Embrace of the Abyss

The air was thick with the scent of burning wood and fresh blood. Smoke rose to the sky like twisted fingers clawing at the dark horizon. The village, once brimming with life, had become nothing more than a graveyard of shattered homes and scattered corpses. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crackling flames and the lingering echoes of dying screams.

Raiden stood amidst the carnage, his expression devoid of meaning. His hands, which once trembled, were now steady. His heart, which had once pulsed with hesitation, now beat with a chilling calm. The black butterfly hovered beside him, its dark wings shimmering with an unnatural glow. It whispered, its voice only he could hear.

"You've crossed the threshold, Raiden. There's no turning back now."

He exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the drifting ashes. The village that had mocked him, scorned him, and treated him like an insect—was now nothing more than a pile of ruins.

Then, a weak movement caught his attention.

A man, his body broken but not yet lifeless, was crawling through the bloodstained dirt. His eyes, filled with rage and despair, locked onto Raiden's.

"A monster… you… you killed them all…" the man stammered, blood dripping from his lips.

Raiden took a step forward, his shadow stretching long beneath the fire's glow.

"They deserved worse."

The man's face twisted with unrestrained fury. "You think you're a god? Just because you have that cursed power? You're nothing but a—"

With a mere flick of Raiden's fingers, the threads of fate twisted. The man's body convulsed violently, his bones shattering as if crushed by an unseen force. A final, strangled gasp escaped his lips before his life was extinguished.

Raiden lowered his hand, his eyes void of emotion. The black butterfly fluttered around him, its voice as soft as a dream.

"You're learning quickly."

---

The wind howled through the ruins, carrying the whispers of the dead. Raiden walked through the wreckage, his mind steeped in a deep silence. There was no regret, no sorrow—only absolute clarity.

He had been blind before. A mere puppet, dancing on the strings of a world that never cared for him. But now, he held the strings.

"Where to now?" the butterfly asked, a playful lilt in its tone.

Raiden gazed toward the horizon. The world was vast, filled with kingdoms, empires, and warriors who believed themselves invincible. But he would shatter their illusions. He would tear apart the chains of fate itself.

"To the heart of the world," he murmured, a dark smile forming on his lips. "I'll make them tremble before the chaos I bring."

As he walked away from the burning remnants of his past, the stars in the sky flickered for a moment, as if the universe itself recoiled from what had been unleashed upon it.

But it wasn't enough.

This was only the beginning.

---

Raiden moved through the forest surrounding the village, his feet sinking into the blood-soaked mud. He didn't know where the path would take him, but it didn't matter. Places had lost their meaning. His only purpose now was destruction.

Miles away, at the kingdom's borders, figures cloaked in shadow observed the devastation. One of them, a man with sharp features and a black tattoo stretching across his neck, smirked as he surveyed the ruin Raiden had left behind.

"He's even more ruthless than we expected," he murmured.

Beside him, a woman wearing a silver mask that concealed half her face responded coolly, "It's time to make contact."

---

Raiden didn't need to lift his eyes to sense someone waiting for him.

In the heart of the forest, seated on the trunk of a fallen tree, was a man clad in a long black coat. His silver hair shimmered under the pale moonlight, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual color.

"You've created quite the spectacle," the man said in a calm tone, as if greeting an old friend.

Raiden stood in silence, observing him.

"I have an offer," the stranger continued. "Join us—the Organization. We have others like you, those with immense power. Together, we can reshape this world as we see fit."

Raiden stared at him for a few seconds before uttering a single word:

"No."

The man sighed, as if he had expected this answer. "A shame. I had hoped you'd take the easy path. But no matter… let's see how far your power will take you before it breaks you."

Then, in an instant, he vanished, leaving behind only a whisper in the wind:

"You've declared war on the world, Raiden. Prepare for what's coming."

But Raiden wasn't afraid.

He was eager.

Because he wasn't just a warrior.

Nor a mere monster.

He was a calamity—a black fate that could not be stopped.

And the world?

It was just another thing waiting to be destroyed.