12th Sphere. The "World" of Trials. One of the Universes. Galaxy — Tibis. Planet AC1325TB. Classification: United Multiverse Cipher.

  It was morning, and the planet was lit by two stars at once — slowly merging into one. A village in the old Japanese style. Between the houses, beneath a tree, sat a young man — coal-black hair, clothing of the same colour in the hanfu style, his eyes hidden beneath a blindfold of an even deeper shade of black. He sat and was preparing to tell a story to the children, teenagers and young people gathered around him.

  He settled in comfortably and began his tale — in an even voice, the kind that pulls you in:

  ?Once there was a Kingdom, ruled by a young King alongside his Queen and his most trusted friends and companions. The Kingdom flourished and grew, forging alliances and signing trade agreements with many different nations. It was a young state.

  This young King of a young Kingdom was extraordinarily powerful — for without such strength, he could never have guaranteed his nation such standing in the world. He was the one who had defeated the Demon King and brought peace and balance to the entire world, stopping a tyrant who sought to enslave all of it. The remaining demons he gathered under his wing and decreed that within his Kingdom there would be no discrimination of any kind.

  And then one night the King had a nightmare — his Queen dying in his arms. He woke in the middle of the night, barely avoiding waking her too. After some deliberation, he decided to use one of his abilities — the power to glimpse the future three times. And at last, looking into that future, he saw the ?root? of his nightmare — a small village on the other side of the world.

  The young King did not hesitate. He could not allow his Queen to die — and so at midnight he set off, teleporting to the destination. When he arrived, he did not think twice. He brought down a rain of fire meteors upon the village, erasing it from the face of the earth and leaving nothing but a burning hell...

  Time passed. Half a year. No one learned of what had happened, and the King never spoke of it.

  Then one day his friends and comrades — the King and Queen's former companions — returned to the Kingdom. During the feast held in their honour, the King suddenly froze and saw a vision: his closest friend throwing himself in front of a sword strike to save him, dying in his arms. Many other friends and companions were gravely wounded or killed. He came to his senses when his friend asked if everything was alright. The King replied that he was simply tired and should rest for the evening — and so he excused himself to his chambers, leaving the Queen and his companions behind.

  The King never hesitated. He immediately activated the second of his three glimpses into the future. He saw a remote village hidden in the mountains — unusual architecture, open walls, tiled rooftops. The King memorised the location and teleported there — it was on a neighbouring continent. When he appeared above the mountains, a middle-aged man noticed him and asked who he was and why he had come. The King said he was a traveller who had stumbled upon the village by chance, and asked what it was. The man told him: a village of swordsmen — but not like the rest of the world. They used unusual blades called ?katanas?. They spoke briefly, and when the middle-aged man invited the traveller into the village — the man suddenly burst into blue flame. Unable to resist, he evaporated, burning in the fire. The same fate befell the entire hidden village...

  After all of this, the King returned home and by the next day was hosting another banquet — claiming he had recovered with rest. After the feast, he invited his friends and companions to stay as his guests. At first, his closest friend refused — but after some persuasion from the others, he agreed and stayed.

  A year passed. And then, one festive night, the King had another nightmare — his entire Kingdom lying in ruins and rivers of blood, and in the centre of it all, a figure standing and laughing like a madman. The King woke, and because of him the Queen woke too. She calmed him, and he told her it was just exhaustion from work. Using the excuse of needing fresh air, he left his chambers and in the palace courtyard used his third and final glimpse into the future. He saw a Kingdom on the neighbouring continent — in the same place where the hidden village had once been. He stood in silence for a moment, then clenched his fist — and teleported above the Kingdom. The sun was setting on the horizon, the moon rising. The King raised his right hand, then brought it down sharply — and vanished. Seconds later, meteors fell upon that Kingdom on the neighbouring continent, erasing its capital and leaving nothing but ruins...

  And the King returned to his own Kingdom and continued to live with his Queen, his friends, and his companions.?

  When he finished speaking, the young man dressed all in black was silent for two seconds. Then he asked everyone who had been listening:

  — In your opinion, how right or wrong was the King in what he did?

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  After a moment of silence, he began to listen to the answers.

  Child, 6 years old: — He's bad! He was killing people who hadn't done anything!

  The Soulless "watches" the boy and smiles slightly. He opens his mouth to respond — but doesn't get the chance.

  Teenager, 13 years old: — He was killing to protect the people he loved. That's understandable. But it was still wrong.

  The Soulless listens — then shifts his gaze away from the younger ones. He looks toward the old man at the edge of the group.

  Quiet teenager in the corner (without looking up): — He started with one village. Then another village. Then an entire kingdom... I wonder — when does he stop?

