oh, to hell with it.

“Here to play the hero again, Merlin?”

High above their heads, a square shaped hole was cut into the stone ceiling. No one knows the purpose of it; a means to torment the prisoner with the weather, or a mercy to allow fresh air in. There were no records of this place in the royal archives. Knowledge of this place was passed down from monarch to monarch in hushed whispers and secret tours. Built with magic older than the Lightbearer Empire, this prison held the most dangerous of criminals. 

Merlin lifted their head to the hole. Tonight, stars winked down back at the viewer. In the last week, it had alternated between scorching sun and torrential rain. Something about the weather being off balance with the amount of Hypofiends unleashed in Savannah. 

Chains dragged across stone. Cyran was getting impatient.

Ever since Merlin pulled them out of the abyss, Cyran had been a changed man. Gone was the refined charisma that wooed so many to accept his words. In its place stood a man twice Merlin’s height, with the taint of dark magic on his clawed hands and purple scars that glowed like the yellow of his eyes. 

“Careful, Merlin. One would think you couldn’t bear to see me punished.”

Merlin ignored the jab, running a daily check on the golden chains gleaming beneath iron ones. The iron chains did a chilling job in keeping one prisoner, but it never hurt to take extra care. Especially with a mage like Cyran. 

While Merlin knelt down to check on the bottom chains, Cyran lunged.

His clawed hand came short of Merlin’s chest. Both iron and golden chains tightened, jerking him back to a safe distance. The Queen had been certain when she claimed that mortal being ever managed to escape this place. Rumor that Berial himself spent an inordinate amount of time here before figuring out how to leave, at a steep cost. 

Merlin lifted their head. Cyran was suspended by the chains, eyes glowing with fierce emotion. 

“One day, I’ll tear this place apart, and everyone in the Empire along with it.”

“I suppose that includes me.”

“You? Oh no…when I get my hands on you, Merlin…”

Even at this distance, Cyran looms. Merlin returns his hungry stare. A sneer forms on Cyran’s face, still handsome even after the abyss took him.

“Whatever you intend to do with me, you shall not have it. Never!”

Was that uncertainty in Cyran’s eyes? Merlin cancelled the spell they were about to cast, leaving a faint glow on their hands. Ever since Cyran’s imprisonment last week, Merlin had spent every waking moment poring through obscure texts, flitting back and forth, writing letters filled with instructions to Cranky, and even using the Queen’s help to scry Zorya. No one had answers for what Merlin intended to do. 

This level of magic…only you could accomplish it, Merlin. 

I would not go against your wishes, Merlin, but perhaps it might be best to let it go. 

Cyran was still glaring, his fingers curling and uncurling. Bound in this prison, his link to the abyss was almost nonexistent, constraining much of his power. Despite so, Merlin had yet to find a way to reverse what the abyss did to him. 

He’s a traitor, Merlin. I understand the loss of such a capable mage, but…he’s far too dangerous to leave alive. 

Cyran had certainly not been eager to spill all his secrets on dark magic. In fact, he revelled in having such knowledge that remained out of even the Queen’s reach. Merlin had tried spell after spell to reverse and cleanse, but it had yielded nothing. It seemed that once the corruption reached a threshold, there could be nothing done about it. But Merlin was not known for giving up. 

A soft golden glow wrapped around Merlin’s hands. Cyran looked demonic in the light. 

“How does it feel to lose to me?!”

The golden light struck Cyran in the chest. He jerked once, and then the light sank into him. It battled the dark magic in him, rushing his body and setting him alight. Cyran howled, the chains rattling as he writhed and thrashed in place. After the light faded, the dark magic darkened with a vengeance, pulsing. 

Matted hair could not obscure Cyran’s almost gleeful gaze.

“That’s right. Even the great Merlin is hopeless when facing the abyss!”

Maybe the Queen and Zorya were right. Maybe the lack of sleep was doing Merlin in. Merlin leaned against the wall, feeling the slow simmering of ancient magic inside the stone. Maybe, what they needed, was sixteen hours of sleep and a nice cold ice cream. Or maybe Contess might have ideas. No, that’s wrong. Contess despised anyone and anything to do with the Syndicate. 

Cyran had settled somewhat, no doubt pleased with himself. 

“What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?” Merlin addressed the air. “You took my hand. You took my hand.”

Those words seemed to hit Cyran harder than the attempted cleansing spell. “Your hand?? Offered like the nobles tossing coin to beggers?? I could see the pity in your eyes!”

“I wanted to help-”

“I don’t need your help!”

Cyran’s roar bounced off the stone and echoed into the night. It was far too late to be wasting time and energy here when there was a nice warm bed waiting for them in the palace. Marge would have seen to it that one of the servants remained awake to wait for Merlin’s return, in case Merlin returned hungry and tired. 

Merlin clenched their jaw. They shouldn’t be troubling others over a traitor. 

“Are you simply afraid of losing to me? Or are you worried that you might actually want my help?”

Cyran flinched like he had just been slapped. Then smoke began to rise off his arms. It always happened when Cyran was straining all he could to attack with magic. 

Enough. Merlin shut it down with a spell akin to dumping water over him.

“I need to sleep. Goodnight, Cyran. The stars are clear tonight. Part of Orion is visible if you are keen to watch the sky.”

Merlin slipped out of the cell, not waiting for an answer. Up and down the stairs they went, until stone faded into marble and lanterns glowed gently to keep the darkness at bay. They’re going to head down to the kitchen to nick some food, and then maybe use a sleep potion to get some much needed sleep. 

Inside the prison, Cyran lifts his head. Rigel twinkled brightly as usual. 

Cyran

New Chapter Released!

Hello again! Hope the spring has been pleasant for you 🌷

With this update we're continuing the pilgrimage, which is turning out more dangerous than even the Crown and their companions anticipated:

The Crown will be revisiting an old place they had forgotten about, and learn more about the scars left on the land from the reigns of Crowns past

Whether you brought the water spirits with you or whether Eshkar is also there or not will give you additional variations and, depending on one choice you make this chapter, may lead to someone getting hurt

There will be more lore on the religious practices of Arsur, and an opportunity to customize your Crown's religious beliefs as well

A dangerous encounter shakes things up this chapter--is it a test of the spirits, or just bad luck? Either way, how your Crown handles this situation will not go unnoticed!

And last but not least, romance scenes with your chosen love interest, though the tone of these will be quite different considering the previous encounter...

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter as summer approaches 💖

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!