The Way of Darkness

Among the innumerable universes, dimensions and planets, among the countless lives that are born there, there are always those who stand out. They are called different things: geniuses, gifted, talented, and so on. But not everyone knows what difficulties they will face in their lives.

Among them, the light of one lone star shines particularly brightly. Once upon a time, on a wonderful sunny day, a child was born in a beautiful country, whose appearance marked the beginning of a new era.

Will this era be the happy one in the history of this world? Or will it be its end? Only he knows the answer to these questions.

…

Somewhere in the manor: "A boy! A boy has been born! A boy has been born to the master and mistress!" a young, dark-haired maid shouted as she ran down the spacious, sunny corridor of the large estate, letting everyone know that the hardest part was over. At this time, in the corridor, next to the door to the young parents' room: "Congratulations on the birth of your heir, my Lord. The boy is healthy and sleeping now," said an elderly doctor with grey hair in a calm tone. In his voice, one could hear fatigue and even satisfaction, satisfaction with the work he had done.

"I sincerely thank you for your work, doctor. Please inform the maids of the necessary arrangements and other important details." The young father replied with a calm tone and a light, gentle smile on his face, although his face was usually serious and almost devoid of emotion, and his eyes were usually sharp and penetrating, like an arrow.

His name was William Darkswing. He had beautiful long black hair, like obsidian, tied with a thin white silk ribbon in a ponytail at neck level, and his face was adorned with two beautiful horns as dark as night. He was of the Oni race. His eyes were like beautiful rubies, but just as rubies are precious stones with a touch of elegance, his gaze suited his royal status. Today, though, he was calm and relaxed.

After a short conversation with the head of the family, the doctor told the maids in detail what to do and how to do it, what to watch for, and gave some more advice on taking care of the baby and the mother. After that, as it was getting dark and all the necessary work was done, the doctor left the mansion, almost getting lost in it. His task was completed, and the child's life was not in danger. And that was the end of this difficult and disturbing day.

…

The next morning was as sunny and pleasant as the previous one. The manor was generally quiet, with the occasional quiet conversation among the maids or the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen, where the cooks were already preparing breakfast for the Darkswing family.

The lord of the manor, waking up next to his wife and newborn son and seeing that they were still sleeping, decided to finish all the urgent work and spend a day or two with his family. So he quietly got out of his large and soft bed, put on a white cotton shirt and black trousers, and silently left the bedroom with his slippers on.

Slowly walking down the splendid corridor of his huge country estate, decorated with various paintings, ornaments, small sculptures and ornamental plants, he was immersed in thoughts of various things. His footsteps were silent, and since the carpet was made of the finest quality materials, it could sometimes be mistaken for a bed. On his way to his office, he met the head butler, a pretty old and tall man with short grey hair who had served the Darkswing family when William's father was head of the family. He bowed to him and greeted him in a calm voice: "Good morning, Lord. How was your night? Is the lady and the young master well?"

"Morning, Clovis. It's the usual, Cecilia is still asleep, so don't disturb her yet. Yesterday was a hard day for her." William told the butler in a calm and deep voice as he continued to walk down the large corridor to his office.

"Of course, My Lord. I will inform the maids of this. There were several urgent matters that came up yesterday afternoon and night," the head butler said, following his master a little behind.

"I wanted to take care of them now so that I could have a free day today. Cecilia is still quite weak after giving birth and I want to be there for her and for Dominique. So let's quickly resolve all the necessary issues. I don't have much time while they're still sleeping."

"I see. Then let's start with the immediate issues."

After that, a few quiet hours passed while William and Clovis were working and Cecilia and Dominique were sleeping. Towards the end of the morning hours, the young mother woke up. She quickly called for the maids, who immediately came running to the room, putting aside what they were doing.

A short time later, the door to the Lord and Lady's bedroom opened gently and a maid quietly entered the room, careful not to wake the child. "Good morning, Ma'am. How was your night? How is the young master?" the young-looking maid with dark hair asked in a quiet voice.

"Morning, Emily," Cecilia replied with a soft voice, "I slept like a baby, and although I slept well, I am still exhausted. And I'm also starving as hell."

Cecilia Darkswing is William's wife and Dominique's mother. She had a youthful appearance, clear features, fair skin, beautiful white hair and enchanting amethyst-coloured eyes, and her beauty was said to be the envy of the gods themselves. These are the rumours that circulate about her. In addition to her beauty, she also has a sharp mind and incredible strength, and is widely known in the world as the "Princess of the White Moon".

"Lady, you can't talk like that. Don't forget who you are!" the maid said angrily.

"So what, there is no one else here but you, so relax. Besides, my status doesn't affect the way I speak at home." Cecilia replied in a calm voice, and then smiled softly.

"Yes, Ma'am. I understand that, but please do not make it a habit of speaking like that. So, what would you like for breakfast, my Lady?" Emily asked.

…

As William walked to the table in the dining room, he met Cecilia's eyes: "Good morning, darling. How is your work going? Have you finished it yet?" asked Cecilia, already sitting at the table and holding their son in her arms.

Sitting down at the table, William answered: "Good morning. Yeah, fortunately, I managed to finish all the urgent tasks, so today I can spend the whole day with you and Dominique. Aren't you excited?"

"My, my, it's wonderful that you're all done and free today, but I really wish I wasn't waking up at noon and in a lonely room as well." Cecilia complained.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted you to get a good rest, since yesterday was a difficult and tiring day for you and I still had a lot of urgent things to do. Besides, I woke up early today." William replied confidently, as if reading out a prepared text and recalling parts of it.

"Yes, I know that, but I've told you a thousand times that I don't like to sleep until lunchtime. Moreover, you know that I don't need sleep to rest. And my exhaustion is not physical at all." Cecilia replied in a calm, gentle but at the same time dissatisfied voice and continued to eat her breakfast.

"I know that, your mana and its circulation should recover within a few weeks, but the doctor said that full recovery could take over a month. Although considering that you're a dragon, I think it will take no more than a month." William said, raising a glass of wine to his mouth.

After that, their family conversation continued throughout breakfast. And after the breakfast, Cecilia fed Dominique and the three of them went for a walk in the large garden at the back of the manor.

"It's getting colder already, it's really starting to feel like autumn." Cecilia said as she walked alongside William, who was carrying Dominique in his arms.

"Indeed. The wind is quite chilly today. So we'd better not take too long before we get back, darling."

Although it was still the middle of the day, the warm autumn days were slowly turning cold, reminding us of the imminent change of season. The young family walked around the beautiful and well-tended garden, filled with various beautiful flowers and trees, for a while longer before returning inside.

The rest of the day, with breaks for tea and food, Cecilia and William spent looking after Dominique, changing rooms from William's office to their bedroom. Dominique was not left unattended for a single moment during the first few weeks to make sure he was safe and sound.

Later, when Cecilia had almost fully recovered, maids began to spend more time with Dominique, looking after him while his parents worked, went into town on business or simply took care of important matters. However, Cecilia and William still devoted all their free time to Domi, taking care of him, playing with him and developing him as much as possible for a baby.

Almost every day was spent in this way. From time to time, relatives and friends came to the estate to visit the parents and congratulate them on the birth of their heir. Days, weeks, months, and even years passed in this way. Dominique grew up as a healthy child in a wonderful family with incredible and caring parents. Their family status also allowed them to concentrate on raising their son, casting aside various problems, which would influence the decisions he would make in the future.