Stuck floating in the ether once again. Hex sighed. Of course he had gotten killed just as his plan was finally getting underway once again. Now to wait for his body to reform.

  He had gotten called many names over the years. ‘The Devil’. ‘Grim Reaper’. ‘Demon King’. ‘The Great Evil’. Even his real name now meant ‘curse’ among humankind.

  It was all just tremendously unfair, wasn’t it? The humans had so many empires, and he only asked for one. One kingdom for the undead to live in peace. One place for him to belong.

  But time was his greatest enemy. No matter how many times he built his kingdom, eventually it would all come crashing down. Sometimes it took centuries, other times only days. But always, without fail, people like the Darkbanes would show up. They would call him evil and kill him. They would ensure his dream had no chance of succeeding.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  People called them ‘heroes’. They were formless, ever-shifting. You kill one of them and another pops out of nowhere, some upstart not even a century old seeking revenge. Sure, most failed, but they would always win out in the end. People thought he was some sort of god. But against the neverending hydra that was humanity, he was weak.

  Admitting this was painful for Hex. He was the most powerful being ever, and he had such a humble dream, but he was too weak to achieve it. It was a paradox. This game was rigged against him from the start. The only way out was to change the rules.

  So long as humanity existed, they would stop him. They would swallow his kingdom like the ocean washing away a sand castle. There was one, and only one solution, and he had known it all along.

  Power is not enough against enemies that don’t fight fair. Diplomacy is not enough against nations with such erratic, constantly changing leadership. Humanity was a pest that needed to be exterminated. What other choice did he have?

  Hex mzo vcx lybov zpk spfi vbqx qpkxzk. Cx czk oxxp os wzpi nfzhxo zpk vywxo, zpk ixv pspx mxbx cyo. Cyo uqxov msqfk fzov… lsbxtxb.