Dark Born
Copyright© 2025 by Es_Orik
Chapter 21: Stealth
Science Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 21: Stealth - A young man is transported to a new world as the Dark Lord, witness his rise from an ordinary college student to a being capable of causing the greatest evil.
Caution: This Science Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fa/Fa Mult Teenagers Consensual Romantic Lesbian Heterosexual Fiction High Fantasy Restart Magic Sharing Harem Cream Pie
It was dark, probably around midnight. The castle was just ahead, enclosed by towering walls, its massive gate closed and two guards posted on either side standing watch. Adam was sat at the edge of a nearby rooftop, the only one that had been climbable, wanting a better view of his target. He didn’t know who the building belonged to, but whoever it was had slept through his climb, maybe mistaking the noise for a cat. Adam had been there for more than three hours now at least, simply watching the castle, waiting.
He hadn’t come with a plan to rush the gate as that would have woken up the entire castle, and with the exhaustion he felt sinking deep into his bones he’d be cut down long before he ever got near the King’s Hand. Instead, he waited for an opening, something boring and mundane, something like a late-night delivery. Food supplies or equipment, anything that required a wagon. He figured the guards would be too tired to do a proper search and he could slip in with that. A shift change might also work too, though that carried more risk.
Still, if it came before a delivery, he was prepared to take it.
Things would have been much simpler if his reservoir of dark energy wasn’t so depleted. Using shadow-warp, he would have been in and out already, leaving the Hand lying in a pool of his own blood before the thought of danger had even formed in his head. Or maybe not, to kill him that quickly would be mercy, and after what the man had done mercy was out of the question. Adam was here now, enduring exhaustion, sleeplessness, and the cold night air, all just to reach him.
Whatever waited at the end of this would not be quick.
But regardless, shadow-warp was off the table. Adam had told himself that he didn’t want to become overly reliant on magic, but possessing an ability as powerful and effective as that would make restraint a hundred times more difficult. Already, he was thinking of it as a quick solution to problems. He needed to be careful about that. And at the thought of powerful abilities, he pondered over what else was dormant inside him, what other powers waited undiscovered, and if they were as powerful as shadow-warp.
Adam doubted that black flames, the barrier, and shadow-warp were the full extent of his powers. He didn’t know how he knew, but he felt a certainty deep in his gut that he hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface of what he was truly capable of, not even close.
The question was what it would cost to awaken them...
Adam’s thoughts drifted far and wide as he continued to wait in the shadows, several of them pulling together all at once. He thought about Elsa. He’d forced himself not to dwell on her, to keep from worrying too much, but with nothing but time and silence it was hard for thoughts of her not to enter his mind. He wondered what she was facing out there right now. She hadn’t told him the details of the assignment she was sent on, and his mind began to race with dark possibilities. What mission could be so dangerous that the Hand believed she, a Gold-Rank knight, wouldn’t return from? Did dragons exist in this world? Or was it something worse? Maybe he would ask the man himself before he killed him.
From there, Adam’s thoughts wandered to the inn, and what it would take to rebuild it. He had no money, and until this moment that had never truly bothered him, and he knew the reason. Ever since arriving in the world, he’d never allowed himself to get settled as he didn’t think he would be staying long. As long as there was a roof over his head and food in his stomach, he’d been content. But things were different now. He cared about some people in this world, and they cared about him. They’d shown him kindness and he had done nothing at all to repay it. He couldn’t continue relying on their handouts, he couldn’t keep sleeping in the inn’s stable ... even that was gone now, burned away in the fire.
He needed to do something to pay back their kindness. Even if he had no particular need for this world’s money, he shouldn’t forget that the people he cared about did, and if he could do something to make them happier or lighten their load he would try.
For as long as he remained in this world, at least...
Adam pondered over the future as he waited, clinging to the hope that once he killed the Hand of the King this whole chapter would finally be over and he could move on to other things. He was honestly tired of the whole abduction mess and the problems that had branched off from it, he just wanted it to be done. Of course, there were still possibilities to consider after he killed the King’s Hand. Julius could come looking for revenge, or Elliot could report him. Adam would deal with those problems if or when they came, but for now there was only one concern that mattered, and he wanted to end it tonight.
