Days passed as Lucien groaned, slowly standing up from his mat. "What happened?" he asked himself, a flood of fragmented memories washing over him.
He recalled being on the brink of death, the searing pain of the beating, but beyond that, everything was a hazy blur. He clutched his head, a throbbing ache reminding him of the ordeal.
Suddenly, a translucent screen materialized before his eyes, startling him. He stumbled back, reading the message:
~["Congratulations, Lucien, for becoming an Arcana, a wielder of the arcane kind."]~
Joy surged through him. Finally, he could prove himself. He could attend the esteemed Arcanum Academy, the pinnacle of arcane training. He could make his parents proud, show them that their sacrifices had not been in vain.
Then, another notification appeared: "Do you wish to merge with your true form and gradually obtain your strength? Yes or no." Curiosity piqued, he thought, "Yes," and the system replied, "Integration shall commence."
A blinding light erupted from within him, a surge of raw energy that seemed to tear his soul apart. Lucien screamed, the pain so intense it threatened to consume him. His mind, a whirlwind of fragmented images, memories he thought long buried.
He saw the dark planes, a realm of shadows and eternal night. He saw his brother, Lucifer, his face contorted in a mask of pain and fury. "Why?" Lucien screamed, tears streaming down his face. "Why did you leave me behind, Lucifer? What happened that made you leave me?" His voice echoed in the empty tent, a raw, desperate plea.
But the answers remained elusive. His grief morphed into anger, then a cold, bitter despair. He had been betrayed, abandoned by the only family he had ever known.
He looked down at his hands, his gaze hardening. So, he had been reincarnated into this mortal world. But what a cruel twist of fate! His strength, the power he was born with, was locked away by this enigmatic "system." He would have to play its games, dance to its tune, to reclaim his rightful power.
Abby. The name echoed in his mind, a chilling reminder of the torment he had endured. Those boys, those monsters, had dared to touch his body, to defile his existence. They had unknowingly awakened him, awoken the slumbering beast within.
"They will pay," he vowed, a cold smile gracing his lips. "They will learn why I am called Lucien, why I am the monarch of sins and darkness."
Now, to access this system, to understand its rules, to bend it to his will. Lucien closed his eyes, a chilling determination settling over him. The game had begun.
Lucien stared at the night sky, his gaze piercing through the inky blackness. The moon, a sliver against the vast canvas of stars, offered him little solace. "Why this world?" he muttered, frustration simmering within him. "Out of countless dimensions, why was I reincarnated down here?" If only he never left.
The system's interface, a glowing emerald rectangle hovering before his eyes, mocked him.
~[Menu]~
~[Name: Lucien Frost]~
~[Race: Void being]~
~[Title: Monarch of sins and darkness]~
~[Strength: 10]~
~[Agility: 10]~
~[Perception: 10]~
~[Defence: 10]~
~[HP: 50/50]~
~[Arcane: 100/100]~
~[Skills]~
~[Mental Invasion]~
~[Arcane Punch]~
~[EXP: 0/100]~
~[Main Quest: Reach level 10 by the end of two months]~
Each line of the display was a stark reminder of his current predicament. A Void being, once a force to be reckoned with, now reduced to a collection of mundane stats. The title, "Monarch of sins and darkness," felt like a cruel joke, a shadow of his former glory.
He scoffed at the pitiful values assigned to his attributes. Strength, agility, perception – mere whispers of the power he once wielded. His Arcane, while seemingly abundant, felt like a caged beast, its true potential locked away.
The main quest, "Reach level 10 by the end of two months," hung over him like a grim reminder of the system's control. It was as if he were a caged animal, forced to perform for its amusement. Lucien clenched his fists, the frustration boiling within him.
He would not be a pawn in this game. He would break free, reclaim his power, I will find you brother and you must give me a good reason for leaving me behind and never coming back or else I will fight you.
The system notification startled Lucien, the emerald green text shimmering into existence before his eyes.
