The King's Pawn

Arizeal was a Pawn. He marched with the King’s armies to challenge the first Lightbringer. He was one of two who witnessed the Titan’s fall from the beginning. For his loyalty and devotion, the King of Kings granted him dominion over the Garden of Purgatory. Arizeal refused. The King was stunned. The Pawn had no desire to be a King. With a heavy heart, he thanked his King for his benevolence and requested an alternative. Freedom. For himself and his people. If Purgatory were to be their home, the Pawns would build upon it as equals, recreating the Garden destroyed in their war. The King pondered his words and agreed, though he added a stipulation of his own—a single sacrifice. The two agreed, and thus the Pact was struck. The Pawns populated Purgatory. The Garden was rebuilt as he envisioned, and peace reigned for millennia. Then, slowly, things began to shift. There were… glitches. Subtle inconsistencies that defied explanation. Days or weeks that seemed to vanish or repeat. Personalities that changed overnight. For centuries, it was attributed to illness, mental fatigue, or sheer coincidence. Then war came to Purgatory once more—Pawns who would be Kings. Arizeal was devastated. The Garden burned again, and another King fell. Then he found the game.