“Shall we adjourn inside, then? I know your monastery has a few rooms in the back that would be quiet and peaceful.” Selaphiel’s gaze shifted towards Orion as he spoke.

Orion looked towards Selaphiel with a favourable impression. ‘Is he trying to test me right now? What an interestingly perceptive guy. If I were associated with a Demon, or one of those parasitic creatures, I would be averse to stepping on hallowed ground. Fortunately, I only contracted with Euler for an hour’s time, and that should be running short soon. Still, how did he come to the assumption that I might be afraid to step inside the monastery?’

After a moment of consideration, Orion nodded his head, looking over at Lumière as he smiled. “Yes, let’s go inside. I would love to see what your home is like, good friend.”

Lumière’s eyebrow twitched. ‘So, he really is starting to make fun of my conditions. Rich bastard.’

Orion’s rumination continued as they made their way back inside the monastery through the window Lumière had opened. ‘Then, this individual who knows about me must be suspicious about Lumière Croft. Does he suspect his heretical background? Well, for a man who seems to know things, this isn’t too much of a surprise. If I were associated with another Deity, I would be hesitant to step into the monastery. Thankfully, the Callister House is known for its worship and close collaboration with the Church of the Crown of Thorns. So, he must be clearing his suspicions one by one. Me entering the church will simultaneously eliminate suspicion of my association with Euler. It’s perfectly feasible for me to do this much. Now, as for the game…’

Walking through the halls of the monastery, they eventually came to a room beside the bathroom used for general storage. In recent days, it had been used for Elise’s belongings. Besides the dust and cobwebs that littered the dim, shoddy atmosphere, it was generally spacious.

“You two are quite strange, leading me into a room like this. Are you planning to take advantage of me? Rob me perhaps?”

“We would never do something like that to a man of the cloth.” Orion joked.

“So if I weren’t clad in these robes, you would consider it?”

Instead of responding, Orion simply winked in return.

Slightly annoyed that Orion had led him into such an ordeal, he asked with a deep tone of voice. “So, what game do you wish to play this time, dear friend?”

Curious, Selaphiel also looked towards Orion.

The fiery-haired nobleman smiled, raising up his hands in a boisterous fashion and declared, “we’ll be telling each other stories!” He looked back towards the other two, but they seemed to be a mixture of confused, disappointed, and disgusted.

“You’re a clown.” Lumière chided, horrified.

“I too think your friend may be missing a few parts of his brain, I apologise.” Selaphiel had the same twisted expression on his face.

“What, why are you two looking at me that way?”

“I just… thought you would have something more spectacular planned. You made it out to be enticing… a game of stakes perhaps.”

“Would you feel better betting money on it?” Orion tried to plead towards him, desperate for approval, but the Archangel and Heretic gave no ground.

“Sorry, but I’m a destitute churchgoer.” Lumière shrugged. “How could I afford to stake money?”

Orion looked towards Selaphiel, but his answer was the same. “I’m a man of the cloth. I seek no coin, and so I carry no coin.”

Disappointed, embarrassed, and saddened, Orion bowed his head. The two looked at each other, and then back at Orion. Staring at the Clown, Lumière felt a little pity stir in his heart. So, he sighed and spoke out, “I’ll play your game, dear friend.”

“And I will too. Storytelling doesn’t sound so bad.”

Hearing their comforts, Orion immediately perked up. A grin made its way onto his face once again. “Then, shall I discuss the rules of the game?”

The two nodded their heads, staring at Orion intently. Noticing their focused gazes, his face flushed a little, but he began to explain the rules of the game nonchalantly.

“I will start with a prompt, the beginning of a story. In order, it will be our subsequent jobs to continue the story, solve problems presented by the previous individual, and bring it to a conclusion in the end. That’s about it.”

“And you wanted to stake money on this?” Lumière questioned.

Orion sighed. “You just can’t grasp my intense genius, can you, dear friend? So, are you both ready to begin?”

The two nodded once more. Then, Orion began to speak. “There is a small boy that lives with his parents and younger brother on the lakeside. In the middle of the forest, they stay far apart from society. They do not fear monsters, nor bears or wolves. For some reason, they never stray too close to their home. Each day, the boy makes his way to the lake in order to catch fish for his family to eat. This is one of his necessary tasks.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Orion took a moment to breath, before continuing. “One day, it becomes obvious why the monsters, bears, and wolves choose not to stray too far to their home. On that day, when bringing home fresh catch for his family to eat, the small boy wanders in on his younger brother, standing over the bodies of his parents. However, when he sees the face of his brother, he realises that he is no sibling to him. It is a monster incomprehensible. Its eyes are where its mouth should be, and where its eyes should be are several mouths. Its flesh more closely resembles molded clay, and its bones protrude like thick spines. Upon closer inspection of the bodies of his parents, the boy realises his mother is still breathing, albeit very shakily. What does the boy do, Lumière?”

