"I see that you have suffered. I'm sorry." God King Alvid said to his captive. Beneath the chains that wrapped around his body, Kirki bristled. He hated listening to this snake’s false sympathy. Kirki and his group had adempted to rob a weapon’s caravan sent out by the Tyrant to one of his towns near the East Sivic border.

Kirki had never heard of him doing this before, until now he’d assumed all regions under Alvid’s control to be self-sustaining. Obviously, Kirki had been wrong.

The plan had gone wrong immediately, but then of course it would, it was Demoux's plan. Black specters had flown out of the caravan, hundreds from such a small payload. Kirki couldn’t understand what was happening, his vison turned black from the swarming specters, dozens of screams were suddenly cut off.

Only when it was over, when Kirki was kneeling amongst bloodstains in the grass, with no sight of his friends anywhere, had he understood. They had died. He had been captured.

"Of course," Alvid continued. "There must be punishment, I cannot allow an attack on my empire to go unpunished."

Kirki sighed, if the Godking wanted to kill him, there was nothing to do but die. Kirki only hoped that this preening prick would end it quickly. 

"Only, I'm not sure if it's you who should be punished. Despite my position, I'm not that versed in the politics of countries besides my own. I've taken an interest in Sivic, however. You're in the middle of a civil war, right?"

Kirki glared at the man. What was he up to?

The God Tyrant frowned, "Sir, I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"Who says I need want your help? Why would you care about me?"

"I don't care about you, not that much anyway. I care about justice. No matter the justification or reasons, my empire was attacked by your forces. Whether you are completely to blame for that is what I am trying to find out."

"You care about justice?" The many atrocities of past Godkings came to his mind. The scouring of Teld. The genocide of the Rocks, Crows, and Pehel clans in the south. The breaking of the Swael islands. What just man would hold the title?

"Of course. You care about it too, isn't that what you're fighting for?"

"My group fights to free my country of tyranny and its false government. Whether that is justice isn't important."

"Why?"

"Because if we don't..." The tyrant's eyes sparkled with interest. Kirki hadn't meant to talk but Alvid lulled him into conversation. Bastard.

"...You'll be killed." Alvid finished. "Why did your group attack the wagon?"

Kirki knew that if he tried to avoid the question, Alvid would keep pressing him. If he didn't hear what he wanted, he would likely resort to torture. "We thought we could use whatever was in the supply wagon against the West Sivics. We were hoping it would be weapons but if it was just materials, we would have been happy. We didn't know what it contained before we attacked."

"Then why do it, why take the risk?"

"You have the best weapons in the world. You have the strongest materials in the world. We were desperate." The next thing would likely get Kirki in trouble. "And because fuck you."

Alvid sniffed but said nothing. He seemed to be digesting the information, turning it over in is head. What goes on in that man's head? Kirki thought. "What is wrong with him that he wouldn't just kill me? Is he really so different from his predecessors?"

"What are the conditions in your country like. How do the Eastern Sivics treat you?"

"They treat us like criminals. Not just, the rebellion. All Sivics are oppressed beneath them. In truth, our government is nothing more than a puppet state."

"A puppet for whom?"

"Whoever has the most money." Kirki said bitterly.

"I was hoping for a name. I think we're getting closer to finding the issue." Alvid urged.

Closer to my death, Kirki thought.

"The Theomens then. They have the most control over us since the war."

"The war now, or the last one?"

"Last one. I don't want to talk about that." Ninety-six hundred years ago, The Sivic empire had been the sole superpower of the old world. Theri control spread across the Listice continent and had been spreading to others. That had been their mistake. People from the other continent had pushed the Sivic empire back and had then marched boldly unto Listice. They roused the remaining rebels in the conquered territories and broke the Sivic empire. It had left the Sivic people with little land, and a broken pride.

"I see. I've always felt sorry for what happened to your people. The empire needed to die, too big and too mean to sustain itself, no question about that. But that was years ago, damn near a century. The other countries won't let you recover, will they? Treated worse than slaves in some countries, from what I've heard."

"And how have you heard that when you aren't concerned with the world outside your kingdom?"

Alvid waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not blind or deaf. I know suffering when I see it."

"I'm sure you do."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

" It seems to me," Alvid ignored his last statement, "that you and your group were forced into attacking me. Without the West and its allies breathing down your neck you would have left me alone. Is that right?"

"Basically."

"Well then, that settles it." The chains around Kirki's body disappeared, he would have stood, only a sudden fatigue prevented him. Alvid stepped down from his throne and helped Kirk to his feet.

"The people to blame for the attack on me is the East Sivics. There is punishment to be handed out, it will be laid at their feet."

Alvid led Kirki out unto a balcony overlooking his kingdom. It was night, the city was cast in a strange red light. Kirki looked up and saw unnatural red stars and an ominous red moon hanging low in the sky. The streets of the city below were empty, with not a sound to be heard anywhere in the city.

"Your name is Kirki, with the unfortunate death of the other leaders, you are now the leader of the Eastern rebels?"

"Yes." Kirki didn't recall telling Alvid his name or position.

"I would like to pledge my support to your cause."

"What?" 

"I want to help you and your people win their war. I want to punish those who have wronged me, wronged you, and who continue to wrong the Sivic people. I will destroy the West Sivic's, and have your people installed as the new leadership of the country."

"No." Kirki said. Alvid looked at him confused. Kirki felt an immense pressure in his head, his instincts screaming at him that this was dangerous. But Kirki knew if he let this monster in, he would destroy everything.

"No, you cannot help. My people will never accept you. I don't know what game you're playing, but we will never accept the atrocities you would call help."

