The Demon's Gambit

The demon’s smile stretched wide as he slowly spun around, arms lazily opening like he was showing off to the whole place. His sharp eyes darted over each of us, shining with a strange, wild excitement.

“Ohh… look at all of you…” he breathed out, his voice shaking like someone holding back laughter. 

“I love suffering. The way faces twist… the way eyes break… the way hope dies…”


Aeliff’s voice cut across the field, sharp and clear. “Stop your nonsense, you damned demon!”

The demon snapped his gaze toward Aeliff so fast it looked unnatural--but that smile only grew. 

“Nonsense? No… no, no…” he whispered, tilting his head sharply. His voice wavered like he was just on the edge of laughing again. “This is the truth. Pain shows us what life really is.”

“The way bodies break… the way voices crack into hopeless sobs… ahhh…”


"But Too bad.”

He let out a rough breath, shoulders twitching in frustration. “I don’t get to enjoy it today. I don’t get to break you all apart slowly like I wanted.”

 “I have a job to do. Orders from her.”

He spun back around fast, arms wide like he was welcoming us.

His grin returned, sharper now, and his eyes lit up with wild excitement, almost trembling from the rush of what he was about to say.

“I’m not just here to take your ElFairia,” he said, his voice slow and thick, like he was savoring every word. His fingers twitched as he spread his arms wide, as if he was trying to show us the scale of what was coming.

 “I’m here to summon something … the Ancient Demon Beast… the Dragon of Chaos.”

“To bring a creature like that into this world… it takes power beyond imagination. We needed a massive mana source. One strong enough to break through every barrier. One deep enough to fuel the summoning and keep the beast stable once it arrives.”


“And then we found it… right here in your lands. ElFairia.”


“We found your Sacred Tower deep in the forest. A masterpiece of elven magic. It holds more mana than anything we’d seen in centuries. Pure, endless, untouched. The perfect fuel for the summoning.”


“So, we began to work. Quietly. Carefully. We poisoned it slowly, feeding corruption into its roots, letting the demon energy seep into every stone and every leyline that tower touches. We made sure to keep it small… small enough that none of you noticed. Not right away.”


“Oh, but eventually you noticed, didn’t you?” His grin widened as his voice rose. “You realized something was wrong. You panicked. You sent your best mages into the forest to investigate. To stop us. To protect your precious tower.”

He whipped his hand outward, pointing directly at the Sacred Tower behind him—where the unconscious bodies of the elves lay scattered like broken dolls.

“But none of you ever understood what was really happening.” His voice dropped into a low, dangerous whisper.

“Those mages didn’t stop anything. They walked right into our trap.”


“They were always meant to be sacrifices. Their mana, their life force, their suffering—all of it.” Hearing those words, fury ignited within the elite mages. Without hesitation, they raised their wands toward the demon, expressions hardened, magic crackling at their fingertips, ready to strike him down.

Veltrerxx let out a forced chuckle, his lips twitching into a crooked smile. His voice, though laced with sarcasm, carried a thin undertone of unease as he tilted his head, eyes flickering nervously between the raised wands.

“Getting mad, aren’t we? Oh, I’m… scared. Please… put down your wands.”

But the Grand Mage’s eyes flicked toward them--sharp, commanding.

His voice cut through the rising tension, calm and absolute.

“Not yet.”

At those words, the mages halted, their wands lowering slightly, though their rage still burned fiercely behind their narrowed eyes.



“Ah… thaaank you, Grand Mage. Truly. How kind… how merciful of you.”

He straightened slowly, clapping his hands together once in mock appreciation, the smirk never leaving his face. “Yes—thank you all. Such obedient little soldiers, standing down so politely on command.”

His eyes narrowed, glittering with malice as his grin sharpened. “Now then… allow me to continue.” “Now… where was I?”

His chest heaved as he sucked in a sharp breath, his grin twitching at the edges like he could barely contain the joy inside him.


“And when the ritual is complete… the Dragon of Chaos will awaken.”

His voice thundered now, filled with madness.

“It will rise from the heart of your lands. It will tear through ElFairia. It will burn your forests, your cities, and your people until nothing is left but ash and ruin.”


And soon, ElFairia--one of the last elf lands--will fall completely.”

Veltrerxx’s eyes darted all over the field again, fast and hungry. “So then…” His voice dropped to a soft whisper, full of excitement. “Who is the strongest elf here?”

He started pointing at people randomly like a child playing a game. Then, with a sharp snap, his hand stopped--pointing straight at the Grand Mage.

