The Third Prince Of Darkness

Please do not read this chapter! This chapter belongs to my other novel and please don't read it. I fix it!😭😭😭

Without exerting himself too much, Soren effortlessly neutralized the units loyal to Marquis Alexsaz with his magic. He was currently in a building at one end of the city, surrounded by several dozen knights. These knights were the trained soldiers of the Duchy, and Soren had easily dealt with enemies alongside them so far. But now, an obstacle had appeared. The commander of the units loyal to Marquis Alexsaz, Sir Varlorn, was guarding the largest garrison in the city.

Sir Varlorn, clad in heavy armor, stepped forward from among the knights and struck the ground with his long sword. He ordered his men to gather around him and shouted in a stern voice,

"You won't pass easily! This land belongs to Marquis Alexsaz, and we will stop you here!"

When Soren heard Sir Varlorn's words, he took a deep breath. A slight sadness appeared on his face. His gaze shifted to the knights gathered around Varlorn; all of them were ready for battle, suppressing their fear with loyalty. To Soren, these people were merely following orders. Perhaps they had loved ones or families, perhaps they had been unwillingly dragged into this war. But an order was an order. In this life, he could not go against the command of his master, Neonidas, the man he valued most same like his sister, and he had no desire to do so.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Soren sighed deeply and spoke in a calm tone.

"I wish we didn't have to come to this point. But like your oath of loyalty, I too have a duty to my master. If you surrender now, my master will spare your lives."

Sir Varlorn misunderstood Soren's sad expression. He saw it as weakness and stepped forward. "Drop your weapon, girl boy. Maybe if you surrender, I'll spare your life,"

These words startled Soren. His gaze became more resolute. Slowly, he raised his staff in his right hand, and a beam of light appeared at the tip of it. It was so pure and bright that the shadows around the garrison suddenly disappeared. The knights staggered back, as if they could feel the destructive potential of this power.

Soren spoke gently, but his voice resonated as if it reached the heart of each knight.

"I don't want to destroy you here. Now, surrender... or face me."

Sir Varlorn ignored the power building around Soren and charged forward. "You can't scare me!" he shouted and attacked Soren with his sword. But Soren suddenly swung the light in his hand like a shield, neutralizing Varlorn's strike. The energy explosion sent Varlorn several steps back.

Soren looked at the other knights once more. He saw their trembling hands and the fear in their eyes, but he muttered a spell under his breath. By the time his mutterings ended, the magic circle had fully formed. The glowing magical symbols in the air created a kind of pressure that filled the garrison. The knights could feel that this power was directly affecting their souls, and they couldn't stop the fear that quickly replaced their courage in their eyes.

Soren turned to Varlorn and spoke calmly, yet firmly,

"This is your last chance. Surrender. Otherwise, every drop of blood spilled will be the result of your own foolishness."

One of the knights knelt and dropped his sword. Then another, and another. Soon, all the soldiers behind Sir Varlorn had dropped their weapons and were retreating in fear. Soren felt a sense of relief inside, but he didn't show it.

When Sir Varlorn turned around and saw his men surrendering, a wave of anger spread across his face.

"Cowards! You swore an oath on your honor, and now you're surrendering?" he shouted. Then he turned to Soren, his eyes filled with rage and determination. "They can leave, but I won't! The oath I made to Marquis Alexsaz will not be broken, even at the cost of my life!"

Varlorn raised his sword with all his strength and charged again. But this time, Soren was faster. His staff flared with fire, extending like a spear, but even if the fire touched Soren, it didn't burn him because of his magical protection. Soren's movement was both graceful and decisive. The flaming spear pierced Varlorn's armor, stopping him in his tracks. This staff, used like a spear, was thrust into Varlorn's chest, and when Soren pulled it back out, blood gushed out of Sir Varlorn's chest without stopping

Varlorn staggered back a few steps, his sword falling from his hand. But before he could fall, he knelt on the ground, struggling to breathe, his head bowed. Soren approached him and spoke slowly,

"I respect your honor, Sir Varlorn. But your loyalty couldn't save you today."

Varlorn struggled to lift his head, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"You... are different... But winning this battle doesn't make you right."

Soren was silent for a moment, then gently shook his head.

"Maybe you're right. But this isn't my decision."

