╭══◞ ??? POV◟══╮
When I t her for the first ti, she had subsud the form of an orphan—an innocent little girl. She would always sit there, idle, drowsy-looking, and apathetic. She got treated like garbage—we all were—but she was the only one who’d never complained, who’d never cried, who’d never tried to seek warmth.
As we got older, she did not. As we rebelled, she watched quietly. As we burned down the very building of our captors, she did not leave.
It was not like anyone bothered to take her with us either. For us, she had given up. She was a risk to our newfound path, and wouldn’t hinder our survival.
We didn’t think much of it, back then; but I wouldn’t forget those cold eyes in a million years as they got swallowed by the burning wrath of the fire.
It was beautiful.
I was star-struck, I was told. My brother had to force to move away.
But part of never left there, not really. It beca sothing much deeper for , a mont I would seek out my entire life. It was a guiding principle, a way of living:
In my quietness would lie the danger; in my unrelenting hatred that no one could see would lie my strength.
The world had forsaken us and I had decided the world would burn for that. Back then, it still sounded like a childish thought, as the mania of an abused child. But it wasn’t, for neither of us.
When my brother went out to seek a more direct way to quench his thirst for revenge, to satisfy his burning wrath, I stayed in the back, in the shadows. Long-term plans that supplented what my brother did, that coldness that slowly corrupted the country and molded it in ways that made us the happiest.
I was the mind, he was the sword.
But it wasn’t enough. Ruling only one country was just the first step in our plan. Our wrath was unrelenting, never stilling, always seeking.
Then, I saw her. Again.
The sa little girl, unchanged by decades and our hidden empire. As before, she was abused. As before, she hadn’t changed.
And with a voice sharp as ice, she asked,
“Did you achieve your goal? Did you change the world like promised? End misery? End starvation? End injustice?
“I waited. And waited. And waited… but no one ever ca. No one ever rescued . Pheles, you beca part of the problem, not the solution. Your cold wrath prepared to swallow everything, even your virtues.
“You are perfect. You and your brother. Don’t be too angry with , Pheles, will you?”
I can still rember the rage I felt back then, on that day. Everything we had worked for, everything burned down, destroyed. Hunted like animals, we had to endure an endless pursuit of shadows. Unrelenting, forever seeking.
They got my brother—oh, my poor, poor brother—first. And at that mont, I decided I would turn the tables. I was Cold Wrath, known through the underworld on the whole continent. Making a fugitive? Vogelfrei? None would ever dare. I was calculating, a secret hunter: So I hunted.
Or at least, so I thought.
I had to learn it the hard way that even the shadows, even the darkness had sothing it was supposed to be afraid of.
Her.
…
In the end, I was at least allowed to reunite with my brother; even if it was with a different purpose. But due to my nature, I kept plotting. Cycle after cycle, I’d kept plotting. Not alone, but with many. We were many, she was but one.
And finally, a chance occurred. One might have failed. But we were many. I was next, but even if I failed: We were many.
We ought to be free again—at so point.
Even if we could never defeat her, we could free ourselves.
What would happen to the world? So cared, so did not. But all I cared for, right now, was to taste sothing I’d missed dearly. A blissful taste I had been robbed of.
The taste of revenge.
Of whom? I did not care at this very mont. But seeing her like this, working with her for once to feed my hunger was exhilarating.
For I am phistopheles.
For I reign over nightmares and water.
╭══◞ Nyriel POV; Mansion◟══╮
“Nyriel, were you listening to what I just said?” asked the head maid Deidre in a stern tone.
“Yes, Ma’am!” I answered instantly.
“Oh? And what did I say?”
Curses!
“Um, that my training will start in a few days?” I guessed. I hadn’t actually listened at all.
Deidre sighed, “For now, you are supposed to look after your health and get better. In a few days, Drask agreed to oversee your weapon training to beco a proper servant for the Matriarch. So for love of the divine. Stop. Doing. Maid. Work!”
“Ehehe,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
It was hard for to actually sit back and relax for once. For the first ti in my life I had nothing to worry about. Everyone treated with care and respect, no one asked anything ridiculous of and I wasn’t forced to fight for my life. It was a dream co true.
Even to be allowed to receive private weapon training was outright amazing. And all of this thanks to my Mistress, Maera.
A warm feeling spread through my body as I thought about her. I did not know how to describe it; but being close to her felt simply… right? It really reminded of how I felt around my mother. Even if I felt like I couldn’t hold any of my composure next to her.
I had no idea I could act like such a fool… It was honestly pretty worrying. Were those the effects of being close to soone who supposedly created every Teade? Or was it an entirely different ntal spell that made believe her like this; gradually reshaping my thoughts and mind to like her. It was a possibility. I knew that there were mages like this out there that were quite capable of such a thing.
Well, not only mages, from what I’d heard. The new hero of humanity was apparently an even bigger scumbag than the previous one. It was quite interesting how fast humans dropped their sense of safety and dropped the baddest tea when they were around slaves they thought they had absolute control over.
Maybe Maera had a similar ability, or was outright a soul mage. Either way, I had to be careful and build so kind of resistance. Just in case. So far, only two things were certain: The closer I was to her, the more my behaviour changed. I had the need to be praised by her, to feel her warmth and seek her attention—like a spoiled child.
