No where left to run

The streets were deadly silent.

As the old man led Perses away from the magnificent cathedral, Perses immediately saw the castle's tall, intimidating spire.

The sharp, pointed shadow it cast was just as threatening as it had been on the day he awakened. However, what really bothered Perses was the emptiness of the capital's streets. Perses truly could not imagine why the inner walls felt so inexplicably Barren today.

As they turned the corner, what should have been the busiest area defied Perse's expectations. It was empty except for some particularly distinguished, well-adorned noblemen who anxiously traversed the streets.

Not a woman, nor child, nor guard in sight. With his back towards the large metal gate of the inner walls and his front, the looming figure of the castle, Perses began to doubt his choices.

Perses turned to look at the Reverend, hoping for an explanation, only to realise it was a fool's errand. He merely pretended not to notice Perse's anxious gaze and begrudgingly walked towards the castle.

Before Perses could gather his nerves, he noticed the dark shadowy outline that had permeated from the castle was now entirely absent. This didn't exactly comfort or frighten him. He already had a good guess as to who was responsible for it.

Perhaps the most shocking change so far though was only noticed by Perses after they had closed in on the castle.

'There's no one guarding the castle.'

This one detail spurred on his apprehension more than any other. It went against all common sense he had garnered since his last visit here.

'What. What kind of king doesn't have guards to protect him?'

Perses had a sickening feeling that he already knew.

Stopping as he had done right in front of the castle and as he had on his first day, he fretfully looked around for the devil girl. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Despite turning and acknowledging Perses's hesitation, the Reverand persisted towards the castle's doors. It seemed things were to be discussed with the king whether Perses was present or not.

Perses seriously considered fleeing. It was only logical for him to recruit the devil girl before venturing into any profound danger, but a fleeting thought struck him.

'Where would I even go.'

Ultimately, it was not simply vicarious curiosity or lonely despair that drove Perses through the castle doors. Though he might have grown and learnt many things since awakening, only one thing had not yet changed. He would step forward into the unknown, danger or not.

"SLAM"

The castle's thick metal door shut itself, sealing Perses to his fate.

###################

The castle was unlike anything else Perses had explored. It was bland.

There were no strange, ambiguous items like Circe's house. No grand, detailed ornaments that had littered the cathedral. No endless, enormous stone halls like what he had found underground. There was no ceaseless ruckus and noise like that of the training grounds.

It was serene, and it was simple.

Before any real tension could be built, Perses realised the Reverend had disappeared from sight. Following the tracks of where he had last seen him, Perses came across a thick red velvet carpet that stood out amidst the bland hallway.

As if it had been set up purely for him, it led to a dead end. Perses had no time to analyse the fascinating patterns that adorned the wall that the carpet pointed towards as it suddenly slid open, seemingly like magic. The dead end revealed itself to be a large entryway in disguise.

Perses could only dispel his fear of the enigmatic sight by not paying attention. Utilising this, he walked straight into the room. Similarly to the cathedral's grand hall, the large room featured an elevated stage at the furthest end of the room. But it was not a stand that sat idly on the stage. Instead, it was a large throne that appeared to be carved together by jagged rock.

Jutting out in various ways as if it had been hastily thrown together, the Ragged throne cast its shadow on Perses.

An even more intimidating figure sat on the throne idly. His long limbs were strewn about the throne casually as if intentionally extenuating his tall figure. His wrinkled skin sagged from head to toe, but his age did little to impede the man's graceless, uncouth posture.

A pang of familiarity resounded temporarily within Perses. But after taking a second, deeper look, he knew he had never seen this man before. Though he had once met a tall elderly man before, there was no comparison.

'This must be the king?'

The robust and burly man Perses had the displeasure of meeting had exuded an arrogant but heartfelt confidence. This older, stringy man appeared to hold nothing but pure malice and spite in his twisted, wrinkled figure. Their age was also noticeably different. This old man looked to be decades older, at the least. The only dwelling trait that reminded Perses of the bully that had once targeted him was their shared height.

Sitting at what looked to be an abhorrently tall 8 feet, the man casually licked his hollow purple lips. Only now did Perses spot the Reverend off to the side of the hall. He looked down at Perse's feet, refusing to meet his eyes. Perhaps most disturbingly, he stood far away from the one on the throne rather than at his side.

