Prophecy

Klain was a pompous fool who had too much to lose at HF's death, so he wasn't killed in the end, merely placed in the most luxurious of cells after his beheading.

There was a large window that oversaw the cold stone depths below the winding tower, and the room was lit by the flames of candles. The bed lay in the middle, with no other furniture beside it, a great insult to the wondrous sorcerer, who was forced to either lay on his bed or stand.

HF's head hurt—the beheading had been rough and he was quite certain that his neck hadn't even been placed right across the stump on top of his shoulders. His usually pearl-like eyes were swirly black and grey, turning round and round in his eyes like a whirlpool.

Using the excuse that he was too tired for negotiation, HF managed to obtain himself some peace by dismissing the guards that Klain had sent.

Klain was a fool, there was little doubt about that. Or at least he was one in HF's eyes, which meant the same thing, since HF was the master of tongues, and knew all the definitions of fool there were and would be. However, Klain was a clever fool.

Or clever, but still a fool.

He had done all very well, building himself a tower out of the very material that was the cause of misfortune, imprinting obedience and loyalty unto death into the set of warriors that rose from dusk. It had been clever, finding one of the golden keys and moulding it into eternal chains. However, to think that the Prestigious Lord of the Winding Tower had tried to imprison HF with it—it was an ingenious idea, with nothing Klain had to lose and everything he had to win.

He had been so clever, so right in his guesswork. Like a warrior to its binder, he had managed to trick the sorcerer to enter his barren lands and guided him, who was seemingly lost to his tower. And like that HF was trapped by chains.

Chains which allowed HF to do anything he wanted but nothing he needed.

It was also extremely foolish of Klain to have thought that HF could be bound by the golden chains. He was correct of course—no-one who managed to trick HF could be that dim-witted, but the chains held power far greater than what the ignorant ruler of the Winding Tower could possibly ever understand.

In a way, it was easiest to trick the cleverest of people. HF, vassal of Greed, the immortal, hadn't thought that anyone would have dared to put chains upon his ankles while he slept. Anyone sensible would have found another way or given up—and Klain was a fool, hence why he did it.

Klain never listened to others' opinions or ideas, he himself knew that he would always be correct, no matter what he chose to do or answer. He saw things his way, and few could deter him. Perhaps if he made the conclusion that they were correct, he would, but otherwise he wouldn't. And that was how the second who thought himself cleverest was tricked—by not listening.

Then again, he never had a need to. Who could dare stop him apart from Ho'd'fi'gue? No-one. And now that he too was imprisoned and under his control, there was no need to listen to him, either. 

But Klain did, because he recognised that HF had lived longer than him and was cleverer and more ruthless. 

HF laughed, that shrill half-shriek half-roar that made the room tremble. Unconsciously he reached a hand to touch the gleaming golden chains the bound his feet. 

Klain was truly a fool. Only a fool as clever as him would have ever thought to imprison someone like HF using the keys of the immortal Tsavo-Lion. No-one else could ever have dared to do as such. 

However, the keys were not created for such a purpose, nor for such a person to use them.

The Prestigious Lord of the Winding Tower didn't understand or care about what he had done when his men were ordered to place chains unto HF's feet. HF had been generous, allowing Klain to negotiate with him more than once.

However, to think that after all he said and explained, Klain still didn't understood how he was no master over the shackles that bound HF. Then again, HF didn't ever expect him to. For someone such as Klain, winning would suffice. Master or not didn't matter as long as he was winning.

HF's head was throbbing; it hurt worse than when he had first died.

—————

'HF, Ho'd'fi'gue, Somnī, Sixth Vassal of Greed the Immortal Tiger-Shark, Son of HF, Hi'd'fi'gue the Fifth Vassal of Greed the Immortal Tiger-Shark, Master of Tongues, Supreme Being of the Dreamscapes, Holder of Longing, as he is known, has a great many names and titles that surpass even those of his sire, since he was in hibernation for so long.

'During his twenty-four years alive, he did a great number of things, and one was to reach Supremacy. HF died for the first time on his twenty-fourth birthday and became the Supreme Being of the Dreamscape. He did so to escape from the shackles that were his mortality and forcefully bound him to serve the Tiger-Shark as all the previous generations had done.

'After breaking free from his mortality, Somnī went to find the Tiger-Shark on his own through the dreamscape, which he was now the owner of, and offered to become the Sixth Vassal, as long as he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to.

'The Tiger-Shark, still trapped in its cage even in the dream, even if one as extravagant as a throne-room, stopped thrashing and listened to the Being, before agreeing.'

A sigh seemed to vibrate throughout the house, coming from everywhere at once before stopping, as if there had been no sound at all.

'Somnī left Greed all alone in its cage and never went back to see the Tiger-Shark ever again. His confidence unwavering, the Being left, and then the dream closed and sealed itself. The Tiger-Shark roared and searched further into the depths of the dreamscape, eventually managing to escape from its prison within the dream. From there it hunted for its Vassal, the Being from which all dreams came, to come and free it in the woken world.

'Once the Tiger-Shark managed to find Somnī, who smiled at it and showed it to another dream: open widows that showed the beautiful scenery of fish swimming through the sky, a bright blue, as well as mountains made of coral; wide balconies that allowed entry to the beautiful landscape that was the dream; freedom to hunt and kill where it pleased.

'The Tiger-Shark felt it too fascinating and wondrous that it stayed. It stayed when it could have left and gone to the waking world, for the world that was the dream was beautiful and anything Greed could ever want, and his Vassal the owner of all dreams.

'Perhaps it never realised that it was trapped in another prison, this one not created by the Tsavo-Lion but by the Supreme Being of the Dreamscape.

'After all, who is to know?'

—————

'Why do you want the Prophecy of the Beginning; the End; the Middle and the Never so much?'

HF smiled slightly but didn't answer Klain.

'Tell us where the T'gr'es'ak is, and you shall know the prophecy,'Klain spoke, all the while staring at Hf. After a while, he nodded. 'That is all right. So that you understand that we truly wish to help you, Vassal of T'gr'es'ak Ho'd'fi'gue, I shall take the initiative: the priest who made the prophecy is dead.'

HF smiled, his eyes two swirling pools of ever-changing colour. 'And why would I be interested in that?' His smiled turned to a smirk. 'Surely you don't expect me to want an useless piece of information such as that.'

Klain looked displeased, but HF continued before he had a chance to speak. 

His pearly eyes turned crimson as he looked coldly towards Klain. 'Tell me the prophecy and I won't kill you when I escape.'

'Surely you don't think that's still possible,'Klain said, staring evenly back at his guest. 'Like I've said before, there is nothing you can do with those chains on that could possibly hurt me.'

HF seemed to consider this, as his crimson eyes dimmed and turned back to swirling blues, purples, reds, oranges, greens and yellows. Then HF grinned.