Corrupt

Prologue

Extract from the Vaskuoyae Regal Museum Displays

Long ago, there was a Great War between the kingdoms of Vaskaliav and Llouyae.

Blood stained streets: the innocent blood of children and civilians. There was no rest, for none could sleep through the sounds of slaughter. Screams echoed through every town. The citizens of Vaskaliav were being viciously ambushed by those of Llouyae, their numbers growing weaker with every passing day.

The reigning monarch of Vaskaliav, Queen Junipera VI, attempted to talk a ceasefire into these barbarians, but her efforts were in vain. Once she fell ill with a deadly fever, the Llouyaeans struck, and the queen was brutally assassinated.

Her kingdom fell into deep despair. Without their monarch, there was no way of them triumphing or arranging any kind of peace with their enemies. And so, within days, the people of Llouyae had made plans to settle in the stolen lands.

The fearsome day arrived, and the victorious troops stormed the battered streets. Widowed women cried for help, for food, for safety; but the merciless infantry slashed them down and continued.

Nobody could stand in their way.

Until someone did.

Nikolas Umber, only a young, scrappy boy of 14, stood before the force. The soldiers of the opposition laughed at him, a puny child, with no family, nobody to hold him back.

'He is suicidal,' they thought. 'He must be, to stand in our way.' They laughed and jeered at him, but he stood his ground.

"Move, boy," barked the leader.

"I propose peace," Nikolas responded calmly. They only laughed harder. Mothers wept for this poor, brainless child, who would surely be killed. Still Nikolas stood strong.

"Peace?"

"Peace," he repeated coolly. "You should accept the offer, sir. It's for the good of your kingdom."

"Kill him," the leader said carelessly. Women shielded their children's eyes, turned them away, sheltered them from the gore that was to come.

But it never came.

There was only suffocating silence, filled by a distant rumble of thunder overhead.

And so the women turned around, and they saw.

The boy was on fire.

An ear-piercing screech, an animalistic wail of fury and terror.

But it wasn't Nikolas.

Beside him, the soldiers who had been ordered to attack were surrounded in coiling wreaths of flame, the light of it dancing in their widened eyes.

"Peace," said Nikolas. "These citizens are starving. They are ill. The children need safety. Their fathers are dead. Peace. This is your warning."

From within the snake-like tendrils, the men pleaded desperately, terrified. Next to them, the boy held up one hand, seeming, somehow, to control the inferno. The army shrank back, confused, paralysed with fear.

The general only scoffed.

"Attack, men, attack him!" Hesitantly, more soldiers moved forwards.

So Nikolas retaliated.

Within seconds, the whole fleet was alight, civilians watching in awe as they burst into flame. These foes, these cruel-hearted enemies that had taken so many lives, simply smouldered quietly into ash that was carried gently away on the breeze.

"I bring peace," the boy called, his voice calm and clear through the haze of smoke and dust. "And now we shall always have peace."

At 14, Nikolas Umber became the new King. To honour those lost, he joined the rule of the kingdoms, and renamed them Vaskuoyae.

Nobody knows where he came from, with no family having claimed him, but the King was clearly sent from the Heavens.

Since then, King Nikolas has served the country faithfully, his mysterious powers renowned across the lands, editing laws to protect and care for his beloved citizens, even setting up charities and giving up chambers of his dwelling, the beautiful Carcaseau Castle, to rehome those who lost their houses in the battle.

Under King Nikolas Umber's reign, the scars of war began to heal, and the people of Vaskuoyae flourished in a newfound era of peace and prosperity. Structures were rebuilt, roads cleared, and before long the country was stronger than it had ever been before.

A monument to the late Queen Junipera was erected in the centre of the fallen town, which still stands tall today, and is visited by millions paying respects each year.

The once-divided kingdoms of Vaskaliav and Llouyae were transformed into the haven of Vaskuoyae, and the people were grateful to their King, who had brought them out of tough times to reform more powerful and safe than ever.

And so, the story of Nikolas Umber, the boy who stood up against terror and returned peace and light to the world, is told through the halls of Vaskuoyae Regal Museum, inspiring generations of young people to come.