On the same day that Leox and his team went out to slay a fourth grade demon, a rolled-up letter was left at his door by the mailman. One that unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to read until he arrived home.

  Dear Leox,

  I really hope this gets to you, as it's the most important letter I've written so far.

  I've discovered the Hawkings plans. They've been keeping demons beneath their estate, and intend to filter them into the Undying City through the tunnel system. They plan for this to take place tomorrow, which means that this letter will arrive to you on the day of the event.

  The Hawkings are evil, and they must all die. I will do what I can, but you and everyone must play your part too Leox.

  I haven't got a lot of time. Be careful, and I hope we can be reunited after all of this ends.

  From, Ivy.

  Each of the six students had different ways of dealing with the strike.

  Leox overheated his legs and dashed backwards, just in time for the giant's arm to swing past him, though the wind knocked him onto his back and sent him sliding along the dirt.

  Astra didn't need to use a skill. The boy flipped backwards, using his hands to push off the ground, taking himself out of range.

  Samson's body suddenly took on a purple glint, as he raised his greatsword in a guard. The fist crashed against it, sending him sliding a few meters backwards, but ultimately coming out unharmed.

  Marybetha turned away from the beast and drew her longsword, using a sword skill that allowed her to dash forward, and out of the way.

  Laughter happened to be almost out of range already, so he simply hopped backwards to dodge.

  Trinity took the strike head-on. A crunch sounded throughout the forest as the demons fists made contact with her body, sending her flying off into the distance and crashing into a tree with a great thud.

  Leox frantically looked up from where he lay, he hadn't seen the outcome of the strike and was desperate to make sure that his allies were safe. He glanced over to Trinity to find that her body lay half stuck into the splintered tree, twisted and broken.

  The demon wasted no time using the same arm to pick up the tree that she was now merged with. It tore from the ground with ease, leaving a crater of dirt behind. Trinity's blood dripped from the tree roots, as it was lifted towards the demon's tentacles. It opened its mouth, sending black saliva drooling into the water, and revealing blunt teeth hidden behind the tentacles.

  "It's going to eat her!" Leox screamed, knowing that the distance between himself and the demon was too far to help. There was nothing he could do.

  Luckily, Marybetha acted fast. In a clean motion, she swung her blade from where she stood, which was roughly ten meters away from the demon. A golden-white arc flew from her blade, travelling towards the demon's muscular arm, before colliding with it at great force. Immediately, golden blood sprayed from a wound that was a meter long, and a few inches deep. It did nothing to stop the demon from taking a bite from the bottom of the tree, devouring both branches, and Trinity whole.

  Leox felt his heart sink. Just like that, an ally of his had been defeated. Killed.

  The demon was distracted, as it chewed on its meal. Grotesque sounds could be heard as wood and bone grated against its molars.

  All five remaining students stood scattered across the small clearing before the demon, watching in disbelief.

  "Leviathan..." The words trailed off Laughter's lips. Suddenly, the Jester didn't seem to be feeling comedic.

  "That's no grade-three demon," Samson added. "It can't be."

  "It's not," Astra responded, keeping a close eye on the demon as it remained distracted by its meal. "A Leviathan is one of the two types of grade-four demons. They are the ones who govern the seas, whilst the Behemoth's govern the land."

  "Grade-four!" Laughter cried. "Gutaru didn't mention anything about a grade-four. We were supposed to be fighting a grade-three. This thing is too strong, look what it did to her!"

  Tears had started to form in the boys eyes. It was clearly the first time he had seen such a brutal death.

  "That's because Gutaru probably didn't know himself," Marybetha said, to which Leox agreed. He nodded his head, gripped his sword, and finally joined the conversation.

  "This is the doing of the Hawkings family. They knew the requirements to summon a Grade-Four, and used it against us."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Immediately, further unease spread throughout the group, as a terrifying possibility was presented to them. Sweat beaded from their foreheads, and their hands shook whilst trying to hold onto their weapons. However, one thing was clear. Although they were scared, they were still much calmer than they should have been with a demonic tentacled human monster in front of their faces.

  Leox knew his reasoning, but what of the others? Why were they able to remain so calm?

  ...

  Unfortunately, there was no time to think about this. The Leviathan had finished its meal, tossing the leftovers of the tree to the side and turning its attention back to the five students.

  The beast roared, making its tentacles dance. It's thick muscles rippled with strength, and its fists clenched, ready to strike again.

  There could be no holding back anymore from either side.

  Astra was the first to react. His hands reached out to the side, causing a golden star to descend from the skies and land in his palm brightly, becoming a six-foot trident. The astrologer's skill drew the attention of the Leviathan. The demon swung its closed fist in a downwards strike, aiming to flatten the star-eyed boy.

