Chapter 6: The Rooftop Visitor
Keal stood frozen in front of his desk, staring at the words scratched onto the surface like a taunt carved deep into his chest. His hands clenched at his sides. "Jerk from a jerk demon mother." It was still there. It hadn't been a dream.
He looked around the classroom, his eyes scanning each face. Then they landed on Mark. Mark and his group of friends were doubled over with laughter at the back of the room, their heads close, eyes flicking toward him like they were waiting for a reaction.
Keal didn't wait. He started walking, slow but deliberate, until he was standing right in front of Mark.
"Was it you?" Keal asked, voice low but shaking.
Mark looked up like he was being interrupted from a comedy show. He raised a brow. "What?"
Keal pointed at the desk. "Did you write that garbage?"
Mark pushed his chair back and stood. He was taller than Keal, broader too. He smirked, leaned forward, and shoved Keal backward.
Keal hit the floor with a thud, gasping as his elbow caught the edge of a nearby desk. Mark stepped forward, looking down on him like a king over a fallen subject.
"You don't come up to me like that, freak. What are you gonna do? Cry? Or summon your demon mother to save you?"
Keal pushed himself up, teeth clenched. "Just answer the question. You wrote that on my desk, didn't you?"
Mark folded his arms, his smirk growing wider. "So what if I did? People need to know the truth. We let demons into Brighton Academy now? Even after what they did to Princess Lora's kingdom? Her dad died fighting them."
Keal turned his head slightly, eyes landing on Lora. She was sitting at her desk, not looking up. Not reacting. Like none of this mattered.
His chest tightened. He faced Mark again. "I'm not the Demon King. I'm just a student. Why can't you leave me alone?"
Mark stepped closer. "Because freaks like you don't belong here."
Mark's eyes gleamed for a second, and sharp fangs emerged slightly from his mouth. He leaned in closer. "Or maybe you're here as a spy. Who knows what plans your kind have in mind? Maybe you're here to make sure they work."
Keal's fist tightened around the strap of his bag. Without another word, he threw a punch. Mark stumbled back, holding his cheek.
"You piece of—!"
Mark lunged forward, grabbing Keal by the shirt and throwing him toward the front of the room. Keal slammed into the board with a grunt, his back scraping against it.
The classroom erupted. Desks screeched, students scrambled.
Keal pushed off the board, breathing hard. He reached down and pulled the sword from his bag. It wasn't glowing, but it was steady in his grip.
Mark's eyes glowed red. He growled low and prepared to leap forward, claws beginning to form at his fingers.
But a flash of light sliced between them. A shield dropped down in front of Keal and Mark, crackling with energy.
Both of them stopped.
Linda stepped in, her spellbook glowing in her hand. She looked between them, annoyed.
"What is wrong with you two? This is a classroom, not a war zone. Are you both actually trying to get expelled?"
Mark backed off, rolling his shoulders. "He threw the first punch."
Linda didn't even look at him. "And you think you're innocent? Sit down. Both of you."
Mark turned without another word, heading back to his seat.
Keal watched him go, breathing hard. He didn't lower his sword.
Linda turned to him. "Are you okay?"
Keal didn't look at her. "You don't have to rescue me every time something happens."
She frowned. "I wasn't rescuing you. I was rescuing the classroom."
Keal walked past her and into the hallway. She followed him.
"Keal!"
He stopped. "Just let it go, Linda."
"Mark's stronger. You can't just go after him like that. You don't even have your full powers yet."
Keal turned around, frustration breaking through. "Then maybe I should stop pretending I belong here. Maybe I should just go where all the demons go and leave everyone alone."
She stepped closer. "That's not what I meant."
He laughed bitterly. "Don't save me next time, okay? I don't need a hero."
He stormed off, kicking a trash bin as he went. It clattered loudly against the wall.
Linda stood in place, arms falling to her sides. She didn't say anything as he disappeared around the corner. Then, slowly, she turned and walked back into the classroom.
…
Keal sat on the rooftop of the east building, legs hanging over the edge. The wind was cold, and it bit at his skin, but he didn't care. His sword was beside him, untouched.
He pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them. This wasn't how he thought things would go.
When his mother left him at Brighton, he thought maybe this place would be different. A new start. A chance to prove he was more than a boy with a cursed bloodline. But everywhere he went, it followed him.
Demons didn't belong here. That's what they kept saying. No matter what he did.
He tilted his head back and looked at the clouds. "Why didn't you tell me anything, Mom? Why did you leave me in the dark?"
Silence.
Then, a voice.
"You already have all the answers."
Keal jumped up, grabbing his sword. He turned sharply.
Standing a few feet away was the Demon King.
But not how Keal remembered him.
He wasn't in a cloak or dark robes. He looked normal. Dressed in a fitted shirt and simple pants, his hair pulled back. He looked like he belonged in this world, like any other teacher or adult on campus.
Keal stared. "You... what are you doing here?"
The Demon King didn't answer right away. He stepped forward, slowly.
Keal raised the sword. "Stay back."
The man smiled softly. "Relax. I'm not here to fight."
Keal didn't lower the blade. "Then why are you here? You think dressing like that makes me forget what you are?"
The Demon King chuckled. "I thought maybe you'd prefer something less theatrical."
Keal didn't move.
"I told you," the Demon King said. "You already know the truth. You just don't want to see it yet."
"What truth? That I'm cursed? That I don't belong here?"
"No. That you belong to something bigger. And you can either run from it or embrace it."
Keal's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. His chest rose and fell.
"Why me? Why this? What do you want from me?"
The Demon King stepped closer, his voice calm. "You already know. That's why I keep coming."
Keal took a step back. "This isn't real. You're not real."
"Aren't I?"
Keal blinked.
And just like that, the rooftop was empty again.
But he didn't feel alone.