Deep within the ruined confines of the Castle of Light, The Dark Lord sat blissfully within the Light King's Throne. Since time itself was a concept, the forces of Light and Darkness had fought each other, and Darkness had been victorious in the end, scattering what remnants of Light remained into the countryside.

As they relaxed within their chair, their meditation was interrupted with the loud slamming of the throne room's doors, revealing a figure covered in pure whitely armor, the Hero of Honor.

The brightly-armored Hero rose their blade at The Dark Lord, stating their intentions, "DARK LORD! I HAVE COME TO VANQUISH YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL AND FREE THIS KINGDOM FROM DARKNESS ITSELF!"

"This again, oh Hero of Honor? This is the fourth time you've visited this month."

"Enough talking! I am here to fight you!"

The Dark Lord sighed, "tell me Hero, why do you fight me still? You know you never win. In fact, I know you have a question you've been meaning to ask me, yes? So ask away."

Silence reigned for a moment before the two of them, before the Hero of Honor lowered their weapon.

"I don't understand... why?... Why aren't you evil?"

"Me? Evil?"

"I expected you to have pillaged the Kingdom of Light, murder its people to your Dark Gods, and reign over a devastated land; but everywhere I go, all I hear from the people are praises in your name. It's like life didn't change even though you defeated us, the Guardians of Light."

A deep laughter came from the throne-bound Embodiment of Darkness, as they rose from their stolen throne.

"Come Hero, let us talk."

As the two walked through burnt hallways, repairmen of all types, from humans, to orcs, to elves, and even imps could be seen fixing the devastation.

"You see Hero of Honor; I, The Dark Lord, continue to uphold the well-being of this kingdom because it is the only way I can destroy Light itself."

They passed by a room full of servants, hard at work filing papers, the stacks as tall as the room was high.

"Our war has existed for eternity, since before our civilizations were even born."

A room over, an officer scolded a combined squad of Elves, both of dark and light lineage.

"Everytime the Forces of Light would vanquish the Darkness, Darkness would return, born from the shadows of those resenting the world; and everytime the Forces of Darkness would vanquish the Light, Light would return, the fires of hope arising from those aspiring for greater things."

The two stopped within a room containing a large map, showcasing the entirety of the continent, the landmass separated into two colors.

"Other Dark Lords would have vanquished the Light as always, Hero, but I am no mere Dark Lord; I am THE Dark Lord, and in my journey to become The Dark Lord, I realized one thing."

The Dark Lord waved their hand over the map, blending though magic the two colors into a single unified one.

"To destroy Light forever, I would have to stop this war forever, put an end to the senseless killing of each other due to our differences, and embrace a new identity to our peoples! But when I approached the King of Light, he rebuked my offer, and vowed the destruction of Darkness!"

Angered, The Dark Lord summoned a dagger of shadow, throwing it into a nearby painting of the Light King that had not yet been taken down.

"He was a fool! Our people had stopped fighting for a short while, but in order to support his invasion and secure his reign, he heavily taxed the people, purged his nobles, and forcefully conscripted everyone into his armies!"

The Dark Lord turned around, pointing their finger at the Hero of Honor, yelling outloud, "He took you! And orphans just like you, and filled your head full of lies! He made you his Champion, and told you of our evil! Uncaring of the fact that his reign itself was causing the very evils that plagued his land!"

Silence, before continuation, "When I conquered his Kingdom, and scattered his followers, I vowed I would be better. Everywhere I went, I found the villages burnt to the ground, the people starved and homeless, the very land itself weeping for respite; so that I gave to them; even now my armies are rebuilding the continent, making roads and bridges, planting crops, feeding the desperate, reviving the land itself...."

The Hero of Honor could only stare, "I... I did not know our crimes were so great...."

"No, I do not expect you to know, you were nothing more than his Champion, a puppet of his ambitions given form, sent to kill me and restore the status quo; but Hero, we are more alike than you think, you and I do not need to be Champions of Light and Darkness. No, instead, we can be Champions of a new age, a new era, an era where the continent is unified, an era where our steel blades can instead be turned into steel tools, an era where peace may finally reign!"

The Dark Lord stuck their hand out, "I have seen your determination Hero, and I only wish to ask if you would be willing to walk side by side with me, into a new dawn."

The Hero of Honor hesitated for a moment, staring at their hand in consideration of what to do next, before extending it out to shake The Dark Lord's own.

"I only hope I do not come to regret this, oh Dark One."

"Please, we are friends now, call me Sadao; and our agreement calls for a celebration! I shall have the servants break out the finest drinks from the whole land!"