Unexplained Changes

Involuntarily, I dropped my hand.

Dropping to the floor, I screamed out in agony. Fiery flames burst from within my blackened armor to the point that the coat could not contain the rising temperature. In seconds, I wore nothing as I laid on the floor. My boiling blood pooled around me as I felt bones shift and muscle rope around my limbs and anatomy in different angles and curves.

Slowly, as the pain subsided, I weakly got up onto all fours to crawl and climb into my throne. Sitting, I took a while to recover from this agonizingly gory shape shift. What had changed?

Shaking like a leaf, I raised my hand to summon my reflective image. What I saw was myself, but not. I had the same qualities of my former self, but my figure was slender, curved in places that would otherwise be fit for a woman. I inspected myself more closely; I had to make sure that I was still male. My face wasn't very masculine anymore and the very skin on my body appeared softer.

Only one last place to be sure I still could call myself a man.

Lowering my gaze to the joining of my thighs, I saw how I was there. It took me a few seconds to register what I was seeing. Then I stared down at myself and shoved my hand down between my legs.

"What the FUCK! How does this defeat mankind!?" Through deep and rapid breathing, I looked down at myself in disbelief. What did me becoming the opposite gender have to do with warfare? Did Death expect me to seduce the enemy? A Demon, no matter how attractive Death made me, would never tempt these crusaders from their path to purify all of us with that vanquishing light.

Death had said I would have a clue. I had none. What would this solve?

Clapping the heels of my palms up to my forehead, I sat there. It was all so very hopeless. I thought over all the possibilities that I could accomplish as either man or woman, but nothing changed. The battle would not be any different.

Sobbing, I went over my last meeting with Death. There was only one other item that I had not investigated. Before I died one more time, Death wanted me to go out the front door and see someone.

Wiping my face clean, I stood up from my throne and headed for the door. I stopped and gazed down at myself. Searching around, I grasped the post on the wall, that held my banner, and wrapped myself in its fiery colors like a cloak over my bare shoulders. The flames of my hair tried to burn it away, but with a simple thought I prevented its incineration.

Outside my chambers, I took one glance at the window that I had been jumping from and turned from it. Descending the stairs, I viewed the spiral staircase over the rails and saw the many doorways that led to other chambers in my tower. Each one was the home of an evil like me, but I was on top then. 

Now, they were empty and I was the final one for mankind to face.

Down on the bottom floor, I gave the great doors to the front of my tower an appraisal. It would take a giant effort of power to budge into motion. No sweat for me.

Slipping my hand out from under the makeshift cloak, I pressed my palm against the great door and gave it a single push. It moved effortlessly as I gradually walked with it until fully opened. Beyond the gates stood my legions.

Many faces turned to see who had opened the gate and gave me surprised expressions. How they expressed their shock was different. The times before, they had acted surprised at my presence on the battlefield. This time, it felt like they couldn't believe I was their Master. That I was the last Lesser Evil.

They all knew very well I was. Just as before, they could feel the same exertion of my power spread across them all.

What shocked me into walking no further was those of my legions that stood in the rear. Children. They were not soldiers at all. Little things that wore leathers, pots and pans, and wielded their cleavers to do all they could. Real ankle-biters.

I didn't know. Should have, but didn't. How else were my legions growing? They didn't spawn like mushrooms from the darkness...

... And it would be the light that would wipe them out.

With trembling lips, I screamed at those little freaks. "Get in here!" None moved, frozen to their spots. Eventually, they started looking at each other in confusion. I crouched down and screamed louder this time. "GET IN HERE NOW!" Then I flapped the cloak open to point them into the tower.

All of those demonic children ran in with shrieks of fright at my supposed fury.

As they all fled inside, I rose back up. I didn't let one of them leave my gaze until the very last of those youngsters were inside. With a swift backward kick, I slammed the door closed behind me. The very force of the door swinging closed sent a gale to assault my back and the legions in front of me.

Was what I did even going to matter? When all of these legions were gone and I was no more, the light would enter and finish what it had started outside. Even if the light didn’t erase them, those children still wouldn't stand a chance against those crusaders.

It was still hopeless.

Frowning, I stared at my legions. What could I do from this point? Who were the important people I was supposed to see out here? It couldn't have been those kids. There had to be someone out here that was capable of assisting me in turning the tide of battle.

In the corner of my eye, I saw something I’d never recognized before. Not because I’d never noticed; I just hadn’t cared about it before now. There was a village outside my tower. No. Not just one, but several that surrounded the whole structure. Just like a keep and its surrounding community.

Would I find them in one of these villages?

Walking away from the legions, I took the path to the closest of the villages. Their buildings were made of the same black stone, but melted down to fuse into corners or reinforced joints. It was interesting to see this. I’d never knew they were capable without the help of a Lesser Evil. We normally had to erect structures with our imagination, like my tower. That took several Lesser Evils, but still it took a mere thought to make.

Each house I visited was empty, but inside I saw all signs that lives had recently been lived there. Hard work, labors, play, and even some signs of love were in these vacant homes. Were all the villages like this one?

Something was wrong with me.

Placing my hand to cover half of my face, I knew these feelings were not my own self. Death had changed more than my body. My mind. What was wrong with me? Why did I care about these minions? They were below me to such a degree that they were less than dirt. I would trade them for the very soil to grow crops. We could flourish with a supply of food if this land was only richer with that fertile earth.

Shaking my head, I had no idea why my thoughts were straying to the landscape like that. I was a Lesser Evil. Not some farmer!

Looking back at my legions, my body dropped to the glassy crags like a doll whose strings were cut. The beam of light had begun to tear everyone apart. I waited for my turn...