Fuck, asking her to bear my late mother’s na who I’d never encountered before was such a behaviour that I wanted to bury myself in the bed after I’d left her office. Just how could I ask such a thing of her? And why by the divine did she agree?!
I took a deep breath.
Even now, I felt like this was part of a feverdream or whatnot. So many changes in such a short ti were extrely difficult for to adjust to. I was a battle slave for most of my life, barely escaping the life of a prostitute and others who lusted after . Being told to just relax for a while before getting proper training to beco sothing akin to a bodyguard, a sword for soone who clearly didn’t need protection…
No matter how nice this sounded in the end, it made feel a lack of purpose. I an, sure, I was allowed to go after my own goals. But was I really? There were so many doubts in my mind, things that still shook to my very core.
A sad laugh escaped my lips.
I was so certain about my purpose when we were together in that office. But now? I felt everything was falling apart like a house of cards. Do other people have to fight with themselves like this? With the sudden insecurity? I really, really had to learn how to be free…
Fingers snapping directly in front of my nose brought back to a rather irate-looking Deidre.
"Seriously, girl. Could you please stop drifting off? You’re worse than Tulsi. And that one is already an airhead.”
The head maid's tail swayed dangerously from left to right. Whenever Tulsi beca a topic, she seed pissed. But not pissed pissed. Just… there was always a smile at the end of her venting. I sowhat could understand her. Tulsi always seed afloat and positive. Though, I was told that her other form was much more… bratty.
I had no idea what that actually ant, but Deidre and so others of the new servants seed to keep dropping this word rather regularly.
“It’s just a lot of new things all at once,” I started. “I wasn’t allowed to simply walk around like this for nearly sixteen years. So it is all a lot to take in.”
Deidre nodded, "Understandable. Even I have still trouble adjusting to all of this. Working for a Matriarch sure has its positives, though. Didn’t expect to be so free in the human capital. From what I understood so far, you were working as a battle slave? What’s your highest class?”
I hesitated. How much should I tell her? How much was I allowed to tell her?
“A-Apprentice Gladiator,” I said slowly.
Deidre studied , seemingly not believing , yet she didn’t press further which I was thankful for. I’d rather not tell her that it was Hemomancer, but at a ridiculously low level because using it was dangerous. I was always hesitant, revealing this part of mine. What if they figured out I used a skill to hide my true race? What if they decided they shouldn’t risk getting stronger and instead force into one of the many human brothels? I knew many nobles had a sick fetishization with controlling beast-kin.
But my mind was drifting off again.
“May I ask what is planned for today?”
Deidre pondered for a mont. “The sa as the last days: Making this place suitable for high ranked visitors. Madam Asche was clear about that. But as I said before, you are supposed to relax and get better. I am not sure what else to tell you. The Madam’s command was clear. I know it might be hard for you, but try to relax and do whatever you feel like… as long as it isn’t too draining.
“For now, follow to the kitchen. It’s ti for you to eat sothing. And before you’re saying anything. The other maids already told how you ate only small portions—so I will observe you this ti.”
I gulped, “B-But I am not even this hungry…”
“No buts, young lady. My instructions were clear. Even if I have to forcefeed you.”
The smile Deidre gave while saying this drained the colour from my face. I believed her when she said she would do that…
“Fine,” I mumbled, giving in.
As we moved to the entrance hall, Tulsi joined us. She had overheard us talking about food and decided their growling stomach needed to be filled rather urgently. Apparently, she would go outside with so adventurers later to explore deeper parts of King’s Garden’s sewers.
I had high hopes to join her once my training had started and I was allowed to leave. I itched for a fight and so levels.
As we went down the stairs, we heard people argue very loudly just before the door with so of our guards.
Deidre’s eyes squinted her eyes, annoyed by the tumult. “I would be so very happy once I switched those guards with so better ones. But it is rather hard right now with her reputation. Fucking zealots church dwellers ruining everything. Anyway, let’s go an—”
Suddenly, everything went white.
I staggered, my ears were ringing.
All I could feel was a heavy dull pain. Nothing else.
“N—”
“N—l!”
Blurred figures were in front of , looking at .
“Ny—el!”
“T-Tulsi?” I asked, the blur slowly taking form.
“Tha— fucking g—” I heard through the ringing.
Disorientated, I noticed that I was lying against a wall. The whole entrance area was a ss. Destroyed columns, cracked walls and floor. The whole door was gone, splintered everywhere.
Tulsi looked worriedly at , even though she herself seed to have taken a blunt blow from that force. Her face had several cuts and with wood still stuck inside so of them.
My eyes hurriedly scanned the room for Deidre—
There she was, in front of several people, led by three young looking humans. They wore so kind of uniform I had never seen before—unlike the people behind them who were clad in white plate armor—and had terribly smug faces.
“Adelheid, that filthy kitsune seed like she hadn’t had enough yet. We should cut off that disgusting tail off her,” a terrible shrill voice hollered.
“W-Who are you?” asked Deidre out of breath.
