Darin had many, many problems.

His main problem, at the moment, was that he was legally obligated to duel Duke Varian—a trained noble warrior who had spent months hunting him down.

But the most pressing problem?

He was exhausted.

Utterly, bone-deep exhausted.

Which was why, after an evening spent avoiding military strategists, dodging more ridiculous rumors, and forcibly stopping the royal tailors from making him a ceremonial battle robe, Darin finally collapsed into his bed and muttered:

"Screw it. I'll think about the duel tomorrow."

Then he promptly passed out.

*****

Darin opened his eyes.

And immediately regretted everything.

Because instead of waking up in his very expensive, very unwanted palace bed—he was floating in the void again.

A deep, endless blackness stretched in every direction, swirling with shadows. No ground. No sky. No sense of up or down.

Just an infinite abyss.

Darin groaned.

"Not this again."

A deep, echoing voice rumbled from the darkness.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're back. I was starting to get bored."

Darin froze.

Then he turned—

And right there, standing smugly in the void, was a tall, dark-robed figure with glowing red eyes.

Darin stared.

The Overlord stared back.

A long silence stretched between them.

Then—

Darin flung his arms out.

"WHY THE F*CK ARE YOU HERE?!"

The Overlord grinned. "Nice to see you too."

Darin pointed violently. "NO. NO, NO, NO. THIS IS MY DREAM."

The Overlord folded his arms. "And now, I am in it. Isn't that fascinating?"

Darin clenched his fists. "NO, IT IS NOT FASCINATING. GET OUT."

The Overlord smirked. "Oh, but you see, I finally have enough strength to appear."

Darin's eye twitched. "I do not like what that implies."

The Overlord chuckled. "It means I'm settling in quite nicely, thanks for asking."

Darin screamed into his hands.

"This is a nightmare. This is the actual worst thing that could have happened!"

The Overlord tilted his head. "Oh? And here I thought you'd enjoy a little conversation."

Darin dragged his hands down his face. "I don't want conversation. I want sleep!"

The Overlord smirked. "Well, tough luck. Because from now on—" he gestured grandly, "you and I are sharing this space."

Darin stared in horror.

"NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I REFUSE."

The Overlord tapped his chin. "Hmmm. You could refuse… but unfortunately, I live in your head now."

Darin felt his soul leave his body.

"You. What."

The Overlord grinned. "Oh, did you really think your magic was just wildly out of control for no reason?"

Darin paled. "…What."

The Overlord laughed. "Why do you think you've had so much trouble with magic? Why do you think it only works when you're not trying? When you're panicked? When it's hilariously inconvenient?"

Darin took a step back. "No. No, no, no. No way."

The Overlord spread his arms. "Surprise, idiot. It's been me this whole time."

Silence.

A long, horrible, soul-crushing silence.

Then—

Darin let out a strangled noise.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"

The Overlord grinned. "Nope."

"YOU'RE TELLING ME—" Darin's voice cracked. "THIS WHOLE TIME—" He flailed his arms wildly. "EVERY ACCIDENT—EVERY 'PROPHECY-FULFILLING EVENT'—THAT WAS YOU?!"

The Overlord chuckled. "Well, not every prophecy. Just the really funny ones."

Darin screamed into his hands.

The Overlord snickered. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. You never questioned why you could only use magic when it was perfectly timed for maximum misunderstanding?"

"I thought I was cursed!"

The Overlord smirked. "Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it." This content is presented by M4VLEMPYR.

Darin took a slow, controlled breath. "I am going to kill you."

The Overlord gestured at their surroundings. "You already did, remember?"

Darin screamed internally.

"WHY," Darin growled, "WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

The Overlord smirked. "Well, first of all, it was hilarious."

"Second," the Overlord continued, "I was trying to see if you'd finally start using magic on purpose."

Darin blinked. "Wait. What?"

The Overlord sighed. "You've had latent magical ability this whole time, you idiot. But you're so incredibly bad at using it that I got bored waiting for you to figure it out."

Darin stared at him.

The Overlord smirked. "So I helped a little."

"A LITTLE?!" Darin shrieked.

The Overlord laughed. "You're welcome."

Darin grabbed his own face. "Oh gods. This is worse than I thought. This is so much worse."

The Overlord tilted his head. "Oh, don't worry. It'll get worse."

"WHAT?!"

And then—

The void shattered.

Darin woke up with a gasp, bolting upright in bed, sweating and horrified.

And in the back of his mind, the Overlord's voice echoed smugly.

"Good morning, Darin. Miss me?"

Darin groaned into his pillow. "Oh gods. You're still here."

"So. Since we're going to be roommates, I feel like we should get to know each other better."

Darin grabbed his pillow and screamed into it.

"Go away."

The Overlord chuckled. "Oh, but Darin, we have so much catching up to do. I've been stuck in your subconscious, unable to talk, and let me tell you, watching you fumble your way through politics and battle has been excruciating."

Darin mumbled into the pillow. "Glad you suffered."

"Oh, please. The only thing that's truly made me suffer is your complete inability to appreciate power."

Darin ignored him.

The Overlord sighed dramatically. "You know, back when I was alive, I wouldn't have wasted time sulking in bed. I would have been out there, claiming what's rightfully mine."

Darin exhaled sharply. "Let me guess, conquering kingdoms? Enslaving people? Terrorizing nations?"

