A duel between Kings

I stood then before a man of gold-etching and ash-white hair. In his perfection, he was almost confusing to look at. Everytime I layed eyes upon the nobleman, I began to wonder if I was looking at the truth of his face.

It was his blood-red irises that stood out to me. They were almost like rubies that had been embedded within his skull, if only to adorn his being in regalia that distracted from his other features.

"A visit from the Baron of Lilacs?" Kitsch spoke with widened eyes. "While I imagine we have a friendship between us, I don't imagine you've come to me to converse and drink of my wine."

"I wish for your introduction to the King, Kitsch." I said with a smile. "I know you have the power to do so. Your strings stretch farther in the background as opposed to his."

This was the final arc within the story set forth by the Demon of Portraiture.

I had stood before him in the darkened storage room, as had become a habit of him.

"You would wish me to meet a King... why?" I asked of him with furrowed gaze.

"I need you to serve as an introductory force, Agreste." Solis spoke simply. "If I were to appear before him so simply, wouldn't that be too jarring for his old soul?"

"You wish to open a dialogue with the King of Uepris...?"

"I do."

So then, that is why I stood before the nobleman of perfection, in a room that matched his outfit well, meeting his piercing vermilion gaze with mine softened.

“You carry yourself like a nobleman. You always have.” Kitsch smiled. “So I will fail to believe that you do not know how to play chess. In exchange for your request, I would ask this much of you.”

I let out a simple sigh as I sat down at the table afront him.

"And which style would you like to play?" He asked of me.

"Well, I played the Uepris style alongside Ms. Strousse..." I spoke simply. "So why don't we play the Esprium style?"

"You would choose to play the Esprium style with Uepris Nobility?" Kitsch laughed aloud. "You surely are a strange one, Baron."

"You did offer me the choice..." I sighed.

Looking over the board that sat between us, I could see clearly that it was different from the large-scale battlefield I had experienced when playing alongside the heiress Lihal. It was reminiscent of a chessboard I would have seen within Earth, albeit my sparse lack of experience.

Only six pieces stood upon the board - two kings, and four pawns sat in opposition.

It was a game of strategy without numbers, a simple fight in the face of a few. With so little pieces, positioning required masterful precision.

And yet, despite his disadvantage, Kitsch chose to step up as the sole king, unbound by the two pawns behind him.

So, crunching the dried and bloodied grass underneath my feet, I did the same.

The sky was a dark-grey, bouts of thunderstorms lurking in the distance with their booming appeal and their flashing electric demeanor. Underneath the clouds, we stood as two sillhouettes as we drew our blades.

It was a duel of kings.

Verily, he burst forth, grasping the hilt of his blade so tight that his knuckles grew a dull-pale colour.

With widened eyes, I quickly pulled mine from its sheath, barely able to clash against the strike he put the full of his weight into, setting the dulled sky around us one full of bright, vivid sparks.

I tried desperately to step away from him, but he simply continued his singular offensive, swinging his hefty blade over his shoulder as he stepped forth.

"Ah, to duel the light of my heart, isn't this interesting?" Kitsch spoke with a gentle smile upon his face.

Our blades interlocked, and I stared him down as we clashed.

I was a stranger to swordplay, and my blade began to falter.

“I think you’re lying to me, Kitsch.” I grimaced. “I do not believe for a second that you have ever held love in your heart for me.”

Within the face of my words, the gentleness of Kitsch's grin slipped away. All I could see then was the grin that spread across his expression, like a thin slice upon his cheeks that matched his harshly-furrowed brow.

"You're right, Agreste." Kitsch laughed. "I'm just messing with you."

“I’m just a piece in your game, aren’t I?” I smiled softly. “I wonder what piece that is…”

“Just a pawn, Baron.” Kitsch spoke in turn. “Nothing more, I assure you. The person I wish to move lurks behind you.”

"Is that truly all you wish to do? Mess with a God?"

"Of course not." Kitsch shook his head. "But my motives... do they really matter to your story?"

"I suppose not." I responded.

"Then I choose to not speak them aloud, my friend." He smiled once more.

He fell back, his sword dropping towards the ground; piercing the soil below as he looked towards me softly.

"I surrender." He grinned, raising his open-palmed hands towards the air.

Kitsch sighed as he sat back in his seat.

“Well, I managed to get this game out of you, but there’s nothing I can really offer you in return.”

“What about my meeting with the King?” I asked of him with widened eyes.

The grin upon Kitsch's face was ever-pervasive.

“The King- Elien Firenza already wishes to meet with you.”