Immortal Dark Chapter 40: Susenyos's Imperial Past Revealed
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Kidan and Susenyos maintain a tense, diplomatic truce: she won't accuse him to Dean Faris if he helps her secure a life exchange. They avoid each other, but Kidan still feels the ghost of his fangs on her shoulder. Bored by the standoff, she stays in the study when he enters, and he cautiously asks about her research. She explains she is stuck on Dranacti—part of the Quadrantism coursework—and has been tracing major historical moments of dranaics. Susenyos suggests she visit the Ajtaf Contemporary Library, specifically the Gojam Period of the nineteenth century. There, Kidan listens to a summarized history of dranaics through the colonial era and the Pan-African movement. Under a category titled "Hidden History," she finds a portrait of an emperor who ruled Gojam Province: Susenyos III, throne name Malak Sagad IV ("to whom the angels bow"). Shocked, she rushes home and confronts Susenyos in his room. He confirms his past, describing how rogue dranaics attacked his court, forced him to turn, and how he ultimately chose immortality after realizing human weakness. When Kidan asks about the rest of his court, he reveals they are all dead—only preserved as artifacts in his room. Kidan feels a wave of guilt because she destroyed those artifacts earlier. Returning to her own room, she finds it stripped of sunlight and comfort.
Key Events
- Kidan and Susenyos establish a tenuous agreement involving a life exchange and mutual silence about the Dean Faris accusation.
- Kidan researches Dranacti and Quadrantism, focusing on dranaic history.
- Susenyos directs Kidan to the Ajtaf Contemporary Library and the Gojam Period records.
- Kidan discovers that Susenyos was once Emperor Susenyos III (Malak Sagad IV) of Gojam Province.
- Kidan confronts Susenyos about his past; he recounts the attack that forced his transformation and his choice to become a dranaic.
- Susenyos reveals his entire court is dead, with only artifacts remaining—artifacts Kidan previously destroyed.
- Kidan experiences guilt and returns to a room that feels dark and unwelcoming.
Character Development
Kidan deepens her investigation, moving from a purely transactional alliance to a personal probe of Susenyos's identity. Her moment of guilt over the broken artifacts shows a growing empathy for her enemy's loss, complicating her desire for revenge. She also begins to question her own justifications for entering his room, acknowledging the emotional risk.
Susenyos drops his guarded facade, sharing the tragedy that led to his immortality. His admission that he "joined the other side" because humans were weak reveals a pragmatic, survival-driven decision that still carries shame. His careful mending of the artifacts underscores his enduring attachment to the people he lost.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Power and Vulnerability: Susenyos's imperial past contrasts with his current precarious position as a dranaic bound by a truce. Kidan's discovery that the crown she stole was his coronation crown symbolizes the exchange of power between them.
Historical Erasure and Hidden History: The "Hidden History" archive represents truths that dominant narratives bury. Susenyos's full story—both emperor and dranaic—is buried beneath layers of colonial and supernatural conflict.
Guilt and Connection: Kidan's unexpected guilt over destroying the artifacts suggests that knowledge of another's pain creates a bond, even across enemy lines. Her room losing its sun after the revelation mirrors her internal shift from anger to uneasy sympathy.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter provides the first major revelation of Susenyos's backstory, transforming him from a villain to a figure of tragic loss. Kidan's research arc gains a personal dimension, and the artifact room gains profound emotional weight. The truce between them becomes more fragile as Kidan's feelings complicate her mission. The chapter also sets up potential future conflicts involving the 13th and the crown's significance.
Study Questions & Answers
1. Why does Kidan feel guilt after Susenyos reveals his court's death?
She realizes the artifacts she destroyed were not mere historical objects but the last remnants of the people he loved. Her earlier ignorance gives way to empathy, shaking her certainty that Susenyos is purely monstrous.
2. What does Susenyos's choice to "join the other side" suggest about his character?
It shows a pragmatic, survival-oriented nature tempered by regret. He despised human weakness but chose immortality to endure, yet he still mourns what he lost—suggesting his power does not shield him from sorrow.
3. How does the Ajtaf Contemporary Library differ from the main library, and what does that contrast reveal?
The Ajtaf is sleek, modern, and tech-assisted, while the main library is traditional. This contrast reflects the hidden, overlooked nature of the truths Kidan uncovers there—the contemporary setting hints that these secrets are deliberately preserved but not widely known.