The Prince of Demons

Luna Odeus Dawnsfield

I sat there, wondering how it got this far. Is it even possible to defeat the Emperor? I gave up on the idea of actually killing him. I’d take actually injuring his or at this point. They’re all so strong. The Emperor was in a league of his own. I looked around. There’s so few of us left. Morale was at an all-time low. It’s hard to be happy when the Emperor has thoroughly crushed us. We can’t give up here. We tried for too long. Someone has to oppose that tyrant. The Eternal Emperor. The Tyrant of Time. Honest to Lords time . He says it’s not exactly time but what does it matter? The Emperor was just too strong. There had to be something.

“How did we even get here?” I mused to myself as I rubbed my temples.

I think when his sister died. That supposed hero did a great job making a monster. Maybe it was Ekard’s death. It was such a vicious cycle. I wonder if they would’ve still gone through with their actions if they knew how it would end. When Empress Senna died, he was forced to take over. And it all went downhill from there. Maybe even before that. It’s amazing how much went wrong. It didn’t matter; we were here. The Emperor now was the undisputed ruler, and he made sure everyone knew it. I can’t just let what he does slide.

“Is there even a way? Can anything be done now?” I mumbled. I hated the idea of giving up. But I can’t even think of a way of sucker punching him that would work.

All that was left was just a small handful of us. I doubt that we could scrape together enough people to even mildly inconvenience him. I just rubbed my face a bit. I’d give anything to be able to try again. Avert this. The clock was impossible to turn back. I looked at the remains of our so-called rebellion. What could we possibly hope to accomplish? Throwing our lives away. I can’t just sacrifice everyone here for my pride.

“This likely is the end.” I sighed to myself. It sucks, but what else is there?

Before I could move, I felt a massive influx of . The building vanished in nearly an instant; all around was a sea of destruction. He did know where to find us. The most hateful amber eyes in the world were glaring at me. Monster. On his shoulder was a brilliant white beast. She hopped off, growing to full size so the two were the same height. Hras tried rushing him. It was pointless, as his head went flying in an instant. I didn’t even see the Emperor’s sword move.

“Hello again, Luna.” The Emperor taunted. I’d take anything to slap the smirk off his face.

“Emperor.” I retorted.

“Why do you all keep rebelling? It’s a waste of lives that could be serving me.” The Emperor mocked as he looked at how few of us there were.

“You could be an actually good demon. Care about those beneath you.” I pointed out, trying not to flinch from the sheer presence of him. Monster.

“I do. Not my fault you want to take things from me.” The Emperor growled; his amber eyes were so wrathful.

Ala came from the side. His made a blade of light and sliced Ala in two with it. They are just too powerful. It didn’t matter how many times I fought them now. I can’t beat them. Behind him, I could see his . How much do the Lords love him? The Eternal Emperor. The Tyrant of Time is more accurate.

“What’s wrong? You look so crushed.” He taunted.

“I will find a way to stop you.” I snarled. I hate that smirk. The most condescending, smug smirk in the world.

“How? You lost.” The Emperor inquired. I will find a way.

I wanted to slap the smug smile off his face. I wanted to be able to even wound him. Unfortunately, it was undeniably over. I’m the last one standing. How did it get here? I knew the events. I’m aware he’s lost a lot. Just because I understood why he was like this didn’t mean I was letting his cruelty slide. He’s destroyed so much. His amber eyes were boring into my soul as we stared at each other. The Emperor looked around, surveying the last embers of a thorn.

“Want to know something?” The Emperor asked me after a few moments.

“Want to rub in your victory?” I snapped at him.

“Ori, Lumen, can you give us a minute?” The Emperor requested. The two of them immediately vanished. I wish that made a difference in my ability to hurt him.

“I’m so glad I get to hear you talk before you kill me.” I mocked him. The Emperor just smirked.

“Did you know, can’t withstand a but can? are capable of having a imprinted on them and can monitor even the slightest probes into what you want.” The Emperor informed me.

“What?” I asked. As much as I hated to indulge him, his knowledge was incredible. I don’t get his point. Or why he’s telling me this.

“ is how the Lords influence their will upon Tenebrae to avoid having to monitor it directly. With prayer or events, it is possible to communicate with them directly. No living soul can withstand the trip back in time, but you can create a and imprint it onto a to send it back, as they are . You can create a monitor that watches an entire timeline.” The Emperor explained.

Is he implying you can use a to change the past? A horrible realization overcame me. How many times has the Emperor adjusted the future? Wait. If he knew this. This was the result of him trying to avoid what? What was the last attempt of his like? He still had a smug smile as he knew I got his point. Forl that smile.

