Two days later.
Alden opened a space with a special spell to reach the peak of Rinderr Mountains. He, Erin, and Merlin quickly spread the shadow prisms to form a special magic circle.Its form was so dense and had a strong aura of dark power. Reflecting pain and evil as if emanating from the magic circle.They began to channel mana into the magic circle. Within minutes, a terrifying red light emitted from the circle, gradually devouring the existing darkness and creating a mysterious void.Alden, using the Hell Monocle, accidentally saw traces of mana around him. It was filled with nauseating horror. Just by seeing those dreadful mana traces, Alden suddenly fell to his knees as if his own mana was mixing with the mana around him.As his body began to lose control, a holy light brought by the winged woman immediately awakened him. He quickly regained consciousness, realizing that only a few seconds had passed since his loss of control.Above the peaks of the Rinderr mountains.Darbend snapped out of his dream and fell to his knees. Meanwhile, Merlin suddenly widened his eyes as if a locked memory had just been released, for the first time since Artheon's death, he felt free.However, that also meant death for him. He fell to the ground, his vision starting to go blank with a smile of relief....Alioth woke up from his dream, one he wasn't even aware of. He stood behind the Dark Lord's throne, with Riven kneeling on the floor not far away, bowing his head."What's happening?" Alioth asked."Everything is finished," Riven replied."I overheard all your conversations with that person. And I know, killing you here won't bring back my people," Riven seemed to carefully consider his words, "I know you didn't save my people as you promised. I think you're afraid if the new Dark Lord truly emerges and you can't control him. That's why you pressured me to become th
In a giant dome, a young man in a short cloak stands facing a dwarf statue between two pillars supporting the dome. The youth, around nineteen or twenty years old, gazes with awe at the dwarf statue, which emits a mysterious dark energy."Fletus Spina Obscure," the youth utters, causing the dwarf statue to gradually change color from its natural stone hue to a reddish tint. Dark red liquid drips from the statue's eyes, and black thorns appear within it, wrapped in light, moving toward the outstretched right hand of the youth.The wrapped black thorns now rest on the palm of the youth's hand. The youth clenches his fist, crushing the black thorns into ash particles that float in the air. By then, the youth is seated in front of the dwarf statue, casually chewing on a greenish root, seemingly a normal part of his diet.A middle-aged man in a clean white robe with a cross symbol on his back walks slowly toward the youth. "Traveler, how was that?" the man asks
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,
In the western part of the city, Alden entered the dense forest area. The trees were taller than normal, and the foliage covered the ground surface, making it difficult for Alden to see the terrain clearly from above.He landed gently on the trunk of a giant tree with a candle in his left hand.Contrary to what he thought, the terrain turned out to be larger than he had estimated. The distance between the giant trees was quite far, giving him more freedom of movement.The branches of the trees played a crucial role in hiding the ground surface from above.Alden stepped forward and placed the lit candle in the middle of the area.While waiting, Alden took out a root, his favorite food.Biting into the greenish root, Alden observed the changes happening to the red candle.Time continued to pass....Under the sky tinted with deep red, a 6-year-old child was running with sometimes unsteady steps.The child had black hair with the back part tied. His green eyes reflected fear, and his ste
In a shelter built underground, spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once, a six-year-old boy sits curled up, hugging his knees. His eyes are always fixed on a middle-aged woman actively comforting the people. It's been almost a day since Luth brought him to this place to hide from the rampage of the Dark Soul.However, in that time frame, the person he knows as his mother never mentioned her name. She would come to comfort him, but it was just a kind gesture. She did the same for everyone.She also apologized to the little boy for not being able to save him during their escape.The boy used to call his mother, but it was only met with a puzzled look. Currently, no one recognizes him.There is a clear fact. The boy recognizes almost everyone in the shelter, but none of them recognize him.Crouching in the corner of the room, the boy continues to hear one sentence in his ears, "Forgive me."He ignores the voice because he knows it's not the voice of anyone in the shelte
The bustling marketplace where people engage in free trade, offering a variety of goods, fills the air with constant shouts from traders promoting their wares. Alden stops at a street vendor, intrigued by unique items on a makeshift table."Oh, young man. Are you looking for something specific?" The middle-aged trader with a large nose and slightly better attire than the others speaks up.Alden, intrigued, reaches out to pick up a unique item – a slightly rusty dagger. While it may seem odd to sell a worn-out dagger, given this is an antique store, Alden doesn't find it surprising.Moreover, what catches his attention is the rusty dagger's unique lines emitting a reddish glow. Certainly, someone like the trader wouldn't notice it."No doubt. It has the Dark Soul Seed," the Black Orb comments on the dagger.Alden nods in agreement."Excellent choice! Believe me, that dagger hails from the Dark Dimension. Rumor has it; it's one of the most sought-after items there," the trader starts el
"Yeah, I have some," Alden says.Gall pulls a chair and sits next to Alden. "You know, I need Nest Cores right now, but Gates have been rare lately." Wrapping his arm around Alden's shoulders, Gall begins his move."Okay, and?""Would you give me some?"Alden smiles slightly, his face appearing a bit tipsy. Without answering, Gall seems to be waiting.On the other hand, Black Orb starts speaking again, "Alden, something is coming.""This aura... maybe one of the emperors like me."Alden furrows his brow, "You said there are no emperors in this city!" His voice is not muffled, and Gall seems to misunderstand now."What are you talking about?" Gall looks at him with a puzzled face. Certainly, besides that, there is a hint of annoyance on his face due to Alden's threatening tone."Nothing. Nothing at all." Alden pushes the wooden glass toward Gall and stands up. Wearing his short coat, he decides to leave immediately.However, Gall seems to interpret it as an insult. "Hey, are you leavin
"When Alden was twelve years old:Alden's eyes had more depth than before. However, it was also losing its emptiness, as if he was starting to accept his current situation, though it was disturbing in his daily activities."Uncle Luth, teach me swordsmanship," Alden said with determined eyes.Luth, a sturdy fighter, clearly possessed the skills. That's why this group of people could still survive in this chaotic place.Luth looked at Alden, initially a bit puzzled but nodded upon seeing the determination in Alden's eyes."Alright, first tell me your name," Luth said. In his memory, he had never met this child before. Even after traveling together for several years with a group of people, he had never seen the child.However, the fact that the child knew him made him not show suspicion."Alden," the boy replied.Luth, now in the midst of his daily training, had a large sword in his hand as evidence. His sweat began to drip, indicating hard work.Adjusting his position, Luth now sat on