Alvid considered this. "Then what will you do? You said yourself that you can't win your war on your own. That you would need my weapons to have a chance. You had no qualms with stealing from me, but now that I offer earnest support, you throw my kindness down and shit on it. What logic is this?"

The grip on Kirki's arm tightened. A dark fire blazed in the king's eyes. Kirki realized that in their conversation Alvid had never raised his voice or been angry. Now he was enraged.

But he was also right. With the failure to rob the supply caravan, a feat which had taken most of the East’s army's supply already, their destruction and subjection was only months away.

The pressure on Kirki decreased. Alvid said in a quiet voice, "Please Kirki, I know what my reputation as a Godking is. More, I know I am not a good man. But I am willing to do what needs to be done. I am willing to put all my power behind your people and lead them to victory. I want to change how I'm seen; I want people to hear about the Godkings and think of them as people who help. But I can't do any of that if you won't let me." 

With a heavy heart, Kirki looked Alvid in the eye. The fire was gone, replaced with a feeling Kirki couldn't name, but disturbed him. Alvid was right, in a way. He could be a tremendous help, but he would need to be under watch to make sure he didn't overstep his bounds. Kirki needed to make that clear. This was the East's only chance.

Kirki took in a shaky breath and said, "On behalf of the people of the East Sivic's, I accept your help." 

Alvid smiled a big toothy grin and slapped Kirki on the back. "Thank you." He said. There was a loud crack and the balcony Kirki was standing on fell. Kirki didn't even have time to scream, it happened so fast. Through the sudden turning of his stomach and the wind through his hair, Kirki realized Alvid was holding tightly by the waist.

Before they reached the ground, the balcony slowed down and came to a halt a few feet above the street. Alvid took a second to right Kirki, then vaulted over the railing and unto the streets. He held out a hand to help Kirki down.

That was on purpose Kirki realized. But why?

Alvid whistled, a sleek brown horse appeared from nowhere. Kirki was still shaken from the near-death fall, so Alvid lifted him into the saddle like a child.

"Ride to the Western capital, quickly. My forces will make sure you aren't harassed or in any danger. If you keep a decent speed, you should reach it by tomorrow's night. My army will move ahead and get things ready for your people."

The horse started moving at a slow trot. The veil of bewilderment lifted momentarily, enough for Kirki to think, "what army?" There wasn't a damn person in the whole kingdom.

-------

Kirki was stunned as his mount trotted through the Capital's gates. It was night again; the Capital was cast in darkness. The only light within a hundred meters was from the cooking fires of the East Sivic army camps outside the walls. It looked as though the entire force had been transferred here. Kirki had tried to go there, but a shadow like the ones that had swarmed from the caravan, blocked his path and pointed towards the Capital, toward the Castle.

He looked around. It was only two years since Kirki had been in the city, two years since he'd joined the rebellion. Kirki had grown up in the city, grown up with the sounds and the smells and the feel of it. Something was off. The streets were empty, without sound. Just like Alvid's kingdom.

Kirki found Alvid in the throne room, sitting on one of the arm rests with his arm draped over the curve of the throne.

"We did it." He said. 

"What happened to the people? Where are the West Sivics. Why is the Capital empty and silent?"

Alvid paused, then said, " I cleansed them. That was the goal, no? To rid the land of the false citizens?" 

"This war was about freeing our people from tyranny, to break the chains our king was telling us we had to wear, while him and his cronies strutted about in fine jewelry."

"You wore the iron rings; they wore the gold?" Alvid smirked. Kirki crossed the distance and slapped him. 

"NO JOKES!" he roared. "You killed them. Every person in the city, there's no one left. We wanted to free them, and you killed them. What are we supposed to do now? What am I to tell my people, that the family they fought so hard to free is dead, that their new ally slaughtered them all?!"

Kirki was close enough he was spitting the words at Alvid, who took them with an unimpressed frown.

"Tell your people that they won, first of all." Alvid stood, he towered over Kirki, but this time Kirki held his ground. "Tell them that the people who lived in this capital were too close to the corruption of the West to see they were slaves. Tell them that now there is nothing to stop you from rebuilding and growing stronger."

"You think they'll just accept that?"

"What else can they do?"

Kirki sobbed. He fell to his knees and cried for all his failures. Stupid man. Stupid, stupid little man.

A comforting hand settled on his shoulder. "Yes, weep. It is not wrong to mourn for a people lost. But you must also prepare to protect your own people. An army is approaching?"

"Whose?"

"The Theomen. As far as i can tell, when your group raided my caravan, the West Sivics feared I would declare war on them. That I would view your attack as something sanctioned by their government. Ironic. They sent a request to the Theomen for aid against my army. They come too late, but they are coming still."

"Oh gods."

Theodore was nearly three times the size of the now united Sivic. They would have better armor, weapons and more trained soldiers than the Sivics could ever hope to muster in their current state.

"They will kill us all. They will steal our land won't they, take it for themselves and and call it justice."

Alvid sighed but didn't deny it. "I am a terrible man, evil. I have committed a great sin against your people, though it was necessary. I understand if you never want to talk with me again, if you wish to send me away. I will go, if you order me."

"But," he raised Kirki's chin, so they looked into each other's eyes. "If you are willing to accept my help, I am still willing to help your people. I will return to you all that you have lost, your land, your pride, your empire. Say the word, and I will help you."

A false choice. An evil, bastard choice. But the only one to make, the only one, Kirki knew, he would be allowed to make.

"Yes." he said, "Help me."

Alvid smiled. Outside, the stars in the sky dimmed to pinpricks. Then turned red.