[edited]
In a city far away—one that didn’t exist on Earth but on another planet entirely—humanity had found a way to thrive once again.
This world, though alien in origin, was still habitable by humans who had long since conquered weather through the advancent of integration and advanced technology.
Well, mostly technology, to be precise.
On this planet, there weren’t many cities. Just a handful, constructed in the most livable zones, carefully selected by data and climate simulations. Nature had not fully surrendered to civilization, but here—there were no wild beasts, no threats of alien fauna. It was safe. Or, at least, it seed that way.
Throughout the city were n dressed in military attire, stationed in groups, walking along corridors, positioned by entrances and exits. To the average observer, they appeared as trained personnel, warriors safeguarding the populace. But truthfully, they weren’t military n at all.
They were actors—placed like chess pieces, positioned to uphold an illusion.
Because this wasn’t just any city.
This was a private human shelter, owned and operated entirely by one man: Ravin Elteth.
At the very heart of the city, on a vast tallic platform built for interdinsional traversal, a large blue portal tore open the sky like an awakening beast. A circular rift spiraled into existence, buzzing with static energy and humming with otherworldly power.
Then ca the group—erging from the light.
They looked battered, their clothes torn, faces smudged with blood, sweat, and dirt. But despite their condition, their spirits were strong. Hardened. Unbroken.
At the forefront was Goldrics, silent as always, his eyes sweeping the city as if returning ho from war.
Following him was Ravin, his steps light, confident, commanding.
And last—cradled gently in the arms of a terrifying creature—was Mike. Still breathing. Still alive. But a shell of who he once was.
The creature that carried Mike was no ordinary beast. It was the Monarch-ranked being—a presence so powerful that even a glimpse of it could fracture the human mind. Its very existence altered mory, bent perception, erased thought.
The guards stationed around the portal instantly bowed their heads at the group’s arrival. None dared to look up. None wished to risk forgetting why they were even there. The Monarch’s effect was so strong that most couldn’t even rember Ravin had just walked past them.
Ravin kept the beast out often—perhaps for protection. Or maybe for intimidation. No one knew. Only Ravin and Goldrics seed immune to its psychic influence.
Mike, however, remained cradled in the beast’s clawed grip, staring up at its form.
Its head was a monstrous structure—ford from a dark, shadow-flesh wrapped tightly over pale, mangled bones. A living contradiction. Beautiful and grotesque all at once. Each ti Mike tried to focus on its details—to etch them into mory—they slipped away like fog in his mind.
Even more painful was the void where his sister’s mory should have been. That thought... it seed foreign, disconnected.
Why was he angry?
Why was he here?
Everything felt distant. Hollow.
Again and again, Mike tried to resist the creeping amnesia. He tried to fight. To scream. But his efforts were futile. The beast stole more than sight—it stole identity.
Its na, fittingly, was Loss.
Captured not by brute strength, but by accident—an error in Ravin’s calculations that nearly cost him his life. And yet, sohow, he had turned the situation into victory.
Monarch-ranked beasts were not like the others. They had nas. Souls. Histories. They were creatures of ancient grief and forgotten kingdoms. Loss, in particular, had a unique nature. From Ravin’s studies, she seed like a mother figure—overprotective, vengeful, nurturing only to those she claid as her own.
In her sorrow, she took from others the very thing they cherished: their mories.
A monster born to erase pain... by erasing all that caused it.
And that made her a perfect companion for Ravin.
The group continued through the city. Civilians walked by, oblivious, unaware of who passed them. Of what had just stepped through the portal. Their lives continued, unshaken. The Monarch’s presence, combined with the illusion Ravin wove, kept them blind.
Eventually, the group arrived at a towering mansion—its gates locked shut until Ravin approached.
With a low rumble, the gates slid open.
They stepped inside, passing through polished halls and grand rooms, until they reached a large, open chamber. No windows. No distractions. Only silence.
There, without warning, the Monarch beast gently released Mike. His body hit the floor with a dull thud.
And just like that—her power vanished.
Mike’s senses returned all at once. The floodgates of mory cracked open, and agony ca with them.
His thoughts spiraled. The pain of loss. The flashes of trauma. Rage. Guilt. Everything he’d been suppressing ca roaring back, and he collapsed to his knees.
He scread—then began pounding the floor with his fists, over and over, eyes blazing with fury and sorrow. The marble floor beneath him cracked slightly with every hit, his knuckles torn and bleeding.
And still, he didn’t stop.
Goldrics watched him for a mont. Then turned.
"Hitting the ground won’t do you any good," he thought, before walking away into another room.
Now, only Ravin and Mike remained.
Ravin exhaled and stretched. The mission was over. The beast had dismissed itself on its own accord—a relief. He considered taking a shower, eating, maybe taking a stroll through the city. Perhaps a peaceful evening for once.
Then—
"Ack! Please! Teach how to be just like you!"
Ravin paused mid-step. Slowly, he turned.
Mike was on his knees, face stained with tears, eyes wide with desperation.
"I know it’s revenge and all, but kid... you have no summon."
"Then give one of those beasts of yours! Anything! Please, anything!" Mike cried, the pain in his voice cutting through the air.
Ravin tilted his head. For once, he was speechless.
The boy... the boy who had forgotten who he was just monts ago... was now begging for power. Begging for vengeance.
And despite the tragedy in his eyes, sothing in Ravin stirred. A rare curiosity. A dangerous potential.
’The Monarch beast takes a liking to him... strange. He may be useful.’
Ravin folded his arms, considering.
"I’ll take you under my wing... However, don’t think I’ll pamper you or help you in your glorious revenge plan. The thing I offer to you cos at a cost—a cost you must pay when the ti cos."
Mike didn’t even blink.
He nodded, his tears still fresh, but his voice filled with a new resolve.
He would do anything right now to get the power to kill Carlos.
Even if it ant becoming a devil, crawling out of the pits of despair, and burning down everything that stood in his way—he would do it.
Carlos.
The military.
The world itself.
He would destroy it all.
That he promised.
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