The girl that got addressed as Adelheid stepped forth, and said in a practiced voice. “We are of the Order of the White Knights, a student society whose mission is to keep our empire—and especially our beautiful King's Garden—free of all the lower races.
“Like that vixen over there. A disgusting beast that at most has a place in the slums as the lowest-priced slave. This entire mansion is filled with filth; so close to your prestigious academy!”
“Are you insane?!” shouted Deidre in disbelief. “Do you have any idea who the owner of this mansion is?”
The boy in the school uniform scoffed, “Oh, we do. A fake Matriarch depending on the power of her elental. But that one isn’t here. Without her, this place is defenseless in the face of our superiority and glory.
“Moreover, “ he smirked, “I am the eldest son of the Marquis von Grau, and therefore the heir, which ans that so wench like her can’t do anything against and must show the respect I deserve. Just look at us; our wealth makes even the Grand Dukes envious.”
I was flummoxed. No one could be this pretentious and dumb. Fucking humans, I swear. But his load of baloney simply didn’t want to stop.
"The reason for our visit should’ve also been made clear to everyone when you bought this property. We want to use this mansion as our association's headquarters because it explicitly satisfies our requirents. We had already placed a reservation and only needed to negotiate the details of the contract when we suddenly received a ssage from our interdiary that the mansion had been bought spontaneously by so wretched thing a few days ago. Furthermore, none of us had ever heard of the Asche family before so the Matriarch might as well be an imposter anyway. But we, the Order of the White Knights, see right through those lies. Accordingly, we are more than incensed that soone like her would dare to buy it from under our noses.”
The arrogance, the hubris. I knew their type, there were so many in the arena. They all ended up dying in the end. Puny humans, daring to insult my Mistress, thinking they could even handle a fraction of her might.
Fury welled up in , my claws digging into the ground as I swung myself up on my feet—ready to charge at them, to let hell break loose.
But before I was even able to take a step, Tulsi grabbed my arm, letting my head turn instantly to her in angered confusion. She looked sternly into my eyes, shaking her head.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Sothing is very wrong here.”
Her eyes darted upwards to the second floor; I followed her gaze. Nothing—yet; sohow it was as if the air began to shake, to grow colder and… beca musty and stale; followed by another sll I’d grown long used to: rot.
My eyes shot to the other servants. So had noticed as well, others—like the humans—seed still oblivious to the danger. Worse, we were stuck in between.
“Mistress’ up there, “ I mumbled worriedly to the demon girl. “We have to—”
Tulsi hissed, forcing to shut it. “Do you really believe it is not her causing this?”
“Her? But, it feels so hostile?”
The demon smirked, “I know~.”
Before I could respond to that rather creepy answer, the third girl raised her voice, "So we are here to make sure that you relinquish the deed and all related docunts and transfer them to us.”
Stupefied, my heart began to race—Mistress was drawing closer. At the sa ti, a feeling of dread and apprehension spread in the depths of my mind. It told to flee, to hide my presence and not make a sound. Yet the enmity of the White Knights made it impossible to move from my current spot without startling them into aggression.
So with trepidation, I had to listen to more useless spouts again as the boy relished in his sham authority with a haughty smirk.
“Otherwise, sothing might happen to you and those inferior servants. As for you,” his eyes wandered from Deidre to , “I might even reimburse you by allowing you to spend a night with soone like , so you can comprehend what true 'greatness' ans for once."
His lecherous intent was evident, but I knew humans like him. In the end, they were all sanguine cowards, scoundrels that thought their family deeds were their own. They had nothing behind them but acted as a warlord on an empty field.
Anger welled up in , only to be pushed aside by a feeling of utter forlornness. H-Huh? W-Why? Tears ran down my cheek, falling onto a swampy ground as frozen stars, losing their sparkle in the swelling waters, cold and murky.
My voice left —a whimper, a cry. My emotions made no sense, the mansion made no sense. It was cold, the air sulphuric; every breath hurt as mist moved down the altered stairs. Sawgrass and cattails were growing wildly, redecorating and moldering the wood, only to create standing roots with unbelievable speed from sheer nothingness.
The roots grew taller and taller; sprouting a trunk, even an entire standing tree which you could walk beneath. srized, yet paroxysmal, my gaze darted around the forr entrance area—gone. Everyone was still in proximity, but… the outside was gone, replaced by an endless swamp, humming with insects, with this sunken building as its center. The knights, the nobles, the servants, everyone was caught in this spell. If one could even call it that, after all, reality itself had shifted.
Only now did I notice that my wails and dropping tears were the only sound present. Everything else was as if they were in a torpor—lethargic, frozen; their mind incapable of processing what was happening. Whereas my emotions, my outcry was that far off from their condition.
My head turned to Tulsi. To my shock, her face revealed ecstasy, a rapture, as if what was about to happen would beco so kind of ultimate bliss.
I looked away, not being able to watch her any longer. Seeing Tulsi like this made … sick. Her expression in face of pending doom, relishing in soone else's pain, was simply wrong.
My mouth watered. I gulped, trying to suppress the gag reflex, as my gaze wandered from person to person. Each and every one of them had this disgusting happiness sculpted on their face. Eyes shaking and staring violently without being able to blink. They appeared fanatical.
