Nero stood about halfway up the enormous staircase leading to the main gate of his vast fortress. Behind him, the towering black walls stretched endlessly, and on them stood countless Polykenas, their eyes locked onto him in silent observation. A strong wind blew through Nero's short black hair and his eyes shone with dark composure.

  As always, he wore his torn trousers and dirt-streaked shirt—an appearance that belied his true status as the ruler of a world-destroying army. Only the deep black crown on his head and the noble, billowing cloak hinted at his true standing.

  Next to Nero stood five figures. To his right was Xersies, his first general, tasked with maintaining control and order among the Polykenas. To his left stood Ramor, the Master Symbolic, his second general. Next to Xersies stood Shire, his ever-watchful bodyguard and third general, while to the left of Ramor stood Ester, master of research and mutation, the fourth general. And far to the right, hunched and shrouded in darkness, was Fril—the fifth general, a master assassin.

  His domain was the silent elimination of rulers and the procurement of vital intelligence, though until now, the Polykenas had been so overwhelmingly dominant that his talents had not been really necessary. These five were Nero's elite, the most powerful Polykenas in his army, though no enemy force required the full attention of all 5 generals to date. Power radiated from each of them, yet in the midst of these titans stood their ruler: Nero.

  But Nero had not come out here to enjoy the beautiful view over the dead fields and forests, but rather there was an important matter. It was time to search for a new world—and to conquer it.

  At his command, Xersies stepped forward and handed him a small blue stone. This stone was their key to power. It was the most valuable possession of Nero.

  Without it, even the mighty fortress would be useless. He had seized it long ago from a human—a traveler who had used it to journey between worlds. Now, it belonged to him.

  Nero took the stone in one hand and knelt, pressing his palm against the smooth obsidian beneath him. In the center of the step, an engraved symbol gleamed faintly. This was one of the many connections that allowed Nero to merge his consciousness with the fortress.

  Next, he ordered the millions of Polykenas to release their energy once again. They did as he commanded them. But this time Nero did not use it to collect the chaos energy, since none was left, but rather he took the energy and ordered it to flow into the small blue stone.

  He released only a tiny part of the stored energy at the same time, for fear that the stone would be overloaded and destroyed. Nevertheless, the amount of magic that was released was breathtaking.

  Every living being possessed a wellspring of magic, a force they could wield freely. Given time, it would naturally regenerate—unless drained too severely, in which case recovery became slow, even impossible. The black stones were Nero's means of circumventing this limitation, allowing him to store and wield magic far beyond what any single being should contain.

  For the Polykenas, it was the absorption of chaos energy.

  One could imagine it like a simple glass of water. It could be emptied and refilled endlessly, but its capacity remained fixed. Only by expanding the glass could it hold more.

  Under normal circumstances, recharging this small blue stone was an excruciatingly slow process, as only one individual could fuel it at a time. The task usually took no less than four months.

  But now, it was as if the stone had been plunged into a vast, surging ocean. Within mere moments, its energy reservoir overflowed, fully charged and brimming with power.

  This was the third great function of the fortress.

  Nero lifted the small blue stone and directed his will into it, commanding its activation. Immediately, the stone unleashed a tremendous wave of energy. He focused his mind entirely, straining to maintain control. So far, he had not yet discovered a way to precisely locate other worlds—it was always a game of chance. Hours passed before the stone finally locked onto a target. Nero felt the connection forming between here and there, and then space itself rippled before him. As if a colossal painting had been hung in the air, reality split open, revealing an entirely new landscape.

  A gust of fresh air surged through the opening. Bright daylight illuminated the other side, and the sun's relentless heat burned against Nero's pale skin. He nodded to his generals, who followed as he stepped through the portal..

  The gateway had opened high above the ground, dozens of meters in the air. While Nero, Xersies, Ramor, and Ester had the ability to fly, the remaining two required assistance. Shadows coiled and solidified beneath them as Nero created a floating platform of darkness. At night, sustaining such a construct was effortless, because shadows surrounded him, fueling his magic, but under the glaring sun, the effort was exhausting. Still, he ignored the strain.

