Elf Haden had never thought about getting high positions in his entire life of 1700 years, and it was enough for him to live a quiet life in a corner.
But all this changed in a cool autumn evening. At that moment, Haden was walking in the park and enjoying the rustle of yellow leaves under his feet, when suddenly he saw a blue duck on the surface of the lake.
"Gods! It's a sign, isn't it?"
A huge transformation took place inside Haden and he realized that there was a reason for his creation and that he should do something influential in this world.
This is how he got into politics and because of his charismatic personality, he went through the steps of promotion one after another and became an important member of the Council of Elves.
One day, when he was in his office, a young elf named Lathum came to visit him and with admiration in his eyes, he looked at him and said:
"I am a fan of yours. Your speeches are truly amazing and have brought a light of hope to my life. I am sure that with your help the elven society will improve and finally our dreams will come true."
Haden smiled.
"I'm glad a young and eager elf like you believes in change."
"Mr. Haden, I've created a fan club for you. Can I ask you to come to our meeting place sometime and give us a speech?"
"of course, gladly."
Haden saw this as an opportunity to attract young people, and moreover he enjoyed socializing with young people and being in their company filled him with energy.
But when he attended one of the club meetings for the first time, he noticed unusual things in the atmosphere of the hall as well as among the members. Signs that were reminiscent of the Dark King, the one who had fallen centuries ago.
At first he lost color and his heart beat fast, but then he said to himself that these young elves don't know much about the Dark King and are probably only attracted by the appearance of those signs.
He decided to ask Lathum about this issue and the answer he heard shocked him.
"Mr. Haden, we believe that the things written in the history books about the Dark King are lies. He only intended to introduce a different lifestyle, but people held their traditions sacred and hence they labeled him as evil."
Haden put his hand on his shoulder and looked seriously into his eyes.
"Your words are true to a certain extent, but the contents of historical books are also true to a certain extent. The Dark King had interesting ideas, but he intended to impose them on the society by force, torture and murder."
"He was like a parent who wanted to set his children on the right path with physical punishment."
"Physical punishment is always wrong, my dear Lathum. Whether it comes from a parent or a king."
Lathum stared at him with a meaningful expression.
"I didn't expect to hear these words from you."
"Why? Do you think I'm an elf who might be violent?"
"I have to say, the first time I saw you in a formal speech, I was reminded of the Dark King. The depth of your gaze, your body movements, and the words you spoke all reminded me of him."
Haden gave him a kind smile.
"You must have misunderstood my character and my words."
Lathum shook his head as a sign of negation.
"No, Mr. Haden, I think it's you who doesn't want to accept who you really are. But you don't have to worry about anything. There are a lot of people who support you and will vote for you in the imperial election.
Please show the dark side of your existence more and don't think that your opponents can force you to step down."
Haden spent the rest of the meeting arguing with Lathum, trying to convince him that he was wrong about him, but to no avail.
At night, he saw in his dreams that he was wearing a crown and was beating the whip in his hand on Lathum's naked body with all his strength, and Lathum was thanking him while blood was flowing from his wounds.
