My mind rests. As the world changes to my design. Following a wish that I desire. I smile, knowing that it will all come to an end. To be what I desire it to be. Yes. That is what this is all about, what it all has led to. My perfection. My own reality!

  ‘Dad?’

  May’s voice echoes in the distance, a welcoming sound to a changing world. But it isn’t the only voice in the void. More familiar sounds come from around me, all from people alive or long dead.

  Dust’s voice speaks to me, ‘do you remember life before this? When we were slaves?’

  That was one of the last things he said to me before he died. It’s a strange question. Why is this void bringing it up now? Something isn’t right, something is wrong.

  The voices become more intense. They scream and howl in terror like they are right beside me. But some repeat something to me, a title that I am given. ‘Tyrant, butcher, murderer.’ Yet none of those words or titles grind my gears more than what some call me.

  ‘Slave.’

  No! I am no slave, not anymore! I am now a free man! I earned my freedom through trial and suffering. Yet these voices dare to call me a slave! Something I am not, a title that doesn’t befit a King. I am a ruler, the slayer of the Cinari and the defiler of their faith. Unlike the beast that roams this island, I gave myself the freedom to choose my own fate and not to bow to some imaginary Gods they foolishly worship. Unlike the Cinari, I’ve proven why I deserve freedom and not the subjugation of a foolish species.

  When the voices finally became silent, the world around me came into existence. I stand on the world of red sand, its familiar earthy texture slithers between my toes. I try to put my sword away, only to see that it isn’t with me anymore. Nor am I wearing my armour.

  Though that isn’t what is strange to me, my left hand has… returned? It isn’t an illusion, I can touch and feel it. The grey fur that once covered half of my body is now back to its normal dark-brown. My eye has also returned, but how?

  No, that is a stupid question. Perhaps the wish that the stone granted me gave me a world where I didn’t lose my eye or hand. However, I can’t help but smile. Maybe the war didn’t happen? Maybe I stand in a field of sand so I can wonder about the world that I’ve conquered. The perfect opener.

  My heart flutters. On the hill is my daughter. She looks down at me, the sun hiding her facial expression. I call out to her, but she runs away from me. With a smile on my face, I chase after her. It’s good to see that she is still playful in this new world.

  I crawl up the dune, my body sinking into the sand as I try to climb to the top. I laugh it all off, annoying, but nothing major.

  Enjoyment becomes panic as out of nowhere a sandstorm blasts me in the face and knocks me down the dune. Making me tumble down and hit the ground with a loud thud.

  ‘May!’ I call for her, shielding my face as every grain of sand cuts my skin.

  With all my might, I climb back to the top again, looking around, unable to find her.

  ‘May!’ I call again, but I hear nothing in return. This isn’t good. She is in danger, and I need to find her. I march through the storm, calling for her name. I don’t care if the sand fills my lungs or blocks my eyes.

  To my right, a bright light emanates from an open door. It isn’t connected to anything, only that it stands alone in the desert. What is this magic? This strange trick? It has to be the doing of the Cinari. But it seems safe, somewhere that May might run to for safety. If that is the case, I need to get there!

  With every step towards the light, the storm gets stronger. My body sways with every blow and crack of dust and wind, my knees buckle with every step I take as the ground changes consistency. But I push on, my skin bursts open only for sand to immediately clog the new wound. I use everything in me, every ounce of strength I have to push through, but it isn’t enough.

  I fall, the wind is too powerful for me to stand or even move. I bury my face in my hands, trying to protect it from the elements. My lungs choke as I struggle to breathe… I can’t breathe!

  Sand forms around me, creating a small hill from my weakened body, as if it is claiming my defeat. Mocking my very own failure.

  No! I will not submit! I refuse to submit! With every fibre of my body, I crawl to the light. My hands and feet dig into the sand to help me lift myself. It is slow, but it is progress! There is no point in shielding my eyes anymore, as I know where I need to go! I know, correction, I can feel the light.

  This storm won’t kill me, not when I need to know that May is okay. Death shall claim me once I am finished with what I started. No matter how many chunks of flesh fly off my body. For I am the king of these lands!

  To my surprise, I made it inside. Into my throne room in the Crystal Kingdom. I look behind to see that the desert has, for some reason, vanished. But I don’t care, for now I need some rest. Even if it is on the cold floor. It’s safe at least, safe for May.

  ‘Well, isn’t it good to see you here again?’ I awake from my slumber to Alex standing over me. Wearing silver armour, a red fur cloak, and a golden crown of thorns. He smirks as he watches me stagger to my feet, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in greeting me. He looks a decade older than when we last met, grey hair is forming around his mane. I must’ve been gone for a while.

  I pat myself down, seeing if I am injured, only to look like an idiot before my son. Words slur out of my mouth; in truth, I’m surprised to see him here. ‘Alex! It’s uh, it’s good to meet you again.’

  I offer him a hand to shake, but he gives me an insidious glare with both of his hands behind his back. Something isn’t right with him; he is never like this.

  ‘You should be dead.’

  I raise a brow, ‘what do you mean?’

  ‘A bolt went through your stomach, you and the rest of the soldiers that followed you died in an ambush.’ He examines me, but shakes his head like nothing happened. ‘But that doesn’t matter. We won the war, and we crushed the Cinari at Balborus. Our champions cut the head off their General, and paraded the corpse of their Empress for the world to see. Their blasted Empire is no more! So, to honour you. We followed your dreams, your ideas of what this island and our people should be.’

