Ronin stood amongst the chaos filled with death and destruction and simply watched as the secret imperial squad brutally and mercilessly massacred the indigenous tribe folks in the name of vanquishing heathens. Who knew what the imperial family would do with the rock? But as a hired professional… he could not intervene and silently watch from afar as thousands of innocent lives were exterminated just for having something the people in power wanted to maintain their authority. Being born of different race, skin color, species or having different religious beliefs… there were tons of reasons and excuses one could use to persecute or steal from the weak. But in the end… it was and always has been about greed and controlling the world around you. "Before… I never felt anything. I have only existed to serve my lord's will ever since I was created. I've never felt any form of empathy for anyone. I've killed those who I was ordered to and spared those who I had no choice but to. Yet, I've never sympathized with the pain of others or felt the need to care about it." he said in a contemplating tone. "But now that I can feel their emotions… It makes me wonder what am I?" questioned Ronin as he sensed the last breath taken by the only remaining tribesman. With this… the terrifying fire snuffed out all the witnesses as the imperial squads accomplished their mission. "Am I just a slave of my creator? A tool for murder? Or am I just a husk of a soulless and a mindless puppet?" he questioned himself. After the fire was snubbed using water magic and only the crisp corpses and blackened remains of the tribe settlements became visible, the holier-than-thou squads moved to complete their next objective. Dozens of sealing artifacts, magic formations, and holy spells were used as warriors, mages, and priests did their part to conceal the meteor to secure it safely. A squad of the imperial squads put the rock in a massive chest and started carrying it towards a platform that descended from the warship. Ronin kept his silence and did not try to get involved in any way, only watching from the side as he saw the glimmering shine of the meteor. Shing! Shing! Tremble! But right after the chest carrying the rock passed by Ronin, the nearby surroundings started vibrating as if an earthquake was on the way. Boom! Suddenly, the chest burst open, breaking all the formations, artifacts, and spells placed upon it. Suddenly, the rock started shaking and trembling and released a deathly aura that quickly dispersed in a 2-kilometer radius. "Argh!" "What's happening?!" "No… my body!" One after another, regardless of their class or rank, the rock started sucking out the life squad of all the priests, assassins, and magicians as well as all the souls of the deceased tribe members. "Help us, mercenary!" bellowed a high priest of the imperial squad. Swoosh! Ronin appeared in front of the rock, with a lifeless expression. "And why should I?" he asked the priest as the latter's body started getting dry from the inside. "My task was to only kill the Shaman. Just as I was not allowed to interfere in the imperial squad's actions… I'm also not obligated to help you from the consequences caused by them." said Ronin in a despondent tone. Unlike others, he did not feel fear or was affected by the rock in any way. Rather, he felt a sense of calling from it as if the rock was yearning for Ronin and he felt the strange powers from the meteor were already part of him. "What would master have done in my place?" he asked himself. Shatter! BOOM!! Suddenly, the rock burst out… incinerating everything that came in contact. Find exclusive stories on empire The burst of energy blew up everything within the two-kilometer radius and even the massive warship and a few airships that carried the platoon of priests, assassins, and warriors serving the imperial army… were completely obliterated. 10 minutes later… The once lush and full-of-life valley was long gone and only a massive 300 meters deep spherical crater remained. However… Ronin was left untouched, not even a scratch on his body or the clothes. "You're the same as me, aren't you?" he spoke while intently gazing at the purple core of the meteor that remained in the end. "You don't have a life of your own, a will of your own. You don't know what you are and what's your purpose. I have only followed orders because I was created by my master. Yet, I'm not sure if servitude is the entire reason for my existence." he spoke with a calm demeanor. Ronin silently watched as his personality suddenly underwent a massive change at this moment. "Let's find out together," he said and picked up the meteor. "Avenge us!" "Punish them!" "Destroy this wicked and unjust world!" One after another, Ronin suddenly started hearing all these thousands of souls, feeling their torment, their rage, and their contempt towards the world that killed them despite being innocent and harmless. The meteor had absorbed only the souls of the tribe members and left the ones from the imperial squad as if it was offering salvation to the innocent and condemning the wicked. Rumble! Shriek! The rock let out a shriek of its own and the surging purple light was absorbed by Ronin. Afterward, the purple aura suddenly grew around his body and Ronin's originally green eyes now turned glowing purple. Squirm! Squirm! Suddenly, his body started transforming into a different entity. His entire body including the head and skin turned pitch black and two black wings made of pure death/darkness element, similar to that of a raven appeared. A hood pierced by demonic horns came out of his head and an archaic symbol with glowing purple hue appeared on his chest. The Shinigami armor and Erebus daggers integrated themselves into this new transformation, in a way, turning into a part of his body. Minutes passed as Ronin underwent a form of evolution and finally, spoke in a grim tone. The souls of the imperial squad members suddenly started bowing in front of Ronin, gaining a purple mark of death and darkness around their chest. "I have finally found my purpose," said Ronin as his aura completely changed. "I have become the harbinger of death. The true Apostle of Hell. I have finally become the…" declared Ronin as he commanded the souls of the dead. "Prince of Darkness."