The night the Azaroth Manor burned, the stars above Drimos refused to shine.
Cain stood at the shattered threshold of the great hall, blood dripping from a gash above his brow. His breath came in ragged pulls, lungs burning as the scent of smoke and ash filled his nose. Behind him, the estate that had raised him was no more—reduced to rubble and ruin, stained by betrayal and fire.
Bodies littered the once-polished floors. Servants. Guardians. His kin.
He could still hear the echo of their screams.
"Cain!" a voice growled from within him, low and ancient, vibrating through his bones.
Cain staggered down a corridor toward the heart of the manor—toward the sealed chamber that had always remained forbidden to him. His grandfather's study. The place where the heart of Laurifer Azaroth had been entombed since the day of the Great Betrayal.
The doors were broken. Flames licked the marble edges. Pillars cracked under their own weight.
But the obsidian altar stood untouched.
There, encased in silverfire crystal, pulsed a heart that should not have beat. Black veins of darkness and arcs of violet lightning danced across it, intertwining with ember-red lines that flickered like molten lava.
Cain dropped to his knees.
"Is this… what's left of you?" he whispered.
The voice answered again, this time from the heart itself. "You came late, boy… but not too late."
A pulse of energy burst outward from the crystal, striking Cain in the chest and sending him flying back into a wall. He groaned, coughing, but rose to his feet. The chamber trembled as the protective seal around the heart shattered with a hiss.
It hovered toward him.
Cain stared as the relic of his grandfather, one of the Seven Supremes of Drimos, floated before him, radiating elemental chaos.
"You said to run," Cain whispered, "but I won't die like a dog in these ruins."
The heart responded by surging forward—straight into his chest.
Cain screamed.
Essence—raw and ancient—poured into his veins like liquid flame. His bones cracked. His vision blurred. Every cell of his body screamed in defiance. Fire, lightning, and darkness surged through his Essence pathways, flooding his core, threatening to rupture it.
> [Tyrant System Initializing...]
The voice was mechanical, but laced with something alive—something bound to Cain's blood.
> User Identified: Cain Azaroth
Lineage: Azaroth – Supreme Line Confirmed
Initializing Core Integration...
System Bound: TYRANT SYSTEM
Laurifer's voice echoed again. "If you're hearing this, Cain… I'm already dead. But if my heart chose you, then there's still hope for our line."
Cain fell forward, gripping the floor.
> Core Compatibility: 89%
Essence Affinity: Fire – Darkness – Lightning [TRIPLE AFFINITY CONFIRMED]
Status: Critical
Do you wish to begin emergency system activation?
Through clenched teeth, Cain growled, "Do it."
> Emergency Mode Engaged.
Assimilation of Essence: Commencing.
The flood of power twisted through his mind as the heart's energy fused into his body. Laurifer's voice, no longer a recording but now living within him, spoke again—softer, deeper, laced with pride.
"You were never meant to be ordinary, Cain. They slaughtered us because they feared what we could become."
A rumble shook the manor. Enemy footsteps echoed through the burning halls. Warriors—those who had come to end the Azaroth bloodline—were closing in.
Cain stood, the pain fading, replaced by clarity.
His right hand ignited with a flame so black it shimmered violet. His veins pulsed with crackling arcs of lightning, and his shadow writhed on the wall like it had a life of its own.
> TYRANT SYSTEM ONLINE
Current Realm: Low Great Warrior
STRENGTH – 33
VITALITY – 34
MIND – ∞ (Unlocked Capacity: 29)
ESSENCE – 340/340
SKILLS:
– Unique Essence Circulation
– Shadow Constitution
– Embodiment of Chaos [3%]
– Synthesis
Cain's breathing slowed. Behind him, the grand hall erupted as armored figures broke through. Their Essence flared—blades drawn, cloaks trailing smoke.
"Cain Azaroth!" one shouted. "By order of the Supreme Concord, surrender and die quickly!"
Cain turned, shadows swirling at his feet.
"I'm done surrendering."
He raised his hand—and the corridor behind him exploded in black fire.
Three of the warriors were engulfed before they even reacted. The others lunged, only to be flung back as Cain extended his hand again, lightning weaving into arcs of destruction.
The manor began to collapse.
Laurifer's voice spoke again, more commanding now. "You must leave this place. Head into the Whispering Woods. Survive. Evolve. You cannot fight them all… not yet."
Cain clenched his fists. "Then show me the path, Grandfather."
"Then run, Tyrant… and when you return—make them kneel."
And with that, Cain leapt from the wreckage, fire at his back, and vanished into the night.
Behind him, the last legacy of the Azaroth burned—not in ruin, but in rebirth.