The Apprentice [Gil]

Gil sat in a rather questionable bar sipping a glass of expensive wine. The bittersweet red liquid almost seemed like blood in the crystal like glass. While the wine was expensive it still wasn't able to meet Gil's insanely high standards.  Under normal circumstances he preferred to drink in silence or rather by himself, but he had to admit that he was rather intrigued as to what some of the nearby men were talking about. The men themselves, sat at the other end of the bar’s counter. They were middle aged, and seemed to be all scratched up and worn out. Each of the three men, had a glass of golden beer in front of them as they sat chattering amongst themselves. All Gil had heard was bits and pieces of their conversation but it was intriguing to say the least. They kept talking about some tower of sorts.


Spoke one of the men, he seemed to be the younger of the three, with dark brown hair and a clean shaven face unlike the other two. Before the other two men could reply to their companion they were cut off by a loud laugh. Gil’s laugh to be more specific. It was loud, and it came from deep within his chest. He was so amused that he threw his head back and nearly spilled his wine.

“Hey what’s so funny over there pretty boy!” One of the bearded men growled, and stood up, his chair clattering to the floor. Gil stopped laughing an amused look on his regal features. He was intentionally trying to provoke the men,

The bearded man lunged drunkenly  but Gil avoided it with ease, slipping out of his chair and pushing it towards the man not. Both the chair and bearded man tumbled to the floor, and Gil stood tall and proud with wine glass still in hand, not a single drop of the wine had spilled. An expensive boot smashed itself onto the fallen man's face, the two other men standing up to defend their friend. Those two men soon froze as a hand held itself up to stop them, "I want no trouble." He pressed his foot down the man beneath it grunting. "I just want to know about this supposedly unclimbable tower of yours." Crimson eyes glinted maliciously in the dim lighting of the bar as Gil swirled his wine about in his glass. The tower intrigued him to say the least, though that was simply because it was unclimbable. Which sparked his curiosity and his burning need to simply be the best. "Climbing an unclimbable tower would certainly get me the recognition I deserve." It was almost childish the way he thought but it was hard for him to pass up such an opportunity. Just hearing someone say that ‘nobody’ could do it was almost offensive to Gil, it was as if they were challenging his very greatness. Naturally, of course he would prove them wrong once he found out about this tower. He couldn't climb it if he didn't know anything about it.

“The tower? It’s Sky Tower! Stop that please!” One of the men begged as Gil’s foot pressed down harder on their flailing comrade. “Please stop! The top of the tower!” Gil motioned for the man to continue, “There’s a gem there! A beautiful gem that grants you the ability to 'learn with one's master once more'”

Gil removed his foot from the man’s head, and kicked him over to his companions. “I’ve heard all I needed. This gem shall be mine for all beautiful things should be mine.” One of the men in a fit of anger rushed at the blonde haired man but his face soon met with Gil’s wine glass. Wine and glass shattered on to the man's face, “Keep the wine. It’s cheap and befits the likes of you.”


Choosing not to respond Gil waltzed out of the bar with his hands buried in his pockets. The gem intrigued him simply because it was supposed to be beautiful as was the tower. If there was one thing Gil adored it was beautiful things. Deciding that not only would he climb the unclimbable tower but he'd also claim the tower and gem for himself. For all beautiful things should be his. The only thing that brought him slight concern was the 'master' business. He had not the faintest idea as to what that was supposed to mean. "No one is my master. I am my own master." The only thing he could think of that might have been above him were the gods but even that was a stretch for Gil. "If that gem let's me meet the gods then I shall show them what a true god should be like. I'll become King of the Gods! I like the sound of that!" The ambitious and somewhat overconfident thought was what marked the beginning of Gil's quest.


The journey to the tower itself was a rather short one. Gil had summoned a Pegasus to help the journey go by faster. The winged horse only carried him perhaps half of the way and the other half he walked, keeping his crimson gaze focused on the tower in the distance. Even with such a great distance between himself and the tower, he could practically see it clearly as it was the tallest structure around. The men from earlier weren't kidding when they called it beautiful. The structure was incredibly tall but was still pearly white despite having been exposed to the elements for countless years. There was blue marks here and there on the tower making it appear almost Holy and pure. The top of the tower was hidden by fluffy white clouds but Gil had no doubt the top was just as grand as the rest of the tower.

By the time Gil reached his destination the sky was painted with various shades of orange and purple from the setting sun. The white of the tower matched the shades of the sunset making it seem even more gorgeous than before. While it was beautiful Gil paid no mind to it. Instead he had his gaze trained upwards, craning his neck and looking all the way up in an attempt to spot the top of the tower. Crimson eyes couldn't even spot the top, the tower seeming to go on forever into the orange lava like sky. "This is going to be a long climb." Gil sighed and made his way to the large ornately carved doors that served as the entrance to Sky Tower. The doors were made of a dark and polished wood, griffins carved into its surface. Despite also being exposed to the elements the doors seemed to be in perfect condition.

With a bit of effort Gil pushed the doors open, both of them swinging inside as if they were making way for the regal man. With a smirk and a ridiculous amount of confidence, Gil strolled inside as if he owned the place. His footsteps echoed eerily in the completely silent structure. The inside of the structure was completely circular, and was the same shade of white as the exterior. Torches hung from the walls to provide light and they casted a golden glow throughout the strangely empty room. There was a single set of blue stairs that curved along the wall of the tower, creating a never ending spiral that continued as far as the eye could see. The stairs seemed shiny and upon closer inspection it appeared as if they were made out of sapphire. "Stunning." Gil ran his hand along the crystal like railing, not a single spec of dust on it. The doors in which he had entered creaked shut, officially cutting him off from the outside world. Not bothered or startled in the slightest, Gil seemed as confident as ever. "Time to get started I suppose." With that Gil began the long and twisting climb to the top of the tower. Step by step he went, "This is worse than walking up the stairs to Tartarus. What a horribly designed tower!" None the less he continued his legs straining, with nothing but his footsteps and the sound of his breathing for company. He had thought about counting the number of stairs but lost count and patience after a while. Truth be told the walk up to Tartarus seemed to be a walk in the park compared to these stairs. After a while the torches on the wall soon gave way to glowing lacrima that provided much better lighting than before. Their golden glow illuminated the stairs giving them an almost translucent look to the crystal like steps. Despite the beauty the inside of the tower was not perfect. There was various scratches and markings here and there along the climb, even a few splatters of what Gil thought to be blood. It was as if there was a fight of some sorts but whatever had created those markings was no longer there.

Finally, after what felt like hours of walking Gil had to rest. He sat upon the sapphire like stairs. His breathing harsh and ragged but he was alone so he could care less as to what he sounded and looked like. It was only when others were around that he cared about how he held himself as if he had to prove his greatness to them. He leaned against the stairs, trying to get as comfortable as he could on the hard surface. Which was rather difficult considering the steps dug into his back rather painfully. Even after moving up for as long as he has, he seemed to be no closer to the top then before. There were no windows to speak of so Gil was unable to accurately guess as to how long he had been in the tower. With a groan that turned into a growl Gil turned onto his side, the stairs digging into his ribs and sides of his legs. Crimson eyes settled onto the shiny surface of the stairs briefly noting that they weren't actually made out of sapphire but some material that was supposed to be similar. Which angered him even more, "If they were going to make such a grand staircase then they should have made it out of sapphire not some cheap imitation!"

He sat for a few more moments in anger at the stairs and the tower in general. It was rare for Gil to have to exert himself this much. His breathing was now even but his legs were still incredibly sore as was his attitude. "Enough of this idiocy!" Gil growled his voice echoing the word idiocy. "Stop mocking me!" It was as if the tower was mocking him with the way in which it echoed back to him. With another growl Gil felt a burst of magic energy well up within him, ready to be cast.

