章節 1: Prologue
On Moonbright Island, there was a mansion located in the noble quarters of Waterlow city. This mansion belonged to the Barton family. This family was part of the high nobility, just ranked under the Waterlow City Lord's mansion.
The night sky was full of clouds, making it impossible to observe the stars or the moon. The Waterlow city itself was plunged into darkness. The only lights came from streets lamp or some pubs still open despite the late hour.
In front of the Barton family gate, ten shadows suddenly appeared. An ominous air of slaughter could be sensed from them.
*Big brother, your little brother is finally back. Unfortunately, I am not the same little brother you knew before.
The shadow at the head of the group let out a sigh full of vicissitude. Despite the inappropriateness of his action, the other shadows kept mum. After all, this was their boss. He possessed ruthless means and terrifying strength.
Finally, as if coming out of his reverie, the head figure made a gesture. Following that, the others instantly vanished inside the Barton mansion and the surrounding mansions.
In the master bedroom of the Barton mansion, Dell Barton snapped awake. His senses were on high alert. As a Grand Knight, his senses could naturally not be compared to those of a normal human, they were far superior.
"What's the matter, Dell?" A soft voice grabbed his attention. Dell turned toward his wife who was awakened by his sudden movement.
"Something is wrong. Some invaders have come into our house!" Dell answered promptly, his brow furrowing. If it were just some invaders, why did he feel like a great disaster was going to fall upon him and his family? Dell had learned to trust his guts. If not, he wouldn't have his current accomplishments and would have died long ago.
The beautiful face of Carla Barton was colored with unease, the sleepiness prior nowhere to be seen. She knew her husband very well, something that could make him wary was something dangerous to the extreme. She jumped out of bed, still in chamber clothes she ran out of their room toward their son's.
Naturally, as a mother, her concern in dangerous situations was the safety of her son. Dell was following right behind her. She reached for the knob of the door leading to her son's room when she was stopped by a calloused hand. She recognized her husband's hand and looked toward him in askance.
"Let me enter first, something is not right," Dell whispered in answer to her uncomprehending gaze.
She nodded and Dell opened the door. In his other hand, a longsword had appeared who knows when. As soon as he stepped inside the room he slashed with his sword. The sword seemed to vanish briefly from sight before reappearing.
THUMP.
A human-looking head, still carrying an expression of surprise rolled on the ground. At the same time, a body hit the floor with blood gushing from the headless neck. Carla paled but ignored the deceased assailant and looked for her son. Finally, her gaze fell on the window above his bed.
Seated carelessly on the edge of the window, a man looking to be no more than eighteen held her sleeping son in his arms. Dell's eyes contracted upon seeing this man. The hand holding his sword trembled slightly.
"Please, let go of my son. If it's money you are after, we have plenty. Just don't hurt him." Carla tried to move toward that man but was stopped by Dell's arm.
"Selim, you were still alive?" Dell's tone was full of surprise and melancholy.
Carla looked at her husband, uncomprehending. Her husband spoke as if he knew the man in black. Looking more closely at the assailant's face, her eyes widened in recognition. He looked just like the paintings. He would have been a perfect copy of her husband if you added 10 more years to him.
"Yes brother, unfortunately. I survived that night. Or should I say I didn't survive; I don't know anymore." His tone was cold and pensive.
"Why did you kill my servants and everyone in the nearby mansions," Dell asked his expression changing. He had already noticed the eerie silence in his mansion, but he hadn't noticed the same in the neighboring mansions until now.
"Ah… brother, you have noticed. It seemed that you didn't waste the years, being only 38 and already a Grand knight! Dad would have been proud." Selim exclaimed a bit surprised.
"Stop with the games, tell me what you mean by your actions!" Dell was starting to lose patience.
"Don't get antsy, brother. It's like this, my new family intend to take over this city and eventually the whole island." Selim answered, his face had become expressionless.
"Don't tell me!!?" As if realizing something, Dell's face contorted in horror and pain.
"Indeed, it's as you guessed. I am not human anymore brother. I shouldn't have survived that night and I didn't in a sense. I became clansmen with those who destroyed our Barton family, The Shadow Walker Clan." Selim announced his voice bleak.
"No, no! that can't be! Dad had assured our escape." Dell shook his head in denial. All these years he had believed that his twin brother died, killed by the Shadow Walkers.
"He did, except he put his trust in the wrong people. Uncle Bertrand betrayed us." Selim stated simply.
"This!?" Now he understood the ins and out of the matter 22 years ago. It was so obvious now that it was the work of a traitor otherwise how could the enemy have timed their attack so perfectly or know where to strike?
"How could he? Why!?" Dell now spoke with fury coloring his eyes.
