Chapter 1: The Birth of Titans

The world was once ruled by the fragile balance of nations, where power lay in the hands of governments, technology, and the relentless march of progress. Wars were fought with guns, tanks, and missiles—destructive but predictable. But everything changed when science unlocked the means to create something greater: Titans—humans enhanced beyond natural limits, transformed into beings of unimaginable strength.

The birth of Titans began as an accident, an unintended consequence of a desperate scientific race. Nations sought the ultimate weapon—not machines of war, but soldiers who were war itself. It was a biological arms race, a series of ruthless experiments designed to craft the perfect soldier. The process began with minor enhancements: soldiers augmented with artificial muscles, reinforced bones, and neural implants that heightened their reflexes. But such modifications were not enough.

Then came the breakthrough—Apex Serum, a formula that restructured the human body at a cellular level. It was derived from a rare energy source buried deep within the Earth, something far older than humanity itself. When introduced into a living host, the serum rewrote their genetic structure, unlocking abilities that defied reason. Strength beyond comprehension, speed surpassing sound, regeneration that bordered on immortality—these were the first gifts of the Titans.

But there was a cost.

Not all could survive the transformation. Most subjects perished in agony, their bodies unable to handle the overwhelming energy surging through them. Only a handful survived, and those who did were no longer human in any conventional sense. They had become something else—something beyond flesh, beyond morality. They had become Titans.

Once the first Titans emerged, the world as it was known collapsed. Borders became meaningless when a single Titan could lay waste to an entire city in minutes. Governments who possessed Titans quickly ascended to superpower status, while those who did not fell into obscurity. The balance of power shifted violently.

Each country sought to create its own Titans, and thus, an era of war began—The Titan Wars. Nations unleashed their Titans upon one another, waging battles that reshaped the world. Skies burned, mountains crumbled, and entire civilizations were erased in the wake of their clashes.

The Titans themselves were divided into ranks based on their abilities.

Lesser Titans – The lowest tier, enhanced beyond human limits but not invincible. They were the foot soldiers of the new age, used in war like disposable weapons.

Prime Titans – More powerful than their lesser counterparts, capable of single-handedly wiping out entire battalions.

Apex Titans – The rarest and most feared. They stood at the pinnacle of power, possessing abilities that defied logic. They were no longer bound by the laws of nature and would rise to become the strongest of all.

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But power never comes without consequence. The Titans, though nearly immortal, were still human in some ways—at least at first. But as they grew stronger, something inside them began to wither. The more they embraced their strength, the more their humanity faded. Many became little more than monsters in human form, driven by instinct, ambition, or madness.

Some Titans sought to rule, believing themselves gods. Others lived only for war, craving battle as if it were their sole purpose. And then there were those who sought revenge, who saw strength as the only way to protect what they loved.

The world, once controlled by men, was now a battlefield of Titans. And in the end, even they would not be spared from destruction.

The rise of Titans had begun.

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I remember the screams.

They came first, cutting through the silence of the night, turning our home into a battleground before I even understood what was happening. The sharp scent of burning metal filled the air, mingling with the stench of blood.

My father was the first to fall.

He had been a soldier, a war veteran who once commanded respect. But against a Titan, his skill meant nothing. I had never seen him afraid before—not even when war threatened our nation, not even when he spoke of the superhumans who ruled the battlefield. But that night, as he stood between us and the enemy, I saw fear flicker in his eyes.

The Titan that had come for us wasn't an ordinary one. His movements were too calculated, too deliberate, as if he was toying with us. My father emptied his gun into the figure standing in the doorway, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off its armored skin. The Titan didn't flinch. With one swift motion, he closed the distance between them and drove his hand through my father's chest.

There was no final word, no farewell. Just a choked gasp as my father fell lifeless to the ground.

I couldn't breathe.

My mother screamed—a sound that would haunt me for years. She threw herself at the Titan, knowing she had no chance. A mother's instinct, I suppose. But there was no mercy for the weak. With the flick of a wrist, the Titan snapped her neck, letting her body crumple to the floor like a discarded doll.

I tried to move. I tried to stop it. But I was frozen in place.

Then I heard my sister.

"Ethan!"

She was only ten. Small, fragile, clinging to my hand like I was her last hope. I turned to shield her, but I was too slow, too weak. The Titan's hand wrapped around her throat, lifting her into the air.

I begged.

For the first and last time in my life, I begged.

I don't remember what I said. Maybe I offered my life in exchange. Maybe I pleaded for mercy. It didn't matter. The Titan only smirked before squeezing.

The snap was deafening.

Her tiny body hit the floor, lifeless. The last light in my world went out.

And then, the rage came.

I don't know how I survived that night. I don't remember much after the moment my sister died. But something inside me shattered. My heart, my soul—whatever made me human—it died with them.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in the ruins of my home, my hands slick with blood—some mine, most not. The Titan was gone. Maybe he thought I wasn't worth killing. Maybe he enjoyed leaving me broken. I don't know. I never saw him again.

But I swore, on the ashes of my family, that one day I would find him. And when I did, I would carve his heart out with my bare hands.

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I don't remember how many years passed after that.

I wandered from city to city, country to country, with nothing but a blade and the rage burning inside me. The world had changed. Titans ruled everything now, and normal humans were just insects beneath their feet. I saw villages wiped out in an instant, entire cities reduced to rubble in wars between superhumans. It was a world where strength was law, where only the powerful had the right to exist.

I learned quickly.

Mercy was weakness. Hesitation meant death. I killed when I had to, stole when I needed to, and fought when I had no other choice. At first, I was just another survivor. Another broken soul drifting through the ruins. But the anger never left me. It kept me alive. It pushed me forward.

I trained my body until it was as strong as I could make it. I learned to fight, not like a soldier, but like an animal—ruthless, relentless, and efficient. But no matter how much I trained, no matter how many battles I fought, I was still human. Still weak.

That was when I heard about the experiments.

The Apex Program.

A chance to become more than human. A chance to gain the power I needed to take revenge.

I didn't hesitate.

The moment I walked into that lab, I knew there was no turning back.

And I didn't care.

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