CHAPTER 10 ‒ The King

We were escorted by a group of soldiers. The leader was one of the commanders, with Kurul by his side. We walked through the large square inside the castle grounds and finally arrived at a large gate. It was a sturdy gate made of heavy wood, framed by an iron structure. It was probably impossible to force it open.

One of the soldiers at the gate quickly ran up to the commander. After a brief exchange, he hurried off again to pass on the orders. The gate began to make loud noises. The creaking of wood and metal filled the air. The gate stood open, and without hesitation, our group moved through.

The exterior looked different. People were walking through the streets, and on the sides, one could see houses and shops. As our group entered the street, all eyes turned toward us. The people on the street stepped aside, and from the houses, tense gazes followed us. Everyone wanted to know who the escorted group was, but somehow, everyone knew instinctively.

The corners of the people's mouths lifted. Hope was visible in their eyes. An excited murmur rose loudly from the crowd.

"Are these the heroes?"
"I think I see them!"
"Finally..."

The people seemed glad of our existence. After all, we were the 100 heroes. The ones who were supposed to save their world ‒ the ones who were supposed to save our world. Even though we no longer had any memories of it.

"Uh... wait a minute. Is that all of them?"
"Where's the rest?"
"Are these really the heroes?"

When the people realized that only a fraction of the promised heroes stood before them, they began to doubt. Their gazes shifted, and hope vanished. Doubt filled their eyes, and some turned around and left.

I can't even begin to describe how I felt. Emotions came and went in waves. The others in our group felt the same. The forced expectation wasn't met. Was the world really in such grave danger? Were we truly that disappointing to them?

As we were escorted further through the streets, the scene repeated itself over and over.

People caught sight of us, and their eyes filled with hope, just before they realized the truth.

Finally, we reached another large gate. It was opened before us, and we stepped through. Ahead of us stood a grand castle. Guards, wearing noticeably finer armor, greeted us at the entrance and welcomed the commander. After a brief security check, where each of us was frisked, we were allowed to enter the castle.

Before us stretched a long red carpet that led into a massive hall. The walls of the hall reached over 20 meters high, and above us, a luxurious chandelier gleamed. We followed the carpet, leaving dirty footprints behind us. As we approached the next corridor, servants appeared in my line of sight and began to clean up the mess we left in our wake.

We were led through several corridors until we finally stood in an immense room, which, by the standards of this place, was relatively small. Rows of soldiers, wearing the same fine armor as the guards at the entrance, stretched out on both sides. The room was much more decorated than the others. At the far end of the room, on an elevated platform, stood an empty throne.

We stood in the center of the room and waited. No one gave any other orders. No one spoke. We were simply meant to wait. After a good half hour, the door to the left of the throne suddenly opened. A group of soldiers entered, followed by a group of mages. In the center of this escort stood an older man, dressed in splendid clothes, a long dark cloak, and a bronze crown upon his head. This had to be the king himself.

We watched eagerly as the man was escorted to the throne. Upon reaching it, he turned his back to us, and the soldiers and mages lined up with the others along the sides. Then the king turned around and sat down on his throne.

All the soldiers in the room bowed. We, too, were instructed by our escort to bow. Refusal would surely mean certain death.

I dared to glance up. The king’s gaze seemed empty and lost, yet it still pierced deep into my soul. A look that spoke both nothing and everything at once. I flinched and quickly looked back down at the floor.

"Welcome." The king's voice echoed through the room. It was deep and rough. "As I can see, you’ve been significantly reduced in number." He said it without emotion. A logical conclusion, given our appearance.

"Rise!" His voice grew louder, and we obeyed. The soldiers and Kurul also straightened up.

"For two months, you had the opportunity to grow stronger every day. Every day, we provided you with training and food to make you strong. The fact that only so few of you remain points to the poor quality of those we selected. I ask for your forgiveness."

What he said made me angry. Were we nothing more than cattle or weapons to be judged by our quality? Were we not human? I clenched my fists. Akai noticed and gently placed her hand on mine. Her gaze met mine, and I calmed down. One mistake here meant death. I couldn’t afford that.

"Enough of the facts. It is what it is, and we cannot change it. I have called you here so that you may find purpose in your lives. Your memories are gone, and in these two months, you have probably searched in vain for meaning. Now, I shall allow you to learn it." The king raised his hand, and a young woman in one of the fine armors stepped forward. She carried a scroll, which she hastily unfurled and began to read from.

"Esteemed 100 heroes! I, King Hoshigariō, standing before you, will now reveal the reason for your creation. I will describe the evil you must fight against and explain the purpose of your creation."

The mood in the hall grew tense. No one said a word, fearing they might miss something. My breath caught with the tension.^

"You were once citizens of this world, living a normal, peaceful life in our kingdom. But then, we all learned of the evil that lay ahead. You volunteered to fight against this evil. Your courage in that moment was extraordinary, and our deepest gratitude is owed to you all."

The room was silent. The words of the young soldier lingered in my ears.

volunteered...
volunteered...
volunteered...

My breathing quickened.

This can't be...
This just can't be...
This can't be true!

"Your task has been clear from that day on: The fight against the evil that seeks to destroy this world. I, King Hoshigariō, led our kingdom, our world, into a golden age. Our agriculture flourished, our research expanded, and the people enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. Through these changes, the people began to rely less and less on God. Exactly two months and seven days ago, angels descended to Earth and proclaimed the following message: 'The blasphemy committed by mankind can no longer be tolerated. As a final resort, humanity is given one year to atone for its sins and rediscover its faith. If this does not happen, we, the messengers of Heaven, will descend upon humanity.'"

Angels? Was, is this a joke? My heart was pounding wildly in my chest. This couldn’t be real, could it? No one in our group took it seriously. We all looked at each other. The memories were gone, but we still had our minds. This just couldn’t be true.

The soldier continued.

"I, King Hoshigariō, and our kingdom did not accept the terms and chose to face the angels. For this reason, you, the volunteer heroes, were created. Your memories were erased so that you would accept this as your life's purpose. To this end, you were granted a power like no other. You all agreed to it and gave up your old lives to save this world."

The soldier rolled up the scroll and returned to the edge, rejoining the other soldiers.

A murmur spread through the crowd. We were supposed to have accepted all of this willingly? We wanted to stand against the angels? I didn't know what to think.

Kyodai clenched his fists, his expression hardening. "This can't be true." he murmured. Akai squinted, as if trying to suppress something, while the man next to me simply sat down on the ground and began to cry. Not a word left his lips ‒ only silence and tears that spoke volumes.

They had hoped for a misunderstanding ‒ the possibility of living their old lives, no matter what they were. But now, that was no longer possible. We had committed ourselves to saving this world. Did we have the right to back out now? Was everything we thought in contradiction to our former selves? Who were we before?

"Silence!" The king's voice echoed through the room once more.

"It may be a lot, but the facts speak for themselves. It is as you wanted." His gaze revealed no trace of compassion. "Now, it is time to fulfill your duty."

Suddenly, a man in front of me spoke up.

"Fulfill our duty? We still have damn ten months left! You can't expect us to endure this hell for another ten months..."

The man's words were abruptly cut off as two soldiers drew their blades and pressed the sharp edges against his throat. Drops of his blood ran down his neck.

"Unfortunately" the king continued, "the angels have changed their minds." The king rose from his throne. "Their impatience knows no bounds. Despite the promised time, they have begun to make their move."

He raised his arms into the air.

"You will be dispatched immediately to repel the angels' attack!"