“Ah... this is the life,” exclaimed the silver-haired man, raising a glass of wine in his right hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally be sitting across from you today, King... uhh, what did you say your name was again?”

  “Eendij. King Eendij,” he responded from the other side of the table, his voice serious.

  The king’s plan had failed, and the silver-haired man had imprisoned him in his own castle, forcing him into an emergency business meeting. A strange request, which the king had no choice but to accept—if only to try and save his life. It's ironic that the place the king once considered his sanctuary had now become his prison.

  They sat face-to-face at the table. As they waited for the meal the cook was preparing under the king's forced orders, not a single word was spoken until the silver-haired man finally broke the silence.

  “You have a very nice meeting room here in the palace. I wonder how much it cost to manufacture all of this,” he said, sipping from the wine glass in front of him.

  “Let me introduce myself. I’m called many things, but you can call me Spacetime,” he said, adjusting his glasses.

  “I appreciate your hospitality. The wine is exquisite. But regarding your defense strategy... was it really necessary to send nearly all your men to their deaths?” Spacetime asked.

  The king still couldn’t believe what had happened. Where had he gone wrong? What could he have done to prevent it? He was in shock.

  “How...? How did you do it?” The king leaned his elbows on the table, lowered his head, and rested it in his hands. “This is impossible... this must be a nightmare,” he said in a trembling voice. “How?! How did you survive?!”

  “I’m... special, you could say,” replied the silver-haired man. “I think, judging by the holes in my clothes and their color, you can get an idea of the damage I took.”

  “You’re a demon!” the king spat, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I beg you, leave my people in peace. I’ll give you all my belongings—whatever you want!”

  “Pff...” Spacetime chuckled. “I don’t need such material things. I’m after something far more valuable. Not everything of value is tangible.”

  “Then what? Do you wish to subjugate my people?” the king asked, standing swiftly from his chair and placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword. “I will never allow it!”

  “I see you care deeply for your subjects,” Spacetime said, pouring himself more wine. “Unfortunately, what my superiors seek is... far more valuable than that.”

  “So...,” the king muttered, taking a long drink from his glass. “You’re not alone.”

  “I came alone, but I’m not without company. My superiors watch from above as I fulfill my part of the deal.”

  “What exactly do you want from me?” the king asked, desperate for a clear answer.

  Spacetime stood from his chair and, with the index finger of his right hand, pointed at the king.

  “You. That’s all I need.”

  The king recoiled at Spacetime’s gesture. Even if they were at a safe distance, he couldn’t help but feel fear.

  “M-me?”

  Suddenly, a door opened. A delightful, fresh aroma wafted in. A rotund man dressed in white garments entered.

  “My lord, dinner is ready. I shall serve you first... and then our guest.”

  The cook served a lavish feast before them. Each plate held enough food to feed three people. It looked like the meat of a giant mollusk, accompanied by a thick amber-colored sauce. On the side were two loaves of bread and a rustic salad with sliced tomatoes and cabbage.

  “Th-thank you, Vondormo. Y-you may leave.”

  The cook departed, and the king looked at his plate, then at Spacetime, who had already begun to eat.

  “I didn’t know insectoids could taste so good with such a sublime preparation. I wonder what herbs and spices he used to get rid of the stench. What do you think, Eendij?”

  “Stop changing the subject, you bastard!” the king shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

  “Alright... alright... Where was I? Ah yes. King Eendij, 21 years old. Your father died two years ago, and your mother died giving birth to you. You had an older half-brother—you know him, but you don’t know who he is. And of course, you despise the beasts with all your heart,” Spacetime said with a sideways smile. “Someone whose goal is to lead his people through adversity. A noble and pure cause, if you ask me.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “What are you getting at, freak?” the king snapped, resting his hand on his sword’s hilt. “If you try anything, I’ll end you here and now.”

  “Isn’t this what you wanted?” asked Spacetime, scratching his head.

  “You must be joking if you think I wanted this!” the king roared.

  “Isn’t this the adversity you long to overcome? Imagine for a moment—your people believe all is lost, and their last hope is their king. Picture yourself rising victorious before them,” Spacetime whispered, his tone persuasive. “Do you remember that day? The day they all bowed before you. When that crown became yours. When you became king.”

  “I remember it clearly... It was the best day of my life,” the king admitted.

  Spacetime’s eyes sparkled upon hearing those words, the glint reflecting in his glasses.

  “Good, good... Now, do what your soul, your body, and your mind tell you... and kill me.”

  He extended his arms to the sides, ready to receive a fatal blow.

