1 Prologue

The world... Is a massive shithole.

One might say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The joy of life must be perceived with an open heart, willing to accept the whispers of the universe. Life is beautiful, and we just have to try to see it that way.

Bullshit.

No matter how poets try to sow mountains of roses on a pile of corpses, the stench and rot will soon corrupt the symbols of beauty.

The world is cursed.

It's cursed by the same essence that blessed it. Originium - the bane and solace of the world of Terra. We, humans, are addicted to it; revolving our whole civilization around it. And blinded by the limitless possibilities, we consciously ignored the plague we brought upon ourselves.

The plague? It's not oripathy.

No, the terminal illness is just a convenient excuse.

The real plague is ourselves, humans. The wretched beings controlled by greed and fear, unwilling to set aside even the slightest signs of 'abnormality'. Every deviation of what's 'normal' shall die. At the very least, they must suffer.

Those who fought for virtue were culled, butchered like animals. All for the sake of preserving the illusion of wealth and power the privileged few can bear. And the masses? The 'normal people'? They followed the devil without asking questions, all for the sake of survival.

In this wretched state, one could not fight on their own.

To cleanse the sins of mankind, they need power. Above all that exists, above the world, above the gods.

Whatever the cost.

"Kuhuhu-"

A revolting voice, as if dozens of different people spoke at the same time, slithered into a man's ears.

"Really? Am I hearing it wrong?"

Amidst the ashen fog that filled the world, a massive shadow slowly appeared, with faint shapes of limbs sprouting out in a disorganized manner on its sides.

"Ugh... Aahh-"

Low groans disturbed the scene. The source was impossible to find under such thick fog, but the shadow flinched, and ever slowly, turned the topmost part of its body, which apparently was its head, to the side. A long, thin, horizontal line streaked across its head and a gap emerged as if it'll split the head into two.

Is it smiling?

"No.. No.. Please!"

Then, one of the limbs shot out to the side, drawing a short but sharp arc in the air and came down to the floor, triggering a heavy crash. Loud splashing and crunching sounds emerged, accompanied by the stench of fresh blood.

"Gahakk!!"

After spitting out a short grunt, the voice quickly died down.

"So you were saying..."

The overlapping voice ringed once more.

"You prepared all of these efforts and sacrifices, just for..."

The limb raised up, grabbing a lump of 'something' with it. A mass of sticky liquid dripping down.

"... That?"

"Yes."

A man draped in a black coat standing in front of the shadow answered with an unsettling solemn tone.

"Kuhu-"

"..."

"Kuhahaha- KUHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

With each breath of laughter, the world trembled. The thick ashen fog mysteriously subsided, revealing what was hidden underneath. Slowly, ever slowly, from the point where the man's feet were, a crimson color bloomed outward.

Like spraying paint to a white canvas, the gruesome color crawled out in all directions.

The whole world became dyed in red, with decorations of corpses, lumps of meat, torn limbs, and a sea of blood, stretching far and wide towards the horizon. If one could depict the entrance of hell, this view could perfectly fit right in.

And in the middle of it all, the indecipherable grotesque shape of something was 'sitting' in front of the lone man. Who, shockingly enough, appeared to be unfazed by the scenery around him.

"Kuhuhu-"

As the laughter died down, so did the world.

"I spared my time to see you with my - undivided - attention, thinking that you, perhaps, will be different. You will be worth my time. But alas..."

As it trails its words off, the shadow leaned slightly forward.

"You are no different."

An indescribable wretched aura pulsated through the air, enough to trigger a retching reflex for normal humans. Yet the man still remains unfazed.

The pressure continues. With each pulse, the thin line of black smoke radiating from the shadow grew thicker.

After a dozen pulses, the air trembled, and the last pulse exploded with a massive force. The smoke, now towering high like an ethereal tsunami, filled the man's view and approached him with high speed. As it brushed through him, an invisible impetus toppled his balance. He staggered for a split second and moved his right leg back to regain his posture.

Seeing what happened to the man, the shadow grinned.

"But it seems, you will at least be ... Amusing."

The man remained still, with his head hanging down.

"Tell me."

The shadow leaned back and the fog subsided.

"Do you think it'll be worth it?"

"..."

"The sacrifices you made... The lives you gave... The betrayal you did.."

"..."

"How can you be so sure that - I - of all beings, would grant your wish exactly how you hoped it to be? Hmm?

The man straightened his back and raised his head; staring straight up the shadow's head.

"Ho... A tough guy act. It doesn't matter. I can read your mind."

A wide horizontal gap appeared on the spot where the 'mouth' of the shadow should be.

"You know why? Because I... am..."

The overlapping voices suddenly focused into one, heavy tone.

"... You."

The shadow picked up a large lump of meat at its side.

"So, tell me. You know exactly who I am. What I am."

And threw it into its gaping mouth.

It chewed with grandiose while still maintaining its grin. For the next several moments, the sounds of cracking bones and ripping flesh were the only thing that can be heard.

As a finale, it drew a huge gulp and a satisfied sigh.

"What makes you think that I will bow down to you? To grant your wish for such measly sacrifices?"

The shadow roared in laughter before it abruptly stopped and shot its head forward with unbelievable speed until it was only an inch away from the man's face.

"What makes you think I will not tear your puny little wish apart and make everyone you tried to protect... suffer?"

The voice hushed down, almost like its whispering.

"What do you think you can give... Me?"

A heavy silence descended.

After uncountable moments of deliberation, the man parted his lips slightly and mumbled something under his breath.

Suddenly, the shadow flinched. Its whole body quivered heavily before bursting a terrifying laugh, sending wide ripples across the crimson sea.

"You? A puny little mortal? Could give me 'that'??!!"

How long has time passed? No one's counting. One was busy laughing its ass off, and one was barely moving the whole time.

Eventually, the laugh receded.

And the malicious, grotesque grin returned.

"Interesting. No one in that world can give it to me. Even though I've been patient, waiting for centuries."

"But you..."

The shadow nodded once.

*Crack!*

A corpse to its side flinched and struggled to stand up.

"You... Might be able to do it."

Like a domino, it triggered all the other corpses around it to move.

"After all, you are the one..."

And the world soon filled with swaying corpses.

They stood still for a moment before one corpse swung its fleshless leg forward. One step, two steps, towards the unmoving man.

The other corpses followed and surrounded him.

"... The Singularity."

"Guoooooo!!!!"

The corpses lurched forward, overwhelming the man with terrifying numbers. One after another, they piled up, forming a hill of the dead.

"Don't disappoint me..."

Anguish wails filled the world.

"... Doctor."

And the symphony of ripping flesh commenced.