[VIXX and EXO]

Jaehwan watched as a large crowd of humanoid creatures were loaded into a steel cart, no doubt headed to one of two places: death, or disposal. The difference was how loyal they had been to the Emperor while they had been human.

"You know, the Emperor might have some of those...uh, people...under his thumb," his best friend stared out the window, as well, a disgusted expression on his face. "It's sad, in the case of the ones who didn't have a choice in the matter, since they were simply touched by him, therefore destroying them. The others, though..."

Jaehwan nodded, frowning. "Yeah, it is. The innocent ones are simply destroyed, but the ones who did it willingly are servants. They honestly don't deserve anything, except death. It's sad that only about one third of them deserve it. All the others don't, and they should be...well...killed." He watched as his short friend's eyes flattened on the top, a sure sign that he disagreed. In this case, Jaehwan wasn't so certain that he was wrong to feel the way he did. Kyungsoo had a bleeding heart, and that was one of his best qualities. It was also one of his worst, since he could be too blind to what really should be the right decision.

"I don't know, Jaehwan. The Emperor has always been overbearing, even before his affliction. It's not most of those individuals' faults that he touched them and turned them into mindless monsters. Those are the ones that should have been able to be saved..." Kyungsoo sighed, the sound coming out a lot heavier that he had intended. It felt as if he had just breathed out his very soul, leaving a tired, withdrawn man behind. "I'm just so tired of this all. I wish there was a way we could put an end to it, letting people live in peace, without fear of the Emperor touching them or striking a deal with them, in exchange for their loyalty."

Jaehwan thought about what his friend had just said, hearing the same reasons he had heard over and over, for the past five years. Five years. That was how long this terror had been going on.

It had begun with the Emperor coming into power twenty years before, attempting to gain the love and respect from the people of their country, Tharigon. He had first tried to draw them in with kindness, giving gifts and sending out invitations to large, elaborate parties. His plan had worked, and he had gained the love and respect of the people at last. Until they saw him for what he truly was. That was when it all changed, and his way of ruling changed, as well.

One particular evening, he invited a young woman to dine with him and spend the entire evening with him. However, this particular young woman had the power to see one's true character, as plainly as if it was showing on his face. She stayed silent about what she had seen in his true intentions, and remained with him for the entire night, but was gone by the morning, fleeing to tell her closest companions of his evil, true intentions.

From there, the word spread, knowing that if the right people believed them, they could overturn the Emperor's plans of taking control of them all. Word spread quickly, and no one was sure what to believe. Most still believed that he was a kind, just man and a great ruler, but the few who didn't fall for his charms and promises of riches and power stayed away from him, at all cost. They had heard what he was really capable of, and were terrified for their lives. Little did they know that they would be the lucky ones.

As the word spread further and the Emperor began noticing a rift in the loyalty, he came up with a plan that would change Tharigon forever. He knew it had originated from the female guest he had invited for the evening on that fateful day, so he invited her family to dine with him, and it was an offer she could not refuse, on pain of death. After the order had gone out, he rushed to his longtime friend, who was also a wizard. This particular wizard, Suho, had also heard the rumors of the slander, and as a close friend, had come up with a plan. It would mean altering the Emperor forever, but making him incredibly powerful, in the process. Of course the ruler accepted it. If he couldn't regain his country and its people, he would fall into ruin and go down in history as one of the biggest failures as a ruler, and that was something he was simply unwilling to accept.

After the magical alterations had been performed, he proceeded to meet with the young woman and her family. She had her reserves about the meeting, still knowing his true intentions, but remained silent ab