Zieg was feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness. The demon god’s fragment was continuously cornering his meager resistance, until only a speck of his willpower remained.

(How easy would it be if I just gave up) he thought. When the thought crossed his mind, he felt an indescribable urge to possess everything. To take what he wanted, to erase what he didn’t, a feeling of pure greed. He was on the border of despair, almost unable to no longer resist the temptation. The promise of power, and everything it entitled. It was what he sought for his entire life, but was still unable to achieve after losing to Ryzel, and now it was sitting right in front of him. It would be so easy to take it, but he knew that if he did he would no longer be himself. He could barely endure the agonizing corruption of his soul, with no means to fight back against it.

Zieg’s mind began growing numb, and he recalled a memory from nearly a decade ago, back when he was still wandering the North in his past life.

...

Seated around a small fire in the night of the wastelands of the North were two people, an immortal and a young boy. Both wore tattered clothing, one appearing to be a veteran of many battles, covered in the scars of war, the other a young boy with a cold look in his eyes. They were both vagabonds, wanderers with no homes after being pushed out of the center of the continent.

The boy may have never admitted it, but the man covered in scars was almost like the father-figure that was deprived from him, a man that the boy would consider to be his mentor.

“Tell me, Zieg, what is it that you hope to achieve?” the veteran asked.

“Revenge,” the boy coldly responded with a single word. That single word contained all of his desires, hatred, and feelings within it.

The veteran felt incredibly despondent upon hearing his reply. He shook his head, feeling grief and pity for the boy. He had seen many of his type before. The only thing that awaited them at the end of their goals was a feeling of emptiness.

“I’ll kill them all, every single one. Until none are left,” the boy continued.

“I see. I won’t try to change your thoughts, but you’ll need sufficient strength and will for whatever your goals are. Words are empty, in these times of chaos the only thing people will listen to is power,” the veteran sighed.

“But you must remember: never, ever let your desire for power consume you. You must stand firm and stay true to your beliefs lest you lose yourself in the process,” the veteran advised.

Though the two had different goals, what they both had in common was their desire for power. Only with power would they ever hope to achieve what they strived for.

“And as for me, I hope to be a protector of our race. No matter what sacrifices need to be made, our people need someone to look up to. Someone to protect them from harm and pave a way for the future. A figure that makes them feel safe and give them hope to prevent further suffering,” the veteran spoke proudly, clearly conveying his convictions to the young boy. The smile on the face of the veteran at this moment was so brilliant, so blinding that it was deeply implanted into Zieg’s memories.

The atmosphere continued in silence as both figures gazed into the flames of the fire.

The words the veteran spoke greatly stirred Zieg’s emotions, sending him into a deep reverie of contemplative thoughts.

Somewhere along the way, a few years into the future, this very conversation would lead him to slightly alter his goals, inspiring Zieg to become who he had become. The Demon King.

…

Within his realm of consciousness, a slight smile emerged on the face of the Zieg drowning in darkness, and he asked to no one in particular in his reminiscence, “Where are you now, Gyro?”

The fond memory invigorated Zieg, and he felt a burst of willpower coming back to him.

(You were right. I won’t let it consume me) he thought, and willed himself to push the half of the demon god’s fragment back.

“I’ll be the one to consume you,” a villainous grin spread across Zieg’s face.

Huge spoiler for the next arc:

Spoiler : Zieg's mentor Gyro, now the leader of a Jaeger group and infamous as Artifact Hunter Gyro will be the primary antagonist for the Aegis reclamation arc