After what felt like an excruciatingly long hour, Lucian's body had finally reformed—restored, renewed, and ready to make the world once again tremble before his greatness.
"And from the ashes, I rise once more! BUAHAHAHAHA!"
Lucian threw his head back, unleashing a cackle so exaggerated it could make even the most over-the-top theater villain jealous.
"HAHA—cough—ack!" He doubled over mid-laugh, hacking up a lung. "Ugh. Too much dust down here. Note to self: next time, resurrect somewhere less filthy."
With a final, disgusted sniff at the damp cavern air, he straightened his cape and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Time for the first order of business."
He shut his eyes. "Dominion Codex."
At his command, his irises flashed a deep, eerie violet. A massive tome materialized before him, wreathed in flickering purple flames. Its blackened cover bore the grinning visage of a devil, its wicked grin carved deep into the ancient leather.
Lucian eyed it with mild exasperation. "I will never get used to how dramatic this thing is."
The Dominion Codex—a book that dictated the very life and power of its wielder. A person's Dominion was shaped by their status, influence, and how they had lived. The stronger the presence, the greater the authority over reality itself.
And as the Dark Lord, Lucian once wielded Dominions that made the gods tremble.
He cracked his knuckles, smirking. "Alright then, let's see what I've got left."
Pages flipped at his command, glowing runes listing out his powers.
"Dominion of War… Locked."
"Dominion of Rule… L—Wait. WHAT?!"
He flipped back. Then forward.
No. No, this had to be a mistake. A glitch, maybe? Was the codex still loading in?!
Lucian froze. No, no, no. Maybe he just wasn't looking at the right section? Maybe there was a secret page unlock? He snapped his fingers. Nothing. He flipped the book upside down. Still nothing. He tried shaking it. "Come on, you damn book, give me SOMETHING."
Lucian blinked. His smirk twitched.
"You have to be kidding me." A bead of sweat slid down his cheek.
He frantically flipped through the codex, scanning page after page. Every single one of his Dominions was sealed.
"Did my army just—forget about me?!" His voice echoed through the cavern.
No, that couldn't be right. He was a great Dark Lord! A decent one, at the very least! No way his entire empire abandoned him overnight!
"Am I… a nobody?! No! I refuse! I am L-U-C-I-A-N, and this world will never hear the end of me!"
His fingers trembled as he turned to the final page—one he had never needed to read before.
And there, written in glowing ink, was a single entry.
Dominion of… Villainy.
For a moment, Lucian just stared. A faint violet spark flickered across the page, and he felt something. Something… strange.
His brow furrowed.
"What."
The text seemed to mock him. Unlike his once-glorious Dominions, this was the only power left to his name. And yet, beneath it, only a single recorded event was scrawled:
"The Dark Lord has fallen."
"Is this a joke?!" His eye twitched. "The only thing I have dominion over… is my own death?!"
"What does 'Villainy' even do?! Give me a tragic backstory on demand? A free pass to monologue uninterrupted?"
He paused. Actually… that would be kind of useful.
The codex shimmered slightly in response, and for a split second, an eerie sensation crawled over his skin—like the world itself was waiting for him to do something villainous.
He narrowed his eyes. Wait. No way… is that how this works?
With a frustrated growl, he kicked a loose pebble across the cavern floor.
He had known faking his death would cost him some authority. But everything?! Had no one even mourned him? Not even a single minion kept the faith?
"Agghhh!" He threw his arms up. "Who am I kidding? I'm just another Dark Lord in a long line of doomed tyrants. Of course, they moved on without me."
For a long moment, he stood there, staring at the flickering flames of his codex.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the book erupted into violet fire, vanishing into embers.
Lucian exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Well then… I guess I'm starting from the ground up."
A slow smirk crept across his lips.
Time to show this world what a real villain could do.
Lucian dragged himself out of the underground cavern, stepping onto the ruins of what was once his mighty empire. Dust and ash clung to his tattered cloak, the remnants of his so-called defeat still fresh in the air.
