The Third Prince Of Darkness

While working in my study room, for some unknown reason, something came to my mind tonight. I remembered that as a child—or rather, as a baby—I used to draw pictures that depicted certain things. I don't remember what those pictures were or how they looked, but strangely enough, I clearly remember where I buried them.

When I stood up and looked at the sky, I noticed that the air smelled quite pleasant. Then, before stepping outside and heading toward the queen's palace that Luciana used to use, I made sure to take a torch, realizing how dark the night was.

As I was passing through the corridors, I ran into Isabella and Luciana. They approached me, but I told them I had something urgent to do and continued walking.

I stopped right in front of the window of the palace room that Luciana used to use. After scanning the area a little, I set the torch aside and began digging in a specific spot.

Just then, I heard some noises behind me, triggering a memory in my mind—an embarrassing yet sweet moment with Isabella. When I turned around, Isabella was indeed standing there, but behind her were all the other women as well.

"Why are you all here?"

Luciana stepped forward in response to my question. "I was a bit worried because you said you had something urgent to do... And the others noticed it too and followed me."

I could only sigh and smile at Luciana's answer. "It wasn't actually that important, but since you're here, you can stay if you want to see."

"I'm definitely staying!"

Smiling slightly at Luciana's enthusiasm, I continued digging. The soil was soft but filled with roots, so I had to stop a few times to clear them out as I kept digging with my hands. The others, especially Isabella, watched me with curiosity.

Isabella crossed her arms over her chest, leaned slightly, and furrowed her brows. "What exactly are you looking for?"

I paused for a moment, exhaling softly. "When I was a child, I buried something here. Drawings. I don't remember what they are, but I clearly remember where I buried them."

Luciana took a step forward with curiosity. "Drawings?"

I nodded, and after digging a bit more, my fingers struck something solid beneath the soil. It was a wooden box. Dusting off my hands, I pulled it out and blew away the dust covering it. The years had worn it down, but it was still intact. Without forcing the lock, I opened it and took out a few old, faded papers.

Under the flickering light of the torch, as I unfolded the drawings, a strange feeling stirred inside me. Odd shapes, figures... Most were disorderly, drawn with childish strokes, but some were surprisingly detailed. Also, some of them contained sentences written in the alphabet of my old world.

Luciana, being the closest, instantly appeared beside me.

"What are these?" Ellera asked.

"These are the drawings I made and stored here as a child," I replied.

Luciana immediately examined one of the drawings and recognized herself in it. Well... her chest was exaggeratedly large, but judging by her expression, she still found it rather endearing.

The same thing happened to Isabella when she picked up a drawing that depicted her. Her eyes were eerily red, illustrating the day she had tried to make me eat some strange plant when we were younger. Unlike Luciana, Isabella didn't find it amusing. Instead, the drawing seemed to bring back unpleasant memories for her, so I gently took it from her hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't remember drawing something like this."

Isabella lowered her gaze for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding slightly. "It's fine… I did some stupid things in the past, but they are in the past now," she said, though there was a hint of melancholy in her voice.

After glancing at the drawing one more time, she smiled faintly. "But I have to admit, you were quite talented, even as a child."

Luciana laughed and showed me her drawing. "Is this how you imagined me? Ah, how enchanting I was!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "I think the most remarkable thing here is your confidence."

Luciana laughed and playfully tapped my shoulder. "I have good reasons to be confident."

The other women also started looking through the drawings, some with surprise, some with admiration, and some with curiosity. Some were just random scribbles, but others seemed to tell a story.

When I found a drawing that resembled a baby version of Roxanne, with her striking green eyes standing out, I immediately handed it to her.

Roxanne squinted slightly as she took the drawing and stared at it for a long time. Among the faded lines, a small figure that truly resembled her was present. Her green eyes and thick, wavy hair were distinctly portrayed. But the most intriguing part was the background—there were vague, shadowy figures around her, as if darkness were swirling around her.

"Is this… me?" Roxanne whispered.

I nodded. "I think so. But I don't remember why I drew you or what these shadows mean."

Luciana, peeking over Roxanne's shoulder, furrowed her brows. "These figures look strange. Maybe your childlike imagination just added something random?"

Roxanne traced her fingers over the drawing, her gaze slightly distant. "Maybe…" she murmured. "But oddly enough, this feels familiar. Like… I've seen this before."

