Despair

A majestic-looking old man with aged wrinkles conveying wisdom, wearing magnificent armor of white gold and platinum, was sitting on a ruined throne. His blank stare was directed at the ruined dome in the throne room, covering the marble floor with light rays of sunlight, the only light left in this place.

Opposite him, stood a man in a long black coat, drops of blood dripping from his lost left arm, and his gaze was emaciated but filled with the flame of life - his life's purpose had been accomplished.

After all, the old man with a massive crimson sword in his chest, piercing through him and splitting the iron throne in two - was the Emperor - the ruler of the Empire of Light, endowed with that title by the heavens themselves.

As the strongest dark magician and user of the power of 72 demons, Evan could only breathe a sigh of relief now - when he had killed the one who was the embodiment of everything he hated.

"It happened... I finally did it..." Evan uttered with a bitter smile, looking at his already dead nemesis.

As a lowborn from the slums, Evan had no chance to become a worthy man according to the rules of the empire. All his efforts and dreams were shattered in his childhood against the cruel wall of reality - following the rules of the empire he hardly would be allowed to become even a simple knight.

'Well... I couldn't have done it without all of you... even though I had to give up a hundred years of my life for all that time, it was worth it...' Evan inwardly muttered, clenching his fist tightly and closing his eyes.

Seventy-two silhouettes appeared in his mind, of different shapes and looks. Some had a calm and serene gaze, some had a sly smirk, and some were actually sad.

Step. Step. Step.

Several silhouettes rushed into the throne room, leaving bloody trails of their armor behind them. The carved columns that had miraculously survived the battle of the century blocked their view - the only thing that left them any hope.

However, when they passed through the last row of columns, they saw a scene that was worse than any nightmare.

Their Emperor was dead, and the main threat to their empire was confidently on his feet, moving towards the balcony.

"What are we going to do...?" One of the three knights asked, looking around shakily.

"We... We have to kill him... Avenge the Emperor...!" The woman exclaimed, grabbing the hilt of her sword, but she was unable to pull the weapon from the scabbard. The man's aura overwhelmed her, sending shivers and chills down her spine, the chains of fear of someone who had committed the greatest sin were unbreakable.

The commander of their group, a man with long blond hair and blue eyes filled with wistfulness, shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do anymore. There is no room for revenge here, for he has already reached his limit..."

Stepping out onto the balcony, Evan had a view of the northern part of the empire, the richest and most developed one.

The cold wind rushing from the frosty peaks of the rugged mountains blew his coat and face, causing his cheeks to blush slightly. A rare, solar halo hovering over the snowy lands, as if summoned, illuminated this fateful moment in the history of the world.

*cough*

A painful cough, covering Evan's palm with blood, was the harbinger of his death, free, under the gaze of thousands of the Empire's citizens.

To them, the Emperor was equal to a god, literally, being the supreme being to whom all must obey in the name of light and truth.

Now with the Emperor dead and the strongest demonologist and dark mage of this world looking down on them from the top of the castle, there was nothing but despair in their eyes as their souls plunged into the bottomless abyss of darkness.

Now that the Emperor was dead and the murderer who had gained power and violated all sacred laws was staring down at them from the top of the castle, there was nothing but despair in their eyes as their souls sank into the bottomless abyss of darkness.

"What a beautiful view..." Evan chuckled with the last of his strength, stepping onto the balcony railing.

Enjoying one last time the frightened faces of the people he had despised all his life, Evan bent slightly, touching his hand to his shoulder and waving it as if at the end of a theatrical act, stepping forward into the void.

An ebonite waterfall separated the castle and the city on this side, being one of the main landmarks in the entire empire due to its unusual color as much as its origin.

*Splash*

Streams of water surged upwards, only to subside, returning to a flat surface, beneath which a person who had killed a god was now slowly approaching the bottom.

'How strange...' Evan muttered, seeing only darkness around him, 'I was prepared for death, and I'm not afraid to disappear, after all, it is the natural end... However, what would I do if I was reborn as the Emperor dreamed? Hah, it would be nice to be born into an aristocratic family and continue to watch the desperate faces of others... there is simply no better expression.'

Evan closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

The dark algae covering the bottom was no different from the others, but when Evan approached it, the algae was covered in particles of light, shining brightly like stars in the night sky.

Gently and carefully, like the hands of a loving mother, the algae enveloped Evan, making him slowly disappear from this world, both his dead body and his still living soul.

...

A hail of bloody fists, the smirk of a woman in an elegant aristocratic dress, and the mad look of a lady with short white hair - all swirled in a single vortex under the dome of countless sneers that hung around like snide ghosts.

In the center was a young man with a blank stare, exhausted and haggard, having long since reached his limit.

"Argh!" Evan took a deep breath, as if his life depended on it, which was not far from the truth.

Shocked, in disbelief, Evan turned around, only to see a horrifying scene - the bottom of the food chain.