"I command thee Cheetah to defend and protect your rightful king! Come to my side!" A golden light flashed and on the stairs beside him the spotted feline appeared. Gil could care less about the feline what he cared about was the sudden burst of energy in his legs. "Run!" He commanded the cat before it took off slipping for a moment on the surface of the stairs. Soon enough the large cat grew accustomed to the surface and used its claws to launch itself into a run, going up the spiral staircase as fast as its legs would carry it. Gil let the large spotted cat go first before taking off after it, using the speed he gained from summoning the fast feline. The blonde man took the stairs two at a time using the rail to help pull himself up along the way. His breath was labored but it came out even as if he was a practiced runner. Each step was string and he was as sure footed on the stairs, slipping or falling wasn't a concern noe that he gained the traits of the cat. He couldn't believe he didn't think of this sooner. The large cat never fell too far out of his sight, both of them close in speed. While, Gil could have taken the lead he let the spotted cat stay in front in case of any traps. There was previous signs of battle here and there so in the event that something were to attack it would get the cat first and not Gil. Yet as the two made their way up the seemingly endless flight of stairs it seemed as if they would have no problems reaching the top. Until one of the steps gave out and the cheetah nearly fell through if not for it's claws digging into the hard surface of the step above it. "So that's why those men were all scratched up. They must have fallen." While high up in the tower, directly falling from that high would have killed the men. However with the way the stairs were designed, they would have simply fallen twenty or so feet to the lower stairs of the spiral staircase. "Still a hefty fall." Gil jumped over his recovering feline who had just managed to pull itself up and out of the fallen step. He stopped, letting the large cat go first so it would encounter the falling steps before Gil could. While both he and the cat recovered the steps they stood on began to wobble and both master and servant took off at a run. "Shit!" A single glance back confirmed Gil's suspicions. The steps were disappearing as they went and were beginning to catch up to both Gil and his cat.  Luckily a glance up showed Gil that he was close to the top, a light coming from a space above. However with a flash of golden light Gil's cheetah's time had run out and it returned to the world in which it was summoned from. Not only did the cheetah leave but Gil's speed did as well. With a growl of frustration Gil ran as fast he could but soon enough the steps were wobbling beneath his feet. If he fell no there would be no stairs beneath him to break his fall and that would mean certain death. One of the steps beneath him gave out and Gil launched himself forward grabbing for the first thing he could, which was not the blue stairs but rather a pearly white surface. Crimson eyes flickered down to look at the open space beneath him. The glance down caused his heart to quicken. He wasn't afraid if heights but anyone in their right mind would have felt fear at the thought of falling while so high up. Both of Gil's hands dug into the hard surface, straining to pull himself up. His legs flailed out searching for something to brace himself on but there was only air. "Come on!" He grunted slowly and surely pulling himself up. Muscles that had not been used in some time strained to do something that used to be so easy for him. First one elbow got on the hard white surface and then another, next up was his left leg that he swung up, and after that he had managed to pull the rest of him up with ease. For a moment Gil lay there upon the cool surface, staring up at the stars above him, the cool breeze rustling through his mane of hair and drying the sweat on him. Slowly but surely the adrenaline coursed out of his body and for a brief moment the noble man was relaxed. Before another flood of anger washed over him, "That was harder than it should have been!" A scowl appeared on his face as he lay there and prodded over himself worrying if he had gained weight or something. "Pulling myself up should not have been that hard." Perhaps he ought to cut back on the wine consumption.

With effort, Gil stood up, thankful that no one was there to see his rather pitiful and disgruntled state. He took a moment to study his surroundings, the top of the tower was completely flat and had what appeared to be a mural of sorts painted on its surface. “A mural of the sky? Beautiful but silly.” The man thought considering the real sky could be seen if one were to simply look up. He was a little surprised that it was night, he knew he had been in there for a while and the sun had just begun to set when he had entered the place, but still he did not think to make it out to the top in what appeared to be the middle of the night. “All the more reason to take the gem and go. I’m tired of this place.” He glanced about looking for the gem and spotting in a matter of seconds.

Held between two stone griffins was a clear gem, that seemed to almost glow outshining even the stars. “Mine.” Was his first thought and the blonde instinctively moving towards it. It was stunning and he simply had to have it, as all beautiful things were supposed to be his. So completely and utterly focused on the gem’s beauty that he forgot about the phrase that went with it. ‘To learn with one’s master once more’, those words didn’t even cross his mind as he approached it as if he was in a trance of sorts. The magical glow to the gem didn’t raise up any red flags in his mind, all that mattered was that he lay his hand upon its surface and take it for himself.

Gil held his hand out for a brief moment, pausing before his fingertips touched the precious stone. His hand was shaking along with the rest of his body, from excitement or something else he did not know. Gently, as if the stone might shatter if he touched it to hard, he touched the tips of his fingers to its surface. The precious stone was warm and inviting to the touch. Not one to decline an invitation, Gil’s hand clasped about the stone caressing it for a moment before pulling and trying to remove it from between the griffins. The gem didn’t so much as budge so Gil brought both hands about the stone and gave another harsh tug, grunting with the effort. Just as he was about to tug again, bright light bursted from the gem, shining through the cracks between his fingers. The gem was burning in his hand and when Gil went to let go he found that he couldn't. It was only then that he began to feel suspicious of the gem. Once more he tried to pull away but the light from the gem seemed to get brighter, and brighter, its heat nearly bearable, until everything went white.


Crimson eyes that were previously blinded with light opened up to see darkness. The first thing he noticed was the darkness, the second was the state in which he was in. He couldn’t move a single muscle but felt as if he was floating or rather drifting to be more precise. His first reaction was to panic because he couldn’t move and not being able to move was a terrifying thing to Gil. Control freak didn’t even begin to describe him. Just as quick as the panic came, a sudden wave of relief came to subdue it. With that relief came a feeling of complete safety, and a comforting warmth. Gil knew he should have been suspicious of his sudden change in emotions but he was far too comforted to do so.

Images, thoughts, and memories soon flooded through his mind. Things that he himself couldn’t recall anymore had managed to resurface themselves. Most if not all of the memories that floated through his head were one’s that he hadn’t thought about in years and for good reason. “This isn’t my doing.” Gil himself had no reason to be reminiscing in such a strange scenario. If anything he should have been trying to figure out how to get out of wherever he was. “I was on top of the tower and then the gem and the light….” Yet just trying to think those thoughts were becoming a struggle for him. It felt as if something was going through his head, digging through memories and other useless things, searching for something.

That was when the gem appeared in front of him, it’s shiny clear surface seemed to glint even though there was no light around for it to do so. “That things the cause of all of this. It’s looting through my head.” It was a rather sleepy thought, his crimson eyes trying to stay open as he suddenly felt drowsy. He remained awake long enough to see a magic circle of sorts come from the green gem but after that he could not say what had happened.


“Gah!” He grunted as his back met with the hard surface of….the earth? Gil rolled over on to his side, rubbing his back through his black t-shirt. When he opened his eyes he saw dirt and dead parched grass. On top of that he felt the heat of the blazing hot sun above him. “What?” Last he recalled he was on top of…..some sort of tower? What was its name again? Wasn’t it supposed to be nighttime? With a groan Gil’s hands were brought up to his head. It felt like his head was about to split open, “I must have a massive hangover. When was the last time I got such a bad one?” He was able to recall exactly when his last hangover had occurred. It seemed the only thing he couldn’t recall was where and what he had been doing the night before. “My name is Gil Vessalius. I’m one of the nine pillars of Tartarus. I’m a King and a mage.” He spoke aloud and to himself as he pushed himself up and off of the ground examining his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of Savannah, tall dead grass and dirt was what made up his surroundings.  There were a few trees scattered off in the distance but they were skinny things. "Why on earth am I in the middle of a savannah?" He groaned once again trying to recall where he had been the night before. As he tried to remember a sudden pain shit through his head causing the man to wince and groan again. "I'm pretty sure I was not here last night but..." He pinched the bridge of his nose the headache feeling worse the more he tried to think about the previous night. It didn't help that the sun seemed to be glaring down at him only adding more to his mental pain.

Before Gil could make his way towards the tree’s for cover from the sun, some inner instinct told him to stop. The tall grass behind him rustled and not from the wind. Gil froze, straining his ears and listening for any sound that alerted him to another presence. There was no sound of movement so Gil turned around. “How silly of me as if there would be anything out here-” The thought was cut short as something slammed itself into Gil.

