Before the Fall: Rise of the Apocalypse King
Chapter 33: The Birth of a Devil

Chapter 33: The Birth of a Devil

The black holes didn’t just cause destruction when they appeared—they also caused massive damage when they disappeared. As they collapsed on their own, they released huge amounts of gamma rays and other strange types of radiation that the world had never seen before.

Not the kind science had known. No Geiger counter could measure it. No suit could block it. This was something alien... unnatural. Gamma rays powerful enough to melt bone. Pulses of radiation laced with something unexplainable, something that rewrote life itself.

And this... is what changed the world.

Millions died instantly, their bodies burned from the inside out. But the unlucky ones didn’t get to die.

Some screamed as their flesh twisted and bubbled, bones snapping and reshaping. Eyes melted. Teeth stretched. Skin peeled back to reveal something no longer human.

They mutated.

Beasts that had once been people. Tall, crooked things that drooled acid and walked like nightmares. Their minds were gone, replaced by hunger, rage, and chaos. Cities became hunting grounds. Homes became traps. Civilization fell in days.

But that wasn’t all.

Others didn’t mutate. They didn’t grow stronger or larger.

They died. And then got back up.

Zombies.

Their skin rotting, their hearts silent. But their legs moved. Their jaws worked. They didn’t sleep. They didn’t talk. They didn’t stop. They craved one thing—flesh. Anything alive was a target. Friends, lovers, even their own children. It didn’t matter anymore.

These undead weren’t like in horror movies. They were fast. Some ran on all fours. Some climbed walls. Some even remembered how to open doors.

And the worst part?

They were growing smarter.

But among the chaos... a rare few survived the radiation not with death or madness—but with power.

Men and women who could control fire with their hands,who floated in the air, who can bent metal just by looking at it. These people became known as the Touched.

They believed they were chosen by the almighty.

No one knew why they got powers. Was it fate? Genetics? Luck?

No one could explain it.

Some of the Touched will become saviors. Protecting the weak. Building safe zones. Fighting back the undead.

Others will became devils. Monsters in human skin. Using their powers to rule like kings. To kill, steal, and enslave.

In a broken world, power becomes everything.

But not everyone was lucky.

Some didn’t mutate. Didn’t become zombies. Didn’t get any powers.

They just... survived.

No gifts. No strengths. Just blood, breath, and the will to live.

Roman was one of them.

No glowing eyes. No lightning in his veins. No power to fly or heal or destroy.

Just a body that somehow resisted the radiation. A soul that refused to die.

Every time Roman saw those so-called "gifted" people—the ones who survived the radiation and gained powers—he felt something twist inside him.

Jealousy.

Not because he wanted fame. Not because he wanted attention.

But because deep down, he felt cheated.

Why did life always deal him the worst cards? Why was God always unfair to him?

Even now, in the middle of the apocalypse, these "Touched" were living like kings. They had clean clothes, warm beds, full meals, and followers who treated them like gods.

Roman, on the other hand, was digging through trash for scraps—dirty, bleeding, hungry. He hid in shadows while others shined in the light.

And the worst part?

He wasn’t alone.

He had a family. A girlfriend. People he risked his life for, day after day.

He brought food to them when there was nothing left.

He fought mutated creatures just to get a half-rotten apple or a piece of bread.

And yet...

They never cared.

His girlfriend never said thank you.

His stepmother only looked at him when she had something cruel to say.

His stepbrother laughed at him like he was a joke.

They only noticed him when the food ran out—just to blame him.

"You’re useless."

"Why can’t you bring more?"

"Go back out! We’re still hungry!"

He kept his head down. Took the insults. Smiled through the pain.

Because somewhere deep in his heart, he still had hope.

He believed that maybe—just maybe—if he worked hard enough... they would see him. They would appreciate him. They would acknowledge him.

He was wrong.

So painfully wrong.

---

His girlfriend—the one he protected like his own heartbeat—cheated on him.

