Radiant Hall

The bedroom was dark, and devoid of sound. The many crystals that shone outside did not penetrate this empty sanctuary, the crimson curtains blocking out the moonlight just as the door and walls shut out the radiance for which the hall was named. The only light in that room came from 14 crystals, suspended by iron rods jutting from the back of the lone silhouette that lounged on a stool at the very center of the room, hunched over a small table upon which stood a platoon of tiny soldiers, awaiting only their master's command to move.

Silence. A sudden rush of air. A clattering as the last piece landed perfectly on the surface of the chessboard, the black king falling into its place. Two crimson eyes opened in the darkness, and the Lord of the Moonlight smirked, giving a quiet chuckle of amusement.

"Haha... Well, that's interesting," The Vampire said with a laugh, grinning down at the chessboard. The sensation she had just felt... It was faint, but it was there. For a moment, there had been a great rush of light not of this world. Such a thing could never escape her keen eyes. No, unlikely as it might have seemed, there was only one explanation.

"It seems the enemy king has finally made his appearance. In that case, I suppose I'll greet him with my knight." As she spoke, she moved one of the white knights out onto the board.

"Maycenna!" She called. Doubtless, the Sphinx was waiting just outside for her commands. "Our long awaited opportunity has just arrived. I want you to bring Assavar and Aoi here right away, and then head to the door in the hill. It seems someone has just done the impossible, and I would like to know the true face of this miracle."

There was a small flicker of gold, caused by the glow of the crystals descending graciously from the ceiling. Something shifted in the faint light, and a face appeared in the doorway; Though never a normal face. Two feline ears twitched, and bright eyes gleamed from behind that of an owl mask. The same crystals that were hanging from the vast ceiling were encrusted in the figure’s mask. Each feather had a light crystal somewhere on it. The lights reflecting and shining from the larger ones filtered down, almost as if they were reaching out for the smaller ones. As they did, that light got sucked up and stored, though the lighting remained exactly the same, and no harm was done at all.

The Sphinx bowed, one paw outstretched before her own self, and the other bent in the motion. Gentle ashen-colored white wings outstretched for a moment before snapping silently and gracefully in a stretch, returning back to the feline’s side, her tail sweeping along the ground. “Yes my Lady. I shall go and retrieve both the griffon and the green.” A smile flickered across what features were open to be seen, and a sweet and small purr emanated from the cat’s vocals. “And I shall make utter haste to go and seek out the black prince.” With another bow, the feline-like creature swept out of the room graciously, waiting one moment before stepping away from the room.

Her paws then began to patter along the stone of the floors as she went after the two, who, most likely, were together as they almost always were. She would just have to deduce whether or not they were within the hall, or without. Either way, the deed would be done quickly.

The large griffon lay on the gray grass outside the hall. Radiant Hall, the little one called it, but why? It was neither beautiful nor colorful. It was just as dark and bland as the rest of the world... or at least, the world that the vampires saw. The trees appeared as they always did, gray an lifeless. Truly this was a cursed world. Asavar snapped his head back to rustle his bright white and silver feathers the only true bright thing within miles. His beak hit a particular sensitive spot on his wing sending a cascade of shivers to run through his body. Snapping his wings away from his body, he beat them once to send his feathers back to their place and to help get rid of any lingering shivers, sending a blast of air throughout the grass ripping them left and right from the brief, but brutal torrent.

His eyes picked up a brief sound of something smacking against tile, but the doors of the Hall drowned out the rest of the noise, but Asavar was sure it was merely the little one. Most likely she fell once again, but she would be fine, and Asavar needed his breaks of quiet contemplation such as now. It had been quiet these past few dull days, and Asavar preferred it to stay that way. He had no desire to go running about with the little one as she followed the beckoning of her sister. Casting a glance at the black sky, the thought repeated itself, what a cursed world. It would be better if this world never existed or ceased to exist. Besides his own noble people, the others did not deserve to breath, even if it was the dull, stale air of a cursed world.

The sphinx bowed once more, a mischievous smile on her face. "But of course, my little flower source." Her ear flicked, and she stretched, yawning. "Please get Asavar and go to Mira's room." The feline nodded softly, hopping nimbly onto the railing. "You really must be careful, little thing. I'm sure your knee probably stings. It looks pretty scraped up. You can easily get tile-burn from these floors." That same smirk reappeared, and she jumped from the railing, using her wings to catch the air underneath as well as the propulsion of her back legs as she sprung from her previous point, coming to a rest on a small outcropping on the very large wall.

The feline's eyes then narrowed, and she slipped down from the wall, opening up the door and slipping out into many hallways towards one of the doors leading to the outside. Her foot pattering resounded in the empty halls, and she then pounced up, landing on the doorknob and pressing down on it, the door coming open and the faint light filtering in. She then spotted Asavar, and she grinned widely. "Well, hello good-looking~" She purred, obviously toying with the proud griffon. "You and Aoi are both required by Mira, please be so gracing as to come into my Mistress' room. There is some interesting news." And with that, she disappeared into the underbrush, her ears perked and very alert, her mouth slightly open as she took in the scents, and using the very faint tug in order to get to the door in the Forest of Meiro.