“Yare-Yare-Yare,” a voice echoed suddenly from upstairs.
My head turned, again. Eyes scrutinizing the broken railing at the top of the stairs. Soone stood there. Soone that wasn’t her, that wasn’t Maera. But she felt… familiar? I couldn’t tell, but what I knew was this light nudge of liberation—my tears stopped.
The person—the woman—slowly stepped down, wafting a flowery scent with her that felt so uncanny in a swamp. Alluring, like a carnivorous flower that would swallow you whole once you walked too close. Her face was a mystery to , hiding behind a mask that was part white, part black, eting in a wavelike motion in the middle. Her body, her movent, lithe and elegant, highlighted by cloth I’d never seen before in my life. Velvety, dyed silk woven to perfection of a late dusk.
When her feet hit the first step I caught the hem—silk, black as the arena’s cell. Not a dress. Not anything I had a word for.
She ca down steadily, the fabric shifting as she moved. Black bled upwards into violet— fighting—rging into a bruise. Intricate stitching done with silver thread ddled with the changing color, sothing only a noble could afford. The wide band at her waist was where the purple went soft, almost rosy. It felt wrong for soone moving this elegantly inside a boggy and waterlogged place—it was downright eerie. Cords looped over her chest and around her shoulders, keeping those great sleeves pinned back, out of the way.
By the ti her feet touched the bottom of this flooded place, the silk up near her collar had taken on the color of the sky. Her aura demanded submission, her clothes reflected noblesse. And like her raven hair, long and flowing, what she wore conveyed the sa ssage: Beauty that could swiftly end a life and knew it.
Even through the mask, I could feel her gaze landing on . She took a step forward, and unlike everyone else who was slowly swallowed by the swamp, she moved upon the surface as if floating.
With every step that took her closer to , the air began to crackle and freeze at the sa ti and only now could I even make out the coral-like horns that sprouted on top of her head—one on each side. Antlers, not big enough to draw attention, but still enough to further harden her mystique.
By now, I thought I had already used every single complex word in my vocabulary that I could rember from my books. My head hurt, I wasn’t used to such language. But sothing kept nagging, like a voiceless whisper, to use words and terms so foreign to . Was it a trait of my soul healing, of being close to my Mistress? Was it sothing she enforced on sohow?
Th-This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be forced to—
“Daarin, what are you thinking so hard about, mhm?”
A wave of clarity ca over as the masked woman that stood now directly in front of addressed . What did I—
She flicked my forehead.
“Ow!”
“Stop thinking heavy things. We don’t need those wrinkles on your pretty face. My, now that I look at you, you really look exactly like her!”
“Like who?”
“Chi'-chi', no asking questions like these. There is no ti for that, you see,” reprimanded the woman.
I ignored her. “Who are you then?”
She sighed, “A greedy one now, are we? Did no one ever tell you that silence is golden and good things co to those who wait? But alas, you little Teaden were always like this. So full of zeal, ready to jump the gun.”
“What’s a gun?”
“Ow!”
She headflicked again! That hurts!
The woman snickered, “Don’t worry, daarin. All in due ti.”
She then turned to the rest and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, everyone was shaken awake from their stupor. Their faces that were filled with pleasure swiftly changed to confusion, fear—and especially for the humans—anger.
“I demand to know what is happening!” shouted the girl nad Adelheid.
“See, little Teade, no patience and yet demanding. Yancha, so irritating.”
The noble girl glared at the woman, but her only response was a finger-wagging, as if Adelheid was a little child. I doubted I’d ever seen soone so condescending in my life so far. And the worst thing, it made feel bad that I didn’t listen to her. Goddess, what was wrong with ?
And while the other humans were busy trying to free themselves from the ground in rapid movents, which only caused them to sink deeper into the bog, the woman (or rather I should call her the lady), took a paper fan out of thin air and gestured at the humans with it.
“You act so haughty, and yet that is precisely what you are, chinnyuusha-domo. Shouldn’t you have realised by now that your struggle is useless, that you can’t run, can’t flee? You are caught, and you can do nothing about it.”
The lady began to laugh, as she walked up to Adelheid. The huffs from her and the humans were evident enough that they’d beco exhausted trying to free themselves. The knights in their heavy armor had it worst, waist-deep inside the rotten swamp. Their muffled grunts slowly turned into panicked screams.
Only the three nobles were still knee-deep, staring daggers at… wait, why . What the fuck? Look at damn Deidre, she is basically in front of you. As if my thoughts were heard, the lady walked up close to her with a scrutinizing deanor.
“I must say, I am surprised but not shocked. It couldn’t have been a better timing for my arrival so I can, “ her gaze wandered up and down the demon, “bring so structure to you unprepared lot.”
Oh, that glare Deidre gave her. “Pshaw, easy for you to say after arriving—”
“Shii, my cute succubus. Save your energy, you don’t have much,” the lady sneered, ignoring a biting motion Deidre gave her in defiance. Like the rest of us, she was also stuck, just not sinking any farther. Instead, she moved ahead to the front girl Adelheid.
“Free us, you fiend. Do you have any idea who my father is?!” she shouted.
