Rain fell like judgment.
Cold.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Franko Ofori stood at the top floor of Ofori Empire Tower, staring out at the city he built.
Every light below…
Every building…
Every shadow…
All of it had once bowed to him.
And tonight…
It meant nothing.
Behind him, the door opened.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Franko didn't turn.
"I knew you would come," he said calmly.
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Not one.
Three.
"You always did," a familiar voice replied.
That voice…
Franko's lips curved slightly.
"Daniel," he said.
His closest partner.
His most trusted ally.
Or so he thought.
Franko finally turned.
And there they were.
Daniel.
A woman beside him.
And another man Franko had personally raised from nothing.
Betrayal.
Right in front of him.
"You look disappointed," Daniel said with a faint smile.
Franko laughed quietly.
Not angry.
Not shocked.
Just… amused.
"No," Franko said.
"I'm impressed."
The woman stepped forward.
"You lost, Franko," she said coldly.
Franko looked at her.
"So did you choose this… or were you always like this?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
The Fall of a King
Daniel sighed.
"You built too much power," he said.
"You left no space for anyone else."
Franko nodded slowly.
"So you decided to take it?"
"No," Daniel replied.
"We decided to end you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
Franko looked around the room one last time.
His empire.
Built from nothing.
Destroyed by the people he trusted.
"…Good," he said quietly.
They paused.
Confused.
Franko smiled.
"If I had to fall," he said,
"At least it was worth it."
Daniel frowned.
"You're not afraid?" he asked.
Franko's eyes darkened.
"Afraid?" he repeated.
Then he stepped forward.
The air around him… shifted.
Electric.
Unnatural.
"You think this ends here?" Franko said softly.
For the first time…
They hesitated.
Something Was Wrong
A faint glow appeared in Franko's hand.
Dark.
Crimson.
Pulsing like a living thing.
"What is that—" one of them started.
But it was too late.
"I gave everything to build this empire," Franko said.
"And you think I didn't prepare for betrayal?"
The energy spread.
Cracks formed in the air itself.
Reality… bending.
The End… Or Beginning
Daniel shouted:
"Stop him!"
But no one moved.
Because they felt it.
That power.
Something beyond control.
Franko laughed.
Low.
Dangerous.
"If I'm going down…"
His voice dropped.
"…I'm taking fate with me."
BOOM—
Light swallowed everything.
Sound disappeared.
Time… shattered.
…Tick
Darkness.
Silence.
Then—
A heartbeat.
Thump.
Another.
Thump.
Franko's eyes snapped open.
Air rushed into his lungs.
He sat up sharply.
"…What?"
The room was different.
Smaller.
Simpler.
Old.
He looked at his hands.
Younger.
Unscarred.
Alive.
"No…" he whispered.
Then his eyes widened.
On the wall—
A calendar.
2025
Franko froze.
"That's impossible…"
His breathing slowed.
His mind raced.
Memories collided.
Death.
Betrayal.
Power.
And now
A second chance.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
Franko smiled.
Not the smile of a man saved.
But of something far more dangerous.
"Good," he said quietly.
His eyes darkened.
"This time…"
The air around him trembled again.
"…I won't build an empire."
His voice dropped.
"I'll dominate everything."
End of Chapter 1