Hero of Darkness

Inside the main castle of the Mikealson Clan, the clan leader and his wife reprimanded their daughter and commanded her to win the Emperor's Chosen competition no matter what.

This was more of an order than parents motivating their children to do better in an exam.

Kassandra had a solemn and obedient expression on her face, contrasting her cheerful and energetic attitude from before.

"Listen to me, Kassandra. You already know about the first sage, right? How much influence that name carries and how big responsibility lies on your shoulders if you represent us in that competition?" asked Damon Mikealson.

"Yes, lord father. I know." spoke Kassandra.

According to the history of the Rakos Empire and how it was founded by the first emperor, Rathnaar The Conqueror.. The sage was one of the most frequent names that came up in the ancient archives and historical books.

Lerzon Mikealson was a 9th stage saint magician, titled as the First Sage of Rakos Empire and also the right-hand man of the emperor who accompanied him during his conquest.

He was one of the founding members of the Rakos Empire and naturally, the Mikealson Clan became one of the founding pillars of the empire itself when it was formed a millennium ago.

If Kahn were to be here, he would've been gobsmacked after knowing that it was indeed the very first sage whose remnant will he met in the final floor of the Bromnir dungeon from Flavot city.

Lerzon Mikealson's remnant will or the last part of his soul was left within the Emperor's core that Kahn found after defeating the Magma Drake dungeon boss. It was him who turned the ownership of the Peak Saint rank Emperor's core to Kahn and chose him as his successor, making him the rightful heir to the throne.

But since the imperial family was rooted out and everyone related to it was killed in the Great War over a century ago, Kahn had no intentions to reveal anything about the peak saint's core that would spell his doom.

The First Emperor was close to becoming a Demigod back then before dying after 400 years of his age but even now, his name was still renowned in the annals of history.

He was someone so powerful that even the chosen heroes of the gods did not dare to mess with him in the past and hence, Rakos Empire was secured and allowed to flourish to the point that even after his death, no one succeeded to rule over it and no religious organization had taken the hold of this empire.

And Kassandra was the direct descendant of that very bloodline of the first sage.

Because of his history and deeds, the clan had survived even after the great war.

In fact, the Mikealson Clan betrayed and defeated the imperial family in the great war.

From the books Kahn read, he already knew about the history behind the Great War.

The 7th Emperor, ruler of that time and the imperial rule under him was very cruel for the common people and the Emperor himself had punished and killed many of his vassals out of jealousy or fear of them becoming a threat to his rule.

When things became intolerable, even the Mikealson clan that served the imperial family for more than nine hundred years, chose to join arms against the dictators.

Kassandra's grandfather made the decision to betray them for the sake of the future of the empire and its people. And even so, the Mikealson clan still managed to thrive under the rule of her grandfather who was the strongest mage of that time. And after his death, her father successfully took command and maintained their power & authority.

Currently, her father himself was the 2nd strongest mage of the empire, dwarfed only by an elven mage from the Pureblood faction despite being on the same rank as him.

So there was a rich history behind her family lineage. And Kassandra had to bear the burden of that name herself.

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After Kassandra returned to her room, Isaac came to meet her again.

"How did it go? You're not gonna cry again, are you?" asked Isaac in a mischievous tone.

"You imbecile! Don't bother me." cursed Kassandra in an irritated tone, back to her usual self.

"Honestly.. Sometimes I wonder if they're even my real parents. No matter what I do or how many great things I achieve.. It's never enough for them." spoke Kassandra with a dejected and pained expression.

"I have worked hard since my childhood to make them feel proud of me. But even if after I became the first one of the youngest generation to become a semi-saint.. You know what they said?.."

"Not just them... but everyone said it's expected of the daughter of the clan leader.

And no one ever praised me for all the hard work I did by training myself for the past two decades tirelessly." she said and rested her head on the armrest of the chair.

"Well.. Big sister Kassandra.. That is the curse of being the clan leader's daughter. And on top of that.. Both of them are in the top 10 magicians in the empire.

No matter what you do.. You will always be compared to your parents one way or another." said Isaac with a stern tone as he rested his back against a wall.

Kassandra took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and regain her composure.

"Whatever it may be.. I'm going to win this competition." she said with a resolute tone.

"Why? I thought you hated the fact that they chose you as one of the representatives.." queried Isaac.

"Because this is an opportunity." replied Kassandra and walked towards the balcony again.

Her gaze landed on the heavenly scenery of nature in front of her as she slowly moved her fluttering hair in the wind.

"I don't want to win the competition for some prestige, popularity or some authority. I could care less about these faction wars.

But I have my own pride as well." spoke Kassandra and the next second, her countenance turned serious.

"Not just my parents or my clan. Not just other geniuses or the factions..

I want to win it to prove myself." she said and gave a smile towards Isaac who was nodding in support.

Her eyes were filled with determination and her heart filled with battle intent.

"And show everyone why they call me the number one prodigy of this empire."