The Empire of Shadowstein then decides to attempt to colonize the nearby planet of Venus, and thus, the attempted colonization is begun.
They send out a fleet of state-of-the-art ships, each crewed by the best and brightest minds in the Empire, to search the galaxy for a suitable colony site. The search spans countless light-years and eons of time, but eventually, one of the ships, the Icarus, discovers Venus, which is now inhabitable due to a terraforming project by an unknown civilization. The atmosphere is thick with gases and the gravity is high, but not as high as Earth's. Upon closer inspection, they find signs of intelligent life within the planet's vast oceans. The Shadowstein Empire decides to colonize Venus and rename it "Erebus," in honor of the Greek god of darkness.
As the Shadowsteinians of Erebus continue to explore their new home, they stumble upon ancient ruins beneath the ocean floor, revealing the existence of a powerful underwater civilization that was banished to the depths by the Shadow God long ago.
The ruins are filled with advanced technology and intricate designs, hinting at a culture that once rivaled their own in sophistication. The Shadow Queen Lilith and the Shadow Lord Lothar, fascinated by the findings, begin to research the history of this civilization, hoping to uncover the secrets of their advanced shadow magic and engineering feats.
And they learn of a powerful being that once existed, the Dark Emperor, a being that rose out of the Planet Earth 1405 years ago, and, after some shift in history, left Earth and arrived at Venus after visiting "The Dark Planet/World", and conquered it, and it is thought that the legends of the Shadow God were another name for him, and then, in the legends described, the Dark Emperor is described as follows "There was a figure, a "New Power" one could call it, its form obscured by the dark tendrils that seem to writhe around it, almost as if it were a living manifestation of the shadows themselves, and the figure's dark tendrils seemed to stretch far and control those weaker than it as mere puppets, as the "Dark Emperor" as it had come to call itself, seemed to have no clear goal or allegiance, as if it were trying to find its own purpose in life and to punish those who had in some way done it wrong."
And Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar discover that the Dark Emperor was likely a God Emperor Level being, as powerful as the God Emperors who were rumored to exist as recently as merely 281 years ago, and yet, had the ability to reset time and alter minds and space and time on a universal scale, no, way beyond that, not on a 4th-dimensional scale, not on a 5th-dimensional one, but on one of beyond-dimensional scale, beyond even just scale itself, beyond the infinite possibilities of the infinite universes within the infinite multiverses within within infinite omniverses, all of infinite size and number, all of that together being transcended by and contained within, "Existence", and the God Emperors had power beyond that, and the Dark Emperor had power comparable to them, though, in weaker states not quite that powerful, but still beyond the infinite dimensions of the universe they lived in, and legends tell of higher things, such as "The Void", a sentient and ever-hungering void that spreads through their omniverse and consumed all, and even "The Abyss", a truly endless sentient dark abyss that is slowly consuming all of "Existence" itself, and could accomplish doing so within mere eons, or could be already done, or could never be done, for it is beyond that concept, and even of the deepest and most primordial version of the concept of time, and that it is said that the Dark Emperor was "vanquished" by merely the two God Emperor's snapping their fingers, but, considering how powerful the being is, the records in the ruins show doubt that it is truly gone, but merely, in a weaker or even reincarnated form, and in what is the greatest shock of all to Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar, is that he also had powerful minions, puppets, and what specifically is shocking to them is what those minions/puppet were, "The Shadow King", "The Shadow Queen", and "The Dark Lord", which, they learn, are/were extremely similar to themselves.
As Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar continue their research, they inadvertently open a portal to a parallel universe where the Dark Emperor rules with an iron fist, leading them to question their own allegiances and the true nature of power. They also notice an oddly uncanny resemblance between the dark tendrils of the Dark Emperor and those unleashed by their own Shadow Emperor Alpha.
Further investigation leads them to a hidden chamber containing a dark, pulsing artifact known as the "Shadowstone." It is said that whomever wields the Shadowstone will have control over all aspects of shadow and darkness, including the power to warp reality itself. The two debate whether to use the artifact to further their own goals or destroy it to prevent its misuse, but their arguments quickly devolve into bitter recriminations and accusations.
Shadow Emperor Alpha then arrives to make the decision himself, and decides to keep the Shadowstone for an unknown reason.
Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar are both shocked and angered by Shadow Emperor Alpha's choice, and begin to question his loyalty and intentions. They argue with him, but Shadow Emperor Alpha remains cryptic and enigmatic, only fueling their suspicions. The tension between the three of them grows as they leave the chamber, each lost in their own thoughts about what to do next.
Shadow Emperor Alpha then intimidatingly and commandingly reminds them of their duty to colonize the planet, before then leaving on his ship.
As Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar are left standing there, they exchange glances filled with confusion, anger, and mistrust. The weight of the knowledge they've gained about the Shadowstone and the Dark Emperor presses down upon them, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. They both feel the need to confront Shadow Emperor Alpha about his intentions and the Shadowstone, but they are unsure how to approach him.
