2026-09-22 05:00:48June 12th, 1630.
That was the day the world ended.
There was no warning.
No strange message from the governments. No prediction from scientists. No time for humanity to prepare.
One moment, people were living their normal lives. Cars filled the roads, planes crossed the sky, and millions of people went about their daily business.
Then the darkness came.
Creatures appeared across the world without warning. They were unlike anything humanity had ever seen. Their bodies were twisted, their strength was beyond human understanding, and strange powers surrounded them.
The armies of the world responded immediately.
Tanks rolled through cities. Fighter jets filled the sky. Soldiers opened fire with everything they had.
It meant nothing.
Bullets barely slowed the creatures down. Missiles destroyed buildings but failed to stop them. Tanks were ripped apart as easily as toys.
The creatures spread faster than anyone could understand.
Within hours, cities had fallen.
Within days, governments had collapsed.
Humanity fought with everything it had, but it was not enough.
Then something unexpected happened.
A man killed one of the creatures.
No one knew how he had done it.
The moment the creature died, its body broke apart and released a strange energy into the air. The survivors called it Vita.
At first, they thought it was another weapon of the creatures.
They were wrong.
Vita spread through the atmosphere and entered the bodies of surviving humans. Something inside humanity began to change.
People who had once been powerless suddenly developed abilities.
Some became stronger. Some could control elements. Others developed strange powers that had no explanation.
Humanity began to evolve.
For the first time, the creatures were no longer fighting helpless humans.
The war continued.
It was brutal.
Millions died, but humanity slowly learned how to fight back.
Still, victory seemed impossible.
The creatures continued to multiply, and the remaining human settlements were being destroyed one after another.
Then the same man who had killed the first creature made his final stand.
He sacrificed his life to create something that would change humanity's future.
A massive barrier appeared across the world, covering nearly a third of the planet.
The creatures could not pass through it.
For the first time since the darkness arrived, humanity had somewhere to hide.
The survivors gathered behind the barrier and began rebuilding.
Generations passed.
The old world became nothing more than history.
The survivors built massive fortress cities known as Citadels. The strongest awakened humans eventually became the rulers of those cities, and twelve powerful bloodlines rose above the rest.
One of those bloodlines was House Veyne.
Three hundred and ninety-five years had passed since the day the world ended.
And now, inside the Veyne estate in Arkenfall, seventeen-year-old Darius Veyne lay motionless on a large bed.
His body looked peaceful.
His mind was not.
Darius was dreaming.
He was seven years old again.
The night was cold.
Darius could hear the wind rushing through the trees as someone carried him through the dark forest.
He didn't understand what was happening.
All he knew was that his mother was running.
Fast.
Much faster than any normal person should have been able to move.
Darius held onto her tightly, his small arms wrapped around her neck. Her long pale hair whipped across his face as she moved between the trees.
“Mom,” he cried softly. “Where are we going?”
She didn't answer.
Darius lifted his head and looked behind them.
His blood ran cold.
A huge mass of darkness was moving through the forest.
It swallowed everything in its path.
Trees disappeared into it.
The ground cracked beneath it.
The darkness was coming for them.
His mother's grip tightened.
“Don't look back, Darius.”
Her voice was calm, but he could hear the fear hidden beneath it.
Darius buried his face against her shoulder.
He could feel her heart beating.
Fast.
Very fast.
That scared him more than the darkness behind them.
His mother had always been strong.
He had never seen her afraid before.
After several minutes, they finally reached an open
area.
Darius lifted his head.
His small face went pale.
Blood covered the ground.
Broken weapons were scattered everywhere. A destroyed carriage lay on its side, surrounded by bodies.
Darius stared at the scene in horror.
“Mom…”
His mother quickly moved toward the wreckage.
She lowered him to the ground and walked toward a small compartment hidden beneath the broken carriage.
Darius didn't understand what she was doing.
“Mom, what happened?”
She ignored the question.
Her hands were shaking as she opened the compartment.
Then she turned toward him.
For a moment, Darius simply stared.
His mother's white hair was covered in dirt.
There was blood on her clothes.
But her eyes were still warm when she looked at him.
She knelt in front of him and gently held his face.
“Darius.”
Her voice trembled.
Darius's lips shook.
“Where's Dad?”
She didn't answer.
“Mom, where's Dad?”
His mother's eyes became wet.
Darius immediately became more afraid.
“Are we going home?”
She forced a small smile.
