The Being Who Existed Before the Omniverse

Far beyond the borders of the human kingdoms, beyond the roads traveled by merchants and adventurers, there stood a massive volcano that had been forgotten by history itself.

Its peak pierced the dark clouds, constantly releasing streams of smoke and ash into the sky.

Rivers of molten lava flowed through countless cracks across its rocky surface, painting the mountain in an eerie crimson glow.

No plants grew there.

No animals dared approach.

No life could survive within its burning depths.

Or so the humans believed.

Deep inside the volcano existed a vast underground cavern illuminated by endless rivers of lava.

The scorching heat was enough to melt steel within seconds, yet numerous creatures lived within the infernal domain.

Demons.

The defeated remnants of the race that had once ruled the world.

Two thousand years ago, humanity had won the Great War and driven the demons to the edge of extinction.

While humans built prosperous kingdoms and enjoyed an era of peace, the demons were forced to hide within the volcano’s depths.

Their numbers dwindled.

Their strength weakened.

Their pride shattered.

At the center of the cavern sat the Demon General, Kajkha, upon a throne carved from black volcanic stone.

His crimson eyes burned with rage as he clenched his claws.

"I can’t take this anymore!"

His furious roar echoed throughout the cavern.

"I want human flesh!"

The surrounding demons lowered their heads nervously.

One demon stepped forward and spoke cautiously.

"But General Kajkha, humans are far stronger than we are now.

How can we possibly defeat them in our current state?"

Kajkha’s expression darkened.

"I don’t know how we will defeat them."

His voice carried both frustration and hunger.

"I just want human flesh."

The cavern fell silent.

Then an elderly demon wearing dark robes stepped forward.

His name was Varkul, the Demon Minister.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

"General Kajkha, the humans have indeed become powerful."

He paused before continuing.

"But there is a weakness we can exploit."

Kajkha’s eyes narrowed.

"What weakness?"

Varkul bowed respectfully.

"Human children."

The demons immediately turned their attention toward him.

"Adult humans possess strength, training, and experience.

Fighting them directly would be suicide."

A cruel grin spread across his face.

"However, children are different."

"They are weak."

"They are defenseless."

"And their life force can greatly increase our power."

The minister raised his claw.

"If we secretly devour human children, we can gradually recover our lost strength.

Once we become stronger than humanity again..."

His eyes gleamed with malice.

"...we can invade their kingdoms and reclaim our former glory."

For a moment, silence filled the cavern.

Then Kajkha slowly stood from his throne.

A vicious smile appeared on his face.

"You’re right."

His voice was filled with excitement.

He spread his arms wide and addressed every demon in the cavern.

"Listen well!"

The demons immediately knelt.

"From this day forward, we will hunt human children."

"We will feast upon them."

"We will grow stronger."

"And when our strength has returned..."

His crimson eyes glowed like molten lava.

"...we shall attack the human kingdoms and rule over them once again, just as we did two thousand years ago!"

The cavern exploded with excitement.

"ROARRRRRR!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"GLORY TO THE DEMONS!"

Countless demonic roars echoed throughout the volcano.

The beginning of a new nightmare had started.

Scene Shift

Several days later.

Within a peaceful human village located near the edge of a vast forest, two young boys were walking along a dirt road beneath the warm afternoon sun.

The first boy was named Arlen.

The second boy was named Daren.

Both were around ten years old and shared the same dream.

Arlen smiled brightly.

"Hey, bro. When I grow up, I want to become an adventurer like my father."

Daren’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Really? Me too!"

Arlen looked surprised.

"You too?"

Daren nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! I want to travel around the world and see all kinds of different creatures."

Arlen laughed.

"Then when we grow up, let’s create our own adventurer team."

Daren immediately agreed.

"That’s a great idea!"

"What should we call it?"

Arlen placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment.

Then his eyes lit up.

"The team name will be..."

He pointed dramatically toward the sky.

"Black!"

Daren blinked.

"Just Black?"

Arlen scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well... we’ll think of the rest later."

Both boys burst into laughter.

Unfortunately...

Neither of them noticed the pair of crimson eyes watching from the shadows of the forest.

A tall demon silently emerged from behind the trees.

Its body was covered in black scales.

Its mouth stretched from ear to ear.

Rows of razor-sharp teeth glistened beneath the sunlight.

The boys froze.

Fear filled their eyes.

Before they could react.

CRUNCH!

The demon lunged forward.

Arlen’s scream was cut short as the monster bit into him, devouring half of his body in a single horrifying bite.

Blood splattered across the ground.

Daren’s eyes widened in terror.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He stumbled backward.

"HELP!"

"HELP!"

"THERE’S A DEMON!"

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

Tears streamed down his face as he desperately ran toward the village.

But before he could escape, several more demons emerged from the forest.

They surrounded him from every direction.

"No..."

Daren’s body trembled.

"Please..."

One of the demons grabbed him.

Another opened its mouth.

His desperate screams echoed through the forest.

Then...

Silence.

The demons slowly finished devouring the child.

Blood dripped from their fangs as they smiled with satisfaction.

One demon laughed.

"They say humans are stronger than us now."

Another demon nodded mockingly.

"Perhaps."

He licked the blood from his claws.

"But their children are weak."

"And far easier to hunt than fully grown men and women."

The demons burst into cruel laughter.

"YAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Their laughter echoed through the forest as darkness silently crept toward the peaceful human kingdoms.

None of the humans knew it yet.

But the demons had begun their hunt.