He stretched his arms with a sigh. "Can't say I won't miss having an army hanging on my every word." A smirk tugged at his lips. "Ordering people around was fun."
The sky, once shrouded in ominous storm clouds, now gleamed with an almost sickening brightness—purged clean by the hero's divine light. He clicked his tongue. "Tch. Couldn't even spare the aesthetic. Those clouds really tied the place together."
His gaze drifted across the wreckage, landing on the shattered remains of his once-majestic walls. He let out a bitter chuckle. "At least leave the architecture standing. Do you know how much effort I put into those engravings? Damn hero has no appreciation for villainous craftsmanship."
Then, movement.
Beyond a pile of rubble, a group of goblins scurried about, digging through the wreckage like rats, their grubby hands stuffing whatever loot they could find into tattered sacks.
Lucian's eyes gleamed with violet energy. His smirk widened.
"Bingo."
Lucian strode forward, every step calculated, exuding an aura of effortless dominance. His cape billowed dramatically behind him—
Or it would have, if it weren't tattered beyond recognition.
"You lot look like you need a leader!" he declared, striking an extravagant pose. "Then behold—your salvation has arrived!"
The goblins stared at him in stunned silence. Then, as if on cue, their expressions shifted into wide, toothy grins—the kind that didn't scream admiration. More like… meal time.
Lucian's confident smirk twitched ever so slightly. "…Uh, fellas?"
Before he could say another word, the goblins lunged, clubs swinging wildly.
Lucian dodged effortlessly, hands tucked casually behind his back. Even without his Dominions, he was still leagues above common rabble like this.
"Now, now, let's talk this out like civil—"
Thunk.
A goblin's club smacked against his boot. No damage, of course. It was like being nudged by a particularly aggressive pillow.
Lucian slowly looked down at the tiny creature, his smirk darkening. His brow twitched.
"…You dare?"
With a single, almost lazy kick, the goblin was sent flying. It landed with a thud, unmoving.
The remaining goblins froze, staring at their fallen comrade. Their eyes darted back to Lucian, now radiating a much less inviting aura.
Lucian cracked his knuckles, his smirk returning in full force. "So… shall we try that again?"
The goblins flinched, their beady eyes darting toward Lucian, fear etched deep into their twisted faces. They nodded frantically, like a flock of pecking birds caught in a storm.
"Good…" Lucian's smirk curled into something truly villainous.
Right on cue, his Dominion Codex shimmered into existence before him, pages flipping as if guided by an unseen force.
"Hmm?" He arched a brow, his gaze landing on a newly inscribed entry:
'Feared by Goblins (Some at least)'
For a moment, Lucian simply stared. Then, his lips parted—
And he burst into laughter.
"You have to be kidding me!" His laughter swelled, spiraling into something almost unhinged, reverberating through the ruins of his fallen empire. The goblins shrank back, their wide, beady eyes reflecting pure terror as they watched their new overlord unravel before them.
And just as suddenly, he stilled.
Lucian tapped a finger against his lips, tilting his head in mock contemplation. "Let's… test this out, shall we?"
He took a step forward. The air shifted. Shadows thickened around him.
"Fear me."
The moment the words left his lips, the Dominion Codex pulsed with light. The page labeled 'Dominion of Villainy' glowed, its eerie power awakening.
The sky dimmed. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the ruins, creeping toward Lucian like living things.
The Dominion Codex pulsed, runes igniting in violet fire. A crushing weight filled the air.
The goblins stiffened. One dropped his loot with a choked gasp. Another whimpered, knees buckling.
A shudder passed through the goblins. And then, as if compelled by some unseen force, they dropped to the ground in worship.
Lucian's grin widened. "So that's how this new Dominion works."
With a satisfied chuckle, he flipped the Codex in his hand, watching it twirl before snapping his fingers—
And the tome vanished into the ether once more.
Lucian grinned. No—he smirked. No—he downright cackled.
"Oh, this power isn't a punishment."
"It's an upgrade."