The forest was silent.
Only the dry leaves rustled softly in the night breeze.
Beneath a massive oak tree, a young boy sat slumped against the trunk.
His crimson hair looked dull beneath the moonlight.
His eyes were lifeless—empty of hope.
Blade Lunaria.
His fists were clenched deep into the soil, trembling.
"Why… why do I keep failing?"
"Four times… no matter how hard I try, I fall every time. No matter how much I smile, no matter how much I pretend… nothing ever changes…"
Tears threatened to spill from the corners of his eyes, but he forced them back.
His parents always believed he was their cheerful, smiling son.
His friends thought of him as the light of their group.
No one ever saw the weight he carried—the despair buried beneath that endless smile.
But tonight, that mask finally shattered.
Suddenly, the air grew heavy.
The darkness of the night swallowed the moonlight, as if the world itself were being devoured.
Blade's head throbbed violently, fear crawling up his spine.
A crushing presence, suffocating cold, and an overwhelming pressure wrapped around him.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Clad in black, his gaze burned like a living flame.
Shujin.
The Lord of Darkness.
Blade's breath caught in his throat.
"Shu… Shujin? The Lord of Darkness…? What are you doing here…?"
Shujin stepped closer.
His footsteps echoed with deliberate, silent authority.
His aura pressed down on the boy—not with anger, but with inevitability.
"So, Blade Lunaria," Shujin said softly, his voice cold as steel.
"A young man who dreams of becoming an adventurer… yet no matter how hard he tries, his limits hold him back.
He struggles. He perseveres. But fate itself continues to reject him."
Blade trembled. His heart pounded violently.
Every word struck him like a blade.
"…That's… true…"
Shujin's eyes narrowed—sharp, but not cruel.
"Tell me, Blade… when all your efforts become meaningless, what will you do?
That smile of yours is nothing more than a mask hiding your despair."
Blade bit his lip, unable to answer.
His body shook, his secret laid bare.
---
The Offer
At last, he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Lord of Darkness… what do you want from me?"
Shujin's expression softened slightly—almost like pity.
"A deal. One that will change everything for you.
Will you listen?"
Blade swallowed.
"…A deal?"
Shujin nodded, crouching to meet Blade's eyes as his aura dimmed slightly.
"I can make you what you desire.
A Rank-S++ adventurer—honor, fame, authority, wealth, freedom, peace.
The entire world of Velgrith will know your name.
All the dreams you've ever had will become reality."
Blade's eyes widened. His heart raced, doubt creeping in.
"…That sounds too perfect.
If I accept… what do I have to give you in return?"
A faint, shadowed smile curved Shujin's lips.
"Smart boy.
What I want is your body, your soul… and your emotions."
Blade's blood ran cold. He stumbled backward.
"What…?! My soul? My emotions?! That's… everything!"
Shujin lowered his head slightly, his voice calm.
"But without me… you will become nothing.
A failure. Forgotten by the world.
So tell me, Blade—will you live a life of quiet despair, smiling falsely for others…
or will you take my hand and break free from the limits binding you?"
Blade clenched his fists.
He wanted to scream. To refuse.
But the words stuck in his throat.
"How… how can I trust you?" he finally asked, his voice weak yet desperate.
---
The Oath
Shujin straightened, his presence resembling a dark fortress.
"A fair question.
Then how about this—I swear upon the name of the goddess Elmyria."
"You know the rules.
An oath sworn under her name cannot be broken.
To break it is to invite death itself."
Blade's eyes widened.
He knew it—such an oath was absolute.
Even the Lord of Darkness could not defy it.
Shujin's gaze pierced straight into Blade's chest.
"If my plans succeed, your body, your soul, and your emotions will be returned to you.
This is my vow, sworn under Elmyria's name."
The weight of the oath pressed down on Blade's heart.
His breathing shook.
His heart screamed in protest—but his mind was already drawn in.
"…I can't refuse.
If I don't accept… I'll stay like this forever…"
At last, he whispered,
"…Alright. I accept."
---
The Pact
Shujin's expression softened slightly.
"Good. From this moment on, you belong to me."
As Shujin placed his hand upon Blade's chest, dark energy spiraled around his arm.
Shadows poured into Blade's body, twisting, reshaping him from within.
Blade gasped for breath.
His emotions—pain, despair, false smiles—were stripped away, leaving only emptiness.
Before Blade completely lost consciousness, Shujin leaned closer.
"Don't worry about your family, Blade.
I will take care of them."
For a brief moment, Blade saw something behind Shujin's eyes—
not cruelty, but a deep, hidden sorrow.
A pain greater than death itself.
Then darkness consumed him.
---
A New Stage
Shujin rose, his presence calm and silent as he examined the body before him.
"Not bad," he muttered.
Beside him, another figure appeared—
a perfect duplicate of Shujin's original form, dressed normally, wearing a cold smile.
Now, as Shujin walked within Blade Lunaria,
the world would still see the Lord of Darkness standing before it.
"This is the beginning of a new step," Shujin murmured.
"Through Blade's eyes… I will move freely within this world."
The forest wind stirred, carrying away the final remnants of the pact.
Within the shadows, fate twisted into a new shape.
---
Clarification
Here, Shujin enters Blade's body, taking control of him and beginning a new phase of his plan.
---
✨ End of Chapter 3 ✨
---