In the meantime, they continue with their assigned task of colonizing the planet, each lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Shadow Queen Lilith spends her days poring over ancient texts, trying to make sense of the history and power dynamics they've uncovered. Shadow Lord Lothar, on the other hand, focuses on strengthening their forces and ensuring that their colony can withstand any threats that may arise.
As they work, they can't help but steal glances at Shadow Emperor Alpha, trying to discern his true intentions. They wonder if he plans to use the Shadowstone to dominate them or if he has a more sinister goal in mind. Their unease only grows as they see him surrounded by auras of power and darkness, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable expression.
One day, as they are discussing their progress over dinner, Shadow Queen Lilith decides that she can't keep her suspicions to herself any longer. She confronts Shadow Emperor Alpha, demanding to know why he kept the Shadowstone and what his plans are. Shadow Lord Lothar, sensing the tension between them, remains silent but watchful.
"That is something you don't need to know, you needn't worry about it, it doesn't concern you, dear, "puppet"..." Shadow Emperor Alpha says, that last part he said almost too quietly to be heard at all, before he then walks away.
Shadow Queen Lilith and Shadow Lord Lothar both gasp at his words, shocked and angered. "You insolent bastard!" Shadow Queen Lilith snarls, leaping to her feet. "You dare speak to me like that? You think you can just keep secrets from us?!"
Shadow Emperor Alpha then casually uses his power armor enhanced strength to throw them both against the wall, looking, almost, somber while doing so, as if his mind isn't entirely focused on this, and he is deep in thought, seemingly introspective thought.
"I've kept you ignorant for your own protection, to keep you from being overwhelmed by knowledge that you shouldn't have. But it seems I was wrong to trust you..." he trails off, his voice quiet, almost soft, yet carrying a weight that makes it feel like a physical blow to their ears.
And his expression seems to show pain, as if he didn't want to word it in that sort of way, almost as if he actually cares about them, and is trying to protect them from knowledge they honestly would want to know.
Shadow Queen Lilith tries to speak, but the words catch in her throat. Shadow Lord Lothar glares at Alpha, struggling against the grip that holds him against the wall. "You are not fit to lead us," he spits. "You keep us in the dark, use us as pawns. We deserve better."
Shadow Emperor Alpha looks away, hiding his face in shadow, but, they swear they can see, tears, on his face? As if he was crying, seemingly at the usage of the word "pawns".
"You are both my closest allies, my most trusted advisors. And yet..." His voice trails off, and he turns back to face them, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps I have been selfish. Perhaps I have kept you at arm's length because I was afraid to lose you. Or maybe... maybe I just didn't know how to handle the truth."
Shadow Queen Lilith's heart twists at the pain in his voice, and she's torn between wanting to comfort him and needing to protect herself. She glances at Shadow Lord Lothar, hoping he feels the same. But his expression is cold, unyielding.
Shadow Emperor Alpha then seems to almost, sadly chuckle, "Well, Lothar, you were always the most rebellious, even way back then, and especially, guess you really miss the Necromancer King and the Lich Queen, don't you...?" Shadow Emperor Alpha then says before leaving the room, and heading to his own palace, to his personal quarters.
(POV Switches to Shadow Emperor Alpha's)
Shadow Emperor Alpha then looks into the mirror, and himself is staring right back, well, the past version of himself, the Dark Emperor, is, at least, with its body covered by tendrils of darkness, his body covered by them, and he thinks back to his childhood back in Asia in 719, and how horrible his life was, and then, once he acquired success, it was all reset away, and he went through it all again, all due to God Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and then, 1,124 years later, he returned, and then, the God Emperor's defeated him again, and yet, he survived to suffer more, and was reduced to being a child once more, and he aged to his current age, and yes, it was him who shattered the Sacred Relic, in the Temple/Church/Tomb of God Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Aldric, to hopefully end the power of the God Emperors, and, it unintentionally caused conflict once more, which, he seeks to end forever, and finally end the suffering of everyone, including himself.
Meanwhile as he is thinking to himself, he is crying, and he looks down at he Shadowstone, yes, that will become his very own Sacred Relic, far greater than the Sacred Relic itself.
He looks at his hands, covered in tendrils of darkness, as if they were a part of him, and he wonders how he can possibly control them, how he can use them for the greater good, how he can keep them from destroying everything he's worked so hard to achieve.
He thinks about how Shadow King Mordecai, Shadow Queen Lilith, and Shadow Lord Lothar can never know about him being the Dark Emperor, considering he made them his puppets back then, and he would lose his only and oldest friends.
He wonders if he should tell them the truth, but then he thinks that perhaps it would only lead to more suffering, more betrayals, and more conflict. He sighs, rubbing his eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears.