The Great White Lion and the Great Drunk Golden Monkey

Rose was thinking about the proposed alliance with the dark forces.
She felt like she didn’t really have a choice. She knew that if she rejected it, the consequences might be deadly. If she refused, the war could escalate toward her new safe haven.

Diana sat on her Throne of Light, a halo glowing brightly around her head. She had decided to summon the Heroes of the Light  ten warriors who, in the past, had made great sacrifices and brought light to a world once consumed by darkness.

These ten heroes were not exactly thrilled to be summoned again.

The eldest among them, Alexander, stepped forward and spoke:

“Hail to you and the Light Fish Kingdom. If I may ask, Your Majesty, what is the reason for summoning us all here?”

Diana rose from the throne, standing tall and composed.
“I have summoned you, great heroes, because darkness is spreading once again like a plague. Our kingdom needs your aid.”

Another hero spoke  one clad in gleaming armor with the head of a golden fish:
“Lady Diana, my informants tell me that the war is not going well. Why call us only now?”

“The battle has been hard-fought,” Diana replied.
“I didn’t want to disturb your peace. But now, with the new Dark Fish King on the throne, the dark forces are stronger than ever.”

A woman with hair of living snakes,  like Medusa,  known as Dusa, waited to speak and show her support.
But before she could, a skilled archer with fin-like wings stepped forward.

“Diana, I am at your service. I will do whatever it takes to defeat the dark. Let’s stop asking questions and act.”

Diana stepped closer and gently placed her hand on Alexander’s shoulder.
“Please, Alexander. Lead these heroes and destroy the darkness once and for all.”

Alexander nodded. He donned his Helmet of Light, raised his mighty axe, and shouted:
“Hail Light Fish!”

The others lifted their weapons, chanting in unison.

Meanwhile, far in the West, far from any kingdom, a great monster stirred.
In the frozen desert, the Great White Lion awoke from a long slumber.
This part of the world was uninhabitable for most beings; only creatures that could survive extreme cold thrived here.

Sensing the bloodshed in the air, the lion roared with power. Frozen beasts from across the land gathered before him.
He signaled them to follow, he was joining the war.

Rose felt like a flower blooming again after a long winter. A message from the Dark Kingdom had arrived, proposing an alliance.
She was ecstatic, already imagining the possibilities.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind, could this be a trap?
She decided to take the risk for the sake of her kingdom.
She would go to the Dark Castle but would not reveal any secrets, no matter what.

She traveled with her royal servant, a griffin-like creature named Raj.
Upon arriving at the castle, she found Ash waiting alone.

“Welcome, great ruler from the East,” Ash said, conjuring a black throne.
“Please, sit.”

“Thank you. I’d rather stand.”

“This will take a while. I recommend sitting,” Ash replied, his piercing gaze steady.

“If you insist,” Rose said, finally sitting down and crossing her legs to appear unshaken.

“I sent this alliance request to defeat the Northern Kingdom,” Ash began.
“Before we discuss your stance, I want to thank you for coming. And... I also want to tell you that I know your secret.”

Rose froze.
“What secret?” she asked with a smile.

“You’re not from this world, are you?”

“No, I’m not. You have great informants, King.”

“Yo... I’m not from here either, girl.”

“What?”

“Yes. The moment you stepped into this chamber, I knew. I’m the ruler of the Dark Kingdom. This chamber gives me visions. I saw your life on Earth the moment you walked in.”

“You’re from Earth too? That’s... incredible!”

“I can’t believe it either. I was just an office worker.”

“Lucky you. I was a beach lifeguard.”

“It wasn’t that lucky. My job was boring. Name’s Ash, by the way.”

“Still better than what I had. I’m Rose. Nice to meet you.”

“Couldn’t have been that bad?”

“I picked up trash all day with a stick.”

“Alright, that’s rough. But listen, now that we’re both here, maybe we can find a way back.”

“Go back?”

“Yes, to Earth,” Ash said excitedly.
But he quickly noticed Rose’s body language change.

“Who said I want to return? Or that it’s even possible?”

“It must be possible. There’s always a way! We can’t stay here forever.”

“I disagree.”

“What?!”
Dark energy surged from Ash. The chamber burst into black flames as he shouted:
“You dare disagree with me, the ruler of the Dark Kingdom?”

“Weren’t you just an office worker?”

Ash blinked.
“Good point...”
He calmed down.
“For a second there, I was ready to kill you.”

“I felt that,” Rose smiled.
“I would’ve defended myself.”

“Fine. Stay if you want. I’m going back to Earth.”

“Fine by me. I’m still in for the alliance. We’ll crush Diana.”

Ash smirked darkly.
“Now you're talking my language.”

Both Ash and Diana felt optimistic that day, thinking they had gained the upper hand in this long-standing war.

Ash was surprised by Rose. They spent the evening talking, about Earth, about the future, about their battle plans.

But far away, on a battlefield neither of them watched,
The Great White Lion had already ended the conflict on one front.
With a powerful ice spell, he froze soldiers from both sides.

They saw only snow falling before everything turned to silence.

What will the lion's awakening mean for the war?
Will Diana’s summoned heroes defeat Ash and his growing forces?
Will Ash’s alliance with Rose lead to the fall of the Light Kingdom?

Perhaps only one being knew the answer.
A monkey, drunk in a wooden barrel, sleeping in a corner of the Pink Kingdom.

Mark, the Golden Monkey Sage, twitched in his drunken slumber, haunted by visions of this world’s future...