Evil Incarnate

Xander surveyed his wonderful dominion, his playground, as he called it. Everything he had worked so hard to build, his empire, was in front of him, this wonderful, perfect paradise that he had created. Nothing could be better!

A proud and rather egotistical man, all Xander wanted in life was to be successful and powerful. He saw power as a goal, something for which to strive and work hard. Oh yes, he deemed himself to be a success already, but it was an absolute power that he really craved, and nothing would stop him achieve it.

He had a commanding build; 6ft tall with long billowing dark hair and considered himself to be quite handsome, with piercing blue eyes, an icy stare which could be quite scary, broad shoulders, and a lovely smile, when he smiled which these days wasn’t very often! His chin was chiselled, and he had a ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ aura about him; a man that was so charming that many women found him extremely attractive.

Despite all of his charms and other women being captivated by his alluring qualities, there was only one girl for him, his soulmate Elodie. They had been married for quite a while now. She was beguiling and enchanting. Beauty radiated from her; she had long, gleaming red hair which came down to her shoulders, stunning green eyes, the kind in which you could get lost. Her skin was a golden colour, flawless, of utter perfection. If the gods are real, Xander told himself, then Elodie is their masterpiece. He adored her and cherished every moment they were together. She was the opposite of Xander, loving, gentle and caring; she didn’t have an evil streak like he did.

In the early days of their marriage, it was all sweetness and light. Now, if only his feelings were reciprocated: what attracted her to him was slowly fading away…

Obsidian was once a thriving community. It was a wonderful paradise in which to grow up, very welcoming with lots of colourful plants, glorious secret places to explore, hidden underground chambers that the inhabitants used to enjoy finding out more about. It was a haven for people to come and play in the many playgrounds, far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  

Because Xander ruled Obsidian, he decided to dictate his power. The word democracy wasn’t in his vocabulary, and whatever he said was the only thing that mattered. Everything was focused on what he wanted and how he wanted it and to hell with everybody else. He did whatever he pleased and only a fool challenged his tyrannical ways. He felt invincible, and he liked the feeling.

He ruled over the city with absolute authority. There was no one to answer to and Xander could rule freely without restriction. Obsidian was all his: the opportunities were endless, redevelopment: a one man riot nay arson. Sly cunning had planned it all. He’d let the city waste away into ruins so much it wasn’t recognisable anymore. Could he take his evil plan one step further? A delicious thought…

But authority and power come at a price and would he want to pay it?

These days, Obsidian was a shadow of its former self. The houses had been bulldozed. A few remained, but the windows were shattered. It resembled a ghost town. One would never have thought that this was a prosperous neighbourhood. At night, the moonlight made it take on a rather haunting feeling as if it became a living place full of ghastly beings and ghosts roaming the deserted pathways. A blanket of silence had overcome this desolate, now abandoned, city.

It was also devoid of people. Those that lived here had moved away as they didn’t like what Xander had done to this once beautiful and majestic city. He had alienated the entire population: it was no longer the magical place it used to be. But what hurt him the most was that he no longer had the support of Elodie, the one person in his life that meant so much to him.

——–

What had he done? Even his own flesh and blood had turned against him. Thinking back to happier times, a solitary tear fell from his eye. This was the last thing he wanted. Maybe he finally realised that he had put his own selfish desires before that of his family.

Unusually, he was very reflective. He had lost his daughter, but he didn’t want to lose his wife in the same way. In a ponderous mood, he thought back to the time before he became the evil genius that he was now. Except was he an evil genius or was it simply self delusion?

Would Elodie ever forgive him?

——-