## Chapter 4: The Lonely Lord's To-Do List
Leo woke up. Again. Not in his old bed, but on the cold, hard seat of the giant obsidian throne. The throne room was huge, dark, and completely silent. Dust floated in the few beams of light coming from high windows. The only sound was the deep groan of the ancient stones settling. It was incredibly empty.
He stretched. The movement was easy, but he could feel the enormous power sleeping inside him, like a coiled dragon. He remembered now why the fortress was deserted: the *old* Demon Lord Azrael had been the weakest of the nine demon lords. Every time heroes attacked, his demon soldiers died protecting him. Over time, everyone fled or was killed. By the time Leo arrived, only the empty fortress was left.
"Okay," Leo said to himself, his voice echoing slightly in the vast space. He slid off the throne. "Got the creepy castle. Got the insane power. Got the feeling this place needs a serious clean. Now what?"
He paced a little on the grimy floor. The idea of magically popping into some king's palace to demand servants seemed stupid now. He'd just told everyone to leave him alone – showing up demanding maids would send the wrong message. Besides, the quiet, while lonely, was peaceful for the moment.
He sat back down on the throne, not as a ruler, but just to think. He didn't need to worry about getting stronger – his power was already maxed out beyond belief. His problems were different:
1. **The Kingdom Problem:** He was one of nine demon lords. The others had huge lands, armies, and followers. He just had one dusty, empty fortress sitting in the middle of nowhere. If he wanted people (and maybe even the other demon lords) to stop thinking of him as the easy target, the "weak" ninth lord, he needed to build something real. Territory. Maybe even people living there. The thought of managing land and people made him groan. "Ugh. Paperwork? Really? But... better than being attacked all the time, I guess."
2. **The Help Problem:** He couldn't run a kingdom alone, even a small one. He needed people. Not mindless minions – that felt wrong. But smart, capable people. People strong enough to handle small problems without bothering him, loyal enough not to betray him (or try to, since they'd fail anyway), and sensible enough not to start wars. Finding them wouldn't be easy. "Need followers. Good ones. Who don't cause drama."
3. **The Boredom Problem:** This one hit him hardest. The throne room was huge, silent, and incredibly boring. Back on Earth, he always had video games to play – tournaments, quests, exploring new worlds. Here? Nothing. No computer, no console, no phone. Just dust and silence. He had all the power in the world, but nothing fun to do with it. "This is the worst!" he complained out loud. "What's the point of being unstoppable if you're bored out of your skull?" The solution was clear, and kind of crazy: he needed to *make* games. For himself. Using his magic. The idea was ridiculous, but it made him smile. *That* sounded like a challenge he could get excited about.
He slumped back against the cold throne. Building a kingdom sounded like hard work. Finding trustworthy followers sounded tricky. But inventing a magical video game? That sounded awesome. That was something he actually *wanted* to do.
A grin spread across Leo's face. Forget invading kingdoms or hiring servants right now. First things first: he needed to figure out how to turn magic into a game controller. How hard could it be?
He rubbed his hands together, not with evil intent, but with the excitement of a gamer about to start a new project. "Alright," he said to the empty room, his eyes sparkling. "Let's make a game." The deep silence of the Obsidian Reach was broken by the sounds of pure, magical fun.