The peace lasted for several days.
After Vaelthor's defeat, Vailor had finally regained part of the tranquility it had lost during the war. Soldiers returned to their routines. Adventurers resumed their ordinary missions. Merchants once again filled the capital's streets.
Everywhere, hope could be felt.
A hope that had not existed for a very long time.
The fall of the First General had changed something in the world.
For the first time, people believed that victory against the Demon King might actually be possible.
I wanted to believe that too.
That night, after another peaceful day at the mansion, I went to bed earlier than usual.
The exhaustion accumulated over the past few weeks was still slowly fading.
My body was feeling better.
My mana had recovered.
My wounds were almost completely healed.
Everything seemed normal.
But that night would be different.
Very different.
I closed my eyes.
And sleep came quickly.
At first, it seemed like an ordinary dream.
Darkness.
Silence.
An endless void.
There was no sky.
There was no ground.
There was no point of reference.
Only darkness.
I slowly opened my eyes.
I immediately realized that something was wrong.
I was standing.
But I couldn't tell where.
I looked around.
Nothing.
Only a black space that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.
I frowned.
The sensation was strange.
Far too real to be an ordinary dream.
Then I heard footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Echoing through that void.
I immediately turned around.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, several silhouettes began to appear.
My expression grew serious.
I recognized those presences.
Even without seeing their faces.
I recognized every one of them.
The generals.
The generals who had been defeated throughout the journey.
The figures continued to appear one after another.
Each carrying the same presence they had possessed while alive.
Each watching in silence.
Without attacking.
Without speaking.
Simply watching.
The atmosphere became heavy.
Unbearably heavy.
Even knowing it was a dream, I could feel the pressure those presences exerted.
Then I noticed something.
There were eight of them.
Exactly eight.
The eight defeated generals.
Those who had fallen throughout the war.
They remained motionless.
Like statues.
Like silent witnesses.
A strange feeling ran through my body.
Because I knew they were not the real problem.
It wasn't them.
There was something else.
Something far worse.
Something that had not yet appeared.
The eight generals slowly stepped aside.
Making room.
As if yielding the way for someone.
My heart began to race.
The darkness before them began to change.
A presence emerged.
First as a shadow.
Then as a shape.
Then as something impossible to ignore.
At that moment, I felt it.
An overwhelming pressure.
Far greater than Vaelthor's.
Far greater than any enemy I had ever faced.
Space itself seemed to bend before that existence.
My body froze.
Not out of fear.
But because my instincts immediately understood what stood before me.
The figure took a few steps forward.
Slowly.
Without haste.
Like someone who had nothing to prove.
The darkness around him seemed to obey him.
The void itself seemed to revolve around him.
Then his eyes opened.
Red eyes.
Deep.
Ancient.
For the first time since I arrived in that world, I felt a presence that completely surpassed everything I had ever encountered.
There was no doubt.
None.
That was the Demon King.
The true ruler of the demonic forces.
The enemy who stood above all others.
For several seconds, we remained silent.
Watching each other.
Then he spoke.
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
Yet it carried an overwhelming weight.
"So... you are the Hero."
I didn't answer immediately.
I continued watching him.
Trying to understand that presence.
Trying to comprehend what was happening.
The Demon King tilted his head slightly.
"Interesting."
The pressure intensified.
As if he were analyzing me.
As if he were evaluating something.
Then he continued.
"Now I understand why so many failed."
His gaze remained fixed on me.
"You defeated generals who existed long before the birth of the current kingdoms."
The darkness seemed to tremble around him.
"Even Vaelthor has fallen."
The mention of the First General made the atmosphere even heavier.
For some reason, I felt that Vaelthor had been of great importance to him.
Perhaps as a subordinate.
Perhaps as an ally.
Perhaps because of something even older.
But his expression showed neither sorrow.
Nor anger.
Only acknowledgment.
"He was useful."
The sentence was simple.
Cold.
Direct.
It was impossible to know what he truly thought.
I finally decided to speak.
"He chose to fight."
The Demon King watched me for a few seconds.
Then he replied.
"Yes."
His voice remained calm.
"Just as you chose."
Silence returned.
The eight generals remained standing behind him.
Motionless.
Like shadows witnessing a conversation that transcended life and death.
Then the Demon King took another step.
The pressure increased once again.
But this time I didn't step back.
I didn't avert my gaze.
I showed no hesitation.
He noticed.
And for the first time, something changed in his expression.
A faint interest.
"You show no fear."
"It seems like a waste of time."
The void remained silent.
Then something resembling a smile appeared on his face.
Small.
Almost imperceptible.
"Brave."
I shook my head.
"Maybe."
"Or perhaps you simply do not understand what stands before you."
His words lingered in the air.
But I had heard similar things before.
Many enemies had claimed to be invincible.
Many believed they stood above everyone else.
And they had all fallen.
I took a deep breath.
"What do you want?"
The Demon King answered immediately.
"To observe."
That surprised me.
He continued.
"For centuries, I have watched kings rise and disappear."
The darkness seemed to move slowly.
"Empires have risen."
"Empires have fallen."
"Heroes have appeared."
"Heroes have died."
His voice remained composed.
"But you are different."
I frowned.
"Different how?"
He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he answered.
"That, I do not yet know."
The answer was unexpected.
Once again, it felt as though he was studying me.
Analyzing me.
Trying to reach a conclusion.
The Demon King began walking again.
His footsteps echoed through the void.
"Keep growing."
I looked directly at him.
"Why?"
He stopped.
The darkness became completely still.
Then he answered.
"Because when we finally meet..."
His voice became deeper.
Heavier.
More ancient.
"...I want to find out whether you truly can change this world."
The silence that followed seemed endless.
None of the generals moved.
None of the shadows advanced.
Nothing happened.
Only those words continued to echo.
For some reason, they were more threatening than any direct threat.
He wasn't trying to frighten me.
He wasn't trying to intimidate me.
He was simply stating something.
As if he were absolutely certain that meeting would happen.
Sooner or later.
Then I understood.
This wasn't just a dream.
It was a message.
A manifestation.
The first direct contact between us.
Between the Hero and the true enemy.
Between the one who carried the gods' blessing and the one who commanded the demon armies.
The Demon King looked at me one last time.
His red eyes remained fixed on mine.
Then the darkness began to fade.
The eight generals disappeared first.
Their silhouettes dissolved into the void.
Then it was the Demon King's turn.
His form became more and more distant.
More and more indistinct.
Until only his eyes remained.
Shining in the darkness.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then everything vanished.
I opened my eyes abruptly.
I sat up in bed.
My heart was pounding.
The early hours of the morning still blanketed the mansion.
The room remained silent.
No sound.
No presence.
Only me.
I took a deep breath.
I ran a hand across my face.
It seemed like a dream.
But it hadn't been just a dream.
I knew it.
I could feel it.
That presence was real.
That encounter had been real.
I got out of bed and walked to the window.
The city slept beneath the moonlight.
The streets were empty.
The wind blew gently.
For several minutes, I remained gazing at the horizon.
Thinking about his words.
Thinking about Vaelthor.
Thinking about the defeated generals.
Thinking about the future.
The war was far from over.
Very far.
Defeating the First General had been a great victory.
Perhaps the greatest one so far.
But that night had shown me something important.
The true enemy still remained in the distance.
Watching.
Waiting.
And for the first time, I had seen his face.
The sky slowly began to brighten as dawn approached.
A new day was beginning.
A new arc of the journey as well.
And as I watched the first rays of sunlight rise over Vailor, only one certainty remained in my mind.
"Vaelthor has fallen... now only the Demon King remains."