This novel explores themes of power, ambition, and the corrupting nature of absolute victory. The protagonist, A, begins
as a sympathetic figure—someone beaten down by life, given a chance at redemption through supernatural power. But
through his choices, he transforms into something monstrous, valuing victory above all else until he achieves supreme
power at the cost of meaning itself.
The story deliberately follows the villain protagonist arc to its logical conclusion: winning absolutely creates a prison of
boredom and isolation. A gets everything he wants and discovers that unlimited success is its own form of failure.
The first-person narrative allows readers to experience A's psychological journey from desperate mortal to cosmic tyrant,
showing how power gradually erodes empathy and moral restraint. By the end, he's so far removed from humanity that
he can barely remember what it meant to be limited, vulnerable, or connected to others.
This is not a redemption story. A never realizes the error of his ways, never sacrifices his power for a greater good. He
simply wins, and that victory is his damnation.
The system mechanics—the Sovereign's Contract, the Subject Dashboard, the Point economy—serve as a metaphor for
exploitative power structures that extract value from those beneath them while protecting those at the top. A becomes
what he once hated: an untouchable authority that determines the possibilities available to everyone else.
In writing this novel, I wanted to explore what happens when a power fantasy is taken to its ultimate extreme, when the
protagonist gets everything they think they want without restraint or consequence. The answer, as A discovers, is hollow
victory.
The villain won. And that's the tragedy.