------------- Dark Secret

In the darkness of the ancient fortress, in the crusty halls of her forefathers, in the secret chamber of her aunt, she found it. The book had been hidden where none would think to look. The pages were old and yellowed. The secret held therein was darker than the halls of the old castle. The truth of her own birth, written in the hand of her father, was not what she had expected. She had many wild imaginings. She had nightmares about what might have taken her father and her mother, the dark and evil reason she had grown up with her aunt instead, the shadow over her whole being. Her darkest fears were nothing compared to the truth.

She had known her parents were warriors in the service of the kingdom. She had heard stories of their exploits so long ago. She had inherited her mother's armor and her father's sword, and the skill of both. But now, everything that she'd hoped was true, everything she feared might be true, all amounted to nothing. The last page in her father's journal had said it all.

"Delen in back in my arms. I am filled with mixed emotions. My joy at having her back, safe and in one piece, cannot lessen the horror I feel each time I think of the darkness growing inside her. None of our companions, none of the Adamant Lord's Shield, will ever come back from that hellhole. We are the last, and the secret will die with us. Despite everything that cries out in my soul, we have decided to allow the birth of the child. She is not her own fault. We will raise her as our own. And perhaps, with the protection of Saint Leyland, we will be able to save her damned soul. I can not imagine what might happen if she ever finds out that I am not her true father,... that he was one of the darkest evils in history, and thus her grandfather is no less than the Arch Devil of Hell, Asmodeus. Bahamut watch over and guide my adopted child, this bastard daughter of Shang.

Penned this 33rd day of Delneuve in the year 18452 of the Gailen Calendar, and ascertained by the seal of the Baron, Lord Sir Dramathar Westgaard, City of Westgaard, Kingdom of Carellon."

------------- Credits

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