The power over life and death of people around me. I suppose that it is something that I've always had, however I had never wielded it before. It is a strange but intoxicating feeling. The moment that I gave the king of Greshe Khaaran a choice I did not really give him a choice. Honestly, there was a part inside of me that hoped he would be foolish, that he would challenge and attempt to resist me. I was completely ready to give him the most incredible death, but then he bowed down. He gave me everything that I wanted. Submission, a safe haven, loyalty, an army, as well as all else that his country could offer. Impressive to say the least. Not every monarch would be able to make the hard choice that he did. I have no doubt that some of his advisers call him a coward and a traitor behind his back. Oh, I can't wait for them to stir up trouble.

Never before have I dressed with such opulence. It feels good. It sure is a good way to somewhat cover my scars. Some of the work from Greshe Khaaran truly is beautiful enough that I momentarily forget my pain as I stare at it. Too bad for the elves that live in this country that I cannot completely forget it.

Eager to show their obedience, the Shadow Guards rounded up in less than a week every single elf in the kingdom. Very impressive, as expected from the force that inflicted more than a hundred casualties on Teldarion's armies for every single casualty they suffered. Numerous, discreet, fast and effective. I can't believe Greshe Khaaran was snubbed as much as it was at the end of the war. What a joke.

As I leisurely spend my time slowly torturing every single one of the captured elves to death, I came upon a familiar face. Imagine that! Arlia, who had been an influential adviser to the Imarian royal family before Teldarion tore it all down to make his beloved “republic”.

“Fancy meeting you here! I thought that after the war was over you might have returned to your cushy position. I was expecting to only kill you later on, when I completely raze Imaria!”

She grimaces as I grab her chin and makes her look at me in the eye. She's not exactly defiant, but it seems she believes she can convince me to not kill her and the other elves.

“I won't say I don't understand why you are doing this. Still, please, reconsider this. I left my country mostly out of disgust for Teldarion's extreme bigotry. I never came back not just because I believed that treatment of Ghreshe Khaaran by the allied army was appaling, but also because I believe there was never any real proper redress of my people's sins. Believe me, when I tell you that I am not your enemy.”

I considered it for a moment. Then, after considerably heating my hand's claws, I dug into her cheeks. I must say, she is quite impressive for bearing with it. All the other elves I did that to shouted in pain and begged for reprieve immediately.

“So you say, but what reason would I have to keep any of you animals alive? I doubt you'd put in much effort in wiping your own race off the world. Besides, you think I've forgotten whose failure put Teldarion into power? Just because you opposed him does not make you my friend, or what? You think I'd let an elf murderer live if I discovered that they killed many other elves? You and the rest of the miserable royal court are just as guilty as any other elf for the death of my children, perhaps even more so. If you weren't so corrupt, so decadent, so outrageous, then maybe Teldarion would never have come to pass.”

That she let out little more than grunts as I did my best to inflict pain on her is incredible.

“I... can see that appealing to your sense of mercy or justice by saying you're just killing innocents is useless. Ugh.” I scratched and burned her body, drawing random things on her with my claws. “So, what if I said I and some of the others could be of use to you?”

That made me stop for a moment. What was she trying to get at?

“That's funny, you should know very well what my desired end result is: A world where there are no elves alive. Ah, what a blissful place it would be, free of your filthy race.”

While panting from the pain, she managed to show me a weak smile.

“You hate us so much, and yet it seems to escape you that among some of us there might exist the same feeling.”

This irritated me.

“The same feeling? Are you mocking me? Nobody! I say, Nobody! Nobody hates elves as much as I do! How dare you suggest that anyone's rage might be the same as mine!”

I squeezed and broke one of her arms. She finally broke and let out her voice in extreme pain.

“Ah! I'm sorry, I misspoke! Nobody's hatred can compare to yours, mistress. However, there are some elves that do not have much love for their own kind. Why not make use of those such as me, instead of just killing us?”

Hmm. That might be something to consider. Perhaps, if I could bind them someway through that tengu, then perhaps I might make use of them. That is, if I can just as easily kill them later...

“Hmm, I will consider it. Congratulations, you have earned yourself a stay of execution.”

Maybe to compensate it, I will make her ultimate death that much more painful.