"Come, precious dog." The elderly man spoke to the faceless monster, guiding it with his hand as he pivoted his body, beginning his ascent towards the Nocturne Spire. Thunder crashed fiercely in the distance, the illumination of lightning exemplifying the glorious black banners that bore the faded-yellow insignia.
It complied readily, staggering behind the man as it held Eshent gently in its arms, who had recuperated to an extent, still free of his grief which had been overwritten by his agony. He felt empty, perhaps lost, of what to feel and why he should do so. He only awaited his inevitability, which had been shown in what he had envisioned, to his meeting that awaited, with the man in yellow.
With the assistance of large, towering beasts, who pulled the chains of the rusted iron gate in unison, it was lifted high into the air in an instant, letting a resounding creak echo through the empty air. The grey-skinned faceless men followed behind the elderly figure, the yellow-cloaks proceeding behind them all like a twisted parade.
Eshent allowed this to happen, there was no struggle he needed to entertain, he did not care. He did not need reasoning, nor understanding, nor did he crave either. He had tacitly understood his position the moment he had been burdened by his visions, that he was meant to sit idly and become spectator to his life, if only for a moment.
After all, he had been offered a welcome far too grandiose for his stature.
In the hall past the gate, it was mesmerising. Clear, crystalline water streamed from fountains suspended by ornate pillars high above, collecting in shallow pools adorned with flooring of beautifully-painted mosaics, the reflections of white-lighted sconces casting the room in a portraiture of all worldly colours. At the head of the hall sat a throne cast in gold, and seating draped in loose white-satin sat at the edge of the hall.
The figures adorned in yellow gathered around within the hall, standing idly as they watched the faceless monster carry Eshent over to the satin-laden seating. He was sat down before the elderly man at the edge of the hall, looking up at him with a blank, odd expression.
It was time to realise his vision, a discussion filled with answers awaited. His blood begged to sign his life away, he had no purpose any longer, he felt like he had become less than Eshent Summerich, or even Eshent Sutcliffe. He remained blank, and he had not yet decided how to continue.
"You're the man from before." There wasn't a single hint of surprise in his voice. After all, he wasn't. He had seen this meeting between the two of them, forgetting the taller yellow-cloaked figure with writhing black tentacles. Eshent rubbed at his head, as if the fog from outside the Spire had suddenly invaded his head, enshrouding his thoughts. For an instant, he became foolish and vague of mind.
"My name is Granos, little Visionary. We have indeed met before." Granos entwined his fingers as he set his hands in his lap, a gentle, placated expression looking down at Eshent. He was much taller than Eshent, and had a paleness to his skin that made him look almost like one of the faceless creatures that roamed the halls of the Spire.
"You've brought me here."
Granos nodded. "You seemed like you needed our assistance, so we provided it. However, you are free to leave anytime you wish. Of course, you might not fare so well out there alone, we haven't yet pacified all manner of creature within Shadowhaunt. Our Lord's Grace is denied by few."
"You speak of that Lord again, why? Is His Grace capable of making these monsters compliant? Then why-" Eshent's voice trailed off for a moment, biting his lip. He had begun to recall his grief, it was important to kill it while he still felt hollow. He imagined that if he begun to feel again, losing that gift which had come with his visions, placated by some semblance of madness, he might truly lose himself. "-why have my siblings been allowed to die? My brother killed by some dog that accompanies the Witch-King..."
"'That 'dog' was surely one of the few our Lord had not yet pacified... if we had worked harder, your siblings would not have died, for that I am sorry."
"Shouldn't I blame the King for this? And then on top of that, whoever those Crimson-cloaked creatures are..."
"This place is something that the False King and his advisors have hidden for so long. 'Shadowhaunt' has always posed a danger to the denizens of the Blackbaast. Of course, this might be a matter that False King has only known of for so long, he has only just returned. But the question is, why did such a 'benevolent' figure continue this tradition of concealing a danger that had remained this whole time?"
Granos paused for a moment, weighing Eshent's reactions, of which there were none, before continuing.
"Only now do they try and discover what lies within, venturing out like excited children. They remained unaware that the only reason the Blackbaast has not been flooded with madness, despair, and grief like you have experienced now is because we have worked to pacify the dangers within. It could certainly be said that the False King is to blame."
"And those red-cloaks?" Eshent's expression twisted. "They were the ones who killed my sister, Corrin."
"Those 'figures in red' are Reapers, the Reapers in Scarlet. They are not necessarily supporters of the False King, but they work in his interest."
