I thought I was invincible. Unstoppable. Unbreakable.
Huh… what a fool I was.
As I walked straight toward the lair of the so-called « King of the World,» an enormous crater crowned by an arch that screamed of the man's swollen ego, I was seething.
A simple man, whose only notable traits were his size and a minor affinity for magic...- the weakest of the Council of Mage-Kings… How had he dared to take such a title?
The moment I stepped past the arch, I saw him.
A gigantic silhouette, nearly twenty meters tall, seated on his grotesque throne he dared to call « royal. »
Impossible to remain calm in front of such a farce.
« Is this how you live, you self-proclaimed King of the World ? Endvor ?!» I shouted, rage burning through me.
« That is no way to speak to your King, Icarus. Bow to me properly, and perhaps we can talk, » he answered, his tone dripping with contempt and arrogance as he rose from his vile throne.
It took me only a second.
I pointed at the ground and commanded:
« Kneel. »
He barely managed a pathetic, « What are you-... » before I released a fraction of my power.
Gravity crashed down on him.
Unable to resist even a sliver of my strength, he collapsed onto his knees in less than half a second.
«What are you doing ?! The Council gave me this title! I deserve it more than anyone! It's not about power, it's about maturity and duty!» he screamed, struggling desperately against the weight I had multiplied a hundredfold.
«Maturity? Duty ? It took me two years to even hear of your new position, and in two years I haven't heard your name mentioned ONCE !» I shot back, my resentment deepening with every word he spat.
« The cruelty of humans on the continent of Gharyan has never been higher! The number of criminals, shadow creatures, constantly growing! The half-humans, the Alverod, are endlessly persecuted, and you haven't lifted a single finger since! YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING in two damn YEARS !» I roared, carried away by uncontrollable fury.
« Y-you can't fix such problems so easily… it takes time ! Two years isn't enough!» he stammered, trying clumsily to cover his sins and the years of indulgence he had wallowed in.
«Who do you think you're fooling ?! If you had the slightest sense, the slightest will to change anything… you would have gone to the human continent to deal with those who change their race, who reach terrifying heights of aura, who want nothing more than to invade our CONTINENT, our WORLD, Arora !» I retorted, completely consumed by emotion.
« I… I would die if I went there… it's not possible… » he muttered, already knowing he was doomed.
« It doesn't matter. Today or tomorrow… you will surrender that title you never deserved in the first place. » I pressed harder, increasing the gravity.
« Y-your magic… imagination… it's terrifying, yes… but you're not fit to be King either. » he dared to say, as if he had the right to judge me.
«What?!» I growled, unleashing my aura, ready to use the rest of my strength against this pathetic excuse of a Mage-King.
But just as I was about to make him pay for his years of sloth and indulgence, lightning split the sky. Then another. Then a third.
Thunder roared ten times around us, shaking the air and the ground alike.
One by one, the bolts revealed the silhouettes of the Mage-Kings of Arora's Council.
And when the last flash faded, a deep voice rose, heavy with judgment.
« Icarus,» declared Sage Magnus, «you've gone too far this time. »