“You. It’s you, isn’t it?” His smile stretched even wider. “Ohhh, this is going to be fun.”

The Grand Mage stood tall, his face calm and steady.

Veltrerxx twitched with joy. “Ahh, so brave… so hopeless.”

“Insolent demon,” the Grand Mage said, calm and absolute. “You know nothing but your own nonsense. Yet, even your senseless ramblings have unveiled everything to us all. Now we see clearly what this is—and we will destroy you and shatter your entire plan.”

The Grand Mage’s wand rose high.

All around him, the elite mages followed, lifting their wands in unison and pointing them directly at Veltrerxx.

Panic twisted across Veltrerxx’s face. His confidence cracked, his voice broke into a frantic scream.

“No! Don’t—NOOO! Please—DON’T!! I haven’t finished talking—NOOOOO!!”

The Grand Mage raised his staff and called out, “Divine Retribution!”

But nothing happened. All around us, the elite mages raised their wands, chanting hurriedly-- But nothing happened. Not even a spark. Confused murmurs broke out as they glanced at each other, gripping their staves tighter. Some tried again, faster, more desperate this time--still nothing. Brows furrowed. Voices sharpened. “Why… why isn’t it working?” “My magic… it’s gone?!”

The Grand Mage’s face grew dark. He understood.

Veltrerxx froze for a moment. Then, slowly, he dragged his fingers across his lips, as if wiping away a secret smile. His shoulders shook--and suddenly he burst into laughter. 

“Ohhh! The irony! The beauty of it!” he shouted. “You don’t understand the situation don’t you, do you?”

He wiped a fake tear from his eye, still grinning. “Now that your precious barrier is gone… and your Sacred Tower is full of demon energy… this whole land is filled with demonic power.”

 “This entire place… is now one big anti-magic field!”

 “No one here… not a single one of you… can even cast the weakest spell anymore.”

Veltrerxx stepped forward slowly, his boots clicking on the stone. His voice dropped lower. “I feel sorry for you elves. You needed magic to live… and now?”

 “Now you’re just like birds with broken wings. Crawling on the ground. Helpless. Waiting to be eaten.”

He sucked in a sharp breath, his whole body shaking with excitement. “Oh… how beautiful it is.”

All around us, the elite mages and battle mages froze. Their fists clenched. Jaws locked tight. Unable to use magic No spells. No barriers. Nothing. The power they trusted their whole lives was gone. Stripped bare, they could only glare--silent, furious, helpless.

Suddenly, Veltrerxx’s wild grin faded. His shoulders dropped, and his eyes narrowed into something that almost looked like sadness--though the twisted smirk still tugged at the corner of his lips. He let out a slow, heavy sigh, shaking his head as if mourning something deeply personal.

“I almost forgot…” he muttered, voice soft and dragging now. His gaze drifted across the battlefield where the remains of the demon we had just defeated still lay smoldering.

“I owe… my deepest thanks,” he said, slowly placing a hand over his chest with a mocking bow. “To my dear little brother.”



“He fought so hard to buy time for me. He weakened your defenses… scattered your forces… distracted you long enough for this moment to happen. And now, here I stand. Right where I need to be.”


“I must avenge him… don’t you think?” His voice cracked slightly, as if struggling to hold back fake emotion. “It’s only fair, isn’t it? You took him from me—so now I’ll take everything from you.”


“And what better way to honor him than by unleashing something that’ll erase this entire land forever?!”



“Ahh… little brother… you did well. You gave me everything I needed.”

Veltrerxx's gaze snapped back to us, sharper than ever. “Now, it’s my turn.”

His voice rang out clear across the field, cold and dripping with mockery. 

“First off… let’s start by humiliating the strongest elf of ElFairia.”

His fingers snapped.

In an instant, thick black chains burst from the air above, crashing down like vipers. They wrapped around the Grand Mage’s arms, legs, and waist, yanking him down to one knee and binding him in place. The chains hissed with dark energy, tightening viciously.

But the Grand Mage did not flinch. He simply stayed kneeling, his face calm and unreadable--as if nothing was happening at all. His sharp golden eyes stayed locked on Veltrerxx, steady and unwavering.

Veltrerxx tilted his head, smiling wider, clearly amused by the Grand Mage’s lack of reaction. “Oh? How noble. You really don’t show much, do you?” “ Hmm Now--let’s immobilize all your useless mages around here!” Veltrerxx raised both arms high, his fingers clawing at the air as a deep, guttural chant rumbled from his throat.

