Upon the Broken Stairs

The greatest belonging: sought after by many, claimed by none. The road to obtain it was paved with blood and the tears of the innocent, but to Allan, the lives of strangers meant nothing. They were mere stepping stones along the path to his goal, stones that he would gladly walk upon with Greed shining like gold in the whites of his eyes.

World domination. Unattainable, or so they thought. But Allan was not like the rest, and felt unrestricted by what society claimed was possible or not. He was limitless and knew no boundaries. He was powerful, never lacking in the strength or wisdom he needed to capture the world in his grasp. He was the antithesis of everything it meant to be human. Allan was a god.

Like dominoes, the world fell to him. His cunning intellect and expertise proved useful at every turn, and world leaders turned to him for guidance as the very foundations of their homes fell to pieces at their feet. Torn apart by faceless mobs, society fell, and the leaders panicked, unaware that the very man they were turning to for help was the one who had destroyed everything in the first place.

Alas, the power of Greed was strong, stronger than morality or human emotion. It had spread its roots deep into Allan’s mind, the mind of a man who nurtured this Greed, treating it not as a disease but as a blossoming flower that needed care and water and sunlight.

But instead of care, Allan brought it deceit. Instead of water, he brought it bloodshed. And instead of the sun, he brought it the world itself, the entirety of the planet in the palm of his hand. Greed had given him everything, and thus he gave everything back.