Peace and Conflict

[WP] A group of heroes finally reach the throne room of the Demon Lord, seeking to slay him to end this war, only to see an empty throne that looks like it hadn't been used for centuries.

*****

It had been centuries since the war began. Death and mayhem are unleashed upon the ever-peaceful realms of man from the dark lands of the evil demon lord. Centuries where those with kind hearts were lost, only those with iron wills remained.

It is this nature that did not inhabit the hearts of the Heroes. For only a kind heart could slay that which is evil. Only benevolence can overcome malevolence. The Heroes, while full of mercy, had none for enemies that did not yield.

With the aid of certain secretive organizations and smugglers, the Heroes had secreted themselves into the Dark Lord’s palace. The place where the foulest of beings ruled with an iron fist. Sneaking through hallways supposedly emptied by their informants, they came upon the door to the throne room.

The door itself was a work of terrifying art. A motif of hundred of damned souls crying out in anguish, reaching up to a prominent figure on a throne. Their gazes clearly called for salvation.

“Such a god complex?” the Hero observed, to which his mage and druid nodded.

“It is fascinating, though. This door is made of ironwood. Such wood of this size must’ve taken decades, if not a century, to carve.” the mage adjusted his eyeglasses as he gazed at it.

“Matter little!!” Grund, the Orc Barbarian, roared as he slammed his great hammer into the door shattering it. “I dun broked it in one sekund!” Grund had a big childish grin as if waiting for praise.

“Yes, Thank You, Grund,” the Hero gave a smile and a nod as he rushed into the throne room, holy sword at the ready.

What greeted them was a sight that shocked them. Pillars of the most exquisite obsidian-colored marble. Each was a masterpiece of its own. In the end, hanging above the throne were banners of what, even from this distance, they could tell was the finest of silk. But there atop a throne was no one.

“COME OUT, DEMON!!!” The Hero's roar echoed around the chamber. But there was no reply.

“Tellis cast a spell to find anyone who's hiding,” the Hero said in a hushed voice to the mage.

With a flourish of his staff, the mage let a pulse of radiating red light shoot out in all directions. Closing his eyes, he held the staff against his forehead and was clearly in deep concentration.

“TELL IS YOU OK?! Grund asked as he reached out to touch the mage.

“Grund honey, he is doing a big thing,” Bella the druid said.

“Oh, I gotcha,” Grund replied, tapping his hand to his chest in a knowing manner.

“Ok, no one is here,” Tellis finally said.

“Is it a trap?” the Hero asked.

“No. I mean, no one is here. Not for a very long time.” The mage gestured to the surroundings, they could see in the nooks and crannies were webbed. Along the floor were the telltale signs of rat droppings. At first, they had all assumed it was part of the aesthetic, but now they realized it was neglect.

“So where is he?” Bella asked.

“I can cast a spell to show an echo of times in the past when he was here. We may see a clue to where he ran off to.” The Hero nodded to the mage’s suggestion.

With another flourish of his staff, a pulse of silvery light shot out. The pulse began to shower down small motes of light that settled like snow over unseen figures, figures of past events. Sat on the throne in the armor of spikes and skulls sat the man they had set off to vanquish. Finally, the sound began to reverberate.

“I told you we will not break the treaty. Maintain cordial relations with humans. So long as I rule, there will be no war.” The Demon Lord struck his fist against the throne for emphasis.

“Your will is law, sire,” the messenger said with a deep bow.

The Image shimmered and reformed to what must’ve been a later echo.

“So they have slaughtered a few villages?... Why would humans do this? Do they want war?” even with a weak silhouette of his features, they could see the despair on the Demon Lord’s face.

The Image shimmered again and showed an image of an exhausted man. No longer in his armor, this was what he honestly looked like. He appeared to be weeping.

“So many innocent lives. Please tell me, the messenger of the human realms. Why do you do this?”

The image of a man the whole party knew well appeared at the foot of the throne. It was a man whose statue they had seen countless times. A man they all looked up to. It was the first Hero.

“Innocent? Pah, don’t make me laugh. Your kind is nothing but uppity serfs. I shall do your people a favor and remove the last chain keeping them free.” with these words, the figure struck down the demon lord upon his throne.

“SIRE!” A voice out of the spell’s range called out before the spell finally ended.

“Tellis, what was that?” the Hero demanded.

“The past. Echoes can only show what has happened.” with a finger, he gestured to the throne, where they could now clearly see a deep gash in the ebony.

“So… we started this conflict?” the Hero asked, looking to his party for reassurance. But they all averted their gaze. They didn’t want to admit the truth. They had all lost so much, and suffered at the hands of the demon horde. But to think their people unleashed this hell.

“Well, boss, we jus need to tell dah truth. Den no mor fighty and everywun can be appy.” Grund’s words cut through the silence.

Like a beacon, they could now see the path ahead. The best option wasn’t annihilation but peace. A real Hero shouldn't pick a side because they may cause more chaos by doing so.

“Very well… let Us record these images and duplicate them. The world must know."

*****

THE END