Lucien locked eyes with the man in the iron mask. The cold, emotionless gaze pierced straight into his soul. In the blink of an eye, the masked man vanished. Silence... Only the rapid beating of Lucien's heart filled the air.
For two long hours, Lucien remained in shock inside the church. When he finally stepped out, he wandered through the narrow streets of the village-only to be met with a sight that froze his blood. No one was left alive. Blood stained the ground, bodies lay lifeless everywhere... Friends, neighbors, even children he barely knew-all gone. The small village of barely 40-50 people had been erased in an instant.
With the nearest town far away, there was no one to call for help. He was utterly alone. Lucien retrieved an old, weathered notebook left to him by his grandfather. As he flipped through the pages, he found strange writings, symbols, and a map-one that pointed to the location of a legendary "power of immortality."
Reading the words carefully, he understood this power not only granted eternal life, but also unimaginable strength. Lucien swore in his heart: he would find it, and he would avenge his family and his people by destroying the man in the iron mask.
That night, he walked through the village, burying every single victim-including his own family. His tears mixed with his rage. The land was now nothing but a graveyard of memories and blood.
At dawn, Lucien set out.
The path of vengeance had begun