"I'm sorry." You say calmly and blast your sister with powerful beam of negative energy causing the color to drain from her face and turn her hair completely white. She's still continues towards you, but another blast causes her to fall. She looks up at you with tears in her eyes and to your surprise she attempts to reach out to you. You crouch down and take her hand which she grips on to tightly.

"…don't…turn me into…one of those things…please…don't" she wheezes.
"Never. You shall die as you lived. With honor. Your body will be burned."

This statement seems to reassure her and she closes her eyes and lets go of life.

You really wished you hadn't had to do that.

"Be at peace at last dear sister. May whatever afterlife you go to be better than this one."

You cast a small fire ball at your sister's body and leave the house to burn, feeling yet another piece of your mortalhood die. One of your necromancers sees and comes up to you.

"Lord, we've pretty much taken the city. The Emperor and Empress of Zalan were killed in their own throne room. We've won."
"Of course." You say dismissively.
"So what do you want done with the city?"
"Burn it all to the ground."
"Burn it? Don't you…"
"I SAID BURN IT." You say not wishing to repeat yourself.
"Um Right! Okay you heard the Great Lich Lord! Burn it all to the ground!"

Ten years pass…


Twenty years since you embarked on your path of necromancy. The end of all life looms ever closer.

After the destruction of the Zalan Empire, the remnants of the Grand Alliance fell apart. One by one the remaining kingdoms and other governments fell before your armies. It was almost pathetically easy. The civilized world as it was known is no more. Only the dead exist.

You even had those subjects that once pledged their allegiance to you while still alive killed. You can barely tolerate your own necromancers. Catalina is the only one you still care about anymore. She's still supportive, but nervous around you. You wish she wasn't though.

Some races such as elves, sprites and other fairy type folk retreated to their woods and forests, relying on illusions, tricks and other ways to conceal themselves. Other races like dwarves, gnomes and subterranean types dug deeper into the earth hoping that you will forget about them. Yet others like humans, orcs and the like still insist on fighting you from their makeshift camps, using hit and run tactics when they can.

It doesn't matter what any of them do however, you won't rest until all life has been extinguished, if it takes you centuries, so be it. You'll hunt them all, you'll find them all, you'll kill them all.

Lately, though there have been odd occurrences. You have sensed disturbances in the very landscape from time to time. In your new undead state you of course never sleep anymore, but you've been having visions. Flashbacks. And they seem all too real sometimes.

After months of research you've tracked down one of these disturbances to the old Vampire Clan fortress. You make haste to find out if any of those accursed bloodsuckers still live. You don't see how though as you were thorough in their destruction.

This time you don't even bother telling Catalina what you think you should do next, you know exactly what you're going to do. You just walk in her study and tell her you're leaving for a little while and to keep an eye on things as usual. You teleport yourself to the location of their now desiccated fortress. Partially burned and falling into disrepair from your actions fifteen years ago.

You throw open the massive doors with ease.

"Little blood leeches, if any of you still remain, your best idea would've been to hide and stay that way." Your voice echoes throughout the halls.
"No, Great Lich Lord they are all dead. You made sure of that. You always do. It's just you and me." you hear a voice shout back. The voice sounds somewhat familiar, but you immediately home in on it since whoever felt the need to talk shit is obviously the one behind all this.

After walking a bit, you enter the throne room where you still see a few traces of dust from the vampires you slaughtered long ago. You hear a maniacal laugh and a man materialize a few feet in front of you. This man looks much different now; his clothing is ragged and filthy. He has a manic grin and giggles a bit while constantly looking around, but you still recognize him and you have to say you're genuinely surprised to see him. He's very much alive too.

"Trelik…thought you were long dust by now."
"Nearly was, quite a few times, but after my shameful defeat in the Brot Kingdom I decided to lay low. For when that day came, I knew then I would never be able to defeat you or anyone else. So I waited and watched you gain power. Watched you destroy your enemies. Watched you have everything that I wanted since the days of the Dark Order. Remember those days? Seems like so long ago no?"
"Another life time."
"Indeed…I've learned that time can be a very bizarre thing…who knows what might've happened had events occurred slightly differently due to a split second?"
"Is there any point to your insane ramblings Trelik?"
"Not really…but perhaps! We shall see…or rather we have seen…all has been seen…"

You don't like where this is going…

"While I might not be able to kill you, I can do something else! Here's another blast from the past!"

Suddenly Trelik disappears and you feel yourself going in slow motion…

Oh fuck.

"Ha ha ha ha! Ol' Quayle's books sure come in handy, but man do they make you see some crazy shit! I think I've gone completely bat shit insane at this point, but who cares? We're all dead men! Fuck killing the world! Let's kill reality!"