His back met with dirt of the earth one more, a hefty weight atop of him. His breath was knockednoutnof him and the blonde struggled to find his breath again. Claws dug into the earth by his head and a ferocious roar was let loose in his face. Rows upon rows of sharp white teeth glared at the crimson man. Then like that the grisly sight disappeared and a white muzzle took its place, then the muzzle backed off and turned into a face, to be more specific a lions face. It’s fur was white, it’s mane an even whiter color, and its eyes a red that rivaled even Gils. It took the blonde a moment before recognition broke out across his features. “You pesky old cat! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” He sat up with a frown and the large cat seemed to frown back at him. “Don’t look at me like that.” Gil commanded, feeling almost uncomfortable with the lions gaze. The two held eye contact for a moment more before the lion huffed causing Gil to roll his eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m a King!” He responded to the lion who in turn made a grunting noise. “I’m not some cub!” Gil growled between clenched teeth, regretting his ability to understand animals, especially to understand this particular animal. “I have plenty of ability to backup my words! How dare you call me a dog!” Gil was practically seething now while the white lion more or less seemed amused. The blonde man couldn’t recall the last time he had been so angered, it was completely unlike him. “I command thee tiger-” Gil cut himself off his crimson eyes widening with realization. “My magic….It’s not…” He couldn’t bring forth any magic. He could feel it, he had the mana to summon any of his creatures, but for whatever reason he simply couldn’t.

The lion made a noise again and Gil turned towards it listening and watching intently. “What do you mean ability without magic-” The lion pounced once again knocking Gil down to the earth and the air went out of him for the second time that day. He was stunned for a brief moment but the anger came flooding back and he was clawing right back at the lion on top of him. Both, he and lion tumbled around on the ground. Gil used all of his strength digging his hands into fur and mane, far too angry to realize that the lion’s own teeth and claws were barely knicking him, the large beast obviously holding quite a bit back.

The two of them rolled about in the dirt, wrestling each other for hours, each trying to assert dominance over the other. Neither seemed to gain an upper hand despite the best of Gil’s efforts. Until finally both human and lion lay panting in the dirt, the sun setting above them. Unlike usual Gil looked as if he was a complete disaster. His shirt was all but torn away by the lions claws, he had tiny scratches and bruises here and there, and his own blonde mane had fallen out of its usually slicked back state its golden strands pointing this way and that. The lion on the other hand didn’t so much as have a scratch on it, though there could have been a bruise or two hidden under its white fur. A white muzzle nuzzled itself into Gil’s shoulder before licking at a scratch there. “Gross! Don’t lick someone such as myself!” Teeth bit at Gil’s skin hard enough to draw blood and like a wounded cub Gil was quick to apologize, “Ouch! Shit! Sorry!” As if it understood the lion gave an apologetic lick to the newly formed wound. The two lay there for a long while in silence till the setting sun had gone away and was replaced with the pure silver light of the moon. “Why are you here? Why am I here?” Gil finally spoke up, moving from the dirt to rest his back against the white fur of the lion. He fit perfectly into the noble beasts side, and both man and beast seemed completely used to the acton. The lion huffed once more and Gil closed his eyes, “To prepare me for my master. You mean the Gods? I’ll show them a thing or two.” The lion flicked its tail out and hit him right in the face, “Ow!” He rubbed at his nose, “My magic master? You’re the one who taught me my magic.” The lion yawned and then made another noise that Gil interpreted, “Oh yes. Passed down through the bloodline. Yada, Yada, Yada! Who cares about the bloodline! I learned all I need already!” He was smacked in the face once more by the lions tail. “Would you stop that!?” Gil huffed and buried himself farther into the lions side and the lion yawned, Gil following suit. The last thing the blonde recalled before falling asleep was the warm vibrations of the lions pur lulling him into sleep and almost fond memories.


The next day Gil awoke on the same dirt and dead grass rideen ground that he had fallen asleep to. The only thing missing was the lion that he had fallen asleep with. "Disgusting." He wrinkled his nose as he brushed as much of the dirt off of him as he could. His shirt was in tatters so he simply threw it off, his pants remained though even those had countless tears in them from the lion's claws. "When was the last time my back hurt this much?" Gil wondered as he stretched, numerous popping sounds coming from his spine. "This is why I prefer feather beds-" A familiar weight slammed into Gil once more and he went tumbling forward. Both lion and man rolled the dirt and grass, clawing at each other, one more playfully than the other of course. The two did not stop until Gil found himself rolling headfirst into a river of sorts.

"Ah!" The lion jumped off of him and onto the bank watching the human with an amused look. "Would a good morning have killed you?" Gil frowned and waddled towards the bank awkwardly. Black wet pants and boots clung to his skin making him feel more than a little uncomfortable. Unfortunately when Gil made a move to go back to the shore the lion stood in his way. "Move!" Gil commanded but the white lion stared back at him refusing to do so. The blonde man took a few steps to the right, the lion mirroring him. "Really?" Gil made a move to charge at the beast but it simply headbutted him sending the human flying back into the water. "Fine! I'll bath in this disgusting river!" One boot flew at the lion and then another, and a pair of water ridden pants soon followed. Gil looked at the murky water with a frown standing in it with nothing but his dark grey boxers on. The mage preferred showers over baths, he himself hated baths. He loved being clean and prided himself in his appearance but he disliked large amounts of water whether it be tub water or the murkyness of the river. "Ugh!"He did his best to clean himself as much as possible and as quick as possible. He splashed the water up toned arms and legs, bending over to try and throw some water up on his hair as well. Once wet and somewhat clean, the man slicked his hair back in its usual style.  As soon as he was done, perhaps a few minutes later, Gil went back to the muddy bank. The only sign that the lion had even been there was the imprints in the soft earth its paws had left. That and the fact that both his boots and pants were no longer there. "Haha very funny! Come out now!" Gil called out to the tall swaying grass but no response came. He waited there for a few more moments before realizing that the lion would not be coming and his pants and boots would not be doing so either. "I hate everything." He grumbled and made his way into the tall grass wincing as his one of his feet stepped on a particularly hard rock. "Ah shit!" Every step was uncomfortable and Gil had no doubt that there would be blisters and cuts there soon enough. "My flawless skin ruined by these beasts." He cursed under his breath and walked aimlessly through the tall grass. As the white lion appeared by his side as silent as a ghost, Gil hardly blinked let alone acknowledged its existence. The two walked side by side until a sudden rumbling caused both of them to pause. "Great now i'm hungry!" He sighed irritation thick in his voice. The lion flickered its red gaze to Gil before making a snorting noise. "Ha! Me? Hunt for food? What do I look like to you?" The lion made another noise. "A hungry human haha very funny." Gil rolled his eyes but soon realized that the lion was indeed being dead serious, “You actually want me to hunt? You do realize it’s been years right?” Another noise, “Of course I can still do it! I’m sure I’m better than you!” Gil huffed, apparently the lion had said something to tick him off.

The two prowled through the tall grasses until the lion suddenly stopped, crouching low to the ground. Gil mimicked the beast, trying to be as silent as possible but a bit of dry grass crunched underneath his feet and the sound of hooves taking off could be heard. The lion snorted and Gil growled, “I’m just warming up you overgrown house cat!” With that the two of them attempted to hunt once more.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that both man and lion were successful in their hunt. Old skills and teachings had begun to show themselves once more in the way the blonde haired mage, prowled through the tall grasses. Neither the lion nor the man made a sound as they stalked their prey. A herd of unsuspecting antelope was what the two were hunting. One, a younger one, had strayed from the herd coming dangerously close to the tall grasses. As quick as lightning Gil leapt out from his cover, wrapping his arms about the creatures slender neck. It took off running and bucking, dragging the mage along with it. “No!” He growled, and for the first time he was able to feel his magic flow through him, and the creature stopped dead in its tracks. The rest of the herd had taken off running at the first sight of Gil. With a bit of force, the neck snapped with ease and Gil’s lion companion came padding over. “You didn’t catch this!” Gil grumbled but allowed the lion to pick at the creature while he went to gather wood.

