---
Tick, tick, tick.
The sound of a clock echoed throughout the room.
"Just ten more minutes. Ten more minutes, and the machine will have enough energy to pass judgment."
A wide smile formed on Dr. Sebastian Kane's face, his pearly white teeth glinting in the light as his eyes followed the strokes of the clock. His attention then shifted to the intercom integrated into his worktable. With an eager hand, he pressed the red button and began to speak.
"Victoria, can you be a dear and bring the old man to my workshop, please?" he asked in a smooth tone, his voice betraying none of the anticipation he felt.
"Right away, sir," a melodic voice responded.
A split second later, the garage door opened, revealing a beautiful woman. She had aqua-blue hair and eyes of the same color. Before her sat a weathered old man in a wheelchair. Time had not been kind to him. His head was almost completely bald, save for a few gray strands scattered here and there. His frame was reminiscent of a stick, though hints of what used to be muscles still remained—a reminder of the fearsome man he once was. His dull gray eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow and regret.
"Where would you like me to put him, sir?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll take it from here. You may go."
Kane took the wheelchair from her, beginning to push the old man into his garage before suddenly pausing and turning his gaze to her as she walked away.
"Victoria, you can take the day off... Not like there'll be any more days left anyway," he muttered the last part to himself.
Victoria's eyes lit up with excitement and appreciation.
"Thank you so much, sir!"
With that, she pressed the button on the wall, and with a click, the garage door closed behind her.
Kane leaned the old man's wheelchair against the wall before taking a look around his garage. It was filled with schematics, blueprints, and both finished and half-finished inventions.
He sighed. "I'm almost going to miss this place."
For a brief moment, melancholy flashed across his face before his eyes lit up again.
"Oh yeah, that's right—we have a guest."
He clapped his hands—a habit he himself didn't even know when he had developed.
"I'm sorry for the mess, old man. You should have told me you were coming; I would have cleaned up."
The wide grin from earlier returned to his face, his eyes glinting with barely concealed madness.
"Anyway, since you're here, let me show you what I've been working on all these years."
Kane began typing a string of code into his computer. With the press of the Enter key, the back wall slid open, revealing a massive red-and-black machine, its peak pulsing with violet energy.
"This," Kane's voice bubbled with anticipation as he spread his arms wide, "is—"
His expression suddenly froze.
"Yeah, I just realized I never came up with a name for this shit."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Let's go with World Destroyer, I guess. Not much time left for names, anyway."
Kane knelt down, making sure he was eye-level with the old man.
"Like the name suggests, old man, it's a bomb that will destroy the world."
He chuckled, watching as the old man's dull gray eyes suddenly moistened, tears spilling down his face.
"I brought you here today to personally thank you. After all, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have achieved any of this."
As Kane looked at the old man, a wave of memories came rushing back—ones he had long tried to forget.
---
Years ago...
A 14-year-old Sebastian Kane sat on the cold, hard floor, his back pressed against the wall. His oily brown hair flowed across his face, partially covering his hazel eyes. His clothes were dirty and uncomfortable, but he had long gotten used to it. After all, the streets were the only life he had ever known.
He gazed at the bustling streets, watching people hurry along, eager to return to their everyday lives. His eyes were filled with hatred and disgust. He hated them. They always looked at him like he was trash, their gazes filled with either pity or disdain.
No one had ever really tried to help him. No one was kind enough to offer him a loving home or a family. To them, he was just street trash.
Kane was getting lost in his thoughts when he suddenly felt a warm hand on his head. Looking up, his gaze fell on a bulky figure clad in a black three-piece suit. The man had blonde hair and kind, black eyes.
"Hey there, I'm Clarus. Would you like me to adopt you, little man?"
His voice was gentle and warm.
Kane blinked in confusion. Hadn't he just been thinking about this? How no one was willing to help him? And like magic, here was someone offering exactly what he wanted. His wish delivered to him on a silver platter.
Despite this, Kane was still skeptical. If he had learned one thing on the streets, it was never trust anyone. Who was this man, and why did he want to adopt him?
But as he looked into Clarus' warm eyes and saw his gentle smile, something inside him cracked.
"Yes."
Against his instincts, Kane agreed to be adopted by a stranger. He just wanted somewhere warm to sleep, three meals a day, and a place to shower for once. He wanted to live, not just survive.
And so, he made the decision that would change his life.
And for a while, it was good.
Clarus Dompton was a wealthy businessman who traveled all around the world. Overnight, Sebastian Kane went from a homeless kid without a dollar to his name to the son of a wealthy and influential man.
His new status didn't get to his head, however. He was just happy with his newfound freedom to eat, sleep, and shower whenever he wanted.
If there was one thing Kane truly enjoyed, it was studying. He discovered he had a passion for consuming knowledge. Clarus had a massive library filled with various books, and Kane enjoyed the day-to-day process of trying to learn everything he could.
But like all good things, it came to an end.
Kane stood by the door, waiting to greet Clarus as he came home from work. It had become a routine—his way of showing gratitude and appreciation to the man who changed his life.
But something was different that day.
The moment Clarus opened the door, Kane felt it. Usually, Clarus would come through with a wide, kind smile. His posture loose and relaxed, arms wide and inviting. That was the first thing Kane noticed. His posture was different. Instead of being loose and relaxed, Clarus was stiff, his hands balled into fists. Gone was his smile, replaced by a cold, emotionless look. But his eyes—his eyes seethed with anger.
"Afternoon, C—"
Before Kane could finish—SMACK!
He was backhanded and sent sprawling across the floor.
That day, and many after, he was mercilessly beaten.
But that was fine. The life of a businessman was hard. So what if Clarus took out his stress on him from time to time? He wasn't homeless anymore, and he had Clarus to thank for that. And God knows Kane would much rather be used as stress relief than go back to being homeless.
Besides, it wasn't all bad.
Some days, Clarus would come home and act like his old self. He would take Kane out for ice cream and apologize for the way he treated him.
Those were the times Kane cherished.
Until everything changed.
Kane remembered that day vividly. He was standing at the door, ready to greet Clarus. When the door opened, Clarus wore that same cold, empty expression.
Well, I guess it's time for another beating, Kane thought.
Instinctively, he tensed his body in preparation for the incoming hits.
But this time, it was different.
He wasn't beaten.
He was raped.
That was something he couldn't accept. Wouldn't accept.
He was fine with being bruised. He was even fine with being beaten within an inch of his life.
But rape? That was another ballgame entirely. Something he refused to tolerate.
He waited for the right moment.
When Clarus was going down the stairs, Kane pushed him.
Clarus fell, hitting his head multiple times before crashing onto the ground.
He screamed. And, like clockwork, the maids came rushing in, immediately calling the ambulance.
Clarus was lucky to be alive. But the fall wasn't without consequence.
He had taken too many hits to the head and spine. He wouldn't speak again. Wouldn't walk again.
But of course, that didn't mean he suffered. Clarus was rich and had hired a sizable number of servants. He would be taken care of for the rest of his life.
That day, Kane's hatred for humanity intensified.
He came to one conclusion: humanity was nothing but evil.
And he was determined to destroy it.