The room was quiet, save for the ticking of the clock. I slowly sank back into the couch, staring at the Ring in my hand. Its runes glowed faintly, as if, in some sense, it had come alive. And Sauron, he was inside this Ring.
"Mortal," Sauron's voice suddenly echoed, low and ominous as if coming from the depths of hell. "Do you really think that sealing me away means you've won?"
I flinched instinctively, but quickly regained my composure. I opened my hand to look at the Ring, forcing a smile. "Yep, I won. Now you're my guest—well, no, more like my roommate."
"Roommate?" Sauron's voice was dripping with scorn. "You're truly foolish. I am the Lord of Shadows. Your feeble mortal soul can never wield the true power of the Ring."
"Yet here you are, sealed inside it, aren't you?" I shrugged casually, maintaining a facade of nonchalance. "Lord Sauron, it seems we are now in this together—what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. No more schemes."
