THE MOMENT
"I'm still alive...," Borin had lost the war, but he'd survived along with his companions. The Dark Lord seemed to lose interest in the heroic party as soon as he'd achieved his goal, and that would be his fatal mistake. They were too weak at the moment, and the Dark Lord too strong. But, they would try again. Even if it took another war, they wouldn't rest until they were dead or the world was free.
"I have succeeded!" The Dark Lord's ghostly image appeared in the sky. Borin and his friends were attempting to stop him before nightfall, and they failed early enough that the sun hadn't set yet. He towered over the land, seemingly looking down on everyone he'd conquered. However, despite his menacing posture, the ethereal representation looked startled suddenly. He whirled around to address an unseen individual. "What?" he asked no one, then he disappeared from the sky. Borin felt hope, and he was sure the others felt it too.
"Do you think someone stopped him?" Reilla, their healer, asked. She'd finally gotten around to curing Borin's wounds; he insisted she help the rest of the team first. Borin looked around, and noticed the rest were sleeping. Even, Luceo the thief, was completely unconscious. The wiry gnome was usually the first one to find his way out of trouble. However, he stuck with them the whole time, and arguably he was the reason they were still alive. It was the same reason that the Dark Lord had achieved his goal; but a hard choice had to be made and Luceo made it. It wasn't over until they were dead, and the cowardly thief managed to steal another chance for them. Borin shook his head.
"If we couldn't stop him, it'll take more than someone just catching him by surprise," he said. He hated to be honest, but she needed to hear it. Reilla was the newest, and most naive member of their group. Luceon made the decision to let the Dark Lord win, but he wouldn't have had to make that decision if Reilla wasn't so trusting. She needed to learn the hard truths of reality, and Borin would have to guide her. But, her healing skills were unmatched. He would be sure to harden her heart by the time they were ready to try again.
"I have succeeded!" the Dark Lord appeared again. The sky was darker now, and his figure glowed brighter in a brilliant blue color. "I have conquered the Earth and it's time to lay down some ground rules. Rule #1: I step down as ruler of the world and everything shall go back as before," he said. His voice sounded natural, and almost youthful; it was quite different from the deep, gravelly voice he'd used to insult them during battle. Something strange was happening, but he couldn't decide what it was. "I just wanted to see if I could achieve this, and I did it," he chuckled. He literally laughed like a teenager as Borin and Reilla stared up at the sky. "So, good luck and stuff. Bye!" he gave the world an energetic wave and disappeared. Both of the conscious party members waited in patient silence for several minutes.
"Do you think...," Reilla was too afraid to put it into words, but Borin knew exactly what she was going to ask. He was wondering the same question as was likely everyone else on Earth.
"I don't think he would lie?" Borin chuckled as he phrased the thought. The Dark Lord was evil and absolutely would lie if it gained him something. But, Borin could not begin to guess what lying about giving up would gain him. It could've been a ploy, but that didn't seem like the Dark Lord's style. He'd already won and had nothing left to gain. "I guess we'll see...," he shrugged. There was nothing else to do about it but wait. Either the Dark Lord appeared again, or he wouldn't. No matter how it played out, Borin and his team would remain ready.
Elsewhere, a conversation between the Dark Lord and his unexpected guest takes place.
"What are you waiting for?" Oren, the Dark Lord's best friend, asked. The two teens were standing in the Dark Lord's throne room.
"Hold on, I just told them I was stepping down. But, they don't know whether to believe me or not. Let them enjoy a few moments of doubt first," Aurelio shrugged. Oren rolled his eyes and sighed.
"That's what I'm asking. Why are you even bothering to tell them? They can't tell the difference. Just reset the server and let's go."
"That's boring," Aurelio shook his head. "I'm not much of a Dark Lord if I don't mess with them a little bit. Gotta shake up the ant colony now and then, you know?"
"But what's the point if you're going to reset them just to do it again?"
"That's kind of the point," Aurelio nodded. "The Dark Lord suddenly says he's done. And, right when you start to wonder if maybe he really is gone, bam," he chuckled. "The world and everyone you know just starts disintegrating all around you. Is it because of the Dark Lord? Probably, but they'll never be sure because there's nothing after that."