  The king’s mind was a whirlwind. This makes no sense... It’s a trap. It has to be a trap. It’s clearly a trap... and yet... His face was drenched in sweat. His hands trembled.

  This bastard... this monster... That stupid face, so cynical, so carefree, so happy, as if none of what he did mattered... He disgusts me. He fills me with rage... I’m about to explode! I must get revenge! I MUST!!

  In the blink of an eye, the king leapt onto the table, drawing his sword with both hands. With a cry of rage, he dashed across the wooden surface. And when his sword was within striking range, he plunged it into the man’s head, unleashing all his fury.

  The king panted. With a jerk, he pulled the sword from Spacetime’s skull, letting it fall to the floor. He turned around immediately and ran out of the palace to announce his victory.

  Euphoria coursed through him. The certainty that he had done the right thing made him feel elated.

  “Justice has been served. Rest in peace, my warriors,” he proclaimed aloud.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it? That euphoria?”

  The king froze. That voice...

  It couldn’t be.

  He felt an ominous presence behind him. Something—someone—was breathing on his neck.

  He turned around slowly... and there he was.

  The silver-haired man was still standing. His skull had a gaping hole, his face disfigured... but he was alive.

  The king screamed in terror. But before he could react, Spacetime struck him in the chest with the palm of his right hand.

  From his skin, a mechanical proboscis emerged and burrowed into the king’s torso, piercing his heart.

  “To be honest, this is going to hurt,” Spacetime whispered calmly, as his head regenerated before the king’s horrified eyes.

  The monarch’s agonizing screams echoed to the farthest corners of the kingdom.

  From his chest, a light green aura was drawn out, as if his very essence were being harvested. The energy flowed into a bracelet embedded in Spacetime’s arm.

  The scene dragged on for minutes. The king struggled, but it was futile. Spacetime held him firmly.

  When it was over, the king’s body collapsed to the floor, unable to stand.

  “W-what is this!? I… I can’t move!” he exclaimed, his skin turning pale, along with his hair. “What did you do to me?!”

  Spacetime leaned over him and said in a calm voice:

  “My superiors thank you for donating your soul to a greater cause.”

  “W-what?!”

  “Spacetime and my superiors wish you a pleasant journey to the Synapsis.”

  Without another word, Spacetime walked toward the exit of the castle.

  “Hey! Get back here! This isn’t over!” the king shouted with all his strength.

  “Three... two... one...” Spacetime counted quietly, showing the numbers with his fingers as he glanced over his shoulder with a smile.

  “Hey, wai—”

  He didn’t finish the sentence.

  The king vanished in a whirlwind of black ash.

  “They always trail off in their confusion…”

  Spacetime sighed. He slumped to the ground at the palace entrance. Gazing into the stars of the cold night in Lydenfrost, he murmured to himself:

  “One more soul... one less soul…”

  But something was bothering him.

  He felt someone had been watching everything.

  A witness who hadn’t intervened. Who had fled to the trenches.

  A witness whose letter had reached the king just hours before.

  “No! No! Wait, wait, wait! Have mercy, please! I have children to raise!” pleaded the messenger, suspended in the air by Spacetime’s hand.

  “I won’t harm you. I just need you to deliver one more message. After all, you’re his relative, aren’t you?” Spacetime murmured. “Did you know that before this kingdom was inhabited by humans, it belonged to the beasts?”

  “They teach us that in school, yes, yes! I know the story! Let me go!” the messenger cried out, desperate.

  “Good... Then you’ll know what this is.”

  Spacetime lifted him higher, above the market square’s fountain.

  “The Fountain of Freedom? You’re crazy!” the messenger yelled. “Wake up, wake up... Why can’t I wake up from this nightmare?!”

  “Because it never was one, dear friend,” whispered Spacetime. “To you, it’s a fountain. To me, a door.”

  “W-w-what?”

  The messenger struggled with all his might. But it was useless.

  Spacetime drew his sword and made a small cut on his own wrist. Golden liquid flowed from the wound, imbuing the blade.

  With a single motion, he plunged it into the fountain.

  Immediately, the water changed color, taking on the same golden hue as his blood. A vortex formed at the bottom. Energy coursed through the fountain’s grooves, activating a mechanism hidden for centuries.

  A portal.

  “Tell everyone you meet that Spacetime is coming.”

  With a smile, Spacetime dropped the messenger into the vortex.

  “No! No! No! Wait! Wait!” he begged one last time.

  The portal closed, and Spacetime sighed.

  “Superiors, could you please stop giving me last-minute assignments? I barely managed to track down the messenger... I hope they don’t eat him.”

  He stretched, staring off into the horizon.

  “Well then. Central Beast Kingdom... here I come.”