King Tanno arrived at the agreed upon rendezvous point five minutes before midnight. For what felt like the millionth time, he checked to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Leaving the palace without at least a dozen guards by his side had been a strange experience indeed. He felt exposed, like an enemy could strike at any moment. He was so jumpy that when the visitor he’d been waiting for emerged from a clump of trees, he formed an ice spear with his aqua magic.

“Now that’s no way to start a diplomatic relationship,” The man grabbed the ice spear and turned it into thick dust in less than a second. “There. Much better.”

King Tanno coughed as he pushed the dust out of his face. “Kerrim, I wasn’t expecting you to look so…young and normal.”

“This is a borrowed body,” Kerrim explained. “Caldor, introduce yourself.”

“It’s nice to meet you, your highness,” Caldor said, his voice distinct from Kerrim’s. “I do hope this is the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship.”

King Tanno grappled with the idea of a powerful force of nature like Kerrim sharing a body with an average human. The strain on Caldor’s body would surely destroy him. King Tanno decided not to comment on Kerrim and Caldor’s arrangement. Instead, he said, “Why have you called me here tonight?”

“I think we both know why,” Kerrim said. “I want an alliance. 1000 years ago, I bridged the realms beneath the very palace you reside in today. That’s where the most priceless gem remains to this day. If I have no access to the palace, fusing the realms will be pointless.”

“By priceless gem, you mean your girlfriend, right?” King Tanno asked.

“She is much more than that,” Kerrim said with a warning glare. “And you will soon discover that I am willing to do whatever it takes to remove her from the void during the Hour of Recompense.”

“And what make you think I’d agree to assist you with this so-called Hour of Recompense?” King Tanno asked. “I am the ruler of Vekoba. Why would I let you destroy my kingdom without any resistance?”

“Not destroy, reform,” Kerrim corrected. “When I fulfill my destiny, this realm will be cleansed by the shadows that have been suppressed for so long. All who are unworthy of their magic will be wiped from existence and this world will be better for it.”

“Okay then, why should I allow you to reform my kingdom?”

“Because if you don’t you will be wiped away by the shadows,” Kerrim replied. “You are no better than the peasants you look down on. I dare say you’re even worse. What kind of monster poisons their own son?”

King Tanno looked down. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing.”

“I roamed the shadow realm for 1000 years.” Kerrim circled King Tanno. “The worst of humanity thrives there, including evil deeds. There’s no point in trying to hide the truth from me, your highness. I know everything.”

It was King Tanno’s greatest secret. His wife, Queen Genelva, had lost many children. Isidro was the only one that survived infancy. King Tanno was devastated to learn that his son inherited the gene for sky magic, not aqua magic like the last ten rulers of Vekoba. Isidro tried to prove his worth to his father, but King Tanno saw nothing but weakness in his son. One day King Tanno decided to rid himself of the “Isidro Problem” by poisoning the prince’s water. King Tanno convinced everyone that an innocent servant was the assassin. No one so much as suspected the king. After all, who would murder their only child? But King Tanno’s plan didn’t work and merely left his son with a pair of mangled legs.

“And now you treat your son as if he’s committed a grievous crime against you. You hate him simply for the type of magic he was born with,” Kerrim said. “I heard the disgusting things you said to him today. If you weren’t of use to me, I’d kill you where you stand.”

“How do you know what I said? Have you been watching me?”

“Don’t act surprised,” Kerrim answered. “From now on, assume I am everywhere.”

“Well if you saw my son today, why didn’t you kill him?” King Tanno asked. “He was also with that shadow mage girl. It was the perfect opportunity to wipe out two major threats.”

“I am weak from a recent defeat,” Kerrim said. “Caldor and I are working on getting stronger, but for now, striking down Elshana Devere is going to be impossible. Your son is also a very powerful mage.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” King Tanno muttered. “What is it that you want from me?”

“If you allow me to fuse the realms without any obstruction, I will make you the eternal overlord of the reformed world,” Kerrim said. “You will never die and never worry about losing your power.”

King Tanno was confused. “I thought you wanted to be the eternal ruler of this realm.”

“The throne is of no interest to me,” Kerrim replied. “My only interest is a world without evil, a world in which me and Lipora can dwell peacefully. Power has never been one of my goals.”

