While Toco-Toco was embraced by the skeletons of his fallen friends, trapped in a pain that seemed endless, Paltio ran desperately through the streets of the kingdom, fleeing from the cruel voices that pursued him like relentless ghosts. The taunts and scornful words echoed in his mind, each insult piercing deeper into his heart. "You're a failure," "You'll never be worthy of being king," the citizens shouted, pointing at him with accusatory fingers as he passed.
The young man ran for what felt like hours, feeling the weight of shame and confusion grow with every step. Finally, he reached the palace, hoping to find refuge in the place that had always been his home. Upon entering, he found the carriage parked at the entrance, but it was empty, with no trace of Mok or any of the servants.
"Mother? Father?" Paltio called out, his trembling voice echoing through the castle halls. His footsteps reverberated in the sepulchral silence that filled the space. No one answered. He went from room to room, frantically searching for someone, anyone, who could give him an explanation. But the palace was completely deserted.
Even the conference hall, which was usually bustling with life and activity, was empty. Paltio felt a shiver run down his spine. Where is everyone? He wondered, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.
When he stepped outside, the scene that greeted him left him paralyzed. Outside the palace gates, a crowd of citizens armed with torches and pitchforks screamed furiously, their faces twisted with hatred.
Paltio was terrified. He had never felt such deep fear as he did at that moment. All the citizens who had once admired him now looked at him with loathing, their faces contorted with rage as they hurled insults and demanded his expulsion. "Out of here, Paltio! You're not welcome in this kingdom!" they roared, pointing at him as if he were the cause of all their misfortunes.
But what broke his heart the most was seeing his friends among the crowd. Alita and Ron, who had always stood by his side, now looked at him with disdain. Their eyes, once full of friendship, were now filled with resentment. How can they do this to me? Paltio thought, feeling each cruel word pierce his soul.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from behind him. Paltio spun around quickly, and what he saw left him frozen. A horde of warriors bearing the insignia of the red shadows advanced relentlessly, led by Tejod, the enormous humanoid badger whose presence radiated terror. With every step he took, Tejod extended his amulet toward the citizens, instantly transforming them into red jade. Their lifeless bodies briefly glowed with a supernatural light before he crushed them with his massive fists, reducing them to tiny fragments scattered on the ground.
The people tried to flee in panic, but it was futile. No one could escape the curse spreading like an unstoppable plague. Screams of terror filled the air as Tejod marched forward without pause, his expression cold and indifferent as he surveyed the surrounding destruction.
"All of this is your fault, Paltio!" some citizens shouted, pointing at him with accusatory fingers before being overtaken by the transformation. Even Alita and Ron, who had once been his closest friends, pointed at him with hatred as their bodies began to harden and glow with the characteristic shimmer of red jade.
"No, wait!" Paltio tried to say, extending a hand toward them, but it was already too late. Tejod, with a swift and merciless motion, struck the newly formed statues, shattering them into pieces before his eyes. The sound of the red jade figures breaking into shards echoed like a macabre refrain, marking the end of everything that had once been familiar to him.
The badger advanced without pause, his expression cold and indifferent as he surveyed the surrounding destruction. To him, they were nothing more than pieces on a board he was sweeping away without mercy. Each step he took brought more screams, more chaos, more pain.
"This is because of you, you're to blame, Paltio!" the voices of the citizens shouted before being silenced forever. It was as if the entire world blamed him, as if every misfortune that befell the kingdom was his responsibility.
Paltio fell to his knees, defeated. Tears streamed from his eyes as he watched everything he loved being torn from his grasp. "I... I didn't want this," he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos. But no one heard him. There was no one left who could.
The humanoid badger paused for a moment, turning toward him with a cruel smile. "Pathetic," Tejod said, his deep voice resonating like thunder. "All of this is your fault, boy. And now, it's time for you to face the consequences."
"I... but I didn't..." Paltio stammered, unable to form a defense. Everything seemed to be moving too fast, like a roller coaster that started calm and then spiraled into uncontrollable chaos.
Suddenly, a firm hand grabbed his arm and pulled him backward. Paltio turned quickly, ready to face another attack, but when he saw who it was, his heart leaped with relief. It was Mok, his butler and trusted friend.
"Quickly, young master, we must go. Your parents are safe, follow me," Mok said urgently, his usually calm tone now tinged with worry.
Without asking questions, Paltio followed Mok as they fled from the palace. The enemy army advanced rapidly, leaving destruction in its wake. Mok led Paltio to a secret hiding place, a barn camouflaged among the trees. Upon entering, Paltio found his parents, who embraced him immediately, filling the air with warmth that contrasted sharply with the cold outside.
"How strange... Why aren't they saying anything bad to me or treating me like the others?" Paltio thought, confused by the difference in his parents' behavior.
"Calm down, my child, it's over now," they said, their voices filled with tenderness as they tried to soothe him.
"But outside, the enemy is destroying the entire kingdom! We have to do something!" Paltio exclaimed, his sense of responsibility battling against his fear.
