around her seemed to change, becoming heavier, almost sacred.
The demons paused.
For the first time, their expressions shifted.
Something was wrong.
They could feel it.
The ground beneath them began to tremble, slowly at first, then more violently. The temperature rose, and an invisible pressure descended upon the entire building, suffocating everything within it.
And then—
A massive pillar of golden light descended from the sky.
It tore through the ceiling as if it were nothing, crashing directly into the kitchen. The impact shook the entire area within a ten-kilometer radius, the force so overwhelming that even the walls groaned under its weight.
The light engulfed the two demons instantly.
There was no time for them to react.
No chance to escape.
Their bodies disintegrated the moment the light touched them, turning into dust and scattering into nothingness.
Yet, despite its destructive power, the light did not harm Mira.
Instead, it embraced her.
The golden glow surrounding her merged with the pillar of light, becoming even brighter. Her wounds began to heal slowly, the pain fading as if it had never existed. The warmth around her deepened, filling her with a strange sense of calm amidst the chaos.
Her father's lifeless body fell beside her as she collapsed onto the ground, her strength finally giving out.
The remaining demons rushed into the kitchen, drawn by the disturbance. But the moment they stepped inside, they froze.
The air had changed completely, the ground trembled once more, and the heat rose sharply, pressing down on them like an unseen force.
And then— She appeared.
From within the fading golden light, a figure stepped forward.
Silver hair flowed gently behind her, and her golden eyes shone with an overwhelming authority. Her presence alone distorted the atmosphere, making it difficult to even breathe. Her beauty was beyond human.
Elara Silverheart had arrived.
Shin didn't know how it was happening.
Just by recalling Mira's words, something had changed. His perception shifted, and suddenly, he could see everything that was happening there. It wasn't like watching from afar—it felt real, vivid, as if he were standing in that very place.
It was as though he was witnessing it all from a first-person point of view. The fear, the tension, the suffocating atmosphere… everything felt so close, so clear, that it no longer seemed like a memory.
But then— It went deeper. The scene began to change.
What he saw was no longer limited to that moment.
Instead, Mira's entire life started to unfold before him.
Her childhood appeared first, simple and warm. He saw her take her first steps, clumsy yet determined. He saw the small smile she made when she succeeded, the joy in her eyes as someone praised her.
Then came her first friend, the way she hesitated at first, then slowly opened up. Her first day at a tutor class, nervous but trying her best to appear strong. The first time she was punished, holding back tears while trying to stay composed.
Every moment–small or big, important or seemingly insignificant. He saw it all. There was nothing hidden. Nothing left unseen.
And the more he watched— The more he began to understand.
Mira Ousia was not just a frightened girl trapped in despair. She was someone who endured. Someone who, even in fear, chose to stand. Someone who wished not only to survive, but to protect. Her kindness, her pain, her resolve— everything became clear to him.
A strange feeling rose within Shin.
A sense of fulfillment. A quiet satisfaction, as if something inside him had finally settled.
Her past. Her present. Her future. Her soul. Her heart. Her body. Everything about her— He now knew.
And in that moment, one thought formed clearly in his mind.
No one—No one in this world— Understood Mira Ousia better than he did.
She is only his!