Unimpressed, she opened the fan. In a forward motion, she leaned close to Adelheid with the fan covering the lower half of her mask, I guessed. It was kinda hard to see.
“Fiend? Chigau, curly hair. I’m Cold-Wraith, not so loony creature,” the lady announced in a cold manner. Irritating that she told her but not .
“An Archdemon!" whooped Tulsi in an incredibly shrill voice next to out of nowhere, only to be silenced by a flying fan hitting her forehead with a loud clang, before appearing in the lady’s hand again.
Worried, I looked at Tulsi and… yeah, she was knocked-out cold. Were those tiny feathers on her skin? I shook my head and turned my attention back to the person that held all the might in the room right now. My eyes must have tricked anyway.
“Soukai, to clarify. I am neither fiend nor archdemon, you cretins. Don’t compare to those failed beings, okogamashii. Pheles is my na, that’s what you are allowed to address by.”
“We don’t care!” scread the other noble girl. “We will k—”
“Ida! Shut your mouth,” shouted the boy at her.
“Fuwa? Nanto subarashii! Infights, so early. My seeds didn’t even sprout yet! A new playfield, new sches. I wonder if so of them still live. I can look, and slowly stew them in their own juice… fufufufu.”
“You are crazy, fiend. Once we get out of here, the only thing you’ll witness is the fire around you crawling closer to you on the stake!” threatened Adelheid with empty words.
Pheles opened her fan again. “Presumptuous now, mhm? I’d like to deal with the likes of you right now, but it is not my call to make.”
Adelheid smirked, “Hah, talking all big. You’re scared, aren’t you? Who’s call is it here if not yours, demon?”
“Kanojo no,” said Pheles in her own language as she closed her fan, pointing behind .
As if on cue, more mist rolled over the bog, making it impossible to see the ground, and what was left of the drowning knights. Everyone turned their attention to where Pheles had pointed at with a thunderstruck expression. I moved my head too and—
—froze cold. This couldn’t be. My gaze darted all around us, but everywhere it was the sa. The mansion was gone. Since when?! All that was left was the ever growing swamp, desolate and full of sawgrass and rooty towering trees filling slowly with mist. Then I—we—sothing. Weak blue flickering lights flying through the air, leaving a blazing tail behind. They sward around sothing, no, soone.
The first thing that struck was that unlike Pheles, this being wafted through the boggy ground rather than walking on it; nor was it being stuck. Trailing behind what I could only describe as a giant body was a widow’s weed, a black dress, dull and stiff. The hem was dirtied and torn, like so many parts. The hands (and arms) were hidden by matching gloves. The longer I looked at it, the more I got a feeling of familiarity. But that couldn’t be.
Ignoring the feeling, my eyes wandered higher to the veil that was covering the face and flowed down their back and probably far behind it. At first, I wasn’t sure about what I saw, but as the being crept closer, I could make out the outlines of… ears? I honestly wasn’t sure. They appeared fin-like, similar to what the sirens in my picture books back then had adorned to their heads.
"She’s breathtaking, sou jya nai ka?”
I nodded, slowly; captivated by the looming threat. Threat? No, this wasn’t right. This felt more like anticipation. Without noticing, I already tried to move to her (her!). Like a moth to a fla, I was drawn to her.
I groaned trying to free myself, I had to. She was so close. I-I needed to go. But I was stuck, unable to move—prey, fidgeting in a spider’s web.
Pheles snickered next to , “So eager for her Mistress~.”
“M-My Mistress? Maera? Maera!”
My heart fluttered, my every worry gone. She was here, she ca for us, for . I had to reach her, serve her (no), yes. YES! She n-nee-ded ! Why, why couldn’t I move?!
“FREE !” I shouted at the fiend, the cager next to .
I suddenly felt a hand petting my head, “Kawaisō ni, you simply can’t help yourself. The tragedy of your bloodline.”
What was she saying? Tragedy (yes!)? No, this was a blessing (no!)! I… what was I thinking? My head began to throb, telling sothing. But, every ti I was about to understand it slipped through my fingers, drowned out.
My head sank, or was about to, when two hands forced my head to look at her—her. Mistress.
“Yes, sweetened morsel. Look at your mistress, give yourself up,” whispered Pheles honeyed words into my ear.
She was right. (No! No!) She was right. (No…) Mistress ca closer, I nearly could touch her. N-Not that I would. I wasn’t worthy. (Run. Look away!) My gaze breathed in every mont, an—
Wow! (Wow.) Behind Maera, a long fin-tail extended from her lower body down into water. It was roughed up, with many wounds and scars, alongside damaged finlets. Still, the scales were of incredible beauty: a muddy azure, matt coloured.
Now close to , she appeared even taller. She was even towering the already tall Pheles. If I had to guess, I’d say she was nine feet. Maera had changed, even from the form she’d shown in the office. How was this possible? Was it her race? No matter, I’d follow her. Forever (...).
There she was. Before . Mistress, you ca. To . To. No. Wh-What were you doing?! Take with you! M-Mistress. A whimper escaped my mouth—a hope; shattered. She didn’t look. (Good). She ran past . (Listen).
“Fufufu,” was Phele's only response to my dismay.
