The grand hall was filled with the sharp hum of tension, as counselors and advisors crowded around the throne, all their eyes fixed on Anastasia. The once-proud king, now cold and lifeless, lay at the foot of the throne, and the air was thick with accusations. They spoke in hurried whispers, their voices rising in disbelief, pointing fingers at the one person they thought could be blamed.
"It's her!" one counselor hissed, his voice shrill. "The king's daughter! She did this! She killed him! She let the demons in!"
Anastasia stood at the center, her body stiff, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The accusations hit her like daggers, but she refused to flinch. She had heard these words before, heard the whispers of doubt about her lineage, her place in the kingdom. They could say what they wanted; it didn't matter anymore.
She lifted her chin, her voice cold and unwavering as she addressed them all. "Enough. You're all wrong." Her words were sharp, cutting through the chaos with the force of a sword. "The king is dead, and the demons are here—whether you like it or not. Your petty accusations mean nothing."
The counselors fell silent, their eyes wide as they looked at her, confused by her sudden confidence.
"You blame me because it's easy," Anastasia continued, her voice growing louder, more commanding. "But you're blind to the real truth. Demons have existed right under your noses, and now, you see the consequences. The king's assistant—his *old butler*—was one of them." She let the words hang in the air, a bombshell that shattered the room's fragile calm.
The room erupted into chaos, with shocked gasps and frantic murmurs. The once-trusted butler—someone they had all known for years—had been a demon all along?
"Impossible!" one of the counselors stammered. "How could we not know? How did no one see it?"
"Because you were too busy playing politics to notice what was happening right in front of you," Anastasia snapped, her voice tinged with disgust. "He was the one pulling the strings. He was the one who set everything into motion, and now we all pay the price for it."
As she spoke, her mind wandered to the events of the day—the chaos unfolding outside, the death of the king, and the terrifying emergence of Asmolgan, the demon who had once been a human she had known. Dust. The name resonated in her mind, like a distant echo of a past she couldn't fully remember.
But just as she was about to turn back to the matter at hand, a flicker of movement caught her attention. It was a letter, delivered swiftly and quietly by a shadowed figure who had entered unnoticed. Anastasia's fingers trembled as she took the message, recognizing the seal of her assistant—someone she had trusted more than anyone.
She unsealed it with care and read the words quickly, her expression hardening as she did.
The letter was from Aurora.
*We lost today. Some humans, yes. But one, for good. The one you feared would fall. He chose the dark path today. Thanks to people like you—people who never understood his pain, his heart, and his true potential—he is now beyond saving. He is lost to us.*
Anastasia's heart sank as the weight of the message settled on her chest. She had feared this day would come, feared that the man she once knew, the man she had tried to protect, would fall to the darkness.
But as much as she felt sorrow for him, there was something else beneath the surface. Something darker.
She stood tall, looking directly at the counselors, the advisors, the ones who had been so eager to blame her, and spoke with quiet, brutal clarity. "This is on you," she said, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. "One of our own has fallen to the demons. And it's because of people like you—those who played at being heroes, who thought the world could go on as it always had. You failed him. You failed all of us."
One counselor took a step forward, his face twisted with both fear and anger. "You mean to say… you knew this would happen? That he was going to become a demon?"
"I didn't know for certain," Anastasia replied, her voice calm, "but I knew he was slipping away. And it was people like you who pushed him in that direction. You didn't understand his pain, his struggles. All you cared about was the kingdom, your own power."
She paused, her gaze shifting to the horizon beyond the open windows, where the chaos outside mirrored the storm raging inside her. "Dust was a human once. He could have been saved. But now…" She let the words trail off, knowing that whatever choice Dust had made was irreversible.
Aliss, who had been standing quietly in the corner, stepped forward, her voice trembling with a fierce energy. "Anastasia, we can still save him. We need to reach him before he's too far gone."
Anastasia glanced at her, but then her eyes darkened. "Do you really think you can change him?" she asked, her voice sharp with the bitter realization that some things, some people, were beyond redemption.
Aliss met her gaze, unflinching. "Yes. Because if anyone can reach him, it's us."
Anastasia exhaled sharply, turning away from the counselors, her mind spinning. "It's too late for him now," she muttered under her breath, though a flicker of doubt still gnawed at her. "But we can still try... to stop the demons from spreading."
Turning back to face the group, Anastasia's voice hardened. "As for the rest of you," she added, addressing the counselors once again. "You have two choices: accept what's happening, or be swept away by it. The demons are real, and they're coming for us all. If you want to survive, you need to stop acting like children and start fighting back."
She turned on her heel, dismissing them with a cold finality. "I have a mission now. A much larger one. Aliss, Kira, DeeDee—get ready. We're going to find him. And if we can't save him, we'll stop him."
