The dark figure paced restlessly back and forth across the cold stone floor, in agitation, as if the weight of their thoughts was about to overpower them.
Every few steps, they paused, as if the weight of their thoughts threatened to consume them, only to resume again with greater urgency.
"How?!"
A low growl came from the shadows of the corners, startled by the loud noise but the figure payed it no mind.
"Reincarnation is not supposed to happen. I've made certain of that!" Words of low venomous hiss hung heavy in the stale air.
There was no one to hear and nobody to answer that question, so patently the one which haunted them.
The figure resumed pacing; the loud outburst replaced by a quiet, muttering stream. Each sentence brought with it a new tide of disbelieving tone in voice, softer now and tinged with frustration.
"All the precautions, all the safeguards, everything… yet still. how? " They trailed off, falling back into silence as the eerie quiet of the room once again engulfed them.
The gloved hands of each flexed and unflexed; fingers curled as if they yearned to throttle the very reality which thwarted their expectations.
In an instant, they froze, stock-still. "It no longer matters," they whispered, almost as if to themselves. "The only thing left is cleaning up this mess." The words were resolute, but unmistakable was the edge of madness in that tone.
The figure's head snapped up, and the dull moonlight faintly illuminated their features, so angular.
Now, as if with renewed purpose, they moved across the room to stand in front of a heavy, varnished wooden door that opened out onto the balcony. Pushing it open, a gust of cold air swept in, swirling the dust that had long since settled in this forgotten chamber.
The figure stepped out, letting the chill bite at their face, uncaring about the weather.
Immense from its balcony, across the dark of night an outline of a kingdom could be seen. In proud and impenetrable stance-or so it would seem-stood a whole fortress with towering walls and guard towers.
Lanterns dotted the fortifications, casting small pools of light along the battlements, but from this height everything felt so tiny, insignificant.
A small, twisted smile tugged at the figure's lips, sharp and devoid of warmth.
The kingdom stood so arrogantly nestled within its defenses, so blissfully unaware of the danger now lurking so near. This isn't quite so bad, after all.
The thought came unbidden, a flash of grim satisfaction. They leaned forward, their hands resting lightly on the cold stone balustrade, and allowed their eyes to drink in the sight of the kingdom below. There was something almost poetic about it. They had worked so hard to prevent what had happened-bent the laws of magic, time, and even life itself to their whim. And yet, despite it all, the impossible had happened.
They were not one to dwell on failures, however. If this was the way of fate throwing down a challenge, they would rise to meet it.
The game was not over. Pulling back, the figure let their gaze fall momentarily to the courtyard far below them-a dizzying drop. The thought of falling held no fear for them-there were far worse fates than death, after all, and even death had become a fluid concept in their world.
The cold wind whipped their black cloak around them, and they stood tall again; the fabric billowed in dramatic arcs, as though the night itself were an extension of their very being.
Let them think they are safe behind their walls," they growled, eyes drawing into a narrow glare with dangerous glint.
"It will make the fall all the sweeter."
Their lips curled once more into a smile-a smile promising destruction. They suddenly whipped back into the room, the cloak thrashing after them as if a shadow come to life. The door groaned shut behind it, belatedly muffling the sound of wind outside.
In the darkness, the figure vanished beyond the dark; their footsteps gradually receded into an echoing murmur from some distance away.
The kingdom slumbered peacefully, oblivious that days of peace were few, the enemies of the realm never closer.