I have looked at numerous photographs of the Mad King. I have tried to get into his head and understand him. However, I have never succeeded. If I were more of a conspiracy theorist, I would believe he was a reptilian or something like that.
However, I was not talking about a literal monster.
"I did not say that he is not human. I am questioning his humanity. Someone can be human and still lack the facets of humanity. It is not necessarily about being evil and good. For example, I can empathise with who you are despite my opposition to your actions and beliefs." I reply.
At this point, I felt like I was repeating myself. So, I decided to ask a question to keep the conversation moving.
"Why did you make him the king?" I asked, feeling weariness setting into my bones.
The Kingmaker seemed contemplative. "All kings are chosen by the creator before anyone acts. Leaders are ordained to ensure that the world moves in the right direction. Therefore, you cannot claim that I chose him."
My tired body sinks deeper into the chair.
"Do not give me a political answer. I have played the game and answered all your questions. The least that you could do is tell me why he is the king. I will not be able to figure it out since I cannot understand an illogical mind." I said.
The Kingmaker laughed with amusement.
"But you have already figured it out."
"I have?" I perked up a little with the answer.
"The answer is in your question. What better king could one wish for than one that people cannot understand? The moves of a mad king cannot be predicted. And as long as one cannot predict what the king will do, they will not be able to make a strategy to oppose him."
"The key to winning any war is preparation. However, the chosen king has taken away that disadvantage from our side. Do you understand? There is no need to be afraid of our opposition because they will never be prepared."
For the first time, the Kingmaker seemed to lose his impeccable composure. He looked excited as he explained the brilliance of the Mad King. It was almost like he could not believe how amazing his plan was.
However, I did not agree with him.
"But an unpredictable king means that you and your hypothetical cabal cannot also predict what he will do. If the king does not listen to his advisors, the big picture could fall apart. Am I wrong?" I asked.
The Kingmaker calmed down, but he looked smug. It did not fit his virtuous image. After all, pride was one of the deadly sins. The smugness disappeared quickly as if it were a figment of my imagination.
"As I said, the leaders of this world are chosen by the creator. They are ordained. Their decisions are the mandate of the creator." He spoke with confidence.
This time, I scoffed.
"If that were true, you would not have worked so hard to put him in place as the king. You would have let the people choose who they wanted instead of elevating him. In fact, you worked hard to discredit all other kings before him," I responded.
"The only strange thing is that you seem quite confident in a man who can only be considered mad, illogical and unpredictable. You are a person who thrives in control. The inspiration in your life is also a man who liked order and control."
I decided to rephrase my answer when the Kingmaker looked at me silently.
"There must be a reason you are so confident that someone who is inconsistent, borderline insane and openly incompetent is not going to ruin your plan. Sure, I see your point about thwarting the opposition, but that cannot be the source of your confidence."
The tiredness was settling in my body, but I sat upright and forced my eyes to remain open and my mind to be clear.
"What do you think is the reason I am confident?" The Kingmaker was back to his old tricks of forcing me to answer my own questions.
"At first, I thought you were blackmailing him or there was a special reason why he was listening to you. However, I still hold on to my initial assessment. Your king has an illogical mind that escapes understanding. These tricks would not work on him." I said.
The Kingmaker nodded and looked pleased before speaking.
"You are quite astute. Your mind is wasted on reading silly little novels and your mundane life," He paused, his face taking a stern expression. "You are right. I do not control him. He is doing exactly what he is supposed to do."
I was startled.
"He is destroying the world," I responded, my heart falling to my stomach. "You claim to be co-creators with your architect, but he is actively trying to destroy the world and everything in it with his madness."
The Kingmaker's face hardened with greater resolve and determination than I had seen in the past.
"Lawlessness, not madness," He said in a quiet but chilling voice.
Once again, I was plunged into ice as the words he spoke pierced through my mind. My heart accelerated into a gallop as I understood what the Kingmaker was saying to me. I felt like my soul left my body.
"He is the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction. This is the reason you have not intervened, even though he has exalted himself as a god. But I do not understand why you would want this. If he continues, many will be deceived and perish. Isn't that what you believe?" I asked.
I did not dare to say the other thought that crept into my mind about the Mad King. A small voice whispered to me that the Kingmaker might also believe that he is the False Prophet, the second beast…
But I was afraid that question would lead to the question of the Beast.
So, I decided to push the thoughts of jumbled religious texts deep down on this matter and focus on what I could understand.
I knew of the Kingmaker's beliefs to some extent and even understood some of them. But I could not comprehend why he would allow the king he placed on the throne to destroy a world he said he wanted to save and bring to the original design of the creator.
"I believe in restoring the world to the original order. It is my mission. But for that to happen, the current world order must pass away. Leaders are put in place in order to accomplish what they must, however unpleasant." The Kingmaker said.
"You are trying to bring about the second coming, at least, your version of it. You do not want to be a co-creator of this world. You are trying to bring about a new earth that fulfils what you believe is the original design." I said with real horror.
This was the reason he chose the Mad King.
Whether the Mad King failed or succeeded in his rule, the lawlessness of his actions would cause a rebellion. It was only a matter of time before the current world order passed away, and the Kingmaker and his cabal had a new world order.
"We all have a role to play in bringing the world back to paradise," The Kingmaker says in an almost detached way, but his words have an eerie intensity. "This world needs a revolution, a revival. We will not get it through complacency."
I open my mouth to protest his words, but it seems like my body cannot hold on anymore. The exhaustion in my body is too much that I cannot sit upright. It feels like my entire body has turned into jelly.
'I have been drugged.'
That is the last thought I have before everything turns into darkness.