Chapter 5: The Choice of the Heavens

KARMA: Kill Me or Love Me

Chapter 5: The Choice of the Heavens

Beneath the brooding shade of the forest, where the twin suns of Lunira cast fleeting rays through the thick canopy, I remained bound by the dark, magical chains of Tiera Urahica Freya, the Demon Lord of the Tower of Doom. Her presence was a tempest, poised to engulf everything in its path, and her spoiled, imperious demeanor only tightened the knot of dread in my chest. Standing before me, she offloaded her burdens as if I were obligated to fix her fate. I could only grimace, especially as she flaunted her bratty attitude, acting like a child expecting her every whim to be fulfilled.

“It’s not my problem how you’ll pull it off,” she said, hands on hips, a confident smirk playing on her lips. “Just find a way. Do what I command.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head inwardly. Did it not occur to her that if I were some mighty being, I’d have snapped these infuriating chains long ago and fled? Her sealing spell drained my physical strength and magic, leaving me powerless. Even my abilities, granted by Lunaria’s blessing, seemed to dissolve in the face of her shadowy aura. What did she expect from a dwarf like me, more accustomed to munching fruit than battling monsters?

As Tiera explained, she touched on the fate decreed by the goddess. According to her, she had to complete her mission to break free from the destiny imposed upon her—a destiny that, like mine, was spun from the goddess’s capricious roulette. In a way, we were both victims of Lunaria’s bizarre game, but let’s be honest: she was ten times luckier than me. She was the Demon Lord, reigning atop the Tower of Doom, while I was a lone dwarf hiding in a forest corner, hunted by adventurers eager to turn me into a crystal.

Moments later, she threw a tantrum, venting about her five years in this world. “I’ve been waiting almost five years to finish this mission!” she shouted, her voice thick with frustration. “Since I got stuck here, the hero chosen by the goddess hasn’t even reached my tower. I’m sick of being alone at the top, and I’m desperate to leave this world!” She paused, glaring at me, her eyes daring me to argue, but they also betrayed her refusal to hear any excuses.

I understood her loneliness. Who wouldn’t grow weary of isolation, especially when forced to fulfill a mission you never asked for? But I couldn’t hold back my complaints. “I get your problem, and I sympathize with your years of solitude,” I said, striving to stay calm despite my bonds. “I’m from Earth too, so I know how much you miss a normal life. But come on, don’t be so unfair! Why me?”

Her bratty streak flared. “You’re so dramatic!” she snapped, pointing her staff at me. “Just moments ago, you said you’d do whatever I ordered. Now, before you’ve even started, you’re already backing out?”

“Yeah, I said that, obviously, to stay alive!” I shot back, my irritation breaking through. “But who’d expect you to order me to march into the Tower of Doom and get myself killed? If that’s what you want, why not just tell me to jump off a cliff? It’d be quicker than stealing the Divine Sword from the hero and exhausting myself in your tower, since death’s the only thing waiting for me if I agree to your demands!”

She didn’t back down. In a flash, she grabbed the collar of my tunic and pulled me close, her eyes blazing. “You won’t need to jump off a cliff,” she growled, her voice laced with menace. “If you refuse, I’ll kill you right here, right now, where you stand.”

Imagine that—she was threatening me even though she was the one asking for help! But when I thought about it, the outcome was the same: death. My luck was rotten because I was a monster in this world. Even as one of the goddess’s chosen, if I died, my soul would be trapped in a crystal, a fate far worse than the adventurers’ revival. And another thing: I couldn’t fathom why she was so insistent that I fight and kill her. Who in their right mind would order someone to take their life?

“My mind’s made up,” she declared, her tone resolute. “You’re coming with me, and you’ll help me, whether you like it or not.”

“Can you please rethink what you want out of life?” I retorted, sarcasm dripping from my words. “You’re too quick to decide for others, dragging in whoever you meet as if your problems are my responsibility. I’ve got my own issues, you know! I’ve been moldering alone in this forest for five years, lonely and frustrated, but I don’t go roping others into my mess!”

She shoved me back, and the chains tightened, a stark reminder of her control. Standing tall, she sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. “My generals are strong,” she admitted, “but they can be defeated, so I think you could manage it too.” But I immediately realized she was judging based on her own power—she, the Demon Lord, stronger than her generals. To a dwarf like me, those generals were insurmountable mountains.

Before I could protest further, she dangled a reward. “If you do what I ask, I’ll give you the entire wealth of the Tower of Doom,” she said, her voice brimming with confidence. “The tower is filled with fertile lands, millions in gold, and diamonds on every floor. Imagine the riches you’d gain!”

The reward wasn’t my issue. The real problem was how I’d accomplish her impossible tasks. How could I steal the Divine Sword from a hero revered by millions? How could I defeat generals no adventurer had ever overcome? And how could I kill her, the Demon Lord? These questions loomed like shadows over my mind, each answer dimming my hope.

“Sigh You’re so spineless,” she taunted. “You should be excited! This will make your life far more vibrant than rotting in your hideout. Think of it as for your future. Don’t you want your second chance at life in this world to mean something?”

Now she was preaching, but the irony was, she couldn’t even take her own advice. How could she claim this would secure my future when her plan began with stealing a sacred weapon? Greatness is different from madness, and her scheme was clearly the latter, something even a child could dream up.

Before I could retort, she turned away and sighed again. “Fine, if you hate my plan, there’s another way you can help me,” she said, her voice suddenly calmer.

“Anything, as long as it’s not a death sentence!” I replied, my heart swelling with hope. If there was an alternative that wouldn’t lead to certain doom, I was all ears.

She smiled, a confident grin, and boasted that the new plan was simpler. “No more stealing or fighting,” she said. “This is easier, like a gift from the heavens if you accept.”

I was thrilled. It felt like a thorn had been pulled from my chest. If there was a way less perilous than her initial insanity, I was ready to agree. “Come on, spit it out!” I urged, barely containing my eagerness.

But her expression shifted. She clasped her hands, her eyes darting nervously, as if hesitant to speak. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn’t meet my gaze. “Tell me already,” I pressed, puzzled by her sudden shyness. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have a choice but to follow your orders, right?”

She sighed deeply and faced me, her imperious air still present but softened by a strange vulnerability in her eyes. “Alright, listen,” she began, her voice trembling slightly. “I want you to come with me back to the Tower of Doom. Then, stay there and… let’s build a happy family together.”

My brain stalled, unable to process her words. “Huh?” I whispered, bewildered. Before I could respond, she added, “If you really don’t want my first plan, then I want you to dedicate your life to me as… my partner, and join me in my kingdom atop the tower.”

“Huh?!” I repeated, my voice rising in shock. At that moment, I was at a loss for words. Was this a joke, or was she serious? A Demon Lord, mighty and feared by all, wanted me as her husband? Me, a small, dark, and—let’s be honest—rather frightening-looking dwarf? What was going on?

In my shock, I asked her to repeat herself. “Say that again,” I said, thinking I must have misheard.

“I’m not repeating it!” she shouted, her cheeks now blazing red. “You heard me perfectly well!”

“Now, choose,” she continued, pointing at me with a scowl. “Either you kill me, or you love me completely.”

Silence enveloped the forest, and the chains around me felt heavier than ever. Caught between two choices—death or a life I never imagined—I didn’t know which was more terrifying. The only thing I was certain of was that my quiet life in the forest would never be the same.