Midnight draped itself over Hyderabad like a suffocating veil.
The city, usually alive with restless energy, had fallen into a quiet hum—distant traffic, stray dogs barking, the faint whisper of wind brushing against empty streets. The clock had just struck twelve.
For most, it was just another night.
For Shiva, it was supposed to be the beginning of something beautiful.
He had just turned twenty.
A small smile lingered on his lips as he walked through the dimly lit road, his hand tucked inside his jacket pocket, gripping something precious—a small velvet box. Inside it was a ring.
Not just any ring.
A promise.
"Today… is going to be special…" he whispered to himself, his breath visible in the cool night air.
He hadn't called her. No messages. No hints. He wanted to surprise her.
Preeti.
The girl who had been his world for five years.
The girl he believed would become his future.
His steps slowed as he reached the familiar gate of her house. The metal creaked softly as he pushed it open and stepped inside. The yard was quiet, unusually still.
A strange feeling crept into his chest.
He walked toward the door and knocked.
No response.
He tried again. Harder this time.
Still nothing.
"What the…? She said she'd be home…" he muttered, pulling out his phone.
He dialed her number.
The ringing tone echoed… but not from the phone in his hand.
It came from inside the house.
Shiva froze.
"…Wait a second."
His brows furrowed as uneasiness settled deep within him. Slowly, he moved toward the side of the house, his footsteps cautious now. Each step felt heavier, like something unseen was dragging him down.
He reached a window.
The curtains were slightly parted.
The ringing stopped.
And then—
He looked inside.
Time shattered.
His breath caught in his throat as his world collapsed in a single, merciless moment.
On the bed—
Preeti.
And not alone.
His vision blurred, but the image burned itself into his soul with cruel clarity.
She was with someone else.
Not just anyone.
Ravi.
His best friend.
His brother.
The one he trusted more than anyone.
Shiva staggered back, his hand clutching his chest as if trying to stop his heart from tearing itself apart.
"It… can't be…" his voice trembled, barely a whisper.
His knees felt weak.
"Preeti… what the hell…?" His lips quivered. "You're… cheating on me…? With him…?"
His breathing turned ragged, uneven.
"Ravi… how could you…? You knew… she's my girl… you knew everything…"
Silence answered him.
The world didn't care.
Inside that room, they didn't care.
Shiva pressed his hand against the wall, trying to steady himself, but his body refused to listen.
"Why…?" he choked, his voice breaking. "Why… why… why…?"
His vision darkened.
And then the sky responded.
Rain.
At first, it was gentle.
Then it poured.
Like the heavens themselves had decided to mourn his shattered heart.
People ran for shelter, covering their heads, cursing the sudden storm.
But Shiva…
He walked.
Slowly.
Aimlessly.
Letting the rain soak him completely.
His hair clung to his face, water mixed with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"How could she do this to me…?" he whispered.
His voice was hollow now.
Broken.
"Ah… I get it…"
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
"Ravi… he's going to America… opening a new branch… money… status…"
His fingers clenched into fists.
"So that's it, huh…? She chose money… over me…?"
His laugh echoed, empty and painful.
"Five years… just for this…? For money…? For that…?"
His chest tightened.
"Damn her… damn everything…"
His steps led him toward a narrow valley path—a shortcut to his home. The road was deserted, the rain turning the ground into mud.
He stopped in the middle.
Slowly, he pulled out the ring box.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
The diamond sparkled faintly under the flashes of lightning.
A symbol of love.
Now nothing more than a cruel joke.
"Why…?" his voice cracked as tears fell freely.
"Why did you do this to me, Preeti…?"
His scream tore through the storm.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
But no one heard him.
No one came.
Except—
Footsteps.
Soft.
Slow.
From behind.
Shiva didn't notice at first.
Too consumed by his pain.
A figure approached silently—a man dressed in black, his face hidden behind a mask.
"Hey…" the man's voice cut through the rain. "You crybaby… give me that ring."
Shiva turned slowly, his eyes dull and lifeless.
"Do… I know you…?" he muttered. "Just… leave me alone…"
The masked man chuckled.
"What the hell did you say?"
Something snapped inside Shiva.
All the pain, the betrayal, the anger—
It exploded.
"I said—LEAVE ME ALONE!" he roared.
His fist shot forward.
It connected.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each punch carried his rage, his heartbreak, his shattered trust.
"I said leave me alone!" he screamed, striking wildly.
The masked man collapsed, motionless.
Panting heavily, Shiva stepped back.
His hands trembled.
His knuckles bled.
The ring had slipped from his grasp during the struggle.
He turned, searching, and spotted it on the ground.
He walked toward it slowly and picked it up, staring at it once more.
A final memory.
A final wound.
Behind him—
The masked man moved.
Silently.
Like a predator rising from the dead.
A knife gleamed in his hand.
Without hesitation—
He lunged.
"Give me that ring, you bastard!"
Shiva turned—
Too late.
A sharp pain exploded in his neck.
His eyes widened.
The blade had pierced deep.
Before he could react—
Again.
And again.
And again.
The knife plunged into his flesh mercilessly, tearing through life itself.
Blood spilled onto the ground, mixing with rainwater, painting the earth crimson.
Shiva collapsed.
His vision faded.
The last thing he saw…
Was the masked man running away.
With the ring.
And then—
Darkness.
Silence.
Then—
Light.
Shiva felt… weightless.
His body was gone.
He drifted through something vast and incomprehensible.
Planets twisted and collided.
Stars stretched and folded like pages in a book.
The universe itself seemed alive.
"What… is this…?" his voice echoed, distant and hollow.
"What's happening…?"
He moved without moving.
Pulled by something unseen.
Until—
A new world appeared before him.
A snow-covered mountain.
Endless white.
Cold.
Beautiful.
"What is that…? A mountain…?" he murmured.
His form began to change.
A body—
Reforming.
Before it could complete—
A voice.
Deep.
Unknown.
"Which body will you choose to be reborn?"
Shiva froze.
"Who… are you…?"
No answer.
"Which race will you choose?"
A list appeared before him.
Human.
Elf.
Ogre.
Dwarf.
Beastman.
Monster.
Dragon.
Phoenix.
Goblin.
Serpent.
Undead.
And more…
Shiva frowned.
"This is… like an isekai…" he muttered.
"Why should I choose? Isn't it decided by fate…? By gods?"
The voice responded.
"No. Gods grant birth. But your path… is your choice."
Silence lingered.
Then—
Shiva laughed softly.
A dark, broken laugh.
"Then… I choose Dragon."
"No."
"What?"
"Based on your karma… only two options remain."
"…Which are?"
"Monster."
"Demon."
Shiva's expression darkened.
Memories flooded back.
Betrayal.
Pain.
Blood.
Death.
"…You're right," he whispered.
"I can't forget."
His eyes sharpened.
A new fire ignited within him.
Cold.
Cruel.
"Then… I choose…"
A pause.
"…Demon."
"Then choose your new name."
Shiva closed his eyes.
The boy named Shiva…
Died that night.
When he opened them again—
There was nothing human left.
"In my world… demons bring destruction…"
A faint smile appeared.
"Then let that be my fate."
"My name…"
"…is RUDRA."
Dark energy surged.
A new body formed.
A new existence began.
And thus—
A broken boy was reborn…
As a demon.