A cliché scene. A towering figure wreathed in shadows stood before a party of the four brave warriors sent by the world to restore light to the land.

"Fools." The figure spoke, letting out a deep and resonant voice. Male. "Did you believe you could change anything by coming here?"

They were arrogant words. But they were also words that weren't without merit.

The throne room in the depths of the Demon Lord's castle. There, a vicious fight for the future began. The four warriors of light charged the Demon Lord and attacked with everything they had.

The black marble floors were gouged. The obsidian walls were splintered. Even the Demon Lord's throne had been shattered.

But the Demon Lord himself was unscathed.

The same couldn't be said for the four warriors.

The leader of the group was a young man. Wearing a golden crown, shining silver platemail armor, and clutching a pure whtie sword, he seemed the archetypal hero. And he had been brought to his knees, his blond hair matted with blood and his blue eyes narrowed in focus.

Directly behind the 'hero' was a young girl with crimson hair. Like the hero, she had been brought to her knees. But unlike him, she didn't appear to be wounded. Her pointed hat and flowing violet robes were untouched. But that didn't mean that she was calm. Her hands, wrapped around an intricate ivory wand, were bone-white and her eyes, a pure red, trembled in fear.

Those two were fine. Despite taking the brunt of the Demon Lord's attack, they were relatively unharmed.

But the other two weren't.

The first lay slumped against the wall, blood pooling beneath him. An older man that looked like a cross between man and wolf. Like the hero, he wore silver platemail armor. But his had been shattered, exposing a bare torso covered in burns and revealing scorched viscera.

The other was suspended in mid-air by stone spikes. A beautiful woman with long silver hair and pointed ears. Like the crimson-haired girl, she wore a robe. But hers was a pure white, like snow. And it was also now stained crimson, dyed by the lifeblood flowing out from her shredded body.

The Demon Lord swept his gaze across the hero's party and raised his right hand, holding his palm towards the sky. "The goddesses have been slain, and I have seized their power. With that power... No. You don't deserve to understand. All that you need to know is that those who oppose me will perish. Just like your friends."

The hero's eyes widened and he turned his head back. When he did, he let out strangled scream. "Sylvana! Rudgar!"

The Demon Lord smirked.

The crimson-haired girl gasped and quickly waved her wand. "Rein! Look out!"

Black lightning erupted, racing towards the hero. But before it could strike, a pure white barrier formed, stopping the attack.

Sweat poured down the crimson-haired girl's brow, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

The hero turned back, his eyes wide. "W-What?"

"Tch." The Demon Lord clenched his right hand and stopped the lightning. "An unexpected variable. It seems the world empowered you beyond my predictions." A wry smile crossed his face and he said, "Truly, it appears that my 'fate' is to fall at the hands of the 'hero' today."

The hero grit his teeth and forced himself to his feet. "You bastard...!" He raised his sword and said, "Of course you are! A monster like you... A monster like you deserves to die! If you did, the world... everyone would be saved!"

The Demon Lord tilted his head. "A monster, am I?" He laughed and then shook his head. "You're wrong, 'Hero.' I am as far away from a monster as you can find. After all... If I were truly a monster, why were only you four sent to fight me? Why did the world's forces not unite to challenge me?" He swept his arms out and said, "I am but a single being. Facing the world itself, what could someone like me do?"

Hesitation crossed the hero's face. "T-That's..."

The Demon Lord shifted his gaze to the side and said, "It appears that your companion realized it. Why not ask her?"

"What?" The hero turned around and said, "Annie?"

The crimson-haired girl was pale. But it didn't seem to be from blocking the Demon Lord's attack. Instead, she seemed to be in shock- No, in disbelief. Staring at the Demon Lord, her eyes trembled and she muttered, "You... are not a demon..."

The hero, Rein, narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?! Of course he's a demon! If he's not, why would he kill the goddesses?!"

Annie shook her head, muttering under her breath. "Impossible. That's impossible. Why...? Why...?!" The shock in her eyes turned into despair and she screamed. "Why are you doing this?! Why has humanity's hero turned against it!?"

"What?" Rein turned his head back. "He's the hero that's supposed to help us defeat the demon lord? But why is he-?"

A distraction. In Rein's confusion and Annie's despair, an opening emerged. A brief gap. A single moment...

*schick*

...And then the journey of the hero's party came to an end.

The Demon Lord stood before the hero, piercing his chest with a sword. But not just any sword.

A blade that wasn't forged, but trained from the heart alone. A sword that carried the hopes of mankind and could only be used by one who fought for the sake of humanity itself.

Rein's eyes focused on the sword, wide in shock. "Va...lor? But that's-"

Whatever he was going to say next was cut short and the Demon Lord wrenched his blade upwards.

A clean and fluid slash. With it, blood sprayed through the air, followed shortly after by a bisected corpse falling to the ground.

Annie screamed and then pointed at the Demon Lord with her wand. Tears ran down her cheeks and her face was a mess. "WHY?!" She shook her head and said, "You saved us! You swore to be humanity's savior and hero! You united everyone under your name! So why-?!"

The Demon Lord stepped forward.

Annie lowered her wand and shook her head. Staring at the Demon Lord again, she quietly said, "Why are you doing this, Father?"

The Demon Lord froze.

A single moment. Just an instant.

Seeing that, Annie's eyes lit up, hopeful.

But-

"I am *not* your father."

-That hope was dashed.

A torrent of black lightning struck down, erasing her from existence.

And then the Demon Lord- No, Humanity's fallen hero was alone. He swept his tired eyes around the devastated throne room and muttered, "Not enough." He shifted his gaze upwards and then said, "How many more lives will it take to sate your thirst, *Goddess?* How much longer will you foist this role of both hero and villain upon me?"

Silence.

"...Still no answer? Very well. But the time where I reach your level draws near. And when it arrives..." Lightning crackled around the fallen hero. First, black. But then others joined it. Blue, violet, gold... four colors melding together as one, wrapping around the man in a menacing cycle. "...I will have my revenge."

With his final words, the shadows and lightning obscuring the man's features died down. And because of that, his face could be seen.

A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. A handsome face twisted in fury and an unending obsession.

Seeing that...

Gray woke up.