Starting a fire took Gil longer than expected, it had been a long time since he had to actually start a fire himself with no tools or people to aid him. Cooking the antelope took even longer, or what was left of the antelope after the white lion had gotten at it. Nibbling at the now cooked scraps of antelope Gil turned his gaze up towards the sky that was painted purple. “What’d you say?” He asked and turned towards the lion whom had made another noise of sorts in response. “Wait up!” Gil hollered and scrambled to his feet grabbing the remaining bits of his dinner. The fire by now was nothing but a pile of embers. “Where we goin?” His regal attitude all but forgotten after hours of hunting. Apparently all it took was one day in the wild and Gil was almost humbled. The lion made no noise in response to Gil’s question and instead continued walking, checking every now and then to see if the human was still following. Even though his feet hurt, Gil had almost gotten used to the pain of walking without shoes. The two continued on in silence for quite some distance until a lioness appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, sneaking its way from the thick grasses of the savannah. The female lion took one look at the two of them before taking off in a light trot of sorts. Not wanting to be left behind the two of them took off after the female lion who suddenly stopped before disappearing from sight. “What?” Gil came jogging up to where the female lion had been only to realize that it didn’t disappear, there was simply a slope of sorts, and at the bottom of the slope was what could only be described as a lions den.

Before Gil was able to figure out what to make of the den, something pounced on him from behind and both he and his attacker went tumbling down the slope. “What the?” Gil grumbled and realized a cub had mistaken him for prey or rather a chew toy. The two tumbled down the slope and into the lions den. Gil was groaning still from the fall but the cub was attacking him with plenty of ferociousness. One cub turned into two, three, and then soon enough there were more of the small lions on him then he knew what to do with. However, he was surprisingly calm about it. He was neither panicked nor angry if anything he was actually playing with the cubs. “Come here you!” He wrapped one of his arms around one of that cats and yanked another one’s tail with a free hand. For the first time in a long time Gil was laughing, and not his mean ‘I’m laughing at you’ laugh. It was his genuine laugh, rumbling from within his chest, an almost pleasant sound. The regal man gone wild was soon in a fit of laughter with numerous lion cubs on top of him, purring or gently gnawing on an arm or a leg, not breaking the skin of course. After a long day of hunting and adapting to the wild once more, Gil was soon fast asleep much to the dismay of the lion cubs. Though they soon followed the humans example and fell asleep with him.


The white lion, apparently the king of the pride with the way the other lions backed away from it with their heads bowed, padded its way softly to the sleeping human and the cubs that surrounded it. They didn’t have much time left with the human before the real training began. None the less the human was swayed easily enough when put into a situation where he was forced to change. The lion however had no doubt that the human would easily return to his old ways once out of the wild. It was simply who the human was and nothing would change that. He simply changed his attitude to survive in the wild but traces of it still showed despite the sudden change. The arrogant smirk, the constant want for something more, it would alway be there but for now this was as good as the lion could do to prepare the human. After all, the true masters would kill his prideful little human in a heartbeat if he still had all of his previous attitude.


“I’m not a cub!” Gil protested as one large paw pulled him back causing him to fall to the ground once more. A rough tongue licked the side of his face and Gil made a gagging sound, trying to push the muzzle away. He had awoken only a few minutes before, most of the cubs from the night before were gone or rather busy. Countless cubs from the night before were with their mother lionesses, who licked at their fur bathing them. Much to Gil’s dismay, a lioness of sorts had decided to try and do the same to him. “Stop that!” He frowned and pulled away once more only to be pulled back by a large paw. Before any damage could be done a mighty roar had the lioness scampering off with tail between its legs. Crimson eyes turned to gaze at the white lion as if to say ‘took you long enough’. Despite being mildly irritated at the lion for having previously abandoned him, Gil followed after the large cat who padded off. The man didn’t even wince as he stepped on a jagged rock, apparently having gotten used to it. He didn’t even raise a complaint at his own disheveled state. He was covered in dirt, various scratches and bruises littered previously flawless skin, and his hair stuck up in every direction. His disgruntled appearance almost made him seem younger than he really was and though the man would never admit it he felt as if he was reliving his young teen years all over again.

“Are we hunting again?” He asked, he was hungry but he wasn’t up for another hunt just yet. The lion continued to pad off in silence and Gil followed after him, not wanting to remain with the others unless he wanted to fall victim once more to getting ‘bathed’ by a random lioness. A shiver ran up his spine at the thought, and he sped up his pace to follow along after the large cat.

The two continued on in silence, the day going by slowly but the distance going by fast. They must have walked miles with nothing but each other for company. The rustling of the grass and the occasional sound of a bird chirping as the only sounds that were made as they continued their journey, to where Gil had no idea. The two entered an area with thicker grass that went above Gil’s head and the lion had all but disappeared within it. “Hey wait!” Gil called out and dashed forwards, occasionally catching glimpses of white fur within the tall, tan, and thick grasses. The glimpses of white soon stopped, and no matter where Gil looked he could not see or hear the lion. In slight panic he turned about but everywhere he looked was the tall grass in which he entered. He moved forward, hoping to catch sight of the lion or at least get out of the maze of grass that he entered. He couldn’t say why he was so panicked but he was, something about the grasses and how he lost the lion was becoming a big worry to him.

He rushed forward blindly, unsure of which direction he was going on. The sun was directly above him so there was no way of telling where to go. He may have been in there for hours or maybe even minutes but when he burst through the tall grass he couldn’t have been more relieved. “Huh?” Red eyes looked up at the men who stood perched above him on a rock.




A sudden feeling of dread washed over Gil, this situation all too familiar. For the first time in a long time his heart was pounding from fear. It wasn’t these men that scared him it was the memory of what came afterwards that scared him. Gil shook his head, his wild blonde mane shaking with the motion. “No!” He whispered taking a shaky step back getting prepared to run back into the labyrinth of tall grass. He’d rather wander around lost than go back with these men. At that moment something struck the back of his head, and Gil stumbled forward grasping at his head. The pain was blinding and he was seeing stars but he had still tried to look up at his attacker. All he saw was a the blunt end of a weapon coming down again on his head, and like that his vision went black.

When Gil awoke he was in a bed, silky white linen surrounding him. Crimson eyes blinked once and then twice, confused. Was he dreaming? “I swear I was at a tower and then the lions and….” He winced the pain in his head too much. He prodded at the back of his head checking for a wound but there was none there. The pain in his was so great that he was half tempted to close his eyes and go back to sleep, perhaps he’d wake up from the strange dream. Instead he rolled over onto his side and found that he was in a room that completely unfamiliar to him but familiar at the same time. “No I don’t want to be here not now not yet! I’m not ready yet!” He groaned and pulled himself out the warm comforts of the bed that was once his. He briefly noted that he had been cleaned up, any scratches healed, and his hair was combed down. “No!” He grumbled once more and there was a knock at the ornately carved doors.

The room in which Gil resided was befit a King. The bed was massive, and took up nearly half the room. There was countless luxurious items around the clearly stated ‘wealth’. The floors were a solid white marble, shined so perfectly that one could see their reflection if they looked closely. There was a large walk in closet to the right, a vanity to the left, an open arch that lead into a bathroom of sorts, and an open balcony. “No! No! No!” He chanted padding his way over to the balcony, silky white pants hung low on his hips. Gil had just made it to the balcony, and was preparing to vault off of it, regardless of the fact that he had nothing on but a pair of pajama pants on and that there was a rather hefty drop to the ground below. Unfortunately, just as he was about to make the jump with a hefty drop, his door creaked open and an all too familiar voice called out to him.

“Master! What are you doing!?” Gil spun around to lay eyes on a woman that he wished he didn’t remember. A woman who should have been dead. The mere sight of her was enough to stun him into silence and freeze him in his spot. The woman, dressed in nothing but simpe  armor apparently a knight of some sorts, stormed up to him. She had golden blonde hair and emerald like eyes that were narrowed into a glare. “Honestly! You’ve been missing for years and you try and escape on your first day back? At least put on a shirt if you’re planning on going out in public!” She wasn’t polite in the slightest when speaking to Gil but he was too stunned to care at this point. He simply stood there mouth open, one foot off the balcony preparing to jump. “Come! You’ve been summoned to breakfast!” Gil let the woman pull him away from the balcony. She grasped his hand, her slender calloused fingers fitting perfectly in his own larger hand. With practiced ease she lured the lion out of his den and to what Gil could only describe as his death.