"Against your Lord, you mean."
Granos chuckled. "Indeed. They seem immune to our Lord's Grace, they cannot be pacified. This might be the boon of their own Lord. They may be a threat to the Blackbaast, but we aren't certain. They wish to destroy this place, Shadowhaunt, but have determined by which method to use, which is to destroy all, including that which still lives. The death of your sister was a biproduct of this choice they made."
The Priests in Yellow and the Reapers in Scarlet... an inhuman, paltry naming sense... if the Reapers have their own Lord, a Deity they serve that has survived the purge of the Witch-King of old, then by coming here, I've stumbled into something far beyond me...
There was something important that remained to be said, an answer he had suspected that he certainly needed to know.
"Am I the 'key' that unlocked it? This place, was it my punishment for being a terrible person, or was it because I was destined to do so?"
Granos nodded his head. "It was the latter. If you want me to speculate on what drove your father to wish to explore the secrets of Shadowhaunt behind the backs of the other members of Nobility, I couldn't tell you. This might be something my Lord knows, but I haven't been informed on the matter. I've only been told of your likeliness to arrive here, which is why we've made preparations to welcome you."
So he knows of my father and his proclivities. But if I am really the 'key' that brought us here...
"So it was my fault that my brother and sister are now..." Eshent's voice trailed off, nausea suddenly overtaking him. His face paled, and his throat felt as if it had welled up with bile, or at least the threat of it.
"Do you need a moment, little Visionary?"
"No. Why do you keep calling me that?" Eshent muttered, placing a hand to his lips as he contained the meager contents of his stomach.
"It is what your Spirit Contract provides, these 'visions' that guide your path. It causes you great pain, doesn't it? That is its cost..."
Eshent shook his head. "No longer am I troubled. I feel fine."
"Our Lord has taken on this pain for you. He hopes you will not be troubled by it. He is merciful, and hopes you will take interest in His endeavours. Still, even if you choose not to follow him as we do, He will continue to bear this pain in your stead, it is nothing to Him."
"So I can use this power as I wish?"
"It is not the case that you can use it as you wish, rather that it will use 'you' as 'it' wishes. Moreover, it is surely capable of lying, you must be wary of the 'truths' that it speaks to you. You are human, capable of determination in every possibility, of what holds danger."
Granos could not deny his own curiosity, no matter how much he pretended to act the part of Mentor, of Guide. He was human himself, despite his countenance. "What have you seen of recent, little Visionary? You seemed plagued by your pain even when we first met."
Eshent thought for a moment. Gradually, his gaze wandered to the center of the hall, where the remaining yellow-cloaked figures had gathered.
"Tentacles of black, a cloak of yellow. A face deep as night, existent in its stare, like the black stars above."
Granos's expression suddenly became exuberant, leaning in close to Eshent as he proclaimed, "you have witnessed our Lord!?"
Eshent distanced himself slightly from Granos, nodding his head. "This 'Lord'... yes, I've seen Him. He showed me many things, He showed me this meeting... He has shown me my end."
Granos sat back in his seat, glancing off into the distance as he began muttering, a beaming smile on his face. "Wonderful... our Lord... chosen, you are certainly chosen... what Grace He has bestowed... brilliant..."
Eshent's eyebrow twitched, he suddenly felt a bit more human. The fog in his mind faded, and in the face of true madness, he was able to determine he remained sane. It only took stark contrast to realise oneself. Society and its figures were members of a spectrum, scales that could only be weighed through counterbalance. For a person to be intelligent, there needed be a person equally as unintelligent and vacuous. That was just the way of things.
He let out a sigh, catching Granos's attention with several snaps of his fingers.
"I accept this Lord, I will read of His teachings. He has shown me my Fate, and I've accepted it. I had hopes a short time before that I could betray this Lord, but the figure who lied at this destination turned out to be someone I had come to despise. I'm not sure what the truth behind it is, whether or not that was really the beast that killed my brother alongside the Witch-King, and who those Scarlet Reapers you mention serve..."
Eshent paused for a moment, contemplating, before staring down at the marble floor below.
"No, really, it doesn't matter what the details are. Both of my siblings, whom were the only reason I remained alive, are now dead. If your Lord offers me a place, then I'll accept it. I don't care what His commandments are, I'll fulfill them."
Granos's smile suddenly twisted, becoming inhuman and brilliantly crazed.
"My Lord quite enjoys people like you."