~[A being has been detected tampering with the system. All stats have been boosted times 2. An encrypted message has been sent to you.]~
Intrigued, Lucien focused on the message, his heart pounding.
~[Am sorry brother but yooouuu mustn't youuuu mustn't ]~
~[glitch glitch]~
~[message blocked but all boosts cannot be reset]~
The message ended abruptly, the last few words garbled and unintelligible. "Brother?" Lucien whispered, the name echoing in his mind. Lucifer? Could it be?
Desperation clawed at his throat. How was his brother? Where was he? Was he alright? Lucien felt a surge of raw emotion, a mixture of joy, fear, and a desperate yearning for answers.
But he knew the system wouldn't provide them. He had to find his own answers.
He decided to sleep, to rest his mind and body. Tomorrow, he would face the Arcanum Academy trials. Perhaps, within the hallowed halls of that institution, he would find Abby and his lackeys, or perhaps even encounter those who had dared to sell him to the parkers. And then, he would repay them in kind, a chilling smile gracing his lips.
The world of Atheria shimmered with life, a vibrant tapestry woven from emerald forests, sapphire oceans, and amethyst mountains that pierced the azure sky. Sunlight, a benevolent hand, caressed the land, awakening flowers of every hue, from the fiery crimson of the sunrose to the ethereal glow of the moonbloom.
Atheria was a symphony of life, a harmonious dance between nature and its inhabitants. Graceful elves, with skin like moonlight and eyes like starlight, glided through the ancient forests, their laughter echoing like wind chimes.
Dwarves, sturdy and stoic, delved deep into the earth, their forges humming with the rhythmic beat of creation. Humans, ever adaptable, thrived in bustling cities, their ingenuity and resilience shaping the course of civilization.
But this idyllic existence was shattered by the arrival of a being of pure shadow, a god casted away from the heavens into the darkness itself.
This entity, known only as Lucifer, sought to unravel the very fabric of Atheria, to plunge the world into eternal darkness. And settle the scores with his former companions especially Yahweh who sought to be served alone by their creations,To this end, it unleashed upon the world a horde of grotesque abominations, creatures of nightmare born from the depths of its corrupted mind.
Gargantuan spiders with eyes like burning embers, their legs ending in razor-sharp claws, descended from the heavens, weaving webs of shadow that consumed entire villages.
Wyverns, their scales shimmering with an unnatural, malevolent light, soared through the skies, raining fire and death upon the helpless. And from the depths of the earth, monstrous creatures clawed their way to the surface, their bodies a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and stone, their eyes burning with an unholy fire.
But the horrors did not end there. The Abyss, in its twisted malice, also birthed creatures of darkness that preyed upon the very souls of Atheria's inhabitants.
Vampires, creatures of the night, emerged from the shadows, their fangs dripping with the lifeblood of their victims, turning them into mindless thralls. Werewolves, beasts of rage and savagery, roamed the forests, their howls echoing through the night, terrorizing the innocent.
The gods, awakened from their slumber by the chaos, waged a titanic war against The Abyss and its monstrous progeny. A cataclysmic battle ensued, shaking the very foundations of Atheria. The gods, though powerful, were hard-pressed to contain the onslaught. Finally, in a desperate act, they managed to imprison The Abyss within a dimensional rift, sealing it away from the world.
However, the scars of the war ran deep. Atheria, once a paradise, lay ravaged and broken. The gods, weakened and weary, knew they could not protect their creations alone. Thus, they blessed humanity with the gift of Arcane, a potent form of energy that allowed them to tap into the very essence of the world. And to guide their development, they bestowed upon them the System, a framework for learning and growth, a tool to help them harness their newfound power and defend themselves against the remaining threats.
Now, centuries later, the echoes of that ancient war still lingered. The beasts, though weakened, still roamed Atheria, a constant reminder of the darkness that sought to consume the world. Vampires and werewolves, driven by ancient instincts, continued to hunt in the shadows, while humanity, armed with the gift of the gods, stood as the last line of defense, a beacon of hope in a world forever changed.