It happened when both of our armies had wiped each other out, reducing their numbers to only us. I found myself at his mercy.

"Just kill me and be done with it!"

Kharl stared at me behind his helm. Blood trailed down his silver armor—a fallen Demon Lord at the behest of a paladin general. I waited for his blade to cleave my head, but she sheathed his sword, sparing my life.

"Keep your life; our lives are insignificant if we just exterminate each other."

"You show mercy to your enemy? To one of the enemies' generals? A Demon Lord!?"

I watched him lie on one knee before slumping down and facing me. "If we continue this, I will be forced to slay another." His words were confusing. I was once human, but now I am a Demon Lord through the Blood Rite ritual. Before that, I was a child of Nix. The worst scourge that people saw of me. One such paladin, as he spared a creature like me, left me with many questions.

"What are you-!"

Watching in disbelief, he was silent as he took off his helmet. My eyes couldn't look away at his. Kharl the Holy Knight of the Goddess, the general of the Alliance was none other a Nix like me. His eyes were bright golden and filled with a sickened sadness.

"You're a child of Nix...? But how? You're a paladin... Those vile humans and elves would never allow such an atrocity to lead an army, let alone be a paladin!" I don't know what I was more upset with. The fact that someone like him had gained such a powerful standing in the grand Alliance, or the fact that I was bested by a fellow Nixxen.

He leaned toward me and set down his helmet. With a soft smile on his face, he looked at me with a glimmer of joy. "You're a funny one, Demon. With enough time and effort, anyone like me can do what they want. The power and blood of Nix run in my veins; he has guided my fate to meet you, and it was my choice to spare you from my own mind. I just simply, don't want to kill you."

"What if I am to kill you? Getting rid of you would surely gain my King the advantage he needs!" I grabbed a broken spear and pointed it at his heart. He didn't flinch and just stared at me like he accepted anything that could happen. The blind faith and conviction were beyond terrifying for such a man.

"It seems my time spent right now is what I was made for. It is the Goddess' will and what Nix has gifted me." His deep voice strained with each word, growing pale with each passing second. I noticed that a pool of blood lay beneath his legs.

"You're bleeding."

"That's the obvious statement. The truth, however, is that I am sure to die soon. Nothing can be done with all our men laid to waste before us. I am content with my final moments."

Kharl looked peaceful despite the pain he endured from his wounds; I saw that the man fulfilled whatever he set himself to do. With no reason to fight, I eased my tensed arms and kneeled to him. The man spared my life despite his own slowly fading.

"I don't understand your motives, but I must humbly thank you for sparing me. I... I don't know what to say or offer in trade."

"Just listen to this old man's words while he can speak."

Without question, I gave him my full attention. Blood started to foam at his mouth. His words became harder to leave his lips. "Do you believe in fate?"

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"I-...I assume I do. What are you getting at? This is what your final words are meant to be for me?" I didn't mean to be rude to him. I had failed to overcome his force, and we ended up in a stalemate with our troops wiped out. I had nothing better to do and didn't know what to think.

"I know you had questions...about the golden eyes we both carry."

"How did you... I mean... I questioned what it was, but no one, not even King Tarok, had an answer."

"Then allow me..."

Kharl proceeded to extend his knowledge of the curse of Nix I had told you. Learning about the destined "eyes" that symbolize our importance of good or evil. I sat and listened as he spoke. I worried that he would die before he could finish, but he was more than content with staying alive long enough to tell me.

"When we serve our purpose, our eyes shall cease to illume Nix's guidance. The destined event, the action for which our lives were built, shall be completed, and we will find our own peace."

"But you're about to die; how can you say that when you haven't even accomplished what you set out to do?"

Kharl tries to speak, but blood clogs his throat, and he viciously coughs it out to the crimson-stained dirt. The mounds of bodies and weapons skewed about around us; I help him as he continues to throw it out of his system. He leaned back into my arms and looking into my eyes; I could feel his life begin to flicker.

"That's the thing, my friend... My death is my true purpose..."

"W-What? What good would that do as a purpose? What does it even serve if nothing comes from it than one battle?"

A wide grin appeared on his face, a confident grin enough to have me even more worried about him. "Answer me. What good would this do for any of us?"

"Heh..heheh... It was my fate to die in your arms... My true goal was to spare you, a fellow Nix whose fate isn't accomplished. So... I need you to listen to me... You're destined for something far more than I could accomplish what little my life amounted to..."

"Kharl, I-"

"That isn't even my real name, you know..."

My mouth froze the moment he spoke.

"I don't even remember my name... Only that the man who held the name before me entrusted me this mantle... And now... I have finally carried on that to you."

"No... No, no, no! I am not this person... I am a servant of King Tarok! My fate is with him!"

"Possibly... However, it is your fate to decide if you will continue to be his servant... Or become the great general....Paladin Kharl, be the one to aid the heroes in vanquishing and ending this Demon war..."

I felt a sudden tug inside my body shift my entire emotions. Something had awoken a part of me that I didn't know I had. Deep down, his words reached me as he answered my many questions before even becoming a Demon Lord, let alone turning into a Demon. His words about fate seemed even more possible now that I had realized that maybe this was the moment I had waited for to happen.

"Become Kharl...live your life as him and fulfill the destiny that Nix has given us... I know you will walk the path you know best..."

Clasping his hand tightly, I felt soft tears in my eyes. I've never cried over someone, but a part of me felt like I was losing someone who mattered more than I could recognize. "Hey! Don't fade away now, Kharl. You still need to answer the rest of my questions!" I shook him to keep him awake. I didn't want to lose him now, or I wouldn't know what to do with everything. I feared that I would fail his expectations, that I would fail myself.

Gasping for his final breath, He raised his head to meet mine once last time. "Take my armor, hide behind it, hide behind Kharl, and charge forward to your destiny... My life is only yours to acquire..."

A slow breath exited his lips, body growing cold, skin paler than the moon; his life had withered to a tiny spark... I exhaled and made up my mind to look past everything for once.

So, I responded; my voice was much more profound, its tone harsh like a stone; I felt my entire demeanor shift to match his... "I'll take it... All of it... So, rest forever in the heavens, paladin..."

I watched one last time as the life in his eyes shifted. "It is all yours...Kharl..."

The golden hue of his eyes disappeared instantly. Leaving nothing but a pair of pale blue dead eyes. Leaving behind an old man who fought his last fight. Dying with a smile on his face.

Taking upon his name, I forgot my own to embrace my true identity fully. Taking his armor and giving him a proper burial, I had led the main army against my former master. For once, I didn't think about being selfish; my purpose had become a part of my soul. I had no regrets even as I betrayed and helped with the death of the Demon King, as it was the path I chose to take in the name I had taken upon myself...