Empire of Flames: 1-10 Revenge

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Empire of Flames

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Reza successfully takes control of the Manticore and persuades the soldiers under Darius to join his side. He is now just one step away from avenging his benefactor...

Info

Style: No dress-up component Required: Yasmin Goodwill Lv. 9 Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 1 , 1 , 1 , Blueprint: The Kingdom's Tears

The Kingdom's Tears

Dialogue Choices

There are no dialogue choices in this stage.

Transcript

Expand for script.

• King Hassan: Reza, you did it!

• Reza: You mean we did it, Your Majesty.

• The Manticore slowly awakens from its slumber. When its eyes are finally open, the empire’s doomsday will have arrived.
• No one can stop me now.
• Reza: Thank you, Asha.

• Asha: Why are you thanking me? You helped Corey wake up. I should be thanking you!

• Reza: No, I should be the one thanking you.

• Reza: Manticore, take care of them.

• Manticore: Roar!

• Upon my command, the Manticore opens its eyes, and pounces at Yazdan and Yasmin.
• Their gifts are a problem. It’s better to get rid of them before they hinder my plans.
• Asha: Corey! Stop! That’s Yasmin!

• Manticore ignores Asha, spewing fire at Yazdan and Yasmin.
• Manticore: Roar!

• Asha: Corey! Stop it now!

• Reza: It only listens to my commands now. You can’t stop it.

• Asha: Your commands? What do you mean? Did you command Corey to attack Yasmin?

• Reza: That’s right, and it’s all thanks to you.

• Asha: Me?

• Reza: You helped me awaken the beast, and now it only listens to my commands.

• Asha: No, this isn’t you… There must be some misunderstanding…

• Asha’s eyes are full of shock. The truth is right before her, but she refuses to believe it.
• Reza: Look– this is the legendary beast’s true nature. It doesn’t care about humans.

• Manticore: Roar!

• Yasmin and Yazdan are two of the strongest warriors in the Persian Empire.
• But they’re no match for the giant Manticore. They’re instantly knocked to the ground.
• Yasmin: Ugh!

• Yazdan: …

• Yazdan: Yasmin!

• Manticore: Roar!

• Asha rushes over to check on Yasmin, but is obstructed by the Manticore’s flames.
• After spewing fire, it walks quietly to my side. I lightly pat its head in approval.
• Reza: Well done.

• Manticore: Awoo–

• Asha: Reza, what do you want to use Corey for?!

• Reza: To avenge His Majesty.

• Asha: Avenge His Majesty? Why do you want to avenge Darius?!

• Reza: Darius? I’m talking about the true king of the Persian Empire…

• Darius: Arrest Asha and all her accomplices!

• Outside the door, Darius suddenly roars in anger. At his command, armed guards break down the door, surrounding us.
• Darius gazes in astonishment from the conscious Manticore to Yasmin and the assassin lying on the ground.
• Darius: Asha, you woke the beast! Do you think you can escape by doing this?

• Reza: I’m the one who woke it up.

• Darius: Reza? What are you doing here? Where’s my Elixir of Immortality?

• Reza: Before worrying about the elixir, take a look at this first.

• I crouch down to lift the hood of the assassin lying in a pool of blood, revealing his face. Asha and Darius gasp.
• Asha: How could it be…

• Darius: Reza! What’s going on? Why is my unfilial son here?

• Reza: This is my special surprise for you.

• Reza: The one who has been attempting to kill the beast and thwarting your plans to achieve immortality is, in fact, your son.

• Reza: How does it feel to be betrayed by your son?

• I watch in satisfaction as Darius pales. His dignity, which he always valued the most, is now being trampled on mercilessly.
• Darius: He’s better off dead! After I gain eternal life, I won’t need a son at all!

• Darius: Reza, aren’t you supposed to make the elixir for me? Why did you awaken the beast? Are you going to betray me too?

• Reza: Hahahaha!

• I can’t help but laugh out loud. Darius looks at me, bewildered.
• Darius: Shut up! What’s so funny?!

• Reza: I didn’t expect you, a traitor, to worry about being betrayed. It’s really ridiculous.

• Darius: How dare you call me a traitor?!

• Darius: There’s a rebellion! Guards, take him down! Dig out the beast’s heart!

• Manticore: Roar!

• Asha: Stop! I won’t let you hurt Corey!

• Darius: It’s too late. Go to hell… What?!

• With a snap of my fingers, the soldiers who were pointing their spears at me instantly turn them at Darius.
• Darius: I am the king of the Persian Empire! H-how dare you!

• Reza: These people have been under my control for a long time. If I wanted to, I could have taken your life at any time.

• Reza: But that would be letting you off easy. I want you to experience the excruciating pain of losing everything.

• Darius: What do you want? The throne? Or eternal life?

• In the face of betrayal, the arrogant king finally fears for his life.
• Reza: I’m only taking away things that don’t belong to you in the first place.

• Reza: Let’s go, "Your Majesty".