“No don’t leave me.” The woman sighed and shoved Gil into a massive dining hall with a large table to match. She quickly slammed the door before Gil could try to escape, and the familiar sound of a lock clicking shut seemed to be echo in his ears. “Noooooooooo.” He slammed his hand on the door but even that had no force to it. He moped about the door for a moment more silently hoping that it would unlock and he could leave. As minutes went by though Gil was forced to turn around and face reality.

His barefeet silently padded down to the table, countless platters of food lay on it but there wasn’t a single person at the monstrous table. Gil slid into the spot at the head of the table, a habit really. The chair was large and velvety, the armrests had carvings and the back of the chair was taller than Gil. The man hardly marvelled at the chair as he sat in it, apparently used to it though he did seem rather tense. His stomach rumbled and crimson eyes glanced about the room warily. “Nobody is here. It doesn’t matter. I can do as I please as I always do as I please.” He let out a small breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. The confident thought made him feel better and a shaky hand grabbed at one of the rolls of bread place on the table.


Gil froze his hand had just grasped the bread but he made no move to pull it back onto his plate. The sound of footsteps upon the marble could be heard, the person approaching from the other end of the hall. “Do not be afraid. This is a dream. A nightmare.” Yet Gil found himself shaking as the owner of the footsteps came into view. A tall slender man approached Gil, he had long shiny black hair tied back into a ponytail, and burning crimson eyes. He was well-dressed and had an air of sophistication about him that put any high-class noble to shame. “I’m eating.” Gil replied a tremble in his normally confident voice. This particular man was not one that Gil had imagined meeting for a long time. It didn’t help that his nerves were shaked up from his recent experiences, putting him in a different state of mind than usual.

“You’re eating are you?” The man strolled around the table, circling around Gil who kept his eyes on the man regardless of where he travelled. The dark haired man appeared on the other side of Gil, standing next to him. “Well go on.” He motioned for Gil to take the bread which he had not yet released from his grip. Cautiously, the blonde pulled the roll back and onto his plate where he tore a piece off and popped it into his mouth. Before Gil could even swallow the man had moved and the blonde had found himself choking as a hand wrapped itself around his throat. “You’ve been gone all this time? Did you think you could escape me?” He asked a malicious glint in his eyes as he proceeded to try and stuff the roll in the blonde’s mouth. “You thought you could just waltz right in here and take the kingdom? What can you do? You summon beasts!” He spat and let go of Gil who coughed up the bread. “Look at you!” He sneered and grabbed a fistful of Gil’s blonde mane pulling him from the chair and table, “You’re looking awfully thick. Perhaps you should skip a meal?” Gil was flailing kicking his legs out and grabbing at the man’s hands trying to tear free. It had been a long time since he had felt such shame. The man proceeded to drag Gil out of the dining room and down a set of cold stone stairs. It felt as if he had been dragged around by the hair for miles by the time they reached their destination.

None to gently, Gil was thrown to hard and cold stone ground. The room was all too familiar. “Come on get up and look!” The man commanded but Gil shook his head keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. “I said look!” The man repeated and grabbed a fistful of blonde hair forcing Gil’s crimson gaze to stare into the mirror. “Look at that face.” A face distorted with pain, “What an ugly face. The face of an usurper!” Gil frowned before his face was quite literally smashed into the mirror, the glass cracking, a trickle of blood running down his visage. “I...I have to teach you how to rule when I was supposed to rule! You were supposed to be dead you worthless mongrel! Dead!” Gil curled up, covering his face from a kick that was specifically aimed at it, “Now I have to teach this magic to someone who can’t even properly use our families magic! You summon beasts!? Beasts!? Don’t you know what we’re supposed to tame? What we’re supposed to be able to summon!? Why we have the throne!?” A kick followed each question and even with his hands shielding his face, Gil could not help but black out once more.



Gil frowned his crimson gaze cast downwards. “I’ve spent four days trapped in this nightmare.” Gil winced as the woman dabbed at a wound on his face. The male mage was left in the dungeon like room with nothing but a broken mirror and himself for company. The same knightlike woman from earlier came in, to clean up the cut on his face that the mirror had created. The two sat in a forlorn sort of silence. While Gil was almost content to sit around in his depressed state, the woman seemed to want no part in it.

A perfect brow raised itself in confusion as he gazed at the woman who sat across from him. A determined look on her face. “What?” He asked with a frown. The woman placed her hands on his face, one on either cheek, cradling it in a well practiced motion.

“You heard me! Depressed isn’t a good look for you Master! You have to remember who you are!” She nodded giving him a smile, “You’re a King! Don’t let Tyrion push you down! You are strong, and handsome and I’m sure you’re a much better mage than him!”

Oddly enough Gil was almost comforted by the blonde woman’s words. “Right remember who I am.” A sudden wave of pain washed over his head and he recalled quite a bit that he had temporarily forgotten since arriving at the castle. “I’m much better than him! I’m one of the nine pillars of Tartarus. I’m a capable mage. I’m a King.” The man grumbled a shadow of a smirk passing over his lips. The woman rolled her eyes but seemed almost happy at his mild change in attitude though that happiness was quick to pass. “Ha! Wait till I show him!” Gil growled and the woman immediately seemed to regret her decision to try and bring her masters spirits up.

“Wait! Don’t do that master!” The woman grasped one of his hands, though he did not seem to want to snap at the servant for doing so. She was a rather special woman to say the least. “I mean if you mouth off to Tyrion then he’ll….He’ll kill you!” The woman did have a point. Not to mention the irrational but rational fear of Tyrion was deeply bedded in the blonde’s head. He had gone through years of torture at that man’s hands. As prideful as Gil was it would take more than just a few years apart for him to get over that fear. Not to mention Gil wasn’t even close to being his usual prideful self.

The fact that he was not his usual self was something to be concerned of. It took a lot for a man as narcissistic, egotistic, and just plain selfish, rude, and mean as Gil to be acting in such a manner. In fact it was almost unnatural for him to be acting that way. Either this was his true colors, the colors of a coward who had come to believe his own lies about himself, or something was tampering with his feelings. Gil could only hope it was the latter of the two.

Like words from a script that Gil had said already once before, they flowed from his tongue without him realizing it. “Why would you care if I die?” The question had taken the woman off guard as Gil knew it would. “I mean if I were to die you could probably just leave.” It was like he couldn’t stop himself from saying the words that had been spoken before. Like actors in a play that had been rehearsed before, the woman said her lines just as Gil knew she would.

“Well you are my master.” The girl replied though she seemed rather flustered at his question.”I mean you’re more than my master.” The woman stammered trying to get the words out. Though Gil had already heard those words once before. The woman glanced away and stood up, a rose colored blush dusting her pale cheeks. She made a leave to exit but Gil had grabbed at the hem of her skirt causing her to turn back and look at him for a moment. Neither spoke for a moment as green clashed with red before finally, the woman closed her eyes. “You’re strong and more beautiful than I could ever hope to be.” The woman laughed a little, a birdlike sound. “So I have no right loving such a mean selfish but wonderful master but I do.” Pale pink lips pressed against his cheek, so light that for a moment that he thought he had imagined them being there. As quick as a bird she spun away from him a melancholy smile on her pretty lips, “You do not deserve me but you deserve the world Gil Vessalius.” The girl left the man with nothing but his thoughts, himself, and the mirror for company.

Unknown to Gil or anyone else for that matter, the source of his vanity, his ego, and every other trait he had just walked out of the room. The woman who had given him his first piece of metaphorical armor, a woman who had unknowingly created the narcissistic man that was Gil. While her intentions were good, after all she only wanted to raise her masters confidence after it was demolished by Tyrion, they had turned from something positive into something negative. The blonde clung so tightly onto those words, and wanted to believe in them so hard that along the way he began adding more words to his metaphorical armor, and eventually it consumed him. Perhaps it wasn’t only that woman’s fault. No, if not for Tyrion those words would not have affected him nearly as much. Tyrion and his brutality is what caused those words to morph into something entirely different.

