They had been traveling for a while, and now night had fallen.
The darkness pressed in, seemingly endless, thick and oppressive, like a droplet in a lightless rainy night.
In this wilderness, humans seemed so insignificant.
Thus, Hades and the Emperor halted their journey. They lit a fire in the wasteland, its flames flickering and rekindling, pushing back a small patch of the darkness.
This faint light barely illuminated them, casting a glow on their faces.
They sat there, bored. Hades stared blankly at the roaring fire, waiting for dawn to continue their journey.
But then, laughter of children echoed from the darkness.
Hearing a child's laughter in this desolate place, Hades jolted, "Why would there be children here?"
He looked to the Emperor, but the Emperor ignored him. With a tense expression, the Emperor drew his sword and stood, shouting, "Back off! Back off, you damned beings!"
The Emperor's voice echoed into the distance but was quickly swallowed by the darkness, not even a ripple of sound returning.
A mule snorted and stamped its foot, moving closer to the fire.
"What's going on?" Hades asked, quickly standing up. Unfortunately, he was unarmed.
Should he really face children with weapons?
But as Hades pondered, the children appeared.
Their eerie, dirty figures emerged from the darkness, dancing on the edge of light and shadow.
"Join us," they said.
"Get away! Leave!" The Emperor brandished his sword, ready to charge, "I am human, you filth! Begone!"
"Why won't you join us?"
"We promised you everything."
"The top step is empty. Why not take one more step?"
A child with cunning eyes spoke. He was frail but agile.
"Face your own desires, hypocritical adult," a beautiful child remarked.
"Everything is ultimately meaningless. Obsessing is tiring."
"You shouldn't be this weak!"
"Scram! You filth!"
Hades felt they were all talking nonsense. Fortunately, they seemed to ignore him, as if he was a part of the darkness, forgotten.
So, he stood aside, watching calmly.
The Emperor could no longer tolerate the children's incessant chatter. He scooped up mud, molded it into a ball, and hurled it at them.
The mud hit one of the larger children, who immediately began to cry.
The other children, in a fuss, dragged him away.
Before leaving, one child glanced at Hades.
Then they vanished into the darkness.
Hades hesitantly approached the Emperor, "What were they?"
"Just as you saw."
"Children?"
"Do you dislike children?"
The Emperor grunted, "Ah, disliking children. That's no way to be a good father."
A random thought crossed Hades' mind.
"What were they talking about, asking you to join them?"
The Emperor's nose twitched in disgust, "Never. Humans don't associate with vermin."
"Look," the Emperor seemed interested in conversation, so they sat by the fire again.
The orange glow illuminated the Emperor's face. Holding a twig, he poked the fire beneath. For a moment, Hades thought he saw a golden crown atop the Emperor's head.
"Even if they promised me everything," the Emperor began, "what's everything to a child? Just clay toys. They might be fun, but they're useless for survival. They misunderstood me."
Casually, the Emperor broke some twigs and threw them into the fire.
He watched as they burned, continuing, "To live, and to raise my sword of vengeance against my enemies. Nothing else matters."
The twigs turned to ash, and the Emperor added more wood.
Hades blinked and helped feed the fire.
The flames roared back to life.
The Emperor glanced at him, "What about you? What do you want?"
Hades pondered. He initially thought of 'living', but the word didn't resonate. It felt as mundane as leaves on the street.
"Hmm," Hades suddenly felt hungry.
Open a restaurant? A distant memory of someone suggesting this flashed in his mind.
Back when everything was normal. Back when they were all still around.
"Create a place where everyone can sit, eat, and chat?" Hades mused.
The Emperor looked at him, his deep brown eyes occasionally reflecting the golden firelight, "You'd be better off stabbing your enemies."
Hades shrugged, "It's just a thought."
"If it's already realized, it's not just a thought."
"Shortsighted and superficial," the Emperor muttered.
"I never claimed to be wise," Hades replied, "I'm just unlucky."
"Indeed," the Emperor nodded, "But aren't we all?"
Yes, aren't we all? Hades stared at the fire. It seemed too small, despite its fervent burning and the amount of wood it consumed.
All that remained was the endless night.
Hades didn't know when he fell asleep, but he was awakened by the morning breeze.
Forcing his eyes open, he saw the Emperor packing up.
"Let's go."
The Emperor mounted his mule, and Hades naturally followed.
And so, they continued their journey.
They traveled for a long time, encountering many challenges.
They came across puddles, which the Emperor simply parted, even though Hades felt it was unnecessary.
They faced chasms, but the Emperor just kicked the mule, and Hades, holding onto its tail, followed suit.
The air grew thinner and colder.
Finally, they arrived.
A vast meadow filled with lush green grass lay before them, with a cow leisurely grazing.
Bright green and red cracks adorned the cow's pattern.
Nearby, several hay bales, with a few bites taken out, were scattered.
The Emperor dismounted, drawing his sword and intently watching the cow, "Avoid its attacks."
"This is...," Hades tried to recall, "A dragon?"
"Yes."
The Emperor charged without another word, and the cow, or dragon, met his sword head-on.
But as the dragon and Emperor clashed, the dragon suddenly spat at Hades.
The spit flew at an alarming speed. Hades dodged just in time.
Taking advantage of the dragon's distraction, the Emperor thrust his sword into it.
Thick black liquid oozed from the wound, silently dripping onto the ground.
Seeing the liquid, the Emperor firmly pinned the dragon, which continued to moo.
"Come here! Hurry!"
"Come, Hades!"
Hades rushed over, only to have his face smeared with the black liquid.
"Drink it, now!"
"Drink as much as you can, quickly!"
Confused, Hades did as told, scooping up the dark liquid and swallowing it.
The substance tasted strange, sticking to his throat. Hades felt as if his insides were on fire.
He kept drinking, as if compelled, until he felt he might die.
He looked up to see the Emperor, clad in golden armor, his sword engraved with intricate patterns, emanating psychic energy, pinning down the massive, incomprehensible, shimmering dragon.
Its vast tentacles blocked out the sky, its metallic sheen ever-changing, with all the laws of the universe unfolding above it.
It bled.
Hades looked at his hands, covered in dragon's blood.
He blacked out
.
When he awoke, he felt a cold presence behind him.
Mak'gora's upside-down face stared at him.
Ah, I'm still dreaming, he thought.
"Get up, stop sleeping!" Mak'gora hit Hades' leg with a stick.
Hades opened his eyes again, realizing they were now on the Tassadar Plateau.
"What... what happened?"
Struggling to sit up, Hades asked Mak'gora, who replied, "You gained knowledge. That's it."
"What knowledge?"
Hades felt his mind was still blank.
Mak'gora rolled his eyes, "You now know how to operate a tank. But what if you've never seen a tank?"
Hades blinked, confused.
Mak'gora ignored him, walking towards the horizon, seemingly calling the swarm of Korhal Zerg.
Hades watched Mak'gora's retreating figure.
The setting sun stretched Mak'gora's shadow across the plateau.
Mak'gora disappeared into the light.
Leaving Hades alone in the darkness.
Feeling tired, Hades closed his eyes, lying peacefully in the dark.
It felt like he had always been a part of it.