"A brave young lady." The man commented bringing a hand to his chin. His face amused at an untold joke. "To come to your castle in hope of warning you of what was to come…"

The prince looked at him, a bit confused. "Indeed, she was. It was a shame…" He shook his head.

The fire between them crackled.

They were silent while the spirit composed himself.

The man spoke again. "Do you remember what happened next? Who won the war?"

"No one can win a war fueled by hatred. No one deserves to win such a war. No one. There were some who took their own lives, most of them were just innocent common folk…" He choked back a sob. "None of them deserved to die…the bloodshed, the screams, and Alvara…"

"Alvara? That brave girl, what became of her?"

"She died in my arms. The single beam of light, the only strand of hope came just a tad too late."

"What else do you remember, Deity?" His voice was eerily calm. "Tell me, what happened in the end?"

"I was the only one left. I was at wits end-" His eyes widened. "I remember now…I retreated to the throne room, where my father's corpse lay motionless…and there was someone else there, sitting in the shadow of the room. He spoke to me and hummed a soothing melody as I told him this same story. I remember, he was very happy… He was..he was…"

"That man was me. I am the one who sealed your soul away into this mask."

At first, the spirit was dumbstruck but then his expression softened. "You are a deity yourself, are you not? A demon of the Goddesses? A rouge of the dark beast himself?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that, Fierce Deity."

And with a smile the spirit dissipated into thin air.

The man stood up and added the mask to his collection. His smiled as the fire sizzled out and continued on his way.