The first sensation he became aware of was the cold. It seemed to have a mind of its own, encompassing his body as he slowly became aware of his other senses. The sensation of a dull pain in his lower back, the feeling of cold stone against his flesh, the sound and scent of a burning candle made from sandalwood - these were all things he noted before opening his eyes.

Before him was the roof, he could only tell because it was "blacker" than all else around him. The room was dim, the flickering light of two small candles on a desk several meters away were all that he had to piece together his surroundings.

Dark, cold, foreboding - these were words that came to mind as he struggled to sit up. His body felt heavy and weak, he couldn't be sure if the cold was sapping his strength or he was just weary -- both seemed plausible to him.

He took a deep breath and listened, first to the beating of his own heart and next to the sound of the breath he drew in -- nothing out of place. Next he placed his hand against his abdomen and felt for wounds. He wasn't exactly sure "why" he did these things, they simply felt appropriate to do. After a few more self checks, the arms, his legs and feet , he glanced over towards the flickering flames which reminded him of two orbs of light in the darkness.

There, nestled among the shadows, sitting at a table was a figure. At first he couldn't be sure, as the darkness itself seemed to swirl about the person, covering her head in a black shroud, her long grey hair visible just beneath the veil. Her arms seemed unnaturally long, as did her fingertips as she turned around on her stool and gazed directly at him, her eyes the color of glowing mead.

"Come. Sit." She beckoned, her voice matching her appearance -- that of an old woman. Her black robes seemed to have a life of their own, if he didn't know better he'd swear the woman looked like death. Though her countenance was surely imposing the elder "felt" devoid of malice and so he did as requested. The icy chill of the stone floor quickly numbed his toes and it seemed to be growing colder by the moment. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders for a moment, almost as if he was slowly becoming accustomed to his own body, before he moved towards her table. It was at this time that he first became aware of cloth around his waist, loosely wrapped and little more than protection for his genitals.

As he drew closer the scent of something rancid filled the air, the only saving grace was the strength of the candles she burned but even then -- it was no secret, the smell of death. He gazed around the room for some sign of , well anything. The walls were so distant that he could simply tell they were there, as for decor or dressings on them only shadows to the naked eye.

"Sit." She repeated again as she shuffled a deck of cards in her hand. He immediately recognized them as tarot cards based on the images he occasionally glimpsed on the card faces. He joined the old woman at the table, the wooden chair was not remotely comfortable and seemed stained with black blotches. Tar? Perhaps blood? Undaunted he took a seat and watched silently as the woman began to place her tarot cards deliberately on the table.

"Do you know the cards of Fate?" She asked as she continued placing cards. He noticed her skin was pale and liver spotted, clinging to her body almost like a skeleton wearing taught flesh.

"Not intimately." He said aloud, noting that his throat felt sore. It was as if he hadn't spoken in a long while.

"Normally they tell the future, but these are different."

After a few more moments the cards were all placed, face down , on the shabby wooden table.

"You may choose one." She said, her voice a little louder than a whisper.

Although he had no reason to comply, the thought never crossed his mind to defy her commands. As he gazed through the black veil hanging over her face the only real feature of her that he could make out was her piercing eyes. It was this he focused on as he grabbed a card, any card as it really didn't matter to him.

He flipped a nearby card face up and slid it across the wooden table towards her.

"The Fool. It's been an age and age still since anyone drew this. Interesting." she said as she raised her left hand and snapped her fingers. A chill wind swirled forth from the corners of the room, the table and stools vibrated for a short time as the cards moved, caught on the wind of magic. He watched as the cards shuffled and sorted themselves into a neat deck right before her. All save one, the card he chose.

She grabbed the deck of cards and slipped it into her robe, then snapped her fingers once more. This time the sound of shattering rocks echoed from behind as several large chains burst from the floor. Less like chains and more like barbed wire , the metal wrapped itself around his limbs -- both hands and feet. He reacted almost instantly as the dull metal shards dug into his flesh and tightened. A fire dance in his eyes as the pain took him and he sought to strangle her before he was completely confined -- but to no avail. He struggled with all of his might, blood spurting on the table and floor as the magical chains dragged him towards a nearby wall. His back hit the wall with a loud thud as the chains tightened, twirling him around into an inverted cross position against the wall. He groaned in pain as the chains tugged at him from multiple directions, pulling his arms straight out and binding his legs by the ankles.

The rage building in his veins could only be surpassed by the agony of metal rending into his body, threatening to cut to the bone as the elderly woman stood from her chair and moved towards him. He gazed on in horror as she floated towards him like a spectral being of some sort. Within an instant she hovered before him, her eyes meeting his as she materialized a small metal brand. With a flick of her wrist the brand grew red hot, a strange symbol on it's head.

"Be still." she commanded, one hand wrapping around his cheek as she squeezed his face. Her strength was unnatural and he was powerless to resist as she forced his mouth open and neared the brand towards his tongue. His eyes bulged as he struggled to free himself, but all was in vain as the brand sank into the moist flesh of his tongue. His body convulsed uncontrollably as tears threatened to cloud his village. The whole ordeal took less than fifteen seconds but it spent the last of his rebellious energy just the same.

"Remember this." The old woman said as she turned to move back to her seat, "All power requires sacrifice in the world to come. Know yourself, lest the power you seek crush you beneath its heel."

As she finished speaking sparks lit up around him, a circular pit of flame opened and he was tossed inside. He screamed, shouted and gnashed his teeth as the flames licked up, consuming his body as he spiraled into pain and madness.