That night, all was silent in the Pride Lands. You couldn't hear anything. Not even the sound of crickets chirping – because they were all dead.

Well, of course there were bound to be casualties. Bringing someone back to life came with a price. Usually, killing someone else. Unfortunately for the crickets, they were the unlucky ones.

But it was okay, because they wouldn't be the first to die. So many more people were going to lose their lives today. This was because the most evil mastermind the world had ever seen was about to be resurrected from the dead.

It all happened so quickly. No one would have noticed it – probably because they were all asleep, safe and sound. Well, they were safe for now, at least…

It was a flash of white light, that's all it was. In the middle of an empty field. That was when all sound ceased. That was when the Pride Lands became deadly quiet.

And that was when Hago came back to life.

He appeared in the middle of the field, screaming at the top of his voice. Screaming at the darkness he had been imprisoned in for all eternity. Or so he thought… "Oh, yes!" he cried. "Oh, yes, yes, yes!" He laughed maniacally, tossing his head back, taking the deepest breaths he possibly could. "I'm alive!" he exclaimed. "I'm alive! At long last!"

It felt good to be alive. He couldn't possibly deny that. Life was better than death. He'd learnt that a long time ago. He wasn't ever going back into the darkness again. Not ever. It felt horrible. To know that your whole life was over, and that was all you got. Then it was just the dark, and the cold. It never stopped. You had to suffer it for all eternity.

Well, unless you had certain contacts, of course. Helpful contacts that were willing to assist Hago in his plans. Plans that involved returning to the world of living, and exacting his ultimate revenge. A plan that could not fail. A plan that would result in deaths – including the death of his greatest enemy of all: Simba.

Oh, he had caused far too much trouble when Hago was still alive. Far too much. Every single one of his plans had been foiled – all because of that one insolent, irritating, arrogant little cub.

All he wanted was the Pride Lands. For a very special reason. The kingdom was rightfully his. That had been decided a very long time ago, thanks to a certain friend of his from years before. He deserved this kingdom, and all of its inhabitants. They should have started worshipping him ages ago.

But of course not. Every time Hago had tried to take over the Pride Lands, his plans had completely gone up in smoke.

Quite literally, in the case of his death. He had burnt. Burnt in hot, searing fire. There was no trace of him left. Not even his staff – the source of his magical powers.

Unlike the rest of his family, Hago was never born with magical powers, and had been disowned by his parents because of this. So, with the help of his brother, Bora, he was given a staff, which was filled with all different kinds of powers and abilities.

And he used these powers to exact revenge. He murdered his family in cold blood, and made sure that it hurt. They deserved to die, and now they would suffer in darkness for all of eternity. The thought of that always brought a smile to his face. It gave him a sense of… accomplishment. At least his life wasn't worthless…

But now he could finish what he started. He had a lot of things to do, and he was going to make sure that everything went right this time. While alone in the darkness, he had been plotting and scheming, waiting for the day when he would finally be resurrected.

He always knew he would come back to life, thanks to a reliable source from his past… A reliable source who had… been very generous in giving Hago this opportunity. This person was a big fan of pain and suffering, so he and Hago had something in common…

Taking another deep breath of the fresh Pride Lands air, Hago looked left and right, gripping the staff that contained all of his magical powers. Needless to say, his staff was still a necessity. Thanks to a back injury, he was forced to carry it if he wanted to be able to walk.

"Hago?"

Hago turned around, and found his brother, Bora, staring back at him. "Bora?" A smile spread across Hago's face. "How pleasant to see you. How did you find me?"

"I could smell you," Bora replied. "The smell of magic never goes unnoticed. Especially in this case." He looked Hago up and down. "So you really are still alive, then?"

Hago nodded, his smile widening. "That I am, Bora. Very much so." He inhaled deeply. "Back into the wonders of life."

"But how?" Bora asked, taking a step towards his younger brother. "You were dead. You b urnt. I saw it. You shouldn't be here."

"Actually, I should be here," Hago retorted. "I have a very good friend in the darkness. He… assisted me. Brought me back. I have a very important job to do, and he wanted to make sure that I did it."

"Who is it?" Bora demanded, staring into Hago's eyes. "Who resurrected you?"

"Ah." Hago grinned. "That would be telling, now, wouldn't it? You think I'm really going to tell you – especially after you betrayed me?"

"You're horrible, Hago," Bora told him. "The most horrible person I've ever known. You've hurt people. You've killed them. You don't deserve to live."

"I could say the same of you," replied Hago, glancing left and right. "As I'm sure you know, I don't take very kindly to those who betray my trust. In my opinion, you are the one who deserves to die."

Bora scoffed. "Not only are you evil, but you're an idiot, too. You're all wrong, Hago. You're a psychopath."

"How very rude," Hago remarked, brushing his comment off as if it were some dirt on his chest. "But your insults mean nothing to me right now. There is so much that has to be done. And so little time to do it all in." He sighed, looking around the field, and then at his brother. "But, Bora, before I go, I have one more thing to say to you."

Bora raised an eyebrow at him. "And what might that be?" he asked.

He leant in close, whispering in Bora's ear. "Kufa… inawadia…"

With that, he sliced Bora's throat with the sharp end of his staff, and grinned maniacally as he watched the crimson blood spill from his brother's neck. He collapsed to the ground, gagging and twitching.

Hago chuckled, looking down at his brother's corpse. "There's one problem taken care of," he said, before walking away from Bora's body. "Now I have to find a little friend of mine. Well, enemy…"

Hago headed towards Pride Rock, knowing that he would find the one cub necessary for completion of this plan – which he had taken so very long to prepare – there.

Nala.