***POV SWITCH: THIRD PERSON***

The nation of Khausfall is a land of peace and tranquility, yet its population declined.

Only if there was a simple answer... If there was a simple answer, then an urgent meeting with the greatest authorities of Khausfall wouldn't need to happen.

A round table occupied the middle of the council room, where nine council members sat. One of the members was far more prestigious than the others, but one wouldn't be able to tell by his etiquette. After all, the Khausfallian leader — Zerom Merdood — believed in equality, meaning he abided by the same conditions as his people.

"Why are our own people leaving to Fech and Xatus!" A councilwoman stood up, peering around the table. "What do those irrational giants of Xatus have over our country! What do those pathetic fools of Fech have over us!"

"Objection," councilman Dravid said.

"Let her speak," Zerom said with a delicate yet sturdy voice.

Councilman Dravid shook his head, pounding his fist onto the table.

Councilwoman Yerna continued speaking as she pointed around the table. "The answer is obvious. They don't believe in exhausting peace! Indeed we are the only irrational fools that still believe peace and tranquility is the only option to life!"

"Blasphemy!" Councilman Dravid yelled, placing his hands on the table as he stood up and slammed his fists onto the table. "It is because of peace that we were able to survive for so long!"

Councilwoman Yerna created eye contact with Dravid, shaking her head as she narrowed her eyes at him. "A prolonged failure is what it's called! There is no survivability with peace, only delaying the inevitable!"

"Enough," Zerom said, clearing his throat.

Both the council members immediately sat down. The whole room maintained their gaze on Zerom.

Zerom closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I understand complaints are reasonable, but please, we need solutions, not quibbles."

The individuals returned to a calm state.

Zerom was not only exemplary at being a leader, but his power helped solidify his assertions. Zerom's authority was amplified by his body, and his bodybuilder-like physique coupled with his antlers only made him more appealing.

Zerom looked around the table, nodding as his deer-like ears flopped up and down. "If you have any suggestions, let them be heard now."

Councilman Gerone stood up and cleared his throat. "I echo Yerna's statement! We no longer travel across the lands like nomads, so why act upon their ideals of peace!"

"You all are fools for staying quiet," Councilwoman Yerna said, standing up and looking at all the council members. "This land is soon doomed! If we indulge in non-peaceful activities, we won't be in the wrong!"

Councilman Gerone nodded. "It is our right to fight back against the oppression of other countries! They are progressing while we ideal around in the past!"

Councilman Dravid stood up and yelled. "Enough blasphemy!"

"You damn oldheads," Councilwoman Yerna said, pushing her chair to the floor. "If you damn turtles want to dwell in the past, then do so, but without me!"

Councilwoman Yerna left the room, and Councilman Gerone followed her.

The room was quiet. No one made a squeak.

Zerom was clouded with thoughts and ideas, and for the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't sure if breaking the lineage of peace was worth the flourishment of his people.

Quiet pursued for ten minutes was finally broken when Zerom stood up, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "If no one has anything else to add, I think we'll end the meeting for now. We all should clear our minds and resume later."

"Agreed," many of the council members said.

The council members left the room, leaving Zerom alone in the room.

Zerom stared at the floor and at his hand. He shook his head, walking out of the room and to his home. On his way to his house, many individuals thanked Zerom despite the current predicament regarding individuals leaving Khausfall.

Everyone truly appreciated Zerom and his efforts.

A child jumped onto Zerom, grabbing his leg. The child hugged Zerom's leg, grasping it.

"What is it now?" Zerom asked his daughter.

"Papa," Emiline said, forming a pouty face. "When can big brother come back?"

Zerom patted Emiline's head. "You know we don't speak about him anymore."

"I know, but I miss," Emiline tried saying, but instead, she cried. "I... miss... mama and big brother!"

"I do, too," Zerom said, rubbing Emiline's head. He smiled and looked around his house. "What have you made today?"

Emiline let go of Zerom's leg and hobbled her way to her invention. Emiline loved making inventions out of paper and wood. She'd often make items to impress her father.

Emiline grabbed a paper origami of a boy with a bow and arrow. She rubbed her eye with one hand while holding the origami with the other.

"What's this," Zerom said, grabbing the paper and examining it.

Emiline sniffled her nose and looked up at her father. "I tried making big brother. He loved using a bow..."

Zerom closed his eyes and smiled, handing the paper back to Emiline. "Why don't we go out for some ice cream?"

"You're not mad," Emiline said, furrowing her brow.

"No, my dead. I could never be mad at you."

Emiline grew a wide smile as she jumped up and down, walking behind her father. They both exited their house and walked toward an ice cream store.

Emiline held her father's hand, walking to the store. Moments like these helped Zerom keep peace of mind. After all, he needed it. His wife dying of illness and banishing his own son wasn't something any person could do and keep a sane mind.

"Two ice cream cones," Zerom said, pinching his daughter's ear. "You better eat your cone this time. If you keep leaving leftovers for me to eat, I might actually become fat!"

