"Hello, uh... Oh, I don't know your name. Do you have a name? Why don't I... Yes, that will do for now. Hello, Observer. I just want to talk. ...What are you? ...Maybe you can't understand me... Or I'm talking to myself like a fool. Or... you are simply laughing at my desperation? Can you laugh? Are our lives funny to you? What are we! Answer me! ...Do you even know what feelings are?"

***

"I know you can hear me. You've shown it before. And so much more... Is there someone that knows what you are? Everyone needs a confidant, someone they can talk to about what they can't with anyone else. ...As a sign of goodwill, why don't you become mine. Sometimes... Gah... Useless."

***

"Is it the way I contacted you? You must understand why I did what I did. ...If I am correct, it's something you are no stranger to. It was you, wasn't it? The meeting? Who was Ilis of Dunemist? A sacrifice? Was he willing? Did he know? Did any of them? ...Did you make it look like a suicide?"

***

"Why are you ignoring me?"

***

"...and then Auhellis said, 'Sire, would you like some cookies?' Cookies? Cookies... It was the tone that threw me off the most, like I was his kid, and I was getting a little cranky. I mean, I was, and it did help, bribing me with a sugary treat. Oh, he means well, but that one is going to be stuck in my head forever. ...I should give him a raise... But what is he going to use the money on, anyway? Practically lives in the castle. Maybe I should give him more vacation time. No, that's probably a reprimand in his eyes... Do you have any ideas? ...Hmm, nothing, huh? Really thought that would work..."

***

"All I want is to talk with you. We can avoid... How are you hunting the monsters? How did you know about... Why couldn't I? Sometimes... I question the need for a king, as must you."

***

"Morning, Observer. Or whatever it is where you are. Is that how it works? Do you actually have a physical body, or are you everywhere all at once? I like to think that you have a 'you'. Did you see the champion I faced yesterday? ...Can you see inside dungeons? Never mind. As I was saying, champion, real nasty, vampire. Was constantly quipping about me being an inferior monarch compared to its lordship. If I wasn't fighting for my life, it would have been very amusing. Instead of slightly. ...Huh. I don't think I've ever admitted that to anyone else. Auhellis would actually faint if he knew the gory details of what I'm constantly getting up to. Hah! Pretty hypocritical if you ask me. He's been in more dungeons than I can count. How about you? ...Probably a lot. If only you could see what I see..."

***

"I swear, if I have to settle another petty dispute, I'm going to... This is partially your fault, Observer. Don't you care about people's mental health. Especially your favorite overworked demon. ...Yes, yes. I know it's self-inflicted. No need to rub it in. I would like an apology... Eh, worth a try. I would also like you to not rend the world in two, but my pleas always seem to land on deaf ears... As much as I've enjoyed our one-sided talks, my patience has a limit."

***

"This is your last chance. Speak to me willingly, or I will leave you no other choice."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A black box drops from nothing. It lands on soft grass, sinking a bit but not getting lost within the strands. The isolated meadow is circled by thick forest. A brook babbles off in the distance. The unexpected appearance of my bare-bones communication device draws Demon King Xyll's gaze. He slowly rises up from lying on the comfortable ground.

The rudimentary onboard speaker crackles to life. "You wanted my attention. You have it," my changed voice sounds out. Flat and emotionless. Unrecognizable.

The demon king does not approach the box, merely studying it with immense intensity. "What are you?"

"I am you."

A chuckle escapes his lips, slowly turning into a full-on laugh. But then, it sharply stops. "No. You are not. You are weak. Scared. And fear is a dangerous thing." Xyll shakes his head, his eye betraying no emotion underneath. "A red monstrosity, a god, it doesn't matter. All that matters is what you want. Say it yourself. Let me hear if my conclusions are wrong for the first time."

"I want to help as many people as I can."

He smiles, the expression an empty reaction, conveying nothing. "Help? You've already ensnared them. You might think you are helping, but you are just slowly changing them. Destroying what they are. Killing them. Ten, a hundred, even a thousand years. You will be their master in the end. They won't leave you a choice. Don't you see?"

"I am no one's master."

"Do you truly think that? There are many ways to own someone, Observer. Their body, their mind, everyone and everything around them. But their future? Own their future and you own their very soul."

"What makes us so different? Why were you at the meeting?"

Xyll softly scoffs. "To keep the balance."

"You speak of unwilling sacrifices I might have used. Would yours have been?"

He replies with utmost confidence, "Without a single doubt in their minds."

"What if that sacrifice was not necessary? Pardon me, I meant 'is'."

"Hah!" Xyll exclaims. "Pride? You nearly perpetrated the bloodiest conflict in modern history. Even then, how many top-level fighters died? The Dwarven Republic's delving power was practically halved, and that's without including the golems."

"Don't exaggerate. And would your plan have been any better?"

"I could have made it work," he says.

"Perhaps. But what about your own zealots? Change is not always as fast as we want it to be."

A crack appears. The first sign of real emotion. Or is it a trap? Nevertheless, Xyll's voice has a tinge of uncertainty. "I am their king."

"Like so many before you."

The demon king's eyes narrow imperceptibly, but he changes direction before more emotion seeps through. "Without struggle, without a better future to strive for, there will be nothing but decay and degradation. What would there be left? If all is solved by you? Waiting to wither away, aimless, empty, a predictable routine."

"And needless death is better?"

"Balance. Balance is always needed."

"Are dungeons not enough of a challenge for you, Your Majesty?"

He laughs, sardonic and slow, but with a touch of something else. "Another way for them to die. Your sweet succor will only make them weaker and weaker, will only fatten them up, until the world eats them as a tasty snack. You are not solving their every problem. You are removing adversity, removing contrast. What life is a monotonous existence, to be forever static?"

"Can you condemn people personally?"

"Yes. You know I can, and that I've done so."

"Well, I can't," I say.

"What is an untold number of lives compared to all of them. Unthinkable destruction versus extinction. Can you argue for the other?"

"I can argue for the sanctity of life. No matter which one."

Xyll spits out the word with disdain, "Naive." His voice then turns tired, done with it. "And foolish. And ultimately, terrified. Do you think yourself strong enough to tackle reality alone? Forever and ever? Unceasing?"

"No one said I would do it alone. Are we ever alone?"

Xyll freezes for a moment. Then his lips threaten to pull up in a grin. He allows the expression. "Will you really let other people die? You might think like this for now, but the future is long. One day, you will change your mind. One day, you will fail, and you will find no one beside you to pick up the fight."

"Do you not want the best for your people? Do you not feel fear?"

He growls out a shout, the reserved facade breaking, "Of course I want the best! That is my purpose!" A hand through his hair calms him back down again. "Fear is unbecoming of a king. I am an example, what they aspire to be."

"'Purpose'? And you say we are different. Let me show you what I am, what I want. Please."

"I've seen everything I need to."

"Do you wish me dead?"

"No, I do not. But it is what I'm tasked with. You do not belong here. Leave. Or die."

A miniscule antimatter charge obliterates the box without a trace.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.