• I’m about to take Darius away when Asha suddenly spreads her arms and blocks us.
• Asha: Reza… Are you still the same Reza that I know? This doesn’t seem like you at all…

• Asha: Have you been lying to me all along?

• I look coldly at everything, indifferent to Asha’s sorrow.
• It doesn’t matter if she’s happy or sad. After today, everything will disappear with the empire.
• Reza: If you want to know the truth, follow me.

• Reza: Given our former friendship, I can save you a seat in the front row to watch the empire’s destruction.

• I lead them to the tunnel that Darius ordered to be dug at the cost of countless lives.
• The winding tunnel leads directly to the base of Saruwa Volcano. Boiling lava lines both sides, and it get increasingly hotter as we descend.
• Darius: Why did you bring me here? Are you going to push me into the lava?!

• Reza: Patience. You’ll know soon.

• Asha: Reza, you said you wanted to avenge the true king of the Persian Empire. Who is it?

• Darius: I am the master of the empire! Who else is there?

• Reza: Can a monkey become a human by wearing clothes? Are you really a king just because you stole the crown?

• Darius: Who are you calling a monkey?! You, you…

• A sudden realization hits Darius, and his eyes widen.
• Darius: So you’re the Mad King’s subordinate!

• I can’t allow King Hassan to be insulted like this. I stomp forward and grab Darius by the neck.
• Darius: Nghhhh!

• Reza: Never call him by that name!

• Asha: Reza! Stop!

• Asha tries to stop me, but she doesn’t have the strength to pull me away.
• Reza: None of you understands the former king. He created strict laws to establish a peaceful world.

• Reza: Those who break the law should be punished. King Hassan did nothing wrong, yet you painted him as a villain and incited rebellion among the people!

• Asha: Reza, please release him! He’s dying!

• King Hassan: Reza, we can’t kill him yet…

• King Hassan reminds me of our plan. Realizing I’m acting irrationally, I release my grip on Darius. He falls to the ground, gasping for breath.
• Darius: *cough… cough*

• Reza: Don’t worry. I won’t let him die before he sees how this all ends.

• Asha: Why are you doing this, Reza?

• Asha: No matter how much you torture King Darius, you’ll never bring the former king back from the dead!

• Asha: You’re only hurting yourself, Reza.

• I look at the ghost of King Hassan beside me, and a wave of pain washes over me.
• If there were a way to bring King Hassan back to life, I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the Persian Empire, or even the whole world…
• Please stop… You’re the gentlest person in the world…
• Reza: Me? Gentle?

• I look at King Hassan and remember how there was always tenderness and kindness behind his stern demeanor. I shake my head sadly.
• Reza: I only acted as a gentle secretary to gain your trust and get closer to you.

• Reza: The former king suffered infamy for his people, so he could bring peace to the empire.

• Reza: He was the gentlest person in the world, not me.

• Reza: But perhaps you will never understand.

• Reza: None of that matters now. It will all be gone soon.

• Darius: What are you trying to do to my country?!

• Darius’ hands are tightly bound, so he can only shout angrily as he watches from the sidelines.
• Reza: This country was never yours. If you want your own country, you can build one after you go to hell.

• I ignore Darius and walk straight towards the depths of the mine, to the heart of the volcano.
• King Hassan: It’s time, Reza.

• Reza: As you wish, Your Majesty.

• Reza: Manticore.

• Manticore: Roar!!!

• Under my command, the Manticore spews fire towards the center of the lava. It churns and bubbles, forming a flowing hot spring that spirals upwards.
• I feel indescribably excited at the imminence of the Persian Empire’s destruction.
• The deep-seated hatred that has been buried for years erupts like a volcano at this moment, seeking to destroy everything in sight.
• Reza: Hahahaha!

• Reza: Your Majesty, after all these years, I can finally avenge you!

• Reza: This country that betrayed you will finally pay the price for the wrongs it committed!

• Scorching magma continuously spews out from the depths of hell, and the earth trembles violently.
• Buildings collapse with deafening roar, and thick black smoke shrouds the sky.
• Cries and wails fill the air as those who betrayed King Hassan scramble to escape. The entire empire has become purgatory on earth.
• King Hassan: Well done, Reza! You have indeed fulfilled your promise to me!

• King Hassan: You are the only person in the world I can trust!

• Since King Hassan was killed and his throne usurped, his soul has been unable to find peace and can only wander in this form among the living.
• Under the illumination of the scorching flames, King Hassan’s gaunt and lifeless face finally looks alive again.
• His sunken eyes reflect the lava’s fiery hues, shimmering with excitement as he finally stops holding back his resentment.
• King Hassan: Destroy everything!

• King Hassan: Darius! Watch closely! This is the price for betraying me! Hahaha!

• ???: Reza… Wake up…

• ???: This is not what you really want. Please, stop this… Wake up…

• I hear the sad, gentle voice in my mind again, and my head throbs like it’s about to split open.
• Reza: Ugh… Shut up…

• I clutch my head, unable to bear the excruciating pain.
• Darius: Go to hell! Traitor!

