The world was falling.
Or at least, that's how it felt to the six-year-old girl as she plunged through endless darkness. Her black hair floated like ink in water, her tiny body weightless, her voice stolen.
Down, down, down.
The fall should have ended long ago, but it didn't. Time stretched and warped, and just as she thought it would go on forever—
Thud.
Her back slammed into something solid. The air rushed out of her lungs like a popped balloon, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Every inch of her screamed in pain. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She tried again. Nothing.
Something tugged at her ankles.
She looked down—water? No, not water. Something worse. Fingers. Pale, thin fingers reaching from beneath a surface that shimmered like liquid glass. They clung to her legs, her arms, even her neck, dragging her down into the cold.
Voices whispered in her ears, overlapping like static on a broken radio.
"Let the King be born."
"Free us."
"Bring the end."
"No!"
She wanted to scream. She twisted, kicked, clawed—but there were too many. Just as she felt her head dip below the surface—
A light.
Soft. Warm. Blinding.
A hand extended toward her, glowing gold, like the sun dipped its fingers into the darkness.
[Take my hand.]
The voice was gentle. Not mechanical, not ghostly—human. Comforting. Calm.
[Accept your fate as the King.]
The girl hesitated. She didn't understand what it meant to be a king. She didn't even know where she was. But the light… the light felt safe.
She reached out and took it.
A sharp chime echoed through the air, followed by a mechanical voice that boomed across the world:
[System Message: A new King has been born.]
The world stopped.
In the floating cities of Aeron, in the dark alleyways of underworld markets, in the marble halls of magic academies, people turned their heads to the sky in confusion.
Farmers dropped tools. Hunters froze mid-fight. Government officials choked on their coffee.
"A… King?"
Back in the void, the girl blinked.
The darkness was gone. In its place stood an ancient, dust-covered room, circular and hollow, with pillars cracked by time and moss crawling up the walls.
Runes flickered weakly along the floor like dying stars. Everything smelled like mold and metal.
She sat up, confused, when footsteps echoed in the silence.
Another child stepped forward.
They wore a black robe that hid their body completely—face, hands, even their feet. Nothing showed beneath the cloth. No skin. No eyes. Just void.
Still, the presence felt… familiar. Not comforting like the light, but not threatening either.
The black-robed child knelt before her.
"You have accepted the crown. From this day on, your name shall be Nero.""
They said, voice muffled but steady.
The girl opened her mouth to protest.
"My name is—"
"It is Nero now. The King of Humanity."
The figure interrupted.
She stared at them, wide-eyed.
"But I'm six."
The figure nodded.
"All the great ones start early."
"I don't want to be a king."
"It's too late. The system already made the announcement."
She crossed her arms.
"Can I quit?"
"No."
"Can I go home?"
"No."
"Do I get snacks at least?"
"…Eventually."
Nero sighed. This was not how she expected her day to go. One minute she was falling through what she assumed was some magical existential crisis, the next she was apparently royalty.
Royalty with no visible castle, court, or—importantly—snacks.
"I want cookies."
She mumbled.
The robed child tilted their head.
"Your first royal decree?"
She nodded solemnly.
"…So be it. As King, your word is law. I shall retrieve cookies."
"Chocolate chip," she added quickly.
"Understood."
As the figure vanished into the shadows, Nero looked around the room again.
It was creepy. Dusty. Cold. The ceiling had a hole in it, and something was definitely moving in the corner. But somehow, despite all that, it didn't feel completely awful.
She rubbed her arms and stood, wobbling a bit on her small legs.
"King of Humanity, huh?"
She tried the words on her tongue, quietly, testing the weight of them.
"…Weird title for a six-year-old."
Still, a tiny smile crept up her face.
______
Twelve years later, the King of Humanity was losing… again.
With an exaggerated groan, Nero—who now insisted everyone call her Nina—tossed her controller onto the carpet like it had personally betrayed her.
"He's cheating. That's the only explanation. Cheating, I say!"
She declared, pointing at the screen as if the pixels would confess.
