The devil appeared on a stage, dancing, singing, and filled with grotesque joy. He was nothing more than a walking shadow, yet he seemed more alive than anything else in this void. In his arms, he held the shadow of a woman who swayed to the beat of a devilish song. Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, the woman's shadowy figure dissolved into nothingness.
"Who was this woman?" Elandor asked the devil. But the devil didn't answer. He only grinned and chuckled softly to himself. Skillfully, he evaded the question and instead fixed Elandor with his burning gaze. "Will you swear eternal loyalty to me?" he asked, lurking. Then he raised his voice so that it boomed through the darkness: "Be my champion and rule the world for me, Elandor! Are you ready? For if so, you shall receive eternal life and infinite power to strike down all your enemies!"
"Never…" Elandor replied darkly. "Where were you when my beloved was taken from me? Where was God? And only now do you come and offer me eternal life and power? What would be the point of living forever? Without my true and only love, Lysandra!" He practically spat out the words. "I can gladly do without your hypocritical offer! There is no God… and no Devil either. You are merely a bad dream, nothing more."
His voice grew firmer, more resolute. "I serve no one… neither God nor you! I served God my whole life… And what was the thanks I got?! Now I will acknowledge no one as my master," he shouted, his voice echoing through the void. "I alone decide my own life! My future! My destiny! I don't need God! And I certainly don't need you, devil!"
He clenched his fists, pride blazing within him, hot and consuming. "I will tear down the world with my own strength! And anyone who stands in my way, I will destroy! God or devil! You can all come, I'll send you all to the afterlife!" He laughed, a laugh without joy, full of hubris. "Everyone will realize how magnificent I am! Everyone will regret ever messing with me! I don't need God, much less the Devil, to tell me I'm the Chosen One! I will ascend to godhood myself! I will be the God-King! The God of all gods! For I have been chosen! My vision is infallible!"
The Devil listened to the outburst, the grin never leaving his face. "You foolish fool…" he finally said gently, almost pityingly. "Your hatred, your revenge, and your madness have drawn me. Your subconscious has called to me! You know you need me to destroy your enemies!" He took a step closer. "And now I offer you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that only a select few mortals receive… And what do you do? You simply reject my gift without a second thought?!" The Devil's eyes narrowed. "Fine, if that's what you absolutely want, then..." The sentence suddenly broke off. No further words followed.