As everything finally settled into its arrangement, a fat boy sat lazily upon the elevated throne-like seat, a huge smile stretched across his face. In one hand, he held a massive wine bowl, while drunken hiccups escaped from his mouth every few breaths. His half-lidded eyes stared into the darkness below, where the ritual grounds flickered beneath pale flare lights.
Before him, two men knelt deeply on the cold stone floor.
One of them reported in a firm but fearful voice, trying not to tremble.
"Hail to Your Majesty… please grant your command. Time is slipping away…"
Another nearby voice followed immediately, stuttering under pressure.
"W-We have already lost too much time…"
The fat boy suddenly burst into laughter.
"Time?" he repeated slowly, amused. "I am truly impressed. You insects actually understand the meaning of time now?"
His smile widened unnaturally.
Then, without warning, his expression twisted.
The second man hurriedly lowered his head further. "M-Majesty, it was not intentional—"
Before he could finish, the wine bowl flew from the king's hand and smashed directly into his forehead.
Crash!
Wine and blood splattered together across the floor.
"That what?" the fat boy roared, still smiling. "You idiots! Time has already flowed away because of you useless dogs!"
He pointed toward everyone present, his finger shaking with drunken fury.
"You… you… all of you dared to make me wait?" His voice deepened dangerously. "Do you truly think I don't know what all of you are scheming behind my back?"
No one answered.
Only silence filled the dark chamber.
The king slowly stood from his seat.
Heavy flesh trembled beneath royal robes stitched with gold and beast fur. The shadows around him stretched strangely under the flare light, making him appear far larger than he truly was.
"You all think I am temporary," he muttered with a grin. "A placeholder. A puppet king seated here until that bastard returns."
His eyes narrowed.
"But remember this carefully…"
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.
"From this moment onward, I am the king here."
A pressure spread through the hall.
"Your lives…"
He pointed downward.
"Your deaths…"
Then toward himself.
"And your fate… all rest in my hands now."
The two kneeling men pressed their foreheads harder against the floor.
"My orders are absolute within this land. Understand?"
Still, nobody answered.
The silence only made his face twitch harder.
Veins bulged across his neck.
"Speak!" he suddenly screamed. "Did that bastard sew all your mouths shut with his own filth?"
Several hidden figures in the darkness visibly trembled.
The king laughed again, but the laughter sounded more dangerous than angry.
"Do you all think I don't understand why you volunteered to come here?" he sneered. "Every single one of you was planted by that bastard. Raised carefully like crops."
He spread his arms wide.
"He nurtures you… feeds you… teaches you…"
Then his smile turned cruel.
"And once you bear fruit, he cuts you down."
The chamber fell colder.
"For him, all of you are disposable. One-time tools."
He leaned back lazily.
"But for me…"
A strange chuckle escaped his throat.
"Heh… hehehe…"
He stared once more at the ritual grounds below, where distant flare lights flickered like dying stars.
Before he could continue, a cold female voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
"Even if you know you are temporary, act like it."
The king's smile slowly faded.
From the darkness behind the throne, a woman stepped forward.
Her eyes were sharp with disgust.
"Do not try to cross lines that do not belong to you," she continued calmly. "What is about to happen tonight is already dangerous enough."
Her gaze turned icy.
"And remember this clearly, no matter how many souls you throw into this ritual to satisfy your greed, you are still nothing more than a filthy wretch."
The atmosphere froze.
The woman's voice sharpened further.
"So from that disgusting mouth of yours, it would be better not to speak of our lineage again."
The king tilted his head slightly.
The woman continued without fear.
"At the very least, he never toyed with human lives the way you do."
A pause followed.
"He never betrayed us."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That is why we remain loyal to him."
The king stared at her silently.
"And we will not tolerate hearing insults toward him from someone like you."
For a moment, only the sound of distant humming from below could be heard.
Then—
"Heh…"
A low laugh escaped the king.
"Hehe…"
The laughter grew louder.
"Hahahahaha!"
He clapped slowly while leaning back on his throne again.
"Good. Very good."
His grin returned wider than before.
"Now this is much better."
He looked around the dark hall.
"At least now everyone is finally showing their true sides openly."
His eyes glimmered with drunken madness.
"No more pretending. No more acting loyal. No more useless drama."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Then tell me…"
His smile sharpened.