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  My dreams? My death? Perhaps my wish transported me into a world where I perished, allowing me to make amends and lead my people to true salvation. My wish granted me a world for me to rule, a world that needs its true king. But first, I need to see how Alex did during my absence, I can’t just rule a land without any prior knowledge.

  ‘Alex I…’

  ‘You seem unconvinced!’ Alex interrupts me, his tone harsh and gravelly. I believe I’ve indirectly insulted him by mistake. ‘That’s fine, I can understand. Please, let me give you a tour. Let me show you what your dream looks like.’

  Strange. He is oddly more assertive than I remember. Perhaps time changed him and turned him into a different man than he is supposed to be.

  ‘Lead the way,’ I gesture with one hand. ‘Show me what you have to offer.’

  ‘With pleasure.’

  He takes me around the palace, showing me trophies collected from our war. Next to shattered light spears and some oddities that I can’t recognise are mounted heads. Some I can tell are Cinari or Atirar, but some I struggle to understand what species they are. One looks like a frog, the other a large bug, and the last one is the head of a Dog.

  ‘What is this?’ I point to the head of a Dog.

  ‘A traitor! Some people can’t or won’t appreciate the promise we gave them. So, they thought it was wise to stand against us when we were just at the cusp of something great.’ He gargles before he spits on the stuffed head. ‘That was their leader, he was given the honours to forever be at the palace. He didn’t expect that would mean being furniture.’

  There is more to that story, I can tell. Alex is hiding something from me. There has to be another reason those Dogs went against us! I remember I have to force Midrax to follow my command, but betraying their own kind? There is a sickness in the air. There needs to be something to explain why we are fighting ourselves and not the common enemy. There has to be.

  We continue our walk, Alex points at the art depicting me and statues made to depict heroes of the war. But I don’t care, art is just a waste of time. Yet it makes me curious, why are the windows hazy and the window seals covered in sand? Maybe the cleaners refuse to maintain them. I ask Alex about the question multiple times, but he never answers. It is like the answer is better seen than told. A surprise I am not ready for?

  He opens the door to overlook the city below. The trees are gone, the grass is long dead. The land, my land! It is nothing but sand. My heart skips a beat at the sight of decay. Dogs below work tirelessly, working around the clock to forge weapons, armour, and machines of war. They look sick, tired, hungry. What happened here? What went wrong?

  ‘The war between the Cinari should be over!’ I yell at Alex, furious to see my people working the land to death. ‘Why are our people like this? Why are they working like the war isn’t over?’

  Alex responds coldly, ‘our war with the Cinari is over. But they are not alone; we are never alone. The world damned us! They put a target on our back! They want us to follow their terms. Foolish of them to assume we will bow to their laws.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Cinaris is our island to rule. The Cinari are just pests that we have to remove, and we did that. The problem is there are more of them outside of our island. So, I did what was required of me, what you wanted. I hunted them down, I have my Dogs search for every Cinari at every corner of the globe to give them the justice they deserve. They are nothing but parasites; we both know that, but the world doesn’t see that. They call our retribution murder, a genocide that needs to be stopped. So they invaded our island, their first grave mistake. We’ve beaten them and pushed them back multiple times. But they will never stop, not until we fall.’

  ‘How long have you been fighting?’

  ‘Years, almost a decade by this point. Not to worry, we either win or bring the world down with us. We’ve salted the lands of anyone who dares stand against us, and we’ve pillaged almost everything of value that made nations go bankrupt. We will win, that is my promise.’

  This is wrong! This isn’t a future for my people. Instead, this is a mockery of what it should be. I didn’t wish for this! No one will wish for this. Alex, what have we done? What did we do to deserve such a fate?

  ‘This isn’t what I dreamed of?’ I harshly admit.

  ‘No, this is exactly what you wanted.’ Alex points to a pile of dead Dogs being prepared to be transported to what I suspect is a mass grave. Or so I hope at least.

  ‘I know you always want to fight the Cinari,’ Alex continues. ‘To continue our slaughter of their kind. It just so happens we have to deal with the world to make that possible. This isn’t the fault of our part, but the flaw of everyone who fails to see our vision.’

  ‘Even the Dogs who said otherwise.’

  ‘Even they. All Cinari must suffer, all must feel what we’ve felt. The only mercy I, and you, will give to their kind is the luxury of death.’ Alex tilts his head, ‘don’t tell me you oppose this?’

  ‘No,’ I lie. This place is revolting, a disgrace and a perverted reality of what I want. There is nothing right here; this is just continuous suffering of my people. This is not a world May would’ve wanted!

  ‘Then what is it?’ Alex probes.

  ‘I… I’m missing May. That is all.’

  He chuckles before he gestures to the door. ‘You don’t need to look far, Marak.’

  Hiding behind the door frame is my little girl. I smile at her, but she doesn’t return any expression of joy or happiness. There is nothing of the sort. Behind her eyes is utter terror!

  I approach her, trying to understand what worries her, but she runs before I can get any closer. ‘May!’ I shout, chasing after her. Bolting down the crystal halls to find my child. No matter how fast I run, she is always ahead of me. I can’t even catch up to her. I call her again, trying to get her to stop. Yet she ignores me, as if I am a monster.

  Before I can figure out what is going on, the floor collapses from under me. As I plunge into the dark abyss, I reach my hand out for May as she looks back to me. I want her to reach back to save me. Instead, she gladly watches me fall.