Am I a king? A person who leaves behind his people, a king? They suffer, slowly on the verge of annihilation by creatures I've never seen. Yet, I run away, abandoning them because my duty as king seems worth more than their lives. As I flee, I question the purpose of a position of such power, only to watch helplessly from afar as things worsen. Should I feel relief? Can I simply brush it off, saying there's nothing I can do? I am the king of this country. My safety comes first, but what is a king without his followers? Isn't a country meaningless without people to govern?
Contemplating my actions is a waste of time. I must return to my people. I halt my soldiers, turn my horse around, and shout at the top of my lungs, "Make haste! I, the king, must save my people!" My soldiers try to stop me, reminding me of the sacrifices made to keep me alive. My mind is torn, uncertain of the right course. But one thought prevails: I must save my people. For what is a king without his people? I utter these words again, not to myself but to everyone, declaring, "If I die, I die. If I live, the better. But my people need me as I need them." United, we are persuaded by my words and move forward, ready to face whatever fate may hold.
I hear their cries; it's all over the place. I have steeled my resolve, but what is this I see? Swords, bows, and even cannons don't make a dent. Because of our poor economy, I can't hire mages, and even mages won't visit such a place. If I can't fight back, it would be better to just evacuate my citizens.
"Sire, the carriages are all gone; we can't even find other horses."
Even so, there must be a way to help my people.
"Sire, people have seen the nobles flee using other carriages and stealing horses to secure their belongings; they are now heading west to the kingdom of Jules."
"How many soldiers do we have left?"
"Your Highness, I couldn't keep track earlier, but as it seems, only about 200 men, sir. Most of them fled the scene."
What can I do right now? Everyone is counting on me.
Soldiers fighting off the terrifying creatures, people calling his name: "King, Your Highness."
As the king was contemplating and thinking of a way to save his people, a horrifying monster, much larger than the ones they had been fighting off, rushed in and threw all of his soldiers out of the way. Then it pounced on the king. At that exact moment, the king regained consciousness and, with fear, stood still, terrified. But his years of swordsmanship did not betray him; he reacted in time, pulled out his sword, and was able to adopt a defensive stance. The beast pushed him off his horse, making him fly for a bit and hit a building, causing his head to bleed profusely. His legs crumpled, and his arms slowly lost strength. He tried to stand up using sheer willpower but then fell, kneeling down as both of his arms held the sword for balance. He then began to lose consciousness.
Am I dead? This is my hometown from before. What is happening? Elvis?
The scenery shown to him was two young kids, one with brown hair and the other with an elf-like appearance, lying down under a tree near the lake. The elf conversed and said, "Hey Slade, I'm gonna be an adventurer someday. I'm gonna explore different kinds of places and learn new kinds of magic too. Although my mana pool is just average since I'm just a regular elf, wielding a bow is just not my style of doing things. How about you, Slade? What do you want to be?"
"Me?" Stands up and strikes a pose like unsheathing the scabbard and pulling out a sword. "I'm gonna be king."
"Meh, what a boring thing to do," answered Elvis. "You will be stuck in a city trying to manage it, you know, and my parents said it's troublesome to make people understand one another."
Slade replied, "I don't know much about it, but having the title 'king' itself sounds cool, doesn't it? My grandfather always said I have this feel like a king with aspirations and such. I don't even know; maybe he is just spoiling me. But before he died, he told me, 'Slade, even when I'm not around anymore, in the heavens, I'll be watching over you. Show me your resolve and if you are worthy to be king.'"
To think this is what I'll say now that I am dead.
Someone then uttered, "Hohoho. Human, you are not dead yet, you know."
"Who are you?" Slade replied, in motion to pull out his sword.
The entity then laughed, "Gyah Gyah Gyah. My child, this is inside your mind; of course, you can't pull out your blade. No need to be worked up and afraid. I just have one thing to ask. Do you will to live? Or does your journey rest here? If it were me, I would have just played dead till the end, you know. Suffering and pain are what even I despise. But if you will to live, then say so. But before that, I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"What do you mean? Are you the one who dragged those monsters to my kingdom?"
The entity replied, "Not so, my dear. It is I that was reluctant to give you, my creation, a blessing. Even so, time is running out, and so are your people. King Slade of Reagnes, do you will to be blessed by me?"
"I don't know anymore, but it's as if you are a higher being in a place where the heavens reach."
"Hohoho. Heaven, huh? You might be right."
Slade kneels on one leg, puts one hand on his knee and the other on the ground like a salute, and says, "I, King Slade of Reagnes, wish to serve and die with my people. But if perchance I can turn the tide, then I will obey whatever command or from whoever it might be."
"Gyah Gyah Gyah," the entity replied and said, "Very well. Now awake. Pull out your sword and protect your people. Promise me also to not use this blessing of mine to kill those who are unworthy, and kill those ill monsters. I may say that I don't know where they are from, but it's my duty to aid you. Creatures that aren't corrupted by birth, join forces with them. May humans or other races thrive together to extinguish thy foes of the dark. And lastly, Slade, show me your worth as king."
King Slade then returns to reality, his body miraculously healed, his strength from whatever source now multiplied. His shoulders became broader, and some sort of gust of wind, or nobody can tell, thrived with the people, healing wounds and giving them power. Slade stood up, held his sword up high, and shouted, "I may be a failure as a king, but that does not mean I will abandon my people!" His sword enveloped by a unique aura, and suddenly a marking was formed at the back of his neck. He plunged towards the monster and said, "With the blessing of thy entity, I will your assistance." He jumped, and his regular sword became a great sword at that exact moment, and he released the power, "Scatter and fall below me—Titan's Cleave!" He exterminated the unknowns with his grit and unmatched strength. Some of his soldiers and the people who truly believed in him were granted skills and were able to kill the unknowns. Wiping out every one of them, not a single one escaped—a story to be told: the first king to prove his worth and was granted a blessing by a mysterious fellow in white, as he described. The Sundering Blade, King Slade of the kingdom of Reagnes.