THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

"What in the Sovereign\'s name are you doing?!" Seraphina shouted, her voice laced with shock and confusion. But Draven, the colossal knight, ignored her entirely. His massive hands gripped the window frame as he heaved his armoured body through the broken opening. With an unsettling lack of hesitation, he plunged down from the castle tower, plummeting toward the ground at a perilous speed.

Seraphina rushed to the window, eyes wide with disbelief as she watched Draven\'s massive form crash onto the earth below. The impact was thunderous, yet the knight rose to his feet almost immediately, seemingly unfazed. His monstrous strength propelled him forward in a blur, dashing with alarming speed toward the far end of the castle, where an ancient darkness seemed to beckon him.

"What just happened?" Seraphina whispered to herself, her heart racing. A strange, ominous energy filled the air, something dark and ancient emanating from the direction Draven had rushed toward. Whatever it was, it sent a shiver down her spine. She could feel it—something dangerous was unfolding, and Draven wasn\'t about to face it alone.

Determined, Seraphina knew she had to follow him. But unlike the towering knight, she had no intention of leaping from the window. Gathering her courage, she turned, preparing to take a different, less dramatic route to confront the growing darkness.

****

Garrick hung in the air like a marionette on invisible strings, his body jerking and twisting unnaturally as though controlled by some malevolent force.

His muscles strained, his bones cracked, and his consciousness began to slip away, swallowed by an overpowering darkness. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, and just before his mind faded completely, a voice pierced through the shadows.

"[

Pathetic

]," it whispered, cold and judgmental, echoing inside Garrick\'s mind.

The voice was distant, yet it carried the weight of something far beyond his understanding—a higher plane passing its verdict on him. It chilled him to his very core. But that was the last thing he heard, as his life force was consumed by the dark energy, devoured alongside the souls of his fallen companions.

David, just inches away from delivering the final blow, felt a creeping shadow envelop him. His heart raced as the oppressive darkness slithered around his body.

"What\'s going on?" he thought, panic rising in his chest.

Before he could react, Garrick\'s body exploded in a violent surge of dark crimson mana, a force so immense it sent David flying backwards, his body crashing. He winced, feeling the corrupted mana\'s searing heat as it tried to burn through his skin, but the shadows around him coiled defensively, forming a barrier between him and the deadly energy.

A deafening shockwave erupted from Garrick\'s position, its sheer force sending nearby soldiers sprawling across the garden. The ground trembled beneath the power, and chaos rippled through the ranks. Fortunately, Mage Marvel, sensing the growing concentration of the foreign energy, had shrunk the protective dispel dome, shielding himself and those around him.

But the moment the shockwave hit, the dome shattered, splintering into a thousand pieces of magical energy. Despite the overwhelming force, Mage Marvel stood his ground, his old, weathered hands gripping his staff tightly.

As the dust began to settle, a heavy silence filled the air, broken only by the soft groans of injured soldiers. Mage Marvel\'s heart pounded in his chest, and an unfamiliar sensation gripped him—fear, something he hadn\'t felt in years.

His hair stood on end, and a cold sweat formed on his brow. He turned, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield, searching for David. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the young warrior cradled in the arms of a tall, jagged knight clad in dark armour—Draven, the Aeternus, had arrived just in time.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mage Marvel\'s attention quickly snapped back to the center of the blast. His eyes widened, and his muscles tensed with dread.

"Goddess..." he whispered, barely audible, as his gaze fell upon the source of the explosion.

Where Garrick once stood, a twisted, grotesque figure now loomed—a horrifying abomination wearing Garrick\'s skin like a grotesque puppet.

Its form radiated an ancient, corrupt energy that sent waves of dread through every soul present in the garden. The soldiers, Mage Marvel, and even Draven could feel it—a primal fear that rooted them to the spot as they stared at the abomination, knowing that whatever this creature was, it was far beyond anything they had faced before.

Garrick—no, whatever monstrous entity had seized control of him—floated to the ground with eerie grace. Its bare feet touched the grass as it descended, but it no longer moved like a human.

The grotesque creature wearing Garrick\'s skin was covered in countless, shifting eyes, each one drifting aimlessly, observing its surroundings with a twisted sentience. At the centre of Garrick\'s chest, the wound left by David\'s dagger began to widen, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth that ground together, emitting a bone-chilling, screeching sound.

"KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE-KE!"

The creature\'s teeth clicked together, the noise sharp and grating, echoing through the garden.

Violent waves of corrupted mana spilt from its form, flooding the area with dark, oppressive energy that froze everyone in place. Suddenly, Garrick\'s eyes snapped open, now glowing with an unnatural golden hue, laced with crimson veins. Those eyes, filled with malice, scanned the area before locking onto David.

The moment the creature saw him, the grinding ceased, its grotesque mouth stretching wide to reveal an abyss of endless darkness.

There was something horribly wrong about the void that lingered inside Garrick\'s open mouth—a nothingness that threatened to consume everything. David, realizing the danger, tightened his grip on his daggers.

"Draven, shield!" David\'s command rang out with urgency.

