CHAPTER 1 — THE CONQUEROR WHO WALKS ALONE
The rain had stopped, leaving the city drenched in wet asphalt and neon light. Streetlamps flickered along the cracked pavement, their yellow glow reflecting off puddles that rippled with every passing car. The city smelled of gasoline, damp concrete, and the faint scent of human life clinging desperately to the streets.
Aiden Cross walked calmly through the alleys, hood pulled low over his face, hands buried deep in the pockets of his black jacket. He moved as if the world around him barely existed. To a casual observer, he was a tired twenty-four-year-old walking home from a late shift. Exhausted, ordinary, forgettable.
But anyone who looked into his eyes for even a moment would feel something impossible. Something cold. Ancient. Immense.
Aiden had seen the rise and fall of empires. He had watched civilizations crumble and rise again. Battles, blood, betrayal… all of it had shaped him. Yet tonight, he walked silently, unbothered, among a world that had no idea he existed.
He was not human. Not truly.
The Alley of Shadows
Three young men suddenly appeared, blocking the narrow alley. Their jackets were cheap, tattoos half-faded, knives glinting under flickering streetlights. They carried confidence like armor, fragile and brittle.
"Hey! Stop right there!" the tallest shouted, stepping forward with a cocky grin.
Aiden didn't slow, didn't look up, didn't flinch.
"Move," he said flatly.
The tallest laughed. "You think you're tough, huh? Wanna fight?"
Aiden finally lifted his gaze. Dark, unreadable, empty yet piercing.
"No," he said."You're weak."
The words were neither cruel nor threatening. They were undeniable truth.
The tallest man's hand shook as it gripped his knife. The other two exchanged uncertain glances.
"You'll regret that!" he shouted, stepping closer.
Aiden sighed. One step forward. Rainwater dripped from the edges of his hood, falling onto the puddles below. The alley seemed smaller, darker, almost alive with expectation.
Time slowed. The three froze—not because of speed, but because of the presence around him. Invisible, suffocating, ancient.
He didn't strike. He didn't even move faster.They ran. Screaming, stumbling, disappearing into the darkness.
Aiden kept walking, calm, deliberate, untouchable.
Eyes Watching From Above
High above, crouched on the edge of a rooftop, a young woman observed him. Short black hair plastered against her forehead, coat fluttering in the breeze. Her device crackled in her ear.
"Target located," she whispered.
"No engagement," a male voice responded coldly."Observe only."
The girl's eyes narrowed."He doesn't look dangerous… but he's not human."
"No human moves like that," the voice said."Report anything unusual. He is a threat."
Lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the silhouette of Aiden as he disappeared deeper into the alley. Even the storm seemed to recognize his presence.
The Convenience Store
Aiden entered a small, dimly lit convenience store. Warm light spilled out, mixing with wet pavement outside. The old cashier jumped.
"Aiden… working late again?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"You should be careful. Strange people have been asking about you… looking for someone."
Aiden paused. "Who?"
The old man's hands trembled. "Someone like… you. Someone powerful. Someone dangerous."
Aiden didn't respond. He paid silently and stepped back into the night.
Outside, he paused, looking into a puddle. His reflection stared back. A young man, tired, yet ancient. Eyes carrying the weight of millennia, battles fought, victories and losses stacked like mountains upon his soul.
"So… they've found me," he muttered quietly.No fear. No surprise. Only weary acknowledgment of the truth.
He wondered, as he often did: Could he ever truly walk among humans without the past shadowing every step?
The Bus Stop
Two familiar faces waited at the bus stop.
Rhea Hart — short hair, glasses, backpack nearly as big as she was, full of nervous energy."Aiden! You forgot your ID at work again!"
"…Thanks," he replied simply.
"That's all? No smile? No gratitude?"
"You want a smile?"
"Yes!"
"No."
She huffed, but fell into step beside him.
Marcus Hale — tall, broad-shouldered, casual hoodie, leaning against the streetlamp."You walked through that alley again?" he asked, half-joking.
"Yeah," Aiden said.
"You're crazy," Marcus laughed. "You scare me sometimes."
"You scare easily," Aiden replied calmly.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Rhea's lips. She studied him carefully, wondering what he was hiding.
A Glimpse of the Past
The bus rolled into view, headlights glinting on wet asphalt.
Rhea froze. "Aiden… your eyes…"
He looked at her. "What about them?"
"They… they just… turned gold."
Marcus stepped back, alarmed.
Aiden touched the corner of his eye. A flicker—like a crown-shaped light—glimmered for a heartbeat, then vanished.
Rhea whispered, trembling, "Aiden… who are you really?"
He stepped onto the bus without looking back. "…A conqueror," he said. Cold. Calm. Final.
The doors hissed closed. The city slept, oblivious to the ancient power walking among them.
The Silent Streets
The alleys were quiet again. Shadows twisted under flickering streetlamps.
Somewhere in the darkness, unseen eyes watched. Not human. Not fully.
Aiden's name whispered through the wind.
The first threads of an ancient war were stirring.
And somewhere, hidden from mortal eyes, the true rulers of the world—the half-human, half-powerful Conquerors—shifted uneasily in their seats.
The game had begun.
END OF CHAPTER 1