For a moment, I floated in darkness, in a void. But I wasn't alone. I felt a gaze pressing down on me, as if it dissected everything that I was—and everything I would be.
Then, in the next second, color returned to the world.
I found myself in a wide room, dimly lit by torches, filled with wooden crates and boxes covered in dust and shadow. My lungs burned as I took a breath; dust flooded into them, making a nuisance of itself. I coughed and wheezed, only sending more dust into the air. I waved my hand in an attempt to clear it, and after a moment, the dust settled enough for me to take a hesitant breath.
I moved out from the small space between two boxes. It quickly became clear that I had appeared in a dusty corner that hadn't seen life in some time. I took note of my surroundings. Where was I?
I turned to one of the boxes. It appeared to be unlocked, so I opened it. Inside lay animal skins of different colors and sizes, seemingly from various creatures. Strange, I thought, but they were of little interest to me.
I moved on to the next crate. This time, the contents were far more interesting.
Inside, I found gold—lots of it. But what truly caught my attention was the red jewel resting atop the pile like a crown upon a king. The jewel seemed to call to me. My thoughts grew sluggish, narrowing until only one idea remained: taking it.
It was mine. It always had been—I just hadn't claimed it yet.
As my fingers wrapped around the ruby, thoughts of what I would do if someone tried to take it from me filled my mind. Threats consumed my thoughts, threats I would unleash upon enemies not yet known.
Then, in the next second, the ruby began to melt.
It flowed over my hand like blood from an open wound. The red liquid seeped into my skin, leaving it unblemished. I stared at my hand in awe and confusion as the now-familiar blue screen appeared before me.
System Notification:
Congratulations. You have unlocked the Greed King's Ruby.
It is said that a great king once lived, ruling over a poor kingdom. One day, a vast mountain of gold was discovered. With it, the kingdom flourished, conquering its neighbors and growing into an empire. The mountain of gold never seemed to end.
As the king grew old, he grew paranoid. He feared that his friends and family would steal the gold from him. One by one, he had them killed.
When the life of the king's last living brother ended, a red scale formed on the king's chest, over his heart. Day by day, the scales spread—and so did his greed.
He stripped his kingdom of its wealth. When a lord refused to surrender his jewels, it is said that great scaled wings burst from the king's back. He grew larger and larger until his shadow could cover an entire city.
And so it did.
The dragon-king flew to the defiant city, and fire and blood followed in his wake. Not a single life survived the flames. The screams were heard across the empire. When the fire faded, the once-great city was reduced to ash and blood, and the king finally claimed its gold.
When the people learned of what had happened, they rose against their mad ruler. An army one hundred thousand strong gathered and marched to the mountain of gold, which by then had grown so vast it pierced the sky. At its peak rested a creature of red and black.
The battle was devastating. When the beast finally fell, most of the army lay dead. As the dust settled, the mountain of gold was gone.
All that remained was the dragon's ruby heart.
Those who survived said the king could not live without his gold—not even in death. In his final moments, he stored all his wealth within his ruby heart. From that day on, it was said that whoever held the Ruby Heart could do the same: store their riches where no man could reach them.
Yet the king's original hoard was never found—the one thing he could never give up.
Now, a new king holds the Ruby Heart.
And its power is yours.