Trelik isn't kidding either; the very fabric is warping to a degree you didn't even see when you were dealing with Quayle.

You suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battle. You notice you're living again. It's
been so long you almost forgot what's like to breathe. You take a brief look around and you're in Aftermath…or Nuro rather.

A demonologist looking very worn from battle sees you and you have to stop yourself from attacking

"Hey hold on! I'm on your side! Shit, this didn't turn out as planned, did it?"
"Oh I dunno, I think it turned out EXACTLY as planned." You say getting the very real sense that you've done this before. The demonologist ignores your strange talk and continues.

"Mr. Demar is still battling the rest of the staff in the college and I'm really worried about what the hell's going on with Quayle's spell, I don't know if you've experienced it yet, but I've been seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. I knew fucking around with time would be trouble!"
"Yeah, it is. I guess I better go handle this. I hope I remember what I did last time." You say and make your way to see Quayle… again.

When you get to the east campus, you see Catalinia right on time. Looking at her at this age again makes you remember when you desired her mainly for her body rather than all of her other exquisite attributes.

"Nice to see you again. Quayle's in the gray building right?" You say.
"Um, yeah. I think he's in there, but…"
"Yeah I know it's dangerous, but someone's gotta go in, so I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." you exclaim.
"Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class."
"Yeah I've heard that somewhere else before."

This time you dispense with your attempts to kiss Catalina. There will be plenty of time for that in the future.

"Now let's see, if I remember this…" you say as you make your way to the gray building avoiding the time disturbances.

When you enter the building you see Quayle again. Same position. Same glow of white light.

"You are the future…there is no future…there are many futures…it's all so fascinating…" he says once again in an echoed voice.
"Hey Quayle, you know we've done this before right?"
"…yes…yes we have…we will continue to do so…such is time…it is inevitable…"

Any second now the weird tentacle creatures are going to start popping out and you don't feel like dealing with them again. You didn't want to do it the first time.

In fact this whole event is making your mind feel weird again, you feel like you're losing something just by being here.

You try something else

This isn't "your time" and something is very different. You can sense it. Something is here that wasn't before.

You quickly scan the room again and from the far left side of the room you hear a little giggle.

One of tentacle creatures appear once again and you fight back the nausea long enough to cast a blast of negative energy towards the sounds of the laughter.

Trelik materializes from your lucky direct hit and howls in pain before collapsing on the floor. His high pitched screech seems to irk the creature and it grabs him with one of the tentacles.



"NO! NO! HAHAHAHA! I WAS GOING TO CONTROL TIME!" Trelik laughs before they turn into screams when the creature proceeds to devour him.

Trelik might've been dealt with, but you still have to preserve the time line! You immediately rush to tackle Quayle and narrowly dodge another tentacle beast that appears near you.

You are just about to reach Quayle…

"…once again…the future…the past…unite…" you hear Quayle just as you're about to collide with him.

Except instead of colliding with him you collide into the stone floor of the vampire fortress! Or at least you thought it was…

You stand up and find yourself in the middle of a castle, but it's different. You see dead elves and humans lying on the floor. Looks like they were fighting each other. You attempt to raise them, but nothing happens. Your powers aren't working at all and in this living flesh cage you've been once again cursed with, you feel pretty vulnerable.

You hear human soldiers laughing and running and you hide.

"Har har! This was a good idea. Elves can't fight worth shit! Where's the captain anyway?"
"Oh you know him; he's probably finding something of more value to keep to himself."

After they pass by you proceed to make your way through the ruins of this castle which is obviously under siege. You think you're nearing the exit when all of a sudden you hear the sounds of battle and a very familiar voice…

"You better save your own ass elf, I mean to have whatever is behind that door and the likes of you aren't going to stop me!" your Dad remarks.
"Never! I have sworn to protect the treasure behind here with my life!" the Elven guard exclaims.

You see your Dad and this elven guard clash swords. You watch from the shadows and it's obvious that this elf is slightly more skilled than your Dad. You might not have your powers, but you realize what has happened. You've been transported to the past again. This is the elven castle that your Dad laid siege to. He's supposed to meet your Mom here. She's probably the "treasure" that the elven guard is protecting.

Another familiar voice calls out to you in your mind with a sorrow filled tone.

"You wish to end all life because you loathe it so? Or is it that you loathe your own life? I have seen you set out on this path and while regrettable I see that it was inevitable. Perhaps I am to blame. I give you a chance to make things right and allow life to bloom once again instead of an existence of ultimate isolation and loneliness."

