Saga of the Two-World Emperor
Volume 1: A Spark in the Ashes
Chapter 1 – Traces on the Glass
A curtain of rain fell relentlessly, weaving a hazy, gray veil over the metropolis of Valeria at night. The neon lights from the skyscrapers and vehicles on the streets below reflected off the puddled ground, creating a blurry, shimmering abstract painting. Cold droplets clung to the giant glass window of the penthouse on the top floor of "Aden Tower," a building named after the man himself.
The lights below were dim and distorted… not unlike the feelings of the man who owned everything in this room.
Aden leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, his pale fingertips gently touching the glass. The chilling sensation shot through his fingers and into his body, momentarily cooling his burning heart. The fresh scent of rain seeping in through the window frame mingled with the expensive aroma of Italian leather from the sofa and the cooling black coffee in a crystal glass on his desk.
The sound of raindrops hitting the glass was a steady, rhythmic beat… tap… tap… tap…
It was the only sound that broke the suffocating silence within the luxurious suite. The atmosphere was cold and unnervingly quiet, yet his heart raged as if consumed by fire.
On the dark teak desk, his latest model smartphone vibrated repeatedly. The screen lit up with a name that once made his heart swell… 'Anna'.
But now, he didn't even spare it a glance. He let the bitter taste of coffee linger in his throat as the silence gnawed at his soul. The ticking of a minimalist designer clock on the wall… tick… tock… only amplified his anxiety.
Why…
The question echoed in his mind, over and over.
Why… did it have to end like this?
With his own two hands, he had built everything from scratch. From a penniless orphan to the chairman of one of the most influential tech giants in Valeria… but today, everything he had built was about to crumble amidst the raging storm outside.
The past flashed back to him, an unstoppable tide of memories…
A rainy night in a small coffee shop years ago. The warm, ambient light, the faint scent of baked goods from the counter, and Anna's laughter… the softest, most genuine laughter he had ever heard. The warmth of her hand as it held his.
"If you're tired… just turn to me. I'll always be here."
Those words… that smile… that warmth…
Today, they had become sharp shards of glass embedded deep in his heart, piercing him with every breath he took.
The sound of the office door opening softly pulled him from his reverie.
A cool breeze and a heavier scent of rain swept into the room, along with a slender figure in a tailored black suit who stepped in silently.
Anna…
Raindrops glistened on her raven hair, which was tied back in a simple yet elegant fashion. The face he had adored and kissed countless times was now as still and cold as an ice mask. But her deep brown eyes… Aden saw them flicker for a fraction of a second before they hardened into a cold, unfeeling gaze. Her full lips, which had once whispered words of love, were pressed into a firm line.
Her slender, pale fingers gripped a black file tightly as she placed it on his teak desk. The soft "thud" of the file hitting the wood was like the heavy blow of a sledgehammer on his heart.
Aden slowly turned to face her fully. He met her gaze, his own unwavering. The light from the desk lamp reflected in her eyes… but there was no trace of the love or affection of yesterday. Only a terrifying emptiness.
"Did it really have to come to this…?"
His voice was hoarse and trembled uncontrollably.
Anna paused for a moment. Her pursed lips quivered slightly, her fingertips tightening on the file… before her expression turned to ice once more.
"There was no other choice, Aden."
"No other choice…?" Aden repeated, his voice rising. "You're not even going to explain anything to me! What is all this about!"
Anna let out a soft, derisive laugh. Her eyes darted away from his for a moment before snapping back, filled with contempt.
"Explain? What is there to explain? That you were nothing but… trash I picked up to use when I needed it?"
The word "trash" pierced Aden's heart.
"Trash has its uses, but it eventually becomes worthless… and your day has come," Anna continued, her voice flat. "Don't think I feel any regret for a piece of 'trash' like you."
Aden's hands, hanging by his sides, began to tremble. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms. The faint smell of blood touched his nostrils. The warm laughter of Anna in his memories now became a mocking echo in his head.
"We made promises…" he tried again. "Did you forget them so easily?"
"Promises?" Anna raised an eyebrow slightly, her lips tightening even more. "Anyone who trusts trash is probably trash themselves… You were the fool, Aden. So foolish you let me dictate your entire life… like a piece of unwanted garbage."
As she spoke, she slowly released her hand from the file. Her fingers lingered in the air for a hesitant second before she let out a barely audible sigh, her face quickly reverting to its cold mask.
The rain outside continued to pour relentlessly. A suffocating silence hung between the two of them. Aden's heart pounded painfully in his chest. A bitter taste filled his mouth, and the scent of despair permeated the air.
"In the end… the one who remembers everything… is the one who hurts the most," he said, his voice laced with an unbearable bitterness.
This time, Anna turned her face away, looking through the curtain of rain at the city lights below. Her fingertips still pressed firmly on the file.
"The one who still remembers is just trash who doesn't know how to move on… Your misfortune, Aden… is that you're trash who dared to dream too high."
BANG!
The office door was kicked open with such force that it slammed against the wall with a loud crack.
Three burly men in black suits stormed into the room without a sound. Their heavy footsteps thudded on the polished wooden floor. A rough hand in a black leather glove grabbed Aden by the collar, yanking him violently to the ground.
Primal instinct told him to fight, to struggle with all his might, but the strength he had prided himself on from his regular gym visits was meaningless against these men. A heavy fist slammed into his face, numbing it instantly. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Physical pain spread through him… but it was nothing compared to the agony of his shattered heart.
His breath came in ragged gasps as the cold, sharp steel of a knife plunged violently into his side. Pain exploded through his body. Everything spun… the sound of the rain… the frantic beating of his heart… all merging into a shrill scream in his consciousness.
Through the blur, his last gaze still sought some trace of love in Anna. But all he saw was an empty stare… she stood there, watching him lie in a pool of his own blood with a placid expression, before slowly turning her back on him.
"Goodbye… you piece of trash."
His entire world faded to black, leaving only the cold and the scent of blood mixed with the rain.
...
In an endless, dark abyss…
His heartbeat grew fainter and fainter. The scent of rain and the bitter taste of defeat lingered on his tongue. Everything slowly faded to silence. Only a fragment of vengeance and the will to live still burned in the core of his soul.
The voices of the past swirled… his entire world was about to extinguish completely.
.
.
.
As his last shred of consciousness slowly faded into almost nothing, amidst the still and frigid emptiness, the sound of rain on the glass—the last sound he heard from the outside world—disappeared.
And in that moment… a voice suddenly echoed.
It was not a sound heard by the ears, but a voice that was clear, cold, and resonant, as if whispered right next to his ear from some faraway place… or perhaps from within his own mind.
[...Strong will to live detected...]
[...Basic requirements met...]
[...Processing...]
The voice was faint yet clearer than any sound. It left a deep impression on Aden's crumbling psyche, like a brand from a formless world. Everything around him fell still, as if time in this void had stopped, waiting for his answer.
[...Do you wish to start anew...?]
[...Please choose your path...]
There were no explanations, no glamorous offers. Just a simple yet most powerful question of his life.
And in the second that the universe seemed to hold its breath, waiting…
The voice in Aden's mind—the last thing he truly owned—was uttered. It was faint, yet firmer than it had ever been in his life.
"I agree…"
The phrase was not spoken aloud.
It was an utterance from the depths of a soul that had been utterly destroyed… a soul ready to "bet everything" on a new path with an unknown end.
The moment he accepted… the last sound of rain in his memory ceased completely.
The entire world plunged into absolute darkness…
Everything was devoured by the abyss.
(End of Chapter 1)