I was born into an ordinary family as the youngest son. I had a lively childhood.
I was loved by my parents, brothers, and sisters. I was also talented in magic.
My parents were overjoyed when I was admitted to the most prestigious academy in the empire.
However, on the day I was supposed to depart, an evil Necromancer abducted me. He killed my family and made me his slave.
He taught me his arts and turned me into another Necromancer. Together, we conducted countless experiments on humans, beasts, and other races.
Any nation that stood against us was destroyed.
I wished for revenge, but bound by the slave mark, I couldn't even lift a weapon against him.
Countless innocents were slain and used by us to explore the secrets of life. The Necromancer's ultimate goal was immortality.
He was branded as "The Evil Lord," and I was known as the Evil Lord's Servant.
Our lives changed when the kingdom summoned heroes from another world. At first, we dismissed them, thinking they wouldn't be troublesome.
That was our greatest mistake. Their strength grew tremendously.
We engaged in many battles. In the end, the Necromancer was slain by the heroes.
But they couldn't defeat me, as I was stronger than the Necromancer. At the end of our battle, the heroes perished.
They sacrificed their lives to seal me in this dungeon for a thousand years, cursing me for eternity.
---
"That's my story."
"Oh. That was short."
The boy in front of me was like a child compared to me. I could sense his age—it wasn't even 2% of my own—but the power he wielded amazed me.
How incredible must one be to cast magic in a place that seals it? It defied common sense.
Or maybe I was simply old, and the world outside had developed technologies capable of far greater feats than this child could perform in comparison to my time.
The boy had a calm expression. It was fascinating how composed he was. He didn't sympathize with me or show anger. He was simply calm, as though the deeds I had committed were irrelevant to him.
Well, those heinous acts were committed a thousand years ago, so there likely wasn't a generation alive that even knew my name.
"So, I can't trust you. I don't even know if your story is true or not." The boy's words brought despair.
I didn't want to live in this cavern anymore. I had done nothing wrong—I was forced.
I wanted to say this, but I couldn't blame him for not trusting me. Even I wouldn't trust a hero claiming he wouldn't harm a Necromancer—an enemy of humanity who controls death and toys with the living.
"So… what should I do to gain your trust? I can do anything!" I cried and pleaded for help.
I had no dignity left to spare; living in this hell was far more torturous than losing my pride.
Despite my repeated pleas, the boy showed no sign of wanting to help me.
I fell deeper into despair.
"I… can free you if you become my slave," the boy offered.
"Huh?" A slave… again?
I had already been enslaved once, and now he wanted me to become a slave again? That wasn't freedom—it was just another form of restraint.
"Look, I can't help you unless you become my slave. What if you just kill me once I free you? I can't gamble with my life here," the boy said with a shrug, as though it were a matter of fact.
"O-Okay! I… am willing to become your slave."
---
<3rd POV>
"O-Okay! I… am willing to become your slave."
The Necromancer's words brought a smile to Rain's face.
"A free slave!" In a fantasy world, is it a crime to have slaves? Of course not… right?
"Hmm…" Rain thought about how to enslave him, like the dead Necromancer had done. However, Rain didn't trust him enough to believe anything he recommended.
What if he suggested a spell that turned Rain into his slave instead? Like he'd said, he wasn't going to gamble with his life.
"Let's try this." Rain recalled spells he had seen in anime.
"Don't resist," he said, placing his hand on the Necromancer's head.
"W-What are you doing?"
The Necromancer was terrified. Perhaps being trapped in the cavern for so many years had turned him into a coward.
"Making you my slave," Rain replied nonchalantly, as if he were merely assigning the Necromancer a new role as his assistant.
Well, both roles were essentially the same.
He circulated mana into his palm and pressed it against the Necromancer's forehead. From the pores of his skin, the mana seeped inside, filling the Necromancer's entire body.
Rain visualized trapping the heart. His mana flowed to the heart and encased it. A lock, made of condensed mana, formed around it. He continued to focus, channeling more mana into the lock to make it denser.
Then, he visualized the key to the lock and drew it back into his own body. The key was stored within his heart. Could it be extracted later? Who knew?
Rain was simply experimenting, testing what he could achieve through mana visualization.
'Gamble my life, my ass,' he thought, dismissing any concerns for his own safety.