Lumière’s heart froze, realising Orion’s scheme. ‘This bastard. He proposed this game and its order with a true purpose in mind. In the way that the turns rotate, I will always follow White, and will never be able to directly propose a scenario to him. He’s using this ‘story’ to see what actions I would wish to take in an event like this. It was always his plan to use this to test and study me. Should I comply, or fake my answers? Would he think that I would think to fake them? This is a precarious situation… for now, I’ll give a very general answer and see what that Archangel will follow up with.’

"The boy fights with what wits remain. He throws the fish he caught previously towards the beast, and as it distracts itself with the food, he tries to drag his mother out of the house-"

"He's interrupted by the beast." Selaphiel interjected. "To this creature, a few fish is a single bite, an instantaneous meal."

Orion nodded his head. "The beast, having finished the fish, charges at the boy."

"He's an experienced fisherman. Of course he carries a blade to end the fish's life and remove the hook." Lumière countered.

"But that blade is small, as the fish are small. The creature is three-times as large as him." Selaphiel smiled coyly.

"The boy considers giving up, dying alongside his family." Orion eyed Lumière as he spoke.

Lumière bit at his lip, aggravated. It truly felt like he was in a fight against the two as they colluded. It was annoying, and so he had to submit. "He abandons his mother and runs. He's a child. His courage can only withstand so much."

"He hears her scream and cry out in pain as she's mauled by the mysterious creature."

Orion let out a chuckle. "He's shaken by hearing his mother be killed, and so the forest he quickly becomes lost in no longer seems safe. Where there were once no monsters, wolves, or bears, there are suddenly thousands of invisible threats in the darkness. The world itself has become a visible danger."

"It's not the boy's first time getting lost in the forest." Lumière objected. "He's spent his entire life there, and of course at times he's had to venture farther and farther to gather food and fish. He knows that if he wanders in one direction, he's bound to make it out of the forest eventually."

"And so soon, he sees a light in the darkness. Thousands of flickering flames signal hope."

Orion let out an audible 'tsk'. He had been so deadset on leading the boy's fate to tragedy, yet Lumière seemed keen to do the opposite. It was a foolish battle of wits, a war of imagination.

He continued the story as normal. "The boy makes his way towards the light, discovering a town at the edge of the forest. The people there don't speak his language, and he's never interacted with anyone besides his family members. Still, the sight of a young boy drenched in blood is enough to move their hearts. They take him in worriedly, clothing and feeding him. He feels safe, less scared."

Lumière smiled. 'Is White messing with me once more? Why is he giving the boy a semblance of hope?'

"The boy grows comfortable overnight, and begins to imagine that he can start a new life within the village-"

"But soon after, the creature returns." Selaphiel interjected once more, grinning. "In the form of his younger brother, the young boy watches as the creature speaks in the village people's language perfectly, informing them of his sick, sadistic deeds. The creature tells the people of a boy who murdered his entire family, who drenched in blood, wandered out of the forest to do the same to the townspeople."

'What is this Archangel doing? Is he feeling feisty today, or is he trying to test me as well?' Lumière's brows furrowed.

“They begin to fear and hate the boy, believing the lies of the creature who stole the face of his sibling. Before he knew it, their acceptance had turned into vitriol, and they violently ran him out of the town. He’s cornered before them, realising that all the people he once loved have now died, and his only hope for the future has collapsed. Everyone hates him. The world is against him. He has no family, home, and future. He is lost and hopeless, and he will soon be killed. What does he do, faced with the horror of his reality?" Orion looked towards Lumière, his pleasure evident on his face.

Lumière smirked, letting out a sharp ‘tsk’. “The boy knows fate is cruel and merciless. So, he accepts that much, and chooses to spit in its face.” He looked towards Orion, fire in his eyes. “Let them come, do their worst. He’ll accept the worlds hatred.”

'You're an interesting one, Black. I've learned that you're quite competitive. You'll play this game of ours very well in the future. Moreover, you wouldn't let the child sit down and accept his reality, rather trying his hardest to deny his strongest foes. I wonder, to what great extent will you fight our battle?'

Standoffish, Orion spoke once more. "Very good. I think you both performed considerably. It was a very fun endeavour. Shall we do another?"

Selaphiel nodded his head. "That was quite fun. I haven't been able to enjoy myself creatively in quite a while. I would be happy to partake in another."

"I would also be happy to do another." Lumière's tone of voice shifted, dastard and cunning. "However, to prevent the game from getting stale..."

He stared at Orion, grinning.

"...let's reverse the turn order."