While the Children Sleep - Short Story Collection (Complete)

RA: Ghouls, Goblins, and Specters (Part 1)

The sun gleamed down on me as I journeyed through this sandy desert. If it was for the blasted sun feeling the need to practically blind me as I was walking, today would be a rather pleasant day for travel. Or rather...as pleasant as it could get for a king on a mission.

You see many years ago I had to step down from the throne. Not because I feared for my life, or because I felt like I unfit to lead, or for some other preposterous reason. It was simply my time to go. Call it fate if you will. Regardless of why I left it was now time for me to return. My throne was calling for me. It has longed for the king that rightfully deserved to sit upon it, and rule with a righteous fist. And if it isn't obvious by now the king I describe is myself.

The legacy I have left behind has yet to be succeeded by any 'king' that has sat on the throne after my departure. It's a rather sad sight really. I helped to give my citizen's education, jobs, proper housing, an irrigation system to help grow plants in this dry desert land. No king before has ever attempted to do so much for the population. Nor has any of the current kings either. In fact...it seems as the kings after me sought to undo all my hard work. Especially the current king, man by the name of Zul Lestat.

I have seen a large amount of vile and wicked people over the centuries that I have been alive, but this man is hands down the worst. Not only has he completely undone everything I've worked so hard to accomplish, he's also driven my people into slavery. To add onto that he's placed taxes on them so high that they could never hope to repay it. The once fertile lands are now dry and virtually useless. A wise man once told the very first king, "A kingdom built on sand will only crumble." That wise man was one hundred percent correct with that statement. Though the first king may not have live to see those words come to fruition I was clearly seeing it now. Those were have been written in stone and talked about amongst the scholars as "The Reckoning".

Nothing but dark days, doom, and gloom came with the prophecy. Definitely terrible news that no one would want to receive, but with every doomsday prophecy comes a tale of those that will save the world from devastation. In case this it would be the seven kings, long foretold that they would enter the Halls of Eternity. It is there that all the answers are supposed to be. Though there's a bit of a...a um 'snag'...with regards to saving the kingdoms. Like the fact that there is no mention of how the seven kings were supposed to locate this mysterious place. What would they even expect? Nothing. Absolutely nothing...

As far as my studies have shown all of us kings are supposed to just know how to get there and how to overcome whatever may be awaiting our arrival. Armed with the knowledge I possessed I was simultaneously intrigued and perplexed. We were essentially expected to save our kingdoms from this 'calamity' without actually knowing how to do so.

I sighed because a part of me wanted to take a moment to journey to the other six kingdoms and give them the knowledge that I wield. At least that way they would have more knowledge on this important matter, but unfortunately time is not on my side. I must take down the vile Zul as soon as possible. The moment Zul Lestat was coronated as the new king the calamity clock for the Kingdom of Aaburn began. And I know that is true because I could feel it deep within my being. There was this...sense... There was this sense of dread, one that I have never felt before for as long as I have existed. At the time I was several kingdoms over and learned all about him from ex citizens that I passed on the way there. I vowed that I would stop him. Maybe then the calamity clock will stop ticking, or at least slow down, on Aaburn and I will gain the answers I need to get to the Halls of Eternity.

As I drew closer to my kingdom I was only filled with even more dread.

"W-What has he done..." I murmur to myself as I look upon the desolate scene which was my kingdom. The people? Either barely surviving, dying, about to die, or flat out dead. At this rate the only ones left alive will be the 'king' and whatever guards haven't abandoned this forsaken land. Nevertheless I must do what I can, even if it only means killing the man responsible for all of this.