A Chronometric Defect

After disposing of most of Tengerii's leadership, I was finally able to excise this city's decay. The huge number of corrupt leaders wasn't solely because so many people live here. No... If debauchery were a contest, these people were dying to win. Literally. I look over the documents.

Viceroyal Ritinali. Political murders. Multiple tens of thousands. Let's just... Stop there.

Viscount Ponderens. Mass rape, conspiracy to commit murder, theft, arson, and much more.

Baron Wolivirian the third.

Hraah. I shake my dragon head in utter disgust.

Leader of the Empire's second-largest sex trafficking ring. He's the city's freaking mayor.

I had to go pretty far down the leadership chain to find anyone who wasn't doing anything horrid, never mind someone worthy of running a city. I executed those who committed the worst crimes, and threw the rest to the city guard. Only after I'd cleaned up said thoroughly corrupt city guard, of course.

I was initially surprised when the duke and earl weren't likewise totally corrupt. I was surprised, until I found out the earl is mentally incompetent, and that the duke personally oversaw an unknown cover-up last year.

Naturally, I looked into this duke and found that he killed several of his advisors who tried to interfere with his drug deals. He was VERY good at covering up those murders. I couldn't find anyone still alive who was directly involved.

Except, he's six years old. There's 808 days in a year here, and the days are short, so that's more like twelve.

Still. I... I never imagined what I'd find in his memories.

Did he learn his horrific behavior from an advisor? His father? A political ally? The Viceroyal herself?

Nope, none of those. He learned through practice.

Prrrrractice.

Apparently, he really, REALLY didn't like homeless folks.

I realize being surrounded by injustice can desensitize a person. It can make them both accustomed to bad behaviors and can sometimes force them to play along. Hypocrisy isn't a one-way street. Sometimes, if you won't bend, you simply break.

Viceroyal Ritinali did a lot of breaking, after all.

Yet, none of these people held any regret. None tried to put a stop to it. Not even secretly. Many, particularly those at the top, reveled in their revolting practices.

How did this city's people SURVIVE such insanity?

I look over another set of documents.

High taxes, most of it going into secret projects and slush funds. The little that went back out to taxpayers was then squandered by people further down the chain. Not a single coin was going back to the citizens. I checked. This systematic graft seems to be carefully planned.

I shift my eyes again.

Housing prices are off the charts. A manufactured crisis; one created by continually driving up immigration through propaganda about city living. A crisis the leaders used to swipe anything and everything through debt. The few citizens who managed to hang on were finished off by 'royal asset forfeiture.'

Royal asset forfeiture works like this: 'We think you committed a crime, therefore your property is guilty. No, we don't need to prove it. You disagree? Then use your assets to fight us in court. Oh, we took those from you? Ain't THAT a shame.'

Ragh. It's theft with extra steps.

Tengerii's legal system is filled with these catch-22's. It's been designed— carefully molded, to make people feel they might have a way to win. If they JUST stay within the system. If they JUST do the right thing enough times.

Sometimes, rarely, the system swings their way. Then, like clockwork? Top leaders put their finger on the scale.

The common person's efforts never matter. Not even once.

Like I've said: they can't see the contortions, because their mind breaks to fit inside those contortions. That's why it's called a psychotic break. How many of these citizens went crazy?

I look to the last set of documents.

Homelessness and drug use are rampant. Suicide and homicide rates are utterly astronomical. The leadership covers this up by putting out fake statistics, but everyone knows it's way worse than they claim.

And yet... The population, just, keeps, going, up.

More people immigrated, dazzled by the lies. More stayed, thinking they still had a chance. More raised kids, thinking they just needed to settle down.

If this was any worse I'd think Tengerii was a prison camp. But even though those walls, the ones I destroyed, had open exits? I think this city is worse than a prison camp. These people are living hopeless, aimless lives.

Eternally imprisoned within their own mind.

I stand up from my fancy dragon-decorated throne. It wiggles, then slides back into my body.

Thanks, Aitos. I miss you. I'll forever regret your passing.

...

I told Raiz I was doing this because I'm cleaning out the empire's rot. That's true, I am. But another reason is to repay the immense debt I owe to Aitos.

I was careless. I wronged him. And at the very moment— the one chance he had to forgive me? I wasn't there for him. Even though his whole existence was merged into my body. Even though I could read his every thought.

His first death, his death of self-confidence— no; his death of agency and social normalcy? That was the mayor's fault. I know this. The mayor worked really hard to break Aitos. Like the Emperor did to Ainthia.