“Yes.”
It was a lie.
Even at seven years old, Darius knew it was a lie.
His mother pulled him into her arms.
She held him tightly, as if she wanted to remember the feeling of holding her son forever.
Darius clung to her.
“I'm scared.”
“I know.”
“What's happening?”
His mother closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, there was determination in them.
“I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“You need to live.”
Darius stared at her.
“I will.”
“No matter what happens?”
He nodded quickly.
“Yes.”
His mother touched his cheek.
“You may not understand what I'm doing today.”
She paused, struggling to control her emotions.
“And one day, you may even hate me for it.”
Darius shook his head.
“I won't hate you.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“You might.”
She pulled him closer.
“But that's okay.”
Darius felt his mother's hand move to the back of his head.
“I only need you to live.”
“Mom…”
Her eyes glowed faintly.
Darius suddenly felt warmth spread through his body.
He gasped.
Something strange happened inside him.
It felt as if something was being pulled out of his body.
His strength disappeared.
His eyes widened.
“Mom?”
His mother's face blurred.
He tried to move, but his body became weak.
He couldn't even lift his arms.
“What did you do?”
His mother said nothing.
She simply kissed his forehead.
“I love you, Darius.”
Then she placed him inside the hidden compartment.
Darius struggled to move.
“Mom! Don't leave me!”
She closed the door.
Darkness surrounded him.
Darius screamed.
“Mom!”
He heard her voice from the other side.
“Live.”
Then the ground shook.
The compartment was suddenly thrown into darkness as earth collapsed around it.
Darius was buried alive.
He screamed and cried, but nobody answered.
Then he heard fighting above him.
An explosion shook the ground.
Another followed.
The earth trembled violently.
Darius curled himself into a ball.
He could hear his mother's voice.
She was fighting something.
A terrible roar followed.
Then came another explosion.
Darius covered his ears.
He wanted to help her.
He wanted to get out.
But his body wouldn't move.
He was trapped.
Useless.
All he could do was listen.
The battle continued.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Then everything suddenly stopped.
Silence.
Darius opened his eyes.
He waited.
“Mom?”
No answer.
“Mom!”
Still nothing.
He pressed his hands against the walls of the compartment.
He screamed until his throat hurt.
But his mother never answered.
Darius stayed there alone.
Buried beneath the earth.
He didn't know how long he remained there.
He only knew one thing.
He had survived.
And he hated himself for it.
The dream suddenly changed.
Darius was no longer seven.
He was standing in darkness.
There was nothing around him.
No forest.
No ground.
No sky.
Just endless darkness.
He looked around.
“Where am I?”
A strange sound came from behind him.
Darius turned.
Nothing.
Then he heard a voice.
Not his mother's.
Not his father's.
Something much older.
Something that sounded as if it had been waiting for him.
“You finally returned.”
Darius froze.
A strange symbol appeared in the darkness.
It looked like a black core surrounded by cracks.
He stepped backward.
“What are you?”
The symbol slowly moved toward him.
Darius tried to run.
He couldn't.
The darkness wrapped around his body.
Then the voice spoke again.
“You were made for this.”
Darius's eyes widened.
“What?”
The darkness suddenly rushed toward him.
He woke up.
Darius shot upright in his bed, gasping for air.
His chest was rising and falling rapidly.
For several seconds, he didn't know where he was.
Then he looked around his room.
The nightmare was gone.
But the words remained in his mind.
You were made for this.
Darius placed a trembling hand over his chest.
For some reason, the strange sensation from the battlefield was still there.
A faint warmth pulsed beneath his skin.
He frowned.
Then a voice appeared inside his mind.
[Devouring Core synchronization: 1%.]
Darius froze.
His eyes slowly widened.
The nightmare had not been a normal dream.
And somewhere deep inside him, something had remembered his past.
