"... Ozul Ashfall." were the words Ozul heard. Knowing it was his name, gave him a sense of belonging. It filled the empty part within himself. But at the same time, another void was created in him. A void that he would never be able to fill. His mother had died. Leaving darkness again as his sole companion.
And then there was a somewhat sickening feeling as if he was the reason his mother died. But he shook those thoughts away as he knew that his mother loved him until her death. He wouldn't forsake himself, for that was the last wish his mother had.
He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly the door burst open. A man walked in with steady steps. From just a look, you could see his fiery hair, brown eyes, a stern look on his face as he walked in. His hair kept short, he was about 6 feet tall with broad shoulders.
With a straight back like a pole, he looked quite intimidating but was also a bit handsome and looked only in his late 20s. From his clothes, he seemed quite wealthy. He wore an embroidered red coat with silver thread linings at the sleeve ends, which looked quite extravagant.
From the looks of everyone present in the room, Ozul concluded that he was the master in the house.
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Edward Abilon was one of the 4 dukes of The Silverbird Kingdom and one of the close aides to the Emperor.
However, his priorities lied only in his personal gains. He would go to great lengths just for small profits.
He kept a facade of a kind person and only showed his real face whenever no one was around. It was also the reason that he could marry Sylvia.
Once she saw how 'kind' he was to others despite being a noble, she had a good impression of him. But it was only recently that she got to know that she had been deceived.
Just a while ago, Edward received the news of his firstborn. When he heard that he now had a child, he was excited, but listening to the next part put a stop to his thoughts.
He hurriedly left his room.
When he entered, he saw something that shocked him!
He saw his chil... no! It was Not.His.Child!
It was 'Devil's Spawn!' Yes! It must be!
After a moment of contemplation, he decided not to even go near that 'thing'.
He regained his cool after a moment and started thinking about what to do about 'It'.
"Empty the room!" he ordered everyone. And people began to leave the room one by one in an orderly manner. After a few seconds, Only the three remained in the place.
"Come out!" He shouted at seemingly no one. But in the next moment, there were five people covered in black clothes from head to toe standing behind Edward. All had masks on except for the one in front.
"What do you suggest, William?" Asked Edward Abilon to the middle-aged man standing in front of the 4 other guards.
William seemed just like any ordinary middle-aged man you can find on the streets. Usually, people would not think he is any special if not for his cold beady eyes. He was the head of Duke Edward Abilon's guards and his most trusted aide.
"...I might not be capable enough to give you a satisfying answer, Sire. Please forgive my incompetence," said William after not being able to think anything through.
"I don't want a satisfying answer. Just speak what's on your mind," Edward spoke to William patiently.
"Sire, I think that the child must be the cause of the weird phenomena happening on the mainland. The darkness also only started fading away after this child was born," William spoke what he thought.
'He is right... This thing must be a Devil's Spawn. He also caused the darkness on the whole continent! I have to be careful,' thought Edward as he began to find ways to contain 'It'. Otherwise, who knew what he could do next?
"Silence everyone who was in this room at the time of delivery. And spread the news that both the Concubine Sylvia and her child are dead," ordered Edward as one of the four masked men disappeared within an instant.
"Take it to the warehouse in Azmar City," ordered Edward Abilon as another one of the masked men approached Ozul.