Wisdom sought to be heard—yet the fox left with no echo.
Two souls drifted through an unfamiliar world—a mistake born of fate.
Yet what felt like a misstep began to bloom furiously.
As time stumbled into a tickless hour, they were graced by what seemed a castle of fairies amid the gloomy forest.
The castle glowed radiantly—illuminating the forest with its light, shining where no light had ever been—a brilliance tinged by void.
"Is it inviting us?" asked Viour.
"Perhaps yes—perhaps no," answered Yvole.
A figure—creature or shadow—bestowed its silent grace upon the castle.
Eyes gleaming like orbs—an endless cycle of life, laden with ancient wisdom—glowed dimly within the castle's hollow.
"Halt—you, lost souls without form."
The shadow's voice unfurled, its echo blooming across the world.
"No wight entereth this palace." The sonorous voice bloomed across the world.
"Speak your justice—else speak with death."
Thus the figure finished.
Viour and Yvole halted before the figure.
"No intention was ours; only a wave of damnation brought us to doom," quoth Viour.
The figure tilted in curiosity, shadows shifting like thought.
"If none was there—why have you graced your presence here?" The figure asked—suspicion simmering in his voice.
"We seek to egress," quoth Yvole. "To linger in this darkness would bring only pain."
The figure wavered—tempted, though by what none could tell.
His eyes glowed radiantly, as if something whispered within his ears.
The figure sensed their souls estranged from the strings—the strings of fate woven into the star.
No wight should walk here, and yet here they were—lost among the stars.
"Your wish shall be granted," the figure said, its voice flowering.
Within those words that echoed like a silver goose's cry, a flash of light erupted, illuminating the horizon. For a moment, none could react.
Within the flash—they transcended.
"Oh, by the gods!" cried Yvole, his head heavy—like a stone loathing within the skull. Dazed by the brilliance, he glanced about, realizing they were back inside the cave.
Viour stirred awake—confusion striking him like a storm. The sight before him was strange… or had it all been a dream?
For once, the two souls were reunited by confusion; embracing each other, embodying each other.
None—none of them knew whether the world they had seen was truth… or illusion.