I thought this was a good battle. I really don't like to choose, I liked them both. But, since I have to, let's see....
Asylum: You painted a very captivating image and almost ingrained it in my mind. "the tongue brushing the roof of my mouth", very poignant and detailed. Albeit the story itself does seem like it wanted to expand and you didn't really write the epic you wanted to. That said sometimes with your longer pieces sometimes you get lost in your path when trying to devise the narrative. Here you didn't have this problem, but there was an expansion that was needed. I enjoyed it though. Would have enjoyed also more portrayal of historical artifacts, or more background into the era, since it was the topic.
Razah: I loved the flow of this, and there were some commendable moments. Albeit, since you mentioned Aristotle I wish there were more details in the actual writing. More terminology, more specific ideas, this would have solidified your piece and you would have had bested Asylum. But the general premise and portrayal of Aristotle disorientated me. So you did paint a nice canvass, but you didn't add color to it, you left it black and white. I like the approach, I like Aristotle. His discourses on arete (ἀρετή) are magnificently fruitful in their composition.
Vote: Asylum
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