Neva gulped as he hesitated whether he should look at the monster. Or even speak to it.
Neva's heart seized. Could it be a Brain Eater? They mimicked your loved ones, waiting for you to look. Then they'd crawl straight through your pupils, eating your brain from the inside.
The number of monsters inside the fog was unknown, possibly infinite. As the former prince, he was forced to read books about the monsters inside the fog.
Just hearing a voice inside the fog immediately made numerous monsters jump out. Some horrors beyond human comprehension, and others beasts of terror, and on rare occasions, friendly.
The longer Neva thought about what kind of monster he had accidentally stumbled upon, the more his stomach dropped.
Neva squeezed his eyes and mouth shut, hoping that whatever monster had come to claim his life had passed by.
But the voice sighed.
"Come on, kid — you know the fog can't touch a domain lord. That's the rules."
Neva clamped his eyes shut, his breath ragged. Monsters devoured fools. If he stayed still, maybe it would pass him by.
After waiting a few seconds, the voice got impatient.
"Come on, kid." The voice sighed, almost amused.
"The fog isn't even near you. Check out your beautiful walls."
Dread spiked through Neva's veins. Lies. He refused to move.
Yet against every sense of judgment, Neva instinctively cracked open one of his eyes. As if his body trusted the voice.
What he saw stunned him. The fog was curving away from him, rippling like water around an unseen barrier.
"No, that's not right. There's something –" Neva felt his eyes adjusting themselves and noticed, an arm's distance away from him, a crystal clear glass barrier blocking the fog from entering.
"A domain, but how?" Neva's heart broke out of rhythm.
"Could I still be protected by Father's domain?" Neva immediately dismissed that possibility.
He knew that the walls of domains were unique to each Domain Lord. The walls of his Father's Law Domain weren't like this.
Proof was right in front of his eyes. Not far away from him was the wall of the Law Domain. Its vast blue expanse was covered in laws that governed the kingdom.
It was nothing like the crystal clear wall protecting him from the fog.
"Finally noticed," the voice chirped like a summer breeze.
"Sheesh, thank goodness I said something or who knows how long you would have gone unnoticed with all that moping."
At some unknown time, both of Neva's eyes were wide open. His black eyes were crystal clear like glass as he stared in disbelief.
Mesmerized, Neva reached out, feeling his fingers bump into the glass wall. Sensing the curvature wrapping around him.
More importantly, a connection between himself and the wall. Instinctively getting a sense of its size.
"Arms length in both directions. So small."
"I need to make it bigger. This is pathetic compared to Father's Law Domain." Neva muttered before catching himself.
Astonished by his thoughts.
"Am I really a Domain Lord? But how?" Neva thought to himself, shocked.
"Who are you?" Neva asked cautiously. His fists tightened.
"Take a guess, former prince." The voice teased.
"I'm the first avatar you created: the star-spangled legend herself, America. I also like to be called Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty. Any of those work for me?" The voice mused.
"Never heard of—" Neva blinked, stunned.
Neva's mind lurched back to childhood. A sharp memory rose unbidden, clawing its way out of the dark.
Twenty years ago back when he was five, grounded for beating a servant half to death.
"Uncle Nitin, how much longer am I grounded for? It's been months and I'm bored." Neva complained.
Sitting in front of him was a young man in his thirties. Everything about him from his clothing, style, and presence screamed that he was up tight. Only his unevenly graying brown hair from stress produced a flaw.
"Your Highness, you…have two and a half years left to go," Nitin answered with a relaxed smile.
Placing a silver plate filled with his dinner.
"No, fair!" Neva puffed out his cheeks.
"Why do I need to stay here for so long?"
Nitin's eyes twitched. "Your Highness, the laws are absolute. If you hope to inherit the throne one day, you have to let go of this violent streak."
"Fat chance. Violence is fun! When I become King, I want to bring glory to the kingdom and expand our territory." Neva said arrogantly.
Nitin sighed. He anxiously stroked his hair as if making sure that it wasn't falling out from the stress of having to guide this violent child.
"Your Highness, I have something that might be interesting to you."
"Oh, what is it?" Neva asked with curiosity.
Nitin smiled and lifted up a thick book filled with hundreds of pages. Clearly unsuitable for a child of Neva's age.
"This is a fantasy book that I had bought from a wandering merchant. It's about a fantasy land called Earth. Uncovered by the fog and filled with weird power blocks called nations."
Neva interrupted with boredom.
"Not interested. I hate reading! Books are boring."
Nitin didn't become discouraged. And continued with what he was saying.
"Your Highness, I guarantee this book won't bore you. It's about the terrors of war."
"War?" Neva's ears perked up.
"There are large amounts of war, from small to big, between these nations. I assure you that it will not bore you for even a second." Nitin said with a smile, knowing that he had gotten the fish to bite.
"Well~ I don't know. It's so thick, and Father doesn't like me reading fictional books." Neva said interested.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. The King has approved this book."
"It's an educational, fictional book that will teach you that violence is not the answer. Diplomacy and laws are the true path to success." Nitin explained, firmly pressing the thick book into his tiny arms.
"If Father says so, but diplomacy seems so boring. All the meetings make me fall asleep." Neva grumbled, kicking his tiny feet.
Nitin didn't say anything more and just watched with a relieved smile as Neva eagerly opened the book.
The first passage seared into his brain.
As the author of this book, I will tell you the very purpose of this book. To show you the horrors of war.
The endless pain and violence it has brought to humanity. However, let's begin with the modern times of this land called Earth, and its most powerful country—the United States of America.
"Good start!" Neva laughed.
Attracted by the introduction, Neva jumped onto his bed, eager to start reading, but not paying enough attention, his foot slipped.
With a heavy thud, his head slammed against the golden bed frame, knocking him unconscious. When he awoke, he was stuffed in his bed, alone.
"Uncle Nitin? Did you leave already?" Neva called out, flinching from the painful sensation coming from the back of his head.
Getting no answer, Neva slouched. Now he was all alone again until tomorrow morning.
No, that wasn't right. From the corner of his eye, someone he had never seen before was there.
"Who are you?"