Ascension of the Forsaken

Prologue

The flickering glow of a dying streetlight cast long shadows on the cracked pavement. Lucian Alden pulled his jacket closer, shivering as a cold wind bit through the thin fabric. His shoes, worn down from years of use, barely muffled the sound of his footsteps as he walked home from his part-time job. It was a routine he had followed for years—study during the day, work at night, survive however he could.

Lucian was a genius, but genius meant nothing without power. Born into poverty, he had no connections, no safety net. Intelligence alone wasn’t enough to change the world, at least not in a society where wealth dictated worth. He had learned that lesson the hard way.

Still, he refused to give up. Science, technology, strategy—these were his weapons. He had dreams of building something revolutionary, of proving that knowledge was the greatest power of all. But fate had other plans.

As he turned a corner into an empty alley, his body suddenly froze. The distant hum of the city faded into silence. Then came the sound of screeching tires.

A black car. Headlights blinding. Engine roaring.

Lucian wanted to scream, to curse him, to fight back. But his body no longer obeyed. Cold numbness spread through his limbs, and his breathing grew weaker.

Darkness closed in.

‘Unfair,’ he thought. ‘I was supposed to do more... I was supposed to change everything...’

His final sight was the night sky, vast and endless. Then, silence.

And yet... his story did not end there.