Old tales

Dark, cold, with no sun and no moon. Elders say they once lit up the skies, and the world had never been brighter. Nowadays, it's either black or gray; the air is thick and heavy, and breathing hurts sometimes. Fog is everywhere.

Amidst this is where the Kingdom of Camo stands. Lofty castles and historical buildings are the icons shaping the metropolis. On the outskirts resides a small village, where commoners live in wooden, shabby buildings piled together, separated by alleys and muddy roads. The villagers are poor, but they manage to live with the goods they take from the forest.

At the edge of the village, there is a small structure of one room. It has no ceiling and many cracks in the walls. It is shabby and unsafe, yet that doesn't stop the children of different ages from playing inside or enjoying learning happily alongside their teacher.

In hope of a better future for these kids, the people of the village gather money from their own savings. The sum isn't much, but it's enough to get new materials for the school.

The teacher, a young man with black hair and eyes, stands in the center of the room. He smiles and then claps twice for his students to sit in order.

"Alright, kids, let's start our new lesson!"

"Yay!"

The man laughs, thinking how cute and innocent they are. He approaches a book placed on the desk next to him and opens it while sitting on an old chair.

"Today's lesson is about a story, a very old one from a long time ago. You kids need to know about it."

Some kids look excited to learn, while others have conflicted emotions.

"Every story starts with 'once upon a time,' which means it's important. Remember this, kids… So, there were three kings who ruled the Kingdom of Camo. The kingdom was flourishing more than ever before…"

"Teacher! What does 'flourishing' mean?" a kid asks.

"It means where everyone is healthy and wealthy, where people don't go hungry…" he replies.

"Wow! So there was a lot of food?"

"And people ate all the time?"

The children's chatter becomes loud, each asking questions one after another, and he smiles.

"Almost, but not all the time… Let's get back to the story. One day, a strange man appeared; he had bright golden hair and golden eyes, and possessed a strength that shocked all the people of the kingdom. Lionel was his name."

Showing Lionel's painting to the kids, their eyes sparkle at his heroic figure.

"Teacher, teacher! Was he super strong?" a child says, extending his hands wide open. The man chuckles as he thinks of an answer.

"Indeed he was… so strong that with one wave of his sword, he could split a mountain. The three kings felt uneasy about this stranger coming from nowhere. Although his undeniable strength wasn't the only reason they were afraid, it was something else. Lionel was evolving too fast for a mere human being.

As years passed, Lionel's achievements became countless and great. He was a hero and a savior. The commoners started calling him the People's King, or King Lionel. Whether he was called a demon or a monster, a slash was enough to erase villains in an instant. He was always there to rescue others. Subsequently, the three kings became four."

"So cool! Teacher! I want to be a hero like Lionel! And bam… bam… kill the monsters!" one of the boys shouted with a wide smile, waving an imaginary sword. Yet that smile slowly faded when he glanced at the scowling face of his teacher, who then sat back in the chair and smiled sadly.

"Here's the question of the day: What did your parents tell you about the black fog?"

One kid raised his hand and then stood up.

"It's dangerous... and scary."

"And how did it appear?" he asked, but the kids were puzzled; they didn't know the answer. Thus, he replied:

"According to the story, King Lionel is the one responsible for the black fog surrounding Camo, while some legends say the demon king appeared and brought calamity."

"B-but isn't King Lionel a hero? Isn't he a human like us? And the black fog is a bad thing... Why would King Lionel want to hurt us?" another kid asked in distress.

"Well, why indeed? Maybe because he wasn't accepted by the three kings. They loathed him and hated everything about his power, authority, wealth, and the people's love for him. He had it all in a short time, even though he was nothing. Soon, they were blinded by jealousy, and their own incompetence against him filled them with rage.

So they joined forces and came up with the most hideous plan. They turned their backs on all that was right and made a deal with the demon clan to send all of Lionel's loved ones to their deaths with a curse, wiping them out of existence. One by one, he watched the people he loved and cherished the most die, and there was nothing he could do against a strong unknown curse, leaving him all alone. With no one left to protect, he lost his purpose and wandered aimlessly through the kingdom.

Until one day, he discovered the truth about the curse, the demons, and the three kings' scam. Wasted between rage and grief, he appeared before the demon clan and slaughtered every single one without mercy. The sword that once shone brightly and saved people became a tool of vengeance, stained with blood. That same night, for the first time, King Lionel met the demon king..."

The children shivered at his mention. They were always told that if they didn't behave well, the demon king would curse them, and they would disappear without a trace.

"Did he… win? King Lionel?" one of them asked. The teacher only shook his head.

"Their clash was powerful enough to leave nothing but ruins. When King Lionel noticed that he was losing, it was too late. He didn't want things to end this way; the three kings must be punished. To fulfill his utmost wish, with his last breath he concentrated every drop of mana he had and cast a curse on this kingdom, leaving it in eternal darkness.".