In a kingdom hundreds of miles away from the Red Sapphire's appearance.
The black smoke perforated the sky as crimson flames engulfed the buildings. Many houses and pavilions were now in ruins with people scattered all over the place. Cries and wails echoed for miles as people sobbed their hearts out. Sorrow and anguish filled the land as their expressions dulled.
Oddly enough though there wasn't any blood. People cried yet they didn't seem to be seriously injured. Perhaps they had already taken healing pills and perhaps blood had been cleaned by flames.
"Ahhhhhh!!"
At this moment a shout came from the palace located on the nearby mountain hill.
It was a huge palace with many exquisite carvings and sculptures. It shone with brilliance yet at this moment it's shine looked somewhat dimmed. As if it had experienced a calamity many carvings were cracked and sculptures broken to pieces. It looked as if a terrifying beast had just gone on rampage and fortunately, the palace was barely able to remain standing.
From the top most central part of the palace an angry roar filled with grief echoed.
"Anderrrrr!!!"
A young man in golden robes and a crown on his long golden hairs stood with his hands clenched. In his right hand was a seven foot long spear. Blood dripped from his palm as he held it with exceeding grip. The spear shone with light as if sensing the anger of its wielder and felt the blood flowing on its metallic body.
The young man had a handsome appearance yet at this moment his brows were deeply furrowed and anger was exuding from his every pore. And coupled with the spear and his earth shattering shouts, he looked like a demon about to go berserk.
"King! Please calm yourself."
A middle aged man who stood at the side said in a hurry with a worried tone.
Following his lead, the several other people present all spoke out their thoughts in an attempt to calm the rage of that person. Because they knew if they did not do so, their king might very well go knocking on the enemy's door to exact revenge. By that time, it would be too late to stop him.
If he was killed off then forget about revenge even the already falling apart kingdom would be destroyed and assimilated in others' territory. It would only benefit others from the conflict. Moreover, their fate would be unknown by then. It would already be good enough if they were treated as slaves.
That's why they tried to calm their king. Even though they also felt the anger and humiliation. How could they not retaliate when they were beaten in their home ground? If they swallowed this time then others would think they were an easy target. They could be pushed around however one liked. By that time not only the neighboring kingdoms, even those small forces would want a share of the pie. At that time they would only be a kingdom in name while in reality they would be lap dogs of others.
Still the thought of becoming worse than a slave forced them to think calmly. Even if others thought they were pushovers until they had their king alive they would still have some strength. In this world, strength was everything. No one would dare to push someone too far even a pushover with sufficient strength.
Plus with their king they could obviously deter those surrounding forces. Thus it was the wisest decision at the moment to not let their king court death. Revenge was something which could be passed on to the younger generation with talent. So they just had to maintain the status quo until they grew up…
Thinking so far, the people around the king spoke one after another in an attempt to calm their king.
"Yes. Your Majesty, please think it through. Your going now would not necessarily result in a favorable outcome."
"Your Majesty, at this moment the kingdom and its people need you, their ruler."
"Your Majesty, revenge could be exacted slowly. It's not wise to seek trouble now."
"Exactly. With the younger generation's talent it's only a matter of time when they grow up and wipe off the humiliation the kingdom suffered."
"Your Majesty…"
"Silence!"
Thud-
A loud sound resounded as the young man tapped the spear against the ground. An enormous aura filled with coldness overflowed and flooded the hall.
The many people who were creating a ruckus were instantly put to silence. Their breathing stopped as they stared at the figure in golden robes surrounded in a layer of golden light.
Faced with such pressure they could only slowly bend their knees as they knelt in front of him with heads down.
Thud-
Thud-
With uniform sounds of kneeling, a spectacular scene was created where only a figure with unparalleled might stood straight, surrounded by people kneeling to him.
"I have decided." The figure spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "We will go to war! To Conquer Ander!"
The hearts of the people who knelt shuddered as if they had heard their death sentence. Their eyes, limbs and each part of their body trembled as if experiencing an earthquake from their core. Their mouths opened and closed as if wishing to speak something yet no sound came. Those who could force out sound, spoke while stuttering as if facing their impending doom.
"Y-Your… Majesty…"
"Hmm? Speak. I know you all fear that this is a self destruction task. It might very well be the last war we will be in. If so, you are free to leave. Take rewards for your work here and abdicate before leaving the kingdom." The young man said indifferently as he swept his gaze at the crowd of people kneeling.
"But remember, if you choose to leave you must not regret it."
As he finished his words the countless people kneeling looked up at him with conflict in their eyes. On one hand they wanted to survive and on the other hand they wanted to exact revenge with their own hands…
One was a path to life in cowardice and hope to enact revenge one day while the other path was to death in glory and pride while upholding the dignity and respect of not only their kingdom but of themselves too…
Really. Not an easy answer for these people who had been here and served the kingdom for many years as if their family. Even if they survived, could they face their family and friends? Would they have the face to show to their ancestors?
Time passed.
Soon, these people had made up their mind. They each had their own path. Some choose to live in hope of revenge while some choose to get revenge with their own hands. Some even… choose to side with other forces to plan an escape route.
In all, the various sides of humans were in full display. But on the surface there were only two kinds that appeared. One was to die having lived a prideful life and the other was a life of living death.
Their faces were filled with resolution and determination as they said, "We will follow our king! To fight! To die in glory! To have lived with pride!"
"We abdicate our position! To live in hope! To live for the future! To live, to not die!"
The young man heard the voices of his subjects and nodded. He already understood what will happen next.
Some people stood up and bowed to the king and left directly. They didn't mind the cold gazes of the others who chose to fight to death. In their opinion, now that they had chosen to abdicate, their life was their own. They didn't need to be bound to the kingdom where the people insisted on fighting to death for pride. What use was pride if they weren't alive to enjoy it?
While some thought this the others thought- I will grow strong first and then take revenge! I will nurture talents and pass this revenge for them to take! I will go to the force which I have some connection with for protection! I will use the information I have to gain a foothold in outside forces!
With varying thoughts many people left the hall. Even so, nearly half of the original number remained. It was amazing for even ten percent to remain let alone nearly half in the face of death. It spoke in itself that the people chosen to handle the affairs were quite loyal. But it didn't mean that those who had left weren't loyal before. It simply showed that they held their life more dear to them than loyalty. It was a survival instinct and none could condemn them for that.
Moreover it was a good thing that some had chosen to leave. In this way, their kingdom would not truly die as long as these people remained…
Innumerable thoughts flashed across the people who still remained in the hall.
"Everyone. Prepare for the war. That's all. Dismissed."
Thud-
The young man then took a heavy step forward and disappeared into thin air.
The people in the hall had a solemn gaze as they felt a huge pressure on their shoulders. To say was one thing but to do was another entirely.
Slowly everyone hurriedly left and the hall once again became empty. In an instant it looked a lot more dilapidated as if it had stood for hundreds of years. An aura of desolation and obsolescence permeated the whole palace as if foreshadowing its fate.