CHAPTER ONE

Tears streamed down the little girl's face. She looked about ten years old. "Mommy, help me!" She cried over and over again but the crowd drowned out her cries for help. Her parents could only watch helplessly as these people were getting ready to execute their little girl. The mother fell to her knees begging anyone who would listen. Her young child was innocent all she did was exist on this godforsaken planet. Her cries for mercy fell on deaf ears. The father was equally if not even more devastated, all his magic power and he couldn't do anything to save his daughter. The empire's military surrounded him with ten mages all to stop him from interfering. With a metal collar around his neck and both his hands, any movement from him and all those around him would perish in a massive explosion that would cover the entire city. He helplessly sobbed as he watched his wife being beaten by riled-up spectators and his precious little girl tied up on a podium begging him to do something.

"These disgusting creatures dared to taint our pure society with their filth. The father a powerful mage, infiltrated our ranks to protect his filthy wife and daughter. The mother a half-blooded demon race disgrace and the daughter somehow became a full-blooded demon. Look at her, she bleeds black. Right here our glorious Emperor has ordered the execution of these three and all who aided them." The crowd cheered and chanted," Kill them! Kill them!"

A few hours ago in an underground concealed location

"We have to save them, Commander. They are one of us, if we abandon that child now it would make us no better than those Empire bastards." Karina cried. The news about the child demon spread like wildfire. The demon race has been hunted almost to extinction. All who are left are fighting to survive it doesn't help that humans keep creating more powerful weapons each time. Magic is proving useless against their weapons.

"You know better than anyone Karina, if we fight against the humans we will die. We are nowhere near strong enough for an all-out war. Our people are suffering as it is. We shouldn't look for trouble. "The old man said. As the commander of the demon troops, it was his job to keep the rest of them alive. All the battles fought against humans led to unimaginable losses for the demon race. He was afraid of losing any more demons. His old heart couldn't take any more loss.

"Commander, we know how hard this war has been on you but if we don't fight our honor and pride as the demon race dies with us. I want to fight till the bitter end and it starts with saving that little girl. I don't want to hide anymore." Amerie said.

"Alright then since you have decided to do this it's best I support you lest you get yourselves killed. We need a plan then." The three soldiers sat around a small table to discuss the best way to save the girl. It will be a hard battle but it's better than living like a gutter rat.

Present

Karina and Amerie blended with the crowd, despite being demons they held an ethereal and exotic kind of beauty that could intoxicate any man or woman. Karina had long black curly hair with dark brown eyes and such beautiful tan skin that would remind you of a light shade of chocolate. Amerie had a beautiful golden tone, one would assume she was kissed by the sun. Her blond hair swayed with the wind and looked as smooth as silk, her clear blue eyes draw anyone who looks into them. Both women were too beautiful to blend in with the common folk but in this case, the chaos caused by the execution proved to be useful.

They patiently lay in wait in the crowd for the signal the commander would give. A loud explosion diverted the crowd's attention. Amerie moved closer to a soldier and threw a punch at him, he flew a few meters away taking with him a few soldiers and civilians. At this point there was even more chaos, the commander caused the initial explosion making the civilians run rampant and the soldiers focus on him. The soldier recovered pretty quickly and took his fighting stance. "What do you think you are doing civilian?" He shouted.

"What does it look like idiot? Enough chit chat pretty boy." Amerie manipulated the air around her to give her a burst of speed, unlike anything they have ever seen. Her technique mixes martial arts and her wind magic to make her kicks and punches incredibly powerful. She is a combat-type mage. Combat mages cannot cast spells instead they use their specific abilities to enhance their physical attributes. The soldier barely had time to react with his fire magic. He created a wall of fire around himself for protection against Amerie's lethal blows. He is a castor-type mage, they use wide-area spells and are terrible at close combat.

Amerie chuckled, "Is that the best the precious empire has to offer? This will be a cakewalk." She manipulated the air around her fist to create a vortex and broke through the wall of fire, knocking him unconscious. Before she could blink she was surrounded by more soldiers. "Well, this should be fun."

Commander Crillon was busy fighting the soldiers one after another. His old body could barely keep up with such a long fight but he had to do what was necessary to make sure Karina, Amerie, and the kid made it out alive. Every second that passes more soldiers were coming and the longer the fight dragged on the lower their chances. He delivered punch after punch and kick after kick. His body was enveloped with his flames burning everything and everyone that came into contact with him. His precise control over his flames makes him one of the most powerful combat mages. Every punch or kick he throws causes an explosion which is proving to be difficult for the soldiers to handle.

"Aahhhhh!! What are these things?" The soldiers screamed. They were surrounded by shadow-like monsters that couldn't be hurt by any of their magic and dealt an incredible amount of damage to them. Amerie moved between the chaos caused by her summoned shadows toward the podium to free the girl. She walked up to her and said, "I know it is confusing right now but come with us."

"Please save my parents too." She cried. Her mother had rushed to her father to try and free him from his restraints but to no avail. The chains could only be deactivated by the Imperial mage who sealed them. Imperial mages are powerful mages who answer directly to the royal family.

"Honey please take our little girl and run away, it's the only way the both of you can survive." He pleaded. "No! I can't leave you here, they will kill you." His wife wailed. Suddenly they felt a chill go down their spine. Querion Pelchezak, an Imperial mage charged with protecting the high priest. His cold demeanor and mastery over ice magic earned him the title Frost Devil. This man stood before the two, and both of them knew death was coming. The wife held her husband and turned to their frightened daughter "Live..." Querion called forth a giant ice spear and thrust it through both their hearts. Both mother and father choked on their blood and with smiles on their face, their souls left their bodies.

A piercing scream could be heard over the chaos, Amerie held the little girl in her arms horrified by what she just witnessed and there is nothing she could have done. Querion is a Tier 3 Beta class mage, she could never hope to match his battle prowess as of that moment. They had to flee before he set his eyes on them. She withdrew her shadows and cast a dark spell on her and the hysterical girl. This spell allowed her to disappear within the shadows like a teleportation spell. They landed in the sewers and she sent a message to the rest of the team to retreat. They did all they could, all that was left now is surviving to fight another day.

Karina and Commander Crillon received a message on their wristbands from Amerie, it was time to retreat. The commander increased his fire output to cause a massive explosion which distracted everyone he then blended with the crowd and disappeared from view. Karina created a vortex around herself which increased her speed and made her impossible to track.

Despair is all that the girl felt. She almost died and her parents were mercilessly killed just for being demons. She fell to the ground and clutched at her heart, she couldn't breathe or make a sound her tears wouldn't stop falling. The girl who saved her stood by her quietly not knowing any words of comfort because she too has felt that same despair some time ago.

"I want revenge. I want to kill him. That ice bastard who took them from me. I'll get strong and kill him with my bare hands." Amerie quietly nodded at the girl's declaration.