But Aitos' second and third deaths... His body and Will?

Both were caused by me. Personally.

I killed Aitos. I can't blame anyone else.

I gather up the papers.

*shf**shup**shf*

I walk out of the room, leaning underneath the doorframe.

*thok*

*thok*

*thun*

I stand tall and observe my newly conquered city.

...

It was different when I killed those Achiton rebels. They deserved it. Those Haitos citizens? It was an accident. That nameless town? They wanted to kill me. The fact so few citizens of Tengerii died in the incidental explosion was because I'd learned from my failings.

Or so I'd thought.

I had not. I did not. I was proven wrong, once more. Time and time again, I keep making the same mistakes. I may not be like Viceroyal Ritinali in mindset, but what if my kill count surpasses hers? Am I any different in practice?

Status, level.

Level: 102

Kills: 5,119 (see list)

...

Status, kill list.

...

Viceroyal Cynthia Ritinali

Serei

Harlina

Pelsin Deconli

Hajadirinis

...

A huge list flows out in my mind. A list of everyone I've killed. Why do I have this? I'd asked Aitos— he didn't have a list. I'd assume most don't. Maybe it only shows in the status panel if you kill people... I've done plenty of that.

I scroll down.

...

Baron Summer Pardson

Opel

Aitos

Ainthia

Declin Tarvis

...

The status panel seems to have counted his death at the moment I finished off his Will. I read his memories almost immediately after noticing something was odd, so he asked me to kill him right after I ate Ainthia.

I thought to myself at the time: he's been very quiet lately. I'd only known him for a short while, but I somehow felt he seemed abnormally reserved. Restrained. He... Didn't feel like himself. He felt dishonest.

When I shared my developments, I expected he would react badly. Very badly. Instead, he laughed it off.

I'd often thought he had a mindset similar to a dragon. Pride, greed, maybe some wrath— sure, dragons have vices. But we exhibit great care and affection for those we cherish. Even non-sapient dragons are like that. Not just me. So, when he laughed off my 'Apocalypse Dragon' comment? It unsettled my confidence: I wasn't seeing the real Aitos.

Ironically, it was his desire to hide himself that gave him away. I didn't deign to examine his behavior until he began acting abnormal. He'd stopped acting like the dragon I thought he was, despite his body being that of a dragon.

I trusted him, and until that moment?

I wanted him to trust me as well. So, I didn't read his personal memories.

Maybe I should've.

I didn't expect Aitos to hate me so much. I mean... I knew he would be upset, but I was talking about my power with him because I wanted to talk things out. I wanted his opinion. Should I disengage and go live somewhere quietly? I had realized, at that moment, that I was strong enough to live however I wanted.

I could kill the Emperor, sure, but he's a problem that's far away. Even if the Emperor came to bother me, I don't think there's anything he could do to hurt me anymore, since I can eat literally anything.

Well, it's not only that. Aitos taught me I can transform myself into a freaking chair. Or a tiny bug. Or, I could eat a city and pretend to be... The city. Roads, houses, animals, people, grass. Everything.

Not that I would ever do something so horrific. I have too much pride in my draconic body to pretend to be something I'm not. But... The point is: I can. Which means my physical existence has grown far beyond the Emperor's ability to cause my grand self harm.

Which gives me pause. It's a lot to think about— realizing I have sufficient power to pretend to be an entire city. That's exactly why I wanted to talk with Aitos. I have so many questions that need answering.

Do I really need to kill the Emperor? Does my righteous indignance for human suffering matter? Should a dragon be involved in human issues? I'mma dragon! Rawr.

I try to roar in frustration, but it merely makes a silent spatial wave right in the middle of Tengerii. I cast my blast containment spell to trap it before it can spread.

Yep. I'm definitely a dragon.

But this dragon is involved for Aitos' sake, now. And Ainthia's sake. Of the many living people I've eaten at this point, far too many of those people... Their minds and consciences died long before I ended their full existence.

They were shells walking. Automatons living their lives based on false beliefs. No consideration or thought.

Was there even any hope of recovery?

...

Like Aitos and Ainthia. They were broken by their experiences. Aitos wasn't as outwardly obvious as Ainthia, but he was also suffering. He was simply covering all the internal hurt with extreme denial.

Except, rather than help these people heal their psychological wounds? I finished them all off.

I mentally look again at my kill list.

...

Baron Summer Pardson

Opel

Aitos

Ainthia

Declin Tarvis

...

At least they have company in hell.

My hell. Me.

I've embodied my name.

Literally.