1 Prologue
(Warning: This chapter contains strong depictions of depression and suicide.)
The booming sounds of thunder echoed as the heavy raindrops fell from the sky. The flashes of lightning webbed over the horizon, painting the night sky with a gloomy and dreadful color.
Inside a room dimly lit by the flickering light of a half-melted candle, a tall but scrawny man with unkempt hair stood on top of a stool as he tied a rope around his neck. There was no ripple in his eyes, only a sense of apathy that was unnatural for someone of his age.
After ascertaining that the rope was firmly tied to his neck, Rendell looked around the messy room.
His soulless eyes scanned every item and they soon stopped to look at an old portrait.
A trace of emotion flashed in his eyes, but it quickly faded.
The portrait was the only thing he had left of his parents.
On the portrait was a middle-aged couple embracing a child who looked to be ten years old. The young boy was smiling brightly while doing the 'peace' sign. It was a picture of a happy family.
"I'll see you soon, Mom…Dad…" A drop of tear trickled down his face as he took one last look at the faces of his late parents.
"Please forgive this child for failing to avenge you…" His voice quivered at the end of his words.
"If only I was powerful enough, those bastards…"
"Ahhhhhh!!!" He screamed indignantly, but his voice was muffled by the continuous crackles of thunder.
At one point, he suddenly kicked the stool.
A faint, but audible stretching sound echoed as the rope tightened around his neck.
Rendell's limbs spasmed and he felt his breathing being impeded. However, he just stared dazedly at the portrait of his family as his life slowly slipped away.
Lightning flashed again, illuminating the lonesome figure inside the room.
The forgotten memories of his childhood replayed in Rendell's mind like a cassette tape.
They were a happy family…but then they came!
The Madrigal Family!
They were one of the richest families in the country with billions of dollars in assets! They control many industries including energy production, food, agriculture, technology, and many others. With one word from them, they could control the life and death of anyone.
He didn't know what had happened at that time, but his father somehow offended a member of the Madrigal Family.
That was when their hellish days began.
His father was fired from his job and the Madrigal Family even made sure that his father would remain jobless for the rest of his life. Because of this, the financial situation in their family slowly worsened. Left with no choice, his mother was forced to sell her body just to pay off the debt they had accumulated. Of course, this was also a twisted plot crafted by the Madrigal Family. They later publicized the indecent job of his mother which forced her to commit suicide. After his mother's death, his father was brokenhearted, but he still secretly took on odd jobs to support him. When Rendell turned 16, his father soon died from overworking and malnutrition.
At that time, he vowed that he would avenge his parents' unjust deaths.
Rendell who was on his last breath, suddenly opened his eyes when he recalled this memory. On his face, purple veins protruded as if they were threatening to burst.
***
A cosmic phenomenon suddenly covered the entire planet. It came abruptly without warning, baffling the scientists all over the world.
Following this strange phenomenon, an unknown meteor suddenly fell from the sky.
Everyone watched the live broadcast of the meteor with mixed reactions. Some were worried and some were wondering if the planet could survive. Meanwhile, a few people believed that this was the end of the world.
"Hello, everyone! This is Jason Miller from JBC News reporting live about the situation of the 'Dark Meteor' that is about to hit our planet! According to the data we gathered, there are only approximately forty-eight minutes left before the 'Dark Meteor' hits the surface! If you live near…"
***
Rendell was unaware that a catastrophic event was happening outside his neighborhood.
Suddenly, a mushroom-shaped cloud appeared, followed by a sharp, ear-splitting explosion as a meteor struck the land.
The beautiful houses and tall majestic buildings crumbled in a matter of seconds under the intense heat.
The prosperous city of Lochwall was quickly reduced to rubble and only signs of its former glory remained.
At this moment, a weak and thin arm suddenly emerged on top of the pile of rubble.
A person covered in ashes and blood climbed out of the rubble. What's surprising was that there was a cut rope tied around his neck. One of his arms was also gone and his body was riddled with all sorts of wounds.
The man leaned feebly on the rubble as he coughed intensely. After a few more coughs, he glared at the gloomy sky. "W-Why?! Just kill me already!" He roared in a hoarse voice.
While he was trying to gain footing on top of the rubble, he suddenly slipped and fell into the ground.
Rendell felt his body slowly turning cold as more blood gushed out from the gruesome wound on his right shoulder. He couldn't even muster the strength to lift his arm.
A weary smile hung over his face. 'So you want to watch me struggle before I die? Just how much do you hate me?'
Slowly, his eyelids were starting to feel heavy and he could no longer move his body.
Before he lost consciousness, he felt the heavy droplets of rain falling on his battered body.
'I'm finally free…'
Unknown to him, the world experienced massive changes in the next few days.
Animals, plants, insects, and all other creatures underwent a transformation that scientists later called 'forced evolution'.
Animals gained magical abilities that couldn't be explained by science. Some were able to control fire, some were able to control lightning, and some increased in size. Meanwhile, insects, plants, and other life forms also experienced similar changes.
The humans who once dominated the planet were now at the bottom of the food chain.
The evolved creatures went berserk and they all started attacking the human cities.
The humans fought back using their advanced weapons, but they found out to their horror that these weapons were no longer usable. Without these powerful weapons of war, the humans were quickly defeated. This led to the destruction of many countries and eventually civilization collapsed. The few surviving humans hid in the various corners of the world, away from the eyes of the predators.
The devastation on the human territories continued for almost a week and everyone was starting to lose hope.
Just when everyone thought that humanity would become extinct, a system that was only given to humans suddenly appeared.
A system that gave the humans a fighting chance against the monstrous creatures that ruined the world!
