The rain hadn't stopped for three days.
It poured over the city like a curse, washing away the noise, the people, the life—leaving behind only silence and shadows.
Anish stood alone on the rooftop of an abandoned building, his soaked shirt clinging to his skin, his breath uneven. Below him, the city lights flickered like dying stars.
"This is pointless…" he muttered.
At eighteen, Anish had already learned what most people spent a lifetime denying—
The world was unfair.
No matter how hard he worked, no matter how much he tried… nothing ever changed.
No money.
No connections.
No future.
Just… emptiness.
A faint thunder echoed across the sky.
Anish closed his eyes.
For a moment, he let himself imagine—
A different life.
A stronger version of himself.
Someone who wasn't… weak.
Then—
CRACK.
The sky split open.
Not like lightning.
Not like anything natural.
It was as if the darkness itself had been torn apart.
Anish's eyes snapped open.
"What… the hell is that?"
Above him, something moved.
A swirling mass of black energy—alive, breathing, watching.
His instincts screamed.
Run.
But his body didn't move.
Because deep inside…
Something else answered.
"Stay."
The voice wasn't heard.
It was felt.
Inside his mind.
Inside his soul.
The darkness descended.
Slowly.
Silently.
Like it had been waiting for him.
"No… this isn't real…" Anish stepped back, his heart pounding violently.
But the shadow stopped right in front of him.
And then—
It spoke.
"You have been chosen."
Anish froze.
"Chosen… for what?"
The air grew heavy.
The rain stopped mid-air.
Time itself seemed to tremble.
"For power."
"For destruction."
"For dominion."
His breath hitched.
"This is crazy…"
But the voice continued—
"Accept… and rise."
"Refuse… and return to nothing."
Anish clenched his fists.
Nothing?
Wasn't that what his life already was?
Nothing?
His mind raced.
Fear. Confusion. Doubt.
But underneath it all—
A burning desire.
To change everything.
To become something… more.
He looked up at the darkness.
And for the first time in his life—
He didn't feel weak.
He felt…
Hungry.
"…If I accept," he said slowly, "what do I become?"
The darkness pulsed.
And then—
"A Sovereign."
Silence.
Then Anish smiled.
A small, dangerous smile.
"…Then I accept."
The moment the words left his mouth—
The world shattered.
Darkness exploded into his body.
Pain unlike anything he had ever felt consumed him.
He screamed.
But no sound came out.
His veins burned.
His vision cracked.
His heart—
Stopped.
And then—
It started again.
Stronger.
Colder.
Different.
The rain fell again.
The world returned.
But Anish…
Was no longer the same.
His eyes slowly opened.
Pitch black.
Endless.
Terrifying.
A system-like voice echoed in his mind—
[Shadow System Activated]
[Host Identified: Anish]
[Beginning Initialization…]
Anish looked at his trembling hands.
Then slowly…
He laughed.
A quiet laugh at first.
Then louder.
And louder.
Because deep down—
He knew.
This wasn't the end of his story.
This… was the beginning of his reign.