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Chapter Seven: The Family Structure
By the time Darius returned to the manor, the sun had already begun to disappear behind the trees.His clothes were soaked with sweat, and every muscle in his body ached.He had spent the entire afternoon training.The manor appeared through the trees as he approached. It was large enough to belong to a noble family, but compared to the other estates owned by House Veyne, it looked almost deserted.Darius had been given the manor when he turned twelve.That was the age when direct descendants of House Veyne were expected to awaken their abilities.For most children of the family, receiving a personal residence at that age was a sign that they were stepping into adulthood.For Darius, it had been different.He had failed to awaken.Without an awakened ability, he had no value in the eyes of most members of the family. His parents were already dead, his inheritance had been taken from him, and no powerful faction was willing to support someone they believed had no future.The manor had
Chapter Six:The Veyne Family Dinner
By the time Darius Veyne returned to the manor, the sun was already shining behind the trees.The forest had grown quiet around him, but his body was anything but calm.For hours, he had pushed himself through the training course he had built with his own hands. Every obstacle had been designed to test something different speed, balance, strength, endurance, and reaction time.None of it was impressive by the standards of the Veyne family.But Darius had never had access to the resources his cousins enjoyed.So he had built his own path.The manor came into view through the trees.It was a large, well-built residence, but compared to the estates belonging to the other direct descendants of House Veyne, it looked abandoned.The manor had been assigned to Darius when he turned twelve—the age at which members of the Veyne family were expected to awaken their powers.It was supposed to be the beginning of his independence.Instead, it had become his exile.His parents were already dead, h
Chapter Five: Curse
Darius stopped walking.A chill ran down his spine.He didn't know why.There was no attack. No Darkness creature. No visible threat.Yet every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run.His eyes slowly moved across the crowded compound until they landed on a man entering through the main gate.The stranger looked sick.His face was pale, his black hair hung messily around his face, and every step seemed to take everything he had.Darius stared at him.Then his heart sank.He's going to die.The thought came without warning.Darius didn't know how he knew.He simply did.And the moment he had that thought, the device attached to the man's arm changed from green to red.BEEP!Every Blood Knight in the compound turned at once.Another beep followed.Then another.The man's Lifeguard began flashing violently."ALERT: Subject life signs critical. Death imminent."The robotic voice continued."Please clear the area. Blood Knights have been notified and are en route."The warning rep
Chapter Four: The Road To The Ironhold
Everyone in the fortress had expected Darius Veyne to come back dead.Some had even hoped for it.Yet, in the middle of the afternoon, the doors of the fortress opened, and the boy everyone had already counted as dead walked out alive.The warriors gathered outside fell silent.Darius didn't acknowledge them.He simply walked forward.His clothes were still stained from the Black Reach, and beneath the exhaustion in his eyes was something none of them could understand.He had survived a mission that should have killed him.Again.But he had failed to awaken.Again.“How the hell did he survive?” one warrior muttered. “That kid was hit by a Grade 2 Enhancer.”“Did he at least finally awaken?”“Doubt it.”Another warrior scoffed.“Even if he survived, nothing has changed. He's still useless without an ability.”Darius heard every word.He didn't react.He had heard worse.For seventeen years, people had whispered about him behind his back.The failed heir.The useless descendant.The bo
Chapter Three: The Sacrifice
The forest exploded with noise.Something crashed through the trees behind them, sending branches flying. The ground shook beneath Darius's feet.His mother tightened her grip around him and ran faster.“Mother… what's happening?”She didn't answer.Blood ran down the side of her face, but she kept moving until they reached the clearing.Darius froze.Bodies covered the ground.Broken weapons lay scattered among the dead. Their carriage had been destroyed, its wooden frame burning at the edge of the clearing.“Where is Father?”His mother looked at him.There was fear in her eyes.Not for herself.For him.“There are people coming for you,” she whispered.“Who?”“They know about you.”Another explosion sounded in the distance.“They're close.”“Then let's run.”“We can't.”“Why?”She knelt and placed both hands on his shoulders.“Because they won't stop.”Darius stared at her.“They aren't here to kill us.”Her voice became quieter.“They're here for you.”“If they find you, they'll t
Chapter Two: The Night Everything Changed.
June 12th, 1630.That was the day the world ended.There was no warning.No strange message from the governments. No prediction from scientists. No time for humanity to prepare.One moment, people were living their normal lives. Cars filled the roads, planes crossed the sky, and millions of people went about their daily business.Then the darkness came.Creatures appeared across the world without warning. They were unlike anything humanity had ever seen. Their bodies were twisted, their strength was beyond human understanding, and strange powers surrounded them.The armies of the world responded immediately.Tanks rolled through cities. Fighter jets filled the sky. Soldiers opened fire with everything they had.It meant nothing.Bullets barely slowed the creatures down. Missiles destroyed buildings but failed to stop them. Tanks were ripped apart as easily as toys.The creatures spread faster than anyone could understand.Within hours, cities had fallen.Within days, governments had c
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