Then, drawings of Fiona, Richard, Violet, and Kayle emerged. Now I remembered why I drew them. As a baby, I had drawn these pictures to document important things—so that if I ever lost my memories when I grew up, I could return here and see these important moments again.

But thinking about it now, it was a pretty foolish idea. If I forgot the events and the drawings, how would I remember where I had hidden them? I suppose my tiny baby brain overlooked that detail. Then again, miraculously, I did remember where I had buried them.

Meanwhile, the others continued examining the drawings. Luciana was still laughing at her exaggerated depiction, Isabella was smiling at me softly, and Ellera and Kayle were discussing the meanings of some strange shapes. The other women were also curiously inspecting these silly drawings.

Luciana lifted her head and looked at the sky, then sighed lightly before turning to me. "You know, I never thought I would see something like this."

Isabella carefully folded the drawing in her hands and placed it back in the box. "I think it's sweet. Even as a child, you found a way to depict everyone. I guess we all meant something to you in some way."

Roxanne was still staring at her drawing, gently tracing the faded edges with her fingers. "Strangely… seeing myself through your eyes, even in a time I don't remember, brings me comfort," she murmured.

Luciana chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I guess you reminded us once again how much we mean to you, Ethan."

I looked at them. In the darkness of the night, under the flickering torchlight, their faces were illuminated. They were all a part of my life. They were all, in some way, pieces of what made me who I am.

I closed the box and smiled faintly. "Let's go. I think I've remembered enough memories for one night."

Luciana nodded, Isabella gave a faint smile, Roxanne took one last look at her drawing before placing it back in the box, and the others quietly gathered themselves. Together, we began walking back toward the palace.

The night was calm. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. The stars shimmered in the sky, and the moonlight illuminated our path.

Perhaps, even if some memories were forgotten, there was no need for a reason to remember them. What mattered was that those moments had once existed. And now, we could share them again. But more importantly, we could create new ones.

The sound of our footsteps echoed through the stone corridors of the palace, fading into the silence of the night. For the first time in a long while, we all shared such a deep, unspoken quiet. Ellera, Kayle, Roxanne, and the others had already stopped examining the drawings, but they still seemed lost in thought. Luciana, as always, walked beside me with her cheerful smile. Isabella, on the other hand, occasionally glanced at me, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.

When we reached the grand entrance of the palace, I paused. I looked down at the box in my hands one last time. These small pieces of my past, memories I had once forgotten but now remembered… all held within my grasp.

Luciana tilted her head slightly and looked at me. "What are you thinking?"

I lifted the box slightly, showing it to her. "I'm wondering where I should put these."

Isabella touched the box lightly and locked eyes with me. "Are you just going to toss them aside and forget about them?"

I shook my head. "No… I won't hide them this time. I don't want to forget. They mean too much to me."

For a moment, everyone stopped, as if they were thinking alongside me. Then Luciana gave a small nod and smiled. "Then put them somewhere you can keep them safe and where you'll always see them."

I pressed the box to my chest and lifted my head. "I will."

---

Wow! That was a pretty terrible ending, wasn't it? By the way, I hope you noticed that the drawings and the box were actually a kind of metaphor for the novel itself.

If I had continued writing, I probably would've written the war against Liam next. Then Catherine's arc would begin, followed by the conquest of neighboring kingdoms and the war arc against Tiamat.

After that, I would've focused on the war against Tamerid, mostly through Evangeline's perspective. Then, the Alpshar arc would have likely started. Eventually, when the MC conquered the entire continent and became emperor, arcs centered around Annaxor (the demon inside him), Limahlat, and Valthera would follow. As for the true ending of the novel, I had a few ideas, but I hadn't settled on one yet.

Either way, for better or worse, this novel will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though I couldn't write even a tenth of what I had originally envisioned, it was still a decent story. I hope you enjoyed it at least as much as I did.

By the way, I have new novel ideas in mind. You can check out my ongoing novel, Reincarnated as the Villainess's Husband. The MC might annoy you at first, but I still recommend reading at least the free chapters.

Right now, I also have another novel concept focused on war and chaos. If you liked my writing and want to stay updated on my future works, you can follow me (by clicking the heart next to my name). As far as I know, doing this will notify you when I publish a new novel.

Lastly, I want to give a huge thank you to my biggest supporters!

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