Anastasia shifted her gaze to Ruya, her crimson red eyes glinting as she replied, "Hmhmhm, bingo!" She giggled and opened the book in her hands.

"Alberto was born in the southeastern part of the Darkvill Kingdom. His father was a demon, and his mother a human. He was raised in secret because his parents feared he would be discovered and captured by the Royal Patrol," she began.

Ruya listened carefully before asking, "What’s the Royal Patrol?"

Anastasia glanced up briefly from the book. "The Royal Patrol is a multi-role organization created by the Demon King after the war with the humans. Their main task was to search for any resistance within the kingdom and crush it. They were also ordered to carry out the King’s dirty work. Because they were backed by the King, no one could oppose them. They abused their power to commit countless dark and unspeakable acts against humans. While some of these atrocities were exposed, many remain hidden in the shadows," she explained.

Ruya nodded. "I understand now."

Anastasia smiled before continuing. "When Alberto turned 17, he left hiding and began exploring the kingdom. He saw its darkness and beauty, its unique blend of races living in harmony and the gothic architecture of the towns. But for all its beauty, darkness was always present. Everywhere he went, he saw humans in chains, locked behind bars, starving, their faces full of sadness and pain.

"Learning about the war between demons and humans, he uncovered the dark truth behind it all. He was fed up with what he saw and decided to stage the First Rebellion. He began building connections, finding like-minded people and demons who shared his vision. After ten years of preparation, he declared war on the Darkvill Kingdom."

Ruya’s eyes glowed with admiration. "Wow! Alberto was such a badass! But... how come I’ve never heard of him?"

Anastasia closed the book and returned it to the shelf. "Because he was erased from history," she said.

Ruya’s eyes widened. "Huh?! How can someone that influential just be erased from history?"

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Anastasia turned to him, crossing her arms. "The First Rebellion was such a disaster that, if not for my brother, it might have succeeded. After the rebellion was crushed, Alberto sacrificed himself so his remaining comrades could escape. He was captured, tortured, and studied. They discovered that because of his half-demon, half-human nature, he possessed exceptional powers. His mana was unlike any other, it was a fusion of demon and human mana," she explained.

Pausing briefly, she added, "This meant he could learn both dark magic and light magic."

Ruya’s jaw dropped. "What?! Isn’t that a little too good to be true?"

Anastasia chuckled at his reaction. "He wielded the light magic *Hard Wood* and the dark magic *Black Flames*," she said.

Ruya’s eyes widened even further. "W-what...? Aren’t those two of the most powerful magics?"

Anastasia nodded. "They are. But he didn’t just use them separately. He did something that had never been done before, he combined them."

Ruya sat in stunned silence, unable to respond.

Anastasia glanced at him and chuckled. "And the only man who managed to stop him was my brother. What a coincidence," she said, though her smile held a hint of irony.

Ruya shook his head, finally speaking. "So Agnus is that powerful, huh?"

Anastasia nodded. "Yes, he is. But that battle between him and Alberto was close. Either of them could have died, but Agnus came out victorious. For Kajin to achieve his goal, he’ll need to defeat Agnus."

Ruya tilted his head. "Do you think Kajin can do it?"

Anastasia fell silent for a moment before chuckling. "Of course. He’s my little brother, after all." Her crimson eyes glowed faintly as she continued. "But for Kajin to succeed, he needs to accept that he’s a demon too. Right now, his pride stops him from embracing his dark magic. He refuses to use or accept it. For him to defeat Agnus, he must combine his dark and light magic, but that requires complete mastery over both.

"At this moment, Kajin’s control over light magic is good, but not near mastery. His hatred clouds his use of it. Light magic can only be mastered in a state of calm and relaxation, something he’s too stubborn to understand. That’s why I assigned you to follow him on his journey."

Ruya frowned. "Me? How am I supposed to help him?"

Anastasia smiled. "You’ll figure it out," she said.

Ruya blinked in confusion. Anastasia laughed and leaned down to caress his cheek. "I believe in you. Now, go to your room and rest. Your fight with Kajin is tomorrow, so you need to be ready," she said warmly.

Blushing furiously, Ruya nodded and left the room.

As the door closed, Anastasia turned back to the fireplace, her expression softening. "Kajin... to succeed in your goal, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re the one to free everyone from this cruelty," she murmured, her tone serious.

"This is just the beginning..."