Emiline grew a smirk and laughed. "A fat papa would be funny!"

"I'm sure it would," Zerom whispered, playfully rubbing Emiline's head with his knuckles.

"Stop," Emiline pouted, shaking her head.

Zerom grabbed the ice cream cones and handed one to his daughter. "Sorry, my dear."

"It's fine!" Emiline smiled, holding the ice cream cone with one hand and her origami with her other.

Both father and daughter walked back home and sat on top of their roof, watching the sunset. The land of Khausfall wasn't as vast as Fech or was it as advanced as Xatus, but it was stunning like no other.

Emiline finished her cone, gazing at her origami and the sunset. "I remember when we all used to watch the sun go down. I miss those days."

"So do I," Zerom said, trying his best to keep a straight face. "So do I..."

Emiline began crying, but she tried her best to hold back the tears.

Zerom stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I have to go now. Papa needs to attend a meeting."

Zerom wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth. The meeting was set to start whenever Zerom initiated it, meaning he could have comforted Emiline, but he didn't. He knew he couldn't because he couldn't even comfort himself.

Emiline wiped her tears and stood up, looking at her father. "I understand."

Zerom turned around, looking at Emiline as his eyes narrowed. He ran forward to Emiline.

Emiline ran toward her father, diving in for a hug.

Zerom pushed Emiline to the left.

A baseball-sized meteorite struck Zerom, but he froze it with his ice magic.

Emiline fell to the floor, but Zerom used his vine magic to wrap around her.

"Who's there!" Zerom yelled, amplifying his voice with wind magic. "Who's there!"

No voice answered.

Zerom frantically looked around, sweat forming on his face. His breaths fastened as he ran towards Emiline. He unwrapped his daughter out of the vines.

Zerom was so worried that he forgot he could have just ordered the vines to unwrap.

Emiline held her origami piece as she cried. "What's happening!"

"Everything will be fine. Go back in the house and..."

Before Zerom could finish his sentence, his eyes widened in dread. He stared at the destruction.

Khausfall was struck with destructive fire magic, eradicating everything with it. The bomb-like magic could not be heard by anyone, but its sight was enough to kill anyone's hope.

How someone like Zerom couldn't detect or hear the magic was beyond even Zerom's comprehension.

The heat of the bomb burnt anything that it touched.

Zerom shook his head, grabbing his daughter and using wind magic to fly out of the magic's radius. Zerom zoomed through the air, watching his land be destroyed by magic that he couldn't comprehend.

Gripping her origami as hard as she could, Emiline cried louder than she ever had.

A gust of wind knocked Zerom off-balance, propelling him to the floor. Zerom tried re-utilizing his wind magic, but it wouldn't work, so he wrapped around his daughter, covering her. Zerom augmented himself with earthen magic to protect himself from the fall.

They slammed onto the floor, but Emiline was fine, exempt from the few broken bones she concurred.

Zerom stood up, holding his daughter and placing her on the floor. Emiline was unconscious. Her origami piece fell on the ground next to her hand.

"WHO!" Zerom yelled, using his wind magic to amplify his voice.

Zerom's eyes widened in fear as a speeding object approached him; his sight could barely keep up. The entity was covered with fire as it fell to the ground, breaking the floor it fell on.

"Who are you," Zerom screamed, enveloping himself with his four magic Classifications — fire, earth, water, and wind. Zerom's magic violently wrapped around him.

The entity walked out of the crater it formed, fire still covering it.

"You shall not betray others, yourself or god!" Zerom said, creating a deer humanoid from his wind magic, his magic was behind the entity who walked out of the crater, but the entity didn't stop once to look at the deadly magic. Zerom gritted his teeth, clapping both his hands as he yelled. "SOUND OF THE ONE!"

The large creature clapped its hand, smushing the fire entity.

"What," Zerom said, his hands shaking in fear.

Zerom's magical creation caught on fire. Wind magic was caught on fire...

The entity continued to walk forward, the flames on the entity dying out.

"Why?" Zerom asked as he stepped forward towards the entity.

The entity looked around and spoke. "It appears your country also has a rat infestation."

Zerom eyed his daughter and then the entity. His mind didn't race with thoughts since only one thing reappeared; how will I escape with my daughter?

The entity's flames diminished, revealing a person with a body of armor. The individual head to toes was covered with silver armor, and his structure was even bigger than Zerom.

Zerom placed his hand on his face as he fell to the floor and looked at the floor, his voice trembling. "My memories are returning."

The armored individual walked toward Zerom and said, "My nuclear spell is soon to approach. If I were you, I'd coat yourself with magic."

The fire explosion from earlier caught up to the outskirts of Khausfall, burning everything that came in its way.

Zerom looked up at the armored individual. "It's all gone..."

The fire reached the area, burning the buildings and floor. Emiline was instantly burnt to a crisp, her origami piece burning with her. Zerom and the armored individual survived the blast, covering themselves in magic.

