CHAPTER 2 "What’s Your Name?"

  The Lords had no physical form. They were merely a mass of mana, born in the depths of the universe, containing pure cosmic energy — a manifestation of power and might.

  Each time they entered a new world, their memories of the past were wiped clean. They remembered nothing of what they had done — of how worlds died, how planets perished, how lives crumbled. Nothing remained of what had happened to them before their next awakening. All they knew was their purpose. Only their mission remained.

  Upon arrival, the Lords would take on a form appropriate to the world they entered. And so, on Earth, the seven Lords appeared in forms indistinguishable from humans. But they had no idea they would remain this way forever, having chosen a different path — one free of the Creator’s Will. The only thing that separated them from humans was their ageless, immortal bodies — frozen forever in the form they had first taken in this reality.

  Dan was tall. Well-built. His skin was pale with a cool undertone. His hair — long and so black it seemed scorched by fire, as if the original color had burned away, leaving only coal — was tied back in a knot. His eyes were the same: wide, coal-dark, like a moonless night. Yes, the title 'Lord of Darkness' suited him perfectly. An immortal, eternally young man in the body of a twenty-eight-year-old, he had lived on Earth for more than four thousand years.

  That was why he could never stay in one place too long. Humans age. Their bodies change rapidly after twenty-five — inevitably. But he did not. He remained the same. Forever. And people could feel it. And everything that isn’t understood — frightens. How do you explain that you don’t change? That you don’t grow old? That you will never meet old age… That all you do is watch and secretly protect the life that, in this world, is so short.

  He knew: he couldn’t reveal himself. He couldn’t be open or get too close to people. He was a Lord — but didn’t need recognition or worship. He was a protector — but only in secret.

  Yes… when he told his brothers 'Live,' he hadn’t quite imagined this. Four thousand years ago, he knew so little of people and of this world, where time passed so swiftly. A world so primitive in its design that it rushed by unnoticed. And yet, there was something about it — something that, even after four thousand years, he still couldn’t understand. Something both healing and destructive…

  “I wonder…” Dan often thought of the other Lords, those like him. “What are they doing now? Did they find their path? Are they… living?”

  Since they parted ways — four thousand years ago, at that place where everything ended and began — Dan hadn’t seen his brothers again. They scattered across the world, each seeking their own path, their new, free life.

  Tonight, sitting in the courtyard of a concrete high-rise building — on a weathered wooden bench with peeling lacquer — beneath a dim streetlamp barely lighting the entrance, the Lord of Darkness held in one hand a paper cup of hot coffee from a nearby café, and in the other, a cigarette smoldering in the cool, spring air. His thoughts were focused on humanity.

  A cool night. A bench by the entrance. Coffee and a cigarette in hand. He was doing what millions did — and thinking:

  “They… figured out how to wrap tobacco leaves in paper and inhale the smoke? Remarkable people. An accidental fire in a tobacco field birthed an entire culture… a way to relax… but… the smoke is toxic. It kills. And yet they like it. They like what kills them… They really are… truly remarkable.”

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  He smirked. Brought the cigarette to his lips.

  And then — a scream broke through his musings on cigarettes:

  "Let me go! That hurts!"

  "Please… leave me alone!"

  A sharp, hoarse voice. Female. Just around the corner.

  He didn’t hesitate. He put out the cigarette and went.

  In the dim light of the streetlamp, a girl lay on the asphalt. Covered in dust. Her clothes torn. Her arms weakly resisted, like fading sparks. Over her loomed five figures. Five huge bodies, laughing like hyenas that had cornered their prey.

  "Come on, get up!"

  "Don’t you want to have some fun with us?"

  "Guys, just look at her! Hahaha!"

  She was crying. Trying to break free from the circle closing in around her. Useless.

  "Kill them", Dan thought.

  A pause.

  "No. Not kill. But a little pain wouldn’t hurt."

  He stepped forward.

  "Hands off, he said calmly, as if politely asking to pass."

  The girl looked at him. In her eyes — fear… and hope. 'Save me,' he read in her gaze.

  "AHAHAHA!", the attackers laughed.

  "What’s this, kid? Get lost while you still can! You’ll be kissing the ground in a sec"—

  He didn’t finish. He only felt a cold palm on his face. His head hit the asphalt.

  The thug, mid-threat, now lay unconscious.

  "What the hell was that?!"

  "How did he… s-so… f-fast?!"

  "Who the hell are you?!"

  The rest hesitated. But like any pack, they charged him all at once.

  Dan stood with his back to them, over the motionless body of one of the five. He wasn’t looking at the others, but he felt them approach. And… turned his head sharply.

  Shivering. Rapid heartbeat. Cold sweat.

  "What the hell?!"

  "What's this crap?!"

  "We gotta get out of here!!!"

  "WHAT IS HE?!"

  Terror and dread consumed the group charging at the Lord of Darkness. One look was enough to trigger their deepest survival instinct.

  But it was too late.

  A moment later, five bodies lay on the cold asphalt. Unconscious.

  But alive.

  Dan looked them over. Brushed off his hands.

  "Well… they’ll live", he thought aloud.

  "Th-thank you, the girl whispered through tears.

  He looked at her.

  "Beautiful."

  "Huh? What… what is this feeling?"

  He froze. For the first time in four thousand years — he froze. The Lord of Darkness. Commander of Death. Stood like a startled boy. Like a deer in headlights.

  "Th-thank you, she repeated, a little louder.

  "You’ve lived for four thousand years. You’ve protected the weak a thousand times. What are you afraid of?..

  No. This isn’t fear. It’s something else…"

  "Thank you", once more. Quietly. Gently. Sincerely.

  Dan returned to himself. He looked at her. Her eyes no longer held fear or pain, but she wasn’t looking directly at him — just slightly to the side, as if afraid to meet his gaze. She was… shy.

  He held out his hand. Silently.

  She flinched and blushed even more, but still extended her trembling hand.

  And whispered:

  "What is your name?"

  you think Dan will do after she asked, “What’s your name?”