Agapetus sat quietly in his bedchambers, the lights dull compared to their usual. He had remembered this room full of mischievous squeals and laughter, but now it was quiet. He glanced out the window, the pale sunset looking inadequate to lift his mood. He tried to find something in the sky, but nothing was there.

Someone tapped on the door, causing him to sit up. The door opened, revealing a lone woman.

Karin stood in the doorway quietly, wearing a simple white dress over her body. She looked beautiful, though he had trouble seeing that in the depths of his despair.

"Karin…" he murmured silently, his voice barely a whisper.

She walked over to him, her bare feet ruffling the carpets below. She reached him, then hugged him tightly.

Agapetus wept again, not really meaning to but having it happen anyway. "I…I'm sorry…I couldn't get Aegle or Hanna back with us…I'm…"

"It's alright," she assured him, rubbing the back of his head soothingly. "I know this hurts you just as much as it hurts me, perhaps even more. Remember, you will always have me by your side. I will never leave you."

She pulled away, then kissed him gently on the lips. "Just know…that I love you Agapetus."

He nodded, tears still flowing down his face. Even now, at the threshold of taking over the entire world, he was still human. He still needed affection, the desire to be loved. He was partially ashamed of this, but he knew it was impossible to be rid of it.

Agapetus exited his room an hour later, his composure back in place. He adjusted his mask coolly, hoping it hid the tinge of red his white eyes had due to tears. He could not let anyone else see them, for fear of being called weak. While his circumstances were understandable, he refused to let go of his pride in front of others.

He marched into his throne room and sat on the black throne, feeling the warm stone beneath him. It was reassuring, as it was proof that he was still the ruler of Lordran. Everything that had happened hadn't rid him of this feeling. He was still on top, and Sebastian was still on the bottom. He smirked, pleased with himself.

"Sebastian, you accomplished nothing," he spat to himself. "I am still the one who will have this world. And you…you will die, a worthless nobody."

"My Lord!" exclaimed a messenger running in.

He paused. "What is it?"

The messenger held out his hand, an envelope in his fingers. "A letter for you!"

Agapetus grabbed it and tore it open, pulling out the piece of paper inside. As he read, his face grew angry and red. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be possible.

"Dark Lord Agapetus, we do not forgive easily. You have proven that you are ruthless in your goals to conquer this world on some farfetched notion of grandeur, that you deserve to rule it. That theory is incorrect. This world does not need to be ruled. You merely wish it so you can satisfy your pride and vanity. That being the case, you should know that we will not allow you to accomplish this. We are the voice of the thousands against you, who stand against your tyranny. We are Dead Dollar, and we do not forgive or forget."

"Dead Dollar?" whispered Agapetus quietly. "…who is that?"

He paused, turning to his messenger. "Leave me."

When he was alone, he glanced at the shadowy stranger in the reflection of his window. "Who is Dead Dollar?"

"You know who."

Agapetus snarled, gripping the letter tightly. "Hanna…"

"Technically, her name is Diana of the Great Swamp. It's fair you know her name, since she knows yours."

"What are her powers? I assume she has the Abyss within her."

"She does, she is a Dark Lady. Whenever someone speaks to her, she can read their thoughts telepathically. Even if it's only one word, she can read your mind. The problem is, it takes her a while to read all your thoughts. The longer you speak, the more time she has. It's a natural limitation, to make sure she does not go mad from her powers."

"Hmm…damn it I never imagined I'd have a former servant as an enemy."

"I thought you did have that planned."

"I expected Petrus or Ingward to betray me, not Hanna."

"Ah, well, you paid for your confidence."

Agapetus didn't like the shadow's tone, but it was technically correct. He had to figure a way to work with this. Hanna's ability couldn't be used as an offensive tool, but it had many more utilities than all the other Dark Lord abilities.

"By the way, something you should be aware of."

"Tell me."

"Because you eliminated Sebastian's ability to speak, his power is useless. It will change into something he can use though. It's part of being a Dark Lord."

"What will it change into?"

"I do not know. This is rather rare actually. Most Dark Lords keep their powers until they die. Sebastian is going to be interesting to watch."

"Will you tell me what it will change into?"

"Unlikely."

"Damn you."

"Hey, I've given you plenty of information. You must work with the pieces you have on the board."

Agapetus paused, an idea floating in his mind. "Pieces on the board…"

He stood up. "SIR INGWARD!"

The Sealer appeared rapidly, opening the door in a panic. "What is it My Lord?!"

Agapetus calmed down slightly. "…what power do your eyes have?"

Ingward paused. "…My Lord?"

The Dark Lord of Lordran marched over to him, standing taller than him malevolently. "Do not toy with me Ingward. I saw that you have the eyes of a Dark Lord, just as I do. What do they allow you to do?"

The Sealer slowly took off his mask, revealed his own white eyes. Unlike any of the others he had seen, the veins around his eyes were a dark grey, as if they had aged significantly. It made sense, considering how old Ingward probably was.

"My eyes cancel any other Dark Lord abilities around me," answered Ingward calmly. "I do not need to speak, have eye contact, know anyone's name, or do anything. I do not even need to expose them for it to work."

Agapetus raised an eyebrow. That was an incredibly potent ability against any Dark Lord. Ingward could even combat him and win with that power. He was grateful he was still on his side.

"We have foes against us Ingward," admitted Agapetus blandly. "Solemn Shade is a Dark Lord, though I have neutralized his power. And now, Hanna has become a Dark Lady who can read our thoughts when we speak."

"Not good," agreed the Sealer. "But I do not want to rule this world like you do Agapetus."

"Then what do you want Ingward?"

"…to do some good for this world. People like us suffered so much for nothing, but I want to suffer some more so others don't have to. If I save even one soul with my actions, I will consider my life complete."

"A noble goal. It is hard for me to think higher of you Ingward, but now I see that you truly are a good man. Far greater than I am."

"My Lord, you brought the Age of Darkness to mankind. You freed us from the old gods. You are the great one here. You have the right to do with this world as you wish, until you die. Which, if you continue on this path, will be very soon."

Agapetus paused, legitimately considering the man's words. Ingward was right of course. He had made so many enemies in his quest so far, and he had two extremely powerful Dark Lords against him. He could settle with what he had. There was no need to go to the extremes of conquering the whole world.

Then he realized that he still wanted more. He wasn't content with what he had. He deserved the whole world, he needed it. He was worthy, he alone, to rule the world. It was his right to have it, and he knew it.

"It does not matter if I die or not," said the Dark Lord of Lordran calmly. "I want this world under Lordran's rule. We will usher in an age of peace, just as I always wanted. Through peace we will rise higher than we ever could imagine. But to get peace, one must wage war."

He turned to Ingward. "We need to kill Sebastian and Hanna, no matter the cost. After that, we expand our control to everything we can find. And after that…the world can do as it pleases. I will not control it. I wish for it to have peace, but I will not restrict it from its natural route."

"I approve."

"Also, you are going to need a new name Ingward," stated Agapetus. "We Dark Lords prefer not using each other's real names."

"I am aware," stated Ingward. "If that is the case, call me Idyllic Iron."

The Dark Lord of Lordran grinned. "Very well…Idyllic Iron. From now on, we will work side by side to ensure prosperity for our people."