An amusing thought crossed his mind then, of how the old him—the college student always buried in engineering textbooks—would think of what he was doing right now, crouched on a rooftop, waiting for a chance to slip into someone’s home and kill them. It was almost comical, and dark, too, how sharply his life had turned. Taking people’s lives had become normal to him. He didn’t even pause to think about it anymore. The seven men he’d killed in the alley a few hours ago barely surfaced in his thoughts, as though he’d done something completely mundane, like taking out the trash. Then again, he’d called the men pests and that was exactly what they had felt like to him. Each of the men had deserved their deaths, and he’d stopped worrying about his lack of remorse a while ago. But still, a question crept into his mind.
Was he a good person? A decent one? Or an evil one?
Killing in defense of your life or others was fair, it could even be argued that it was a natural instinct. Elsa had killed people too, and as a knight, the bodies that had dropped at her feet certainly exceeded his own. But he didn’t think she saw them as pests, and she would never want to take the lives of innocents. That was where he was different.
Adam didn’t think he was good, or decent, or even evil anymore. None of the labels seemed to fit. People committed evil deeds because they could get away with it, or because there was something to gain from it, or simply because they enjoyed doing it. That wasn’t him. It felt as though he was operating by his own scale of judgment and morality now, not the world’s. The acts of violence he had committed hadn’t been about pleasure, cruelty, or chaos. It was simply a matter of necessity. Taking the lives of those seven men in the alley had been necessary, punishing and killing the Hand of the King was also necessary. That raised another question. If destroying this kingdom ever felt necessary, would he? There was not even the slightest hesitation in his mind. He would destroy it, or at least try. The thought had crossed his mind once before, and just like then, he didn’t consider the amount of lives that would be ruined. It was simply a matter of whether it would be necessary or not.
Could he still be considered a human? Even if he wasn’t going around murdering and causing destruction right now, the lives of most people in this world still meant dirt to him. And wasn’t regard for others a core part of being human? Did it count if his regard extended only to a handful of people? Despite his fear of succumbing completely to the darkness inside him, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the fragment of humanity he wanted to preserve was even human at this point ... he wasn’t sure.
What seemed like another hour slipped by as he waited and his thoughts drifted, but the idea of calling it a night and postponing his plan until tomorrow never crossed Adam’s mind even once. Instead, he began to turn over alternative plans in his head. Should he just kill the guards and open the gate himself? No, he dismissed that idea. He needed to get into the castle discreetly, and leaving a trail of bodies was the exact opposite of discreet.
But what else? What other option did he have at the moment?
Just before Adam could start to curse his luck in this world again, he heard the faint creak of wheels drifting through the night and his head snapped up instantly. From the far end of the road leading up to the gate, a wagon emerged. It was large, fully closed, its wooden sides covered by a curved canvas roof. Two horses trudged forward at an unhurried pace, and the driver sat hunched at the reins, a cloak pulled tight around his shoulders. Several large crates were visible beneath the canvas flaps at the rear, more than enough to hide him if he snuck in.
Adam felt relief settle in his chest. For once, luck was on his side.
He rose to his feet and eased his cramped muscles back into motion, then he tracked the wagon as it approached the gate, thinking of how best to board it. He moved from the edge of the roof before the wagon reached the gate, landing as quietly as he could onto the smaller adjacent building, then to the alley below, being as quiet as he could. Timing was everything now. He let the wagon roll past him, then he kept pace from the shadows, never drawing too close to be seen, never lagging far enough to lose it.
Adam watched the guards straighten and halt the wagon at the gate, then they slowly stepped forward. There was an exchange of words between one of the guards and the driver, while the other guard came around the back and climbed into the wagon to inspect the load. He’d thought the men might be too tired to do their jobs properly, but evidently he was wrong. He was glad he’d made the decision to wait before sneaking aboard.
After a few minutes passed, the guard came down and returned to his partner. Adam saw his chance then, and he didn’t hesitate. Before the wagon moved again, he broke into a hurried jog and snuck into the back, slipping between two crates to hide himself. He heard a loud thud outside, followed by a heavy groan as the mechanism within the walls came to life, iron chains rattling, and the massive steel gate starting to lift. He felt the wagon lurch forward, and he pressed himself deeper into his hiding spot, his breath shallow, not wanting to be discovered now after he’d done the difficult part. The wagon moved for a while, then he heard the castle gate close behind it with another groan, sealing him inside.
