Long ago, in a nameless area of the Abyss, a Nox Being was born.
That being had no family, nor was she born from the Demon Abyss. The entirety of her existence was a mystery.
Therefore, she did not come under the control of a Nox Emperor during her early life.
She did not know that there were others like her. She was not aware of other existences in any way.
She was alone and so far separated that the only thing she shared with the Nox was heritage.
And, unlike the rest of her race, she was born with spirituality.
She had no sense of curiosity or desire. She remained in the place where she was born, quietly drifting with the Abyss as she pondered her existence.
And the Abyss embraced her, a lonely existence like it.
It's energy flowed through her body and changed it. She became stronger without knowing what strength was, her consciousness still limited to her naive state.
This strange phenomenon continued for an amount of time she couldn't quantify even in the present, but just like all things, her seclusion also had to come to an end.
She was discovered by a migrating Nox colony and taken in as one of theirs. Similar to Yong An, she met those who did not carry the negative traits of their race proudly, and learned among them for many years.
As her naivety went away and she developed a sense of individuality, as she grew past the limits of natural growth, she evolved into something greater.
Yet, before she could blossom, she was taken away from those who treated her well.
Rumors of her talent spread to Al'Katra, and forces under the Nox Emperor came to her colony to take her away.
From then on, her life was painful.
She was raised into a soldier, or at least, that was their goal when they took her.
Her and Yong An's situation wasn't uncommon. Many Nox children would be used the same way, but unlike the two of them, they were unable to extricate themselves or didn't have the desire to do so, later becoming part of the masses that would be killed during one of the Nox's many attempts at conquest.
She endured the torture thinking about her colony and protecting them. She allowed them to use her as a slave as long as her base values weren't compromised.
Until that day.
That day when she learned the truth.
Nox who could not be used were useless. Nox who did not remain controlled by their vices had to be purged.
And her colony was among those who were eradicated for the sake of unity.
She flew into a rage.
She killed and killed, escaping the slave camp and killing more.
As her bloodlust grew, she became a symbol of death, and through the countless tribulations she endured, her Demonic Providence awakened.
A providence of Death.
Her history was vague from this point.
Her memories of that time were blurry, but all she could remember was slaughter and violence, her vision filled with the color red.
She ascended to Divinity, she became a Nox Emperor, and when her life finally regained a semblance of stability, she woke up.
She was no longer the person she was when she turned mindless.
She could no longer feel those sympathetic or generous feelings that had been instilled in her since young.
And the people she hated the most were her own.
How was she supposed to move forward from there?
She only found two paths.
Either she once again sank into the depravity of slaughter, or she took the position she made for herself and changed the Nox from the inside out.
Naturally, she chose the latter.
She tried her best.
The title of Death Emperor wasn't a joke. Most Nox were terrified by the mere mention of her name, so forcing them to act as she desired was not a hard task.
However, she met opposition easily.
The Nox Emperors whose interests were touched by her choices were not willing to share their title with someone who would get in their way.
They worked together and made an elaborate plan to make her the public enemy of the universe. They sacrificed her to their so-called "enemies" for the sake of personal benefit.
And funnily enough, that generosity, that sympathy she was taught as a child…
It was shown to her by those "enemies," not her own people.
Her story was a long one. It could not be easily understood through such a vague summary, but she had long forgotten the events of the past.
She didn't care who she used to be, because, after countless millennia of isolation with her thoughts, she'd become a different person entirely.
She…did not have much purpose in this life.
The things she thought were her ambitions were the fragile wishes of a traumatized child. She lost them when she finally came to her senses.
So, what was she supposed to live for?
The answer she found for herself was revenge.
Revenge on those who put her in this situation, revenge on the Nox for abandoning her.
But, another answer was presented to her.
A man too young to even be called a man, a man who was just a boy when they first met. She never expected him to return to her with an answer.
It happened before Damien went to the Abyss.
He returned to the First Dungeon and asked her that question.
"What is your goal?"
The question she had no answer to.
"Revenge."
She answered, no other thoughts in mind.
But the man shook his head.
"That's not a goal. It's an eventuality, but it's not one you should put your whole life into. You're already strong enough to get revenge, so what do you plan to do once you've accomplished it?"
Frankly, it wasn't something she was expecting to hear.
Their meetings in the past had been cordial, but not friendly. She could always sense the hostility he held for the Nox.
But looking into his eyes, she saw someone different.
She saw someone who was looking at her, not the person he thought she was.
So she felt compelled to find an answer for him.
Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she could not.
Seeing her state, he shook his head and put his hand up to his face wryly.
"It was only a hunch, but I guess I was right. You two really are the same type."
"You two…?"
"Haa, just a guy I know, don't worry about it. Anyway, you can't figure anything out, right?"
She had no choice but to nod her head.
"Then…"
A grin lit up the man's face.
"...how about you live for me?"
The conditions of her release from this sealed space that they'd agreed upon during their first meeting required her to pledge her obedience to him, but what he suggested was something different.
Not mindless obedience, but companionship. His promise was to be a Lord worth her loyalty, someone who could give meaning to her existence.
She didn't believe it.
She could not put her faith in a man who was barely a child compared to her.
Yet, he gave her an answer far better than anything she could find on her own.
So, she took a risk.
"Okay."
She agreed to his suggestion, and with a smile, that man who was supposed to be young and fragile…he did something even the greatest existences she knew couldn't do.
He directly freed her from her imprisonment within seconds.
Standing before her, he held out his hand.
"Introductions and the likes are important in moments like these, and your social skills seem pretty rusty so let's do some practice."
"My name is Damien Void. It's nice to meet you."
She looked at that hand strangely.
Her heart was icy as always, but there seemed to be a small chip on its surface that hadn't existed before.
She reached her hand out and grabbed his, her grip weak from years of disuse.
"I am Tiamat…"
She was Tiamat, the Empress of Death.
"...and it is a pleasure to meet you as well."
And finally, she found the light that would lead her out of this hellish existence.
