Conviction
He stood at the last solitude of heaven, sword by his side. The man glimpsed along the horizon, into the fiery inferno of Hell and at the eternal torture that was being inflicted on the unfortunate souls. It was a pitiful sight. Men and women were mercilessly being torched into skeletons, over and over again; their bodies became black as the night and smelt of charcoal. There were others who were even more pitiful. Sirens, whose physical beauty could only be matched by their venom, seduced ill-fated men. Singing their songs and displaying their vanity, they would approach closer and closer until they could strike…
It was unthinkable that there could be a place like this; somewhere where people would pay their life sins with added torment. The man understood this, however. He had devoted his life to religion, to righteousness. For every bonus in life that lay with the angels, there must be an agony that lay with the demons. There was a fine line between this and the demons had gone much too far this time. Their thirsts for power made them expand their empire into the realm of the mortals. So, the man knew what he had to do. He had to bring righteousness back to the mortals; he had to bring balance between Heaven and Hell.
Where his predecessor had failed, he would succeed. His predecessor had failed to realize the malevolence of the Lord of Terror, the deadly power of Diablo. So, his arrogance had led to his doom. He thought he could contain the Prime Evil within himself; he was wrong. With each passing moment, the hero slowly succumbed to an agent of evil.
With each town or city that he passed, the damned were sure to follow. Towns were annihilated and cities were crumbled. The army of skeletons and burning dead had grown more and more as the hero journeyed farther and farther. No hero could outmatch the army. No hero, except this man.
The man checked his equipment. His sword was rusted, but his conviction would negate that fact. His shield was so bright that he could see his own reflection; it was no doubt that his faith helped him strength this. The armor he wore was new and could not be pierced.
The Paladin drew in a final breath of the mystic air and charged into Hell for Diablo's reign had to be ended.
He must succeed.
Evil must fail.
Diablo must perish.