Darkshine Knight

The Darkshine Knight is a major antagonist in the game ''Seiken Densetsu 3. ''He is an highly powerful Knight of Chaos and the third-in-command of the Dragon Emperor. (one of the three possible final bosses) As such, he plays a large role in Duran's or Angela's story. He is in fact Duran's late father, whose soul was enslaved and reincarnated as a Knight of Chaos by the Dragon Emperor.

The Darkshine Knight was once a human named Loki. He was the strongest Knight of Gold (elite knight) of the grasslands kingdom of Valsena, (Forcena in the unofficial translation) as well as Prince Richard best friend and right-hand-man. Loki took part in the events described in the game Heroes of Mana, which takes place nineteen years before Seiken Densetsu 3, where he served as a playable character.

Around fifteen years before the begining of the game, Loki left his wife Simone, and his two children Duran and Wendy in the care of his sister-in-law, because he had to fight alongside Prince Richard and the Valsenian army against the forces of the demonic Dragon Emperor, who threatened the entire world of Mana. At some point in the game, Duran manages to go back in time and tries to warn him,but Loki doesn't listen to him. Loki ultimately engaged a fight against the Dragon Emperor, and they both fell into a bottomless pit, ending the war at the cost of his life.

However, the spirit of the Dragon Emperor survived and retained all his evil power. Acknowledging Loki's immense skills, the Dragon Emperor resolved to use it for his own gain. He captured and enslaved Loki's dead soul, which he sealed in a dark armor, turning the brave Knight of Gold into the fearsome Darkshine Knight. Some years later, they met a young Altenian wizard in training named Koren, who ran away from home because he was "useless with magic." The Dragon Emperor granted Koren incredible magical power in exchange of a part of his soul, thus enslaving another one. Now helped by two extremely powerful servants, the Dragon Emperor hatched a plan to regain his body and to became the new God of Mana, by releasing the dreaded God Beasts.