Chapter 1 - Prologue

I’ve always been a believer of the saying the end justifies the means, that was the very reason I created an organization that people liked to call a Crime Syndicate. But to be perfectly honest, I hated it every time people refer to our group as such, after all, it was an organization born from our blood and sweat. That was why instead of accepting being referred to as a Crime Syndicate, at some point we started calling ourselves a Familia.

Born from a poor family and orphaned at a tender age, I was forced to grow up in an environment where the strong rules and the weak die, in essence, it was the very definition of “Survival of the fittest.” For a child at the age of 10, it was a brutal environment to live in, but even though humanity has reached the modern era, the brutal and ugly side of humanity still persevered and was only pushed into the dark corners of society.

To survive that cruel setting, I did and endured things that any ordinary child shouldn’t experience. Trying to keep my sanity while living like that was difficult, nevertheless, I still managed to keep humanity intact thus giving birth to a twisted man living only by his code. For a while, I managed to survive with just my strength alone, but there will always come a point where one would realize that there was just so much a single person can do.

Using the human’s natural d.e.s.i.r.e to survive, I gather a ragtag group of outcasts. Fueled by our d.e.s.i.r.e, we built connections expanding our influence as much as possible, and before we knew it, our little group became a full-fledged organization and ended up at the top of the city’s food chain. Of course, before we became the Biggest and Mightiest Familia, we had experienced some setbacks. One of such is the ever-growing number of people that expressed their d.e.s.i.r.e to join us. To keep things under control, me and the original members decided to make an organizational hierarchy system. The original members which were later called executives became the pillar of the Familia, while I was nominated and became the Familia’s Head or leader who held the highest authority within the Familia

Things went well for a couple of years, and following the success of our Familia, different organizations also calling themselves as a Familia also started appearing within the city. With so many organizations calling themselves a Familia within the city, it naturally jump-started violent incidents because of territorial disputes and conflicting interests between multiple Familia. But if there was one truth in this world, that was everything eventually comes to an end…..

***

The sound of guns and battle echoed all around, the previously quiet and peaceful mansion was now surrounded by panicked and angry shouts. As for me, I was sitting quite comfortably in the head seat of our meeting room surrounded by my original and trusted companions.

“Everyone’s panicking. Is it okay for you guys to be here sitting comfortably while drinking tea?” I asked sarcastically.

“I don’t want to hear that from you, boss.” One of them said jokingly.

“Right, right. Besides, we already gave those guys instructions. We even go as far as telling them that they can leave if they want to.” Another explained.

“Man, you guys sure are cruel,” I said with a smile.

““Like you are any better.”” They retorted simultaneously.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! CAN’T SAY ANYTHING TO THAT!” I said cheerfully.

“That traitor is under your department, right? Maybe it's because you have poor leadership skills.” The executive seated parallel to him replied with a smug smile.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?! DO YOU WANT A FIGHT?!” The previous one shouted while slamming the table and standing up from his chair.

“FINE BY ME!! LET’S TAKE THIS OUTSIDE!!” The other one replied while also standing from his chair.

Seeing the two executives’ lively action, I sighed. “Calm down guys, no one’s at fault here. Sooner or later this Familia would be destroyed, that’s just how the world works.”

Hearing what I said, the two of them sat back on their chairs. Well, that was just business as usual with those two. I’m sure they don’t really hate each other… I hope…

“But man, as if planting a traitor wasn’t enough, those guys also made a temporary alliance just so they can destroy our Familia huh? That’s cute.” Said the executive seated on my left side.

“That just goes to show how scared they are of us. Really, they are all so pathetic.” The executive on my right side explained.

“So, what’s the plan? Are we really just gonna let them destroy us without any resistance?” One of them asked.

“Of course not,” I said with a laugh. “Since those guys want to destroy us so badly, we're gonna grant them their wish.” I smiled. “In exchange, we're gonna drag them down to hell along with us.” I proclaimed with a deep voice and then gazed at my right side where my first and most trusted companion was sitting.

“I see. But how can you be so sure that everything’s going according to plan? Besides, those bastards might be able to escape during the confusion.” The executive on my left side asked.

“Well, I know since I’ve sent my most trusted and skilled guys to each of their hideouts. Furthermore, they are tasked with the job of slaughtering every executive and Familia head that would try to escape.” My right-hand man explained with a cruel smile.

Hearing my right-hand man’s explanation, the executives voiced their reaction.

“I see.”

“Scary.”

“Terrifying.”

“Brilliant!”

Well, with this I’m sure that every Familia in this city will be wiped out. That should be enough as a payment for all the trouble we made by causing the rise of a lot of Organized Crime Syndicates within the city.

“So, I think it’s about time we join those guys outside and have some fun,” I said while standing up from my seat.

“Fair enough.”

“Okay, let’s end this!”

“It’s a pain but since this is the last, guess it’s fine.”

“This is the perfect opportunity to settle our score isn’t it?”

“Good idea. Let’s see who can drag more people to hell.”

Hearing their lively response, I took a weapon from the meeting room’s emergency weaponry. But as I was about to head outside, silence took over. Confused, I gazed around only to find my companions sprawled around the meeting room.

“?!!”

I tried waking up my right-hand man who was lying near my feet, but before I managed to, I was assaulted by unbearable dizziness and fell on my knees.

“What is this? Poison gas?” I murmured while holding my head in pain.

“Damn…. It…” I weakly muttered as my vision started to get hazy.

The world became pitch black, there was no light, no sound, no temperature. Even my emotions became numb, it was just null, an abyss of nothingness, a void. Then suddenly, within that dark world, I heard a voice.

[Memories deep within the soul have resurfaced…]

[As a result, the individual’s species potential has been unlocked…]

[Maximum evolutionary paths have increased…]

[Congratulations, individual {Unnamed} has awakened.]