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High above the world, where rain and wind and clouds can't reach, floats a castle forgotten by man.
It has no windows or doors, with walls built from a metal no longer forged. Vines climb every inch and sprout sweet-smelling flowers that poison any who drink their nectar. Circling the base is a flowing moat of ever-changing liquid, from gold to silver, from water to blood, from mercury to lava.
How long has it been since he first built this castle? Has an eon yet passed? He stopped keeping track after the fourth century. It was difficult to monitor the passing of days and weeks and months and years when life inside the castle was static, and there was no need to mark time's passing either when, for him, it would never end.
Soon another hundred years will come to pass, though. He can feel it creeping closer as his spell fades, like ice thawing from a lake in Spring.
He glides along the empty halls of his castle. Statues of people he used to know line his path, their last moments captured in elegant white marble, and his fingers caress their frozen faces as he passes by. He loved them, once. As much as he could love anyone. At the end of the hall is his favorite place: the ballroom. With hardwood floors polished to a pristine shine, and a small stage nestled against the far wall, he painted its vaulted ceiling to mimic the night sky, stars in the same position they'd been when he met his wife.
His wife, who now sits on the floor in the middle of the room. Her ebony hair is a pool of obsidian draped around her, and her gown is a pale blue that perfectly matches her equally pale skin. In her hands, she cradles a silver mirror that refuses to show her face. A pity, truly, for what a lovely face she has.
"It's almost time, my love," he says, his voice like a storm in the empty room. "Will you play my game once more?"
"Seeing as we're still alive," says his wife, gaze still set on the mirror, her voice sweet as a nightingale's, "I suppose I have no choice."
His laughter booms throughout the castle, shaking its very foundation. The statues quiver in the halls.
"Excellent!"
He grabs her and draws her close. The mirror clatters to the ground, but doesn't break. One of her hands, he guides to his shoulder, and he rests one of his hands on her waist. With a rumbling in his chest, he hums.
Slowly, the walls and statues echo the sound, adding lutes and lyres and a steady drum. The waltz he leads her through is out of tempo with the song, yet they both know the steps so well it's as easy as breathing.
"Well, what game did you have in mind this time?" She asks. "Another war, perhaps?"
"My pretty Desdemona, you'd like that, wouldn't you? I've always loved that bloodlust of yours." The man chuckles. "But no war this time, I'm afraid. I've decided I'd like to add to my collection."
"A treasure hunt, then?" Desdemona holds onto her husband's shoulders as he lifts her by her waist. "How very dull of you, Adrastus."
"You misunderstand me, my love. By collection, I was referring to my menagerie. I'd like a new pet."
Through all his years and decades and centuries of life, Adrastus has found that without the intervention of Magic, most life cycles go the same way. He has made a habit of collecting creatures that fall outside the standard.
"And what foul beast have you set your sights on this time?" Desdemona asks.
"Oh my. You haven't noticed yet, have you? I thought for certain you'd be able to sense it." Adrastus bends her in a dip so low she almost touches the floor. "I suppose I was overestimating your magic."
"What exactly have I failed to sense?"
Adrastus raises her from the ground with a hard yank. "A new Cycle has begun."
The music stops. Desdemona jerks away from him. Fire fills her eyes, and she's across the room in an instant.
"Have you lost what ounce of sanity you still had?!" she yells, her voice no longer a nightingale's but a banshee's. "As if I'd ever let you get your hands on a Phoenix! I'd sooner destroy it myself!"
Once more, Adrastus' laughter fills the castle. A chorus of voices mimics the sound. The air chills. Desdemona would shiver if she still felt the cold.
In a single step, he has her trapped against the wall.
"Then let's make that the game, my love," he whispers in her ear.
She narrows her eyes, and the flames in them die a little. "What do you propose?"
Adrastus lifts a palm to her face and caresses her cheek with a gentle touch. How similar her skin is to his many statues. Perhaps one day, he'll make her one of them.
"If I awaken the Phoenix before the Cycle's end, I win. If you destroy it, you win. To be fair, we can't use our own magic on the Phoenix, nor can either of us directly harm it. We'll have time to plan, of course, and any level of pawns are allowed. I'll even let you make the first move."
"Is that all?"
"Unless you'd like to add something."
Desdemona thinks through his words before nodding.
"Fine," she says. "Same stakes as always?"
"Of course." Adrastus holds out his hand, lightning forming in his palm. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yes." Desdemona holds out her own hand, fire dancing on her skin. As soon as they touch, a burst of golden light surrounds them. When they let go, the black marks of chains have formed on their wrists.
Adrastus pulls his wife into an embrace and kisses her hard enough to make her lips bleed.
"May the best man win, my love."
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Hello everyone!
For any new readers, thank you for taking the time to stop by! This is an SYOC story, but I will not be taking any new submissions. I'm sorry if that's what caught your interest, but I hope you will still come along for the ride.
For old readers, welcome back! Not too much changed this chapter, besides a bit of formatting, but major changes will begin in the next one. The current plan is to have an edited chapter out every few days, and then I'll probably slow down to bi-weekly updates for the new chapters.
For the sake of a more streamlined reading experience, I'm going to keep Author's Notes to a minimum, so I'm creating a Discord Server to put any important information like writing delays or breaks. There's a few things I want to do, so it's not finished yet, but I'll have the invite code for you all soon.
Thank you for reading!
-Marigold