That voice sounded very much like your Mom. But you haven't discovered any trace of her despite your searches. Then again that might make sense if she's gone into this time slipping business.

"Mom…do you defy me as well? Have you and Trelik formed some unholy alliance?" you whisper under your breath to her while attempting to contain your anger and wounded feelings. Feelings you haven't really had in a long time.
"No, my son. Trelik's mad plan was his own. I have merely taken advantage of his poor judgment in attempting to alter time. Yes son, you are not the only one in the family who has the knowledge of forbidden magic and a master of it. I give you a choice…life or death. Think carefully about making your decision. Think about your possible future. Think about what you've become. Think about what you've done. Your existence has caused the end of the world's own. Is that really what you want?"

This question has been posed to you many times before in the past. Every time you've dismissed it because it's been so far off before. But as the end grows ever closer, you'll have to come to very real possibility that immortality on a dead world may very well grow dreary. This latest time trip has been the most excitement you've had in years…

You look over at your Dad, who is losing his battle with the elven guard.

Maybe it would be better had you never been born…

You help your Dad

Destiny can be changed, but you're not changing yours. You were meant to do this. You'll see this out to the very end.

Since you don't have any of your powers, you pick up a hefty nearby vase and hurl it at the elven guard from the shadows. Your aim is pitiful as the vase completely misses him and instead flies over his head and hits the wall.

However, the elven guard glances briefly in the direction to which the vase was thrown long enough for your Dad to take the advantage. He skewers the elf and smashes him in the face with his armored gauntlet.

"Ha ha! Stupid fucking elf! Shoulda been paying attention to the fight!" he laughs and gives the guard one last kick to the head before opening up the treasure door…

You slink away. Your birth has now been assured and you suddenly are transported back to your proper time period and back in the ex-vampire fortress. Once again you are undead, however, you find that you have a letter in your hand which is addressed to you

Son,

If you're reading this then you have chosen death, as was predicted. I do not blame you for embracing your destiny. The pull of dark magic has always been strong in the bloodline. Elves typically can control such urges, however as you know you are not full elven, but still I did not think this possible of you though. You were so unskilled in the ways of magic that the chances of you becoming a competent necromancer seemed so unlikely, let alone an emissary of death. I will not stand in you way for I cannot bring myself to destroy you, even though I could. This is why I gave you the choice to destroy yourself. Do not look for me as I have long left this world and time, a simpler time, long even before the rise of the first Great Lich Lord. Indeed, I am already long dead by the time you have read this. My final gift to you my son, one less death you need concern yourself about. I only hope that you can find peace in your path for eventually you will be alone.

Love Mom.

You crumple the letter.

"Thanks Mom." You say and return to Aftermath as you have shed one more link to your mortal life.

Thirty years pass…

Fifty years have passed. Peace reigns. There is no more conflict. All serious resistance has been eliminated. There will be no heroes to save the world. Death has won.

Your powers have grown to the extent that your mere presence is slowly killing the world. You tested out this theory when you spent some time in one of the last elven defended forests. The trees began to rot and wither within a day. Reports talk of even the creatures in the oceans dying and you haven't even been anywhere near there. Anything still alive will die soon; it's only a matter of time. Your poison is enveloping the skies, the waters and the ground far beneath the earth.

You truly have become death personified.

Your necromancers have all died and you didn't allow them to try to become liches either. A small coup was attempted, but it was easily put down. You're controlling it all.

The one last link to your mortal "life" remains. Catalina. She lies on her bed dying. It is only due to her own powers that she's been able to survive your presence this long, but she can't do it any longer. You're too powerful.

You sit by her bed to talk to her one last time. You stroke her hair and hold her hand relishing the warmth that it still gives off even in this near death state.

"…I'm sorry I can't stay with you." she says.
"You could. You have the power to become a lich."
"…no…I don't want that. It's not my desire or path. I once said I thought the differences between us would be too great for us to stay together."
"I remember. And you were right. You usually are."
"We had a good run though didn't we?"
"Yes, yes we did." You agree.
"Are you going to be alright? I mean what are you going to do?" she asks.
"Me? I'll be fine. I'll stick around and oversee things I guess. Watch the world die. I have to carry this out to end."
"I know you do…maybe we'll meet again? On the other side?" she smiles weakly.

"I'm sure if it's possible. We will."
"I love you…"

You then kiss her one last time as life finally fades from her body.

"My love from this world is now gone, what little was left has followed you to the other side my beloved queen. May it be with you always."

Death now walks alone.

After burning her body, you retire to your study, waiting and wondering when the end will finally come...