The land was shrouded in darkness.

The world was still and silent, devoid of life. The shadow beheld the silent world and felt at peace.

'Yes... this is good. I like it better.'

There were no humans to disturb him with their noise, with their greed, with their worship... with their blazing, desperate desires. There were no trees, no grass, no beasts, no vermin. There was no chaos — there were only shadows.

The shadow had wanted to become one with the world, dissolving in its endless changes. But now, he was the world. It was a different kind of unity, but one that he found himself more fond of.

Everything was as it should be, since there was nothing to impose on his tranquility. And yet...

Somewhere deep, deep within the shadow's vast and ancient being, he felt a hint of a strange emotion.

Was it regret? Or guilt? Or perhaps horror?

The shadow did not know what guilt and regret were, so he wasn't sure.

He did not care to find out, either.

He simply wanted to enjoy his peace. Eventually, the land transformed.

The shadows surged, and countless shapes rose from them. Black trees swayed in the wind, their black leaves rustling to create a soothing melody. Black flowers bloomed beautifully in the darkness. The city was now populated by myriad shades — the shades went about their business, mimicking the mundane actions of the living.

It was just that they were silent.

The shadow was in absolute control of this dark and eerie realm. So, he could observe it without feeling disturbed, time flowing past his small island of tranquility.

‘Why did I kill them?'

At some point, he asked himself that question.

The shadow did not feel uncomfortable with his decision. The disappearance of the nascent nation had only brought him peace and relief. He had experienced countless lives, after all... he had existed for myriad years. To him, the lives of humans were brief and fleeting — a dozen generations would be born and die in a flash, devoid of meaning.

All humans died, and most of them died swiftly. He merely hastened their deaths by an instant, replacing the turmoil of their lives with eternal peace.

Just like a human would not feel much after stepping on an anthill, the shadow was not someone who concerned himself with the fate of humans.

At least he had not been, once.

The being who he had been once would not have destroyed the city, though. At most, he would have wiped out the priests and supplicants who had sacrificed a life to him — simply to avoid further annoyance.

But, at some point, something about him changed.

What was it?

After considering it for a long while, the shadow came to the conclusion that it was all because of his friend, Tatal. Tatal, who had left the mark of humanity on him. Before meeting her, the shadow did not know what loneliness was. He did not know what affection was, either... love, joy, trust, hope. He had become capable of all these emotions because of her.

But those were not the only emotions he had learned.

There was also sorrow, anger, resentment... there was hatred.

It was hatred that he had felt on that dark day.

So, in an ironic twist of fate, the shadow had not destroyed these people because he was like a deity. He had destroyed them because he had been overcome by anger...

Which was the most human thing he had ever done.

Coming to that conclusion left the shadow in low spirits. Observing his lifeless kingdom, he asked himself an old question once again.

‘What am I?'

The shadow was not quite mortal. But he wasn't a deity, either... just a forlorn being stuck somewhere in between.

Left alone in his silent kingdom, ruling it like a god, the shadow found a measure of peace.

But peace did not feel as joyous anymore. And so, for whatever reason, the shadow remembered one of his past lives.

In that life, he had been born as a prince. The nation his father ruled was small, but prosperous... it had been once, at least. By the time he was born, the kingdom was in decline, and its people were suffering.

That was because the days of its glory were long past. Once, a long time ago, valiant Transcendent heroes defeated the Creatures of Corruption that had ruled the land, allowing its people to flourish. Those heroes were dead, though, or had gone away to seek glory in distant realms. Now, only their descendants remained.

And their descendants, while not as powerful, were many times more power-hungry. Perhaps it was precisely their weakness that made them so insecure, while growing up in the shadow of their great ancestors made them greedy and ambitious.

The nobles lived in luxury, exploiting and tormenting common people. The royal family was the worst of all, while the king — his father — was a vicious, cruel tyrant.

But he... he wanted to be a hero.

He wanted to be someone who helped people, like the great heroes of the past. And yet, there was little he could do. There were different kinds of princes, after all, and he was the weakest among them. His mother wasn't a queen, and neither was she one of the favored concubines — instead, she was a lowly maid who had happened to catch the tyrant's eye.

His childhood was neither lavish nor happy. The other princes all despised and hated each other, endlessly competing for their father's favor. Even if they did not see him as a threat, they could not pass up the chance to elevate themselves by mocking and tormenting him. There was no powerful clan backing him, either, and he was frail. So, he failed every time he tried to stand up for himself.

But he still resisted.

In fact, the more they tried to crush him, the more fiercely he fought for the right to hold his head high.

In the privacy of solitude, though, he could not help but shed bitter tears.

‘Why, why? Why does Father do nothing to stop them? Am I not his son?’

If there was one gift the gods had given him, it was a sharp mind... or maybe he had simply not been given any other choice but to hone his mind, since he had no strength whatsoever to protect himself.

And so, he quickly understood that the vicious princes had become that way very much by his father's design.

A tyrant feared many things, after all... but his powerful, cruel father feared his sons the most.

His father needed the support of the noble clans, so he took their daughters as wives and concubines. However, as soon as an heir was born, he became deathly afraid that the nobles would assassinate him and put the prince of their bloodline on the throne instead.

So, he pitted the princes against each other and cultivated their viciousness, suppressing the noble clans through internal conflict. If the princes could kill each other before growing too powerful, that would be even better — then, he would be able to repeat the cycle with his grandchildren, postponing the time his bloody reign inevitably ended in a coup.

The forlorn prince, the only one of those without backing who survived, smiled bitterly.

Well, then...

Didn't that make him a perfect tool?

He was the only one of the princes whom his father could use without fearing the power of the noble clans. He could become a weapon for the king to use in order to keep the other heirs in check.

All he needed to do was help his father understand his usefulness — without appearing too capable, of course, which would only make the king feel wary of him.

But why would he?

After all, unlike his brothers, he did not want power. He did not want to become king. He just wanted to survive... he wanted to live with a measure of dignity that he believed all people deserved.

That only lasted until he happened to journey outside the castle and saw how the people of the kingdom lived, though. Their desperate plight, their suffering, the inhuman cruelties they were subjected to by the nobles and the king's men...

All of it reminded him of his mother's short and tragic life.

It left him rattled... it made him angry — angrier than he thought he could ever be.

And so, he set a new goal for himself. He decided that it wasn't just him who deserved to survive and live with dignity — it was all people of the kingdom. His people. He decided that he would set them free. And so, using his sharp mind and lack of strength, he slowly earned the attention of his father.

He became the Crown Prince, tasked with suppressing the other heirs.

But, of course, that was only the beginning...

Because all the while, he worked tirelessly to achieve his goal. He cultivated his mind, searched for reliable allies, and won the loyalty of those who wanted to save the kingdom just like he did.

A long time ago, valiant heroes had saved the people from the Creatures of Corruption. Now, he looked for heroes who would save the people from the tyranny of men.

He tried to make himself into a hero, as well. He wanted to bring everyone salvation.

...There was no doubt in his mind that he would succeed.

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