I Steal The System

The air smelled of iron and ash.

Lucius stood over the broken body of the old man, his fingers twitching with restless energy. The cracks along his skin pulsed with embers, like veins filled with molten fire. His face if it could still be called a face was a shifting nightmare, the remnants of something that had once been human.

"You’ve failed."

The words slithered out, thick with amusement. The old man didn’t flinch. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, pooling in the dust beneath him. His breath came in ragged bursts, but his eyes sharp, unbroken locked onto Lucius with the weight of a lifetime’s defiance.

"Why have you betrayed mankind?"

Lucius laughed. The sound was dry, brittle, like dead leaves crumbling underfoot. "Why?" He spread his arms, flames flickering between his fingers. "Because I want to be a god."

The old man exhaled, slow and deliberate. "God." A bitter chuckle escaped him. "You think this makes you one?"

"Not yet." Lucius crouched, tilting his head. The cracks in his skin deepened, glowing brighter. "But soon."

The old man’s lips curled. "Lucius. You fought for this land. Forty years. You bled for it. And now?" His voice was rough, but steady. "Now you’re the last thing standing on a dead world. Everyone you ever loved gone. By your hand."

A muscle in Lucius’ jaw twitched. "Shut up."

The old man didn’t. "You were never strong enough to carry the weight of what you wanted. That’s why you broke."

Something dark flickered in Lucius’ gaze. He reached out, fingers hovering just above the old man’s chest. "Last words?"

The old man smiled. Bloodied. Broken. Unafraid.

Then he moved.

Fast.

His hand shot toward the device strapped to his waist a crude, jury rigged bomb, its wires exposed, its timer already ticking. Lucius’ eyes widened just as the old man’s fingers brushed the detonator.

"Slash."

The sound was wet, brutal. Lucius’ arm now a blade of fire severed the old man’s wrist before he could complete the motion. The hand fell to the ground, twitching. The bomb remained intact.

The old man didn’t scream. He didn’t beg. He just stared at the stump of his arm, at the blood spraying onto the red earth, and laughed.

Lucius grabbed him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. "Did you really think I wouldn’t see that coming?"

The old man gasped, choking, but his grin didn’t fade. "Worth… a try."

Lucius squeezed. Bones cracked. The light in the old man’s eyes dimmed then vanished.

The body hit the ground. The head rolled free.

Silence.

Lucius stood there, breathing hard, the flames along his skin flickering like restless things. He kicked the severed head aside, watching it bounce once, twice, before coming to rest in the dust.

"Pathetic."

He turned away, raising his voice to the empty sky. "System. Where is my reward?"

The air hummed. A hologram flickered to life before him, its light cold and sterile.

[Mission complete: Extermination of the human race. Reward unlocked Eye of Time.]

Lucius’ breath hitched. "Finally."

The object materialized in his palm a smooth, iridescent orb, pulsing faintly, like a heartbeat. He turned it over, fingers trembling. This was it. The key. The power to rewrite everything.

"Mine."

A beep.

Soft. Insistent.

Lucius froze.

His head snapped toward the old man’s corpse. The bomb. Still armed. Still counting down.

"You son of a "

He lunged, tearing at the dead man’s clothes, exposing the crude wiring beneath. The timer blinked red. Three seconds. Two.

"Boom."

The explosion wasn’t big. Just enough.

Lucius staggered back, shielded by instinct, but the force still sent him skidding across the ground. His skin hissed where the heat touched him, the flames along his arms flickering violently. He snarled, pushing himself up 

 and froze.

The Eye of Time.

It was covered in flecks of blood. Flesh. The old man’s last, desperate gift.

Lucius reached for it, fingers brushing the contaminated surface. The orb reacted. A pulse of light. A surge of energy.

[Eye of Time activated. God has been chosen.]

The voice was calm. Final.

Lucius’ breath stopped. "No."

The orb glowed brighter. Hotter. The flesh fused to its surface blackened, then melted, seeping into the artifact like ink in water. Lucius tried to pull his hand away, but the Eye held him, burning, judging.

[Anomaly detected. Anomaly detected. One living entity remains.]

The hologram flashed red. The ground trembled.

[Eliminating all living things.]

Lucius screamed.

His body unraveled. Skin flaked away like ash. His bones turned to dust. The flames that had defined him guttered out, leaving only darkness in their wake. He reached for the Eye one last time, fingers dissolving mid air.

Then nothing.

The wind howled across the empty wasteland. The Eye of Time floated, untouched, its light dimming. The last remnants of Lucius swirled into the air, carried away by the breeze.

A voice echoed from the heavens, vast and indifferent.

[Anomaly detected. First floor interference confirmed. World restart sequence initiated.]

The Eye shattered.

The sky darkened.

And the world held its breath.