Chapter 1: The Final Gift

Chapter 1: The Final Gift

The old fan creaked overhead, spinning slowly like time itself was too tired to move. Raizen Nocturne sat at the dinner table, opposite his father, Daman Nocturne. The room was dim — lit only by the fading amber glow of the evening sun bleeding through the curtains.

The silence was suffocating.

The kind of silence that sat heavy on your chest — like a warning before a storm.

Daman stared at his half-empty bottle of whiskey, face twitching with bitterness, and memories warped by alcohol.

Then, without warning—

CRASH.

Daman's fist slammed the table. A ceramic plate shattered, shards scattering like jagged teeth. His bloodshot eyes flared with hatred.

"That woman — your mother — that bitch! I swear to God, I'll kill her!"

The venom in his voice was so real, so raw, it made Raizen's spine go cold.

But something inside him… broke.

Years of suppressed rage — the screaming behind closed doors, the bruises hidden under sleeves, the tears his mother wiped away when no one was looking — it all erupted.

Raizen grabbed his own plate and smashed it against his father's face.

A sickening crack. A splash of red. The impact sent Daman sprawling onto the floor, dazed.

"You… you dare hit me?" Daman hissed, clutching his forehead. Blood dripped between his fingers.

Raizen stood, fists clenched so tight they trembled. His voice was hoarse, yet steady — fueled by every nightmare he had buried.

"You cheat on her. You come home drunk. You beat her like she's an object. You treat her like trash. Not today."

He stepped forward, towering over the man who used to seem invincible.

"Today, I end it. This… is my final gift to the woman who gave me everything."

Daman tried to crawl away. Pathetic. Weak. All his cruelty, now reduced to fear.

"Wait—!"

Raizen grabbed his father's arm and twisted — SNAP. Bone gave way. Then the other. Daman's scream pierced the stillness like a blade.

"PLEASE!" he begged, tears mixing with blood. "You can have everything! Money! The house! Just don't— I'm your father!"

Raizen's eyes were cold. Empty.

"You were never my father."

He stomped down, crushing both knees. Another crack. More howling.

Then, he dropped to one knee — face inches from the monster he once called Dad — and jammed his fingers into Daman's eye socket.

Blood. Screams. Madness.

The house was still. Leira Nocturne — his mother — was out visiting a friend. No one heard. No one came.

Justice didn't always wear a badge.

Raizen stood, breath ragged. He walked into the kitchen, ignoring the blood on his hands, and returned with a knife.

Daman, now a crippled mess on the floor, looked up in terror.

"You're really going to kill me?! I'm your father! You monster!"

Raizen looked at him — not with rage, but peace.

"Then call this mercy."

One clean motion.

The blade slit deep. The scream was short. The head rolled across the floor like a broken mask, red painting its path.

Raizen picked it up, eyes shining with something between grief and freedom.

"You were never a father. This… is for Mom."

He glanced at the wall clock.

4:30 PM.

He slumped against the wall, still holding the blood-slick photo frame of him and his mother.

Raizen muttered under his breath, voice shaky:

"If only something like a miracle existed... If I could change everything from the beginning. If I could change my father... If..."

He paused. His jaw tightened. Then a sigh escaped his lips.

"Sigh… There's no point in thinking about it now."

He walked to the kitchen again. Found the gas pipe. Cut it clean.

The faint hiss of leaking gas whispered like a lullaby.

Twenty minutes passed.

Raizen sat in silence, holding the framed photo of him and his mom. Smiling. Before everything went to hell.

His fingers trembled as he struck a match.

"Sorry, Mom... I didn't know any other way."

But before he dropped the flame—

Tears blurred his vision.

Memories rose like smoke.

---

He remembered being six — walking hand-in-hand with her to school under a leaking umbrella. She held his bag. Always smiling, even when her shoes were soaked.

He remembered her clapping wildly at his school play, even though he forgot his lines.

The warm lunches she packed. The bedtime stories she whispered. The songs she sang when he was too scared to sleep.

He remembered birthdays with no cake but hugs that made the world okay.

He remembered dancing with her in the rain, just once, before the beatings started.

"I wanted to do so many things…", he whispered.

"I wanted to build her a house. I wanted to buy her real clothes. I wanted her to grow old happy."

He looked at the photo in his hands.

"But this world didn't give us a chance."

"So I made one."

"With blood… and fire."

"This was my final gift."

He dropped the match.

The house exploded.

Raizen Nocturne was gone.

---

But death was not the end.

He opened his eyes.

There was no fire. No pain. No body. Just… white.

An endless void — quiet and still, like time had been paused.

Raizen blinked. "Heaven?" he muttered. "No… after what I did, I should be in hell."

Then — a flicker.

A blue screen appeared before him, pulsing with soft digital light:

> Welcome, Player.

He stared at it, stunned. Then a crooked smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"A… system? Seriously?"

The screen shifted again:

> Welcome to the Infinite Verse.

This realm contains infinite universes — born from the imagination of your world.

Novels. Manga. Games. Myths. Dreams. Nightmares.

These universes are vast and dangerous. Each one will test your strength, your mind, and your will.

Raizen's eyes sharpened.

> Become a multiversal-level being. Grow stronger. Rise above gods, demons, kings, and tyrants.

Conquer verses. Rewrite fate.

And if you succeed…

You may return to Earth.

To any timeline — past, present, or future.

His heart stopped for a beat.

"In any timeline…" he whispered. "I could go back. Save Mom. Stop myself. Stop everything."

Something inside him stirred — not hatred.

Hope.

Another screen blinked into place:

> Select 3 starting abilities to begin your journey.

Raizen grinned, the fire rekindling in his eyes.

"This… is where my real story begins."

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