Zerom's eyes lit up in anger, standing up and waving his hand in the air. He used wind magic to dispel all the fire in the area. "I remember it all!"

"It's far too late," the armored individual said, looking at Zerom.

Zerom gripped his hands and said, "Moby, you're doing all this! Just to delay the inevitable!"

"Silence," Moby — armored individual — said.

"All this for Me-" Zerom tried saying.

Moby, in an instant, teleported to Zerom and held his neck, clenching it. Moby looked at Zerom, creating eye contact through his armor. "Don't you dare utter his name!"

Zerom spat on Moby's helmet. Zerom spoke as Moby squished his neck. "Don't you understand? There is only one, and that is the law!"

"So you join forces with rats?" Moby asked, squishing Zerom's neck even harder.

"Even you shall abide by the law," Zerom said, his body covered with water. The water on Zerom circulated around Moby's hand, wrapping around Moby.

Moby was forced to let go of Zerom.

Zerom peeked at his daughter's ashes, returning his gaze at Moby.

The water violently enveloped Moby, spinning around him. The water formed spikes on, striking Moby as it spun.

Zerom faced his palm at Moby and yelled. "Sergnet!"

A beam of fire and electricity emitted from Zerom's palm, colliding with Moby.

Moby's helmet broke in half, only blood visible, not his facial features. The half-dead man flopped to the floor, his magic disappearing.

"You've grown weak." Zerom stood over the half-dead man and crouched to the floor, placing his hand over the indistinguishable face. "Sergnet!"

Zerom repeated his attack, igniting all the metal helmets. Nothing was left except a bloodied mess that could no longer be described as living.

But Zerom didn't stop. His fingers twitched as his anger rose, and he continued his attacks.

"Sergnet!"

"Sergnet!"

"Sergnet!"

"Sergnet!"

"Sergnet!"

There was nothing left except for destroyed ground.

Zerom breathed heavily, his heart aching in pain. He grabbed it, tears falling down his face.

"Are you happy now?" A voice asked.

Zerom looked behind as a smile grew on his face. "Yes."

Moby stood with undamaged armor, closing his eyes and whispering, "Bound: Camelot."

A blanket of magic enveloped Moby and Zerom, transforming the area into rubles of a castle. The area was no longer Khausfall but a remnant of some type of building.

Zerom was forced onto a seat, where his hands and legs were attached to the seat by wooden cuffs. Zerom tried using magic, but this area wouldn't let him, almost like Moby's presence was utilizing all the magic, making it so Zerom couldn't use any.

Moby walked over the debris towards Zerom. He grabbed Zerom's antlers and pulled them both off.

Zerom sprawled in agony, but he couldn't do anything else. Zerom himself accepted his faith long before Moby and his fight.

"Thank you for your service," Moby said, staring down at Zerom. "The knights of the round table are now dissolved. Only Arthur lives, and he too shall perish."

"Why lie to yourself?" Zerom asked, blood dripping down from his head.

Moby remained silent, walking away.

The magic boundary crackled apart, returning to the demolished land of Khausfall. Magic barriers, also known as bounds, could be made by high-level cored mages, but Moby's scale is outlandish.

Moby looked around, noticing a veil of some sort covering the area, so he used aerial magic and flew up to the moving veil. He tried touching it, but the magic repelled his hand, creating a shock of magic.

Moby knew right away what was happening. The veil was meant to trap him.

The veil was soon to close, leaving Moby trapped.

Moby raised his hand in the air and twitched it, using teleportation magic to exit the area. In a matter of two seconds, he was far gone from what was left of Khausfall.

The remains of Khausfall were small debris, and if a person managed to survive, they survived with conditions that were unspeakable...

A commotion spurred hundreds of thousands of feet away from Khausfall.

A group of ten individuals wearing bandaged masks danced in a line. Their dances were sporadic and had no coherence to them.

A Khausfallian boy rode a beast-bull, approaching the indviduals. He was coming back from a hunting trip for food and goods. The boy got off the beast and ran to the individuals.

"What's happening," the boy said, mouth open as he pointed to a burning Khausfall.

The masked individuals continued dancing except for one. A singular masked individual walked towards the boy, tilting his head and looking at the boy.

Breathing heavily, the boy stared at the masked individual. The individuals had an L imprinted on their masks.

The masked individual grabbed the boy, throwing him to the floor. All the other masked individuals gathered around the boy, dancing near him.

The boy, too afraid to move, pissed himself as he remained on the floor.

The masked individuals began kicking the boy as they danced.

Many more of these groups surrounded Khausfall. These individuals may not have been the ones who initiated the veil formed around Khausfall, but they were linked one way or another.

Many more masked groups danced around Khausfall, rejoicing upon its FALL.

*FOUR MONTHS AFTER*

A man rode a horse with a carriage connected, he ventured through the boundless forest, and in the back of the carriage, an odd crate dwelled. The wooden crate was filled with anything but time.