"What was the real reason for coming here with me tonight?"
"When you can just inform the court?"
The flare light flickered violently.
No one immediately answered but suddenly another man's voice suddenly thundered through the dark corridor, sharp with fury.
"I have heard enough from you. Shut your mouth, you bloated pig. Remember your place, you are only temporary..."
Chos!
A wet slicing sound cut through the air.
Then...
"AHHHHHHH!"
A horrible scream exploded inside the chamber.
The next instant, the fat boy snapped his fingers lazily.
Tak.
Dim light slowly bloomed across the corridor walls, revealing the scene like a nightmare surfacing from darkness.
The fat boy stood near the massive stone window, twirling a glittering curved blade between his thick fingers as if it were a toy. Black liquid dripped steadily from its edge onto the floor below.
Near him, one man remained kneeling silently with closed eyes, unmoving like a corpse carved from discipline itself.
The Silent Advisor.
Beside him, another man rolled violently across the floor while clutching his mouth.
The Stutter.
Or rather, what Besides rather, what remained of his mouth.
His tongue had been ripped halfway out and now writhed grotesquely against his chin like a dying snake. Thick black-red blood poured endlessly between his fingers, pooling around the advisor's knees.
And still, the advisor did not move, nor speak nor even open his eyes.
Further behind them stood five powerful men and women, their expressions dark and murderous as they stared towards the fat king.
Behind the throne-like chair, a plump noblewoman sat frozen in fear.
At the farthest corner of the chamber, barely touched by light, an old woman sat with closed eyes as though sleeping through the madness.
The entire room smelled of iron, wine, incense, and blood.
The fat boy snorted disdainfully.
"You dare bark at royalty?" he asked mockingly. "Then be grateful. I only took your tongue."
He smiled wider.
"A minor punishment for trying to command your king."
The Stutter trembled violently, tears mixing with blood as broken noises escaped his throat.
The fat boy crouched slightly besidesbeside him.
"Still…" he whispered almost kindly, "I am merciful tonight."
His grin widened unnaturally.
"So I shall grant you a beautiful journey."
"Don't!"
The woman behind the throne suddenly shouted.
She lunged forward instinctively but froze halfway.
A strange pressure had spread around the fat boy's body, which made the air itself distorted near him. As she was about to go near him, she felt as if invisible jaws were opening and closing.
Even the torchlight bent unnaturally.
The woman's face paled instantly.
The fat king grabbed the Stutter by the throat with one hand.
The man struggled desperately, kicking and choking.
Then, without effort the king hurled him through the open stone window.
Outside.
The ritual grounds below already erupted into chaos.
What people had briefly forgotten under fear and chanting suddenly resurfaced all at once.
Then someone pointed upward.
"Look!"
"There... someone's falling!"
"What?!"
"It's true!"
"He's going to crash into the veil!"
"We have to save him...!"
"Shut up, idiots!"
A rough guard's voice crushed the panic instantly.
The crowd fell silent under his glare.
Only trembling whispers remained.
Far above, the falling man screamed soundlessly as he plummeted directly towards the pale moonlit veil surrounding the pyre.
Then, the moment his body touched it,
His flesh disintegrated.
No explosion.
No scream.
No resistance.
Skin peeled apart into black ash.
Bones crumbled into powder.
Blood evaporated into mist before reaching the ground.
Within a single breath, nothing remained.
Only drifting particles swallowed by the pale light.
The crowd froze.
One soldier swallowed hard.
"W-Where did he go…?"
Another answered shakily while trying to sound composed.
"He wasn't erased, fools. He entered the veil."
His voice tightened.
"Did none of you pay attention when the ritual laws were explained?"
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"What a headache…"
Then he glared towardstoward the trembling crowd.
"Remember this carefully. Only the chosen may cross that boundary."
His eyes darkened.
"So keep your mouths shut and do not ruin the sacred atmosphere."
Everyone nodded quickly.
Even then, fearful murmurs still spread among the slaves.
The soldier ignored them.
Instead, he looked upward towards the dark window far above and bowed respectfully.
Inside the chamber, separated from the world below by another invisible veil, the fat king chuckled softly.
"Ohhh… excellent."
He leant against the stone window frame with a pleased smile.
"Advisor," he said lazily, still watching the ritual grounds below, "remember that soldier's face."
The Silent Advisor remained motionless.