Anger—(Anger)—welled up in . A-And… a fresh breeze filled my mind: Fr(eed).
My body began to tremble as I watched Pheles walk toward the nobles at Maera's side. But I remained calm. What were they planning?
For what felt like forever, the leading noble girl who was now waist-deep stuck in the ground like her companions raised her voice again, “You will all regret doing this to us! Once my fath—”
But before she could react, Maera waved her hand, sending thick mist in every direction. A lanting whisper filled the room. No words spoken, but heard. A command.
“Yoi yu wo,” said Pheles with a flat voice that seed… fading?
Oh, n-no, I knew this haze. M-My… mind…
so…
tired.
╭══◞ Adelheid POV ◟══╮
My eyelids shot open. A blue cloudless sky opened up before .
What the hell just happened? I was just standing in that… swamp. Those monsters everywhere.
Then that giant thing waved her hand and—
I rushed up. Ida. Richard!
Only now did I notice that I was in the surroundings of the temple situated in the city’s heart. But how? A mont ago I was still in the Royal District. I cursed. Why didn’t Papa want to listen to ?!
Ever since the self-proclaid Matriarch ca into the academy with that damned elental, everything went wrong. It was hard enough to convince the others of the round table to get through with my plan and now this.
I cursed. But how did I get here suddenly? Teleportation magic? No, this wasn’t only improbable, but downright impossible. A blackout spell? This must’ve been it! Of course, they wouldn’t dare to lay hands on and the others. The swamp and everything was for sure hallucination magic paired with so incredible illusion. I had to admit, when I saw what was happening around us, I started to panic on the inside; but since nothing of it was true, my intuition was right in the end.
This also ant that all my accusations I ntioned to Papa were correct: The Matriarch was a fraud using powerful mind magic to cause sothing akin to mass hysteria and hallucination. Her ‘proof’ of being an Asche created out of thin air. She had probably also tricked her elental into this kind of contract. Waiting for her to be inside of the Academy surely was the right move, but we still were unprepared. But now that I knew her little secret, it was over for her and this mansion would be the cherry on the top.
Now, I needed a carriage to get to our headquarters. I was pretty sure the tropolitan would be more than cooperative if I told him of this and he gave a relic to shield against her magic. And then… we would cleanse this filthy place from all those lesser beings and burn them on the stake as a warning for everyone to see what happens to those who turn against the purity of our city.
As I looked around for a guard I had to admit that even though the area here looked quite beautiful, there were far too many commoners and other lower races moving around for to find it appealing. Even though I already knew what had happened, it still seed odd to . Shouldn’t the people around react differently? Was it really just a knockout spell?
Whilst still wondering how I had gotten here, I approached one of the town guards so that they could call a carriage for .
"Guard!" I yelled as I stood in front of him. "Assign soone imdiately to order a carriage for so that I can leave this horrible place!"
Yet nothing happened. The guard looked briefly in my direction but just as quickly wandered off again with his gaze. It seed like he hadn't noticed my existence at all.
"Hello?!" I shouted angrily at him. "Are you deaf or sothing? How dare you ignore a noblewoman? Do you know what kind of punishnt you'll face for this insolence?!"
But the guard still didn't respond. Horrified, I reached for him, whereupon he unceremoniously shoved away roughly.
"Begone, you filthy cat-kin!" he demanded, still not dignifying with a glance.
"C-catkin?" I exclaid loudly, to which, of course, I got no response.
I looked around and dashed to one of the fountains to look at my reflection in the water. As I sat on the edge, I couldn't believe my eyes. Big gray fluffy cat ears with a black tuft had grown on my head. My hand shakily went up to them, hoping they weren't real, but I could feel them. My hand reached fearfully to my back an— I dropped to the ground, crying. There was a stubby tail. I could feel it, as if it was part of .
"No, no, no!" I cried out desperately. I scrambled up and ran to the nearest person, a woman, to make sure this was all just a bad dream.
She spat at . “Go away, filthy lynx-kin”
Frozen for a mont, I still refused to believe this. Th-this all must be another illusion, yes, yes, yes. I was sure of it, yes. So I ran up to another woman, an adventurer mage. Surely she would be able to see through such a wretched spell. But she ignored . I tried another person, again and again, yet I didn't seem to exist in their eyes. I only got a reaction when I tried to touch soone—they forcibly shoved aside each ti and, like the guard, continued to treat like air.
When I tried to leave the area around the temple, I was continually prevented from doing so by the guards. I was trapped.
Eventually, evening ca, and fewer and fewer people were around. Nevertheless, the guards stayed where they were. I was slowly getting hungry, but I would definitely not stoop so low as to even consider food from here.
-------
After the fourth day without food I gave in. Trying to talk to one of the rchants had failed. But as I attempted to borrow sothing—I was treated as air anyway—the rchant grabbed roughly around my wrist. It hurt so badly, but what hurt even more than the blows that ca after was the fact that he didn't look directly at either. I wasn’t worth his attention—my existence wasn't worth acknowledging.
-------
After four more days and countless more attempts, I finally managed to steal sothing without being seen. It was one of the best als I had ever had in my life. In the anti, a beast-kin walked past, led on a leash by her master. She was the first one to really look directly at . My heart was pounding wildly at the fact that soone was finally acknowledging my existence. But when I walked in her direction, she just shook her head. Shocked at myself for enjoying the attention of a lowly beast, I stopped.
