The Journal of Chang-Zey
written by Tucker,  illustrated by Zack

There I was, a man in the middle of a great conquest. But though it was great, it was also evil, horrid, and terrifying. So intense that it haunted me every time I closed my eyes. The sight of all those blood soaked children screaming in undignified horror as the blade of his army came smoothly down into soft pink flesh, made me scream at night in my sleep. He said he didn't like killing the innocent. But when I looked into his deep dark eyes, I saw that he loved it and it came easily to him.

I was happy in my little Mongolian encampment. Things were usually peaceful. I was four years older than little Temujin, or as you know him, Genghis Khan [emperor of emperors]. When he was born with that blood clot in his hand, I knew he was going to be a leader. And I knew it was going… to be bad. I was his only friend. When his dad, our leader, Yisigel, died in 1180, most everyone broke apart and battled each other instead of hunting down the Tartars that poisoned his father.

Pandemonium broke out until he was of age to rule. He scared the other rulers with his ability to make others do what he wished. He fought like a wild man. Never would he find a man who he wouldn’t stab in the back and leave for dead. He had a blood lust like no man I had ever seen. His sword was constantly stained with the blood of the innocent.

He slaughtered almost every village from India to Persia.I remember a particular onslaught in a very warm morning, around 8:00 a.m., to be precise. His cavalry broke up into three groups of 10,000 in each and marched on a small city in Persia. I can still see his sword gleaming in the sun, as it came out over the rippling sand of the Persian desert. With one terrifying scream that would hang in my mind for the rest of my life he sent his army into battle. As that scream died off in the distance his captains lead the men in a horrific massacre that would forever be scared in my brain.

I was one of his four captains, but no man followed me. I guess looking back I'm glad, for it would be a heavy burden on my conscience if I knew I controlled his terrible hordes. So instead of going into battle I hung back and stared at this evil man and the chaos he controlled, until he finally saw me staring in horror. He felt it was an act of treason and told me to get in there before he skinned my hide and had me mounted. And so I rode into battle staring in horror at the inhumanity around me.

Those who tried to flee their burning homes got a quick and accurate arrow to the back of the head. That was where he did the most catastrophic thing imaginable. He built a pyramid of severed heads in monument to his power. It wasn’t so much that he built it that disgusted me, it was the horrified expression on their faces.

He had led many horrible raids such as that and I didn't do anything to stop him. I just watched as innocent after innocent was slaughtered. And I did absolutely nothing to prevent it. I guess looking back I saw the little boy who I used to play with. But enough was enough. On his next raid, I would try to stop him; because that little boy was dead. Like a twisted Phoenix rising from the ashes of his once pure heart, so the evil rose in his soul. Now it was up to me to stop him.

So I ran into his throne room and dove upon him like a panther to a boar, I landed square on top of him. I managed to get in a few good blows before being torn from him and almost beaten into unconsciousness. I looked through my swollen eyes as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He walked over to his table, smacked the food to the floor, picked up the silver plate and smashed it over my head. The next thing I new I was locked away in his dungeon about to be executed.

By the time you read this I will already be dead. I can only pray his cold blooded tyranny isn't still in effect on your world, but if so may God have mercy on your soul.