Thirty years ago…
A young Eldric stood in his prime beside the hospital bed, his hand resting gently on the shoulder of his eight-year-old son, Davi. On the bed lay a pale, unconscious woman—Davi's mother—struggling for life. Her breathing was shallow, her face gaunt but peaceful.
A doctor stood at the bedside, his expression grave.
"What is the disease?" Eldric asked, his voice strained.
The doctor hesitated. "It's the first time I've seen symptoms like this."
"Can you cure her?" Eldric pressed.
"I can't guarantee it," the doctor admitted, "but I'll do everything I can."
"I'll return later to check on her," the doctor added before quietly leaving the room.
Davi looked up at his father with innocent, tear-filled eyes. "Will Mom be okay?"
"Yes," Eldric replied softly, masking the fear in his chest. "She will be all right."
Days turned into weeks, but there was no miracle. One quiet evening, she passed away. Eldric was devastated—but he didn't shed a tear. He didn't even reach for Davi, who stood crying beside her lifeless body. At the funeral, Davi sobbed alone, gripping the edge of her grave while his father stared blankly into the distance.
After her death, Eldric began spending less and less time with his son.
A few days later…
Eldric sat hunched over the bar counter, a drink in his hand. His friend, sitting beside him, looked concerned.
"It's getting late. Why don't you go home?" the friend suggested.
"Let me drink a little longer…" Eldric muttered. His eyes were red, his voice slurred.
"Your son is alone at home. He needs you."
Eldric let out a bitter chuckle. "How can I face him? I wasn't there for him… not even when she died. I watched him cry and I— I did nothing."
"Then take a few days off," the friend insisted. "Spend time with him. It's not too late."
But Eldric just kept drinking.
Later that night…
When Eldric finally returned home, he was swaying with every step. Inside the quiet house, he found Davi sitting in the living room, holding a framed picture of his mother. The boy's eyes were red from crying, his small body trembling.
Eldric stood there silently, watching from the doorway. Drunk and filled with guilt, he said nothing. He wanted to step forward, to hold his son, to say something—anything—but he turned away.
He poured all of his time into fixing the town. The rulers had grown corrupt and lazy. Eldric vowed to rebuild the system, to make sure no child would suffer the same fate. He became the Town Chief. He changed laws, improved the medical system, and gave the people hope.
But in devoting his life to saving others, he forgot to save the one person who needed him most—his son.
Years passed.
Day by day, Davi grew up in silence. He slowly forgot the warmth of a father's love, what family felt like, what it meant to be a son. He only saw a father who loved the town more than him. A man who was always there for others—but never for him.
And the voices around him whispered cruel truths:
"Your father abandoned you."
"He never cared."
"The town is his real family."
Little by little, Davi's heart began to twist. And so, a boy who once cried for his mother became the man who would one day return as a monster.
One day, when Davi was fifteen…
It was a hot afternoon in the bustling town market. Merchants shouted prices, children laughed, and the smell of roasted spices filled the air—until it all turned into chaos.
Davi stood over three boys, all around his age, their faces bruised and bloodied. Market stalls lay overturned, fruits squashed beneath their feet, baskets shattered across the ground. He had beaten them mercilessly.
Guards rushed to the scene and quickly restrained Davi, dragging him away through the shocked crowd. He didn't resist. His knuckles were bloodied, but his eyes burned with anger.
A short while later, Davi was standing in front of his father in the Chief's office of the town hall.
Eldric's voice thundered, "What's the meaning of this?! Why did you beat them?"
"Because…" Davi said, breathing heavily, "They badmouthed you."
"You beat them for that?" Eldric snapped.
"I can't let anyone insult you!" Davi shouted back. "You're my father. I won't let them—"
SLAP.
The sound of Eldric's hand meeting Davi's face echoed through the room. Davi's head snapped to the side.
"Get out of my sight," Eldric said coldly, turning away.
Davi stood frozen for a moment, then walked out of the room, tears silently rolling down his cheeks.
The town advisor stepped forward hesitantly. "Wasn't that… too harsh?"
Eldric sank into his chair, rubbing his temples. "Sometimes… I feel like I don't even know my own son."
"Maybe he needs more than your judgment," the advisor said softly. "Maybe he just needs his father to talk to him."
Eldric looked out the window, his face conflicted. "You're right."
That evening…
Eldric returned home early for the first time in a long while. But the house was quiet. Empty.
"Davi?" he called out.
No answer.
He searched every room. Nothing.
As the sun disappeared over the horizon, he ran through the streets, asking the townspeople, checking alleyways and rooftops—no sign of his son.
Days turned into weeks. Still no sign.
Then the rumors began.
They said Davi had joined a group of rogue criminals. That he had taken lives. Eldric refused to believe it.
Until one day, he saw it for himself.
Davi—no longer a boy, but a cold-eyed youth—returned to the town, surrounded by rogues. He was captured in front of Eldric's eyes.
But Eldric didn't say a word. He couldn't. The pain of seeing the rumors come true had broken something in him.
Davi looked at his father. There was no recognition in Eldric's eyes. Only silent disappointment.
And that was the moment it all changed for Davi.
He realized the man who raised the town didn't have any love left for him.
He needed strength—enough to destroy everything.
But Everdawn was no ordinary place. It was the strongest magical city in the world.
So Davi did the unthinkable.
He found a demon.
In a forgotten corner of the world, hidden in a decaying, cursed castle, he entered a chamber that reeked of death and darkness. Shadows whispered around him.
A tall figure stood at the end of the room. A demon. Its eyes were empty voids.
"What do you seek, human?" the demon asked.
"Power," Davi said, stepping forward. "The power to kill, to destroy. The power to erase this world."
The demon smirked. "Everything comes with a cost."
"I offer you my heart," Davi said without hesitation.
"You do understand," the demon said, amused. "If I take your heart, you'll lose your humanity. You'll cease to be a man."
"I no longer wish to be human."
The demon's smirk widened. "I like you. I'll give you what you want. The heart of a demon."
And with that, Davi was no more.
Dareth Grimsoul was born.
Present time…
As Eldric lay dying, bleeding, his body pierced from all directions, his memories played out in fragments. His son's voice as a child. Laughter from long ago. The light in Davi's eyes before it dimmed forever.
"Maybe," Eldric whispered to himself, his voice barely audible, "If I had just been a little kinder… maybe I could have saved him."
A single tear rolled down his cheek before everything went black.