This was the point of no return. Adam peeked out from his hiding place as the castle interior opened up ahead, and he saw the courtyards, gardens, and the silhouettes of towers against the night sky. He’d only been here that one time with Elsa, he wasn’t sure he remembered his way around, but that wouldn’t be much of a problem. Somewhere inside those walls was the Hand of the King, and that knowledge alone was enough for him.
Adam felt the wagon roll to a stop somewhere inside the castle grounds, and he heard a weary sigh as the driver stepped down. Not waiting for the man to come around the back and find him, he moved quickly, slipping out from between the crates and pressing himself into the nearest shadow between a stack of barrels and the stone wall.
Adam straightened slowly and pulled the hood of his stolen cloak over his Head, then he looked out. The inner castle was quieter than he remembered, there were a lot of torches lit, but few patrols visible. Midnight had thinned the place out, leaving only the necessary guards and servants awake. Good. For once in this world, luck actually seemed to be on his side. Adam moved when the darkness favored him, crossing the courtyard with quick, cautious steps, keeping to the edges, his eyes constantly tracking windows, walkways, and corners.
Exhaustion pulled at him and his heart pounded like a piston in his chest, whether from excitement or nerves, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t settle it. He felt like a spy. Even in his wildest dreams he could never have imagined this, yet here he was, sneaking through a castle at midnight, and he couldn’t say it didn’t make him feel dangerously alive.
He reached an entrance he vaguely remembered from his visit with Elsa. Back then, he’d been distracted, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the whole place. Now, the memory sharpened in his mind. He pushed the door open just enough to slip through, then he closed it carefully behind him. Inside, the air was warmer and heavy with the scent of old stone and some kind of incense. Torches lined the corridors, and Adam moved without rushing, listening as he went. Footsteps echoed somewhere far off, but none were close. He exhaled quietly and continued to move, his eyes peeled for any unexpected trouble.
At first, he navigated by instinct alone, turning corners without knowing why. Then after a while, certain turns began to feel familiar. He stopped guessing and followed that memory instead, past a stairwell, down a long hall, then up another flight. He slowed as he reached the inner section of the castle. He recognized this area from when Elsa had led him through that day, the Hand’s office should be just around the corner.
Would the man still be there at this hour? If his memory served him correctly, there should be two guards at the door, he’d have to deal with them first, and silently, so as not to raise alarm. But it all depended if the man was there. It would be an annoyance if he was gone, cause that meant he’d have to search for him and risk being discovered sooner.
Adam turned the corner and peeked out first, the Hand’s office came into view, but the guards who’d stood watch by the door the other day weren’t present. Did that mean the man was gone? Or something else? If there were any traps waiting, inside that room would be the moment they sprang. It was a sudden thought that surfaced, and he knew it was only fear taking taking root in his mind. Still, his heart pounded loudly against his ribs and his right hand drifted to grip the hilt of his blade. No one should know he’d be here, in the castle, at this hour ... no one except Elliot perhaps. Only the knight knew he intended to kill the Hand of the King. Even if he didn’t know the plan, the information alone was enough, and if he’d leaked it somehow, then a trap wasn’t too far outside the realm of possibilities.
Adam shook his head to clear the thoughts away and told himself that it was just fear speaking. Elliot wasn’t one of the Hand’s people. Hell, he had even been a target to be eliminated, back in that warehouse. If Elsa hadn’t been there that night, it was likely he would have died. And just tonight, the man had saved people he cared about from certain death. He wouldn’t have done that if he was loyal to the Hand. But then ... he didn’t need to be loyal to the Hand to inform him of a threat to his life. A knot tightened in Adam’s stomach as he recalled the knight’s words, the oath he’d sworn.
Shit, he’d screwed up. He should have considered this earlier. He had only thought about Elliot possibly reporting him after it was done, not doing something before.
Should he try to turn back? No, he dismissed that idea quickly. He had come too far to just turn back on what-ifs. He had to see this through to the end.
He stepped out from the corner, crossed the open space, and reached the door. This was it. He stood there in the dim torchlight for a heartbeat, one hand hovering inches from the door, the other clenched tight to his sword. His breathing was steady, his thoughts eerily calm despite his racing heart. Then, after a final breath, he reached for the handle and pushed.