As she left the room, her mind was filled with a single thought: Dust had chosen the darkness, but what remained of his humanity—if anything—was still within reach. And she wasn't about to give up on him yet. Not entirely.
The room was heavy with tension. The council's whispers echoed through the grand hall as **Anastasia** stood at the center, trying to maintain her composure. The weight of the assassination hung over them, and DeeDee's eerie silence had become a haunting presence in the room. The once lively and playful girl, so full of energy, was now a shadow of herself, barely acknowledging the conversation.
**Aliss**, ever driven by urgency, paced back and forth, her fists clenched. "We need to move. I need to find him—Dust. Now."
Anastasia's thoughts snapped back to the present. "Aliss, please. We need to focus. We have more immediate matters to deal with—securing the bastion, preparing for the demons' return. We can't chase him now, not when we're already on the brink of war."
But Aliss wasn't listening. She was too consumed by the need to find Dust. "No," she shot back, her voice sharp. "Dust is the key. He's the one we need. He was always meant to be the one to change everything. If we can get him back, everything changes—*everything*. We have to find him before it's too late."
Anastasia opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted by **Kira**, who stood by the side with a calm, logical expression. "Aliss is right. If Dust truly is the one who can help us understand the demons, if he can still be saved, then we must try. But it must be done strategically. We need information. We need to find Zoe first."
"Zoe?" Anastasia echoed, confused. "Why Zoe?"
Aliss, eager and impatient, stepped forward, her gaze unwavering. "Because she's with him. Zoe's the key to reaching Dust. She's the only one who knows how he thinks, how he feels. She could still be our way in."
Kira added, her voice thoughtful, "Zoe may be our best chance. She's the only one who might be able to talk to him, to remind him of who he was before the darkness overtook him. If we can find her, we can bring Dust back to the side of light."
Anastasia's mind raced with the implications. Zoe. She didn't know much about the woman—only that she was a player in this game, a human like them, and someone Dust had apparently been close to. She was their only hope of reaching him, of bringing him back before he fully succumbed to the demons' influence.
She turned to **DeeDee**, who had remained eerily silent throughout the conversation. Her silence spoke volumes, and Anastasia couldn't help but feel a deep, gnawing concern for the girl. DeeDee wasn't just quiet; she was hollow, empty in a way that felt wrong.
With a deep sigh, Anastasia addressed the council. "We will send a team to find Zoe. We need to know where she is, and if she can reach Dust. If we can bring him back, if we can remind him of who he was before the darkness consumed him… maybe we can save him, and with him, stop the demon uprising. If we fail to do that, everything we've fought for will be lost."
Aliss's eyes gleamed with an almost frantic energy. "Send me," she urged. "I'll find Zoe. I'll bring her back, and we'll bring Dust back with her. We can still save him."
Anastasia nodded. Aliss's determination was unshakeable. If anyone could find Zoe and Dust, it was her.
Kira stepped forward, her tone firm. "We can't ignore the other task at hand. The bastion must be secured. It is imperative that we delay the demons. If we lose the bastion, we lose our advantage. We need to fortify our defenses while we search for Zoe. I will take charge of securing the walls and preparing our defenses. The bastion is our key to buying time. We cannot afford to let it fall into enemy hands."
Anastasia, now more focused, turned back to DeeDee. "DeeDee… stay here. Help Kira. Help hold the fort while we search for Zoe. We need to be ready for anything."
DeeDee didn't answer. She didn't even look up. She was lost in her thoughts, in the silence that seemed to have consumed her. Anastasia didn't know what to do with her—whether DeeDee's silence was her own way of dealing with everything that had happened or if there was something deeper at play. But she knew she couldn't focus on DeeDee right now. They had a war to prepare for.
Turning to **Kira**, Anastasia finally spoke with resolve. "We need to call a war council. We need everyone's input. But our first step is clear: We find Zoe. If we can save Dust, we save our future. If we lose him, we lose everything."
Kira nodded and stepped aside to prepare for the meeting. Aliss, already moving to gather her things, turned to Anastasia. "I'll find Zoe, and we'll bring Dust back. I promise. He won't be lost forever."
Anastasia felt the weight of her words. The future of their world, the fight for survival, everything depended on what they did next. "Then go," she urged. "Find her. Find him. And bring them both back."
As Aliss moved out of the room, Anastasia took one last glance at **DeeDee**. The girl who had always been the spark in their group was now a shadow of her former self, and Anastasia didn't know how to reach her. But one thing was clear: The fate of the world rested on Dust, on Zoe, and on the decisions they made from here on out.
She turned back to Kira, who had already begun preparations for the war council. It was time to call the meeting, gather their forces, and prepare for what lay ahead.