Asavar snapped his head around in the direction of the intrusion. Good Looking? While yes, he supposed compared to whatever this lowly creature had ever seen, he was good looking, but her compliments would get her no where. He was not a servant nor did he jump up and down when her mistress said so. Her mistress could require all she wanted, Asavar was going no where. A Griffon did not move to the bidding of a vampire. Perhaps in time, the vampire would learn some manners and ask... but more importantly, learn to come herself and not send her servant. Until then, Asavar was more then content to remain where he was. Also, interesting usually meant something interesting to their kind, not to him. Did they find some lowly prey they wished to feast upon? Did something happen to one of the other members of their little flower party? Either way, It did not concern him.

The sphinx had ruined the atmosphere, so it was time for a change in scenery. Snapping his wings out, he beat them a few times and sent himself soaring into the air before tucking his wings back in and shooting at the roof of Radiant Hall. Snapping his wings back out once more, he broke his rapid decent and lowered himself onto the top before laying down once more this time a little higher then the rest of the creatures of the forest. It was only right that they have to look up to him. Content with the change... although now all he saw was a depressing view of a dull forest and a black sky, it would do.

"There is no need for such formality, sister," The Vampire said, smirking as she glanced up from her chessboard, turning her crimson gaze upon the newly arrived Aoi. "There is little time and much for us to do. Tell me, did you sense something just now? If so, then I congratulate you on your perception. In any case, I'll explain briefly, regardless, as I have a bit of information you might not have noticed. But first, why not sit down?" Extending an arm to an empty chair across the chessboard, Miraiya smiled cordially to her sister, inviting her to have a seat.

"Just a moment ago, light appeared a short distance from our territory. While normally this would not be unusual, this light was different. Not of this world. I pinpointed the location from which this light emanated, and you can understand my surprise when I found exactly what its source was: the doorway," The master of the hall continued, smiling with anticipation. "And, if the legends are to be believed, that can mean only one thing: a Human, from the fabled world beyond that gateway, with vast untapped power running through its veins. Surely you know what that means?" The Vampire stretched out her wings along with her arms in a showman's pose to emphasize her point, light scattering from the luminous crystals attached to the metal rods embedded into her back.

"A most valuable prize has stumbled its way onto our doorstep. As it is, we are in the most advantageous position to reap the reward. However, we're not the major players in this grand game - yet. Should we make such a brazen move, doubtless we'd have hell to pay when our sisters arrived looking for their share. At the current time, I know only one person who could claim the prize I desire and get away with it safely. I understand that you and our dear, eminent sister don't always get along well, Aoi. However, an alliance with the Heiress would be the most prudent step we could take at this point. By combining our strengths, with her backing, we could easily make our move before any of our fellow Vampires can, and claim the Human's power for ourselves. That is why I also requested that your friend Asavar attend this little conference as well. However, it seems he didn't deign to grace us with his presence. Ah well. It's not like him disregarding my requests is anything new or unusual. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you send him to the White Rose's chapel as soon as possible? I'd like him to carry a message with him. An invitation, and moreover, a proposition."

The Yellow Rose smirked. For countless decades, centuries, even, she had been waiting for a chance such as this. She had consolidated her power, forged alliances, and laid plans. She hadn't predicted such a fortuitous occurrence on that specific day, but, she mused, she had been fully prepared for it. Within the hour, her plans would be set in motion. What the outcome would be... She smiled, spinning the white queen piece in the palm of her hand.

What the outcome could be, only time would tell.

"Very good. Tell Asavar to give Kuiyen this message. 'Some rare game has just been spotted roaming near the hall, and the Yellow Rose is not above sharing the profits.' While I doubt our dear sister will like the concept, an alliance will be beneficial to all of us, and I think she'll see things my way. Should Asavar not appear quickly to carry this message, however, we'll have to resort to another messenger. Perhaps Maso? Hmm. What a diverse group of bishops and knights we have at our disposal." As she spoke, the luminous Vampire once more lapsed into her own thoughts, gazing intently down at the chessboard at the center of the dark room, her flightless wings gleaming down on the marble table and the pieces sitting assembled there. Raising a hand, she deftly plucked up one of the white knights and, jumping it over the line of pawns, set it about moving toward the assembled black legion. As she did so, the surface of the chessboard seemed to warp and shift, the grid of black and white being replaced by a map of ShiroKuro itself. The Knight was already well on its way to reaching the door in the hill. Now it was time to simply wait and see what her opponent's next move would be...

"Very good. Thank you, Aoi," The master of the hall said with a calm smile as her sister left the room. Slowly, she stood, her radiant wings giving a quiet sound like wind chimes as the crystals tapped together with her every step. She, too, exited the room, her crimson eyes taking only a moment to adjust to the light. Glancing around, the Vampire smiled slightly. Everything was in perfect order, but there was a coat of dust on everything. She really needed a maid if she was going to live in a house this big. Hmm. Oh well. It hardly mattered. Taking a turn as she strode confidently down the hallway, she stepped out onto a large balcony, overlooking Radiant Hall's walled courtyard, the light from the crystals coating the roof inside behind her and hanging from the metal rods implanted in her back glinting off her fangs as they peeked out from within a satisfied little smirk.

She turned her eyes to the Southwest. Somewhere, in those woods, was the prize she sought. The only question now was when she would get it.