Page 31 - Digital Cornice Grade 10

Shut up, you are defe-”“Defeated? HA! My armies decimated,
my people killed, my kingdom in ruins” The eyes of the king
blazed brightly as he stood upright and spoke once again
gesturing to the destroyed kingdom from the balcony.

"WE HAD WANTED NO PART OF YOUR EMPIRE, 'HERO'. WE
WISHED TO BE LEFT ALONE! WE HAD NO ARMY, WE HAD
NO CAUSE TO FIGHT! WHY!? WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS
TO US!?"

“Why?” the king now whimpered. “Why must you kill loving
fathers, kind mothers, and smother another innocent child?
WHY?!”

The heroes were thrown aback. Struggling to formulate a
response, letting a deep silence filled the room. “W-we had to do
it! The church deemed you all heretics! To be purged!”

The king spoke,” If your church and your god have said so, I shall
condemn them. You have ventured out to my kingdom to fight a
villain, a monster. Heh, an elaborate excuse for all the misery you
have caused to the people of this kingdom. You “heroes” wanted
a true monster to vanquish, a true achievement. “

All of the cathedrals of the world, all the kingdoms which
surrounded them, and all the gods who lay above in comfort
heard the same. The king now started to bellow from deep
within and began to sing a choir of hatred.

“LUMINOS, ARES, ZEUS! YOU GODS HAVE SENT DEATH
TO MY PEOPLE FROM ABOVE AND SLAUGHTERED MY
CHILDREN! OH HEAR ME HADES, HEAR ME DEMONS!
BESTOW UPON ME THE TERRIBLE STRENGTH I, ATLAS
NEED TO FACE THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME! Make
me a creature worthy of nightmares. Make me a creature with
such fury to make even metal bleed. Make me… a monster”

Atlas's slumped to the floor, next to the decaying body of his
wife.

That day, the clouds darkened, the sky cried, the heavens rocked
and the world split into two and a true monster was born.

-Arnav Maharjan (A)