[Demon in Red]

  The world moves slow at the top.

  I can see it spinning below, the different tiers of this infernal realm. Ugly blood-colored rocks make a hideous centerpiece. Beneath it rests the third rung with its verdant mountains and valleys. Further below are the outlines of all of the different realms of the early levels that stitch together like patches of a quilt. And, further below that hides the anthill shaped Bowels.

  Ants they were, scurrying about beneath me without any knowledge of the view from on high. The tiny armies casting their spells and clashing their weapons far beneath me. They were fighting and killing each other endlessly in a centuries-long path up towards the top. Only here could someone appreciate true peace.

  It feels as though time itself moves differently. I had been up here for over a century already, far beyond the life expectancy of anyone born as a human. Yet, to my ancient eyes, it was just a blink in the endless expanse of time that is existence.

  Everything beneath becomes simple notifications, matters of numbers and abstractions. A notification could arrive mentioning that ten thousand soldiers died the day before, but these armies were immortal, designed specifically for an endless stalemate while those at the top tried to determine things for themselves. Every setback could always be overcome if you waited ten minutes.

  For now, time may as well be frozen altogether. For years that I had neglected to track, we have been stuck in a staring contest over the future. Everyone wants the same thing, but nobody moves to grab it.

  Even though this new generation of demons that sought the throne had their own unique ideas over what should happen next, they still managed to show some prudence where it mattered. They intuitively understood that any gain to be made would then trigger the endgame. We had to lie and wait for someone to make the first move, knowing that whoever does strike first will be the second to die.

  So we turned to our proxy wars below. The only way to break the stalemate above was to break the stalemate below. If any had managed to win decisive victory over the others, it was only a matter of time before the resources would grow to levels that would be overpowering to the rest. Only thing would being the aggressor not ensure your immediate demise.

  It appeared that the stalemate was coming to an end, but the benefactor was not one that many were expecting.

  I rested in my humble corner of the unpopulated city; an open-ceiling building made of marble. Statues of Mediterranean men acted as columns to hold up my palace. I rested casually on my couch, sipping upon my wine. It was my comfort as I waited for the opportune moment to strike.

  Except, someone was intent on interrupting me.

  “What is the meaning of this, Demon in Red?” A golden dragon demanded as he stormed into my abode. “I thought we were to put up a unified front.”

  “And I thought that the purpose of a united front was to work together,” I argued. “Why is it that you believe it acceptable for your man to use everyone else as fodder without regard for their dignity? Those actions were not very honorable, Chivalric Demon. I’m sure Mikha’el and Wrath would have agreed, if either ever bothered to talk to anyone.”

  This was our grand alliance, or at least, this was one of my many. One of these horses was going to be the winning one. Unfortunately, there were not many that wished to be a part of the status quo.

  Everyone had great big dreams about creating a new utopia. It was as though they were struck with collective memory loss, incapable of remembering the innumerable times that many strong demons had already tried to make sweeping changes to catastrophic results. Only through this current arrangement had we achieved any semblance of stability.

  But, that’s what happens when the ruling party consumes itself. My own mistake was failing to keep the coalition strong. Dissatisfaction quickly boiled over when people bicker over an infinite pile of gold just for the title of ruler of the gold pile. One by one, my former allies were cast off from the teat of our victory. I was too late to prevent the weakened pieces of our stranglehold to be eaten up by the insane.

  And, without a fool to send up in my place, I had to go myself. Oh, poor Aasha, you would weep if you saw your legacy.

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  “Still, allowing Ishmael to rise to our location seems like folly,” The Chivalrous Demon argued. “I sincerely hope that you have some sort of understanding about him that I do not. For, as far as I can see, there is no motivation in him to build, only to destroy.”

  “He’s not the first and he won’t be the last,” I comment casually. “You didn’t come rushing over here just to chew me out did you?”

  “No,” the Chivalrous Demon denied with a shake of his head. “I came here to discuss what your next move was.”

  I observed the Chivalrous Demon with piercing eyes. Despite the gilded exterior and the steely gaze, I saw nothing more than a boy who had a tantrum in Heaven and decided to make things more complicated down here. Sure, he was an ascendant star on the grand stage, but he was an outsider nonetheless. My cohorts from the early days were growing fewer and further between.

