The ministers froze at the king's heartfelt cry.
That calculating king, who had always put profit above all else, was now admitting his own error.
He had reached that conclusion only after despairing at the overwhelming difference in military strength.
It was undeniable—the kingdom had no chance of winning.
The ministers, who had once hidden behind their pride, finally realized the truth: they had only been trying to protect their own interests. One by one, they lowered their heads and knelt before the king.
"We are terribly sorry, Your Majesty," one minister said, his voice heavy with shame. "We will… we will search for a way forward. Not for our profit—but for the people of this country."
The others quickly nodded and pressed their foreheads to the floor in agreement.
King Edmaris gave a small nod. "Very well. Then we will discuss. We must decide, before the nobles gather, what path to take. If we do not present a united front… this kingdom will collapse."
The chamber filled with tense silence. Their voices rose and fell in long, serious debate. What would become of Falmus? What did the happiness of the people truly mean? None of them noticed how long the night stretched on.
---
**Three days later.**
The nobles were assembled in the grand hall. The atmosphere was starkly different from before—gone was the usual arrogance and chatter. The king and ministers wore grave expressions, and even the nobles, sensing the weight in the air, grew tense.
Then the king stood and spoke.
"This country has lost to Eterna, the kingdom led by the Sovereign Atem. Therefore, to take responsibility, we shall abdicate the throne."
The words struck like thunder. The hall erupted into chaos.
"What!?"
"Abdicate!?"
"Impossible!"
The ministers followed with grim reports: the complete annihilation of the subjugation army, the unbelievable fact that the king alone had survived, and the demands from Atem himself—one thousand five hundred Stellar Gold coins in reparations, and a cession of land.
The nobles raged.
"Three percent of the treasury's annual revenue?! Outrageous!"
"And to hand over land? That cannot be allowed!"
"Responsibility should fall upon the royal family alone!"
Their fury boiled, but their words were hollow. They had forgotten—or refused to admit—the truth. Atem was not a man to trifle with. He was no ordinary king but a Sovereign who commanded the mysteries of Solarys, the Sovereign of Wisdom, and powers that dwarfed armies.
When the ministers reminded them of this, some nobles went pale. Yet others sneered defiantly.
"Are we to kneel before monsters?!"
"We should rather fight to the last breath than live as vassals!"
The king's patience snapped. His voice roared over the chamber.
"Silence! Do you fools not understand!? Atem is no mere monster! He commands powers that bend the heavens themselves. He could erase this entire kingdom without lifting his hand. And yet, he has offered us terms. That is mercy! Mercy that we do not deserve!"
The nobles recoiled, but some shouted back.
"O King! Even if you abdicate, you cannot escape responsibility! Did you plan to save your own skin alone?"
"If we do not abdicate, we incur Atem's wrath. Is that fine with you? Or will you choose instead to bend knee as his vassals? Tell me, which shall it be!?"
"Guh… Still! We cannot surrender without resistance!"
The arguments spiraled into shouting matches, no end in sight.
The ministers watched with heavy hearts. Their faces flushed with shame as they recalled their own resistance when the king had first told them of Atem's power. How they had clung to pride instead of reason.
King Edmaris was far from perfect—greedy, yes—but never blind. He was a ruler who could see ahead when others refused to. His failure had come from trying to protect the interests of the kingdom at the cost of his judgment.
To heap all blame upon him was cowardice. And yet, the nobles insisted on protecting their own wealth and titles, blind to the greater danger.
The reality was clear: without unity, without sacrifice, the Kingdom of Falmus would not survive Atem's judgment.
In the end, the great council session ended without conclusion.
As Atem—guided by Solarys, the Sovereign of Wisdom—had foreseen, the Falmus Kingdom fractured between the royal faction and the nobles.
That division was fatal. The Falmus Kingdom collapsed.
And from that day forward, its name lived only in history as *the nation destroyed by the wrath of Atem, the Sovereign of Eterna.*
---
Yet, amidst the ruins, a spark of resistance appeared.
In the territory of Earl Nidol Mygam, a single man rose to prominence. A man who refused to bow to greedy lords or abandon the people to despair. His name was **Youm.**
"You've had your fill of exploiting the people," Youm declared as he stood before a crowd of villagers and scattered soldiers. "From today onward, I fight for them—not for nobles, not for crowns. If you wish to protect your homes, stand with me!"
His charisma was undeniable. Volunteer soldiers rallied to his side, forming a banner of hope. He fought tirelessly, defeating corrupt noble forces again and again. His courage and decisive victories earned him the title of an undefeated champion.
Those with wisdom or foresight quickly joined his camp. And fate brought him unexpected allies: Edgar, the son of the executed King Edmaris, became his advisor despite his youth.
The fall of King Edmaris still haunted the kingdom. His execution had been meant to satisfy the nobles' rage. But on the scaffold, as the guillotine blade fell, an eerie event shocked the world.
The king's head and torso separated, yet before they could strike the ground, a girl's laughter pierced the air.
"Heh… how amusing. Even now, you cling to pride."
Before the stunned crowd, the severed body rose into the air and drifted away into the sky, vanishing into nothingness. Only the bloodstains remained on the wood.
Whispers spread like wildfire. Some claimed it was the hand of Atem, others a curse laid by spirits. The truth was lost, but from that day, Edmaris was erased from the chronicles, condemned to obscurity.
---
Two years passed.
Under Youm's banner, the divided lands of old Falmus were reunited. His victories would have been impossible without aid from the dwarven kingdom and the merchants of Blumund, yet there was a greater force behind his success: Atem himself.
The Sovereign of Eterna declared a pact of non-aggression. His message was simple but absolute:
"Youm Falmenas shall rise. He has chosen the path of responsibility. Those who oppose him oppose me. And I… do not forgive twice."
The declaration shook the continent. Nobles who had once doubted Youm now cowered at Atem's shadow. With the demon sovereign's implicit protection, Youm's claim could not be challenged.
Thus, the champion who once fought with nothing but his blade and conviction established a new kingdom: **Falmenas.**
Its name meant *"a nation born from threat."*
Youm was crowned as its first king, his name forever after known as **Youm Falmenas.** At his side stood two trusted magickers, Edgar as his steadfast advisor, and a mysterious political consultant of unknown origin named Marius—a man whose face bore an uncanny resemblance to the late King Edmaris.
"Youm," Marius once said quietly, his voice steady, "a crown is a burden heavier than any blade. But if you bear it for the people, you will endure."
With companions he trusted and a kingdom reborn from ashes, Youm Falmenas began his walk into legend.
But the world was changing. Atem's judgment still loomed large, and the era ahead promised only greater storms.
The march into the turbulent age had begun, and no one—not even kings—could halt its steps.