Chapter 1: The Child Abandoned by the World

1. Malkuth, Born in the Shadows

Malkuth’s childhood was a nightmare. He was born frail, his pale skin stretched over his thin frame, his long claws weak, his deep-set eyes sunken with exhaustion. Even the most ordinary Kitteh children could knock him down effortlessly.

His father, a well-known scholar, saw him as a disgrace. His mother only looked at him with pity and sighed.

"You should learn to be strong, not hide in books," his father told him coldly.

But Malkuth could not become strong. His body was doomed to be different.
Through years of torment, he learned not to cry, not to resist. But deep within his heart, he planted a seed of vengeance.

“If the world refuses to accept me, then I will change the world.”

2. Knowledge as His Claws

He could not change his fate with his fists.
But with his mind, he could.

From an early age, he was obsessed with books. He immersed himself in biology, chemistry, genetics—even ancient, forbidden knowledge.

His talent shocked his mentors, but his obsession filled them with unease.

"The goal of evolution is not to surpass biological limits, but to understand the essence of life," a professor once warned him.

But Malkuth only heard one thing—"Surpass biological limits."

"If I can uncover the true secret of evolution... I can change everything."

Chapter 2: The Scientist’s Ambition

1. The Discovery of the Green Seed

Malkuth’s relentless pursuit led him deep into an uncharted ruin.

The ruins had been silent for an unknown number of years. The weathered stone tablets bore fragmented prophecies, the wind-eroded words whispering:

"…The end of life… born of greed… We are cursed…"

He stepped into a collapsed temple, and there—on a shattered altar—he found it.

A tiny, glowing green seed.

It pulsed faintly as if it had been waiting to be found.

As Malkuth reached out to touch it, a subtle vibration rippled through the air. His heartbeat clenched as if something unseen was watching him.

He should have been afraid.
Instead, he felt pure ecstasy.

"This is the answer!"
"The ultimate secret of evolution!"

2. The Beginning of the Experiment

Malkuth returned to his lab and began his experiments.

• He fed the seed to insects. Within days, they grew gigantic and violent, strong enough to bite through metal. But none survived beyond two months.

• He fed it to bats and ravens. Their bodies swelled, their eyes burned red, and their strength multiplied. But they, too, perished.

His assistant, Riel, watched in horror.

"This isn’t evolution, Malkuth. It’s corruption," Riel warned.
"You’re playing with fire! It doesn’t make things stronger—it devours them!"

But Malkuth refused to listen.

"These test subjects are too primitive. True evolution must be achieved by an intelligent being."

So he made his final decision—to feed the seed to himself.

Chapter 3: The Self-Experiment

Malkuth swallowed the first seed.

A faint warmth spread through his body, a strange energy trickling into his veins.

"It seems my hypothesis is correct."

But… it wasn’t enough.

"A single dose may be insufficient… then, what about two?"

He swallowed the second seed.

Then, his world shattered.

His bones stretched and twisted, his flesh tore open and healed again.
His claws became sharper than blades, his eyes burned with a piercing green light.
His veins bulged, and his heartbeat thundered like war drums.

He screamed, his voice warping into something inhuman—then darkness consumed everything.

Chapter 4: The Birth of Ruins

No one knows how much time has passed.

When Malkuth finally opened his eyes, the world was… different.

His city was gone.
The streets lay in ruin, corpses littered the ground, blood soaking into the earth.
Ravens circled overhead, their cries filled the air like a funeral hymn.

He staggered his mind a blur of confusion and fear.
He looked down at his hands—his claws—
They were covered in dried blood.

He did not remember what had happened.

At his feet, a bloodstained scrap of paper lay in the dust.

With trembling hands, he picked it up.
The letters, blurred and faded by age and filth, read:

"The gears have begun to turn… They cannot be stopped… The end… No, the beginning…"
"When the seed returns to the world, darkness shall follow…"
"When black petals float upon the sea… the ocean shall turn red…"
"I am you… No, no… You are me…"
"The black of death shall shroud the sun… Four shall become one… Then, all shall be void…"

He had no idea who had written it.
He had no idea what these words meant.

But deep in his heart, he felt a chilling dread.

Chapter 5: The New King Upon the Ruins

He stumbled to the shattered throne of the fallen city and slowly sat upon it.

He was no longer the scientist Malkuth.
He was no longer a Kitteh.

He was the last survivor of a dead kingdom.

"Am I… the new king?"

Chapter 6: The Return of Terror

1. The Arrival of the Invaders

Centuries passed.
Malkuth wandered the ruins, lost in his fragmented memories.

Then, one day—
A thunderous roar shattered the silence.

From the horizon, a massive warship approached the cursed island.
Onboard, over a thousand pirates, strong, arrogant, clad in golden armour.

They were not explorers.
They were conquerors.

At their helm stood Varlock, the feared captain of the golden fleet.

As he gazed upon the island, he laughed.

“So this is the fabled ‘Island of Death’?”
“A cursed land? It’s nothing but ruins.”

He scoffed, dismissing the old legends as superstition.

But he did not know—
True terror had yet to awaken.

Final Chapter: The Black Petals Fall

The pirates ventured into the island.
They entered the dark forest.
They sought the glowing green treasure.

They never returned.

And as their final screams faded into the abyss, Malkuth knelt on the ship’s deck, clutching his head, whispering the prophecy once more…

And above the endless ocean, the first black petal began to fall.

"The gears have begun to turn…"

The End… Or The Beginning?