Things were going differently than they should in the Flame Kingdom. The people were revolting, and the soldiers were trying to dethrone the king. The sole cause of this was King Albert V of Flame. The king was so obsessed with money and possessions that they were the only things on his mind. He was a short, overweight man who didn't care about his people, always dressed extravagantly, often accompanied by different women, and drank a lot of wine.
Although the people had endured this torment for fourteen years, the other kingdoms were aware of Flame Kingdom's situation and had already prepared an invasion plan. Soon, the Flame Kingdom was on the brink of collapse; the people's water in the dams and food in the granaries had run out.
A section of the people in the kingdom had set up a simple circus tent so everyone could have fun and find solutions to their problems, especially food and water. But what they didn't know was that there was someone inside that tent who was far from ordinary...
When Albert heard that the circus had opened, he didn't care much at first, but slowly something started gnawing at him and making him uneasy. He could sense a problem approaching—war was coming. The kingdom was located in a place bordering all other kingdoms, so during any war, the first place all kingdoms would invade was the Flame Kingdom—and so it happened.
Before King Albert could prepare for war, they were invaded from the east by a kingdom called Gerhald, which was not very strong. King Albert panicked; he didn't know what to do or how to warn his people about the situation. Things were not going well in the kingdom; the soldiers asked King Albert what to do, and Albert said: "RUN, ALERT THE PEOPLE, WAR IS COMING AND WE ARE NOT READY, THE KINGDOM WILL FALL," and with this, he gave his final order to the soldiers.
King Albert had already left the kingdom, riding a cart along the path behind the palace heading south. The only ones left were the people and soldiers.
When the soldiers informed the people, panic spread and many gathered at the popular circus. A group of ordinary young people who had established the circus tried to calm the crowd. The soldiers, without a king, began preparing for war. For two days, they trained with the people who were willing to fight. Time was running out; they could see the mounted soldiers of the Gerhald Kingdom approaching swiftly with a cavalry of one thousand men. When Gerhald's soldiers learned that the Flame King had fled, their goal changed from destroying the kingdom to conquering it.
They were getting very close. Some of the people panicked, trying to flee with their children, while others stayed to defend their homes. The soldiers coated their arrows with a special poison and positioned themselves on the castle walls. As the Gerhald Kingdom neared, the soldiers shouted: "FIRE!"
Despite having no king leading them, the soldiers faced the army of one thousand. The outcome was clear. Gerhald's army had already reached the castle walls and broke down the gates with cannons and firearms. Although the soldiers fought hard, they were completely defeated due to Gerhald's long-range weapons. Houses were destroyed, and people were slaughtered one by one.
Then it was time for the circus. Gerhald's soldiers were shocked—how could there be a circus here while the people were panicked and suffering? When they entered, they were even more astonished...
In the middle of the circus stood a young man wearing a black-and-white tuxedo and a clown mask that covered only his eyes. The mask was broken, revealing a terrifying smile on his mouth, stretched unnaturally as if forced. Gerhald's soldiers were terrified by this single man. Suddenly, the lights inside the circus went out, and a voice was heard:
"CLIFF."
Yes, that was his name. No one knew where he came from or who he was, except his friends who had set up the circus with him. After the voice, the lights turned back on. The surroundings transformed from a smoky battlefield into a gently breezy place covered with green grass and apple trees. All the soldiers lost their weapons and had no idea what was happening.
But that was before Cliff and his friends arrived.
Cliff clapped his hands and spoke:
"First of all, calm down and sit."
While the soldiers were panicking and terrified, they suddenly felt detached from all emotions and relaxed in the gentle breeze. Cliff continued:
"I know none of you know who or what I am, and you must be wondering how you went from a battlefield to this place in an instant. Let me explain everything.
My name is Cliff. I am an ordinary clown—except that I am not ordinary. I am both the enemy and the closest friend of the god who created you and these universes. My purpose is to travel through all universes and make people happy. But for some reasons, I decided to create my own universe.
I cannot create beings like your gods or make new planets. But I can take over a universe and establish my own utopia.
You're lucky—I chose your universe, and you will be my soldiers..."