• Darius, who was tied up, has secretly undone the ropes at some point. He lunges at me with a knife he hid in his sleeve.
• Asha: Reza! Watch out!

• Asha rushes towards me and blocks the knife aimed at me.
• Reza: Asha?!

• Asha: Ugh…

• Darius: How dare you help that traitor! I’ll kill you as well!

• Reza: Get lost!

• Darius: Ah!

• Darius tries to attack again, but I shove him away. Just like that, the traitorous usurper plummets into the fiery depths of the volcano, meeting his end without seeing the empire’s downfall.
• I should feel regret for Darius’ death, but I find myself frozen at the sight of Asha’s bleeding wound.
• Reza: Why did you save me? I deceived you and even used the Manticore…

• Asha: Reza…

• Asha is covered in blood, and I feel as if I’m seeing King Hassan on the day he was betrayed and killed.
• But unlike King Hassan, she smiles weakly at me without any resentment in her eyes.

{{Dialogue|Asha|I… I did it because you’re my friend…

• Her genuine smile fills me with an inexplicable anger.
• Reza: Don’t you understand? I pretended to be your friend to use you! Everything was a lie!

• Reza: You should be angry and resentful like His Majesty! Why are you smiling?

• Reza: I accompanied you to the study and helped you escape from the palace, yes, but all because I needed you for my revenge!

• Reza: I fooled you! I deceived you!

• Asha: Reza… You’re the one who has been deceiving yourself…

• Asha: When we were in the dungeon, you said you were my friend. Yasmin didn’t say it was a lie…

• Yasmin: Why did you do it, then? Aren’t you afraid of getting killed?

• Reza: Asha is my friend. Leaving her in harm’s way would be worse to me than death.

• Asha: Oh, Reza! Thank you…

• Yasmin: You two really are true friends. Asha wanted to keep you out of danger, but you came of your own accord anyway.

• Reza: I…

• My mind is in a whirl. I can’t think at all.
• Asha: Reza, please. Stop this. You don’t actually want to destroy the empire…

• Reza: Nonsense! His Majesty’s wish is my command!

• Asha: What do you know?! You don’t understand King Hassan at all…

• Asha: King Hassan… He… He actually… *cough cough*

• Asha suddenly coughs up a mouthful of blood. I look at her anxiously, demanding answers.
• Reza: What do you mean I don’t understand King Hassan?

• Asha: *cough cough* King Hassan didn’t…

• Having lost too much blood, Asha faints before she can finish.
• Reza: She said I don’t understand you, Your Majesty…

• As I turn to King Hassan, the Manticore stops breathing fire and the volcano stops shaking. Everything returns to calm.
• Reza: Why did it suddenly stop…

• Reza: Come on, beast! Don’t stop!

• King Hassan: Reza, aren’t your going to avenge me?

• King Hassan’s ghost floats by my side and glares at me.
• Rage flickers in his eyes.
• King Hassan: You swore by my dead body that you’d avenge me. Did you forget?

• Reza: Your Majesty! I haven’t forgotten! I’d never…

• King Hasan: Have you forgotten the humiliation I suffered just because of this woman? Have you forgotten your hatred?
• Reza: No! I…

• Asha is covered in blood, and I feel as if I’m seeing King Hassan on the day he was betrayed and killed.
• But unlike King Hassan, she smiles weakly at me without any resentment in her eyes.
• Asha: I… I did it because you’re my friend…

• Even if she says that, I can’t give up on my revenge. I must not waver.
• Reza: Forget about her! Darned beast! Don’t stop!

• I desperately urge the beast to breathe fire, but the Manticore just looks at me calmly.
• I suddenly remember my dream, when the beast also stopped like this…
• Reza: Curses! I was so close!

• King Hassan: The entire Persian Empire has betrayed me, and now even you, the only one I trusted, have broken your promise!

• Reza: I didn’t… I really didn’t! Please, Your Majesty, you must believe me!

• Reza: You are my savior! I owe you my life, Your Majesty! I would never betray you!

• King Hassan: Shut up! No more excuses!

• The ghost screams shrilly and points at me with his bony fingers.
• King Hassan: You claim you want to avenge me. Show me you mean it!

• King Hassan: Show me, Reza–

• Reza: I… Where am I?

• It feels like my mind is shrouded in fog. After what seems like an eternity, I finally remember what’s most important…
• Reza: That’s right… Revenge…

• Reza: I must avenge His Majesty…

• I walk into the cave where the Manticore, known for destroying ancient kingdoms, is sealed. Its imposing figure exceeds its known size and ferocity.
• The Manticore peers at me through the fence, flapping its massive bat-like wings while its scorpion tail sways behind.
• Reza: Do you wish to kill everyone and make them taste the pain you’ve suffered for the past century?

• Reza: Let’s destroy the Persian Empire together, beast–