Thoughts of the source of all of his personality problems was what lulled him to sleep. Dreams or rather nightmares, of what made those flaws worse was what made sleep a rather difficult thing. All, throughout the night the blonde tossed and turned upon the stone floor. He could only hope that he would not need too much energy for the next day.


The thought was not a comforting one as he heaved. Gil had been rudely awakened the damp, dark, and cold chamber that he was left in the day before by the very man who had put him in there in the first place. After getting dragged out, in a very similar manner to which he had been dragged in, Gil was tossed into the room, his room, that he had originally been in the day before. He didn’t even have to ask as to why he was in there, he already knew why. Thus the man began the long ritual of cleaning himself up.

Once cleaned sufficiently, Gil slicked his hair back, a small act of defiance. Tyrion hated it when it was slicked back but Gil was feeling a little rebellious after the previous nights talk with the lady knight. To say the rebellion was beaten out of him would be an understatement. After getting cleaned up, Tyrion had fetched him from his room. The Tartarus mage was all to aware of the man’s crimson eyes upon Gil’s appearance. He had no doubt that Tyrion wasn’t too happy about how Gil had decided to look today. However, Tyrion didn’t comment on it or made any moves against him. The two simply walked side by side. To say they were opposites would be an understatement. Tyrion with his long black hair, was incredibly skinny, having an almost sickly look to him. Though, that didn’t stop him from having a certain air about him. On the other hand Gil stood a few inches taller than the man, golden blonde hair, more muscle than Tyrion could dream of having, and an overall healthy and regal appearance. One of the only things they had in common might have been their crimson eyes, from a distance they seemed to be the same shade of red. Upon closer inspection Tyrion’s eyes were a murky red, like the color of a blood stain. Gil’s eyes were brilliant shade of red, rivalling even the brightest of rubies, and had an almost cat like appearance to them. It was not only their eye color that was somewhat similar but their general face shape, if looked closely was incredibly similar, showing that they beared some sign of relation. Whether it was the strong but pointed chin, the curve in their noses, or the way both of their scowls had an incredibly scary look to them, there was no changing that the two men were related one way or another.

The two of them continued down a long corridor that seemed almost endless. The marble was cool beneath Gil’s barefeet, another thing that Tyrion would be angry about later was Gil’s barefeet. Finally, the two entered right back into the large dining room. No one was at the table, same as before but there was countless dishes of food just like last time. Wary that the same thing was gonna happen Gil took his seat, at the head of the table. Tyrion took the seat just to the right of him. The blonde waited and watched as Tyrion grabbed some food for himself before deciding that it was also okay for him to eat. While the food looked delicious what truly caught the mages attention was the flagon of wine. Immediately pouring himself a cup full, Gil took a long swig of it. He had a feeling he’d be needing it soon.

Gil was about to pour himself a second glass, not yet having touched the food when the cool calm voice of Tyrion caused him to pause. While the raven haired man’s voice sounded calm, Gil knew there was anger coursing just beneath the surface like the calm before a storm.

“That’s quite a bit of wine. You haven’t even had anything to eat yet.” Gil’s stomach felt like it was in a knot, “I wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything. I put quite a bit of-” Poison? Garbage? Gil could only imagine what Tyrion had put in the wine. The raven haired man knew him well enough to know that Gil always went for the wine first. Which is exactly how he had ended up on his knee’s next to the grand table, heaving up the wine he had just drank, thinking about how he’d been trapped in the nightmare for five days now.

It seemed as if the nightmare wasn’t going to end anytime soon as Tyrion got out of his seat. “How disgusting. You always ruin everything don’t you?” The man knelt beside Gil’s shaking form. “I didn’t want to start training this early in the morning but you leave me no choice. I have to punish you for your insolence.”



Gil’s stomach was still queasy from the wine incident but Tyrion hadn’t given him much choice. The scrawny man had dragged Gil, in his usual by the hair fashion, down the same step of stairs that led to the room where the now broken mirror was in. Luckily, they passed by that room heading farther down into the dungeons. The blonde already knew where Tyrion was planning on taking him and would have welcomed the mirror room instead. However, Gil rarely got what he wanted at least not when he was in this castle under Tyrion’s rule. Step by step, brick by brick, Gil was dragged deeper and deeper beneath the castle. As they went down it only got darker and darker save for a few flickering torches that hung here and there. It seemed as if Tyrion was personally dragging Gil down to hell with the constant downwards slope and heavy gloom that surrounded them, most might expect that they could just keep going down and down as there seemed to be no end to their path in sight. Until finally the dark hallway the travelled down opening up into a wide open cavern. The stone floor was damp and dirty, the cavern almost completely save for a few torches that provided barely enough light. Tyrion through Gil down onto the ground before proceeding to the other end of the cavern. “Go on! Summon something! Show me what it is you can do!” Tyrion’s voice was not encouraging in the slightest, it was taunting and demeaning. Clambering up to his feet, for the first time in a long time Gil was able to use his magic.

“I command thee Cheetah to defend and protect your rightful King. Come to my side.” Golden light illuminated the previously dark cavern for a moment, and then the darkness came crawling back in. To replace the light the Cheetah stood by Gil’s side its tail swishing from side to side, a tongue flicking out to lick at its sharp teeth. With magic back and a beast by his side, Gil was almost feeling like his usual self. Powerful, unstoppable, better than everyone else, but that feeling was short lived as another flash of light illuminated the dark chamber.

A dark winged creature stood beside Tyrion, a creature that Gil was all too familiar with. “What’s the matter Gil? It’s been a while since we fought one on one.” The man’s voice with thick with arrogance much like how Gil’s own voice often was, it was easy to figure out where he had gotten that from. One on one wasn’t exactly a fair way to describe the fight even with both their summons out it wouldn’t even be fair to call it a two v two. It was the difference in power between them and their summons that made the fight a completely unfair one.

“Attack!” Gil commanded though he knew it was futile. The cat dashed forward as fast as its paws would carry it. For a moment it seemed as if the Cheetah would manage to get a good swipe in but the winged creature materialized a scythe, and with a flash of gold the feline returned to where it had been summoned from. As much as Gil wanted to it wasn’t as if he could just back down, he’d get worst of a beating if he simply admitted defeat, so that meant he continued his futile attempt to fight against Tyrion much to the dark haired man’s amusement.

“What beast are you gonna summon now? Do you honestly have something that can take on my Thanatos?” The man laughed, a cruel sounding thing. Before Gil could even begin to utter the words required to summon another creature the winged creature was in front of him with scythe raised. Acting on instinct Gil flung himself to the side, the scythe just barely missing him. Tyrion’s bitter laughter continued as Gil struggled to avoid the winged god’s scythe, the dark weapon occasionally catching Gil’s skin here or there. The two moved about as if in a messy dance, Thanatos clearly leading it. The last thing Gil recalled was taking a swift blow to the side, slicing the skin there with ease, and then the blunt end of the scythe coming down to meet his face.



Red eyes blinked once and then twice before rolling over to face the lady knight. The effort of rolling over and onto his side made Gil once. Tyrion certainly didn’t hold back when it came to training, or in this case mercilessly beating the blonde man up. His hand instinctively went over to prod at his bandaged side making sure he didn’t reopen the wound there. “Yes?” Even his voice sounded as tired as he felt and looked. Depressed wasn’t exactly the right word to describe how the Tartarus mage had felt after the previous days battle with Tyrion. Gil was more or less incapable of being ‘depressed’ what he was feeling was something far more complicated than that. Hopelessness perhaps? No that wasn’t quite right either. Despair? Insecure? None of the words seemed to fit the bill quite right. Since his humiliating loss the blonde was thrown back into the room with the mirror, which had gotten fixed at some point, and wanted to stay alone in that room so he could sleep all his problems away. Unfortunately, sleep did not come easily not with his reflection constantly staring back at him. The man in the mirror seemed to mock and judge him for his pitiful state, even with his eyes closed Gil still felt as if his reflection was somehow staring at him. Which made sleep elusive, and what little rest he got was fitful at best considering all of the aches, pains, and nightmares that disturbed him while asleep.

