In the frigid darkness, time seemed to freeze. Adrian Leichell had no idea how long he had been trapped there. A day? A week? Or longer?
Only the faint beam of moonlight that slipped through a crack above the wooden altar allowed him to gauge the passing of time.
At first, he had struggled with everything he had, trying to break free from the decaying and fragile infant's body that imprisoned him. He poured every last thread of his soul into resistance, into shouting silently, into pushing back. But all of it proved as futile as a moth striking a stone wall.
Arthur, the one who had stolen everything from him, was long gone, leaving behind nothing but a cold silhouette.
Through that endless torment, Adrian was nearly devoured by despair and solitude.
Until...
Another full moon rose. Silvery light flooded the wooden chamber, falling softly across the altar.
Suddenly, Adrian felt something stir inside him, a power unlike anything he had ever known, blooming quietly in the depths of his soul as if something long buried had been awakened.
He hesitated no longer. Focusing his entire will, he released a burst of silent energy in all directions.
A crack resounded in the silence.
As if an invisible shackle had snapped, his soul tore free from the frail infant's form and lifted gently into the air, light as mist.
He was free.
Even if only a drifting spirit, he was finally free.
Wasting no time, Adrian set off toward the royal palace.
The wind of the night bit into him like blades of ice, but he could feel nothing. All he longed for was to see Liveta again, to expose Arthur's deception, to reclaim what was rightfully his.
He slipped through dim corridors and across familiar courtyards. Guards stood in place, unaware of the breeze that brushed past them like a breath of the dead.
At last, he reached the chamber he knew so well.
The bedchamber that had once belonged to him and Liveta.
The place where they had whispered their dreams, where they had shared all their tenderness.
He drifted quietly through the door. The candlelight was gentle, casting a warm, peaceful glow across the room.
And there, nestled in the bed, Liveta lay against Arthur's chest, a soft smile of bliss and shyness resting on her lips.
Arthur, wearing his clothes and bearing his face, leaned in close and whispered into her ear.
"My love, I would give my life to protect you."
"From this day on, whether in life or death, I will remain by your side."
"I love you, Liveta. More than anything in this world."
Liveta blushed at his words. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and she nodded with joy.
Adrian stood in the shadows, frozen. It felt as though a blade had pierced clean through his heart.
He tried to shout, to lunge forward, to rip apart the face that wore his identity. But he was only a powerless specter, trembling silently in the darkness.
He watched Arthur lean down and press his lips against Liveta's with a tenderness so natural, so practiced.
She smiled and returned the kiss.
Adrian's soul crumbled. He clenched his fists. His eyes turned red with fury as he glared at Arthur.
Perhaps sensing the weight of his stare, Arthur glanced briefly toward him and curved his lips into a strange smile, then deepened the kiss with even more affection.
Long after midnight, when Arthur and Liveta had fallen asleep, Adrian hovered beside the bed, grinding his teeth as he gathered what remained of his strength and plunged himself into Arthur's dream.
Inside the dream, all was blank and pale.
Arthur stood waiting, his expression calm and mocking. "You've come?"
Adrian's soul trembled violently as he roared, his voice echoing through the dreamscape.
"Arthur! You traitorous coward! How could you do this to me? I never hurt you. I wanted to save you!"
Arthur folded his arms, his eyes cold and distant, his voice sharp with disdain.
"Save me?" He gave a dry laugh. "Do you think your pity means anything? Do you think you can cleanse yourself of privilege with a few crumbs of compassion?"
Adrian's trembling intensified. His voice faltered into a plea.
"Arthur, I beg you, please let me go. I don't want the throne, nor the riches. Just give Liveta back to me. I don't need anything else."
For a moment, Arthur looked surprised. Then he threw back his head and laughed, the sound ringing with cruelty and triumph.
"You really are pitiful, Adrian." He stepped closer, his gaze icy. "Do you truly believe all I ever wanted was your crown? Your name? No. I want to see you broken. I want you to suffer as I suffered. I want you to watch everything that was once yours slip through your fingers. I want you to drown in the same loneliness that nearly drove me mad.
You were always so proud, weren't you? So noble. Now kneel. Watch closely as I enjoy your life."
Adrian's soul trembled so violently it seemed it might tear itself apart. He tried to strike Arthur, to claw back his existence, but he was no more than a flicker of light, far too weak to change anything.
Arthur watched him in his misery and laughed even harder, each word slicing deeper.
"Stay in your cage, dear brother. From now on, envy is all you'll ever know."
The dream began to collapse around them. White faded into black. Adrian was hurled back into the abyss, and despair swallowed him whole like a wave crashing on stone.
He knew then that he would be forever trapped in that silent, suffocating hell, forced to watch Arthur live his life, hold his love, wear his face.
And he, could do nothing to stop it.