Legacy of Darkness and the Story of Draven

Dim light flickered in the air, casting strange shadows on the stone walls covered with ancient symbols. I stood in the center of the lab, examining its contents. Everything here breathed forbidden magic: ritual circles, artifacts, leather-bound books covered with ominous signs.

Dark formations surrounded the space. They vibrated with the remnants of magical energy left over from the ritual that resulted in Draven Valmort's death. Their weaving was complex and layered. I recognized some of them right away—cursed seals that draw out life force, mana boosters, magic traps, but others… Their structure was unfamiliar.

I gently touched one of the symbols, and a barely audible melody drifted through the air, like the crying of thousands of lost souls. These formations fed on lives. They absorbed power from everything that came within their limits, refining the energy for a single purpose: to strengthen the owner.

"Draven wasn't just playing with forbidden magic. He was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of strength."

I walked slowly along the tables littered with bottles of potions and elixirs. There were dozens, hundreds of vials: healing, concentration enhancing, mana temporarily boosting. Some I recognized immediately, others were unknown. Some of them were even deadly, capable of tearing the body from the inside if the dose was exceeded.

I took the first potion I could find and drained it without hesitation. Warmth spread through his body, and the pain from his wounds disappeared. Then the second thing — the feeling of fatigue receded. The third thing is that consciousness has cleared up.

I drank everything, not caring about the possible consequences.

— The strongest regenerative elixir — instantly restored tissues.

— Elixir of Purification — eliminated the traces of dark magic left over from the ritual.

— Mana potion — filled the body with energy.

— Blood recovery potion — eliminated weakness.

— Elixir of vigor — restored clarity to the mind.

— Concentrated Mind Enhancement Elixir — made thoughts flow faster.

The bottles fell to the floor, spilling the last drops. But I didn't stop. I didn't know how much I had drunk. Dozens? More? My body burned like hot metal, but my mind became clearer and stronger.

I sat down on the cold stone floor in the center of the room and took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. You need to focus, understand your condition. The connection to this body was still weak. Although I had already adapted, there were still gaps in my memories, fragments of Draven's personality that did not fully merge with mine.

I started meditating.

In this world, meditation was not just relaxation. It was a way to unite consciousness and mana, to know oneself.

Darkness enveloped his mind, but images began to surface in it.

— Fire. The smell of blood. A woman's scream.

— The eyes of a child filled with fear and hatred.

— Black sewer tunnels. Hunger. Pain.

 The old man's gaze reflected warm concern.

— Flames devouring the house.

— The Academy.

— The Darkness of the Abyss Dungeon. A book pulsing with alien energy.

— Pain. Loneliness. An endless struggle for power.

— Abyssal Void Grimoire.

— Murder, evil

I shuddered and abruptly opened my eyes. My heart was pounding.

"These are not just memories. It was his life."

I took a deep breath, feeling them gradually becoming a part of me.

The memories begin to completely merge with my consciousness, with my soul.

Draven's Story

"Draven Valmort is the illegitimate eldest son of one of the ancient and powerful mage families, the Valmorts, born from a maidservant in their mansion."

His mother was a beautiful woman, and the head of the family took a liking to her. However, when she became pregnant, he banished her from the mansion and fired her to avoid complications, as he was planning to marry a rich noblewoman at that time.

The legitimate wife of the head of the family found out about Draven's existence immediately after his birth. Wanting to get rid of him, she convinced her husband to arrange the murder of his mother in order to silence her.

When Draven was 4-5 years old, the head of the family killed his mother right in front of his eyes and then banished the boy, leaving him alone in this cruel world.

For some time, Draven lived in the sewers, fearing that he would be killed. He ate insects, rats, and herbs because he had no money, and others didn't care about his fate. He matured mentally early and realized that no one needed him in this world.

After a while, an unknown elderly couple took pity on him and adopted him as their own child. They didn't have children of their own, so they poured all their love on Draven.

Draven studied in elementary school until the age of 12 and turned out to be a genius in theory. He got excellent grades in all exams and enrolled in a prestigious school in another city, avoiding the danger that threatened him at home.

However, when his father's first wife found out that Draven was making great strides, she was furious. Using her connections, she organized the murder of his foster family with the help of hired killers.

She wanted to kill Draven himself, but she couldn't attack him inside the school because her influence didn't extend to that place. Therefore, she changed the plan and convinced the head of the Valmort family to disown Draven and deprive him of all inheritance rights.

The head of the family agreed and erased his existence from the family records. Now Draven had no family to return to.

Draven was devastated by the death of his foster family and worked hard to become stronger. He wanted to take revenge on the Valmorts for everything they had done to him. However, he soon realized his limits.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't increase his mana control or purity because he didn't have high talent. This realization plunged him into despair. Over time, his gentle nature disappeared, giving way to coldness and ruthlessness.

He began to hide his weakness using his sharp mind, arrogance, and fearlessness. Draven stopped taking martial arts classes and focused on magic theory.

His brilliant mind made him recognizable among the teachers, and he easily graduated from school without even showing his magical abilities.

Abyssal Void Grimoire

At the age of 18, Draven received an invitation to the most prestigious magic academy of the Azgarion Empire, the Great Arcanium High Magic Academy.

By this point, he had already discovered the Abyssal Void Grimoire in the depths of the Abyss Dungeon, where he had survived for three months, relying solely on his intellect and strategic prowess.

To activate the Grimoire, he used forbidden magic and performed forbidden rituals, absorbing the essence of all the monsters, magicians, and other creatures that died in this dungeon.

Due to this, he had barely reached the peak of rank 1 at the age of 18, but no one knew his true strength.

The illusion of power and control over the Grimoire

Draven could control the degree of enhancement of the Grimoire, which allowed him to remain invisible and not arouse suspicion.

In normal situations, he would slightly enhance spells, creating the illusion of a rapid but "natural" increase in power.

At critical moments, he could dramatically increase the power of his attacks, destroying enemies with such ease, as if it came naturally to him.

• He never used the maximum boost all the time, as that would raise too much suspicion.

Thus, he masterfully created the illusion of power, making everyone believe that he was a genius magician who was developing at an alarming rate.

The illusion of power growth

Everyone thinks that at the time of entering the Academy, Draven was already at the peak of rank 3. After that, the people around him were sure that he was growing at an incredible rate:

• The beginning of the first year, he was considered at the peak of the 3rd rank.

• The end of the 1st semester, he reached the highest stage of the 4th rank.

• The beginning of the 2nd semester was considered at the peak of the 4th rank.

• The end of the first year was considered at the middle stage of the 5th rank.

• The beginning of the second year — was considered at the peak of the 5th rank.

• The end of the 1st semester of the second year - reached the 6th rank.

• The end of the second year - was considered at the peak of the 6th rank.

He is now almost in his third year, and everyone believes that he has already reached the seventh rank or is close to it.

But that's actually a lie.

However, in reality, his true strength is only the third rank, which Draven still reached before his death, rising from the second rank.

All his victories and achievements were made possible only thanks to the Grimoire, which enhanced his spells hundreds and thousands of times.

Draven hid his weakness by creating the image of a powerful magician in order to survive and take revenge.