At that time, he was just four years old. The Fierce Sword Count, possessed by the demonic soul, had cut off all connection with his brother and sister-in-law. They couldn't get help from him. But there were many people who were at their beck and call, willing to help them at any time. Roy's mother was yet to die.
The kidnappers didn't know that the strongest of the Northern Region was their friend.
By kidnapping Damien, they had enraged not only Arnard Leglaz Orlando Baldwin, the third of the three heavenly knights, but also offended the Duke of Snow and Silence, the northern heavenly duke, aka the first heavenly knight and the strongest man in the northern region.
They kicked off in search of Damien.
A storm was approaching.
But they didn't know.
They were busy fiddling with Damien's mind, torturing and messing with his memories.
After they had wiped out his memories, he was like a white piece of paper.
Their next step was to train him into their slave that would submit to their will and eventually a war weapon that would follow their orders unconditionally.
Who were they?
They were led by the remnant of the royal family of the kingdom that had orchestrated the war with the Sun Kingdom, and they were looking for revenge.
Damien unluckily became their target.
Before they could torture him, the storm arrived.
It wasn't Arlo.
It was the Northern Heavenly Duke.
When he descended, it was like a demon had stepped out of Hell and landed on Earth.
After he reached their base, he went down the air. As that happened, countless rebels exploded. They lost their lives before they could put up resistance. When his feet touched the ground, the rebels that had survived also met a dreadful end. The mana or aura shield protecting them shattered, and their bodies twisted like vines, bending out of shape. They didn't realize how and when, but their spines snapped. They snapped into two.
The ones that somehow survived the initial outburst of his wrath took Damien hostage. They threatened to end him if he didn't let them leave. But that was all in vain and worked to anger him even further.
He chuckled.
It was audible and soft but extremely cold, bone-piercing cold.
Snap!
Their wrists, spine, legs, inner world, the sea of magic, organs, and intestines snapped, leaving them momentarily breathless. They had accepted Chaos and, at that time, were among the strongest of its newest followers. That wasn't enough to give them. But it made them experience one hell of a pain, and they cried out, loosening their hold on Damien.
That was what he had been waiting for.
In what seemed like an instant, he secured Damien.
Damien wasn't by their side. He didn't need to hold back anymore.
He attacked the rebels again. This time to kill!
Tidal forces acted on them. Their bodies started stretching. It wasn't something a child should see. But the Northern Heavenly Duke didn't cover his eyes and let him see what happens to those who accept Chaos.
After stretching to a certain extent, their bodies snapped in two halves. Then the two halves of their bodies stretched and snapped again. Eventually, they were nothing but particles.
By the time Arnard arrived, the battle had already ended, and the enemy base was no longer describable. Only dead corpses littered the ground. As for the main perpetrators, no traces of them was left behind in the world.
The Northern Heavenly Duke wanted to train him. Arnard, who was busy searching for clues for the next awakening of his ability, thought that it was a good idea. Damien wasn't interested in fighting. He was as weak as a chicken, and the Duke's palace was heavily guarded. And if the Duke, who was stronger than him, personally protected Damien, this situation wouldn't repeat.
However, As a man, it was Arnard's duty to safeguard his family, and most importantly, he didn't have his wife's permission, so he snatched the boy away from him.
The Northern Heavenly Duke warned him that if he failed to protect him again, he would come to take him away. Arnard brushed it off.
Damien tried to flail out of his hand. He had no memories of him being his father. To him, he looked like a bandit! He wanted to stay with the uncle who saved him! But Arnard declined his request and knocked him out like a bandit.
Damien was taken back home. But he had no memory of it. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to believe that they were his parents. He went after his mother in the looks department. After looking at her face and then at his reflection in the mirror, he stopped doubting that they were related.
It took a while, but he gradually started to open up to them. But he was still cold and detached like an immortal. At that time, he was just 4 years old. That's when Roy's mother died. He attended her funeral and met the man who saved him again.
People continued attempting to kidnap him. The Emperor won the war but he didn't lead a purge. He killed the troublemakers and their relatives, cutting the weed and pulling out the root. But some had escaped. And in only a few years gathered strong followers who were extremely patriotic and willing to follow their orders to restore their kingdoms.
Damien was one of their many targets. His potential was too high, and they wanted to obtain him at all cost. And if that wasn't possible, they wanted to at least make him switch sides.
But they weren't the only ones targeting him.
Because they were showing such great interest in him, the Crimson Mages who were living among the people also set their sights on him.
That's when true hell began for Damien!
.....
As told before, the Crimson Mages were undying who looked like humans. It wasn't hard for them to blend in with the crowd and live a normal life. Unless a special method was used, they couldn't be differentiated from normal humans.
