The Dark Lord marched across the white sands, his feet making small dents in the ground. To his left and right was black water, the bottom far beyond his vision. In the distance were other similar beaches, and huge trees that spiraled up to a rock ceiling.

"Ash Lake" he muttered. "Such an odd thing. It is the base of this entire plateau, yet it is so surreal. If only I could figure this place out…"

He shook his head. He had far more important things to worry about then the stupid origins of a weird lake.

Sitting down, he noted how there was a rusting iron sword in the sand in front of him. In a different time, that sword was standing up and on fire. Now it was discarded and useless.

"It went out" murmured a voice above his field of vision.

"Yeah."

"It went out" repeated the voice.

"What are you trying to get at?"

"It went out."

"Sieglinde…"

A pair of strong hands grabbed him and hoisted him off his feet. He looked at his attacker, noticing a few things. One, his attacker was wearing basic clothing except for a pair of extremely exaggerated gloves and boots. Second, the hair of his attacker was incredibly long and dirty, as if it hadn't been washed. And third, it was a female.

"Why did the bonfire go out?" demanded Sieglinde of Catarina, her voice dangerously low. She had apparently shed her armor out of lack of use, as she had been there since he had found her there last time. Around her neck was a small ring, a very familiar one.

"Would you listen if I told you?" snapped the Dark Lord.

She snarled and let him go. "Sorry. I'm…not myself. Ever since father died…"

She glanced mournfully at a small stone near the bonfire, a testament to her father, Siegmeyer of Catarina. He had died when he lost his will to live and became Hollow. It was one of the few people he hadn't put down himself.

"It wasn't your fault" argued the Dark Lord.

"Yes it is. I killed my own father" she said with tears in her eyes. "I…I thought I had gotten past it….but seeing you…I'm grateful some of his happiest memories were his times with you."

She stopped dead, having noticed something. "Your eyes…I…when you were Hollow, I thought it polite not to look into other's eyes, but…what are you..?"

"The Dark Lord" he answered simply.

She paused, not sure how to take this news. "I apologize, but us people of Catarina are unfamiliar with such legends. If you may, can you inform me?"

So the Dark Lord explained his tale, from beginning to end. He began when he last saw her and went from there, sparing her no details. He wasn't afraid of her retaliation for his actions. After all, he did kill a god, scratch that, several gods and probably caused some horrible aftereffect. He wasn't even slightly afraid of her though. Compared to some of the things he had killed, she was a mere pup.

Sieglinde nodded, still processing it all. "Indeed. I have no reason not to believe you, given what you have done for me and my father. But that does not answer the obvious question. Why are you here?"

He reached out and stroked her cheek. She blushed at his touch and ducked her head but let him continue.

"I require the services of someone like you" explained the Dark Lord smiling softly. "You see, not only are you beautiful but you are also inspiring. I can see men and women flocking to you and marching into battle with a mere whisper on your lips."

"I…I am not a general" she stuttered embarrassed, obviously shy towards his physical touch.

He chuckled. "I do not need a general. I need a figurehead. Someone who radiates kindness and grace to lead my people…no…our people. "

She glanced up at him shocked and his smile got larger. "Will you accept, Lady Sieglinde of Catarina?"

Sieglinde nodded, mesmerized by his eyes. "Of course."

The Dark Lord removed his hand. "Thank you. Now then…"

He whirled around, having heard something. The woman immediately drew her sword but he stopped her.

"No, I can handle this" he said walking forward.

The Dark Lord strode down the beach, no weapons in his hands. Whatever this thing was, he could not use magic on it. If he overused Abyss magic, he would turn out just like the Four Kings. And he would not allow that. He had too much to do to allow such a thing.

Something huge and blue slammed into him from the ground, knocking him into the air. In that instant he remembered that Ash Lake was full of dangerous creatures just like this, creatures he didn't entirely care for.

The Man-Eater Shell stood tall, its mouth open to consume him even as he fell. They obviously had gotten smarter since he had fought them.

Landing in its gigantic jaws, he planted his palms on either side of them. Even as they began to crush him he pushed back, both of them locked in a pseudo-duel.

"Even with my power, physical attacks are still debilitating" he murmured under his breath. "I cannot be beaten here by a goddamn piece of shellfish."

The Man-Eater spat him out, obviously irritated by its lack of progress. He stood up and raised his fists, the gauntlets slightly destroyed form the pressure he had withstood.

The Man-Eater charged him with the top of its shell and he slammed his foot into it, embedding it into the sand. Raising his left hand, he slugged it right in the center of the top shell.

The stone-hard shell splintered under his fist and he struck it again, breaking past it and hitting something squishy.

Gripping the slimy thing inside, which he was fairly certain was some kind of organ, he ripped it out with a sharp tug.

Instantly the Man-Eater Shell died, the odd organ having apparently been something essential for survival.

"Well now that that's over with, I think…"

He stopped because he was suddenly consumed in a huge serpentine mouth, plunged into a world of black and pink.

"Hmm. So there are other Hydra in Ash Lake. How interesting" he mused even as the thing swallowed him. "I didn't know that."

He plunged his fingers into the side of the Hydra's throat, the sharp edges easily digging into the sensitive skin.

The great beast recognized this and tried to cough him back up, but he had a better idea. Charging up a spell in his hand, he decided to try out something new.

"Dark Inferno" he whispered letting the magic explode from his palms.

The black flames flew around him and incinerated the skin of the Hydra clean off. The bones and scales quickly followed, causing him to fall as the remains of its head collapsed with him.

He landed on the beach and turned, noting the full size of the beast. It was just as big as the last Hydra he had fought, minus one head. That head was now beside him, its jaws in a wide expression of surprise.

He swore to himself for not backing a weapon with him, confident in his techniques as a Dark Lord. Then he got an idea.

The Dark Lord reached to the head and lifted it off the ground. The Hydra charged him and he slammed the open mouth of the severed head onto one of the Hydra's necks, the teeth digging in deep.

The Hydra screamed in ironic fury, having just been bitten by his own severed head. It flailed around in pain as it tried to shake the detached part.

The Dark Lord didn't let go and was thrown along with the head through the air. He knew that the teeth of a Hydra were far too jagged to let their grip go that easy, even if it was dead. Spotting a good angle, he leaped off the separated head and began falling down. He was now right on top of the Hydra's main body, in perfect view of it as well.

"Dark Beam" he whispered aiming his catalyst in his fist.

A huge pillar of dark magic blasted from the tip of the wand and cleaved the Hydra in two down the center, black blood gushing from its open wounds.

The huge serpent began to sink into the sea and he panicked. He hadn't thought of what he would do now that he was in midair and with the whole of Ash Lake below him.

"Dark Beam!" he yelled desperately.

The blast pushed back to the shore and he smashed into the sand, something in his body shifting uncomfortably.

"Damn it…next time…pack a sword" he murmured standing up. He had learned that the only way to kill a Hydra was to remove its heads, and with only spells he couldn't achieve that. Thought now that he thought about it, he could've just borrowed Sieglinde's…

"You could've had my sword, my Lord" stated Sieglinde helping him to his feet.

"I know" he snapped half-heartedly. "Take me to the bonfire. I need to return home."

He coughed up something into his arm and he looked at it slightly panicked. It was a solid black chunk of foul matter, seemingly absorbing the light around it. He had seen it before, back in the Chasm of the Abyss. He had also seen it pouring from the body of Knight Artorias and Manus, two humans corrupted by the Abyss. That was not a good sign.

"My Lord, are you alright?" inquired the Lady of Catarina.

He hurriedly wiped it on his leg, ignoring the sting it gave his flesh. "It's nothing. Nothing at all."