Rise of the Monarch King

No one remembers when the first gate appeared. Only that the sky split open like a wound. From that tear came monsters. They didn’t speak. They didn’t hesitate. They slaughtered. Cities vanished overnight. Governments collapsed within weeks. Humanity—once so certain of its dominance—was pushed to the edge of extinction. And then— Some people awakened. They were called Slayers. While the rest of the world ran, they fought. While humanity crumbled, they held the line. Slowly, painfully, order was dragged back from chaos. An international Association was formed. Gates were monitored. Slayers were ranked. Guilds rose. Power gathered. And even in the end of the world— People still found ways to profit. That was the world I was born into. A broken one. My name is Aariz. I’m nineteen years old. And in a world where strength is everything— I’m nothing. No awakening. No talent. No future. Not even luck. My mother has been sick for as long as I can remember. No doctor could explain it. Her condition changed constantly—one day her lungs would fail, the next her body burned with fever. Sometimes… she would just lie there, unmoving, like life itself had given up on her. People talked. They always do. He cursed her. If he hadn’t been born… I stopped denying it a long time ago. My father disappeared the day I was born. No body. No trace. Just… gone. No one called it a coincidence. The only person who never blamed me— Was Aniya. She isn’t my real sister. But she’s more family than anyone else ever was. She works herself to exhaustion. Smiles when she shouldn’t. Lies about being okay. All for two people who can’t stand on their own. For our mother. And for me. That day, I was walking home. Same road. Same thoughts. Same useless life. Then— A scream tore through the air. “GATE BREAK!” Everything froze. Then the world exploded into chaos. People ran. Cars crashed. Someone fell beside me and didn’t get back up. “How is this possible?!” someone shouted. “There wasn’t a gate here!” Which meant— It formed somewhere hidden. An abandoned building. Undetected. And now it was too late. Slayers wouldn’t arrive in time. I stood there. Frozen. What am I supposed to do? I’m not awakened. I can’t fight. I can’t save anyone. — “Please!” a girl’s voice cried out, trembling but desperate. “It’s a high-rank gate! Any awakened person—help evacuate!” High-rank. My hands clenched. There was no one stepping forward. No one. At this rate— Everyone here would die. So I ran. Not because I was brave. But because I didn’t think. The air reeked of blood and dust. Smoke filled my lungs as something massive crashed through a nearby wall. Then I saw it. A monster. Its body was twisted, like it had been stitched together wrong. Jagged claws scraped against the ground. Its mouth hung open, filled with rotting fangs. Its eyes— Locked onto me. My legs wouldn’t move. This is it. “Sister?!” The word tore out of me before I could stop it. I turned— And my heart stopped. “Aniya?! What are you doing here?!” She looked just as shocked. “Aariz—?!” She shouldn’t be here. She should never be here. The monster lunged. Everything slowed. I didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate. I moved. I shoved her out of the way. Pain exploded through my body. Something tore into me—deep, burning, real. My vision shattered as I felt warm blood spill from my mouth. “Run!” I choked out. “Take care of Mom—!” “No!” Aniya grabbed me, her hands shaking. “I’m not leaving you!” Why…? Why won’t you run? Another shadow fell over us. Too fast. Too close. “—!” She was hit. “No…” My legs gave out. My body wouldn’t listen anymore. I collapsed. I can’t even… Protect her… Darkness crept in. Cold. Heavy. Final. “This isn’t the time for you to die.” A voice. Calm. Completely out of place. I forced my fading vision to focus. A man stood there. I couldn’t see his face clearly—but something about him felt wrong. The air around him bent. Warped. Like reality itself was trying to move out of his way. “And it seems,” he said softly, “fate wants to give you a chance.” Chance…? My lips barely moved. “My… sister…” My voice broke. “Help her…” He glanced at Aniya. “A sister, huh…” Something cold touched my chest. “Then survive,” he said. “And get stronger.” Darkness swallowed everything. …Why is it so dark? Am I— Dead? There was nothing. No ground. No sky. Only endless black pressing in from every direction. Then— Something shifted. The darkness trembled. And the world changed. I was standing on a mountain. Not of stone. Of corpses. Monsters. Endless. Broken. Twisted. Piled beneath my feet like discarded trash. Blood flowed between them like rivers. The sky above— Was cracked. Black… splitting apart with faint red light bleeding through. Like the world itself was dying. And at the top— Someone stood there. A man. His back facing me. Darkness clung to him. Not like shadow—but something alive. Moving. Breathing. I couldn’t see his face. But I knew. He was looking at me. “You’re weak.” His voice crushed the silence. I tried to move. I couldn’t. “Too weak to protect anyone.” My chest tightened. “Too weak to change anything.” Stop… “Become strong.” The darkness surged. Violent. Endless. “Strong enough to save this world.” Everything shattered. I gasped. Air burned my lungs as I shot upright. Beep… beep… beep… A hospital. White ceiling. Machines. Alive. “Aariz—!” Aniya’s voice broke as she grabbed my hand. Her arm was wrapped in bandages. Her eyes were swollen, red from crying. “You i***t…!” she choked. “Why would you do something like that?!” I didn’t answer. I just pulled her into an embrace. Ignoring the pain. Ignoring everything. “Thank God you’re okay,” I whispered. She froze. Then she broke. “You’re still worrying about me…?” she sobbed. “Even after—” She couldn’t finish. “You were unconscious for three days,” she said after a moment. Three days… The door opened. A doctor stepped in, visibly relieved. “Oh, you’re awake. That’s good—very good.” “Thank you,” I said quietly. He nodded, then added— “There’s something else. It appears you’ve awakened Slayer abilities.” My heart skipped. So it finally happened. A device was brought in. “Place your hand here.” I did. The air shifted. The lights flickered. Something inside me moved—rising, surging— The doctors leaned forward. Expectation. Excitement. For a moment— I saw it. S-rank? Then— It stopped. Silence. “…E-rank,” the doctor said flatly. Everything changed instantly. The excitement vanished. “So… the lowest rank,” he added, already losing interest. “You’ll receive your Slayer card in a week.” Just like that— I was dismissed. After they left, Aniya smiled gently. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “You don’t have to risk your life.” I looked at my hands. Weak. Still. “I’ll become stronger,” I said. Quiet. Certain. “So don’t worry.” She sighed, standing up. “Rest. I have to go to work.” “You’re injured too—” “I’m fine.” She wasn’t. But she left anyway. Silence filled the room. I stared at my chest. “…It seems others can’t see you.” Something shifted in the air. A small, black creature appeared. Round. Floating. With two tiny ears and glowing, empty eyes. It tilted its head. Then— It smiled. “Hello,” it said cheerfully. A pause. Then— “Successor.”