King Beast - Vicious Flames

Chapter 14

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For a moment, all my anger disappeared, eclipsed by the sight before me.

"It's very ... grand?" I said carefully. The childish figure looked at me, and a sinister chuckle echoed from the black depths of her hood. "I think it's the most wretched edifice you've ever laid eyes upon," she intoned, as if reciting a dark prophecy. "It's not meant to charm your senses... but to beckon you to turn away and seek refuge."

The castle, ominous silhouette etched into the very bones of the mountain, bore an uncanny resemblance to its master: unrelenting and cold, no matter how much fire was concealed within.

From afar, the castle melded seamlessly with the craggy peaks, appearing like a spectral extension of the terrain.

To mortal eyes, with their own mortal limitations, it would be mistaken for a dwelling, thanks to the numerous small, haphazardly illuminated windows. These windows defied order; some towers lacked them entirely, while others bore pairs of thin, elongated apertures akin to the eyes of a spectral apparition in the throes of dissolution.

Some towers lacked them, others had two attached, thin and elongated like the eyes of a melting spectre. This was a castle devoid of a central keep, instead comprised of an abundance of towers and lookouts, resembling a hydra whose heads had been severed time and again, only to regenerate threefold. It loomed over the landscape as a monstrous edifice, with hundreds of towers adorned by eerie, yellowish lights. Lightning and thunderbolts, as if provoked by perpetual anger, illuminated the night, filling the air with deafening roars. Winged shapes, their forms near-dissolved, swirled around the spectral heads of stone. It felt like the end of all worlds; nothing existed beyond the castle except the menacing silhouette of the mountain to which it clung. On the opposite side, the evergreen trees had taken on an otherworldly hue, perhaps tainted by the ceaseless ash in the atmosphere or by the absence of light.

Our carriage followed a winding path that led us behind a colossal boulder and into the heart of a dense thicket of trees. The forest was substantial enough that it felt like a miniature woodland nestled within the castle grounds. A shiver ran down my spine, a sensation of traversing the boundary dividing two distinct realms.

As we drew closer, my eyes absorbed the gardens and small abodes. The houses, if it could even be called that, seemed to emerge seamlessly from the dark, earthy ground, as if they had grown there over countless centuries. Their construction appeared to be a unique blend of mud and dark minerals, giving them an organic, almost otherworldly appearance. At the front of each house was the main entrance, a low, arched opening, framed by gnarled tree roots that appeared to have intertwined with the structure itself, and circular windows adorned the walls.

I wondered who lived there... certainly not humans, I surmised, for they resembled a host of unearthly creatures.

Upon reaching the imposing gates of the castle, torches bearing azure flames crowned it like a celestial halo, a retinue of servants, draped in somber charcoal, awaited us on the grand steps. As I dismounted, one of them approached me with brisk deference, while others strained to unlatch the colossal double doors.

"My lady, may I offer you respite? A morsel to sate your hunger?" inquired a woman, head bowed, eyes not meeting mine. I shook my head, the yearning for solitude and contemplation overpowering my appetite. The spectral, child-like figure had drifted away, presumably to torment another hapless soul. The guards had retreated as well, departing with a respectful bow.