  “It would depend on our newest arrival,” I answered simply, taking a casual sip of my honeyed wine. “We finally have somebody here that can break our numerous stalemates.”

  “You don’t mean to say-“

  “I do,” I interrupted. “We have been holding back for a long time, endlessly watching the proceedings of below to secure good omens to proceed. I see this as an opportunity to make a voting block that can mold the rules of this realm into our favor once and for all. A numerical advantage will take all of us such a long way. It’s the only way that you will be able to craft your future instead of being the enforcer of Mikha’el’s. That is unless, of course, you have something to propose to me.”

  “I think you are overlooking him,” the Chivalrous Demon replied. “I don’t believe he is someone that can be swayed to cooperate with anyone. Not even the person he loved most in this realm could pacify him.”

  “Then we will use him as the catalyst to bring this to a head,” I said.

  The Chivalrous Demon’s eyes narrowed. It was amusing to watch a soldier try to divine the thoughts of my imperial self. The view that each of us had over the world was incomparable.

  “You mean to use him to start the chain of killing?”

  “I do,” I answered with a smile. “You are not the only one who has placed an eye on him. I know for certain that he will make specific decisions that will hasten the end. I know that he and Wrath will collide as soon as he sets foot on these lands. Even if Ishmael dies, Wrath will certainly be weakened from the conflict; something that Mikha’el will not shy from and something that I will not be ignoring either.”

  “You plan to try to snap up at a weakened enemy and make a deal with the survivors?”

  “Compromise and collaboration is why humans rule the world and not the solitary Neanderthal. They may have been stronger individually, but they could not overwhelm the collective. It is the nature of those who know they are weaker to band together. When you look at Wrath or Mikha’el, do you see a fight you can win on your own?”

  Someone more confident in their power would have no reason to speak to me. The fact that the Chivalrous Demon had to think about it at all was proof enough. Mikha’el wouldn’t have thought about it. Wrath wouldn’t have thought about it. I’m sure that Ishmael wouldn’t have given it much thought either. The only reason our representatives blocked the path on the top of the mountain was because our second in commands decided it with minimal input from any of us.

  "We could take one, but not both," he finally answered.

  “Just because we have less individual power doesn’t mean that we are not worthy of standing at the top,” I continued. “Since when has raw power been the measuring stick of authority? It is the wielding of power, the intelligence to know how to keep all of the players in check, that determines who is most worthy. I plan to incorporate the wishes of anyone that sees the benefit of cooperation and give the throne to the one most trustworthy. Someone like you.”

  That was how I repeatedly avoided the poisoned pill of victory. But, I was not going to divulge the past like a doddering old fool who can see the past with more clarity than they can see the present.

  Only idiots that don’t understand the weight and responsibility of the position of Emperor craves to have it. They see the incompetence of the ruler and believe that they can do a better job. It was written all over every face I have seen summiting this mountain. If one bothered to read between the lines, they would find that the powers behind the throne were often far more potent with far less risk.

  “I will make my Heaven,” The Chivalrous Demon proclaimed. “This stagnation that you wish to safeguard will not survive my transformation.”

  “I believe that you will make a more pragmatic paradise that Mikha’el,” I assured. “I also believe that you will find my experience quite helpful when you face your first stumbling blocks.”

  Our conversation was interrupted by the appearance of a notification. For the first time in a long time, the world below began to move in concert with the world above. Things would be happening very soon.

  Notice

  Vote Passed: Measure to temporarily disable resurrection in the Hall of the Arch Demon until the next Arch Demon is crowned.

  Yes: 4

  No: 3

  “The tie is now broken,” I remarked. “You have many things to say about Ishmael. I must give him my own descriptor: decisive. So, Chivalrous Demon, will we continue to try to ensure that one of us reaches the top, or will we each set off on our own in this game that will rapidly reach its conclusion?”

  “I will watch and decide.”

  “Wise. That brings the end of our conversation,” I commented.

  I felt a rumble through the ground and I made a thin-lipped smile. This Ishmael wasted no time in beginning the festivities. He was clearly someone who died young, they never possess the appropriate patience.

  “I hope we both survive to see the end.”