THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

A sense of dread washed over him as he turned to the side. His body tingled with fear, and his face drained of colour as he saw something approaching—something not entirely human. Cloaked in a dark blue aura, its monstrous visage seemed to emerge from the shadows, its jaws wide open in a silent snarl.

"Lord Eric," Sanir called out, his voice trembling with fear, but Eric was too engrossed in tormenting the head maid to notice. Panic surged within Sanir, and he could see that the other nobles had also caught sight of the approaching horror, their eyes wide with terror.

Sanir\'s instincts screamed at him to act. He jumped in front of Eric, casting a mana wall in a desperate attempt to protect them both. A sharp, menacing projectile sliced through the air with a high-pitched whistle, colliding with his mana wall. The force of the impact was immense, and despite his strength as a 3rd class mage, the barrier crumpled like paper. The projectile bit deep into Sanir\'s shoulder, sending waves of pain coursing through his body as he let out a blood-curdling scream.

Eric, still focused on his assault, was startled by the sudden shockwave and the warm splatters of blood that landed on his face. He turned towards the source of the chaos, his eyes widening in disbelief. There stood David, but he was no longer the brother Eric knew. Something dark and terrifying had awakened within him, something that made Eric\'s heart stop in fear.

Chaos erupted as the corridor echoed with gasps and murmurs. "What\'s happening? Did he... did he try to kill Lord Eric?" a maid whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. Her words pulled two nobles out of their shock, their eyes narrowing as they processed what had just transpired. One of the nobles, his mind racing, felt a surge of anger and confusion. \'Did that trash really aim for Lord Eric\'s life?\' he thought, glancing at his companion. The question hung in the air, heavy with implication.

"Apprehend him for treason! That bastard tried to assassinate Eric De Gor!" the noble bellowed, his voice booming through the corridor as his hands began to glow with a fierce light. In an instant, a sword of pure lightning materialized in his grip, crackling with deadly energy.

The blade, an artifact passed down by his father, was known to overwhelm even the most skilled of 4th-ranked swordsmen. The noble could feel the power thrumming through the hilt, the electric energy resting comfortably in his hand, ready to unleash its fury.

His companion, equally determined, summoned his own artifact—a whip made of flames that twisted and writhed like a living serpent. The fiery weapon hissed as it slithered down to the ground, leaving scorched trails in its wake. With a shared nod, the two nobles silently agreed on their course of action: they would corner David, strike him down, and claim it was in self-defense. The thought of gaining favour with Lord Eric brought a wicked smile to the noble wielding the lightning sword. His mind raced with visions of the accolades he would receive, the power he would gain.

The noble charged forward, his lightning sword crackling with anticipation as it scorched the air around him. His eyes locked onto David, his heart pounding with the thrill of the impending kill. He raised his sword high, ready to deliver the final, fatal blow. But before he could bring the blade down, a blur of movement caught his eye.

In the blink of an eye, David\'s foot connected with the lightning sword, the sheer force of the kick snapping the electrified blade in two. The noble barely had time to register what had happened before the kick continued its momentum, slamming into his chest with bone-crushing power. The impact sent him flying across the corridor, his body crashing into the stone wall with a thunderous sound that echoed through the castle. The force of the collision was so great that the seemingly impenetrable wall cracked under the strain, a testament to the strength behind the kick.

The noble slumped to the ground, dazed and gasping for breath, his body battered and broken. His companion, who had been readying his own attack, froze in place, the flames of his whip flickering uncertainly as he witnessed the sheer might of David\'s response. The corridor fell silent, the air thick with tension as the remaining nobles realized they were not dealing with the David they had known—a meek, drunken fool—but with something far more dangerous.

"Have you gone mad?" the noble with the fiery whip shouted, his voice trembling with a mixture of fury and disbelief. \'How is this fool overwhelming us?\' he thought, his mind racing to make sense of the scene before him. The idea that David, the so-called trash of the family, could wield such power was inconceivable. \'No, it must be something else,\' he reassured himself, dismissing the unsettling thought. His companion must have let his guard down—that had to be the only explanation.

Resolving to end this farce, the noble tightened his grip on the whip. He would put all his strength into a single, devastating strike and rid Lord Eric of this embarrassment once and for all. With a sharp crack, he snapped the whip to the side, the flames licking the stone walls as he prepared to strike. The fiery weapon, alive with intensity, cut through the air as he lashed it toward David, the flames hissing with lethal intent.

But before the whip could reach its target, David vanished from sight. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving nothing but the echo of his footsteps. The noble\'s eyes widened in shock, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. His whip, once a burning symbol of his power, fell lifeless to the ground, its flames extinguished, the rope severed into useless fragments.

