Fire Across the Island
High atop a misty mountain, the princess and her companion looked down at the quiet village below.
“Aren’t you hungry yet?” he asked with a grin.
She smiled. “I owe you my life. Hunger, cold — nothing matters as long as I know you're safe.”
He laughed. “Safe? We’ll die of starvation before the king finds and executes me.”
“Listen,” he added, “stay here. I’ll sneak down and find us some food.”
She shook her head firmly. “No. You’re not leaving my sight. I’m not letting you out of my eyes until I know you’ll survive this.”
Suddenly, a massive flame lit up the sky in the distance.
He widened his eyes. “Looks like the islanders are throwing the biggest barbecue ever… while we’re starving!”
But she stared at the flames, pale and terrified. “That doesn’t look like a party. It looks like someone’s home is burning down…”
He smirked. “All the better! Let’s go. It’s the perfect chance to find something to eat. As they say — one man’s disaster is another man’s dinner.”
Back in the kingdom, the cursed jokers stormed the palace in a blaze of destruction. Fire consumed the gates. Magic clashed with steel. Citizens screamed and scattered in every direction.
The king fled through the back corridors, but a cursed sorcerer spotted him and hurled a fireball across the hall—
BOOM!
The king fell, lifeless. The crown rolled beside his burning body.
From afar, the princess and the man arrived at the edge of the city. They watched the chaos unfold — people running in all directions, smoke painting the sky black.
She trembled. “Father…!”
He grabbed her hand. “Come with me! We have to move!”
But she broke free. “My father! He’s still there!”
She tried to run toward the fire, but he grabbed her and carried her over his shoulder.
“We can’t help him now!” he shouted. “But we can still stop this.”
He sprinted toward the prison, dodging terrified citizens and fallen debris. As they reached the gates, guards moved to stop him — until they saw the princess.
They froze. Then stepped aside.
He ran through the halls until he reached the dark cell — the one holding the Black Joker.
“I know how to break the curse,” he said, breathless. “I know the words to set you free. But only if you promise me one thing.”
The Joker leaned forward, eyes burning. “If I had my power again… I’d kill them anyway.”
The man looked him in the eye. “Then let’s begin.”
He took a deep breath, and said the words:
“Jaber… Jaber… Jaber.”
A shockwave tore through the dungeon. The ground cracked. The shadows twisted.
The Black Joker stood — taller, darker, powerful once more.
And he smiled.
The war had truly begun.