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The darkness lay upon the swamps of night
A cursed castle stood in forests old
The air was still, the evening stars shone bright
It stood there built of stone so cold.
Behind the fog and misty darkened veil
the old man's fortress stood forevermore
for centuries on end, a tragic tale
told by an artist from far Eastern shore.
The castle was so damp, so dark, so dead
No villager set foot in its gigantic halls
The lord there filled them all with dread
So unheard went their silenced calls.
Washizu was his name, a tyrant full of hate
The lord himself was old, so gray and bitter
He killed young men for entertainment's sake
The only thing to make his heart flitter.
With time, young men went rare in his far lands
They all had died from blood and futile gamble
And no more fun was at his gambling hands
He ran down his halls, angry and began to ramble:
“What good is youth for when it dies in battle,
In games set up to play for life and glory
Fresh blood I need, excited games, not cattle!
They're all so damn useless, end of story!”
But just as he had finished his loud wrath
'Knock-Knock' on the heavy wooden doors
He flew down the stairs, no stop in his path
“A new challenger after all these wars?”
He was alone in his domain, lonesome
His white-clad servants were long gone from here
A visitor, so late at night, had come
to hammer strongly on his wooden gate.
The main hall was dinghy, dark and dusty,
heavy air surrounding his weighty black cloak,
the moonlight came through gothic windows rusty
“Who there? Answer me!” Washizu gravely spoke.
“Akagi Shigeru. That is my name.”
This gentle voice came through the heavy door.
“I heard, your castle full of blood-red fame,
Had games to play, from far away shore.”
“You come for mahjong, stranger, the game of gods?”
Washizu would not trust his elder hearing,
That someone came to him against all odds,
To play a game with him, the bloody King.
So long he had been here alone inside,
He simply was intrigued to have a guest,
Thus opened up the door, this rusty slide,
To give his burning curiosity some rest.
In front of him, there stood a man,
Not more than twenty years of age,
With silver hair and a gentle tan,
Clothes of a commoner, maybe a page.
Washizu looked at that slender figure,
And nodded: “Welcome, stranger, stay the night.”
“Mh-mh…!” Akagi smiled with snarky vigour,
Washizu twitched, and thought “Was this boy right…?”
He led him in, that strange young late-night guest,
And ordered him to follow to the halls.
How silently Akagi walked, without some rest
Washizu thought, no echo in the walls.
Both men arrived in the big gambling room,
A cold place full of marble, stone and gold,
With many candles glimmering with doom,
And atmosphere of bloody stories told.
This man, Akagi seemed not be disturbed,
Just standing there, and looked and nodded slight:
“Is this the place we play the game? Superb.”
And simply walked to the mahjong table bright.
Washizu was confused, but caught his mind,
This man was either crazy or dumb,
To simply bet his life away in a game blind,
And so he sighed and gestured him to come:
“Akagi, no, let’s start and play tomorrow,
You surely are exhausted from your tour,
We rather should have dinner first and oh,
Look and get to know each other, sure.”
The silver haired young man thus gave a nod:
“It’s true to know thy enemies first thing.
A dinner sounds in order, ‘tis not odd,
It gives our later game a better ring.”
And so, they exited the gambling halls,
To have some dinner together alone.
Their steps, they echoed through the walls,
Akagi followed and Washizu thought on his own:
“I call this night a win-win day no less,
A guest so willingly to bet his life away,
Maybe he doesn’t know the danger’s mess,
He’ll give me thrill, end my endless dismay.
And even if he dies of loss of blood,
I can’t await to make his eyes dead dim
And once he falls onto his tiles with ‘Thud!’…
He will now eat, and then I’ll drink him.”
Washizu slowly licked his lips and grinned,
Oh yes, this night would turn out wonderful.
Outside, the darkness came with heavy wind,
The blood red games started infernal pull.