Author’s Notes: Aww . . . no reviews yet, I’m saddened. Meh, I enjoy this fic enough to write anyway.

Legacy of a Dark Lord
Chapter 4 - The Proposition

Laughing off my frustration I huddled next to my small campfire. The rain had continued to fall and showed no sign of letting up. I’d been trudging blindly through the sheets of rain for nearly three days and had finally reached the mountain on which I had seen the phenomenon, the flash of crimson. Though my goal of finding the source of the light was still key I had begun to realize just how foolish I had been to leave all of my rations and blankets back at the inn. I shivered next to a small fire I had been able to make under an outcropping of rock. The lightning flashed dangerously nearby and the rain froze me to my core.

Smiling, I thought wryly, I doubt I’d be so cold if that girl, Zelas, was here, I grunted, what am I thinking? Since when am I a pervert? I laughed a bit and stood up, my bones aching from the cold, The sooner I find that light the sooner I get off this godforsaken mountain; best get a move on, this fire’s almost dead anyway.

My skin had become numb to the cold pelting rain days ago and now I felt nothing more than a tingling sensation as I worked my way up the muddy side of the peak. I knew I was getting close; I was over half-way up the mountain now, near where I had seen the flash. It wasn’t long before another bolt of lightning, seemingly drawn to this part of the mountain, struck. There was a flash of deep red and then there was nothing as I felt my consciousness slipping away.

My skin felt warm, no longer frozen from the ice. I didn’t know where I was or how much time had past. Slowly I opened my eyes to find only darkness. Looking down I could see my hands and the rest of my body, it was as though I was emitting a faint crimson glow. I was no longer dressed in my muddy, wet traveling clothes but in an outfitting one might see a priest or healer wear, though the colors were much darker, black, maroon, and burgundy. Sensing I was not alone I attempted to turn around, but found it impossible. My feet were not on the ground. It felt as if I were merely floating in oblivion.

“Who’s there?” I called loudly to the unidentified presence.

“I am L-sama,” the presence seemed to begin concentrating itself in front of me in a glowing golden orb. Slowly it took the form of a humanoid, developing into a young woman. She looked no older than 17 with flowing golden hair and shining golden eyes. She smiled warmly.

“Y-you! Wh-where am I?”

“You are in Creation. Your time is now, Shabrinigdo. Surely you remember being here in your dreams.”

“Is this a dream?”

“No, Shabrinigdo, your time is now.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Allow me to explain,” she said tenderly, “I am the Mother of All Things. I am responsible for keeping the balance throughout many planes of existence. Your world’s balance is shifting and I have long thought on a solution, a way to bring it level again. I seek to clearly define good and evil for the people of your world, to offer them paradigms, models of Absolute Good and Absolute Evil.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I am seeking those models, I wish to empower individuals from your plane of existence with the power to be those Absolutes. I have sought out a young dragon boy, Cephieed. He has become my Absolute Good, serving as my Right Hand in your plane. I am still in need of an Absolute Evil. I hope, Shabrinigdo, that you will accept my offer.”

“But . . . I’m not evil.”

She giggled a bit, “Foolish man, no one is evil and no one is good. You are merely considered good or evil by the gauging of your actions. Will you act as the Absolute for me, Shabrinigdo? You will have power beyond your wildest dreams. Will you help me save your world?”