Civilisation

The tremors had ensured that the men within the walls of the valiant city hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in several days. They knew that the inevitable was coming and all they could do was watch on as the marble pillars that held the place together shook ferociously. Prophets, Oracles and members of the Elders had warned that they day would arrive one day and, sure enough, it was at hand...

The apocalypse.

The once proud civilisation had undergone a turmoil filled past few years with no one ruler really stamping his authority on the place. The people lacked cohesion and had begged for a leader to deliver them from the rut they found themselves in... but, when he arrived, it was already too late.

King Champion sat on his throne with a stony look imprinted across his face.

“I was too late all along,” he mused, rolling his hand through his hair and sighing dejectedly. “All our hard work has amounted to... nothing.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded off at the other end of the room.

“That’s not entirely true, Sire.”

Champion turned to find Dade Midvalley standing opposite him with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

“We built this Empire from scratch and everything in life is cyclical... we’ve just got to accept that it’s time to let go,” said Midvalley, nodding with a perpetual smile. “But to say that all our work amounted to nothing is just a lie. We’ve created so many happy memories over the years. We’ve built a legacy that will live on long after we have gone. People will celebrate what we have achieved in this place for decades to come. I think that’s something to be proud of. It’s special.”

Champion dwelled on the point for a moment as he contemplated the logic of it. With a fond sense of nostalgia, he looked back on the more prosperous times with a great sense of pride. Midvalley was right.

“I’m just sad to see it finally die, you know?” began Champion. He exhaled, scratched his chin and composed his thoughts. “On the other hand, I know that we’ve created something really deep. We’ve made our own way of life.”

Midvalley continued to nod.

Suddenly, the giant pillars that held the walls of the royal throne room began to crack as an overpowering shudder swept through the floor. The crashing sound of antique vases and paintings tumbling down off the walls confirmed that the apocalypse was finally at hand.

This is it, thought Champion.

Sucking in on a final breath, he embraced the sight that stood before him; images of fallen comrades flickered through his mind. Ethan Andrews. Dillon Durst. Dominic Pericolo. Sean Galen. These were men that had carried the fight in more affluent times and had already made the jump to the afterlife. Gulping ominously, he tilted his crown in their direction and saluted them for the final time.

“It’s been one hell of a ride, guys.”

The ground began to break up as the entire palace crumbled and fell to its knees. A colossal sized cloud of dust rose up like an immortal Phoenix as the once proud civilisation caved inwards and fell towards the centre of the earth. The entire Kingdom was swallowed instantaneously; viewers that watched from the horizon were forced to question whether the mythical place actually ever existed in the first place such was the speed of its fall from grace. In their heart of hearts though, everyone that had ever had any sort of contact with the place knew that nothing ever truly dies...

And certainly there would be no end to the happy memories that the greatest civilisation had forged for so many people. The place would live on in their hearts forever.