rakshitsinghrathore
History remembers tyrants.
It forgets the men who tried to be kind.
Eryndor was a kingdom built on faith.
Cathedrals towered over starving streets. Priests spoke of destiny while children froze outside their gates. The people prayed for salvation.
Prince Varyx watched.
And stopped believing.
His father, King Alaric, ruled with mercy. He forgave criminals. Trusted enemies. Believed every soul could be redeemed. The people loved him.
But love didn't stop corruption.
It didn't stop hunger.
It didn't stop blood.
Where Alaric saw goodness, Varyx saw exploitation. Where others saw faith, he saw control.
So when the crown finally fell to him, Varyx chose something no king before him had dared to choose:
Fear.
Temples burned. Priests were executed. Forgiveness vanished from law. Crime met consequence - swift, public, absolute. It didn't matter who you were. Noble or beggar. Adult or child.
If you destroyed a life, yours was forfeit.
The kingdom called him monster.
Yet for the first time in decades, the streets were safe.
But order built on fear demands blood.
Religious factions rebelled. Old loyalties shattered. Civil war tore Eryndor apart. Fifteen thousand died in the name of peace.
And with every death, Varyx grew colder.
Not cruel.
Certain.
Certain that humanity could not be trusted with freedom - only with consequences.
Far beyond his borders, another ruler rose.
Aurelion.
An idealist who believed enemies could become friends. Who believed hope was stronger than violence. Who trusted people the way Varyx never could.
Two kings.
Two truths.
Two opposite ways to save the world.
Both right.
Both wrong.
Years later, fate strips them of everything - crowns, armies, power - and leaves them wandering a merciless wilderness together, starving.
Because hunger doesn't care about morality.
And when survival demands sacrifice, even truth begins to lie.
In the end, only one question remains:
What matters more - your humanity... or your survival?