The battle had become a scene of chaos, rage, and fear

　　with dawn came understanding that the end was nowhere near

　　the empire`s army hadn`t seen an enemy so strong

　　even their great hero`s duel had gone on far too long

　　In the sea of swords and spells the hero struggled still

　　the demon lord was far to skilled a foe to quickly kill

　　their battle opened up the rough terrain and shook the ground

　　every strike would deafen thousands with its awesome sound

　　The demon lord`s impressive power came as no surprise

　　but there was something curious about his blood red eyes

　　the more the hero saw of them the more he felt them strange

　　the feeling bothered him throughout the violent exchange

　　He couldn`t read the demon`s face no matter how he tried

　　it might have been a look of pity, or a look of pride

　　but when the mighty demon noticed how the hero stared

　　he closed in on the hero and he quietly declared

　　"The souls of all who see that deathly shadow have these eyes

　　you have seen it too, although you may not realize

　　the enemy you seek is that which death itself rejects

　　the shadow lord who makes a slave of all that it infects"

　　The hero`s mind went blank as he recalled the shadow`s smile

　　he swung his sword in fury hearing laughter all the while

　　the frantic hero couldn`t break the demon`s magic shield

　　even though his every blow could shake the battlefield

　　In anger he put all his strength into one great attack

　　and finally the demon lord`s great shield began to crack

　　he wondered if his knights witnessed this monumental deed

　　but when he glanced behind him he was cured of all his greed

　　While he had been busy fighting with the demon`s king

　　the humans had been pushed to the brink of surrendering

　　thousands of the empire`s finest soldiers fought with pride

　　but every time a demon fell, a dozen humans died

　　The hero almost panicked at the state of his empire

　　but then within the hero`s eyes appeared a raging fireIf you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

　　he looked back at the wounded king and couldn`t hide his grin

　　now he`d have to do whatever it would take to win

　　The human army seemed as though it didn`t have a chance

　　pushed against the forest by the demon`s quick advance

　　but then the prince declared so all surviving knights could hear

　　"look, before our hero their own king retreats in fear"

　　The battle lulled as all around looked on in disbelief

　　the demons looked in horror and the humans in relief

　　the hero`s will and perseverance overwhelmed his foe

　　but time to save whatever knights were left was running low

　　Fire and ice erupted in a nightmarish display

　　countless lives were lost as they were caught up in the fray

　　the hero`s power surged until the wounded demon fell

　　but on the demon`s face was not a fear of death or hell

　　The hero stood with pride above the dying demon lord

　　but celebrations weren`t a luxury he could afford

　　the thought that such an epic fight was over made him sigh

　　as he walked away he thought he heard the demon cry

　　"Hero, there are evils in this world you do not know

　　I bear no grudge and hope that when you face them down below

　　you do not fail as I have to protect the ones you love

　　now you must bear the weight of something you know nothing of"

　　The hero didn`t care to hear a demon`s last request

　　he`d already found his last and most important quest

　　although at last he`d slain the demon lord and saved the day

　　the endless demon army was already on its way

　　The hero could defeat the demons one by one with ease

　　but thousands of them had already run into the trees

　　frantically he hunted them but they were moving fast

　　however many he could stop, so many more had passed

　　It didn`t take him long to see what all the demons planned

　　why they`d slipped through his army`s defense like dust and sand

　　now they headed south to take revenge against mankind

　　the hero had no choice and left the battlefield behind

　　The prince`s faction struggled to survive the demon wave

　　him and many others had retreated to a cave

　　he told the hero he would have to carry home the news

　　and in the moment he could find no reason to refuse

　　He ran as fast as possible to beat the demons there

　　to warn the empire of the war while they could still prepare

　　though he couldn`t stop the hoard of demons on his way

　　he was still much faster and was home in just a day

　　The story that he told brought many nobles to their feet

　　with promise of new land to claim, they didn`t fear defeat

　　all the nobles celebrated, ready for a fight

　　racing to the northern hills with all the empire`s might

　　The empire made an army of whoever it could find

　　so many soldiers marching north to leave their homes behind

　　glad to hear the news that there was land for them to claim

　　all they had to do was take it in the empire`s name

　　The demon lord had already been taken from the fight

　　the emperor and all the nobles knew the time was right

　　but now there was a single man whose fear had settled in

　　the hero wondered if it was a battle they could win

　　The hero wouldn`t lose to any demon that he met

　　but he was just a single soldier, that was his regret

　　he didn`t have the power to defend each knight that fought

　　he didn`t dwell on how this was a battle he had sought

　　Either way his duty still was to the war at hand

　　and victory was still assured as fate had surely planned

　　the hero led another army to the northern war

　　content that he would soon achieve what he was fighting for

　　No matter how much longer it would take for them to win

　　he`d be ready any time a battle should begin

　　although the sacrifice of many lives would give him pause

　　he smiled when he recalled the hero`s just and noble cause

　　~