Conqueror Of The Dark Soul

Chapter 2 - The Youth (2)

In the underground drainage tunnel of Heinburg city:

"Hey, do something!"

"You do it!"

"Is that really a Dark Soul seed?"

"Well, from its appearance, I think it is."

A red candle illuminates the damp tunnel. Despite the moisture, the candle maintains its light. The two vagrants have been observing the candle for almost thirty minutes, yet it never goes out or diminishes in any way.

A slightly dark aura can only be faintly seen, even within the light of the candle itself.

The first vagrant is a man with a scruffy mustache and beard, disheveled hair that looks very dry. He is commonly known as Lin. The other is a young man in his early twenties, with a fairly handsome face despite his dirty condition. He goes by Ton.

Lin crouches down to inspect the candle. He clasps his hands together and then dips them into the wet ground. Lin throws the wet soil towards the candle, but it continues to burn as if undisturbed.

"No doubt, it's a Dark Soul seed!" Lin exclaims in fear.

On the other side, Ton begins to bite his lip, feeling uneasy. "Should we report this to the Guardians?" he asks.

Lin nods as he stands up. When about to extinguish the candle, a shadow is reflected through the candlelight right in front of Lin and Ton.

Ton immediately grabs Lin's back in fear. "Is it too late?" Ton cries out in fear.

Lin takes a step back and ends up bumping into the wall.

The light of the candle now flickers, and the previously shapeless shadow on the wall begins to crawl out. Lin and Ton are on the verge of tears witnessing this scene.

However, before the shadow completely emerges from the wall, a light swiftly descends and seems to blow out the candle flame.

Footsteps are heard approaching rapidly from outside the tunnel. A black-haired young man with a lantern appears in Lin and Ton's view. The young man holds a lantern that illuminates the area after the candle was blown out.

It seems that even though the candle has been extinguished, the shadow on the wall still tries to crawl out. The young man raises the lantern, uttering an incomprehensible sentence, "Olionus Transcadus."

The lantern begins to emit a bright light that quickly engulfs the shadow on the wall.

Lin and Ton cover their eyes due to the intense brightness that could potentially blind them.

When they open their eyes, they see the young man holding a red candle that is now lit again. His lantern is now on the ground, right next to Lin and Ton.

"Are you a Guardian?" Lin asks. Throughout his life, he has often seen Guardians, witnessing their efforts to prevent the opening of gates to the Dark Dimension through Dark Soul seeds. However, this is the first time he has seen a Guardian using such a technique.

The young man holding the red candle smiles, "No." He says briefly.

Then, he turns around and plans to leave the tunnel. Lin and Ton remain silent, unsure of what has made their minds feel frozen.

At that moment, they hear the voice of the young man, now at a considerable distance, "By the way, I couldn't lift the Dark Soul seed from that place. If you stay there, the Dark Dimension Gate may reopen. Instead, report this to the Guardians so they can solve this issue."

Lin and Ton shudder as they promptly stand and run out of the tunnel. However, strangely, they soon stop in their tracks.

"Hey, did we meet someone just now?" Lin asks, confused.

Ton also scratches his head. With hesitation, he says, "I think so... Or maybe not."

"More importantly, we have to report to the Guardians about the Dark Soul seed!" Ton suggests.

Lin nods, indicating a positive response.

...

"Alden."

"You could have lifted the remaining Dark Soul seed from that place; why didn't you do it?"

The green-eyed young man extinguishes the candle flame with his thumb, then says, "It's not my task."

"I thought you harbored a grudge against my kind."

"Not really. I only have a grudge against you." The young man says while glancing to the side.

Beside him is a black orb with an evil aura floating. It is positioned next to his head, right above his right shoulder.

"Heh, you're too naive." The black orb emits a raspy sound.

"What will you do with that candle?" Black Orb asks.

Alden examines the candle carefully, "It also has a Dark Soul seed. What do you think I will do?"

Black Orb laughs before saying, "Greedy."

The candle is a medium that should become a gateway to the Dark Dimension, but not one that can cause significant damage. Even if the Gate were to open, the Guardians could handle it.

Alden recalls what happened to the city of Virshire. He chuckles, "Its in different level..." He says.

Certainly, even if the emerging gate is not large and perhaps only connected to the first floor of the Dark Dimension, it can still pose a threat to people. That's why Alden instructed the vagrants to report this to the Guardians to avoid that scenario.

The Devon Empire is the center of the Northern continent, consisting of various densely populated cities. There are three regional divisions called alliances: the West Alliance, South Alliance, and North Alliance.

All three are still part of the Empire but have different cultures and traditions.

Heinburg city is part of the West Alliance, directly bordering Grandburg city to the north and Vinburg city to the south.

Although classified as the smallest city in the Empire, the church's influence remains predominant. The Guardians, a trained force from the church tasked with preventing the creation of Dark Dimension gates or sealing opened gates, are always present in any city.

Alden himself hails from the Southern Continent, which is now in chaos every day. A few years ago, a giant gate appeared in the middle of the city of Virshire, the capital of the Southern Continent. As a result, a Dark Soul of unimaginable level emerged, destroying Virshire and turning it into the center of destruction in the southern continent.

On the rooftop of an old clock tower building, Alden sits casually, observing the entrance area of the tunnel from above. Beside him, the red candle continues to burn with an ever-increasing evil aura.

Soon, he can see a group of individuals in unique uniforms, all dressed in white, stopping in front of the tunnel entrance. Even though it's nighttime with the moonlight hidden by clouds, the lantern light from these individuals is sufficient for Alden to discern something. They are the Guardians.

While observing this scene, Alden takes a short breath.

At that moment, the voice of Black Orb startles him, "Hey, aren't you planning to extinguish that candle? The Dark Dimension Gate will open soon if it keeps burning..."

Alden turns to his side. The red candle does indeed emit a more concentrated evil aura as time passes. But, it still needs at least several hours to eventually form the Gate.

He still has time to move the candle far from the settlement.

Alden stands up, remembering his purpose for standing atop this tall building – to survey the cityscape.

The area where the Guardians are dealing with the remaining Dark Soul seeds is quite desolate. It's a place often visited by vagrants for resting purposes.

The upper part of the tunnel is a grassy area.

Heinburg city is clearly visible from this vantage point. Alden carefully observes every area.

To the west of the city is a dense forest, to the north is the direct border with Grandburg city, and to the south is the border with Vinburg city.

"Oh, that place is good." Alden mutters, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger to create makeshift glasses around his right eye.

There is a peculiar wave around his eyes when viewed directly. It's like a magnifying glass that allows him to see farther.

"Why don't you let the Gate open at its origin... it will produce more Dark Soul," Black Orb comments.

Alden clearly shakes his head, "The Guardians can easily detect abnormalities if the Gate opens in a city area. They will intervene."

Alden then lowers his hand and starts uttering strange words. Soon, the wind blows, making the back of his hair flutter. He steps into the air, floating above the ground. His feet tread on emptiness as he moves, leaving behind a gentle breeze in his wake.

...