Her character collapsed in a dramatic explosion of virtual fire. The match ended with a final score that should never be spoken aloud again.
Across the room, a smug voice chimed in.
"You're just bad at video games."
Nina turned slowly, locking eyes with her younger step-brother, Leo.
He leaned back on the couch with his arms crossed, eating cereal like this was some casual Sunday morning.
His screen showed his own character, unharmed, spinning in a victory animation.
"If you've got this much time to rage-quit. you could at least use it to help me clear the Tower."
He said.
Nina dramatically flopped backward onto the floor, arms spread like a fallen soldier.
"For the last time, I'm not clearing some spooky-glowy-death-labyrinth. Go solo if you're so determined."
Leo rolled his eyes.
"You're literally the King of Humanity."
"King in title only. Also, gendered titles are overrated. And I didn't vote for this job."
She mumbled from the carpet.
Their younger sister popped her head in from the kitchen, holding a bubbling glass flask that looked suspiciously unstable.
"Can you two not argue while I'm handling volatile alchemy? Also, Nina, help me test this potion. I'm like 80% sure it won't melt your eyebrows off."
She said.
"Eighty's not a real number. Why does no one respect my trauma?"
Nina muttered. "
"Because your trauma is from a cutscene."
Nina sat up and glared.
"It was a summoning. There were hands. Creepy ones. And a voice called me 'King.' That messes you up."
"Yeah, and since then, you've been allergic to effort. Come on. The Tower's not going to clear itself. You've got the system buffs. You're practically immortal."
Leo said, standing and stretching.
"I'm also practically tired. And not emotionally available for cursed staircases."
Nina shot back.
Before either sibling could launch another round of accusations, the system dinged inside Nina's head, followed by a familiar voice—smooth, synthetic, and annoyingly polite.
[System Notice: Your Patron requests your consideration on the matter of the Tower.]
"Betrayal. Et tu, System?"
Nina muttered.
[Patron Advice: Your siblings desire your help. Perhaps your talents could be used for more productive purposes?]
"Perhaps my talents could be used for napping. Or watching ten hours of magical cooking fails. You ever think of that?"
Nina replied out loud, knowing the system always listened.
There was a pause.
[Patron Disapproval Level: Mildly Judging.]
"Judging noted and dismissed."
Leo sighed.
"Seriously, Nina. If you'd just train a little or use your title perks, we'd be able to climb past Floor 20. You're literally the only one in the world with 'Divine Authority.'"
"I also have 'Infinite Sloth,'"
Nina said, picking up a blanket and wrapping herself like a sleepy burrito.
"You don't see me bragging."
From the kitchen, their youngest sister, Luna, peeked back out, still holding the suspiciously steaming potion.
"Can we circle back to me needing a volunteer? This potion increases mana regeneration by like… 400%. Also might turn your teeth blue."
She asked.
Nina waved a hand without looking.
"Use Leo. He deserves it."
"I'm not drinking mystery goop just because you're lazy."
"I'm not lazy, I'm conserving energy. It's called strategy. Learn it."
Nina said, sitting up indignantly.
"Strategically avoiding all responsibilities is not a personality."
Leo said.
"It's my personality."
The three of them stared at each other in silence. Then Luna laughed and set the potion down with a clink.
"You guys are hopeless. But it's kind of fun watching the King of Humanity argue over a video game and potions."
She said.
Nina gave a dramatic sigh.
"Nobody understands me. I am a misunderstood monarch trapped in a house of chaos."
[System Note: You are currently not fulfilling any King-related duties.]
Nina looked up.
"Don't you have other kings to bother?"
[Negative. You are my only Patron]
"Wow. Great. I'm your only problem. Love that for me."
Leo slung on his satchel and grabbed his staff.
"Well, whether you come or not, I'm heading to the Tower."
"Bring back loot."
Nina called, already halfway horizontal again.
"Bring back motivation. Maybe sprinkle it into her cereal.""
Luna added.
"I heard that."
Nina mumbled.
As the door slammed shut behind Leo, Nina let her head drop back against the floor.
Being King was exhausting.
Doing absolutely nothing as King? Even more so.