Blood dripped onto the shiny white marble floor, one slow, shining drop at a time. The rich crimson on the stone made each drop weightier, more insistent. It formed slowly, a slow and grotesque count of the seconds ticking out from the last of a man's reign.
Lucien Blake coughed, a wet, hacking sound that echoed hollowly in the hollow room. The copper flavor of his own blood stuck to the back of his tongue, thick and bitter. He struggled his eyes up from the cold ground, his vision wavy with pain and betrayal. His office the haven where he had sat in piratical precision, where deals were made and empires forged had become an execution chamber. The throne where he had sat supreme now was the shadowy backdrop to his downfall.
Before him were the two people whose faces he trusted more than any others on earth his half-brother, Darren, and his bride-to-be, Celeste. The two of them offered a picture-perfect image of oneness, standing close, shoulders together as if in solidarity. As if they had already re-written the play, erased him from their existence and replaced him.
Lucien's throat was burned as he croaked, "You." His voice cracked under the burden of pain and amazement. "Why?"
Celeste's head cocked to one side, the cutting edge of her jaw bisecting the dying light, ruby-red lips pressing into a hard, pitiless smile. "Darling, did you expect that someone such as myself would wed a man who never once looked at me with love? Not at all.".
The poison burned through Lucien's veins like molten lead, paralyzing his limbs and shattering his spirit. He coughed again, rough laughter ripping from his throat. "Love?" His voice was broken, a husk of the man he once was. "I gave you everything."
Celeste's eyes glinted with contempt. "And that's where it all disintegrates, exactly," Darren interrupted brutally, stepping forward and arranging his sharp platinum cufflinks with calculated indifference. "You gave the business everything. You gave her everything. But what did you give me? Nothing. I was a ghost to your fire, Lucien.".
Lucien tried to lift himself from the cold marble, but his body refused. The poison was a firestorm within, scorching every muscle, draining him of strength. His breaths came ragged, shallow.
"I… made you," he whispered, voice barely audible.
"You made me your shadow," Darren said, voice ice-cold, his eyes sharp and merciless. "But shadows only exist because of light. And now… I'm done being in the dark."
A final cough wracked Lucien's body. His eyes dimmed, the world around him darkening like ink spreading on vellum. One final ragged gasp, and Lucien Blake the hardest, wealthiest, most feared CEO the country had ever known slumped forward, his face collapsing into a spreading lake of blood.
The lights flickered, went out.
And then, in a flash, the world went black.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING.]
[NEW HOST CONFIRMED: LUCIEN BLAKE]
[REBOOT COMPLETE. WELCOME TO TYRANT SYSTEM 001.]
Lucien gasped in a harsh breath, eyes snapping open. His heart whipped frantically, but the air here was lighter. Cleaner. Not the chilled, stale scent of his penthouse office, nor the coppery tang of blood on marble.
He lay back on a soft bed, smooth sheets sliding against his body like silk. The room around was odd warm light penetrating tall windows rimmed by heavy, dark drapings, rich tapestries hung upon the walls he did not recognize. Everything seemed alive, yet foreign.
A golden screen hovered in front of his sight transparent yet radiating information. It pulsed as it enumerated his consciousness.
[Congratulations. You've been selected for rebirth into Dominion World.]
[Your new life begins now.]
[You retain all past knowledge, memories, and assets mentally.]
[Objective: Build your empire. Crush all who betrayed you. Amass power, wealth… and women.]
Lucien's eyes narrowed. This was no hallucination, no fever dream. He could feel everything every breath, every heartbeat inside him.
He sat up and felt the yielding strength of muscles, slimmer and younger than they had ever been, unencumbered by years of exhaustion and tension.
Walking towards a high mirror on the wall, he eyed his reflection. The man in the mirror was himself, unmistakeably but tempered. More refined. A Lucien Blake free from the 18-hour boardroom wars, unfazed by constant political stab-in-the-backs and constant betrayals.