"No, my boy, there's nothing more we can do for them. We must flee the kingdom," his mother responded sadly, but with determination.
"Master, they're approaching!" Mok shouted, drawing his sword quickly. His stance was firm, ready to face any threat that stood between him and his young lord. But before he could take a step forward, the door to the hideout was ripped off its hinges by a superhuman force, the splintered wood slamming into Mok with brutal force and throwing him against one of the walls with a dull thud.
"So there were more of you here," Tejod said, his deep voice resonating like thunder as he entered the barn. His red eyes gleamed with cruelty, and his enormous figure blocked the light from outside, plunging the space into even deeper shadows.
Upon seeing him, Paltio's parents reacted instantly, positioning themselves in front of their son like a shield. "No, you won't do anything to our son!" they exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with desperation but also determination.
Paltio, paralyzed by fear, couldn't move or speak. Everything seemed to be moving too fast, as if he were a powerless spectator of his own tragedy. Tears began streaming from his eyes as he watched his parents try to protect him, knowing it was futile.
"If that's what you wish," Tejod said indifferently, raising his amulet toward them. With a simple gesture, the bodies of Paltio's parents began to transform into red jade, their lifeless figures reflecting the horror of what was unfolding. Before the transformation was complete, they managed to utter one final phrase: "We love you, son."
Once turned into statues, Tejod clenched his massive fists and struck the figures, reducing them to tiny fragments. "Pathetic," he muttered with disdain, as if he had just crushed insignificant insects. "Now it's your turn, boy. It's time to finish you off."
Mok, injured but determined, struggled to his feet amidst the debris. Despite his condition, he unsheathed his sword once more and advanced toward Tejod, ready to protect Paltio until his last breath. "Stop!" he shouted, though his voice sounded weak compared to the imposing presence of the badger.
Tejod barely glanced at him before acting. With a swift motion, he grabbed Mok by the neck and lifted him into the air as if he were a ragdoll. "Useless," he said with a cruel smile, transforming the butler into red jade. Without mercy, he tore off the statue's head and tossed it to the ground. "Bah, they don't make servants like they used to," he sneered, stomping on the remains. "That face... That expression of someone fighting to the end, but well, it doesn't interest me." With another strike, he completely shattered the statue's head.
"Alright, boy," Tejod continued, turning toward Paltio with a macabre smile on his face. "You're the last of your entire kingdom. Feel honored; you'll die by my hand." He paused for a moment, looking at the prince with contempt. "I don't think there's any need to use my amulet for this."
With a sudden movement, Tejod grabbed Paltio by the neck and lifted him into the air. The young man, unable to move, could only cry as thick tears streamed down his cheeks. "Don't dirty my suit with your filthy tears, useless prince," Tejod growled. "Prepare to die so you can join your family."
With a quick and effortless motion, Tejod snapped Paltio's neck and threw him to the ground like trash. The young man's body fell with a dull thud, lifeless and inert.
"We're done here," Tejod declared, turning to leave the place. Before exiting, he cast one last glance at Paltio's corpse. "Even in death, boy, you're staring at me with that look of hatred and despair. How pathetic," he said with a mocking laugh. "All of this I could do in the blink of an eye. I didn't even need an army for it."
Outside the hideout, Tejod joined his soldiers, who cheered him on as they surveyed the ruins of the kingdom. "It's time to bring Lord Urugas back," he announced, his voice laden with malicious pride. "Avocadolia has fallen. Nothing and no one can stop us now."
"What… what happened?" Paltio wondered in his mind, watching in disbelief as his body lay lifeless on the ground, his empty eyes staring at the ceiling. "Hey! Am I dead? Is this what it feels like to die?" His consciousness floated in an undefined space, trapped between life and death, between reality and the unknown.
But soon, memories began to hit him like relentless waves. "I failed... I failed my mission. I couldn't save my kingdom or protect my family. I couldn't even unite Avocadolia with the other five realms as I promised." Each thought was a weight that dragged him deeper into the abyss of his own guilt. "I'm a coward... I couldn't defeat Tejod or his shadows. Forgive me," he murmured silently, accepting his dark and cruel fate.
At that moment, a terrifying voice echoed in the void, filled with mockery and malice. "Well, well... How easy this was. You two are nothing but useless. Why did you enter my domain if you weren't going to be able to overcome it?"
"Relax," responded another voice, this one delicate and soft, like a maternal whisper. "They're not entirely useless. You were just too quick and broke their spirits before they could truly try."
The first voice, brimming with cruelty, let out a sinister laugh. "Then what do you want me to do? Make them relive this same fate over and over again? I'd enjoy that. Making people suffer is my specialty."
"No," the second voice interrupted firmly. "That would be cruel. Besides, you wouldn't do that; you'd grow bored with time."
The two voices argued with each other, like opposing forces struggling to impose their will. But then, a third voice suddenly interrupted the conversation, surprising even the first two.
"Well, well... I think we underestimated you. You can see us. Greetings, we are..."