The castle stood alone in a barren land, wrapped in thick black mist.
Its walls were enormous. Dark stone, so dark it seemed to swallow what little light touched it. Towering spires clawed at the sky, their tips vanishing into the clouds above.
Black banners hung from the towers. They swayed slowly, though the wind felt anything but slow.
No birds circled above it. No insects crawled at its base. Even the mist itself seemed reluctant to touch the stone, curling away wherever it drew too close.
Strange symbols were carved into the stone. Old symbols. Old enough that even time had given up trying to erase them.
Two massive statues flanked the entrance. Horned demons, frozen mid-stance, weapons planted against the ground. Silent guardians. Watching gates that never seemed to open.
The gates themselves were black. Not painted black. Black like something had been burned into them.
