Darian was born into a noble family in the Kingdom of Anima. In a way, from his birth, he was special, with intelligence, power, and status within reach, but everything changed drastically in just two years.
When a little child, born into one of the branches of the family, came into the world, she possessed from birth everything Darian had and even more. From that moment on, she stole the spotlight that once belonged to Darian. No matter what he did, his accomplishments were always overshadowed by the innate perfection of this child, becoming a constant shadow over him.
From that moment, Darian conceived the idea that everything would return to normal if she simply did not exist. This perspective seemed right to him, after all, she should not have been born. However, regrettably, Darian did not have the power to change that situation at that moment. So, he waited patiently as time passed, and, without realizing, many years went by, culminating in her eventually marrying the king of Anima.
She reached a stature unattainable for Darian, an obstacle he could never overcome. Despite all the king's wives, he showed a special favor to her, as if considering her unique and exceptional among all. This was the last straw for Darian.
The next years were dedicated by Darian to the meticulous planning of the murder he intended to commit. Of course, on the surface, Darian maintained a cordial and noble posture; after all, it would be disastrous if someone discovered his true intentions. At some point during this period, she gave birth to a daughter of the king.
Darian saw an opportunity in this situation. When the youngest daughter matured, he planned to marry her to consolidate and further reinforce his position in the hierarchy. However, she always intervened, thwarting his plans. Moreover, to make matters worse, the king seemed a fool who blindly followed everything she said.
Thus, Darian saw no other alternative but to eliminate her. She disrupted his life when they were children and continued to interfere now that they were adults. If only she kept her mouth shut, everything could have been avoided.
Darian chose the only moment when she would be alone, seizing the opportunity when she took Leona to Arclight for cultural learning. Although unplanned, it seemed like the heavens were conspiring in his favor.
And then, it happened; she was finally dead. Now, nothing could stop him. He would finally have what he always wanted, what was always destined for him, or at least that's how it should be.
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(Why? Why am I on the ground, being humiliated by a humble person? By a mere human)
The next minutes were something Darian couldn't comprehend. Initially, he clearly had more strength than the human before him. Even managing, somehow, to keep up with his speed, that was not enough to block the initial attack. However, after that first blow, Darian was being beaten without any chance of retaliation.
"You know"
While immersed in these thoughts, the voice of the human echoed. Darian looked up and saw the human examining him. His face did not particularly show any emotion.
"You... are quite weak"
Darian clenched his teeth upon hearing that. Being called weak by a mere human was something Darian definitely wouldn't accept. He would make the human in front of him regret those words, even if it was the last thing he did.
Darian exerted force with his hands, trying to get up, but the human's feet continued to press him down. It was as if something extremely heavy was on his body. Darian couldn't conceive how a frail human body could possess so much strength; to him, it was unimaginable.
"I think it would be wiser for you to stay on the ground; your bones and internal organs would give in before you could manage to get up"
Again, the human spoke. Internally, Darian knew the human was right, but being humiliated in this way in front of everyone was something he couldn't accept. Everything he had built, all the sacrifices made, would be destroyed in such a short time.
"Anyway, let's get to the main part"
Darian didn't understand what the human meant, but still felt the human's foot loosening. Just before Darian could do something to reverse the situation, he saw the human taking something out of his pocket: some kind of document. At that moment, Darian's expression turned to despair.
"To all present here today, I want to reveal something of extreme importance to the royal family of Anima about Darian"
***
As soon as I uttered that word, the place fell eerily silent. Perhaps everyone was curious about the document in my hand, except for Grid; everyone else was too. At that moment, I noticed Grid exchange a few words with the king. After a few seconds of silence, Grid looked directly at me and nodded. That was the signal. With that, I began to move slowly towards where the king was.
Leona watched me with confusion, as this was clearly unusual. Duels in the Goddess Coliseum were highly symbolic for the Demi-humans. Moreover, it was evident from everyone's puzzled expressions that, despite the duel being interrupted, it didn't seem to generate outrage from Felrotha.
As I approached the end of the ring, the sound of something breaking echoed behind me. Turning around, I realized Darian had disappeared from where he was and was only inches away from me. However, before he could reach me, a giant black hand emerged out of nowhere and pressed him to the ground. Shade suddenly appeared by my side.
"Do not even dare to imagine that I will allow you to approach the king"
Shade declared. Shade's entrance sparked various murmurs in the audience, but the king showed no sign of indignation. On the contrary, his attention seemed more focused on the letter than on the unfolding of the fight. I'm curious about what exactly Grid communicated to the king to persuade him to this extent.