Lorian knew this place- the junction, the primordial void. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder.
"Whadda hell ya doin', man!" Azal'Gul's voice crackled with frustration.
"What the hell are YOU doing!" Lorian shot back, his own voice tight with annoyance, "I was in the middle of a meeting…."
"You're in the middle of WHINING like a broke soul!" Azal'Gul tapped Lorian's forehead with his index finger, "And relax, I just tapped into your soul, not your body. In your world, not even a fraction of a second has ticked by."
"But why?" Lorian asked, utterly confused.
"Because you're losing your grip, kid. The man who's supposed to be your right hand, the guy who should be holdin' it down for you, had to drop his status and act like the elder while you played the sad boy. You're wreckin' your own rep tonight."
"So, what, you want me to treat my people like tools?" Lorian let his frustration boil over, finally letting his guard down in the void, "They aren't nameless toys to be thrown into a meat grinder. They're human. They have families. People who love them. People who rely on them!"
"You are NOT an OP hero in some low-budget story!" Azal'Gul shouted back, "You don't have god-tier powers to snap your fingers and build a wonderland. All you got is your brain, your wisdom, and the knowledge you brought from the other side. That's your leverage. But instead of leveling up the game, you're out here actin' like a soft-hearted flower-sniffin' snowflake. Why? Is it because you're in love? Let me tell ya somethin'- if you think you're actin' 'better' to impress that lady, you got it all twisted. She ain't what you think. Honestly, I should've made her my champion instead of you, before she caught the eye of…." The demon's voice trailed off into a dark silence.
"I DID NOT ASK YOU TO MAKE ME YOUR CHAMPION!" Lorian screamed.
"WITHOUT ME, YOU'D BE DEAD ALREADY! Squanderin' a second chance, provin' the Celestials right- that you're just a gutless kid who can't get the job done no matter how much opportunity is handed to him!" Azal'Gul erupted in rage, his form was shifting,- looking more diabolical, more eternal.
Lorian dropped to his knees, "I'm tired of this! The struggle, the constant grind. In my past life, I worked my whole childhood for my dreams, and they were snatched away. I asked for a better life this time. Just wealth, power, a little comfort- like every rich kid I used to see. Was that too much to ask?"
"Millions in your old world were born into worse spots than you, and they still made moves. You think it was just grit? Nah, it was opportunity, too. And you squandered yours. Even here, millions on this continent can't dream of being soul scion of the Thorne, yet you're lamentin'. You know why? 'Cause you got this twisted idea that some people just have it easy. Life's an endless game, man. You level up, you face a tougher boss. Noobs like ya see the top players and think they're just lucky, like they leveled up easy. They don't see the constant battles it took to get there."
"Not everyone's life is a struggle!" Lorian refuted sharply.
"The rich man fightin' an incurable disease? The girl harassed everywhere she turns? The father who can't put food on the table? The athlete who missed the cut? The kid in a loveless house? Tell me, whose pain weighs more? Everyone's fightin' their own battle- a battle you don't see. You know why we Celestials and Infernals are so obsessed with you humans? We're jealous, man. Our lives are infinite, but they're static. We can manifest anything, and that gets boring fast. But you? You fight every day. You rise, you fall, but you stay in the ring. You don't know what the next moment holds. That's a blessing, man. You live for real. That's why we watch. We're livin' vicariously through your chaos." The demon placed a heavy hand on Lorian's shoulder, "Don't waste the chance. What you're tryin' to avoid is the very thing we're starvin' for."
Lorian sat in silence, face buried in his hands. He took a long breath, "Alright. I get it. Not fully, but I see the logic. So, tell me- what am I doin' wrong?"
"You're viewin' this world through a lens that ain't built for it. Wake up, man. Here, war ain't madness. It's natural, like the tide. People don't fear it- they embrace it. That's where they find honor, courage, proof of their worth.
Look, I know you care, but you gotta love 'em as they are, not how you want 'em to be. To these people, dyin' for their king or their land isn't a tragedy- it's the ultimate flex. It's how they get their name in the legends. Don't mistake your compassion for wisdom. In this age, mercy isn't keepin' 'em out of the fight- it's leadin' 'em with a purpose. If you try to leash 'em with those modern ideals, they won't see kindness. They'll see weakness.
So hear this- War is a calling. Fightin' is livin'. Dyin' is bein' remembered. If you wanna be their king, you gotta walk the path they know, not the one you dream about."
Lorian nodded. He was starting to see the logic. He remembered the conquerors of his old world- the ones who built empires on mountains of corpses- were still hailed as legends. This world was no different.
"I get the point, but…." Lorian started, but Azal'Gul cut him off.
"If you really want peace and stability, you gotta bring the whole continent under your thumb. One ruler, one iron fist- that's when the war stops, and people finally learn what peace is worth."
"But isn't the land at peace already?" Lorian asked.
"If it was, you wouldn't be in this jam. The Empire is waitin' like a hungry lion. The Heptagon Accord is shattered. The world is about to drown in an all-out war. If you don't pick a fight, war's gonna find you anyway. Offense is the best defense, man." Azal'Gul sounded restless now.
"Whatever, man!" Lorian smiled wryly. "That's the oldest, most cliched excuse for world domination. 'War for peace'- talk about hypocrisy."
"Fine, let me give you the real reason!" A devilish smirk played on Azal'Gul's lips, "Remember that old geezer's warnin' in Valoria? Well, breakin' news- he wasn't wrong. Well atleast most parts. The wheels are turnin'. Dark days are comin'. You think you were sent here randomly? No. When the wheels move, the veil thins, and anomalies start messin' with fate. You're one such anomaly, Lorian. You think the balance tilted by accident? No. Chaos is in the air, messin' with people's minds. You want it or not, you're in the mix now. Adapt and survive, or get crushed by the chaos. The bells are tollin'- ding dong, ding dong…."
Azal'Gul pulled Lorian into a sudden, crushing hug, "My man."
Lorian dissipated into fine dust within the demon's embrace. Everything went pitch black. Then, he opened his eyes. He could still hear it, echoing in the real world- ding dong, ding dong….