In that hall, built to stand as a temple of grandeur—where marble walls veined with pure gold twisted beneath a ceiling that nearly brushed the clouds—silence reigned supreme. It was no ordinary silence; it was heavy, suffocating, pressing upon the chests of those present. Nothing could be heard but the echo of labored breaths and the sound of footsteps that made hearts tremble before the ground itself.
Upon her throne, carved from the stone of stars, sat Himera—the absolute queen. Her features were a terrifying blend of mesmerizing beauty and unyielding cruelty. Her violet eyes did not merely look; they burned with sparks of deep-seated disdain, as though the very presence of the one standing before her tainted the air of her kingdom.
Among the ranks of leaders and rulers stood Arios. His head was bowed so low he could almost hear the frantic pounding of his own heart against the cold floor. He knew his failures were no longer mere "stumbles"—they had become a stain that clung to him like an inseparable shadow. Around him stood his brothers like pillars of light and power—rulers unmatched, their achievements spoken of in legends. As for him… he was the void that refused to be filled, the body the forces of the universe had denied even a fragment of energy, as if he were rejected by nature itself.
Himera shattered the silence, her voice sharp as a guillotine blade: "Is this the extent of your abilities? Or were you born for nothing but to be a disgrace upon our family's name?"
Arios lowered his head even further until his forehead touched the cold marble. He could not find a single word to defend himself; courage had died at the threshold of the mocking gazes surrounding him from every side.
Himera rose slowly from her throne, the rustle of her royal gown striking terror into the ears of all. She approached him, each step like a delayed execution. With deceptive beauty masking a predatory beast, she looked at him with a contempt no excuse could mend.
Arios muttered in a choked voice, tears burning in his shattered eyes: "My lady… please… forgive me… I know that I—"
"Failing?" she cut him off with lethal sarcasm, her tone turning glacial. "You are not merely failing… you are a burden, a stain, a walking disappointment. You were born from my pure blood, and yet you defile it with your foolishness, you wretch."
At that moment, Lucifer stepped forward from among the ranks with confident strides. His name alone was enough to make history tremble. He bowed before the queen with a respect laced in cunning and spoke in a deep voice: "My great lady Himera… perhaps this is the perfect time to purify our blood. This failure, disguised as a son… must be punished for betraying our expectations and rebelling against us through his weakness."
Himera turned to him, a bitter smile of amusement forming on her lips: "A charming idea, Lucifer… and since you are the most capable and closest to my heart, the matter is yours. Decide how this nobody shall be punished."
Lucifer's gaze widened slightly as he turned toward his brother with merciless eyes: "Since his fate is in my hands, I propose something simple… and gradual. That he be erased from existence entirely."
Arios tried to rise—he wanted to scream, to defend his right to breathe—but suddenly… it felt as though gravity had multiplied a thousandfold. Lucifer's overwhelming power crushed him, slamming his body into the ground with a force that left him no room even to groan.
Himera fell silent for a moment, staring at Arios's body sprawled like a crushed insect. She thought, then spoke with authority dripping from her voice: "No… erasing him from existence would be an honor he does not deserve. I will strip him of everything—his name, his title, his lineage… even his memory. He will die in the shadows, cast into the dust of oblivion as though he had never existed."
She raised her hand, and a suffocating royal aura burst forth—an energy of "Royal Isolation" that tore apart existential bonds. She looked at him one last time and said in a low, soul-piercing tone: "Any last words… you who were once of my blood?"
With great effort, Arios lifted his head. He saw their cold faces and heard their restrained laughter, savoring his fall. A bitter, mocking smile formed on his lips as he rasped: "All of you… nothing but corrupt climbers… you worship nothing but your own power, and see nothing beyond it."
At that moment, the judgment descended.
The isolation energy erupted in terrifying silence. There was no scream, no light… only erasure. Arios vanished like a dream forgotten upon waking. Laughter filled the hall—mocking, excessive—as if they had just watched an insect crushed beneath their feet.
In the void…
The emptiness was dark—colorless, windless—a place unseen by eyes and untouched by laws. There, Arios's body floated motionless, as though existence itself had expelled him from the equation.
Suddenly, a familiar voice crept into his depths. Calm and deep, it sent shivers through his being. Arios opened his eyes amid dense fog.
"This voice… why does it sound like mine?" he whispered inwardly.
The voice replied calmly: "No… you are not dead yet."
Arios was stunned: "But I was erased… wasn't I?"
"Yes," the voice answered in the same tone. "Your old existence ended. But I brought you back. Do not ask how—just know that I did."
Arios felt dryness in his throat, as if he had not drunk for centuries: "How long have I been here?"
"For years," the voice replied coldly.
"Impossible! It felt like minutes!" Arios cried in his mind.
"Time here is an illusion," the voice said. "You were both dead and alive… a specter suspended in emptiness. But I am here to offer you another path… a new chance."
Arios asked weakly: "What do you mean?"
"I have made adjustments to you… repaired what they broke, and rebuilt you in a unique form. You have two choices: remain here in eternal silence, or move to a world governed by a single law—power. No lineage, no family, no favoritism… only those who possess power own the world."
A wild desire for change surged within Arios: "I agree. Anything is better than this void."
The voice chuckled softly: "I knew you would. I have granted you power suited for that world—it operates on a system called 'Power Index.' The higher your number, the more your reality and strength multiply. There is also a surprise within this number… one you will discover yourself."
The void trembled, and a swirling gate began devouring everything.
"I will send you now… you will be summoned by someone seeking a warrior. But I will turn you into an infant, without clear memories of this conversation… prepare yourself."
"What?! Wait—!" Arios shouted, but gravity pulled him violently, and everything faded.
In the other world…
Within a dark castle beneath a burning sky, the queen—the ruler of that world—stood within a circle of the blood of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Her violet hair fluttered with the immense energy of the ritual.
"I have given everything!" she cried greedily. "Souls, blood, loyalty… just to summon that invincible warrior!"
A white light burst forth, slicing through the darkness of the hall like a blade.
"I did it! Finally!" the queen screamed in hysterical triumph.
But when the light faded… no beast appeared, no warrior in golden armor.
Instead… a small being emerged, wrapped in a glowing cloth, opening tiny eyes and letting out a soft sound:
"Beeeh!"
The queen froze.
Her ambitions collapsed into an abyss of shock.
She approached the infant, trembling with anger: "This is what I get? An infant?! After all that blood? Is this some cosmic joke?!"
But the child… little Arios… looked at her with an eerily calm gaze.
A gaze unlike that of any child.
It carried something strange… deep… and terrifying.