A Mirage of Victory

Ch 1: Resurrection

The burning sun rises behind the grand palace, illuminating the glorious architecture. Marvel at the towering pillars of golden sandstone, and their huge domes and minarets. Watch as the morning light slowly casts upon the rest of the city, and the vast treacherous desert beyond.

Ah, Agrabah... we have been here before. Perhaps many times. But this kingdom never fails to stun and amaze with its majesty, yes?

But be honest with yourselves, my friends... it's the stories you crave. You know that this land has yielded many exciting tales - all abundant with adventure. Danger. Darkness. Love.

Darkness and Love. Always so at odds with one another. It seems that a person can only carry one with them at a time. It is what defines someone as good or evil. Such is the way of things. An order that is rarely challenged.

But things are not always what they seem. The sands are always shifting here... the landscape is always changing. And there are indeed big changes in store.

But this particular tale doesn't begin here. Instead it starts deep beneath the earth, where Darkness reigns... and where Death himself is visited by an unexpected guest . . .

______________________________________________________________

The Lord of the Underworld, the god Hades, sat in solitude in a dark cavern. He was the Grecian deity of death and the afterlife, but he wasn't happy with his lot in life. He was stuck with this job for all eternity, and it was... well, extremely gloomy and depressing down here. So he was utilizing this moment of quiet to think about how he'd manage to get out of this dump and show up his brother, Zeus.

But he was interrupted by his thoughts by the sound of the heavy stone door to the cavern opening and closing.

Hades shot up from his throne, his meaty hands forming into fists.

"Who dares enter here and disturb me?" He demanded, furious and annoyed. "Can't you see I'm busy contemplating and hating my dreadful existence?!"

"Hades, I presume?" a sultry feminine voice called from the shadows.

The god froze. "Ohhhh, a lady." Hades grinned darkly, and quickly wet his hand to sleek back the flames that adorned his head. "I hope you're not just another dead broad hoping to win your life back. Flattery is welcomed, babe, but isn't gonna get you anywhere."

"I'm very much alive," the voice answered. Hades spotted a pair of eyes glowing green in the darkness. A womanly figure began to emerge from the shadows. Hades admired her slender legs, her form-fitting attire that readily revealed her curves... but he was aghast when he laid eyes on her face. A cat's face.

"But I am no lady."

"Jeez! This got weird fast." Hades grumbled, looking the stranger up and down. "Got the body of a chick, the head of a kitty cat." He rubbed his long chin thoughtfully, and his mischievous grin returned. "I guess I could work with that..."

The cat-headed woman hissed quietly. "You couldn't and won't. I'm not here to seduce you... I'm here to make a deal."

"Eh, whatever... a deal?" the god's sharp-toothed grin widened. "I'm good with those. Kinda my specialty." Hades narrowed his yellow eyes. "But who are you?"

"I am... Mirage... sorceress and Evil Incarnate. Perhaps a display of power is in order?"

The sorceress, stone-faced, slowly raised her clawed hand, locking eyes with Hades. The god tensed. If she tried anything on him, he'd quickly show her who's boss and make her a permanent resident in a second.