Without hesitation, the towering knight responded, activating

[Aegis Stance]

. A radiant light enveloped Draven, his form becoming an impenetrable wall between David and the creature. At the same time, David\'s own shadow surged to life, wrapping protectively around him, guided by Luna\'s will.

Despite these defences, David knew it wouldn\'t be enough. The sheer magnitude of the corrupted mana was overwhelming, and as he braced himself, he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.

In an instant, the creature unleashed its attack. A thick beam of dark, corrupted mana shot from Garrick\'s gaping maw, tearing through the air with destructive force, aimed directly at David.

"[GREAT SUMMONING: SEVENTH SPELL!]"

Mage Marvel\'s voice boomed through the chaos as he invoked his most powerful defensive spell. A flash of blinding light erupted in front of David, just as the beam reached him.

BOOM!

The earth shook violently from the impact. David, fully expecting to be engulfed by the beam, was stunned when the attack never reached him. As the dust and debris began to settle, he peered through the haze and saw something incredible.

A gigantic knight spirit, towering and majestic, stood before him, wielding a great shield that glowed with ethereal light. The knight had intercepted the corrupted mana, its shield holding firm against the onslaught. David, safe behind both Draven and the summoned knight, exhaled in disbelief.

Mage Marvel had saved them all, and the battle was far from over.

As the corrupted beam faded into the air, the creature turned its sharp, predatory gaze toward David and the towering spirit knight shielding him. Its eyes gleamed with malevolent glee.

"Excellent!"

it rumbled, its voice grating through Garrick\'s original mouth, warped and sinister.

"Even now, you refuse to die. Why?"

it sneered, slowly advancing toward David with eerie grace.

David, still pinned in place by the suffocating grip of the corrupt mana, struggled to free himself. Gritting his teeth, he bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood, the sharp pain helping him focus.

With sheer will, he broke free from the oppressive hold. The creature paused, watching him with dark amusement, clearly thrilled by David\'s resistance. It could feel the rush of excitement as its prey fought back, fueling its malevolent hunger.

Mage Marvel, exhausted and drained of mana, leaned heavily on the spirit knight he had summoned. His reserves were running dangerously low, and he feared they wouldn\'t hold much longer. Desperation clawed at him.

"It seems human intervention won\'t save you this time,"

the creature chuckled, a wicked smile stretching across Garrick\'s mouth.

Its chest mouth began to pulse again, preparing another beam of destruction. But just as it readied its attack, time seemed to slow, and the sky above turned an ominous shade of crimson, like blood streaking the heavens.

The creature halted, clicking Garrick\'s teeth in frustration.

"I thought I had more time,"

it muttered, a hint of annoyance creeping into its voice.

Suddenly, Lord Hilton appeared before the creature, his movements so fast that no one in the garden had even noticed his arrival.

With a casual yet devastating motion, he raised his hand and swatted the creature\'s head. It exploded in a shower of flesh and blood, scattering bits of Garrick\'s body across the ground.

"You dare attack in my presence?"

Lord Hilton\'s voice was as cold and final as death itself. The creature, now headless, collapsed to its knees before crumpling lifelessly to the ground.

A low whisper escaped from the gaping maw in Garrick\'s chest, now the creature\'s only remaining mouth.

"Huh... this body was too weak. No matter—I\'ve already left a gift."

With those chilling words, Garrick\'s body dried up and crumbled into ash, carried away by the soft breeze.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the blood-streaked sky, the garden stood still. Dawn had arrived, but the shadows of a greater enemy now loomed over them all.

****

Finally volume one is complete, Thank you for joining me on this adventure. Your support means the world. Get ready for even more twists and turns in Volume Two. Please write your comment below and tell me what you enjoyed from the book and what you would like me to change, also please support me with tickets to grow our crew and make everyone sing David\'s name. Happy reading!

I would like to personally thank the following for their visible support.

1. Sil3nt_1

2. Hawkeye_07

3. Roberjay

4. Castle_Gate

5.satish_yadav_7415

6.AcesGoBoom

7. bennegron1

8. MY FOUTH TOP FAN

Teaser!

David stood atop the cliff, arms outstretched, ready to unleash his newly awakened power. The monstrous entity below writhed, its form a terrifying amalgamation of darkness and chaos. This was it—his one and only chance. If he missed, his life would be the price of failure. The weight of the gamble pressed down on him, but there was no room for doubt now.

****

"Archon of Warfare," David whispered breathlessly, his voice laced with defiance and desire. His lips grazed her ear as he bit down on his own, drawing blood. In a heartbeat, he captured her in a fierce kiss, their lips locked in a moment so intense, the air around them seemed to thicken with tension. The metallic taste of his blood mingled with the heat of the battle that raged within him.

****

"It seems the tower wants me to face the King of Death," he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him.

Before him, a horde of barbaric men and women, their weapons glinting in the low light, pointed their blades at him, their savage intent clear.

"Come at me, then," David growled, his voice a challenge. Without waiting for a response, he charged headfirst into the fray, rushing towards the oncoming danger with a reckless abandon only a man with nothing left to lose could possess.