2 Chapter two

The first thing Leo realised upon his escape was that he had no plan of action. He looked down the corridor he found himself in. Much like his cell, it was made of stone, with the occasional door every few metres. His cell was at the very end of the corridor. He could see a stone staircase at the end, leading him to believe that he was in a castle. He began walking down the corridor, taking note of how the other doors weren't locked, meaning that they must be empty. He was about to begin jogging when he heard voices in one of the rooms. He ducked into the door opposite as two guards walked out.

"Did you hear that?" the first one asked. They were dressed in an ordinary chainmail, and were adorned with the symbol of an upside down cross. They began to draw their swords.

"I heard footsteps," the other agreed. They began patrolling the corridor with their swords drawn. Leo dashed out of the room, headbutting the first guard in the chin, sending him reeling backwards. The second was about to call for help, but Leo cut him off with a knee to the solar plexus and flipped him over as if he were a rag doll. The first guard regained his bearings and rushed Leo, sword in front of him in a vicious joust. No unarmed man could defend against this. Leo raised his arms in a futile defense and closed his eyes. The next thing he heard was a sword clattering on the cold, heartless floor. He opened his eyes and discovered that he wasn't unarmed after all. He had instinctively created a shield.

"Of course, the shadows," he muttered.

Using the shadows, Leo flung spears into the second guard, who was preparing to attack despite what he just witnessed. The spears stuck out of his stomach, and he stopped with his sword a ruler's length away from Leo's chest. Leo kicked his lifeless body at the first guard, staggering him. He then turned the shadows into a sharp film. The guard's eyes widened, but began losing life as his dismembered head hit the ground.

* * * * *

Leo remembered his first fight. Not only that, but his first kill. The war had begun, with the kingdoms of Earth, battling the kingdom of Hell. The warriors of Hades had managed to convince citizens of Ithreal to fight for them. Their first play was to destabilize Therston. Alston had been in one of the villages situated away from the kingdom, so that he could supervise the fortifications. The safety of his kingdom was his top priority, a quality that made him such a good leader. Leo's loftiest of goals were not so noble. He was only concerned about which girl he would end up with every night, or a new way to get sozzled. There was one night in particular, with the end of the month dawning, that gave him the reality check he needed. He was brewing tea, nursing a particularly brutal hangover that lasted the entire day, when a door slammed shut. One of the citizens, Hikard, walked into the sitting room of the castle. "Master Leo, I apologise for my barging in like this," he said. "I am in search of Lord Alston, for I have grave news indeed."

"Sorry, Hikard, but my father is in Kingar, in order to keep an eye on the reinforcing of the garrison. How else may I be of service?"

Truthfully, Leo wanted nothing more than to be left alone, sitting in his mini library, reading his books of monsters, so that he could one day join the ranks of the demon slayers. He was sixteen years old, which gave him plenty of time to ready himself for the day he became a legendary warrior. Unfortunately, his attention was still focused on women. That is how he didn't remember that Hikard was supposed to be with Alston in Kingar. Hikard, however, wasn't willing to stake his life on the off chance that Leo wouldn't remember.

"I always saw you as my nephew, instead of just my friend's son. That is why it pains me to have to kill you now. I'm sorry, Master Leo, but Hades always wins."

Leo was running before the sentence was complete, sprinting through the castle he knew so well. Hikard gave chase, following Leo into the throne room. There was only one exit and Hikard was blocking it. Knowing that there was only one chance of survival, Leo ran towards Hikard, grabbing a fire poker on the way. Hikard drew his sword, but a moment too late as the red hot fire poker slammed into his cheek, knocking him down. Without missing a beat, he was back on his feet, jabbing at Leo, who parried with trained ease. If Hikard had only one fault, it would be overestimating himself. In this case, it was assuming he had more endurance than what was strictly true. Leo knew this, from years of training, and waited for Hikard to tire himself out. Even so, he was relentless, and it soon became apparent to Leo that it was kill or be killed.

The moment Hikard faltered, Leo took the opportunity and sent the fire poker, which had cooled by now, into his opponent's abdomen. Hikard froze before collapsing with a thud that resembled a tree being chopped down. Leo was horrified. Slaying demons was one thing, but a man he grew up around was very much another story.

* * * * *

Leo was stunned at the memory of Hikard, but told himself it was the right thing to do. He convinced himself that it was the same with these guards. Anyone who served the warriors of Hell wasn't worth having their life spared. Deciding not to waste anymore time, Leo sprinted for the staircase, taking the stairs two at a time. He was halfway there when he heard a familiar voice shouting. Leo couldn't believe it. He had died a year ago, just after the war began. Leo was not going to ignore the possibility that he could have been kidnapped as well. He ran down the stairs and found a locked door. Behind it, a muffled voice shouted, "Help me! Whoever can hear me!"

The voice was unmistakable. Forgetting about the sturdiness of the door, Leo kicked it, only to find that it wasn't locked. The door flew open with a satisfying impact, causing the prisoner to scream. Leo walked in and gasped, tears already at his eyes.

"Alistair," he whispered.