The Overlord chuckled. "Oh, Darin. You say that like it's a bad thing."

Darin rolled onto his side. "It is a bad thing, you sociopathic ghost."

"A matter of perspective."

Darin groaned. "You know what? I don't care. I am not going to engage in this conversation. I am going to sleep."

The Overlord ignored him. "You know what I miss most about being alive? Women."

Darin bolted upright. "Excuse me?!"

The Overlord sighed wistfully. "Ah, women. Soft skin, sharp tongues, absolute menaces. Conquering kingdoms was thrilling, but seducing their queens? That was the real sport."

Darin choked. "OH GODS, NO. NOPE. I AM NOT LISTENING TO THIS."

The Overlord continued as if Darin hadn't spoken. "You know, I once had an entire royal harem dedicated to me."

Darin slapped his hands over his ears. "STOP TALKING."

"And one of them tried to assassinate me," the Overlord mused. "I respected her for that. Almost kept her as my favorite. Until I threw her off a tower, of course."

Darin wanted to throw himself off a tower.

"Oh, and there was this one empress… gods, she had the most exquisite—"

Darin shoved both hands into his ears. "LALALALA, NOT LISTENING!"

"—and the way she used a dagger? Beautiful. I almost let her keep her kingdom just for that."

Darin groaned loudly. "Why. Are. You. Like. This?!"

The Overlord chuckled. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you've never been tempted to take what you want? Never considered ruling instead of running? Never looked at a woman and thought—"

"STOP TALKING!"

The Overlord sighed. "You are so boring, Darin. No ambition. No desire. I almost feel bad for you."

Darin exhaled slowly.

"If I ignore him long enough," he muttered to himself, "maybe he'll go away."

The Overlord snorted.

"Oh, Darin. You keep pretending, but we both know you don't have the mental fortitude for that."

Darin clenched his jaw. "Shut. Up."

The Overlord chuckled. "I think not."

Darin shoved a pillow over his face. "I am going to kill myself. That's it. That's the only way out of this."

The Overlord hummed thoughtfully. "I mean, sure, you could try. But considering our souls are tangled together, you'd just drag me along with you."

Darin froze.

Slowly, he pulled the pillow off his face. "You mean to tell me… that even if I die, you're coming with me?"

The Overlord grinned. "Exactly."

Darin screamed into his pillow.

After several minutes of internal screaming, Darin finally started to drift off into a blissful, problem-free sleep.

Until—

The Overlord sighed dramatically. "I must ask, Darin…"

Darin groaned. "Oh gods, what now?"

"Where is the knight that was my rival?"

Darin's eyelid twitched. "…What?"

The Overlord continued, voice almost nostalgic. "You used to be so much more… entertaining. So furious. So determined."

Darin exhaled. "That was my past life. I'm not a knight anymore."

"That much is obvious." The Overlord scoffed. "Now you're just running around like a lost puppy, dodging responsibility, pretending to be some kind of normal fool."

Darin gritted his teeth. "Because I am a normal fool."

The Overlord laughed. "Oh, don't make me laugh. You are many things, Darin. But normal? Not a chance."

Darin rolled onto his side, facing the wall. "Whatever. I don't care what you think."

The Overlord hummed. "And what of your little sorceress?"

Darin froze.

A slow, smug smirk curled in the Overlord's voice. "Ah. There it is."

Darin shut his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come now." The Overlord chuckled. "You and that little sorceress were inseparable in your past life. Always chasing after me, always working together."

Darin clenched his fists.

The Overlord continued, clearly enjoying himself. "Tell me, why are you so… normal around her now? Where is that fire? Where is that desperation? Where is that love?"

Darin sat up so fast he nearly fell out of bed.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

The Overlord cackled. "Oh, you heard me."

Darin's face burned. "I—We—I never—"

"Oh, please." The Overlord snorted. "You think I didn't notice? You used to look at her like she was the last bit of sunlight before an endless winter. It was pathetic. And now? Now you act like she's just some random woman."

Darin scowled. "Because she is just some random woman!"

The Overlord laughed harder. "Oh, Darin. Lying to me is pointless. I live in your head now. I know every thought, every flicker of hesitation. And I must say…"

He leaned in, voice a dark whisper in Darin's mind.

"You're a coward."

Darin's jaw locked.

The Overlord grinned. "The old you, the knight, he was foolish, reckless, and blinded by righteousness. But he was never a coward."

Darin's fingers dug into the sheets.

"And yet, here you are. Afraid. Avoiding. Running." The Overlord sighed, almost disappointed. "I expected more from my greatest rival."

Darin flopped back onto his pillow, glaring at the ceiling.

"I hate you."

The Overlord chuckled. "And yet, here we are."

Darin clenched his teeth. "For the last time, there is nothing between me and the sorceress. That was another life. Another person."

The Overlord hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe. But tell me, Darin. When she looks at you… why do you think she always hesitates?"

Darin froze.

His breath caught, but just for a moment.

The Overlord grinned. "See? That hesitation… that's not just your past."

Darin turned on his side, forcefully ignoring him.

"I'm going to sleep."

The Overlord snickered. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Darin squeezed his eyes shut.

Silence stretched between them.

Just as Darin was about to finally drift into sleep—

The Overlord snickered.

"You know, if you don't want her, I'll take her."

Darin's entire soul ignited in rage.

"GO TO HELL."

The Overlord burst into laughter.