With his own stepbrother.

She didn’t even try to hide it. When Roman walked in on them, they just laughed.

Like he was nothing. Like he never mattered.

And his stepmother? She acted like she hadn’t seen a thing, infact she joined them later. Like Roman wasn’t even her son.

They all used him. Took his food. Took his kindness. Took everything.

Then, when he had nothing left to give—they turned their backs.

---

The worst betrayal didn’t come from world.

It came from the family .

They abondend him,when he needed them.

And then,

The Touched once—those who had powers—treated him like dirt.

They beat him up for fun. Used him as entertainment. Made him beg for scraps.

He remembered the day one of them threw his food into the mud, just to watch him eat it. He hadn’t eaten in three days. His body shook as he picked it up and ate it anyway, while they laughed like hyenas.

He brought the good pieces home.

Kept the rotten ones for himself.

And still... they hated him for not bringing more.

-----

Now, after his rebirth,he walked with cold eyes and a heart made of steel. The kindness he had was long gone. The hope he had once was nowhere to be seen. The old Roman—who believed in love, in family, in being a good person—was long dead.

Burned away by betrayal.

And in his place stood a man who would not bend again.

He would rise.

Not as a savior.

Not as a hero.

But as something else.

Something darker.

Something unstoppable.

Those gifted ones—the so-called Touched—if they dared to stand in his path again... he would crush them. Not just beat them. Not just kill them.

He would erase them.

Tear them out of the world so completely, no one would remember their names.

They had powers?

Roman has it now.

They had strength?

Roman had nothing to lose accept himself.

And that made him more dangerous than all of them.

Now it was his turn.

His turn to rule.

To take the throne no one thought he deserved.

To rise from the dirt they buried him in.

To become the nightmare they will feared from the beginning.

He didn’t want their apology.

He didn’t need their love.

He wanted revenge.

And this time... there would be no mercy.

Not for the gifted.

Not for the traitors.

Not for anyone.

The world turned its back on Roman.

Now, Roman would burn the world.

---------

He would become a devil if he had to—no hesitation, no regrets. He had played the role of the obedient son, the disposable pawn, the loyal fool. And where did it get him? Used. Mocked. Discarded like a rotting pest the moment he lost his usefulness.

Never again.

He no longer craved their love. That illusion had died the day they smiled while he suffered. What he wanted now was power—raw, merciless power that bent knees and silenced mouths. If he had to crawl through blood, burn cities, and sell every last piece of his soul to demons whispering from the dark... he’d do it without flinching.

He would not beg. He would not kneel.

The world would kneel to him.

They called him worthless—he would become their nightmare. They thought they could break him—he would rise as the very force that shattered gods. If the heavens tried to stop him, he’d rip open the sky itself.

There was no humanity left in him now. Only purpose. Only wrath.

Let them scream. Let them curse his name. But this time, he would be the one discarding them.

One by one.

Slowly.

Violantly.

Beautifully.

LIKE A DEMONS WORK OF ART....😈😈😈😈😈

+++++++++++++++++++

Author’s Note:

And that’s the end of Volume One!

So... how did you all feel about Roman’s revenge on his own family? 😈

Was it satisfying? Shocking? Or maybe even a little heartbreaking?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments — I really want to hear what you all think.

But don’t get too comfortable, because the real story is just about to begin!

Volume Two will be on a whole different level —

New characters will arrive.

Old enemies might return.

And yes... more revenge, more dark secrets, more twists, and some surprising moments of comedy too.

Not to mention...

Superpowers, intense battles, betrayals, and fights that will decide the fate of the world.

So buckle up.

Things are about to get wild.

Keep yourself safe...

And most importantly —

Keep reading.

Because Roman’s story is far from over.

If you’re enjoying the chaos, don’t forget to:

- 🔥 Drop a Power Stone

- ✍️ Leave a review

- 💬 Share your thoughts in the comments

See you in the next Volume!

—Author