Once or Twice...

With the flick of my wrist, I gestured for my legions and garrison to sally forth.

Then I became aware of what I’d done and where I was.

Summoning a reflective image of myself before me, I gazed at it for a moment. Twirling my finger in the air, I gestured for my phantom to rotate and display my form.

“How did you do it?” I asked myself this as I searched for any weakness this hero may have exploited. Everything about me surged with formidable power and a flame that could rival the conflagration outside my tower. Again, to myself, I asked: “What did you spot?”

Long and glowing hot orange flame of hair that never touched any without scorching their flesh black. My own skin was pale, but it had the residual ash of many enemies coating me from head to toe. It made me appear oily, as if I had been working in a furnace all day and I was drenched in sooty sweat.

Those inspecting eyes glared with a bright molten light. There was nothing but a disc of bursting hot ember in the center of those whites in my eyes. Bison-like horns protruded and curved out from the lower back of my head to come around my crown and hold these licking flames of hair out of my eyes.

Everything else about my appearance was covered in the flowing black coat of armor that was flexible as leather and too hard for even my own strength to penetrate. It had once been the hide of another Lesser Evil. One that I could not defeat head-on, but had done so through treachery. All it took was one drink and he was devoured from the inside out. His very skin was the only token I wanted from that horrible death.

How then? How did I die last time?

Appraising my form for any weakness was frustrating me. Casting my image away, I brought up the image of the battlefield. The lines had shifted in favor of the humans. Somehow they had found a way to best our kind in their crusade to vanquish us. What did they have?

I searched for hours before the last of my legions fell. The doors to my chambers were blown open...

"Hello again! Did you miss me?"

Silently, I shook my head. There was no disrespect in my response. I simply did not have a desire to meet with Death. Who did?

"That's too bad. Did you learn anything?"

Thinking back, I recalled I had no obvious weaknesses and that my legions had practically been stomped out there. "No. Not that I could tell."

"You do remember everything?"

I nodded. "I saw how the battle went."

"No. You didn't. Once again, you stayed inside."

Sighing, I knew what Death was getting at. "Will you permit me to go back?"

"Of course! As much as you want. See you again soon!"

Clenching my fist, I prevented myself in time before gesturing for my legions to sally forth.

Turning to the doors, I stormed out of my chambers to find the nearest window. From this great height of my tower, I jumped.

Upon the ground, a great fissure formed along one of the crags. Its sharp glass-like structure crackled into so many pieces that it appeared as dust beneath my feet and fist.

Lifting myself up to stand, I turned about to see my own fortification and those who would do battle under my command. Many of their faces were surprised to see me. I felt it too. None had ever seen me before, but they knew who I was by my mere presence of power that I exerted in all directions.

Still looking upon all of their shocked faces, I blindly pointed out at the enemy and shouted my order. "KILL THEM!"

With the greatest roar I would ever hear in this life, my legions charged. I stood and watched as they closed the distance and smashed into the forces on the other side of these crags.

A blinding white light beamed down from the heavens and cut through my minions like they were nothing. Again and again, scores of Demons were erased without so much as a struggle. Each time that light passed by, my legions vanished. Not even their ashes remained.

Gazing up into the sky, I searched for the source of this great light. It found me instead...

"Why, hello there! Any chance you discovered something new?"

I nodded, but I had no way of knowing how to fight this. "It must be a god on their side. Some Divine support that wiped us all out."

"Oh, uh, no. Nothing about that was -- You know, try again and look a bit harder. You might be surprised to find out how advanced humanity has become in the last few thousand years. Did you know they’ve colonized other planets?"

This confused me. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, humanity dropped some kids off and forgot about them. Now that they remembered, they came back to check and see how they were doing. Kind of like a parent watching their kid at school, but they think you are a bully. So, uhh... yeah. You're getting your ass kicked."

I was dumbstruck.

"Never mind. It isn't relevant to this battle. Want another go?"

I nodded once more. "Please?"

"Go get 'em, Tiger!"