The sky was dark, and the moon had risen high, casting an ethereal glow over everything. My eyes slowly opened as I groggily got up. "Wha- where am I?" I muttered, disoriented.
I looked around, taking in the white walls and the opulent surroundings. Everything was fancy—the desk, the bed, even the curtains seemed luxurious. Two maids stood at the foot of the bed I was currently in.
The moment our eyes met, one of the maids quickly left the room. Did I do something wrong? The remaining maid stood still like a statue, her face devoid of any emotion. Her stoic presence was giving me the creeps.
"Uhh... Umm... Who- who are you? And... Where am I?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, just loud enough for her to hear.
The last thing I remembered was being saved by the sage. I couldn't quite recall what he looked like, but the emblem on his chest told me he was a sage. I wondered which one of them he could be.
"You are in the Qweldom Castle," the maid replied, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
"What?" Am I dreaming?
As I tried to make sense of my surroundings, memories of the past started to flood back. I recalled the moments with Duncal, the times when I was made a sacrifice. I remembered everything—the heinous actions of the guardians and the horrors I had witnessed.
What about the people in the dungeon? Did they manage to escape? My mind raced with questions, each one more pressing than the last.
Then, remembering the face of the sage who saved me, I couldn't help but let out a smile.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I called myself a coward. Why did I leave those people? Guilt was eating me alive. When I had the power to easily demolish hard structures, I didn't even think of going back to free them from their bars. I always thought only about myself.
"Where am I again?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Qweldom Castle," she repeated, her tone unchanged.
"I see," I muttered, realizing I was in one of the countries soon to be ruined. I sat quietly, hugging my knees. "Why am I here?" I asked, desperation creeping into my voice.
"I have no knowledge of that," she replied. "We are only tasked with watching over your health and ensuring you are well."
"Why?" I pressed further.
"Because the master says so," she replied without emotion.
Qweldom was one of the most powerful countries, ranked second in terms of economic strength and possessing the strongest military power.
However, soon this nation would fall, shaking the very foundations of other countries as it gets overrun.
If the mightiest country gets obliterated, it will give other nations ample reason to fear whatever is coming.
Just then, the door creaked open, and the king entered, followed by the maid who had left earlier. She was carrying a lie-seeking stone on her right arm.
"You might wonder why you are here," the king spoke, his voice a stark contrast to the two maids. It was deep and intimidating, filled with an unsettling mix of authority and menace.
I remember this face very well—the fourth villain of the story, the Twelve-Faced King. But something about him looks different.
In the novel, he was depicted as an undead, an empty shell inhabited by Mordras, a self-proclaimed god. Mordras was a necromancer who lost his real body in a battle against Hailim, who was protecting the main protagonist, Derion.
In the game adaptation, he appeared just as in the novel. The visuals portrayed his skin as gray and lifeless, the very essence of undeath. But this time, standing before me, he was still very much alive.
As for the maids, they were strangers to me. I didn't recognize either of them from the novel or the game.
Who are they?
Stretching his arm, the king magically pulled a chair into his hand. He sat down, his unsettling gaze fixed on me, hungry for answers.
"Let's start with... Who are you?" he asked, his tone menacing as he waited for my response.
Who am I? How am I supposed to answer that? Should I tell him my real name and where I came from? Seeing the lie detector stone held by the maid, I knew lying would be impossible.
But would they believe me if I told the truth? Should I start with who I am? Can't I just say that I don't know?
"I-I don't know," I lied. Just as I expected, the stone glowed red faintly, indicating my falsehood.
"I'm not going to ask again. The role of a king is heavy, so you must understand. Even if you are a child, I will show no mercy and extract the knowledge from your head by any means necessary, even if it kills you," the king threatened, his voice instilling deep fear within me. I shrieked on the spot.
I stuttered, "I-I'm..." Come on! Flame on. How do I make myself burst into flames again? How did I even do it before?
I needed the strength boost it gave me to escape. I don't want to die. This king may look different from the game, but his brutality was the same as always.
I tried imagining myself burning with power, visualizing an image of myself engulfed in fire. But nothing was happening.
The king's eyes remained fixed on my quivering self. He was still sitting, just waiting for an answer.
I felt uncomfortable. What the hell was this? Some kind of psychological test? Torture?
Feeling lost, I finally said, "I-I don't know the name of this child, I don't lie, your majesty." My grammar slowly became broken. "I-I don't know, really. I didn't even want to be here. I was brought into this world against my will," I confessed, fear clouding my mind as I failed to provide complete answers, leaving out many details.
My head lowered as tears streamed down my face.
Why am I so unlucky? First, I found myself in a recently ravaged village, then I was kidnapped and forced to watch and listen to the agony of other people.
Where the hell are you, Fulgur?
"D-Do you know someone named Fulgur?" my voice barely a whisper as I tried to calm myself.
"Are you a human? What is your power?" came the second question.
After a short pause, I answered truthfully, "I'm not sure about my race, b-but I do believe I'm human, and I don't know my power."
It's true, after that time my body ignited with fire and recieving that power. I started doubting myself if the body im currently inhabiting was a human.
The king let out a fake cough before asking, "Why do you fear me?"
Outside the castle, the king wore a happy, pleasant smile, ensuring no one would see his true self. So he didn't understand why this child in front of him seemed to fear him.
The child in front of him appeared almost pitiful in his eyes.
He could blame his intimidating looks or his efforts to appear menacing, a tactic to scare off any foe. It worked across all ages, but those with strong willpower were more resistant.
"Monster," I whispered.
"What?" The king was taken aback, shocked to be accused of being a monster. But the stone showed no reaction, indicating that the child in front of him was telling the truth.
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" I stood my ground. After screaming "monster" in his face, I ran to the window, opening it in preparation to jump.
The king just sat still, trying to process what I had said. His expression was filled with confusion.
What's this? I felt like there was some kind of misunderstanding here.
But looking at his face again, which still seemed to retain some emotion, unlike in the game, I thought, was he really the same king? Just in case, I muttered the name "Mordras."
I was thinking that if he reacted, I would jump and run away as fast as I could.
And just as I expected, he did. His hard gaze quickly directed at me, suddenly filled with bloodlust.
It was a mistake. In an instant, the moment I spoke those words, the maids had blades directed at my neck and heart, and the king was grabbing my head with his big hand.
The maids' once expressionless faces were now filled with anger, and the king's eyes burned with bloodlust.