As the war council ended, **Anastasia** couldn't shake the heavy feeling pressing on her chest. There was so much to be done. The bastion needed to be captured—this was their best chance to secure five years of peace, to gather their strength and prepare for what was coming. She stood at the front of the room, still in the midst of all the urgency, but her thoughts kept wandering to **DeeDee**.
The girl who had always been the lively, playful spirit of their group was now eerily silent. DeeDee sat in a corner of the war room, staring blankly into space. Her usual energetic self was nowhere to be found. **Anastasia** couldn't remember the last time she had seen DeeDee so... lifeless.
"DeeDee," Anastasia called softly, stepping toward her. "We need you. You're one of us. The war is starting. You can't shut down now."
But DeeDee didn't respond. Her eyes were dull, unfocused. She didn't even look up as Anastasia approached.
**Kira** observed the situation from the side. She was quick to offer an explanation. "It's the transformation. The first time she's seen someone turn from human to demon. It's too much for her."
Anastasia frowned. She hadn't considered that. DeeDee had always seemed so strong, so in control. Why would a simple transformation rattle her so much? But then again, **DeeDee** was a demon, wasn't she? A demon couldn't be frightened by a mere human becoming a demon. It didn't make sense.
"She's a demon," Anastasia said, almost to herself. "Why would she be scared of a human becoming a demon?"
Kira gave a slow nod. "You're right. But this... this change is something else. The loss of humanity, the person behind it—maybe that's what's affecting her. She's been watching, but this is the first time she's been so close to it."
Anastasia wasn't convinced. She had a feeling there was more to this. DeeDee wasn't the kind of person to be afraid of something as simple as transformation. There had to be something deeper going on here.
She approached DeeDee cautiously, crouching beside her. "DeeDee, talk to me," Anastasia said softly, her voice almost pleading. "We need you now more than ever. Don't shut us out. The bastion, the war—it's happening. Please, we need you to fight. You're part of this."
DeeDee finally shifted slightly, but only to shake her head, her voice barely a whisper. "He's gone. He's really gone..."
Anastasia's heart twisted. She had no idea what DeeDee was referring to, but it was clear that whatever it was, it was deeply personal. DeeDee's face was pale, her usually bright eyes clouded with something else—something far darker than just fear.
"DeeDee..." Anastasia said again, this time more gently. "You're not alone in this. You don't have to carry this weight by yourself."
But DeeDee remained silent, not even acknowledging her words.
Kira, watching the exchange, sighed and shook her head. "It's clear she's struggling with something deeper than just witnessing the transformation. She's feeling the weight of loss."
Anastasia, trying to understand, thought back to the battle earlier. They had been fighting demons, and the **human-to-demon transformations** were something they'd seen before. **DeeDee** had been there, had participated in the battle, had taken down enemies just like anyone else. So why was she so affected now?
It didn't make sense.
"Do you think..." Anastasia started, but then hesitated. "Could it be… she's afraid of losing herself? That maybe…"
Kira didn't let her finish. "She's not afraid of losing herself," Kira said firmly. "She's a demon, just like them. But what I think is happening is that she's scared of losing someone she cares about. Someone she's already lost."
Anastasia's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who? Who could she possibly—"
Then, it hit her. **Dust**.
**DeeDee** had been close to **Dust**, hadn't she? But what about now? What if Dust—now known as **Asmolgan**, a demon lord—was the one she was truly grieving for? **DeeDee** had lost someone important to her, and this emotional devastation was breaking her.
Anastasia took a deep breath, a strange wave of understanding washing over her. "She's not afraid of the transformation. She's afraid of losing him... Dust. She never wanted to believe he was gone."
Kira's expression softened. "It's a hard reality to face. And she's still young. Her brother, the person she relied on, has changed in a way she can't accept."
Anastasia glanced back at **DeeDee**, who remained motionless, her face blank and lifeless. **Anastasia** didn't know how to fix this, but she knew one thing: **DeeDee** wasn't going to get through this alone.
"I'll talk to her later," Anastasia said quietly. "We need to focus on the war right now. But we won't forget her. We can't leave her behind."
The reality of the war weighed heavily on her mind, but now, **DeeDee's** suffering had joined the burden on her shoulders. She would find a way to help the girl—once this was all over.
Turning her attention back to the council, Anastasia made her decision. The attack on the bastion was crucial. It had to be done. They had to secure it and delay the demons for as long as possible.
"Prepare the troops," she ordered, standing tall once more. "We move out tonight. We capture the bastion, and we secure the portal. We fight for five years of peace."
With the army in motion and the battle plans set, Anastasia was ready. But as she looked once more at **DeeDee**, her heart ached with the knowledge that the girl she'd once known was now adrift in grief, her mind consumed by the loss of her brother.
**DeeDee's pain** would have to wait. But Anastasia promised herself, when the war was over, she would make sure that DeeDee didn't have to fight it alone anymore.