Lord Of All That Is Evil [1]

The world was ending, with black flames devouring everything in their path and reducing it all to smoldering ashes.

The sky was on the verge of collapse. The ground beneath was crumbling away. The great oceans were stirring, and tsunamis were ravaging the coastal cities.

It was utter chaos.

The worst part was that there was no escape.

The apocalypse was already here.

Prayers for mercy were being met with silence, unanswered by the heavens above. The noble gods had forsaken their worshippers, fleeing to save their own lives and hiding behind Heaven's Gate.

The Demon King had finally won, as foretold by the ancient prophecies. He had conquered this world, and now he wouldn't stop until the entire multiverse was within his grasp.

The once valiant Heroes lay dead and defeated, their grotesquely twisted and broken bodies strewn lifeless across the battlefield along with those of the soldiers who dared to assist them in this war.

Everywhere one looked, there was blood, death, destruction, and despair. The whole frightful sight was a grim reminder of the unchallengeable power that the Terror held.

Soon, the Empire's stronghold was breached. The Demon King entered the Royal Capital with his legion of harrowing monsters.

People of the capital fled from the terrifying creatures invading the city, their cries of fear mingling with the anguished screams of the dying.

Parents made desperate sacrifices to protect their children, knowing full well there was nowhere left to run and no sanctuary to be found.

The once mighty army of the Empire had been decimated. What few soldiers remained were fighting a losing battle against the overwhelming forces of darkness.

Hope flickered and died in the face of such oppressive evil, leaving only a bleak certainty in its wake. Everyone knew death was imminent and inevitable.

In no time, the streets of the Royal Capital were awash with crimson rivers of blood. Every living creature was slaughtered like an animal in mere minutes.

Above, gray clouds blotted out the sun, casting the world into pitch-black darkness. It was the start of the Eternal Night.

The light had abandoned this world as it would soon abandon all others. It was as if even the sun itself was afraid of facing the Terror and had decided to hide from him.

Amidst it all, a lone figure whistled a haunting melody with twisted glee, completely unscathed and untouched by the carnage and destruction around him.

Thousands of vile, fluttering insects obscured his face. He wore tattered black armor that was caved in and cracked in many places—a result from his fight against the brave Heroes.

Yet, not one wound, not even a tiny scratch, blemished his body. The legends about him were true. He was invincible.

He was the Lord of All That Is Evil.

The Demon King.

The Terror of Arcadia!

And this was the start of his great and terrible reign.

There was no one left to stop him now. No Kings, no Heroes, not even the all-powerful Gods were foolish enough to stand against him anymore.

Between the battle of good and evil, divine and profane, light and darkness, right and wrong, life and death… he alone had prevailed.

The days ahead were going to be dark and full of dread–

•••

Tring, Tring—!!!

"Haaa!"

My eyes snapped open at the harsh sound of my alarm, and I woke up with a gasp before jolting upright in bed.

My hand pressed to my throat as if trying to muffle the gasp that had already escaped. My thumb felt the erratic thumping pulse of the nerve at the side of my neck.

My throat felt dry, and my mind was all over the place. Delirious and slightly panicked, I looked around, trying to assess where I was.

Then it hit me: I was at my apartment. I was home.

It was just a dream.

A nightmare.

That was all it was, nothing more.

Calming myself by taking a few deep breaths, I tried to control my raging heart, which was beating so wildly in my chest that it almost hurt.

Surely I couldn't be having a heart attack, right? I was too young to have such a weak heart.

After a few long minutes, I finally cooled down. Only then did I notice my body drenched in a cold sweat as though I had just dipped in a lake.

"Arghh."

In disgust, I peeled the sweat-soaked bed sheets off my damp skin and threw myself off the bed. As soon as my feet touched the cold, hard marble floor, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

All this ordeal was nothing new to me. I had been having this same nightmare on repeat since I was nine.

I don't know why it started or what it even means, but I keep seeing the vision of destruction every time I try to sleep, once every few weeks.

Lately, however, I have been having this nightmare almost daily, as if my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

Either that, or I guess I'm finally going crazy.

The dream itself is almost always the same. I see a world where the apocalypse has arrived. The protectors of that world have failed to stop the end, and now they are dead.

Then, I see a city being invaded by harrowing creatures that seem to have spawned out of hell. The population of this city is being helplessly butchered.

Finally, at the center of it all, I see him…

A man, if he could even be called that, standing unperturbed and unharmed by everything happening around him, with fluttering insects covering his face, whistling a haunting melody.

Nothing, not even the whole vision of death and destruction that I see in this nightmare, scares me more than listening to that melody.

Every time I hear that man whistle, I feel a sense of primal, unadulterated fear stirring up from the deepest part of my soul.

I've tried everything. I've gone to therapy, taken medication, and even tried some internet tips and tricks, but no matter what I do, I can't get rid of this nightmare.

"Argh," grunting, I gently clutched a handful of my hair as I felt a mild migraine pounding away at the front of my skull.

This was usual as well. Every time I have this nightmare, I get a headache.

It starts with a simple migraine before growing into something that feels as if my head is placed on an anvil and a blacksmith strikes it with a hammer every few seconds.

Taking a cool shower and a comforting bath helps, though.

So, not wanting to deal with that pain, I rubbed my bleary eyes, trying to chase away the lingering vestiges of sleep, and quickly headed to the bathroom.

•••

The bath was relaxing.

Thankfully, my headache subsided before it had the chance to fully develop. So, that was good. Not the best way to start the morning, though.

I changed into casuals and looked at the time. It was late morning. Back at school, the first period must've already started.

I sighed again. "Come on, I should get moving. My order should be here in a few hours."

I needed to finish the preparations for the summoning ritual before the ceremonial silver dagger and the piece of black obsidian I had ordered were delivered to me.

So, I got to work.

But first, I checked on the goldfish I had bought. Thankfully, it was still alive and kicking… or rather, swimming.

"Hmm, I should name you something," I said, scratching my chin while observing the goldfish in the bowl.

Yes, I was going to sacrifice this little guy—or girl? I didn't know what gender it was, okay?!—for a demon summoning ritual, but killing it without even giving it a proper name didn't seem right.

I may be crazy, but I'm not a monster!

"Swim Shady," I muttered. "Yes, that's a good name. You're Swim Shady from now on!"

Okay, was it the best name for a goldfish? No. But who said I was good at naming sacrificial pets?!