1

A sudden, chilling silence filled the corridor as the noble\'s world spun out of control. His vision blurred, his surroundings twisted upside down in a nauseating swirl of confusion. Before he could comprehend the shift, David reappeared in front of him, moving with speed and precision that defied belief. With a cold, merciless grip, David seized the noble\'s face, his fingers digging into the flesh with terrifying strength. In one swift, brutal motion, he slammed the noble\'s head into the nearby window pane.

The glass shattered upon impact, shards flying in every direction as the noble\'s body went limp. The sound of the window breaking echoed through the stone walls, a chilling testament to David\'s strength. The remaining nobles, who had been steeling themselves to attack, froze in place, their courage draining away as they witnessed the brutal display. The corridor, once filled with the arrogance and confidence of the noble class, now seemed to shrink under the oppressive weight of David\'s presence.

With a cold, detached expression, David released his grip, letting the noble\'s unconscious body slump to the floor with a dull thud. The sound reverberated through the corridor, a grim reminder of the power shift that had just occurred. The remaining nobles, paralyzed with fear, could do nothing but stare at the fallen figure, their resolve shattered along with the window. David, without sparing them a glance, stood amidst the wreckage, a silent force of nature that had turned their world upside down.

Seraphina\'s heart pounded as she watched David unleash a brutal assault on the young nobles, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor. Her eyes scanned the scene, and she noticed a blonde woman sprawled on the floor, her condition barely conscious. Was David trying to save her? If so, why resort to such violence? Even when he faced Draven, David had remained calm, almost playful, but this... this was different. Was there a deeper connection between David and the woman?

Before Seraphina could ponder further, David\'s voice cut through her thoughts, a whisper that seemed to resonate directly in her mind, "Take her and follow the shadows." Without a moment\'s hesitation, Seraphina moved to the woman\'s side, her body pulsing with enhanced strength as she hoisted the woman up. Glancing around, she noticed a trail of shadows snaking through the corridor, beckoning her in a specific direction. Trusting David, she followed the shadows, leaving him behind to face the storm brewing in his wake.

Eric, torn between stopping the mysterious woman and facing David, felt his blood run cold as David approached. There was something terrifyingly familiar in David\'s eyes—those icy, ruthless eyes that mirrored another monster he knew too well, his eldest brother, Kaiden De Gor, the Blood Whale. Eric\'s instincts screamed at him to retreat, and he did, step by shaky step. But David merely brushed past him, pausing only when their backs met. "You wanted to face me," David\'s voice was a chilling whisper. "I\'ll be waiting in the training ground."

As David walked away, the air thickened with tension, a palpable silence hanging heavy in the corridor. Eric\'s rage, a tempest brewing, shattered the fragile peace. "I\'ll end you! You\'ll regret the day you entered this household!" he roared, his voice a thunderclap that echoed through the stone corridor. Crimson energy, a fiery serpent, coiled around him as he stormed after David, his vengeance a storm cloud on the horizon.

****

"Home, at last... or so it seems," the Blood Whale murmured, his tone as indifferent as the shadows that clung to the De Gor estate before him. Perched on his horse, he gazed at the looming fortress, its walls holding secrets only he could fathom. The prodigal son of the De Gor family had returned, a ghost from the past, accompanied by a battalion of warriors who had survived the horrors of the Deadlands. Their eyes held the haunted determination of those who had seen the abyss and were prepared to follow their commander into the very heart of darkness.

****

A/N: EXTRA

David:

grinning

"Hey, Author! I heard it\'s your birthday. Happy Birthday! And I\'ve got to say, you\'ve really outdone yourself with \'The General\'s Disgraced Heir.\' The plot twists are insane."

Author:

laughing

"Thanks, David! But honestly, I couldn\'t have made it this far without readers like you."

David:

raising an eyebrow

"You mean characters like me, right? Without me, the readers would just be staring at blank pages."

Author:

"Touché, David. You definitely keep things interesting."

David:

leaning in conspiratorially

"Speaking of interesting... What\'s going to happen in the next scene? Will Kaiden and I end up as enemies? You\'re not planning to pit us against each other, are you?"

Author:

grinning mischievously

"Now, now, David... That\'s a secret."

David:

mock pouting

"Come on, just a hint? A tiny one?"

Author:

teasingly

"Not a chance. You\'ll just have to wait and see like everyone else. Besides, where\'s the fun in spoilers?"

David:

sighs dramatically

"Fine, keep your secrets. But just so you know, I\'m watching you."

Author:

laughing

"Noted. And hey, thanks for the birthday wishes. Keep doing what you do best—keeping everyone on the edge of their seats!"

David:

grinning

"You too, Author. Oi, readers at least give the author a super gift to celebrate!"

Author:

"Hey, stop harassing my readers, but I don\'t mind super gifts"

Winks

David used frostfang to cut the whip.