You woke up with a sudden start and your eyes flashed open. You sucked up a deep breath as you jolted upwards. Your shoulders heaved as the memories of what transpired looped in your head. Underneath your fingers, you felt a soft velvet upholstery.

"W-what?" You squinted your eyes and looked around.

Although it was dark, you could clearly tell that you were no longer in your workplace's restroom but rather an old parlor room. The furniture was expensive and antique, dating back to at around the early 1900s or late 1800s. Even in the dark, you could see how rich the colors of the furniture was. You ran your finger against the velvet once more, feeling an intricate damask pattern.

"Glad to see that you've finally woken up, (Y/N)," a voice said from behind you.

You whipped your head around to see an extremely tall man turning on the tassel light next to his chair. He wore a red and gold coat with a black top hat that casted half of his face in shadows. Pinned to his hat and white shirt were black broaches with a golden moon and eye in them. He held an unearthly and eldritch beauty to him with his ghostly white hair that framed his pale face, sharp features, and red eyes with gold rings in them. His lips were pulled into a slight smile as he reclined further into his seat.

"Where am I?" You asked, unable to keep the dread creeping into your voice.

"An estate of mine that's on the border between realms," he answered calmly, took off his hat, and brushed back a lock of hair that revealed a pointed ear.

"W-what the--"

"What am I?" The stranger cut you off and crossed one of his legs over the other. "I believe that you humans call my kind the good-folk, the fair-folk, the fae, or most commonly: fairies."

Before you could ask, he spoke again: "And you're wondering why you're here, am I right?"

You numbly nodded your head, your mind racing with countless questions as you tried to process what was going on.

"Well to put it simply: I am here to collect your debt."

"D-debt?"

"You wished for your life to improve, grades to rise, a higher pay, better living quarters, and the internship of your dreams," he waved his hand. "I overheard you and granted that wish, so now it's time to collect that debt."

"Wait!" You stammered. "But I didn't make any sort of deal with you or anything! This is hardly fair!"

"Sorry dear, but you should have been more careful with your wishing. However, I am far more fair and generous compared to other members of my kind. I didn't suddenly make your life much worse than it was, steal your firstborn, or strike you with a terrible ailment the next week. "

"How can I repay you then? Money? A yearly sacrifice? A--"

"You'll have to come with me back to the fae realm."

"What? Why for?"

"What do you think it might be for?" The fairy's eyes glittered with amusement. "Think about all of the old stories that humans have told for centuries about us; long before you imagined us as tiny, glittery, winged people that frolicked in flowers and played silly little pranks."

"A- a servant?"

"Good guess, but that's not it."

Your stomach dropped at what he meant. Swallowing back the lump in your throat, you barely managed to stammer out: "The reason you're doing this-- why you want to take me away...is to get a bride, right?"

"Correct."

Your heart dropped and you leaned away from the fairy. The thought of being taken away to a land far from your home, married to that monster and left at its mercy with no hope of escape made your stomach turn and churn. Sweat rolled down your forehead and you gripped your knees as you breathed heavily and tears started to form in your eyes.

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There's got to be a way out of here! Think, damn it, think!

"If we're done here, then I'll prepare a coach and start wedding--"

"Wait." You spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Your kind likes to play games and bets, right?"

"Yes they do-- however, I am an exception to the rule," he said. "But for you, I am willing to hear where you're going with this."

You licked your lips and took a deep breath. Your heart drummed against your chest as blood pounded in your ears and gripped your knees. His dual-colored eyes twinkled with amusement as he tapped his long fingers against the arm of his chair.

"If I can escape this mansion of yours, you'll have to let me go," you chewed the inside of your mouth. "If I lose or I give up..."

"You'll have to come with me," he finished with a small smile.

You nodded your head, trying to keep yourself from vomiting the bile in the back of your throat. The fairy noticed your consternation and grinned wider, his teeth glinted like white daggers in the dim light.

"And why should I agree to this little game of yours when I can just spirit you away right now?" He leaned in.

"You pride yourself on being more generous and just compared to other fairies, so wouldn't it be fair to give me a chance to earn my freedom?"

"I suppose so," he mused and drummed his index finger harder against the chair's arm. After several seconds, he sighed and gently straightened up the front of his coat.

"I accept to play your game. But before we do that, I want to establish a few rules."

"What are they?" You felt your stomach clamping with fear.

"First off, under no circumstance are you to get help from any of the other residents in the mansion, nor are you to help them so that they may try to return the favor to you. You are to complete this game by yourself, understood?"

"I-I think so..."

"It's a yes or a no, my dear. What is it that you don't understand?"

"The other residents. What do you mean by that?"

"They are...what remains of those that thought they could cheat their way out of their deals with me," he answered. "They've been here for so long, that for most of them the only thing that remains is their desire to swindle you for their own gain: which can mean disastrous results for you. Does this make sense?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then on to rule two: the game doesn't start until you exit through those double doors there that leads into the main hall." He pointed to the golden doors a few yards away from you.

"Understood."

"Now onto the third and final rule: the only way you can exit and win this game is by going out of the mansion's front doors. So do not cheat by breaking a window and crawling out of it. The only thing you're going to accomplish is breaking a perfectly good window and annoying me."

"I understand."

"Excellent. Now that we have that established, you can feel free to relax for as long as you'd like in here or ask me any questions in the meantime," the right corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

"W-what's your name?" You licked your teeth.

"Since my true name is impossible to pronounce with the human tongue, you may call me whatever you'd like," he said. "However, do not call me what you would be insulting or belittling, or as your generation would call 'smartass' names."

"How about Corvin?"

"That's an acceptable name." He nodded his head. "Anything else you'd like to ask?"

"How bad are the other fairies?" You asked.

"Much, much worse than I am." He responded and leaned in, half of his face was covered in heavy shadows. "The old stories you've heard about us using half and metaphorical truths to manipulate, making crops wither overnight, stealing away children and replacing them with ours are very true. But those are just barely scratching the surface of what kind of mischief we do regularly. Any other questions you have for me, my dear?"

"Is this what you actually look like?" You scratched your hand, "Or is this just a form you're taking?"

"The general shape of this form is what I truly look like, just with a few...more human-like attributes than I actually have." The fairy responded with a light laugh.

"I have one more question."

"What is it?"

"If I win, will I be back to where I started?"

"You mean going back to the life you had before I blessed you?" Corvin said. "No. Especially during my observations I've noticed how hard you worked in your personal ambitions once everything improved. If that's all of the questions you wanted answered, then now would be a good time to finally start our game."

Hesitantly, you got out of your chair and slowly walked towards the double doors. You looked over your shoulder to see Corvin grinning at you.

"Go on. You're just delaying the inevitable by standing there, unless you want to surrender already," his eyes shining with amusement.

With a shaking sigh, you opened the double doors and took your first step outside. With a phantom strike of an unseen grandfather clock, the game has officially begun.