"The reasons were as simple as they were petty. He wanted to live longer. He hadn't made any breakthroughs in a while. If it continued like that he would have most likely died of old age. There was also the jealousy of course. Our father was barely forty but was a Mystic Knight granting him a lifespan of four centuries. Even more, he would have most likely broken through to the Mysterious level in less than a decade. For those reasons, Bertrand chose to turn to the shadow walkers. After all, every shadow walker possesses an infinite lifespan and is near-immortal unless their brain is destroyed."
"…" Dell was speechless. Silence reigned for a while before he spoke again, this time his voice was raw and tired. "Are you going to kill me, your sister-in-law, and your nephew?"
"I can spare my nephew, but you and she will have to die. My orders are to kill all members of the nobility of this island. You both sadly fit the criteria." Selim's eyes held incomparable sadness. After all, he just found his brother again, If he could, he would rather spare him and his family. Unfortunately, he couldn't go against the orders of the one who turned him. The only thing he could do was skirt around the orders by delaying the execution of his nephew who was barely six and couldn't be counted as high nobility yet.
"I see. Thank you." Dell was relieved. He didn't delude himself; he couldn't best his brother as things stood. His senses had registered his brother as an entity of the Mystic level. The difference between the Grand Knight level and the Mystic level was more than tenfold. Trying to resist wouldn't make any difference.
"Though, I will have to turn him into a shadow walker to completely escape the annihilation order," Selim added causing Dell and Carla's expression to fall. They were despondent but were powerless to do anything. Dell was reminded once again of the tragedy years ago. At that time too, he was powerless to do anything but run.
As they were conversing, behind the couple, the shadow walker killed previously stood again, his head attached to his neck. From the beheading, only a slight redness remained on his neck. But that too was fading and soon enough nothing would be left except smooth pale skin.
Dell wasn't surprised but Carla paled further. After all, as soon as he understood who he was up against, he knew that the assailant he slew previously wouldn't stay down.
"How do you want to do this brother?" Selim asked.
"I will do it myself," Dell answered resolutely. He turned toward his wife and they both lost themselves in silent communication.
After a moment, Carla nodded. She looked at her son one last time with love and regret.
"Grow well, Nexus." That's all she said before closing her eyes. Dell's face became blank, almost soulless before he waved his sword. A singular line and Carla breathed her last.
Kneeling next to her body, Dell had blood tears pooling out of his eyes. Selim's expression was still impassive but looking at his figure one could feel a certain madness, sadness, and rage.
"Brother, I know you. You will not always be at their whim. When the day comes, pass to Uncle Bertrand and the rest of our enemies my salutations. Take care of the Kid. He will most likely resent you but take care of him nonetheless." Dell spoke with a tranquil smile. He had made peace with the situation.
Selim stayed silent but his eyes gave an imperceptible light.
Finished with his last words, Dell trusted his sword in his heart. He took one last shuddering breath and fell next to his wife.
Selim stared blankly at the two corpses for a while.
All the ten shadows were already gathered in the room when Selim awoke from his contemplations. Selim raised his palm and flipped it. The room dimmed and a huge shadow covered the floor below their body.
"Shadow Burial." Selim chanted softly.
Instantly, the corpses were absorbed by the shadow. After this, the shadow disappeared leaving a pristine floor free of blood.
"Status."
"Sir, every target has been eliminated."
"Replace them with shadow puppets. The city lord must have felt a disturbance, he is after all a Mystic knight. Everything needs to look normal. I don't have to remind you what will happen to you if the mission ends up a failure."
"No sir. Everything will be done according to your will." The ten shadows answered shaking slightly.
"Then go! I will take care of things here."
"Yes, sir." They dispersed once more.
Sigh.
*This bastard, Bertrand. How did he learn that I was searching for a big brother? Sending me here, as if it was an ordinary mission, forcing me to kill my kin.
Now that the others had left, He let his emotions appear on his face. Intense rage and sadness. That's all he felt. He looked at his nephew and calmed down. Then a wry smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like I can't postpone it anymore." He could feel it, the compulsion in his head getting more insistent. It would continue like this unless he either killed his nephew or turned him. He broke his index's skin and poured the blood drops into the child's mouth.
Looking at the face that seemed as beautiful as his sister-in-law and resolute as his brother. A smile appeared on his face; it was chilling. Its meaning was "Survive this kid, become stronger and help me take revenge." This smile was like a curse.
This smile would become the first memory of Nexus' meeting with his uncle. Nexus' eyes which were blissfully closed until now, snapped open. They were black, sclera included. His ears had become pointed and his skin, silvery pale.
The appearance of a Shadow Walker.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
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