I

Emperor Qorel Dzarianek was not a humble man by any means. During his life he had taken by force all the power there was to be had, climbing over an ever-growing pile of bodies to get it. He believed himself to be a God among men, so much so that he had dared to challenge those whose company the Gods keep.

But in his final moments, he wept. He wept because he had been shown exactly how insignificant he was by one who was more of a God than he could ever hope to be.

Before him stood a monster. This beast, a full head taller than the Emperor, was both attractive and repulsive; despite his claws, his fang-like teeth, and his black, empty eyes, he was more beautiful than any human Qorel had ever seen. His perfection, despite his fiendish appearance, was torturous to the Emperor - a mockery of the illusion of perfection he had fought so hard to establish over so many years.

"Why would you do this?" he whimpered, choking on his words. "How can you be so cruel?"

The monster seemed to consider the question for a moment, then extended its hand. Its claws retracted into its fingers, disappearing from sight. The Emperor wondered if the monster meant to kill him, but then its hand touched his shoulder and pulled him into a gentle embrace. When it spoke, its voice was tinged with sympathy; the fury and hate that had filled its roar only minutes ago had all but vanished.

"To make you regret your actions," the monster said, and held him close. "To teach you to be better."

The tyrant's form trembled as he sobbed into his enemy's chest. He was ashamed, devastated, ruined... but above all, he felt naked. Every weakness that he never knew he had was being displayed for all to see. Here, in his broken, charred world, the Emperor finally found himself humbled.

He never felt his neck break; all he knew was that he was dead, and that this was the way it must be.

To be continued.