Elias.
A world woven from the wildest dreams of fantasy lovers.
In the sky, constellations weren't just stars; they were Gods watching over their domains. In the South, Dwarves drank ale while forging weapons that could shatter mountains.
In the North, beautiful Elves sang to the World Tree, their voices carrying the weight of thousands of years of history.
And among the humans, kingdoms rose and fell, heroes were born, and adventurers carved their names into legend. It was a vibrant, colorful world.
But beneath the joy, a cancer was growing.
A vast, encroaching darkness was slowly enveloping everything. In less than twenty-five years, the gates to the Abyss would open.
Demons from beyond the world would pour in, eliminating ninety percent of all life on Elias.
This apocalypse wasn't just bad luck. It was orchestrated. Traitors from within the great empires would open the gates, defecting to the demons for power in the chaos.
"And I, Damien Voss… am the one who holds the key to the end of the world."
Sigh.
Of all the people in the world to be reincarnated as, why did it have to be this asshole?
Lying on his back in a plush wooden crib, a baby barely a week old wore an expression far too mature for his age.
He had tufts of short, silvery-white hair and sky-blue eyes that shone with intelligence. His chubby arms were folded across his chest, and his brow was furrowed in deep thought.
"Damn, stupid author… why did it have to be this damn book?"
Lin Ye, now Damien Voss, cursed internally as he sorted through his memories.
It had been a week since the truck accident. A week since his death and subsequent rebirth as the first son of the Voss household.
From the whispers of the maids and the conversations of his new parents, he had confirmed his worst fears. He was inside the world of The Hero Returns, a tragic fantasy novel destined for absolute destruction.
In the original plot, there was no happy ending. The protagonist fought bravely, but he didn't survive. He died, dragging the Demon King down with him, watching his lover and friends perish one by one.
It was a tragedy written in blood.
And in some twisted play on Fate, Lin Ye had not only reincarnated into this doomed world, but he had reincarnated as someone set to die before the final battle even began.
And at the hands of the protagonist, no less!
Clutching his baby-sized head in dismay, Damien reflected on the grim reality of his new identity.
Damien Voss. Heir to the House of Voss.
The Voss family wasn't just any noble house. They were a lineage of dark mages known as the "Shadow of the Empire."
A family with enough wealth to buy kingdoms and enough magical might to level them.
His father, Theron Voss, was an 8th-Order Mage, a being capable of erasing cities with a wave of his hand. His mother, Elizabeth, was a 6th-Order Mage in her own right, feared for her illusions.
"Anyone who hears this would think I hit the jackpot," Damien thought bitterly. "Rich, powerful, talented parents. It sounds like a dream start."
"But what they don't know… is that the Voss family is one of the biggest death traps in the entire novel!"
Thinking about the cruelty of the author, Damien unknowingly clenched his toothless gums, squeezing his tiny fists.
The Voss family was doomed.
In the original story, they would be branded as traitors. A conspiracy led by the Second Prince, a man hungry for the throne, would frame them for crimes they didn't commit. The Empire, fearful of the "Shadow's" power, would turn on them.
Damien would watch his family members be captured, tortured, and executed one by one. Slandered by the world he was born into, filled with despair, the original Damien would eventually turn to the Abyss.
He would contact the demons for revenge.
He would become the 4th Demon General, the "King of Ten Thousand Monsters," a madman who lived only to slaughter humanity.
And in the end, he would be cut down by the protagonist's party as a mid-game boss. A stepping stone. Trash.
"Screw that," Damien thought, his blue eyes burning.
He remembered his final vow before the truck hit him.
'If it were me, I'd either save the world properly or rule it! No way in hell would I die like some noble idiot sacrificing himself!'
He wasn't going to follow the script. He wasn't going to let his family die. He wasn't going to let the Second Prince win.
He needed to become stronger. Stronger than the protagonist. Stronger than the Demon King.
No, not just him. If he wanted to survive the succession war and the demon invasion, the entire Voss family had to get stronger.
"Thankfully," Damien smirked, his baby face looking oddly cunning.
"I didn't come to this world empty-handed. With my knowledge of the future… and that thing… I should be able to achieve both."
His pupils dilated with excitement. He whispered a word he had tested many times this week.
"System… Open!"
Ding!
A translucent blue screen materialized in the air above his crib.
[Name: Damien Voss
Age: 1 Week
Realm: None
Affiliation: Voss Household
Innate Abilities: Contract Gem (Unawakened), Dark Magic Affinity, Aura Affinity
Skills: Basic Identification, High-Level Crying, High-Level Milk Sucking
DP: 100]
Damien scanned the interface. During his week of "infancy," he had figured out the basics.
First, the System wasn't sentient. It was a tool—a computer program that fed information directly into his mind.
Second, and most importantly, was DP (Destiny Points).
DP was the currency of miracles. It could be used to pull for random innate abilities, directly improve his cultivation realm, heal fatal injuries, or even upgrade skill levels instantly.
As long as he had enough DP, he could turn a simple "Kick" skill into a world-destroying "Heavenly Stomp." He could edit reality itself.
"However," Damien sighed, his excitement dampening slightly. "DP isn't easy to get. According to the System, DP is only awarded for interacting with and changing the original plot."
"Which means… even if I want to stay safe, I can't avoid the protagonist. I have to mess with the timeline."
Sigh…
Rubbing his temples tiredly, Damien turned his attention to the most intriguing item on his status panel.
[Innate Ability: Contract Gem]
This was it. The ability that made the original Damien Voss the "King of Ten Thousand Monsters." The power that allowed him to command armies of demons single-handedly.
In the novel, this ability was so fierce that, without the protagonist's plot armor, the number of people who could defeat Damien at his peak was less than ten.
But even this god-tier ability had a fatal weakness. A flaw that kept the original Damien as a "Minor Villain" instead of the Final Boss.
"Let's see the fine print," Damien muttered, clicking on the description.
[Innate Ability: Contract Gem
Description: The user can—]