Tales of Zeroth

The year was 11ALB, more than five hundred years before the birth of Rapl Tsukumo. After conquering the Kingdom of Arksan in four years, the Kingdom of Zania became a massive threat to every nation in Akal. Not helping their reputation was their newly anointed King; borrowing the name of the Great Zanian Leader Lirch, the Lich declared war on every nation in the territory.

In six years they decimated nations and tribes, only being slowed down by Kendro's elite mages. But the all-consuming fire that was the Kingdom of Zania was briefly extinguished as a major uprising came from one of the nation's conquered territories. Knowing the tight position they were in, the Lich commanded his Grand General and the elite Black Scars to hold off any nation that tried to attack; all while he handled the uprising.

For a full year, Zanians killed Zanians, as the cruelty from both sides caused a tremendous amount of human suffering. But finally, in the city of Kalamot, the Lich defeated the ringleader of the war, putting an end to the conflict.

But in the castle where their battle ended, the Lich, the human Artefus, intended to keep the ringleader, the elf Nero, alive for torture. With a sharp bone shoved into his shoulder, the elf struggled as the bloody Artefus grunted in pain, "ZAN WILL HAVE IT'S SACRIFICE!! YOU TRAITOR!!" the Lich yelled, his voice baring so much hatred.

Causing the elf to laugh maniacally, "TRAITOR!! ME?!!" He screamed out, as his joyous face turned into a demonic scowl, "WAS I THE MAN WHO SENT MILLIONS OF ZANIANS TO THEIR DEATH OH GREAT KING OF ZANIA!?!"

At the statement, Artefus moved his finger, causing a bone to protrude out, stabbing the man's leg and making him scream in agony, "WE FIGHT TO BRING FOURTH REVENGE UPON THOSE WHO TURNED THEIR HEADS WHILST ZANIA WAS IN PERIL!!" Stated the Lich as his eyes foresaw him being stabbed by a bone.

Artefus dodged it as he saw Nero's hand move. Instantly he used Rend, cutting the hands of the elf, "GAH!!" Nero grunted as Artefus began to take heavy breaths, he was running out of mana.

But even with his exhaustion, the rage inside of him still crawled out, "YET EVEN WHEN THE PEOPLE OF ZANIA WERE DYING!! WHERE WAS THEIR CROWN PRINCE NERO!?!? ANSWER ME SCUM!! WAS IT NOT YOUR BLOODLINE THAT MADE ZANIA LOSE THE WAR AGAINST ARKSAN!?! WAS IT NOT YOUR BLOODLINE THAT IMPOVERISHED ZANIA?! AND WAS IT NOT YOUR BLOODLINE THAT TRIED TO ESCAPE WHILE THE BLOODBORNE WAS GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOUR PEOPLE!?!? ANSWER ME!?"

"YES IT WAS MY BLOOD THAT DID ALL OF THAT!!" Nero admitted, tearing off his shirt to reveal the tattoos that were on his body; tattoos not of the royal family, and tattoos a top scars, scars that looked to have been made to remove a mark, "BUT IT WAS MY HEART, MIND, AND SOUL THAT STAYED IN ZANIA EVEN WHILE YOU MADE THE LAW TO HUNT DOWN ANYONE OF THE ROYAL FAMILY!!"

Artefus was stunned. He really thought Nero and his family left. "W-why?" the Lich asked, his voice quieter than before, his rage subsiding.

Heavily injured, Nero took a few deep breaths before he spoke again, "I-in your speech, to the people of Zania, that you say when y-you were a child y-you wanted change… I-I also wanted it; when I was a very young boy I looked upon the blood-stained streets of Zania, and w-wished it wasn't so, I dreamt of a lightened city, one where people wouldn't freeze or starve to death every night, you said you wanted it as well."

Artefus stood in disbelief at the words Nero was saying. He thought all the royals were soulless beasts who viewed the peasantries as nothing more than a burden. After all, over a century of history would prove him right. But Nero spoke of a true royal, one whose love for his people was genuine and shown. "B-but I heard the royal family tried to escape. Do you lie to me?" Artefus asked with a truthful wonder.

