It was just another ordinary day, until the Apocalypse struck. Not with meteor showers or nuclear war, but with a tearing shriek from deep within the earth, followed by a tremor vast enough to rip the planet's crust apart. Massive fissures tore open the ground, swallowing skyscrapers whole and spewing forth countless grotesque, bizarre creatures. The air grew thick with the stench of sulfur and death, and arcane lights from the cracks began to warp everything they touched. Humans mutated, trees withered, and civilization itself crumbled in a single night. The world died, and Rune was the strongest man alive.
The scent of rusted metal and decaying flesh clung to the thick air of the Ruined City – a concrete graveyard where human screams had long faded, replaced by the ghastly cries of monsters. Perched atop a severed skyscraper, Rune's imposing figure stood tall, his dark cloak fluttering softly in the toxic wind. His ice-cold eyes swept across the desolate wasteland below, where dozens of Bloodfiends – grotesque mutated creatures with razor-sharp teeth and slick, oozing bodies – scuttled like a disturbed ant colony.
Rune was no hero, nor had he ever wished to be. He was a survivor, a dominator whose name was etched in blood and fear. He raised a hand, dark energy coalescing in his palm, and unleashed a shadowy bolt that ripped through the night. The Bloodfiends below shrieked in agony as they were instantly reduced to ash. It was a familiar display of power, one that made even the strongest survivors tremble. He had claimed this land, piece by piece, turning it into his own dominion.
"Another peaceful day, Leader," Vorn's low voice rumbled from behind him. His lieutenant, a burly man with loyal eyes and an honest smile, was always the first by Rune's side. "These Bloodfiends are like flies."
Rune merely grunted, not turning. "As long as there's prey, we live."
Vorn stepped closer, accompanied by Seraphina – Rune's lover, a woman with platinum hair and captivating emerald eyes – and Thanos, a large, silent Awakened. They were his innermost circle, the ones who had fought beside him through countless battles, building this small empire from the ruins. Or so he had thought.
"We need to discuss tomorrow's expedition," Seraphina said, her voice sweet as honey but carrying an unusual tension that Rune failed to detect. "A new zone has been scouted, potentially rich in valuable resources."
Rune turned, his gaze sweeping over each face. They all seemed normal, but a sudden chill ran down his spine. He dismissed it. He must be tired. "Alright. Let's head down to the base."
As the heavy bunker door slammed shut, cutting them off from the outside world, an unseen trap sprung. The air in the conference room suddenly grew heavy. Rune had barely placed his hand on the table, preparing to examine the map, when a searing pain tore through his back. A cold blade, coated in a strange venom, had pierced his armor and buried itself deep into his ribs.
"Vorn?!" Rune spun around, his face contorted in disbelief and agony. His lieutenant stood there, his once-loyal eyes now filled with a chilling hunger and resentment. He wrenched the blade out, drawing a sickening rip of flesh.
"Forgive me, Leader," Vorn whispered, utterly devoid of remorse. "You've grown too strong. This world needs a leader who listens more."
"You...!" Rune roared, but a wave of emerald energy radiating from Seraphina wrapped around him, paralyzing his nerves. He felt his muscles seize, his abilities locked away. She stepped back, her lips curling into a cold smile.
"A monster will always be a monster," Seraphina spat, "uncontrollable."
Then Thanos lunged, his punch carrying terrifying force, crushing Rune's ribcage and sending him sprawling against the concrete wall. The entire bunker shook. Rune felt his bones shatter, his lungs burn, and blood gush from the corner of his mouth. He collapsed onto the cold stone floor, his vision blurring.
"It's over, Rune," Thanos growled, stepping on his chest. "You'll rot here, just like the monsters you purged."
They left him there, gasping for breath in his own pool of blood. The bunker door slammed shut, the dry click a death knell. Darkness enveloped him, cold and endless. The metallic tang of blood filled his nostrils. Rune's body convulsed in its death throes. He heard the triumphant laughter of his betrayers fading into the distance.
No! He couldn't die like this! Not like this!
A primal, maddening fire ignited within Rune's chest, incinerating everything that remained. The hatred, the humiliation, the thirst for vengeance – it all swirled into a furious storm. In that last flicker of consciousness, as death knocked, a dark, raw energy surged. His body began to groan, not from the pain of his wounds, but from a horrifying transformation erupting from within.
Rune felt thousands of knives tearing through his flesh, his tendons, his very bones. He heard his skeleton crack and shift, lengthening, warping, sprouting things that shouldn't exist. A razor-sharp bone spike unexpectedly pierced his shoulder blade, pinning him to the stone floor. His fingers convulsed, elongating and twisting into black, gleaming claws. The skin on his arm became thick and gnarled, like a nascent bio-armor.
It wasn't a gentle rebirth. It was a nightmare taking form.
A guttural roar tore through the silence, no longer the sound of a man, but the shriek of a tortured beast, of a predator awakening. Rune's eyes snapped open, now blazing with a blood-red fire, reflecting madness and bottomless hatred. He dragged himself, using his new claws to claw at the wall. His body screamed in agony, but that pain had been replaced by an iron will:
"Vorn... Seraphina... Thanos..."
Their names hissed from Rune's throat, not as curses, but as an oath. He would find them. He would make them pay. And when that time came, death would be a mercy he would never grant.