The reason he was doing this was to use the Necromancer as a test subject. If it worked, great. If it didn't, he'd figure something out later. Rain had no energy to worry about everything in the present.
The mana traveled to the brain and formed another lock. Each lock restricted specific actions. This one ensured no hatred toward the mana's owner. It forbade killing, harming, or causing injuries.
Rain had no idea if these restrictions would work. If they did, great; if not, he couldn't bring himself to care much.
Finally, he visualized the Necromancer's soul. Circulating mana into it, he crafted another lock in the space between the heart and the soul.
Using pure visualization, Rain added inscriptions. He visualized every magic contract and soul-binding spell he'd ever read or seen in anime. He held onto the slight hope that this would work.
"Done," he declared.
"What… I don't feel anything…" The Necromancer looked bewildered, unable to comprehend what Rain had just done.
*Is he just a crazy kid?* Diablo thought.
"Now, how can I unlock your chains?" Rain asked.
"You can just break them."
"Okay, but before that, I should give you a name. How about Diablo? From today, you're Diablo."
"Diablo…" The Necromancer repeated the name, savoring it. "I like it. Thank you, Lord, for granting me this name."
Diablo immediately adapted to his role as a slave, addressing Rain as his master.
"By the way," Rain continued, "before I break the chains, how do you feel? Do you hate me? Do you want to kill or injure me? If not, can you confirm that so I'll know if my spell works or not?"
"Uh…" Diablo was at a loss for words.
'He… he isn't stupid, right?' Diablo remained silent for a moment.
Suddenly, he twitched, his face pale. "Aaargh! I feel… I feel an intense pain in my heart! Sorry, Lord, I will never think ill of you again!"
"Wow, it works." Rain was visibly satisfied.
Stretching his hand, he created a sword out of mana. The pure blue energy materialized into a blade.
He focused on making the blade thinner, and his mana control improved. With more visualization of a perfect sword, a sleek new mana blade was ready to slice through the chains.
"Physical enhancement," Rain murmured, as his body glowed red. He raised the sword and struck the chains.
*Clang! Clang!*
The blade collided with the chains, but…
"Not even a scratch," Rain observed, frustrated. "It's a complete failure."
"Lord, try saying 'Dairk' while casting the sword," Diablo suggested.
"Hmm… should I?"
"Yes, Lord. You trust me now, right? I can't think ill of you at all!"
"Right." Rain nodded and uttered, "Dairk?"
'Isn't that just 'dark' with an extra 'i'?' he thought but shrugged it off.
Nothing happened.
He tried again, "Dairk."
Suddenly, a strange sensation overtook him. Mana flowed from his palm, beyond his control.
This time, it was dark—pure dark mana covered the sword. The materialized blade now looked sinister, exuding an ominous aura.
"Not bad," Rain muttered, marveling at the sword in his hand. While he could control the mana outside his body, the sudden flow of internal mana to his palm was unexpected, almost automatic.
"So this is... an incantation chant?" Rain whispered in awe, his eyes fixed on the dark, sinister blade.
*Clang!*
The blade sliced through one of the chains, shattering it effortlessly.
"Just as I expected," Diablo muttered softly.
"Did you say something, Diablo?"
"No, Lord, I was just thinking about how special you are," Diablo replied with a respectful smile.
"Right." Rain nodded, satisfied, and moved on to the next chain.
He increased his speed, enhancing himself more thoroughly with mana. Chain after chain shattered under the power of the dark blade.
Finally, with one last swing, the final chain broke.
"Hah… finally, I'm free!" Diablo exclaimed, his face lighting up with a bright, almost innocent smile. "I am truly grateful to you, my Lord, for granting me the chance to see the world again. I will forever be in your debt." He knelt, bowing deeply to show his appreciation.
"Now, let's leave," Rain said, brushing off Diablo's gratitude. He had no interest in lengthy words of thanks—his sole focus was on exploring the world outside.
"Right, let's leave," Diablo agreed, standing and positioning himself behind Rain.
"Let's go!" Rain exclaimed, activating his physical enhancement.
With a powerful leap, he soared toward the cavern's exit.
Diablo followed casua
lly, landing faster than Rain but stepping aside to let him land in front.
As Rain touched the ground outside, he froze. The world before him was beyond anything he could have imagined.
"Woah."