Varlorn gave Soren one last look, then collapsed to the ground. Soren watched him for a while, then raised his hands slightly and sent waves of fire that gently enveloped Varlorn's body. This was a gesture of respect.

He turned to the knights kneeling behind him and commanded,

"Go. Spend time with your families. Use this opportunity, which was granted to you today wisely." The knights silently scattered, heads bowed.

. Soren took one last look at Varlorn's lifeless body and then stepped into the building. There was no relief to him, only the weight of having completed his duty. He then, along with his guards, proceeded to check the garrison's treasure.

Passing through the dark corridors of the garrison, Soren made his way to the treasure room. His guards quietly followed him, their faces reflecting the relief and pride of having completed their task. But Soren walked without any visible expression. His mind was still on the recent conflict and Sir Varlorn's brave stance.

When they reached the treasure room, one of the guards struggled to open the heavy iron door. Inside, in the dim light, wooden chests, bags of gold, and various valuable gem-filled crates were lined up. However, what caught Soren's attention was an old, dusty chest in the corner of the room. It was different from everything else; it had engraved runic symbols on it, as if it were hiding an important secret. The treasures here had been obtained from a dungeon expedition that Marquis Alexsaz had recently returned from, and now the reason for the treasures being here was to appraise them after inspection.

This was exactly why Neonidas had sent his strongest man here, because he was curious about the treasures obtained from Marquis Alexsaz's dungeon expedition. Soren approached the chest carefully and lifted the lid. Inside was an ancient, worn parchment roll. Unlike the other treasures, this map seemed almost forgotten. When Soren picked it up, the dust scattered into the air, and the runic symbols began to glow faintly with light.

When he opened the map, a message written on ancient magical runes caught his eye. The message read:

"If you dare to seek your desires, follow this map."

Few people in the world could read this ancient language, but fortunately, Soren had become quite proficient in it. It was as if he had a natural aptitude for the language. Soren paused for a moment, silently staring at the map. The message appeared as though it had been conjured by magic, and the map itself was not an ordinary one. The details on it reflected a mystical energy rather than simple shapes that any common person would recognize. Small beams of light circled the edges of the map, as if trying to communicate something to Soren.

One of his guards noticed the intense expression on Soren's face and hesitantly asked, "My lord, is this map... something special?"

Soren glanced back at the map once more, then replied in a serious tone, "Yes... No... actually, it's not that valuable..." Experience new stories with empire

He read the words on the map again, then secretly tucked it into his right pocket before standing up.

"Gather everything here and take it to the castle."

Afterward, Soren moved to another room, where he opened the map secretly and examined it carefully. The marked location was within the duchy, though it was a little farther away. However, what truly caught Soren's attention was the treasure promised by the map. It clearly stated that whoever found this treasure would gain their greatest desire, and this certainly piqued Soren's interest. In fact, he was so intrigued by this map that he planned to hide it even from his master.

Since the moment Soren met his master, although he initially tried to reject it, he had begun to feel certain emotions. As his hand moved toward his groin, Neonidas' gaze echoed in his mind. In that moment, the harshness in his master's eyes didn't shake him as usual. But there was something else, something deeper, an unnamed feeling, or perhaps something Soren had been hesitant to name.

Recently, every time he looked into his master's eyes, there was something more: a pull, a glimmer, a warmth that enveloped him. No matter what, as Soren's heart remained loyally bound to his master, he was unknowingly also drawn by another feeling, a different kind of attachment.

For a moment, as Neonidas' cold and characteristic smile appeared in his mind, Soren took a deep breath. This feeling was one he feared to acknowledge. His master had always approached him with duty and responsibility, but deep down, there was something else: a desire, a longing. His loyalty to Neonidas had become more than just an order—it had merged with the deepest emotions within him. He tried to deny his feelings, but as time passed, they grew stronger, like a shadow following him. Yet, no matter how much he desired it, this relationship could never happen.

Maybe one man could love another, but this was Neonidas. Even if Soren were a woman right now, confessing his feelings to Neonidas would still be incredibly difficult for him. And as a man, he could never make such a confession. Recently, his master had become quite close to his sister, and every time he saw them together, his heart burned with jealousy—but he hated this feeling. However, he now had found a way not to be jealous of his sister: perhaps the answer lay in the map that promised to fulfill his greatest desire. The longing that had filled his dreams since meeting Neonidas... To be a woman.