Neva's mind reeled. Those names, that voice, he had heard it all before.
But once the disappearance of Uncle Nitin and various other servants caught his father's attention, he was forced to wear his beautiful crown.
He was frequently reminded by his father never to take off his crown. No longer seeing that figure that had accompanied him for a few days.
"Who would have thought that the reason I was told never to take off my crown was because I'm insane. I always thought it was just a symbol of being a crown prince."
Neva gulped. Immediately, he closed his eyes and covered his ears.
"Damn it…you…you have to be a monster!" Neva shouted, trying to drown out the terror crawling down his throat.
How could someone whom he had dreamed up as a child suddenly appear in the fog? It was impossible.
It had to be a monster, causing him to hallucinate this voice.
The voice said something, but with his ears covered, it was unintelligible to him. Before Neva could be relieved, he felt two hands grab his hands.
A force so strong pulled his hands apart that he couldn't resist.
Neva's stomach dropped as his heart went cold. The only thought he had left was, "I'm dead."
"Good grief, you're still so stubborn? I'm real whether you like it or not – don't believe your dad's rotten lies."
"Kings, honestly? I've never met one that wasn't a dumbass." The voice said with suppressed amusement.
"Now, do I have to open your eyes myself or…"
Neva reluctantly opened his eyes. Already convinced that his death was imminent. He wanted to see what monster caused his death.
But when he opened his eyes, he was utterly stunned.
Standing an arm's length away was a woman who might have stepped from a fever dream of flags and battlefields. She was impossibly tall, dressed in a crisp suit of deep blue, adorned with stars that seemed to burn like tiny embers. Her white blouse was as bright as freshly minted paper money, and her crimson sash cut across her chest like a wound.
In a holster was a massive revolver, polished until it gleamed with arrogance. On the other hand, a scroll sealed with a red wax eagle— the law itself - is ready to be rewritten.
Her smile was the worst of all: so bright it felt carved on, an unflinching grin that promised salvation or slaughter with equal ease. Her eyes sparkled with faint stars and a relentless, unstoppable pride, as if she could conquer the world by simply refusing to doubt herself.
"What…what are you? And why the hell are you so tall?" Neva stammered, torn between fear and awe.
The woman's eyes narrowed, and her smile got a little smaller.
"Rude. I was locked up for so long, and that's the first thing you say to me." She said with a soft huff.
She rolled her eyes and brushed off her bad mood, regaining her bright white smile as she let go of Neva's hands.
Instead, she reached for her well-taken revolver.
"Ah, right. Let's do this properly: I'm the Nation Avatar of the United States of America. Mighty Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty included."
"And you, sir, are my domain lord."
"Isn't that a mighty privilege?" America said, flashing a grin worthy of a parade.
Mighty privilege or curse of death? Neva was not sure which one.
Unnerved by it all, he stepped back, expecting the walls to catch him. Yet surprisingly, he fell on his butt.
Surprised, he turned around and saw that the walls had moved. It was still an arm's distance away from him.
It had moved.
"Surprised?" America said, holding back her laugh.
"Not used to seeing your own domain move? Don't sweat it – you'll catch on fast."
Neva recovered from the fall. Having calmed down enough to think logically.
"Is all this real?" Neva paused before answering himself.
"I don't know. I could be under the control of a monster right now. If so, then there is no way I could resist."
"Or maybe I've gone mad in the fog. Either way, what do I have to lose from playing along?" Neva sighed softly and stared at America.
He stood up cautiously and patted himself clean to try and get back some of his princely dignity.
"Let's say I believe you that I'm a Domain Lord. What kind am I?" Neva said calmly with an arrogant expression he had grown used to wearing.
Even his peasant clothing couldn't stop his royal aura from leaking, making others think that he was special.
America crossed her arms, a grin creeping across her lips. "You're finally coming around, huh? Sit down. Uncle Sam's got a civics lesson for you."
Neva scowled. He was not used to being treated this way.
"I'm not a child –"
"Trust me, you're basically a toddler next to me. But hey, you're the team captain."
She flipped the scroll skyward. It unraveled in midair, glowing with divine proclamation.
It's a blank page filled with sentences.
Nation Domain Rules:
1] No being may exist inside the Domain without citizenship, except for the Supreme Domain Lord Neva.
Neva's eyebrows scrunched up as he read the first rule of his domain. From the history of the Law Domain, he knew that the first rule of a domain was the core representation of the Domain Lord's powers.
So what could this rule say about his powers as a Domain Lord?
"Citizenship?" Neva asked, turning towards America.
"They must become citizens of a nation. In other words, right now, they have to become American citizens or get kicked out of the domain." America said with a smile.
"Once you create other Nation Avatars, they will have other options, but then again, why go for inferior options when I'm available?" America shrugged.
"But it will get lonely if it's just the two of us for all eternity. Having Russia, China, India, or Brazil around will be fun."
"We can fight over who has the most citizens. I can't wait to see who crossed the one hundred thousand population threshold first." America licked her lips as if already imagining herself winning.
"What incentive is there to have more people? Forget about having one hundred thousand – my territory couldn't even fit two more people." Neva said as he touched the walls of his domain.
Comparing the size of his domain versus the one he should have inherited, he felt heartbroken.
America frowned, noticing the longing in his eyes for the domain across from them.
"Come on, kid. That domain sucks in comparison to ours. With more citizens, the nation becomes stronger and unlocks more powers." America said, playing with her revolver.
"Picture it – every Nation Avatar, each packing its own brand of power, all under your rule. And then? Picture the glorious wars you could wage against other Domain Lords. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Neva's heart throbbed. His eyes blinked as he turned to America.
Seeing that she had gotten his attention, she eagerly explained. Wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Showing off her revolver with pride.
"Look at me – this gun? Nothing chains our freedom while I'm holding it."
"Any law I write? Every last American follows it. No questions asked. Well, there is a lot of complaining, but regardless."
"Imagine, an amendment where every American has to have a gun." America blinked then grinned as if the idea excited her.
"I might do that regardless."