-------
Day ninety-five—I thought I had started to lose my mind. I had tried everything possible so far to break out of this district, but those ridiculous guards caught every ti. I had beco quite good at borrowing, though. I didn’t even cry myself to sleep every night anymore… I was missing ho so much. The touch of a person or simply being seen as sothing again. I hadn't seen another beast-kin since that one ti. Everybody still acted as if I were air. How much longer could I endure this?
-------
Day three fifty-two—I didn't want to live anymore. Everything felt like an endless, repetitive day. The routine of beatings and scorn was grueling. I yearned for a conversation, a hug, or just being noticed by soone again. Still no beast-kin in sight. How nice it would have been to see one of them again. The only comfort was my fluffy tail, which I was very grateful for. I didn’t know lynx-kin could have long tails, but it grew a bit every day nonetheless. Whenever I felt alone, I hugged it. It was warm…
Tears rolled down my face. Papa, where are you? Help . I want to go ho. I want to eat sothing sweet, sleep in a soft bed. Papa, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was a bad girl, I have learned my lesson. Please, soone, anyone… free .
But like always, my wailing echoed empty. There was no one. So I cowered in a gap secluded and protective between houses and cried myself to sleep.
-------
Day nine hundred and seven—I could no longer tell if the life I had lived before I ca here had been real or just a fabrication of my mind to escape the truth that I was a lynx-kin. What was reality? What was just a re invention? I no longer knew or cared. I didn't leave my hiding place anymore. I just wanted to die. This couldn't be called living. I bit my lower lip, drawing blood. I had enough. I brought my hand to my throat and unsheathed my claws. Stopped. For a mont, defiance flickered; but… who would co to save ? That was right: no one. Not for . I closed my eyes a—
“Ah, freeeedomn,” breathed my voice for the last ti. Everything beca heavy, yet, I felt so relieved, happy. A last smile spread across my lips an… so… qui-et… Pa… pa…
╭══◞ Ida POV◟══╮
The mont that weird lady waved her hand, I tried to erect a barrier around us, but to no avail. My mind still felt fuzzy, but slowly, the blur around lifted. Panicked, I looked around and realized that I was suddenly alone in a small clearing surrounded by conifers, in the middle of which stood a large mansion.
Suddenly I heard a cracking sound behind . Slowly, I turned around and caught sight of a group of goblins. With rotting teeth and leering gazes, they gawked at .
“Pshaw, just a bunch of pathetic goblins!” I exclaid, about to cast a spell on them, only to be startled when I realized my runes were gone. My other diums were gone too. I swallowed hard—I couldn't use magic.
Then I heard the goblins rushing toward .
Without thinking about the consequences, I took flight and ran to the run-down mansion, where I would be safe... or at least could try to hide from them. A big improvent at least from what would occur if they’d caught —becoming a brood mother, that was.
The mansion's front door was wide open, but as soon as I went in, it slamd shut behind . I heard the goblins banging on it, trying to get in, but to no avail.
A sigh of relief left my body. Whatever had just happened, I first took a deep breath and looked around. I was on the ground floor. Everything seed rotten and long abandoned. After a few steps toward the staircase, I heard a childish giggle. The giggling seed to co from everywhere. First from the left, then from the right, then above, then in front. It stopped briefly until I heard it a tad louder than before, this ti from behind .
The floorboards began to creak. Very slowly, I turned around. Behind , on the old parquetry, sat a little doll in a long black frilly dress—decorated with many bows—and long hair that shimred with the sa platinum blonde as mine.
She looked sowhat… cute? No, this wasn’t it. She looked eerily simil— I paled. Her face. It was as if I were looking into a detailed portrait of myself, only instead of eyes, there were two black hollows.
A crack behind . I spun around. I scread. Right in front of my face was the doll that had just been sitting on the floor. Black sli was oozing from its cavities. I tried to move, but was paralyzed.
More cracks: all around . I tried to move my head again, but failed. Then there, in the corner of my eyes… goddess. I panicked, wanted to move, wanted to run. But my body was as stiff as a corpse. More and more dolls appeared out of nowhere. A singular giggle rang out behind , followed by a questioning voice, my voice.
“Are you here to play too? We all love to play gas. A ga of Hide and Seek, that is. And found it we did, oh yes we did. We were looking for two jewels, and you have them. Would you kindly give them to us? Pretty pleawse”
I froze. Cold fingers were sliding through my hair from behind, moving closer and closer to my face. I wanted to scream, wanted to shake them off. But to no avail. To— They had reached my eyes. The foreign tiny fingers began to force their way into my eye sockets. Full of pain, I tried to cry out. Hot blood stread down my cheeks. It tasted disgusting. I tried to squirm, but I just couldn't move my body. There was no relief. Even fainting seed impossible.
“Oh, such beautiful, beautiful jewels. Don't worry, you won't need them where you'll be soon,” a childish voice spoke, whilst the hands drilled further into my sockets, into my head.
The pain was unbearable—yet my mind clear as the day—, and I prayed to the goddess that I would simply pass out at one point or die right away.