Younger. Better. Stronger.
His fingers trailed on the glass.
Tap tap tap, soft, was heard on the door.
"Master Lucien," a gentle voice called, with a flicker of deference and something softer curiosity. "Breakfast is ready. The young mistress waits."
Young mistress? Lucien blinked.
He opened the door, and there she was: a stunning maid in a perfectly tailored black uniform, bowing slightly. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink when their eyes met. Her long dark hair framed a delicate, almost porcelain face.
He didn't know who she was.
But the system did.
[Name: Aria Vale. Loyal servant. Potential Harem Member #1.]
[Affection: 17%.]
[Note: She's curious about your sudden change. Use charm or dominance.]
Lucien smiled feebly, his eyes sparkling with something hard and cold behind.
The world had given him a second chance.
This time, he would not just rise again.
He would own the world and all that was on it.
"Aria," he breathed softly, his voice resolute over all the whirling of thoughts in his mind, "bring me to this 'young mistress.' I want to meet her."
She nodded, her cheeks reddening but her strides confident as she turned and invited him to follow.
As he made his way through the luxurious corridors of this new world, every atom of him screamed to take apart, to conquer. This was a game. A test. And Lucien Blake didn't lose.
He remembered Darren's cold betrayal, of Celeste's sickening smile.
They had stolen all from him once.
Now, they would wait as he rebuilt his empire on the ground up and this time he would walk all over them.
The dining room was a pale imitation of the cold, ruthless boardrooms he was used to. Gentle light poured through tinted glass windows, illuminating the room in amber and gold. A delicate porcelain tea service dominated the table, steam rising from newly brewed cups.
Seated there was a young woman, poised and serene. Her dark eyes lifted as Lucien entered, a faint smile playing at her lips.
"Lucien," she said softly. "You've returned."
He blinked, surprise flickering beneath his mask of control.
"Returned?" he repeated.
She nodded. "To Dominion World. To life itself."
Her voice was calm, but her gaze held an unspoken challenge.
Lucien pulled a chair out and sat, his head reeling. This was a peculiar world, indeed. But one in which he could regain all that had been stolen from him.
He steeped tea, the gentle clink of porcelain soothing in the silence.
"So," he said, his gaze fixed on her, "who is the young mistress? And what part do I play in this. raising from the dead?"
The woman's smile increased. "You are the key, Lucien. The chosen one. Empires rise and fall in this world by your will alone. But be warned each choice you make resounds in the lives of those around you. Loyalty is currency, and betrayal is deadly."
Lucien clenched his jaw. He was a master of power games. But now, the stakes were infinite.
He gazed to the golden screen, which glowed silently with meaningless data.
"I shall build my empire," he stated quietly, voice unyielding. "And I shall find out who double-crossed me. They will pay for it."
The woman nodded, eyes glistening. "Good. Because in Dominion World, power is everything."
Days passed in a haze. Lucien's new form learned to acclimate very quickly, his mind sharp and alert. Aria was omnipresent, dutiful, curious, occasionally chiding. She seemed to watch him with interest and caution.
Afternoon sunlight filters through a great garden. Aria asks uncertainly, "Master Lucien, you seem. different. Stronger. More assertive. What did you do?"
He looked at her, his lips twisting into a slow smile. "I lost everything," he said to her quietly. "And in losing it, I gained something better. A second chance to be stronger. To be unstoppable."
Aria's eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked vulnerable. "But what of those who betrayed you? Does your heart ache for them? Or for revenge's sake?"
Lucien considered. "Revenge is a dish best served cold. But my heart? It beats for power alone."
She nodded slowly. "Then I will stand with you. As long as you allow it."
He reached out, pushing a stray lock of hair aside from her face.
"Good," he murmured. "Because this is merely the beginning."
Lucien was reborn, not just physically but also mentally and in soul. Embers of his previous life yet continued to burn, but on them, a new empire would be built. And this time, betrayal would not destroy him.
It was going to fuel him.