Articles flashed through the entire city, both in physical and social media. Many newspapers flooded the streets in just a single night. Many people had different opinions on the situation the kingdom faced.
Some didn't show the slightest care, either by shrugging it off or by continuing their regular lives. And some saw it as a good sign, which would help the kingdom grow as a whole.
While the rest were enraged, Jobs, families, and companies were obscured due to the unexpected attack on the entertainment section.
The government had restricted all civilians from entering the section for reasons of investigation and reconstruction on certain parts. This action caused multiple backlashes from the community.
And when most people had seen the criminals responsible for the destruction of the most productive area in the kingdom, this only served to fuel the fire.
Some called them out for being a corrupted democracy, which started a protest near the castle, demanding that the criminals be executed in public.
***
Rocky had woken up from his bed, stretching his tendons before looking at the window. Many people from his neighborhood were marching along a path toward the castle. He had never seen the street this lively before.
He took a moment to analyze and process this information, letting out a big yawn—Sliding his blanket to the side of the bed.
He blinked his eyes a couple of times, regaining his vision slightly. As the blur faded away, he saw six people sitting on his couch with their gaze fixated on the TV.
"Wha— AHH!"
Rocky yelped, bumping his back against the wall, letting himself slide down, trying to maintain his rationality.
"Rough night?"
Leo asked, his eyes still directed toward the television, scratching the back of his neck. Rocky was deeply in thought to figure out why six strangers were inside his apartment.
He regained composure after recalling the previous events that had followed yesterday, remembering that he had invited six guests inside.
He stood up and fixed himself—Especially his hair—properly. He felt embarrassed letting himself yelp in front of the guests he had invited. And weirdly grateful that he had a TV that distracted all of them.
"Ah, right... You guys are here..."
"So I'll just... Take a shower, okay?"
Rocky saw that no one replied, with only their head directed to the television. He excused himself to the bathroom, hurrying with each step. Haruo grabbed the remote and heightened the volume to the max; in doing so, the broadcast became clearer.
***
"This is corruption!"
"People died in there!"
"Where are your morals!?"
Many protesters gathered around the entrance of the Kingdom, demanding for response from not only the king but from the government as well. People wanted answers due to the sudden events that led to nearly 11 percent of the population in the kingdom to perish in just hours.
"As you know, there had been an incident inside the entertainment section. We all gather here today to find a voice of reason within this chaos and give clarification about this incident. As of now, we are waiting for the representative to make his appearance on the stage..."
As the reporter occupied the screen, a man revealed himself in front of the crowd. He stepped forward to the mic—adjusting its height—before he set his gaze toward the crowd.
"Everyone, please settle down. Before I address he current situation, I'd like to introduce myself: My name is Fallon Anderson, and I'm here as the representative of the government."
Multiple people started to throw objects at him, either food or rocks. But none of them hit him directly. Many of which got close enough to at least graze his skin. Despite their anger, he hadn't allowed himself to shiver once.
"I know all of you are angry about the incident, but please understand that we, as well, are affected by its outcome. Many of our workers are deeply saddened; their families and friends were lost as well."
Many cameras flashed on the man; Yet, having clarified the problem, many were still enraged—More intense, actually. A person then joined the stage and tried to harm Anderson, but he was quickly neutralized by a man. The man, in particular, had his face and hair covered until his eyes.
More security then followed and escorted the citizen from the stage. Their uniform were different than the man who neutralized the citizen.
"The criminals that invaded our city, our kingdom, had found a hidden route that was completely invisible to our radar. So we initially weren't able to pinpoint where they came from and how they entered. We weren't able to act quickly for this reason."
In the crowd, a girl with a speaker fixed her voice before she said:
"That doesn't excuse our lack of defense! We were promised a safe and protected space when we first moved into this kingdom! Where is that promise now!? Where are all your forces currently at, and where are our taxes getting allocated!?"
Multiple security personnel went to grab her mic, destroying it without a thought.
Not so surprisingly, most of the crowd had agreed on her statement. As if the noise wasn't loud enough as it is. Anderson only gave her a slight glare, then returned to the mic.
"Yes, our lack of security has been low these past few months. I won't deny that. We are trying our best, the best we can, to improve our kingdom in all aspects; we can't just focus on one thing; that would create an imbalance in our structure as a community."
"So as a way to confirm our diligence, we brought some guests to the stage." Anderson raised his right hand—with the gesture, the whole crowd turned their gaze to their left and saw six people, half-naked, with their legs chained together, with their heads covered in cloth.
The security made them stand in front of the stage before kicking each of their calves, forcing them to kneel.
