Ruler Of Iron And Flesh

Inian's mind raced after seeing the massive talking bug. It stood by a tree and looked like a c.o.c.kroach. It had no facial expressions, but some slight excitement could be heard in its voice when it greeted him.

The bug watched Inian's body language, "oh dear," it began, "it appears I may have frightened my liege. Deepest apologies sire." The bug then bowed low to the ground.

Inian pulled out one of his swords before he said anything, "who or what are you?"

The bug replied, "I am Kraque. The previous king placed me here about.....25 years ago, maybe? He had me wait here for the next king when he is ready. So here you are, and I sense the beating heart of the king within you!"

Inian's mouth dropped open, "you've been waiting here, for over 25 years?" The bug nodded but nodding for it just made its whole body move up and down. "Yes! Now I can fulfill my duty and teach the young king about what it means to be the king."

Inian's head was hurting, so he held a hand up, "back up for a moment. You keep calling me the king? What the heck does that mean? Why have I gotten dreams about a giant wolf and dragon? How can you talk? How the hell am I this king you keep talking about?"

The bug's antennae twitched, "hmmm, I see you are quite behind on your history as the king. So we shall start there, hmmm?" The bug tried clearing its throat, and that didn't help the chittering voice that came from the bug. "Long ago, there was a war between beasts. The one known as the king at the time was the giant wolf. The dragon was a rebel who led the rebellious monsters against the forces of the king. All this was long before humans came into existence and built their machines and cities, however."

The bug continued, "the king won, and he has since passed on his heart to descending kings of any race. He does it so that there is always a king with his power, just in case another one of the dragon's descendants returns."

The bug came closer to Inian, "the king before you was the great white stag, a behemoth level beast that was injured by some of the dragon's old forces. He did not have time to train and teach a new king, but as he was injured, he found an abandoned baby in the woods. Left by his family, the child was near starvation and was incredibly sickly."

The bug tapped its body, "the king gave his heart to the child, and the child's health came back. The king had me take the child near a human village. So I brought you to the edge of the woods, where a caring family found you. After which, the great stag brought me to these woods and told me to wait until the new king is ready. After which, he perished and joined the earth. So I waited, and I finally can see the child next to me once again, except that he is now a fully grown human."

Inian's mind hurt from all this new information getting thrown at him. All of humanity's history has talked about how monsters had been mindless, attacking humans randomly, and how humanity has needed to kill them to survive. Now he's being told that he is the king of all those monsters? It just didn't make sense.

"How come I haven't felt any of this so-called power? If I am a king like that giant wolf, then shouldn't I have some great power?"

The bug stuttered, "o-of course! You are the mighty king; you should have amazing power! I am just here to help you realize it, your majesty. You have only come to know that you are the king now, but the responsibility and power that comes with it are great. For example, once you fully control your heart, then you can use every ability of any monster. You can control incredible armies, and you will have incredible strength and endurance. However, as of now, you are completely unfamiliar with the heart, and can't use it."

Inian stayed silent for a moment to think, 'I came out here because of a dream, and now I have a giant bug telling me that I am the king of all monsters? I'm not sure how to take this.' He was in deep contemplation, but then he thought of Marc and how he walked away from Inian so that he could take revenge on the Empire. 'I can't let him continue, or else he's going to get himself killed. I need that power.'

"Okay then Kraque, what do I need to do?"

The bug jumped up, "splendid! It is such an honor for me to be able to teach the king! The first thing you need to do is remove that suit. If you want to understand your abilities and powers as the king, then you can't use any human-made machines."

Inian reluctantly removed his exosuit, as it was a great gift from Janae and her father. He just put it off to the side for now and intended to keep it.

Inian stood in front of the bug with nothing but his shorts and shoes. His black hair was matted down on his head after wearing his helmet for so long. The bug crawled closer to him, and Inian wanted to jump back. This was the closest he had ever been to a monster before without it trying to kill him.

"Hmm, what was that next step?" Kraque muttered to himself, "that's it! Stand by this tree, young king and sit down." Inian did as he said.

"Now, focus on your heartbeat, and don't break that concentration. When your mind can resonate with your heart, you can control any monster, whether willingly or unwillingly. That is the first step."

Inian sat down and asked, "how long does it take?" Kraque replied, "it took the last king five years I believe. But maybe you can cut that time in half if you really try!" Inian's mouth dropped open, '5 years!?' He shut his eyes and began focusing, and he didn't have time to wait for that long.

Inian needed this power as soon as possible, so he listened to the pulsing in his veins. He felt the pounding in his c.h.e.s.t and the control with every pump. He sat quietly, focused entirely on his heart and mind.

.................................................

Marc had been in the punishment chamber for the last few days. He had been given no food and minimal water while sitting locked in a dark room. He had just been let out, and the sunlight cascaded down onto his face.

He squinted from the hard rays coming down, but his eyes adjusted after a couple of minutes. He could then see something he had never seen before. A massive airship covered the entire span of Galbury Castle. It was flying overhead, and a few ropes dropped to the ground. Men were scrambling around, and one of the corporals who beat him earlier walked up to him. "Here is your new uniform deserter." He shoved a pile of clothes into Marc's arms. Marc looked up questioningly. The corporal continued, "you will get some food and water at the chow hall, but afterward, you are going to be apart of an assault with one of the few behemoth level sh.i.p.s in the whole world. Don't you dare desert this time." He walked away, leaving Marc tired, starving, but motivated to climb as high as he can in the ranks of the Empire, all to end it.