Victor's eyes were fixed on the computer screen in front of him, a smile of pride playing on his face as he muttered, "Just a little longer..."
His fingers danced quickly over the keyboard, and the loading page that had previously displayed itself on the screen disappeared in an instant.
But as his thoughts wandered uncontrollably, the voices of his past began to echo in his mind, pounding like a hammer.
"You spoiled brat! You only have money, but no brains!"
"Victor, will you spend your whole life in front of that screen? You're wasting everything!"
"Victor, your father and I are getting a divorce. For now, you will stay with him."
These voices stabbed deep into his soul, making his body tremble without reason.
"Damn!" Victor growled, his eyes turning to the photo frame that displayed an image of his parents.
"Fuck you!" he shouted, hurling the photo against the wall, where it shattered into pieces. His heart broke as the memories of being bullied at school resurfaced.
Victor Grahn was the only child of a prominent conglomerate family in Los Angeles.
The family business spanned various industries, including oil mining.
But a deadly incident had occurred when one of the family's oil rigs exploded, killing many people.
Since then, the Grahn family's finances had become shaky, and his parents fought constantly.
His mother had an affair, while his father gambled endlessly. Divorce seemed the only solution.
That separation made Victor a target for bullying, especially since he was a weak child at school.
The depression that followed found an outlet in video games, and Victor soon became obsessed with learning to develop his own massive game.
But it wasn't just games that consumed him; he also became obsessed with the concept of dark fate, something he saw as the opposite of every destiny in the world.
A dark fate could turn pain into eternal power.
"Realm of the Cursed Prophecy is my child. It will bring me the greatest gift," Victor murmured.
The game he was developing had its own purpose: immortality and darkness. Victor's gaze returned to the computer screen.
The final line of code he had written filled the screen, but instead of satisfaction, a dark emptiness spread in his chest, growing larger by the second.
INITIATE: ["REQUIEM ÆTERNAM"]
SEQUENCE [VIDA NOVA]
LOCK: {HUMAN_SOUL=[TRANSCEND]}
FINALIZE: "DOMINUS_EXILED"
PROPHET KEY: [AD_VITAM ÆTERNAM]
His fingers stilled as the last code appeared, and the screen suddenly turned black. But then something else appeared—something he had never written:
"ARE YOU READY TO SACRIFICE EVERYTHING?"
Victor leaped from his chair, tugging at his hair desperately, then screamed. His hands slammed repeatedly on the desk, making the screen shake violently.
"Why?! Why isn't this enough?!" His cry broke out. "I gave everything! My life! My soul! But still… Am I ready to give it all away?"
His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving.
"Yes, sure, I am ready! They will never understand. They don't care. This world doesn't care..."
Victor took a step back. His tear-filled eyes stared blankly at the screen, his smile slowly reappearing, this time thin and full of despair.
"Okay, this is it. I will embrace the dark fate and become a part of my own destiny."
With trembling fingers, he pressed the final button on the keyboard. The computer screen blazed with light, filling the room with a blinding glow.
Then... everything went dark, accompanied by a tremendous explosion.