I think I'm losing my hair. I grab my hair.
Indeed, it pulls out in a large clump.
"Augh!"
I was almost done gathering my military. Just another day or two and everything would've been ready. Just another day— damnit all!
I look across my desk. My brilliant, rare wood, ornate desk, emblazoned with gold and rare gems.
What use is any of this if I'm dead?!
"Argggghhh!"
That dragon. That damn dragon! It didn't merely destroy the bulb; the monster we've been cultivating into a Demigod for decades! No, of course not! Like the damn dragon it is, it greedily absorbed ALL of its power and became a Demigod itself! Obviously! What other existence could speak into my mind from so far away?!
I'd thought: even if I died, perhaps the mission of my Purified Heavens could be continued by my progeny.
No chance! The damn dragon didn't so much as BOTHER to come kill me! Was I not worth its time?! All of the traps and plans we implemented in the capital— WORTHLESS! What can ANY of that do against a Demigod?! NOTHING!
Mortals can't fight demigods! Especially not THIS one!
Haaagh.
The so-called 'Dragon God' was a fledgling Demigod; easily killed on my lands by that old warrior. Whoever he was, he obviously wasn't a mortal. Still, I remember that old bastard's power— he killed the Dragon God right in front of me. Even the Godslayer's power wasn't... Wasn't THIS!
I look into an inscription slab. It's captured from Oplenthiom's viewing inscription, which we've tapped to spy for us. I got this slab made since it's a much closer view than what... What we could see. From here. From the capital of my Purified Heavens.
Ugh. The damn thing could WALK over here and crush my capital with one of its toes. It'd only take a minute, if that.
In my mind appears a wall of black. Hah? I spread the image out, and out, and out. Finally, I see sky, so I keep spreading the image. I'm looking at— hmm. I have no idea. I only know it's some part of the dragon.
I pause for a moment, staring in stunned silence. A nearby city looks like a tiny model compared with the sheer immensity of this thing's... Whatever this is.
Frustratedly, I return to spreading the image, my anger rising. Except, the inscription is stalling and getting slower. I move the image up a bit to get the city out of the frame. I believe less details make it work faster.
I then spread it again, but it locks up while showing the dragon's... That's its leg, from the northeast? I think. We know it was making its declaration while facing east toward my Purified Heavens. Because of course it was. We made the damn thing and it now hates us for any number of reasons.
I try again, but nothing happens this time. It still solely shows what looks like a giant draconic ankle joint. Oh. Why did the sky go dark?
image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/068.png]
The inscription refuses to budge, so I knock on the slab and put in more Mana.
*tok-tok-tssht—KRRRT*
I abruptly feel a weird painful sensation.
Wha?! That hurt!
Now enraged, I try once more, while putting in a lot more of my Will than should be necessary. The image turns to random colors and emits a freakish mental feedback.
###`¶-$;℅?¶∆!|+@^!;£"@!;•+%'~׿$###
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
AUGHHHH!
I throw the slab at the wall.
*THOK-kk*
It's embedded firmly inside my office wall.
"Who the hell screwed this up?!"
I can view the entire CONTINENT with similar slabs, but I can't see beyond its damn ankle?!
This...! This UTTER abomination! It's difficult to VIEW its entire body!
This monstrosity puts the damn Dragon God to shame!
That thing was fifty-one Empire-standard storeys tall at its time of death; what the hell is THIS?! Fifty THOUSAND? Seventy THOUSAND? A hundred THOUSAND? That'd be four hundred KILOMETERS! The thing's LEGS wouldn't be fully inside the planet's atmosphere!
You know what?! I DON'T NEED MATH!
The answer is: everything's completely HOPELESS!
I stand, then shove all my papers and stationery off my desk.
"ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!"
*SHRRRROP*
*ker-thik*
*tok*
*kting*
*shrup-shrup*
*shuph*
I note that my unseemly rage has chipped a rare gem.
...
"DAMN IT ALL! DAMN YOU!"
I slam my fist down on the desk, splintering its surface.
