Palace of Valdric loomed against a sky painted in smoke and ash.
Its huge towers, crowned in gold, once gleamed like the heart of civilization. Now, they trembled under the thunder of distant guns.
The gardens — once full of roses and laughter — were little more than mud, glass, and broken statues.
Beyond the outer walls, the Azure Legion assembled — an ocean of blue uniforms, banners rippling in the cold wind. Their cannon muzzles glowed faintly from relentless fire, and the air reeked of sulfur and iron. They were soldiers of Durvane Empire
Inside, men in black uniforms , the soldiers of valdric Empire stood at the final barricade. Smoke caked their faces, the once-crisp insignias on their coats torn away by shrapnel. They did not speak anymore — only loaded, aimed, and fired. Every volley was an echo of dying pride.
High above them, in the shattered throne room, Emperor Maximus von Valdric stood beside the fractured stained glass of the gods.
The light from the fires outside turned his once-white gloves a shade of crimson.
"Your Majesty," said General Kael, his sword nicked and bloodstained. "The inner wall is gone. They're flooding the courtyard. We can still detonate the East Wing — trap them inside with us."
Maximus didn't answer at once. He looked toward the far end of the hall — where his five-year-old son, Leon, sat half hidden behind a column, clutching a wooden horse to his chest. The boy's small fingers were shaking.
The Emperor's voice came, quiet but steady.
"How long until the reinforcements arrive?"
Kael's eyes flickered. "Too long. Hours, perhaps. The Eastern batteries are silent."
A tremor rolled through the floor — another impact. Dust rained from the ornate ceiling.
Empress Liora rushed from the inner corridor, her golden gown torn, soot streaking her face. "They're inside the servants' hall," she gasped. "Maximus, the East Wing— it's—"
The next explosion cut her words short. A tower collapsed somewhere outside, and the wind carried a rolling wave of screams.
Maximus gripped the balustrade, staring down at the smoke-drowned courtyard. The once-bright banners of Valdric now lay trampled in the mud. "So it ends," he whispered.
Kael set a detonator box upon the marble table — an iron relic with a single lever. "One pull, sire," he said. "And the Palace of Valdric will never fall into enemy hands. We'll die as Men should — on our own terms."
Maximus placed a hand on the box. His fingers trembled. He imagined the flames swallowing the marble halls, imagined history recording Valdric's end as glorious defiance. Yet, when he looked back at his son, that vision dissolved into ashes.
Leon's eyes met his — large, uncomprehending, and full of tears.
A child's life weighed more than any empire.
"Seal the charges," Maximus murmured, pulling his hand away. "But do not ignite them. Not unless I command it."
Kael hesitated. "Sire—"
"That's an order," Maximus snapped.
Thunder echoed through the courtyard — not from the sky but from the enemy cannons. The windows exploded inward in a spray of glass. The enemy had breached the inner gate.
Maximus drew his revolver it's once-brilliant shine dim beneath the soot-darkened light. "Ready the last defense. We will meet them in the Great Hall."
They came like shadows in blue.
The soldiers of the Azure Legion advanced through the smoking corridors, disciplined and merciless. The black-coated defenders of Valdric fell one by one, the last of their empire bleeding into the marble floors.
Kael fought like a man possessed, blade flashing under the flicker of the fires. "Hold the line!" he roared, but there was no line left to hold.
Through the haze, a tall figure entered — calm amid chaos. General Draven, commander of the Azure Legion. His cobalt coat was unsoiled, his boots gleaming despite the ruin. His soldiers parted around him as if he carried an invisible command that none could defy.
Maximus lowered his revolver slowly, chest heaving. "You've taken the walls. The East Wing burns. Do you still hunger for more blood?"
Draven regarded him silently. "I did not wish to raze this palace," he said, voice cool and deep. "But you left me no choice. You slaughtered thousands in your conquests. Surrender now, and perhaps I'll spare your heir."
Liora gasped. Maximus's grip tightened on the revolver .
Behind him, the detonator box still lay upon the marble dais, gleaming faintly in the firelight. Kael's eyes flicked toward it, waiting for a nod that would end it all.
For a heartbeat, time itself seemed to freeze. The air tasted of smoke and iron. Maximus could hear the pounding of his own heart — or was it something else? A faint, rhythmic pulse in the back of his skull, like a sound only he could hear.
But then suddenly a clearity came , his mind felt free like a great burden has been removed suddenly
Maximus blinked. What was that?
He looked at his hand — it hovered over the detonator. His body wouldn't move. It was as though invisible strings used to previously held his wrist are gone .
His throat constricted. He didn't understand the reason behind this , but he understood the impulse — Leon's small face in the smoke, his wife's trembling hand. His heart lurched.
Maximus dropped the sword. "I surrender," he said.
The hall fell silent. Kael's head snapped up in disbelief. Liora's lips parted, eyes filling with tears.
They all wonder that the unyielding conqueror who will stop at nothing just surrender
"I surrender this palace, my crown, and my life," Maximus continued, "for my son. Spare him… and spare my people."
Draven's expression didn't change. Slowly, he nodded. "As you wish, Emperor Maximus von valdric."
Three days later, under a gray dawn, the Emperor of Valdric was executed.
They made him kneel in the courtyard where his ancestors once held coronations. Liora stood beside him, her face serene despite the chains. Kael was the last of the black-coated generals, bound at their side.
Before them, the soldiers of the Azure Legion stood in rows, rifles ready.
Maximus's gaze rose to the balcony where Leon stood, held back by guards. The boy's eyes were red from crying.
"Live," Maximus whispered, voice trembling. "Live your life to the fullest. Be free of war."
The command echoed across the courtyard as the volley fired. Smoke swallowed the morning.
Leon screamed.
And then—
Everything froze.
The smoke stopped midair. The soldiers stood motionless, rifles still raised. The echo of the gunfire didn't fade — it hung, reverberating like a sound trapped between glass walls.
Maximus blinked. The world dimmed. His body became lifeless and the world paused
BAD ENDING #33
THE END OF AN EMPIRE
A chair scraped violently.
"Are you kidding me?!" a voice shouted
A dark room came into focus — monitors glowing with orange light, cables coiled around a desk littered with energy drink cans. The name "Player: AidenCross98" blinked on the top of the interface.
Aiden threw off his headset, face red with frustration.
"No, no, no — he was supposed to blow up the palace! I chose the damn detonator option !"
On the screen, the ruined Palace of Valdric still burned, but Emperor Maximus was now dead and lifeless staring at the screen — the same cutscene replaying in silence.
Aiden groaned, running his hands through his hair. "That's not fair! This was supposed to be my best run — but the whole world suddenly ganged up on me —" he slammed the desk — "and then this stupid glitch ruined everything!"
Aiden glared at the screen. "I made the choice! I pressed the damn switch! That moth*—"
He stopped. The monitor flickered. For a fraction of a second, the image of Maximus von Valdric looked straight out of the frame — eyes alive, accusing.
Aiden blinked. The screen steadied. Just the same burning ruins.
He leaned back in his chair, chest still pounding. "This game's bugged," he muttered, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow. "Right? Just a bug."
But in the silence that followed, faint and distorted, a voice whispered through the speakers — calm, regal, unmistakable:
"Hidden route detected , would you like to join "
" Yes or yes "
Aiden froze. The lights flickered once.
" What , what kind of choice is that ? "
And then it automatically selected " yes "
And then the screen went black, leaving only the faint reflection of his own stunned face.