“Another interesting point; there’s a limit to how much you can change. The earlier you adjust, the less you can change. It is like trying to tactically push something in the direction you want it to go.” The Emperor continued, still possessing the smuggest grin.

“What happens when you do it? If you change the past, the future should definitely change.” I inquired. Why is he telling me this?

“If you alter the past, it annihilates the current timeline. Specifically, for us, we have a few minutes before it’s like we never existed. Whatever influence we had will remain, but we will be nothing more than things that never happened.” The Emperor informed me. Is he saying he destroyed the world? Couldn’t leave even that behind?

“Don’t you want to spend it with your and ?” I checked. Why is he the last being I get to talk to?

“They already know; they agreed to help me prevent this. I’ve pushed the limit of what I can do. I have one, final theory I’d like to test however.” The Emperor informed me.

“What is it? Why are you telling me this?” I asked. He wants something.

“As I’ve said, no living soul can withstand the trip back. I can’t make the trip either, as I’d have to cast the .” The Emperor explained. Wait. He can’t mean.

“You’re willing to send me back to change what happens?” I verified. Is he insane?

“Kind of. One, I have no idea if it will work as there’s zero way to test this in advance. Two, I’d like to avoid what happened. I’ve already altered what is to come, and I doubt I can send you as far back as what I changed. I just. I’d like to think if I had someone who survived maybe it won’t end this terribly. Or someone with knowledge of what’s to come it can be somewhat avoided.” The Emperor confessed. His eyes lost a lot of their edge for a moment.

“How would this even work?!” I inquired. I know he’s skilled at , but this is insanity.

“The , . It allows you to create a copy of consciousness to impose a will in an area or place. I’ve figured out how to imprint it onto a and use their nature to monitor and altar events that have already passed. Technically speaking, I need to create a powerful and anchor it somehow to the past. I can’t send something living backwards, but I can send something like the back. As for making the anchor, there should be a brief moment before your soul is claimed by Utol I can use. You have , and a powerful will, so it should be able to keep itself together for the trip. This is all pure theory with no way to test beforehand.” The Emperor explained. He’s serious.

“So, you need to kill me for it to work.” I checked.

“We’re all dying already; I’ve gone past the event horizon. Things were bad, so I figured with some help it couldn’t possibly go worse.” The Emperor stated. He always has weird phrases and views. But. He might actually be able to do it.

“You’re part of the reason it is this bad.” I snapped at him.

“I was getting revenge. They killed my family, my friends.” The Emperor growled; his gaze was so enraged in an instant.

“Does losing things close to you justify your brutality?” I asked. His entire demeanor and presence made me nearly collapse for a second.

“Things?! They were my family! My friends!” The Emperor roared. They probably meant the world to him.

“I see.” I quipped, feeling a bit guilty. He cares about what is close to him. Calling them things was a bit harsh.

“I’d like to win in one life.” The Emperor sighed as his presence subsided.

“So should this succeed, how do you know I won’t try to kill you in the past?” I checked. He chuckled. Confident until the end. How does he have such a smug smirk?

“You might have knowledge of what happens, and than younger me, but how precocious of a child were you? Should this work, it will only send your consciousness back.” The Emperor informed me. I would need to go back when I’m five to even be able to try and fight him later. I need years to make an attempt and he knows it.

“Why me? Of all people, you want someone who fought you until the end to test this with?” I asked. I noticed large cracks appearing in the sky. The end really is near.

“Because you are the most stubborn, opinionated demon I have ever met. No matter how impossible I was to defeat, you kept trying. If anyone is able to get through to younger me, it would likely be you.” The Emperor confessed. What does he mean?

“Were you a stubborn child?” I teased.

“I was a menace. I hurt myself a lot by pushing my when I wasn’t tormenting someone near me. As more people died and struggled near me, the more obsessed with I became.” The Emperor told me dejectedly, looking pained. The sky at this point looked ready to break.

“So, is it now or never?” I inquired.

“It is. I don’t know when you’ll end up, but I’d prefer you tried being my friend more than kill me.” The Emperor laughed as he looked at the sky.

“We’ll see, Nil.” I told him.

“One final note, should young me prove to be a headache, tell me television. Please make sure things don’t go so horribly wrong.” The Emperor informed me. What is that word? Television? It meant something.

Lumen and Ori appeared by him. The three solemnly nodded at each other, and the Emperor began casting an incredible . His eyes began glowing furiously as the world began turning grayscale. Lumen and Ori were casting their components. Ori and the Emperor began fusing their , while Lumen looked at me. All around me was moving at a crawl as the world clearly was collapsing around us. As the two of them made their , Lumen finished her part first. Unlike everything else, Lumen moved in a brilliant flash. I could barely see the blur as she beheaded me while the other two cast the .