  Marybetha wouldn't let it. Taking on a crouched position, she held her blade behind her and activated another of her sword skills. Her blade swung forward and seemed to perform six strikes in one swing. The six arcs of glowing white light flew towards the demon's arm, crashing against it, and stopping the strike in its tracks. Golden blood flew from a wound in a criss-crossed shape.

  Astra smiled beneath the shadow of the demon fist, thankful for the presented opportunity. For the first time, the boy showed the true power of Alfred's Star.

  He thrust the trident upwards, sending three golden rays of light shooting from the points of the weapon. They shot like a cannon, recoiling so hard that Astra fell off balance. The golden beams pierced into the demon's fist, travelling up the length of its arm and stopping somewhere inside of it. The sizzling sound of burning flesh could be heard, followed by more golden blood erupting from the wound.

  "Keep targeting its right arm!" Astra cried, sweating from the amount of mana he had to use for the strike. The golden beams had done the most damage, causing blood to pour from the knuckle wounds without stopping.

  The right arm.

  Leox decided it was finally time to join the battle. He took in a deep breath and used Greater Overheat, powering his leg muscles to the greatest capacity he could without using his life force. Then, he sprang forward, dashing across the clearing.

  He looked to his side as he did, passing Laughter. The boy was fumbling through his deck of cards, and dropping some in the process. Then he passed Samson, who had activated his strange skill, wrapping him in armour made from purple chains, that also bound his hands together. As he noticed Leox charging towards the Demon, Samson joined, lagging behind.

  As the Leviathan was still reeling from the pain in his right arm, Leox leapt towards it, slicing his blade overhead. He felt the blade slice into the skin of the Leviathan's wrist, before grating against tendon, and struggling to sever it. Golden blood flew from the wound as he slid past it, causing the beast's tentacles to go wild, roaring from pain. Little did it know, the pain had only just begun.

  Samson was close behind, holding his Greatsword in his chained hands. The power from the chains seemed to bleed into the weapon, covering it in a purple glow. In one heavy arc, Samson crashed his blade down onto the wrist, directly where Leox had opened flesh.

  The attack severed the limb, sending a hand the size of a human flying off into the distance, eventually stopping by a tree.

  The golden blood now sprayed from the wound, and the demon roared louder than ever. Astra and Marybetha had now recovered from their own attacks and were ready to go again. However, the Leviathan seemed to be ready too.

  Amidst the pain, the demon suddenly activated a skill, using its other hand. It held its giant hand up into the air and clenched its fists. At the same time, the waters became troubled, as if suffering from the effects of an earthquake. It swiped its clenched fists through the air, suddenly causing a wave of water to emerge from the lake, crashing towards them at great speed. It towered higher than the trees themselves, and though it wouldn't kill them, it was sure to do damage.

  Weave Currents, Leox recognised the skill.

  "Defend yourselves, it's only water!" He cried as the wave came crashing towards them.

  Leox couldn't tell what was going on with the others. He was too focused on using his own skills to prevent the water from hitting him with such force. He activated Weave Current, clenching his fist, and at the same time, activated Tempest with his other hand. He tried to use the two skills to protect himself from the incoming attack, dragging the water to the left, and surrounding his frontal area with a tempest that would scatter any remaining water away from him.

  It hardly worked. The water still met him with force, knocking him down onto his back with a thud against the dirt. He felt the wind being knocked from his lungs, which when accompanied by the water, he thought he might drown and die.

  "ARGH!"

  Through the wind he heard a great splash, followed by a giant thud, and then a scream of pain that sounded like it came from Samson. Once enough of the water cleared, Leox looked up from where he lay and saw what it was. The chained boy was now in the grasp of the demon's grip, it roared viciously as it attempted to lift the prey into its mouth.

  Leox cursed. From his position, there was nothing he could do in time. He looked at Astra, who also seemed to have been knocked down by the wind and on his back. Marybetha remained on her feet, with a golden protective bubble surrounding her, however the impact of the wave had sent her sliding in the mud, putting space between herself and the demon.

  Then he looked at Laughter.

  His clown face paint had been washed away, and he was now sat on his arse, soaked, with his back leaned up against the demons severed grey hand. Despite the circumstances, a singular card was held in his hand, whilst the others seemed to have been washed away in the water.

  Laughter held the card up and smiled at it. He smiled, despite the death of Samson, and perhaps his own, looming in front of him. Leox watched through a blurry vision, but no doubt, he was amused.

  "Would you look at that," Laughter chuckled, before flipping the card and showing it to Leox. "The King of Hearts."

  The King of Hearts. It was the same card that he had somehow placed into Leox's pocket weeks ago, during his little magic trick.

  Suddenly, Leox felt a a strange sensation spread throughout his body as he glanced at the card. It felt unlike anything he had experienced before, and it begged him to explore it further. He did, turning it on as if it were a mere switch in his mind.

  Then came power. It flowed into his body, greater than any skill he currently possessed. It all happened in a second.

  Both the entry of the power, and the newly formed red heart tattoo that had appeared on the back of his hand.