"I gave you no lie," Nero immediately responded, "I told you, my blood fled while the Bloodborne attacked… but I knew their cowardice, I knew they were a pest to my people… so I got rid of them, with the very hand you thought I betrayed my nation with." But as Nero finished what he was saying, blood exited his mouth, as he felt his end near. But as he lay, he began to look back on the times of joy, in a hole in a wall no bigger than a small room, where he truly found out what it meant to be Zanian.

7 years ago…

Deep within the capital of Zania, Dazarek, stood a nine-teen-year-old Nero, his breaths rapid as he hid behind a wall, "That was close," he expressed, as he held tight a bag of fruits. But his voice was silenced as he heard a few people walking behind the wall.

"Where did he go?" A voice of a gruff-sounding woman remarked, "DAMMIT LOKA!! THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE KATLYN'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT!!" The voice yelled in rage as more voices expressed their apologies.

Nero was struck with guilt as he heard this, but he couldn't just give it back, after all, he also needed it for his own. But as the group continued to argue, two apples dropped from the sky; instantly picking them up, they recognized them as ones that were stolen. As they looked at the ceiling, they saw a tentacle made of bones. The sight scared them, and they ran away in horror, "I'm sorry," Nero expressed as he moved his finger, pulling back the bones into the ground.

The elf bore a gift known as Necromancy, the power to manipulate nearby bones and control them like puppets. As Nero walked through the dirty streets of the underground city, he avoided eye contact with the people within it, and had the bag of fruits under the rags he was wearing. His two hands hiding behind his pockets were ready, one with his pointer and ring finger ready, controlling a set of bones below the ground; while the other hand readied a makeshift knife.

But as he walked more and more, he began to recognize the streets better; even to some residents, he would look and nod at them. And as he turned one street, he relaxed both hands as he brought out the fruits in his rags.

"Well, would you look a that?" A voice called in front of him, causing Nero to chuckle, "Nero's got a massive haul, care to give me some?" A man remarked, his head peeking from a window inside a house that was carved in the maze-like concrete underground streets of Dazarek.

"I'm afraid I can't fit you with us Luren," Nero replied in a friendly tone, causing the man in the window to act as if he was heartbroken dramatically.

"How could you… after all I've done for you?" He expressed, trying to hide his smile, but because of it Nero cracked up laughing, causing him to also do the same, "Eh whatever, I'm glad to see you safe kid, go on and feed your family." The two waved at each other as Nero continued to walk.

After a minute more, he came across a very familiar sight, a rag, draped over a small crudely made cave in the concrete, "I'm home," Nero happily called, but not a few seconds later, he saw her, first was her long green ears, then her brown long hair, then her breathtaking brown eyes. Nero smiled, as he saw the shining gem in his dirty world, Manai, his wife.

"What took you so long?" She expressed, digging one of her fingers up her nose, "I'm hungry ya'know?" Nero chuckled as he came closer, crouching down as he kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry, I was pretty tired from running." Nero got inside and he immediately saw another one of his few gems, crawling around the small room, her skin green like that of her mother, with emerald eyes like that of her father, "Did you take Mino to your mother's today?" Asked Nero as he picked up his one-year-old daughter, Mino.

"Yeah," his wife replied as she looked upon the bag he had brought, her eyes gleamed as she saw fruits, "W-what? Why'd you get this?" She asked, her face not justifying how perplexed she was.

Nero smiled in response, "Didn't you say you wanted something sweet?" Manai's eyes widened as she put the bag in the corner of their room, sliding over at Nero, she hugged him.

"I love you y'know?" She remarked, her monotone voice betraying her true emotions, but Nero saw it.

"Yeah, I know." Crown Prince Nero, used to live a life where gold and diamonds could be given to him with a few words, but now, in the dirty and brutal streets of the underground city of Dazarek, he lived a life with more riches than he had before.