*THUD*
*KRAK-eeet*
My viceroyal enters the room whilst—
*ker-thhk*
— I'm busily destroying my desk. I look up at him angrily.
You, why are you disobeying the customary waiting period?!
I did not CALL for you yet!
"WHY, pray tell, are you barging into my office?!"
"Emperor, do you think a 'waiting period' is prudent during a time of emergency?"
And now he calls me Emperor! Do the insults never cease?! I may soon be a dead man, but for now at least, I'm a dead man walking!
"What emergency could we POSSIBLY have? The dragon? No, the Chronometric Dragon GOD? Do you think we're qualified to consider that thing an 'emergency?' Either it kills us, or it doesn't, there's nothing we can do!"
"Precisely. Which is why I was considering begging it for forgiveness. However, I seek your wise and valuable input on the matter."
Oh, now my Emperor title is gone. Fine. Kill me off in your mind before I've truly perished.
If you weren't a viceroyal— haah. I should calm myself.
I am still the Emperor; I must act like one.
I sit and sort my remaining hair.
Then relay my thoughts.
"Fffahhhh. In the reports, it's extremely fair and impartial. If you've intentionally committed terrible crimes, it will judge you according to the appropriate standard. However, it will disregard even exceptionally nasty mistakes."
My viceroyal seems dejected.
"That is, unfortunately, my conclusion as well."
I show a look of grim amusement.
"Ha, ha. Isn't it absurd? You ran your viceroyalty, I ran my Empire, however we damn pleased. Because that's our right as someone possessing power. Then this dragon pops out of our own lab and now we've no choice but to face trial. Worse, it all happened within five days! I had no time to respond!"
"You know, the Dragon God experiments. We created it— we created this thing. Was that not our goal? Is this not a resounding success?"
I sigh and drop my shoulders.
"Hagh. It isn't under our control, and it isn't a mindless beast like all the others. So, we've succeeded a little too well. Since we won't live to see it all end."
"Perhaps we should take solace in the fact that it'll almost surely end. The bulb took decades to grow into a Demigod. This Chronometric Dragon God? Five days. The difference is clear and will only become clearer."
I bob my head from side to side.
"I just wish it wasn't a damn dragon. I hate those things. I should've killed it when I had the chance."
"Pff, that's your national pride speaking. Do you regret experimenting with the Dragon God?"
I close my eyes and shake my head lower in resignation.
"I regret much, but not that."
I raise my head, open my eyes, then continue.
"Thusly, I don't regret creating the Chronometric Dragon God. Doing so would mean regretting my life's goal. I won't do that to myself. Honestly? I no longer possess the right to regret its existence. It, however, possesses more than sufficient power to erase mine."
My viceroyal chuckles.
"Heh heh. We may be evil men, Emperor, but at least we're consistent. Pure Evil wasn't consistent."
I grimace.
"Some things require compromise. Life goals, however evil they may seem, might still have a net positive outcome. At least, that's what I keep telling myself."
He raises one hand and gestures openly.
"Does that help you sleep at night?"
I tilt my head a bit to one side.
"No, I sleep fine regardless. Or— I did. That dragon has grown large enough to crush my entire capital city with a single claw. Sleep? Hah! What's that?"
He drops his hand.
"Hm, I don't think he'll destroy the capital. But. Maybe we can explain our actions to buy clemency."
Clemency? Oh, a pardon. He means forgiveness.
"Do you think that's remotely possible? I tortured so many people to death. Enslaved and mind-clamped so many. I treated life as something to be disposed upon a whim merely for the hope that someday we'd all be free."
"No, but he is fair and impartial. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"
I throw my hands up.
"Feh. We did the impossible once, perhaps we can do it again. A fair argument. Thank you, Viceroyal Garne."
I point at him and continue.
"As of now I'm stripping you of your authority."
"You're welcome, Emperor Thaddeus."
He bows and continues.
"As of now, I'm stripping you of yours. Let's go to the magic carriage and see what can be done. If anything."
I decide to ignore my still-shedding hair whilst I stand from my seat.
He stands and follows my lead.
"Anything is better than sitting here losing my hair along with my sanity. Anything at all is better than that."