The Other Basileus Candidate

"This world is decaying…" Avinash murmured softly as he gazed out of the window, his obsidian black eyes lazily stared at the high rise buildings of Neo Bangalore. The concrete jungle as they called it was standing yet again, giving the gloomy vibe filling him with disgust.

"So class today we are going to talk about Last Freedom once again!" The teacher announced, catching the attention of every student in the classroom. Her hideous smile that haunts Avinash every night was imminent as she looked down on everyone. She was supposed to be their teacher but she treated them just like any other Avalonian will treat Colony 25 citizen, with pride and in a mocking manner.

Her eyes said it all, he could see it.

"You are just lowly pigs spared by the King. Don't get too high or I will have you taste death." That's what she relayed every time she spoke. Her words were like an assassin, hiding in the dark ready to strike you if you understand it.

Avinash sighed as the bell rung, his eyes gazed at his wristwatch it was nearly 1300 hours, and in the class 11-A where he was sitting, they were dragging their chair of the table and standing as the blackboard in front of them got replaced by a huge 79-inch television screen. They were all preparing for the True Freedom. Avinash was just standing up preparing for ten minutes of brainwash speech when he saw Prishu fiddling with her smartphone to text someone.

'Most probably Sidharth' He thought. After all, he was the only one not present in the classroom with them.

'Well, it doesn't matter even if he is here or not, after all, he has changed he no longer bears any hatred towards Avalon he has just become like another lowlife who will just go with the flow!' Unknowingly Avinash had lashed out, his eyes were glaring at the floor as his hands were balled in a fist. 'This world is rotten… and the one responsible for this is Avalon!'

His anger only amplified when the speakers began playing the hideous national anthem if Avalon, as of some monstrous beast running wild screeching in hunger. It was a song that set one's teeth on edge and bristled the hair at the back of one's neck. True Freedom had started.

As usual, the national flag of Avalon flashed on to the screen, a rectangular flag tainted with hues of black and golden along with a red wingless bird emblazoned at the centre. As the video played the flag was soon replaced by the face of Astralgus XII Pendragon the current King Of Avalon and the most hated and despised person in the world.

"Listen to me my loved citizen of Avalon. What do you u understand by freedom? Is it a feeling, responsibility or reality?" Astralagus asked, as his demonic voice resonated through the world spreading terror throughout the planet.

"It's a lie." Everyone in the class replied their eyes and closed as they accepted their King's ideals. Everyone except one.

"It's not," Avinash whispered. His eyes closed as he prayed no one had heard him. After all, if anyone went against the order of the Demon King they would cease to exist. They won't see another day in the open world, they will be captured by the Mental Health Department and be labelled as a mad person and locked up in a mental asylum for the rest of his life only to be taught one thing and that is to love their King and embrace his ideology.

A lot of people thought of this as a lie, after all, who would believe that but everyone in the school accepted it last year. One year ago there was student name Shika, he was a young and bright kid and even the teachers used to praise him and say that he was unlucky to be born as a Colony 25 citizen he was way better than us. Of course, Shika knew all about the harsh punishment for going against the system and yet he tried, he became teacher's pet so that he could understand the system and learn the secrets that lied inside the inner party of Avalon but he learned too much, too much for his own liking.

Avinash still remembers the day he disappeared basically he was erased from existence. Shortly after the authorities found out that Shika had stolen a file from the Archives of the school, he was arrested for betraying the state. He was dragged from the class and escorted to the Mental Health Department for brainwash or as they called it Purification.

After he had left, everything had changed, his records were erased his face was erased out of any school photograph or video that was ever taken with him, his dorm room was emptied and everything or anything that showed that he existed was erased even the teacher's themselves acted as if he had never existed.

Many if the students believed that he was sent home or to some concentration camp but that was not the case, Avinash learnt the reality when he was sent to do field project on Mental Assylum. He met Shika there, rotting inside a prison cell, his eyes were lifeless as he wore a white jumpsuit.

His hairs were shaved off, and he looked like he hadn't seen daylight in forever his teeth were missing too and a white bandage covered his left eye. Avinash had tried to call him but he never replied instead he started chanting

'All Hail Avalon! Freedom is A Lie! All Hail Astralagus'

And that was when Avinash learned this world is decaying and the root cause of it is Avalon.

'Avalon is the reason my mom died! Avalon is the reason I am suffering. That's why I am going to crush Avalon... But I can't do it from the outside I neither gave the resources or the power to match it so that's why I am going to crush it from within. I am the only one capable to do it because I am gifted with something no one has, after all, I am a Basileus Candidate'

Avinash took a deep breath as he let all the hatred within him slowly dissipate, he opened his eyes and was met with a disgusting scene playing in the huge television screen. Hundreds of people were being shot by the Avaloninan Imperial Soldiers and their crime was hating Avalon and their rule.

The wrist watch 1305 hours. The True freedom will be over in five minutes.

Curiously, the chiming of the hour seemed to have put new heart into him. He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear. But so long as he uttered it, in some obscure way the continuity was not broken. It was not by making yourself heard but by staying sane that you carried on your ideals.

And by doing that you will one day change this world.

He once again closed his eyes, this time he was trying to clear his mind. As his mind delved deeper into his mindscape a voice reached out to him. A voice he was familiar with a voice that gave him the power to change the world. The voice of his God.

"Avinash Charan let's crush Avalon together"

"Yeah we will do that. After all in this decaying world has to take action after all petty words don't change the world action does and that's why I am going to crush Avalon from within"

At the same time 60km away from the school in the destroyed rooftop banquet hall, Sidharth woke up with a start his once lifeless black eyes sparked with life as the words left his lips.

"I am going to crush Avalon from outside."