Click. Clack. Click.
The tramp of armored knights resounded in the marble corridor as I stepped quietly between them. Not bound. Not trussed. Just… escorted. As if some honored captive.
"Where are we going?" I inquired of the silent knight to my right. He jerked slightly, as if speaking to me was against the law. Or perilous.
"We've arrived," the lead knight replied.
A massive obsidian door groaned open, and a room filled with icy blue light greeted me.
And I came to a standstill.
Rows and rows of crystalline pods filled the enormous chamber, stacked from floor to ceiling like the world's creepiest vending machine.
Within each one… was a hero.
Some in armor. Some in robes. One in the middle of a spell with a staff. Another with a sword stuck in their chest — smiling as if the fight had never ceased.
All frozen.
Tranquil.
Timeless.
What the." I moved a step closer, eyes scanning the faces. I didn't know them.
Or at least—I didn't think I did.
But then—
Pain.
A lightning flash behind my eyes. A memory—not mine. Not quite.
A woman in golden armor crying out my name. A man with black wings laughing as we rode into fire. A blade, spinning through the air… and breaking.
And then nothing.
My breath caught. These weren't my memories… but they were.
"What is this place?" I whispered.
"The Hall of Peace," a voice resounded behind me.
I shifted.
A majestic figure stepped forward, clad in silver and blue regalia. A crown danced above his head, not set upon it—suspended an inch or two as if through divine right.
"Rhaizen. The Peacebringer. The One Who Ran," he declared, advancing with an unruffled, unreadable face.
The knights bowed.
I did not.
"Do I know you?" I asked.
"We've waited centuries for your return. And now… the last rogue hero walks into the Hall willingly." He smiled. "Welcome home."
"Okay. Creepy cult vibes. That's one red flag."
"I am King Altheron. High Chancellor of the Royal Peace Council. The one who built this world's peace… using the legacy of the saviors who nearly destroyed it."
"I don't follow."
"Of course you don't. You always were the rebellious one." He waved toward the pods. "Every savior who rescued a world eventually descended into madness. They couldn't stop rescuing. Couldn't stop fighting. So, we gave them peace."
"By. imprisoning them in crystals?"
"By allowing them to rest. Forever. The world prospers. The people celebrate. No war. No conflict. No requirement for gods. or saviors."
I glanced around once more. Every face wore a smile. But that didn't make it okay.
"So, what, now you want to freeze me too? Stick me in a time capsule like a heroic Pokémon card?"
He laughed. "Yes. Exactly."
"Oh well in that case—wait, WHAT?!"
He took a step closer, eyes shining. "Your time of running is over, Rhaizen. You've done enough."
"…I think you've got the wrong guy," I said, holding up a hand. "I'm just a weary man who'd like a good nap and perhaps a bagel."
"You can rest. Forever. Here."
"Okay, no offense, Your Hovering Majesty, but this sounds less like peace and more like glorified kidnapping."
"Do you deny you are Rhaizen?"
"I mean… I never exactly received a certificate. Or a loyalty card."
"Your sarcasm conceals your fear."
"Nah, hiding my disgust."
I started to walk away, toward the door.
"Rhaizen," the king said, his voice calm but authoritative. "You can't go. You belong here."
I glanced over my shoulder.
"Listen, Altheron. I've experienced a lotta crazy things. Ate food that screamed. Fought time dragons. Got married once—long story."
I hesitated.
"But I am going. And if you try to restrain me, I'll make you wish you never invented peace."
The knights lifted their weapons higher.
I exhaled.
"Don't."
And pushed through the doorway.
The stasis pods behind me whirred. Remembrances still flashed in my brain. Faces. Names. Friends… that had been entombed in the name of peace.
They were my team.
My comrades.
And now, I knew what this world truly was.
Not a paradise.
A prison.