Alex and Venedikt ascended the staircase in silence, their footsteps echoing faintly across the dark marble steps.
The polished surface mirrored their forms in clear fragments of light, as each step carried them higher until the stairway opened into a vast roof, an open space without walls or rails.
The horizon stretched endlessly in every direction, painted in molten shades of red and gold.
The setting sun hung low, its dying light bleeding through the air like slow fire, casting long, liquid shadows across the black marble floor. The air was cool and fresh.
At the roof's center stood a triangular table of dark glass, its sharp edges gleaming faintly in the waning light. At its furthest point sat a man, neatly composed, unnervingly calm.