He had no idea how long the woman had been in the room but at some point she had dressed his wounds. She even stayed to keep him company, something that Gil was thankful for. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stay in that room with his mocking reflection. The woman chattered for a while,  the mage only half-listening simply enjoying the sound of her voice. However, it seemed the woman wanted his whole and undivided attention. Once he faced her the woman gave a small smile, reaching out to smooth his hair back. That simple action was something that Gil would not normally allow anyone to do but this woman had him tamed like a purring kitten. "Master...?" Another soft caress had his crimson irises fluttering shut hidden behind golden lashes. "Master! Wake up!" The woman sighed, "I'm curious. Was he always like this?" That question was enough to have Gil wide awake once more. "I'm sorry master. It is not my place to ask a question I shall leave-" His hand flew out to grab her wrist before she could turn and leave, with a gentle tug he kept her there.

"No. Stay. You caught me off guard is all." He grumbled keeping a firm grip on the woman as he thought about how to respond. "He's always..... He's always been a certain way.... Never quite as bad as this but he's always had it in him...." Without realizing it he had begun reminiscing of days long forgotten.

Red eyes peered over the edge of a crib, tiny fingers gripping the edge, and little feet stood up on their tiptoes trying to help the child look up and over the edge of the crib. "Ah!" Big hands wrapped about the child's waist and pulled him, his tiny legs instinctively wrapping around the side of his father's waist, his red eyes peering over at the baby in the crib.

"That's your brother." The man pointed and leaned over so the child's chubby fingers could reach over and into the crib, reaching out to touch his brother. "You'll be a good big brother right Gil? You'll protect your brother?" The man ruffled the boy's golden locks causing the boy to grown playfully and swat his father's hands away.

"I'll be the best big brother!" Even at a young age it seemed the child had a superiority complex. "Why does he have black hair papa?" The boy asked unsure as to how his little brother had black hair and not the golden blonde curls in which he had.

"Mama has black hair." His father laughed, "You two will be the best of friends. You'll rule together and-"

"Stop!" A woman had entered, dark black hair cascading in curls down to her waist. She was pale and tired looking but had a fury like no other in her eyes. The man holding Gil set him down and the child ran over to the woman with a gleeful call of 'Mama!'. Instinctively the mother wrapped her arms around her eldest son but held a glare at the father, "Don't get his hopes up. We both know that Tyrion won't survive. He's too sickly!" The woman seethed causing Gil to glance up at his mother, confusion heavy in his crimson eyes.

"Is he gonna die mama?" The young boy asked, not truly having a complete grasp on death and what it meant. All the child knew was that it was bad. The woman gave a quick squeeze to her child before storming out of the room leaving the father and two sons behind. "Papa?" Gil asked hoping his father would have an answer. The older golden haired man, with crimson irises just like his son gave a melancholy smile of sorts, patting his son on the head before giving chase to his wife. As silent and as quick as a mouse Gil padded over to the crib straining to peer over the edge once more at his dark haired little brother, “Don’t worry about what mama said. You have me so you’ll be just fine!”

Fast forwarding a few years, Gil was no longer the small almost chubby looking toddler. He was the perfect image of health and energy, even at a young age it was obvious he was going to be tall and handsome. His boyish features were charming, often persuading even the stingiest of  household servants to let him have his way. The chubbyness that often came with toddlers had all but melted off of his lithe form after days of running and playing. He was what every young boy should be or at least that’s what he was often told.

Playing in the gardens was one of young Gil’s favorite ways to pass the time, as days often seemed so long to the young. “Br-Brother!” The blonde boy spun on his heel to face his younger brother, who’s murky red eyes were filled with tears. Little hands reached out for his brother, the raven haired boy had fallen after chasing his faster and much healthier brother.

Young Gil:

“Oh my!” Gil smiled pleasantly, dashing over to his younger brother. “You ought to be more careful! You know you can’t keep up with me!” Gil frowned as he bent down to inspect his younger brother’s scraped knee. “Hmmmm let’s get ya to mama!” Being the perfect image of an older brother Gil lifted Tyrion, the sickly boy was light enough even for someone like Gil to lift with relative ease. “Mama!” The blonde called out, their mother not to far off having tea at a table while reading a book. “Tyrion fell and scraped his knee!” The woman set the book down as her two sons approached her, one of them carrying the other. “Is he gonna be okay?” Gil was a rather doting brother, after all he was the older one and should protect his younger sibling.

“It’s just a little scrape. You need to be more careful Tyrion, I know you wanna keep up with Gil but you’re simply not strong enough.” The woman scolded as she set the toddler down before turning to her eldest. “What a good brother you are Gil.” A rewarding pat on the head had Gil blushing, “My pretty boy.” She cooed and being a young boy he denied that statement readily.

“I’m not pretty! I’m manly!” He puffed his chest out, causing the woman to laugh. As mother and son playfully bantered, the two were unaware of the murky red eyes that watched them. Neither knew that this marked the beginning of Tyrion’s bleak life, forever getting compared to his elder brother.

While Gil was arguable stronger, healthier, and even more charming than his younger sibling there was one thing that Tyrion had excelled at that Gil did not. The raven haired boy had taken to magic much quicker than Gil, to the point where it was believed that Gil might not ever be able to perform the magic of their household. It created a rift of sorts between the two brothers but at that point in time Gil was still rather protective of Tyrion who seemed to be as frail and as sickly as ever. None the less the blonde boy demanded of his younger brother to teach him the ways of their household magic, to no avail. No matter what they tried it seemed as if Gil had no magical potential, the rift growing further and further as the blonde grew more and more frustrated.

That was when the incident happened, where Tyrion had showed his true colors, and Gil had tapped into the beginning of what would become his magic. It was also where the rift between the two grew too great to be fixed.

“These are nymphs.” Tyrion pointed, though seemed rather bored about it. His older brother seemed fascinated by the creatures that Tyrion had summoned. “They’re lesser gods. Nothing to be excited about.” Tyrion frowned the beginning of irritation showing on his pale features. The nymphs he had summoned, female one’s, completely ignored their summoner and instead focused on his golden haired brother infatuated by him. With another huff of air, Tyrion sent the nymphs back to their world leaving just the two brother’s by themselves in the castle gardens. Even having grown out of infancy, and his toddler stage, Tyrion was significantly smaller than other boys his age and it seemed he had yet to outgrow the sickliness.

“Awww you’re not fun Tyrion.” Gil huffed out hands behind his head, “It was just getting interesting!”

“I’m tired of your-” The younger sibling began but was abruptly cut off by a rustle in the bushes. Both boys stopped to look, startled by the sounds. At that moment a dog of sorts popped out, feral and angry looking. As most creatures often do, they pick of the weakest link and in this case between the two boys Tyrion was clearly the weaker of the two. The dog snarled and growled, snapping at the dark haired youth that scrambled back, too panicked to remember how to cast his magic.

“No! Stop that!” Still protective of his brother Gil shouted at the dog, a peculiar feeling in his voice and body. “Don’t you dare attack him! Down!” The blonde youth growled out as he approached the feral dog, it made a few snapping motions at the oncoming aggressor but it backed away with each step Gil took closer to it. “I command you!” This time something was clearly different about the blonde, his voice carried in it a certain undeniable authority and even his appearance had a subtle change to it, making him look more intimidating than before. The dog gave one last snap before rolling over and onto its back, showing its belly.

Before Gil could stop Tyrion, the pale boy kicked the animal, the creature whelping. “You dumb beast! You could have killed me!” Another swift kick but the canine could not do anything against the boy, having been commanded not to attack. Luckily, it’s master came to its rescue and for the first time in Gil’s life he shoved Tyrion causing him to fall down. “You...You pushed me.” Tyrion seemed surprised having never seen Gil so angry. “You-You’ve never laid your hands on me before like that!” Tyrion frowned almost angry that Gil had done such a thing.

“It didn’t hurt you! You have no reason to kick it!” Gil retorted but the damage was done, the difference between the two brothers was obvious now. With one last terrifying malicious look, Tyrion stormed away from his elder brother and the now tamed dog. The two didn’t speak again after that, not even days later when he heard that a certain feral dog had gone missing. He knew exactly what had happened to that dog and who had done it but he couldn’t bring himself to bring it up. So the two brothers lived their lives separately, Tyrion a life of seclusion  and Gil surrounded by adoration. They would probably have never talked again if not for Gil’s sudden disappearance from the kingdom.

