The King sat alone in the darkness of his empty throne room. Fidgeting with the cracked crown that normally rested on his head. He basks in the peace and quiet as he drifts to and fro his memories.

The King of Darkness rarely experienced this kind of moment in his life. But such is a life when you are regarded as the natural enemy of everyone who ever lived, currently living, and who will live. Even the furthest memories he could muster in his head still has him struggling to survive against the world that wants him dead. Lacking the wisdom he has now, he failed to see how fighting back only solidified those impressions of him. The bright side of the experience is that he never dealt with the issue of boredom. What he wouldn't give to at the very least have the option to pick between the two.

His trip through memory lane was cut short as something began to disturb his peace. His senses had heightened over the course of his immortal life, due to always having to be aware of his enemies to ensure they would never gain the advantage in an ambush. Faint pitter-patter was being picked up. Someone was approaching his throne room. Not many of his minions would dare disturb him when he was in here, which made it the perfect location for him to run his thoughts without interruption. And only a select few could keep their nerve when near him.

The doors to the throne began to move heavily. The lowly-dim light from the hall began seeping in, revealing the dull gray stone that was used to construct the dark room. A soldier cladded in luster-black armor began making their way toward the king. The sword that hung on their belt was just as black as the lightless room, making it nearly invisible to the average eyes, but not the king's. Once they stood before the king, they would quickly kneel, their armor clanking with the swift action echoed in the room.

“My liege.” A feminine voice blew from beneath the helmet that they wore.

The king did not speak, but merely straightened his fingers that rested on the arm of his throne.

The soldier took this as a gesture to speak. “Reports have been coming in from our outposts that a massive army has begun scaling the mountains. All agree that they are on their way here.”

The Castle of the King of Darkness sat in the very center of a mountain range that was fairly difficult to climb. And the difficulty merely rested on the steepness the mountains were shaped in. Excluding the spike of the challenge when you take into consideration the many monsters that call it their home. They too act as a barrier for the castle. And as a last resort, demi humans occupy the more suitable pathways and cliffs that could be used as campsites for travelers.

“I see.” It was all he could say to the news as he attempted to pinpoint the memories he was re-experiencing in his mind. He wanted to continue enjoying his peace. But the irritation that he once again had to fight behaved like an anchor that prevented him from truly returning to the dream world. His soldier was unaware of his uninterest and continued on with their report.

“I have personally alerted our troops to prepare for battle and are now awaiting your approval to be deployed and attack them now.”

Silence befell the two of them from a mere moment. But then both figures in the dark jerked their heads to the left of the throne room. The King was wide awake now.

“He is here.”

“Yes, few have reported seeing HIM among the fodder, some believe he is the one leading the forces here.”

“I can believe that. He likely finally accomplished forming a unity of the world's nations to combine their armies for a final battle of sorts.”

Their armor rattled as rage began to take over the soldier. “I shall have his head for this disrespect. How dare he invade our home.” They declared. But the anger quickly subsided when the King raised his hand up. They take a deep breath to blow all the negative emotions out.

“Be still, my loyal sword. Being fueled by emotions at this critical time will be our downfall. We must be level headed in our approach and moves to give us large quantities of time we can muster. That will be our goal here, not victory in combat.”

“Your wisdom knows no bounds, my liege.” They exclaimed as they bowed their head, showing off their easy to gain impression for the king.

“I'm aware,” he brushes off the praise and continues, “For now, continue alerting our troops to prepare for battle. Have those who are ready to head out into the field and get into positions behind the army for an ambush from behind. Using a pincer attack would develop many casualties and weaken the force before they could breach the castle gates. Report back to me once they are near the gates.”

“At once, my liege.” With a faint nod, they would twist on their heel as they rose back up and began exiting the throne room. Once the doors closed behind them, the king was left back into his peaceful darkness once more. But knowing the enemy was on their way prevented him from fully enjoying his moment. Tilting his head a tad to the left once more, he can make out a small opening at the corner of the wall. It led to the outside, giving the room a small whiff of air into the room while being a form of ventilation. But the walls were too thick to allow any light from the outside to slip in and illuminate even the small corner that it was in.

The idea of his own home being invaded didn't impact him as much as it should. Even the smallest of unintentional mistakes by his minions was enough to deliver them quick death. The reaction of his soldier should have been shared by him, but as he explained, now wasn't the time to let emotions get the better of them. Not when they were this close. With his heightened senses, he felt something rumble in the depths of the castle basement. His plans were nearly complete now. All he has left to do is give it time.

At last, the king has lived long enough to see the start of this destined day. Out of all the schemes he had conducted with his minions, this one was the biggest of them all. Everything was precise for a certain idea. And the drastic difference has left their enemies confused and nervous. He expected a resistance would occur out of it. Even awaited for them at the critical moment such as the end. It was nothing new to him. Like always, this was a do or die situation. And like always, the fate of the world was betting on the latter.