"These are the criminals who decided to attack our city; the same ones who killed our sons! Burned our fathers! And raped our mothers and sisters before killing them off! We treasure justice more than anything in this kingdom! And I will not stand by and let these terrorists go unpunished!"
Anderson looked at the masked man, giving him a slight nod.
"So let this be known in the kingdom!" The hooded man unsheathed his blade. He walked slowly toward the first criminal. Pressing his foot on their back, he pushed him to the ground, landing on their face.
"And to all of you who dare invade our lands!" The hooded man took off the cloth from the criminal's head, revealing face to the public. He had a muzzle on that prevented them from speaking. They cried in front of the crowd, trying to break free, but ultimately failed.
"That we will not rest!" The hooded man then lodged his sword in the back of the criminal's head and escaped through his mouth.
"Until you are brought justice!"
He turned the blade 90 degrees before shooting his blade upward, splitting the criminal's head in two. Their blood sprayed like a fountain, going outside the stage.
The crowd went silent. No one dared to make a sound until someone cheered. Slowly, they all started to join in the cheering—until they all cheered and applauded. Anderson exited the stage, fixing his tie before vanishing from the screen completely.
The reporter then turned to the camera, her mic in her hand, documenting his speech, while the hooded man continued to execute each of the criminals slowly in front of the camera.
***
Water burst out of the sink, pouring water down its faucet—Falling perfectly down the drain. Rocky intercepted its flow, spreading through his entire hand as he rubbed them together. He took a look at his shattered mirror, separated into nine sections each.
He saw his reflection in this mirror; his appearance was getting distorted, turning it into something uncanny. He fixed his suit and stared deeply into his mirror.
The mirror was shattered ever since he was little, but despite that, he still felt a pang of uneasiness washing down on him like a waterfall. All he could do was ignore it and go on with his life.
***
Rocky wiped the steam that blocked the mirror reflection before standing way back to his own face. He buttoned his shirt before giving himself a wide smile. He wore his best attire for it was an important day for him, and he made sure he was perfect, double-checking each second.
He kept this rhythm until a person called out to him from outside the bathroom:
"We'll be late if you just stare at your reflection all day!"
Rocky climbed down from his stool before he raced out of the bathroom.
"Coming, ma!"
Rocky went to search for his parents until he found them waiting near the door. He hurried to put on his shoes before grabbing his mother's hand. They all went out of the apartment and traversed through the city.
After walking for a while, they had made it toward the travel log—A place that took nearly an entire section to fit. Many airships flew above the sky, while many more waited on the ground until they were full of multiple people.
He covered his nose—protecting it from the smoke that polluted some areas. It felt foreign to him; this had been the first time he had been to a place like this. They passed through many buildings until they finally arrived at their destination, a large tower-like structure.
The structure was larger than the castle, its top pierced through the sky like a spear; he tried to measure it but ultimately failed.
As he analyzed the structure, blue particles began to emit from the complex runes. Spiraling around the tower before shooting a beam of light out of the atmosphere.
The entrance was filled with people lining up; it spanned almost a kilometer.
"You'd better behave, okay? Your father had spent a fortune just to make a man wait in line to buy us these tickets."
Rocky nodded, agreeing with his mother. Lining themselves up, they waited for exactly 20 minutes until it was their turn. All three tapped their IDs to enter the structure.
The interior was entirely different from its exterior. The style changed into something more modern, mixed with hints of futuristic traits. They walked toward the receptionist, talking while Rocky observed the place.
At the edge of the walls were multiple portals, side by side, forming a circle; The majority of the people went inside portal 1.0, either in groups or individually. As he darted through the place, a man barged in from the entrance; he dodged the tight security and ran toward a portal.
But instead of going through it, he crashed into it. The portal had rejected him, so he turned around to see security coming after him. His expression darkened, he stood up and tried again, hammering the portal, but to no avail; he still couldn't go through.
The guard escorted him out of the structure whilst he protested, and Rocky only observed.
As he was watching, his mom began to walk—nearly making him stumble. He redirected his focus and followed his mother. They headed to portal 1.0; it's hum getting closer as they walked. They passed through the portal instantly.
He had thought portal travel was something more complex, but it felt as if he were walking through an open door. He inspected his other hand—opening and closing it—before he set his eyes forward.
Along his path was a giant statue surrounded by many performers giving out balloons to kids his age.
Laughter filled the air while many other kids ran around, and their families stayed close behind them. Cheers and screams were heard from a distance.
Rocky studied the statue, realizing it was a man whom he admired deeply.
Zen: The greatest performer.
He had made it, the place where he always wanted to visit.
The planet filled with joy and entertainment: Zen's Carnival.