King Tanno pondered Kerrim’s offer. The thought of being an eternal overlord was certainly appealing. Besides, its not like he would be able to stop Kerrim once he gained full power. “Okay,” King Tanno said. “You have a deal.”

Kerrim shook hands with the king. “It is done,” he said. “The majority of my plan requires that you remain dormant, but I do need you to do one thing. Disown Prince Isidro and officially remove him from the succession. He and Elshana Devere have access to too many resources at that estate.”

“Why don’t I just kill them?” King Tanno asked.

“You truly are a sick man,” Kerrim replied. “You can’t kill them because it will raise too much suspicion. People already know you despise your son. If he dies suddenly, people will blame you. Avoiding controversy and negative public attention is key to helping me succeed.”

“I suppose you have a point,” King Tanno said. “Tomorrow I will send a messenger to inform my son that he is no longer considered a member of the royal family.”

“Then you’ll sit back and wait for my next command,” Kerrim said. “Oh, and if you decide to betray me, I’ll make sure you suffer for all eternity got it?”

“Got it,” King Tanno said.

“It was nice to meet you,” Caldor said in his youthful voice. “I look forward to seeing you become eternal overlord after the Hour of Recompense.”

King Tanno nodded. “I’m looking forward to it too.”

…

Caldor couldn’t stop laughing as he soared far above Cinder City. “What an absolute moron,” he said. “You told him he could be the ‘Eternal Overlord.’ Oh Kerrim, where do you come up with this stuff?”

“The worst part is that the fool believed me,” Kerrim replied, his voice echoing in Caldor’s mind. “Rest assured that that foul king will be the first man the shadows destroy during the Hour of Recompense .”

“I’m glad he fell for it,” Caldor replied. “Having him on our side is going to make our job a lot easier.”

“And when he perishes, you shall be the ruler of the new world,” Kerrim said. “You are much more worthy of the crown that he will ever be.”

Caldor did a flip in the night sky. “Is it weird for you to return to this realm after being gone for so long?”

“There have been countless advancements all throughout Vekoba,” Kerrim answered. “Unfortunately, technological advancement has ushered in an era of degeneracy.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Caldor said as he descended toward the earth. He walked into a bar, ordered a pint, and began to sip. “Hmm…this is good stuff.”

“I haven’t had a drink in a thousand years,” Kerrim said. “I think even crude moonshine would taste good at this point.”

“Woah, you can taste it too?”

“Yes. Our bodies are one. Everything you feel, I feel. Everything you taste, I taste.”

“Interesting…and kind of weird.”

“As soon as I gain enough strength to rebuild my old body, I will leave yours.”

Caldor looked up from his drink and noticed a group of mages bullying a non-mage woman who was holding an infant. The woman was disheveled, clearly homeless and down on her luck. The mages didn’t seem to care. They tried to yank the baby from her hands and began chanting, “Begone, Blot!” over and over again.

“Are you strong enough to help me take care of these guys?” Caldor asked.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Kerrim replied.

Without leaving his seat, Caldor moved his fingers up and down. A thin shadow encased his hands. He pushed the shadow outward and crafted it into a dark cloud. He pushed the shadows forward onto the bullies. By the time they saw the shadow, it was too late. It enveloped them and they melted into the ground. It reminded Kerrim of when he used to hold his crayons near the fireplace and watch them melt.

The non-mage woman screamed, held her child close, and ran out of the bar. Caldor sighed and muttered, “A thank you would be nice.”

Caldor stepped over the puddle of melted bodies and stepped out into the night. There was a time where going outside after dark was a death sentence, but with Kerrim’s power, he was unstoppable.

“Hey Kerrim,” Caldor began, “once you save Lipora, where do you think you’ll live?”

“Wherever she wants to live,” Kerrim replied. “I don’t care where we reside as long as we’re together.”

“That’s sweet,” Caldor said. After a pause, he added, “When this is all over, do you think we can be friends?”

“I already consider us allies,” Kerrim replied. “Once the world is reformed, there will be no need for an alliance between us. Only then will a true friendship be possible.”

“Works for me,” Caldor said.

“For now, we must focus on the task at hand,” Kerrim said. “I need you to take me to a place that caused you great pain. Exploring the shadows inside of you will help me regain my body.”

Caldor stopped dead in his tracks, for there was a place that had caused him more pain than any child should ever experience.

“I’ll take you to the orphanage.”