As if provoked by having Perse's attention stolen from him, the old man spat. A significant glinting drop of spittle splashed at Perse's feet mere centimetres away.

As if agitated by the spit missing its mark, he slowly twisted his weathered neck towards the Reverend menacingly.

"Come here, old friend."

The Reverend walked towards the man's deformed throne and stood below him without flinching in the slightest. From up on his throne, he patted the Reverend's head demeaningly with his immense reach. He cupped the top of the bold priest's head and turned it to look at him.

He shared a cruel, curling grin with the Reverend that should have frightened anyone.

"I heard from the handmaid's you sent my way. From what I can gather, I can only assume the one responsible. Is you."

The slender man paused as if waiting for a response as he stared devilishly at the smaller man. The Reverend merely stood, ignoring the man's gaze, his mouth sealed shut. 

Noticing the Reverend's stubborn silence, the old man cackled. "How are you always so good at that? Oh well, that was a cheap trick on my end, but this time, I'm actually asking you, was it you that made the mistake?"

"The fault lies with prince Machia."

"...Yes, it does seem that way. Though apparently, I have no sway over the boy anymore, so nothing can be done. Count yourself fortunate for your quick wit once again, Reverend."

"..."

Releasing the Reverend from his humiliating position, he rested his head on his hand and glared daggers at Perses. Once again, the Reverend had opted for silence. He had also chosen his words carefully and spoken only the bare minimum. He had now returned to his previous position, steering way clear of the tall man.

'I guess I should try to only speak when asked.'

"Anyway, Perses, it's great to finally meet you. Is what I would say. However, I'm not doing so great right now. You see, this meeting we have might be the last bit of... control I'll be able to wield for a while. All people are like that, you know, even me, the king. When you spend enough time being controlled, it's only human nature to want to do the same to others."

Perses listened to the old man's ramblings aimlessly, unable to grasp the meaning behind his words. It was this listless stare that caused him to stop his speech suddenly.

"Ah... That idle, empty-headed stare that is nostalgic indeed. Say, Perses, you're not the bright type, are you?"

Tilting his head at the old man, Perses failed to read between the lines. Rather than get agitated at his unresponsiveness, the old man shivered. He grimaced at Perse's habit as a tinge of fear warped his deranged pupils.

"Tchh"

Even the Reverend seemed shocked to see the old man shudder uncomfortably. The slender man now stared at Perses with a similar nonchalance before hiding his nervous acts behind a deep, raspy laughter.

"Hahhah, that brings back some terrible fucking memories. Oh lord"

He attempted to pull himself together by grabbing onto his face and pulling back, causing it to stretch bizarrely. It was weird, but in this very instance, Perses couldn't help but be reminded of Machia by the man's withered laughter.

"Hah, anyway, no more hiding things, we should just be straight with each other, not to mention this form is just too dam frail. I give up trying to trick you."

Suddenly, the man's face twitched. Soon, his face was assaulted by an array of fissures that twisted and turned. Perses could only stare at the man's simple smile, confused as his elderly frame ruptured. Every part of the man's skinny, wrinkled frame writhed with very minor spasms and twitches. The man's smile did not falter, but his eyes lost their focus, hinting the process was likely painful.

'What's happening, he's like a monster.'

The old man's body began to twist and turn. Perses's expectations about how the conversation would flow were being subverted at every moment. Even the beast he had fought underground never displayed anything as disturbing as the smouldering melting mess of the old man before him. Slowly, though, the process began to mellow out.

The king was then covered in a slight glow of yellow light, hiding his grotesque form. No, it was more accurate to say a light that had been swelling inside the man had begun to permeate from his being. A slight yellow aura now outlined his figure, though its scale paled compared to what Circe had shown Perses and Machia.

Before the light ceased, he heard the man shout to him from beyond the yellow veil.

"Lucky you Perses if your here for answers then this is one of them, on the house."

The light dissipated without warning, and what it revealed stunned Perses. There was no longer any semblance of weak or miserableness accompanying the tall man. No, the one who sat on the throne now dwarfed his grand seat. Two large, broad shoulders jutted out past the throne's frame, completely hiding it from sight.

The feeble legs that had lingered across the floor were now thick muscular stools that were firmly planted on the ground. The old man's vulgar smile had been replaced by a healthy, audacious grin that laughed heartily at Perses.

"Sorry for lying Perses, you see we have met before."