The king smirked.
"Promote him later."
A pause.
"…If he survives tonight."
.............
With a smile still lingering on his face, the fat king leaned lazily against the stone window and looked toward the woman.
"See?" he said playfully. "This is what always happens when someone opposes royalty."
His thick fingers tapped the bloodstained window frame.
"Still…" his eyes narrowed slightly, "weren't you all planning to go there for the Five Lotus Flowers of different...?"
The woman's expression darkened instantly.
Before anyone could answer,
Knock! Knock!
A sharp sound echoed from the corridor entrance.
The chamber fell silent.
A young boy stepped inside.
The moment the king saw him, his grin widened almost unnaturally.
"Ohhh…" he muttered with amusement. "Look who finally arrived."
The boy stood calmly beneath the dim flarelight, his expression unreadable.
The king tilted his head.
"What happened?" he asked mockingly. "Did your little plan fail?"
No answer came immediately.
The king's smile deepened.
"So then…" he continued slowly, "have you decided to come with me?"
His eyes gleamed strangely.
"To enter the world of wisdom…"
A pause.
"Cultivation…"
Another pause.
"Or something far worse?"
The room grew quieter.
Even the commanders near the distant windows remained motionless.
The boy finally answered casually, as though discussing the weather.
"Let's go."
Then after a brief pause—
"As you planned."
The king laughed softly.
"Very good."
Without warning—
Shoo!
A blade flashed through the air.
The boy's eyes widened slightly as he instinctively tried to dodge.
Too slow.
The knife sliced cleanly past the side of his head.
Blood splattered.
One of his ears fell to the floor.
Silence.
The metallic sound of the severed ear hitting stone echoed faintly through the chamber.
The boy grabbed the side of his bleeding head immediately but did not scream.
The king smiled brightly, almost kindly.
"Remember this carefully," he said softly, twirling another knife between his fingers. "Plotting is not a bad thing."
His eyes sharpened.
"But you should always know who you are plotting against."
The king gestured lazily around the chamber.
"Look at their conditions."
The boy's gaze shifted briefly toward the others.
The Stutter's blood only remained there.
The silent advisor.
The commanders are standing rigidly in darkness.
The woman is glaring with hatred.
Then the king added with a chuckle...,
"And don't try using that half-baked ability of yours on me again."
For a brief second, the room felt colder.
Then the king waved his hand dismissively.
"Go now…"
His smile slowly thinned.
"…before I change my mind."
The boy bowed silently.
Blood continued dripping through his fingers as he picked up the severed ear from the floor.
Without another word, he turned and walked away into the darkness of the corridor.
The moment he disappeared—
Tak.
The king snapped his fingers again.
More dim light bloomed across the chamber.
The darkness near the far windows receded at last.
Now the six figures hidden there became visible clearly.
The Six Commanders.
Each stood near separate stone windows overlooking the ritual grounds below. Their armor reflected faint crimson flarelight. None of them bowed.
None showed even the slightest respect toward the fat king.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The king's smile twitched.
Veins bulged across his forehead for a moment, but slowly calmed again.
He exhaled deeply and spoke in a quiet voice filled with restrained irritation.
"Seeing all of you standing there like that…" he muttered, "really wounds my royal pride."
No one replied.
The commanders only stared coldly.
The king suddenly laughed again.
"But what can I do?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"I am a benevolent king."
A grin stretched across his swollen face.
"I do not kill my subjects."
He raised one finger.
"I do not impale them on spears."
Another finger.
"I do not burn them alive."
Then—
His eyes darkened.
"There is only one punishment I truly prefer."
A pause filled the chamber.
Then he whispered...
"Brainwashing."
The instant the word left his mouth—
The six commanders suddenly froze.
Shock flashed across their faces.
Then,
Foam burst violently from their mouths.
Their eyes widened unnaturally.
Several immediately grabbed their own throats.
One fell first, then another and then all six collapsed heavily onto the stone floor while choking violently, armour clanging against the ground.
The woman near the throne stepped back in horror.
The old woman in the corner slowly opened one eye.
The king only smiled.
"Excellent."
He dusted off his sleeves casually.
"Let's finish everything before they wake up."
Then he turned back toward the ritual grounds below once more, expression once again sinking into indulgent amusement, as though nothing unusual had happened at all.
TBC...