Darkness.
But this time, it wasn't the terrifying, suffocating kind.
It felt… warm. Familiar.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing on a vast, endless plain. The ground beneath my feet wasn't stone or earth—it was a sea of living shadows, rippling like liquid silk. Above me stretched a sky of pure twilight, neither day nor night, where stars swirled lazily like they had all the time in eternity.
And in the far distance…
A massive obsidian palace rose against the horizon, jagged and glorious, its towers scraping the very fabric of reality.
The moment I set my eyes on it, a sharp pain lanced through my head.
Memories—not mine—flooded in.
I staggered forward, drawn toward that impossible fortress.
Each step I took, the shadows beneath me shifted, forming images—fragments of history.
I saw a figure standing atop a throne carved from the heart of a dying star. His face was hidden beneath a dark crown, but his presence was undeniable.
Around him knelt countless beings—demon lords, shadow beasts, ancient gods—all swearing loyalty.
A booming voice echoed through the air:
"To the Final Heir of the Shadowborn… we pledge eternity."
My breathing grew ragged.
"That… that's me?" I whispered.
The shadows answered by reshaping the scene again.
This time, I stood at the center, but younger. Human. Mortal.
Yet behind me loomed a colossal shadow figure—my true form. A being of immense power, crowned in darkness, wielding a blade made from the pure concept of night itself.
And then… the fall.
The scene shifted.
The great throne cracked. Betrayal echoed through the air. The loyal shadow legions turned on their king.
A war unlike anything imaginable raged across realms, tearing apart the fabric of dimensions.
And the Final Heir—the ruler of it all—vanished.
Erased from history.
Until now.
I stumbled forward again, reaching the base of that impossible palace. Massive doors of blackened steel stood before me, sealed shut for countless eons.
But as I approached, they groaned open, recognizing my presence.
Inside, the grand hall stretched endlessly, lined with statues of beings I couldn't comprehend—each one more terrifying and majestic than the last.
And at the end of it all…
The Throne.
Empty. Waiting.
A voice—deep, ancient, and somehow inside my very soul—spoke.
"Claim what was lost, Liam Zhang. Remember who you are."
I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by the weight of destiny crushing my mortal mind.
"I… I'm not ready for this," I gasped. "I'm just… a normal guy! I'm not some king! I can't even make instant noodles without burning them sometimes!"
The hall darkened.
The voice returned, more commanding now.
"You carry the bloodline of the Shadowborn. Weak or strong, ready or not… destiny does not wait."
The throne pulsed with a faint glow, and for the first time, I saw the inscription carved into the ancient stone:
"In the darkness, we do not fall. We rise."
I stood. My legs shook. My heart thundered in my chest.
And step by step, I approached the throne.
As I touched it, memories—not just visions, but feelings—rushed through me.
The sorrow of a ruler who had lost everything.
The rage of a king betrayed by his closest allies.
And the unyielding will of someone who refused to let history erase him.
The shadows swirled around me like a cloak, fitting perfectly, naturally.
I sat upon the Throne of Shadows.
And at that moment, I felt it—true control.
Not over others…
But over myself.
My eyes snapped open.
Back in the real world.
I gasped for air, my chest heaving.
The Shadow Queen was right there, kneeling beside me, her hand pressed against my forehead.
Her crimson eyes widened as she saw me awake.
"You… you saw it, didn't you?" she whispered.
I sat up slowly, my body still weak but my heart stronger than ever.
"Yeah," I whispered back. "I saw everything."
She stared at me, awe and something softer—something dangerously close to respect—glimmering in her eyes.
"Then you know," she said quietly. "You're no longer just my Caretaker… You're the last rightful King of Shadows."
And for the first time in my life…
I didn't run from it.
I accepted it.
To be continued…