From every direction, chains erupted--coiling and snapping like vipers, their surfaces glowing with a faint, sinister purple light.

The chains lashed out, wrapping tightly around the elite mages and the entire mage army. Wands were yanked from their grips, bodies locked in place as the bindings constricted mercilessly.

Cries of struggle and surprise filled the air, but the dark chains held fast. None could break free.

The mages, stripped of their ability to summon magic, stood utterly vulnerable. Without their spells to defend them, they were no more than ordinary men Aeliff stepped forward sharply, his voice fierce. “Don’t you dare disrespect the Grand Mage and the Elite mages of ElFairia like that, you damned demon!”

Veltrerxx’s eyes slid to Aeliff, his smile stretching lazily. “You’re annoying.”

He raised his hand. A crackling wave of dark force burst from his palm, aimed straight at Aeliff’s chest. Before it could hit, Estheria shot forward, grabbing Aeliff and pulling him out of the blast’s path just in time. The ground behind them exploded in a burst of black energy.

Aeliff stumbled back, breathing hard, his fists clenched tight and shaking. His head dropped, voice bitter and low. “How disgraceful… Even as a High Elf, I can’t use magic… How pathetic…”

His teeth clenched tighter. “Why am I the one always being saved? Why?!”

Estheria turned her gaze on him, steady and calm. “Aeliff… remember. You faced that demon earlier--and you won.”

Her voice stayed soft, but it carried a quiet . “You were brave. You were strong. You protected everyone.

She took a step closer, her expression gentle. “Now… leave this to me.”

She stepped forward, her golden-blonde hair catching the wind as she moved to face Veltrerxx alone.

Aeliff’s jaw tightened. “Do as your wish.”

He lowered his head. His fist clenched harder. “Don’t you dare lose to this demon.”

“I defeated the demon… so you have to defeat this one. You have to punish him… punish him for disrespecting the elves… in the heart of ElFairia.”

His voice cracked slightly. “Only then… I… I’ll acknowledge you.”

Estheria gave him a faint smile. “I won’t lose.

Then From behind me, Strixx’s voice rang out, small and worried. “Luca… stay back. Okay?”

I turned toward her. She took a few quick steps past me--but spun back, eyes sharp on mine.

“Strixx wants to help Estheria. So Luca stay here. Strixx don’t want Luca to get hurt… so please.”

Her eyes locked hard on mine, full of concern.

I looked at her and nodded firmly. “…Alright, Strixx I’ll stay back, Strixx. You two be careful.”

Strixx’s lips tightened, then she nodded quickly. “Strixx will!!”

Then Strixx stepped up beside Estheria. Veltrerxx tilted his head as he stared at her, blinking. His grin twitched into something even more jagged. “Huh? A demon… standing with elves?”

He let out a short, barking laugh. “Are you insane? Well, I guess demons should be insane! But…

He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping into a sly whisper. “Little girl… if you join us demons, we’ll let you live. How’s that deal sound?”

Strixx didn’t hesitate. Her eyes sharpened. “Strixx hates demons.”

She took a slow step forward, her voice cutting harder now. “And Strixx hates demons like you most of all.”

Veltrerxx’s smile snapped away. His eyes went flat and dead. Without a word, he thrust his hand forward--a streak of dark energy exploded toward Strixx, fast as lightning.

But before it could touch her, Estheria stepped between them. Her fist shot out and smashed through the projectile, shattering it into black mist with a single blow.

Around us, all the elite mages and battle mages froze, eyes wide in shock.

The Grand Mage, still kneeling in his chains, smiled faintly as he watched her. “…Estheria… You’ve grown stronger than I ever thought possible.”

“Well said, Strixx,” Estheria murmured, her gaze never leaving Veltrerxx. She shifted her stance slightly. “I have a favor to ask. Luca, you… I’d love to fight with you by my side. But right now, there’s something even more important that needs to be done. Will you do it for me… for everyone?”

Strixx nodded firmly, her voice light but full of resolve. “Strixx will do anything to help Estheria!”

Veltrerxx’s face twisted in disbelief. His eyes darted to Estheria’s fist. “Huh?! You just deflected a projectile bare-handed?! But magic is sealed… The ElFairia is now one big anti-magic field! How the hell could you—?!”

Estheria took a slow step forward. Her gaze hardened. “I don’t need magic. I couldn’t use it to begin with.”

Her voice echoed clearly across the battlefield. “I’m Estheria. A lower elf with no magic affinity.”

She planted her foot firmly into the ground, her fists clenching tight. “I will be your opponent, Veltrerxx.”