“That’s that. He used to look up to me and I used to look out for him.” He shrugged finishing his reminiscing to the woman. That said woman seemed to be in thought, chewing over Gil’s words before giving him a hug.

“There’s nothing you could have done. I’m sure you were a great older brother. There’s nothing you could have done to change the cruelness of Tyrion.” The woman paused before continuing, “Don’t worry it’ll all be over soon.” Gil could not give the woman a response or question what she said because right after that she was quick to leave the room. For some reason he felt almost wary at her departure, almost knowing that something bad was going to happen.

Rolling over once more, he turned to face the mirror looking at his reflection once more. Tyrion stared back at him, after he blinked however it was just his usual self gazing back at him. At peace with his reflection and with himself, Gil let sleep take ahold of him.

The lifeless green eyes of the knight like woman stared back at him. There was no vibrancy to the green orbs anymore, no life to them, just compete emptiness much like what he was feeling at the moment. He could hear Tyrion ranting in the background but he tuned his brother out as he simply kneeled by the lifeless woman unable to take his crimson gaze off of her.


Her words seemed to echo in his ears, as he cradled her head in his lap. A childish part of him hoping that she’d just get up and be fine, her various wounds seemed to say otherwise. Despite feeling empty, he was shaking, attempting to stop some sort of emotion from bubbling up. All the while Tyrion ranted but by now the man seemed to notice that Gil wasn’t listening to a single word of it. Which only served to upset the dark haired man even more. A sharp kick to the side sent Gil sprawling to the side, Tyrion looming above him looking almost imposing.

“You know. You made me kill her. If you just listened to me and did magic like how this family is supposed to I wouldn’t have had to kill her.” The man growled but still had not gotten ahold of the blonde’s attention. The younger brother pounced on top of the older, a malicious look in his murky red eyes. “Why don’t you listen to me!?” Grabbing Gil by the collar he screamed in the blonde’s indifferent face. Then he finally said something that caught Gil’s attention.


It appeared that even Tyrion noticed the sudden look of awareness in Gil’s eyes. He did not what it meant but it was what he wanted. “That’s right! I have been in your shadow since day one. Everyone thought I was gonna die, they lived everyday thinking that I could die at any moment so nobody ever got truly attached to me! While you? You were the gift from the gods! They thought you were so strong and healthy and perfect!” Tyrion was shaking from anger, “Well you’re not! You’re weak! You summon beasts! The Vessalius family is supposed to summon gods! We’re kings of the gods! We’re the family of men that made gods bend their knee’s to us but you? You summon worthless beasts.”Tyrion did not seem to be calming down anytime soon, “Even though you’re a complete failure at our family’s magic everyone still favored you. They wanted me to teach you how to do magic properly so YOU could take over. Not me but YOU! I had to teach you!” The man laughed his usual cruel laugh but sounded almost insane this time, “If I came first then none of this would have happened Gil. You wouldn’t have made me a killer. That’s right. I’m this way because of you. I never would have killed the useless servant if not for you.” A peculiar smile, “You know when you were kidnapped? When they tossed you out into the wild so you could be food for the wild animals? You know who planned that?” Gil had always suspected but didn’t want to believe that his own brother would do such a thing. “That’s right I tried to get you killed. I thought I had succeeded to. Mother and Father were so sad but they still had me. I was finally the favorite. Then when they passed, and I was to take over, everything seemed perfect but you just had to ruin everything didn’t you? You just had to come back and take what is rightfully mine! I will not live in your shadow anymore Gil, I will-”

Gil laughed and laughed until his sides hurt, he threw his head back and tears formed in his eyes. Tyrion seemed disturbed by this sudden outburst of laughter, demanding that Gil stop laughing at once but that only seemed to cause the blonde to laugh even more. Finally, he stopped growing dead serious. “Don’t you know Tyrion? You will always be in my shadow.” His fear for his younger brother was all but gone after learning as to why he was so cruel. Tyrion’s own insecurity seemed to cause Gil to thrive, that or the raven haired man had finally pushed Gil over the edge. “You see. There’s nothing you can do Tyrion, you will never escape my shadow. Even if you were to kill me right now I will always be remembered because all great things are remembered. But you? When you die your memory will fade away like the spec of dust that you are.” Even with Tyrion on top of him, Gil had a way of looking so smug and confident that his own position seemed to not matter, “Go ahead. Tyrion. Kill me. Like you’ve always wanted to do.” So focused on each other neither of them noticed the scenery changing, their time running out. No longer were they in the castle they were simply floating as if between time and space itself. Nothing but darkness surrounded them, but none of it mattered.

Taking the bait, Tyrion slipped a knife out of its sheathe, and Gil lunged. Even if Tyrion was better at magic then Gil was, there was one thing that Gil had learned in this nightmare. He didn’t always need to use his magic, he himself could be just as strong if not stronger than the beasts he commanded. Being the bigger, stronger, and healthier one Gil pushed Tyrion off of him, reversing their positions so that he was on top. His hands wrapped about Tyrion’s throat as Tyrion’s dagger dug itself into his chest. The pain was blinding but still the mage would not loosen his grip on the slender pale throat crushed between his hands.

It was a strange time to be recalling his father’s words but Gil found himself remembering a particular few. “I’m the big brother. I’m supposed to protect you. Even if that means I’m protecting you from yourself.” For the first time in his life Gil managed to express his gratitude, “Thank you Tyrion. You’ve taught me a few valuable lessons. Just know that I will come for you one day and take back what is rightfully mine.” A smirk of sorts crossed over his features, “Master....” Little brother….

Crimson eyes snapped open and his body went flying forward, to a sitting position. A hand reached up and instinctively went to his chest, clutching where the blade had been. There was no physical wound there but his mind could still feel the phantom of the attack and the tingling feeling it left behind. He was panting for breath and shaking, magic bursting in him in preparation to defend himself. Instead a cool breeze ruffled through his sweat dampened hair and Gil looked around him. He was still on top of Sky Tower. “A dream?” He asked but already knew the answer. His crimson gaze locked onto the glittering gem still held between the two griffins. “This is all your doing.” He narrowed his eyes at the gem as if it was a sentient being. All want for the beautiful stone had diminished after what he was forced to experience. He wanted no part with something that was capable of doing that. Of putting him back in such a vile place and making him do things that he would not do under normal circumstances. He felt like throwing up just from recalling the experience alone, but the man pushed back his queasy stomach and thoughts.

Shakily Gil clambered up to his feet the memories of everything still vivid in his head. What mattered the most was figuring out what had happened. “Those men they said that gem granted the ability to learn with one’s master once more.” He breathed out and ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the strands that clung to his sweat dampened forehead. He took one breath and then another, in an attempt to calm his shaken nerves. It was strange for him to be in such a pitiful state. In fact he hated every single moment he wasted while being so shaken. Thankfully, no one was there to watch or see the usually confident man break down in such a manner. The normally arrogant self-centered blonde was a shaking mess, tears threatening to spill at any moment. “I can’t cry. Men do not cry.” Another shaky breath, his hands digging themselves into his hair nearly painfully. His chest was throbbing either from pushed back emotion or the tingle left by the final attack it was hard to say. “I need to calm down.” He sucked in another big gulp of the crisp night air. After a few moments of simply breathing the man had calmed enough, so that he at least didn’t appear ready to cry.

“The first part of my magic, know the beast, be the beast, tame the beast.” He breathed out, the first part to the nightmare of that experience wasn’t truly bad. He did not mind being with beasts and living like one for a short time, it was something he had already done, it was what caused his magic to be what it is. “But that.” Just thinking about it made his stomach want to turn over on itself all over again. No! He couldn’t afford to think like that, the man made an actual effort to push the fear and the insecurity down, thickening the layers of his vanity and pride. “Screw him. I don’t care if that’s what the magic is supposed to be! I do what I want damnit. I do what I want.” Even the that seemed to be a struggle, half-hearted at best. The words had no meaning behind them at least not the usual overly-confident meaning that his words often had. These one’s were genuine but shaky and unsure as most genuine wants and dreams often were.  It would take a long time for Gil to get back to his regular self after this.