  The others join in — as if debating and arguing among themselves.

  Young woman, 20 years old: — He's not evil and he's not good. He simply decided that his love was worth more than other people's lives. And every time he made that decision — it became easier to make again. That's what's terrifying. Not the acts themselves. The habit.

  Old man (finally unable to hold the young man's gaze): — He never asked the Queen. Not once. He did all of this for her — but never once asked whether she would want people to die for her sake.

  The Soulless nods slightly and tilts his head.

  Very small child, 5 years old: — Mister... did the King know there were children in those villages?

  After him — silence. One question — and everyone goes quiet.

  Teenager, 14 years old: — I think... the right question isn't ?was the King right or wrong?. The right question is — why did you tell us this?

  The Soulless looks up at the sky and speaks:

  — Perhaps the old man is right...

  He exhales quietly and continues:

  — And perhaps not... After all, she is now a Queen — she cannot simply choose to live or die on her own. She supports the King, and through him, the entire Kingdom. We as a third party cannot lean entirely in any direction. Perhaps it's wrong... and perhaps —

  The Soulless falls silent. He smiles — looking at the children, teenagers and young people around him — and asks:

  — And what kind of King or Queen would you have been in his place?

  With a smile and a light voice — leaving his own answer unfinished.

  Child, 6 years old — first voice again: — I wouldn't kill anyone! And I'd make friends with everyone!

  Hearing this, the Soulless leans slightly back against the tree — as if absorbing the atmosphere around him.

  Young man, 17 years old: — I would have told the Queen. Everything. From the very beginning. Let her decide whether her life is worth those sacrifices. That's her right.

  The others begin to offer their thoughts as well.

  Young man, 18 years old: — Honestly? I don't know. It's easy to say ?I wouldn't kill? when the person you love isn't dying in your arms. Nobody knows what they'd do until they're actually there.

  Quiet teenager from the corner: — I would have abdicated the throne. That kind of power shouldn't belong to one person. Especially one who loves.

  The Soulless pays no particular attention and continues to listen.

  Young woman, 20 years old: — I would have been a bad ruler. On purpose. Because a good ruler who knows the future will eventually decide they know better than everyone else.

  The Soulless nods slightly.

  Elderly man: — I would have let the future happen. What will she love afterward? A shadow?

  The Soulless seems to feel something — and straightens his posture slightly.

  Child, 5 years old: — Mister... is the King happy?

  Silence again.

  Young woman, 22 years old: — You are asking children what kind of rulers they would be. But what you're really asking is — what are they willing to do for the people they love. And you are remembering the answers.

  The Soulless tilts his head slightly and speaks with a faint smile:

  — Am I really that interesting to you, young lady?

  Without waiting for an answer, he continues:

  — Is he happy? Hmm... probably yes. He stayed surrounded by those he loved, after all. A shadow? No. If you think about it that way — what is the difference between those ?innocents? and the demons who took no part in the war yet would have been made to pay for it anyway after a defeat? For the King, everyone was equal from the start. He was always the killer of those ?innocents?... What do you mean when you say ?bad?, young lady? Is there really such a clear line in this world between the King who did what he did and a ?bad King?? Yes... unfortunately he cannot abdicate the throne and abandon the fates of all his citizens and demons who chose to trust him. Ah... we're all so indecisive, always finding an angle to dodge. But perhaps almost anyone would have done the same if they loved just as fiercely. That is his weakness, and... well, never mind. I don't think the Queen would have agreed. Telling her would have been the right idea — but it would have caused no end of problems...

  The Soulless goes quiet. He gently rests a hand on the head of the six-year-old boy and says with a smile:

  — That's right. That is the truest answer of all.

  Of course — it was only to praise the little one. And so the Soulless answered everyone — in reverse order.

  When the Soulless stopped, he let out a quiet breath and stood. He was finished. Walking silently between the children, teenagers and young people, he made his way to the old man.

  In that moment, everyone except the old man quietly fell to the ground.

  The Soulless crossed his arms over his chest — and between them, a sword appeared. Coal-black. Still in its scabbard.

  The old man looked at the children, teenagers and young people lying on the ground, and exhaled softly:

  — We were very unlucky this time... At least they didn't understand anything.

  He looked at the Black Swordsman — whose face now held nothing. No expression. No feeling. Nothing at all. And quietly, almost without a sound:

  — Thank you.

  Then he too fell to the ground.

  The Black Swordsman killed them all.

  Two seconds passed. Then he spoke:

  — I would have killed everyone too... so that my friend and his misty village could simply live and flourish.

  Then he vanished.

  And in the village, not a single soul remained.

  — end of chapter —