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  They surveyed the land below. A small human village lay beneath them, its inhabitants blissfully unaware of their presence. Nero could have cloaked himself in darkness, but doing so required more energy than he was willing to expend. He also could not absorb the Polykenas' power from the fortress. They had attempted it before, but the experiment had ended in disaster—every Polykenas who had tried had perished in an instant, their magical hearts obliterated. Ester had conducted an autopsy and confirmed that foreign magic had completely destroyed them.

  Xersies could also hide them, as Nero had discovered, but Xersies explained to him that the trick worked by directing all the light around him. Thus Nero could not see him. But without light, Xersies also couldn't see anything. That was indeed good for surprise attacks if you know the area well, but it did not help them in this situation.

  According to Ramor, there were some active symbols that would be capable of hiding them from human eyes, but these required enormous magic. Of course, Nero and his generals were also way too powerful to make it worth the cost and trouble. It would be like trying to cover a mountain with a sheet of paper!

  The symbols could never hide them! So they left those out as well. The other three had no possibility to hide anyone from the naked eye, therefore Nero didn't even need to ask them.

  But it made no difference. Even if they were seen, it hardly mattered.

  Sure enough, it wasn't long before the villagers spotted them. Panic spread like wildfire.

  They screamed and roared in their strange language. Nero activated a hidden symbol on his neck. Immediately, he learned the language of the humans around him, but they spoke so wildly mixed together that he still understood nothing. Only upon listening closely did he pick up their words,

  "DEMONS!" roared one.

  "DISAPPEAR, YOU WRETCHED CREATURES!"

  "THE SUNGOD WILL SAVE US!"

  Nero chuckled at their hysteria, amused by their futile cries to an absent deity. Once, long ago, he also believed in a god. But that faith had crumbled and died fifty years ago—on the day he lost them...

  Nero shook his head. These were emotions and memories that Nero had long since banished from himself and he had no intention of bringing them back up again. Emotions were weaknesses! The past was irrelevant!

  Every world they had invaded played out the same way. They arrived, were branded demons, and the humans called out to their gods. At first, Nero had dismissed it as coincidence. But as it repeated time and time again, he had begun to wonder. He had once asked Xersies if there was meaning behind it, but even his first general had no answer. None of them did.

  Nero refocused on the terrified humans below.

  "Aren't they cute, how they call upon their god, who will never come to save them?" he asked amusedly.

  Ester laughed, "Like little animals that call upon their parents to suck on their nipples."

  "Does anyone among you feel any kind of magic?" asked Nero after some time, but his generals only shook their heads. There were only mortals among these humans.

  Nero was just about to say something when he suddenly heard a woman shout,

  "QUICK, SOMEONE GO TO THE LIGHT-BINDERS AND GET HELP!"

  Nero tilted his head. "They're calling for someone..."

  His generals turned their attention downward, watching closely. A shift rippled through the crowd. Then Ramor stiffened. "Magic. I sense it now."

  From within the mass of frightened humans, a dozen figures emerged, draped in pristine white robes. The villagers formed a circle around them, parting to leave an open space at the center.

  ersies chuckled darkly. "I believe they wish to speak with us."

  Nero nodded, "Shall we see what grand words they have for us?"

  The ever-curious Ester immediately nodded in agreement and even Shire gave an approving grunt. Nero willed and the black cloud began to glide downward.

  After half a minute, they had arrived below and landed gently on the ground. Nero stood in the middle of their group. His crown seemed to absorb every light and his cloak billowed lightly in a gentle breeze. He looked the white humans in the eyes in front of him. They all had golden, glowing eyes and an unmistakable magical aura emanated from them.

  "Greetings, esteemed guests," said one of the humans in an authoritative tone. Nero and his generals had intentionally hidden their magic, therefore the mages in front of them probably only sensed it weakly.

  Nero offered a pleasant smile. "Hello, my friends. What a charming little village you have."

  Despite his warm tone, he had already given Fril a silent order.

  No human would leave this place alive.