Dirty, tattered clothes and a four-man jail cell were all he got, as was a weak body covered in bruises.

An obese figure walked beside the bars, with a thoughtful face stuffing a sweet bun into his mouth - something a mere slave could never get.

'Is this a prison...? Is he a guard or a warden? What the hell is going on here?'

It wasn't just Evan who was puzzled, the guard obviously didn't expect to see Evan alive, or rather not really him. Indeed, after what happened to his body, he should have gone to the garbage dump like so many other slaves who suffered the same fate.

"Kellan... Are you alive...?" Guard muttered, even forgetting to finish his bun.

Then, a wide smile appeared on his face as he clenched his fist tightly and jumped up joyfully, as much as his bloated belly allowed.

"Yes! The five silvers are mine! I knew the frail guys could take a beating, they're used to it!"

Guard was just glowing with joy, it seemed that winning the bet was significant for someone of his status.

"Fine, since I'm in a good mood I'm willing to pretend you won't wake up until tomorrow morning. Hehehe, I'm sure Jacob will be pleased to know that he can beat you up one more time!" Guard chuckled evilly, walking in front of the bars, brass keys rattling on his belt.

Evan took a deep breath, leaning against the cold wall covered in cracks where the frosty wind traveled through the lonely night illuminated only by the blue moon - the only source of light coming from a tiny prison window in the cell.

A deafening pain echoed constantly in his head, bringing waves of memories as fragments penetrated his mind.

Hours later, as the moon moved towards the horizon, Evan opened his eyes.

"I see... Well, it can't even be imagined worse..." Evan muttered with a deep gaze, getting all the information from his memories.

The body's previous owner's name was Kellan, just as the guard had said, and his fate was not unique, though it was filled with hate and pain. He was kicked out of his own family, but it was done by a stranger to him - his father's new wife, whose sole purpose was to grab power. Kellan's stepmother poisoned Baron Vernon Wraight, as well as selling the Baron's only heir - Kellan himself - into slavery.

'Anyway, my wishes have been granted, technically I am an aristocrat, but there is one but...' Evan shook his head, slowly drifting into sleep before the next long day.

...

Kellan had been sold into slavery in this particular prison, because the lady in charge of the prison, whom his stepmother was familiar with, liked him. Kellan didn't want to be the head warden's personal slave, in fact, he didn't fully understand the situation he was in, so he ended up here - in the lower level of the prison.

His only hope for salvation would be to awaken his talent for magic, which is tested three times: at 16, then at 17, and 18 for the last time. Kellan's previous attempt was eleven months ago, so in a month, when he would have turned 18, his fate could have been decided, but it happened sooner because he died in prison. What's more, it needed a special place to do it, not a filthy cell.

Becoming a mage was a dream for every commoner, as it opened up new possibilities for them. Mages were considered to be a different race since ordinary people could not be stronger than mages who could summon the fury of thunder, the power of the earth, or freeze entire waterfalls.

The aristocrats had the advantage of bloodlines, the more mages in the family tree the better the ancestors' chances, however, they were still small. For Kellan, the future was blurry, since only his grandfather was a mage, while his father and mother were commoners. Awakening talent at 18 was possible, but unlikely, less than at 16 or 17.

...

"Wake up!!!"

A stern voice echoed, mixed with the rattling of the rusty bars of the cage.

Evan slowly opened his eyes, seeing through the murky layer the obese silhouette of yesterday's guard. Oddly enough, there was no sweet bun in his hands this time, he was ready to work.

"Eh, I don't envy you, boy, digging ore in a mine from morning till night, only to come back later and get beaten up by Jacob." Guard shook his head as if he cared.

Evan raised an eyebrow, looking around. True, he was the only one here.

Guard waved his hand, "Agh, I see... Seems like you got beaten up so badly you haven't come to your senses yet. You'll have a cellmate from a higher level tonight, as well as Jacob. I don't know what he promised the other guard, but he'll be sent to the same cell as you."

*click*

Handcuffs with a thick chain snapped on Evan's wrists as he followed the obese guard.

Their footsteps spread with a muffled ringing through the old hallway, over the years infused with nothing but despair and violence.

'Well... I'm a slave, I have no talent for magic, at least not yet, and besides another prisoner trying to beat me up if not kill me, the previous owner of this body had a fucked up relationship with the head of the prison... The situation is fucked up.' Evan pondered with a slight sigh.

'At least I have THEM.'

Demons and dark magic had been the basis of Evan's power in the past world, and if this body had no talent for magic that blocked the ability to use incantations, then the demons hadn't gone anywhere. They existed in all worlds, like death and life, like fears always haunting people.

At the same moment, Evan's eyes transformed, becoming deeper and darker while among them danced the scarlet shadows of ancient beings whose purpose was to bring only destruction and wreak havoc on the world, to the malice of the gods.