I had to become a monster... for revenge, and as a reminder.
In this world, the weak are forgotten, the fearful are trampled, and the dead are buried in silence, without names.
That's why I chose to become unforgettable.
To be the nightmare that wakes them, the voice that forces its presence into their silence.
You can call me a monster, if that brings you comfort.
But to those I've saved...
In front of the weak, the poor, the helpless, the hungry...
I am a shadow that expects no thanks.
Call me… Alpha.
The King of the Underworlds. The Forgotten Dragon of Ruin.
A century ago, the world shrank around me into this pit not in forgetfulness, but exile.
I was a king. No eyes dared meet mine, and my name was spoken only in whispers.
But today… something has changed.
It wasn't a voice. It wasn't light.
It was a tremble in the essence itself.
The air around me grew heavier.
The rocks that sheltered me whispered not in words, but in fear.
Even the earth breathed in a strange way, as if something had torn far, far away... but I felt it here.
I closed my eyes.
And then I saw it
A glimpse…
A rift tearing the sky.
Gray lightning.
I don't need to see it to know.
The world is falling apart.
---
The Royal Palace War Room
Amid a sprawling war map, King Edran Val was deep in discussion with his generals.
Eastern raids. Exhausted battalions. Magical barriers collapsing...
But something interrupted the meeting.
The wind.
A window rattled. Papers fluttered.
The scent of distant smoke drifted in.
One of the men looked up at the glass and gasped:
"Look at the sky…"
They all rushed to the glass tower.
It was there
The rift.
Gray lightning.
Stars glowing in broad daylight.
The clouds swirled as if being pulled open from within.
A heavy voice broke the silence:
"Your Majesty... what is happening?"
But the king said nothing.
He simply stared, chest tightening, as though even the air had grown heavier.
---
The Capital Marketplace
Below, the city took its final breath in the stillness before the slaughter.
A child tugged at his mother's sleeve:
"Mama, why are the stars out? Did the sky get lost?"
A merchant let go of his scales.
A woman dropped her basket.
Everyone looked up.
Suddenly…
A rupture in the sky.
And from within it... something descended.
A dark mass with no clear form.
Falling like a stone from hell.
Then impact.
Then silence.
Then blood.
A man sliced clean in half.
A scream.
Panic.
Chaos.
A leap.
The monster pounced into the crowd, as if it knew exactly who to devour first.
Blood.
Wails.
Streets turning into slaughterhouses.
---
Inside the Royal Palace Outside the War Room
A guard burst into the chamber:
"Your Majesty! A creature… fell from the rift! It's butchering people in King's Square! This isn't just a monster… it's something else!"
The king rose at once.
"Summon every soldier. Now."
"We will not wait for hell to knock. Let whoever dares attack know we do not fall in silence."
Chancellor Mirval responded:
"At once, Your Majesty."
The room fell still.
Fear covered the maps like a second skin.
And so, the war began… even before it was declared.
The guard's voice thundered through the hall,
and all faces froze.
But the king did not allow fear to take hold.
With brisk steps, King Edran Val crossed the war room, his cloak billowing behind him, the echo of his boots striking the floor like time itself was racing beside him.
"Your Majesty! Where are you going?"
One of the commanders called from behind.
But he didn't answer.
He shoved the door open and marched down the long corridors. Servants crowded around the windows, staring at the torn sky, their eyes unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
One of them gasped,
"It's the king... His Majesty is running!"
But Edran didn't look at them.
His eyes were locked on his private quarters.
He opened the door
And there she was.
His wife stood by the window, trembling.
"Edran…"
She whispered, unsure where to begin.
"What's happening? The sky… the stars… that vortex… Is this… the end?"
He didn't stop.
He went straight to the wooden weapon chest, opened it, and began to gear up: his long sword, his encrusted armor, the black war cloak.
He answered in a low, firm tone:
"There's no time to explain."
She stepped closer, grasping his arm:
"But you haven't worn that armor since "
"Which means something worse than war has begun."
Then he looked at her just for a moment
His eyes filled with a truth too heavy to unpack:
"If there's anything left of this world by dawn... I'll return to you."
And then he turned and walked out, leaving behind a silence thick with worry, and a corridor full of servants watching him go in stunned awe.
His voice sliced through the castle halls, sharp as a drawn blade:
"Advisor! Assemble every soldier immediately!"
His words echoed off the walls, until Mervall appeared behind him, panting from the run:
"Your Majesty… we have no soldiers left.
Just the palace guards… and a few exhausted mages still holding the barriers."
The king turned to him, eyes ablaze with will:
"Then gather them.
Tell them to stand.
Tell them to prepare for war against monsters.
If we don't save this kingdom… who will?"
The advisor didn't speak.
He straightened his back, bowed with respect, and answered firmly:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
---
The Cave – Deep Within the Shadows
In a place far from light and untouched by screams,
Alpha lay silently, listening to the trembling of the earth beneath him.
But then… another sound.
Slow clapping.
Two… three… then a voice emerged from the darkness, soaked in mockery:
"Look what we have here… the Black Dragon himself! How delightful."
Alpha opened his eyes. His presence weighed down the cave like a shadow made flesh.
"Who do you think you are, appearing before this king?"
A roaring laugh exploded through the cavern walls:
"A king? Hahaha… Don't fool yourself. You're just a disgraced beast thrown off his throne."
Then, with a voice dripping in venom:
"Why not join us?
We… are the true kings."
Alpha slowly sat up, sarcasm creeping into his tone:
"Join you? And I don't even know who you are?... Are you serious?"
Then he rose swiftly, his voice no longer playful
It carried the weight of royalty that does not tolerate mockery:
"Show yourself. Now."
The voice replied from the shadows:
"Fine… fine. Here I am."
Alpha froze.
His eyes narrowed in disbelief, caution creeping into his expression.
A figure stepped forward
Wrapped in white bandages, wearing an unnaturally long black cloak that swept the floor.
Drawn on the bandages, over where the face should be, was a single red eye… painted in blood.
Alpha stood his ground and asked warily:
"Who are you?"
The man's distorted voice replied something that didn't sound quite human:
"Join us… and you'll know."
But Alpha cut him off, voice sharp as steel:
"I'm the one asking questions here, not you.
Answer me who are you, and where did you come from?"
The stranger responded with arrogant pride, his voice drenched in grandeur:
"We are the Chain of Ruin.
We are the law. We are the end.
Those who defy our command… are erased."
Silence fell for a heartbeat
Then Alpha burst into laughter.
A real, unhinged laugh loud and full, tears forming in his eyes as he stared at the pompous figure before him.
"Ah… I haven't laughed like that in ages…"
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and added with unmistakable mockery:
"Did you just say you're the ones who destroy the world and write its laws?
And that anyone who refuses to obey you is wiped from existence?"
He doubled over in another fit of uncontrollable laughter, even slapping the ground as he wheezed:
"Hahahahahahahahahaha… That's fantastic! Truly fantastic!"
Then suddenly, he raised his head.
His gaze turned cold and sharp as a blade, his voice now a whisper laced with lethal threat:
"Now…
Shall I rip your head off your shoulders?
Or blow your body to pieces one limb at a time?"