It’s all gone. They’re all dead.

  The white-clad figure walked across the surface of the moon in slow, measured steps. There was no atmosphere, yet he needed no protective gear. He was beyond such petty concerns now. His steps made no sound.

  He stopped, then hunkered down. A single white glove sifted through the dirt, as if he hoped to find a sign of life hidden there. Nothing, of course. Nothing would ever grow here again.

  He closed his eyes and conjured up memories from long ago. The palace, resplendent in its glory, and the sweet scent of moon lilies in spring. The princess, a vision of beauty.

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  He sighed. His revenge was nearly at hand. Only one task remained. He brushed a strand of white hair from his brow and stood to face his destination.

  The planet earth rose across the moon’s horizon. He gazed at it with hatred in his heart.

  “Come.”

  A dark silhouette, not a man but a thing, appeared behind him.

  “You know what to do?”

  The creature screeched. It was an inhuman sound. In another life, he thought, that sound would have made his blood run cold.

  “Then go.”

  The creature bowed, then disappeared.

  Soon, earth will be mine, and its people will die screaming.

  For the first time in millennia, the white-clad figure allowed a smile to dance across his lips…