My prayers weren’t answered. Instead, finally, I felt my eyes being jerked out. The nerves were still connected to them. With a jerk, the eyeballs were torn away from the nerve endings and sothing inside of just died.
Another child's voice sounded, “What about her arms, her legs? She doesn't need those anymore! They look tasty!”
“Yes, yes. You're right!” spoke a third.
Before I could even register what they’d said, my limbs were slowly pulled apart from my body—it was a rupture. A loud plop: muscles breaking, muscles tearing. In between, sweet relief ca over , as I lost consciousness.
Yet before my mind could heal, I was forced back into the waking. A nightmare? I opened my eyes. I could see. I moved my arm and… nothing happened. My body felt weird, stiff. Not as before, simply, different. I attempted to look around, where was I? Why did everything look so big? Was this still the mansion? Then I saw it, the only thing in this room: a mirror. It stood in front of , reflecting a shelf on which countless lifelike dolls were sitting.
Ha.
Hahaha.
Hhahahahahahha.
My mind broke, incapable of accepting what I saw. This wasn’t true. Yes. A dream. A bad one. Magic. Right. Hahah—
“Welco, sister!”
“Welco to our family!”
Echoed the chorus of children's voices.
“One of us.”
“Forever with us.”
“oNe Of Us!”
“eTERnaLly wITH uS!”
“...”
The pain was gone, replaced by sothing else—a hollow horror. I scread, voiceless. My image in the mirror, unmoving. My eyes dood to stay open, to watch the image, to look at the doll, to look at myself, forcing to accept the truth.
I refused. I still had a voice, even if it was only in my mind. I tried to rember spells I could use; draw ntal runes. Tried everything again and again, but the only thing that stayed infinite was the giggle in the back of my head. I tried to tune it out, to force silence. But the more I tried to ignore it, the louder it beca.
My thoughts fumbled, mumbled, jumbled. Giggling was all I heard. How long was I here? How long was I gone? Only the mirror: my eternal companion.
And with a giggling voice I had to admit:
“I was one of them.”
ntioned CW for the nextpart. You can skip it, it is not particularly story-relevant but highlights the intensity of Maera's control over Nightmares and how little she cares about humans.
If you don't want to read it, skip to the next POV change. If you decide to read it, tread carefully.
╭══◞ Richard POV ◟══╮
Spoiler
What the fuck happened? Why was I suddenly in a poorly illuminated corridor? What kind of retard uses those outdated candles anymore?! One could either go forward or backward. There were doors on both sides at regular intervals, but they wouldn't budge. So I proceeded in one direction.
As ti passed, nothing really changed. Everything remained the sa. So I continued to stroll along the path, thinking about how I had gotten here. My first thought was teleportation, but that was impossible so close to the old ruin—or as other people called it, the temple. That thing was of unknown origin and had probably been built by so pagans who preferred to worship one of their strange creatures (maybe even that very thing in that mansion). But neither the writings nor the magic could be deciphered yet. So of the professors at the academy claid that the ruin must be from a ti before the age of the gods and rambled on about Old Ones. I absolutely had to coax my father into having those heathens suspended—so that their teachings were not spread any further—or ensure that they might eventually be involved in an unfortunate accident. Keeping our halls clean from such filth. I still couldn’t believe that our headmaster would allow this. Fuck Adelheid, I already knew she was useless because she was a wench, but I never expected her to be so utterly incompetent. That was why nobody would take won seriously. They shouldn’t even be allowed to study, but this was only my opinion.
Anyway, back to the topic. If it wasn't teleportation, the question still remained: how had that possible pagan monster managed to do sothing like this to ? I, who was well on the way to gaining a paladin class evolution? Ooh, I was so excited about it actually. Once I got it I could finally start the journey to cleanse this world of all the filth that didn't belong to humanity... or at least enslave a large fraction of them. Even if they were inferior, the won could be put to use. But won were generally only good for that. Even though my fiancée thought otherwise about this subject—oh well—in the end, she was rely a woman too. And as a paladin, I could fuck as much as I wanted and throw them all away like the toys they were. Won only exist for the pleasure of n and to look nice. Well, and to flaunt the wealth of a superior man to their betters.
All the worse that I had been forced into this situation by such a bitch (at least they looked like bitches. Even if that one was tall. Maybe a male creature wearing won’s clothes? What a freakish creature). I would make sure they got what they deserved. And then I'd—
I stopped.
A whimper. From where? Behind!
“Hello?“ I called out but got no response.
In the dim glow of the candles, I continued to walk forward and saw that a small room opened up before , in the middle of which stood a table with five chairs. On one of them, with her back turned to , sat a little girl who held her hands in front of her face and continued to whimper softly.
Slowly, I approached her. “Hey, girl. Where are we?“
But the girl didn't respond. Angered by her ignoring soone of my standing while she wept pointlessly, I tried to grab her. But just as my hand was to touch her shoulder and turn her towards , her voice rang out.
“D-Daddy? I-Is it you? Really? Are you here to take with you? Mama left a long ti ago, but she told to wait here for you and that you would surely co. And you ca!“
What the—
“I missed you so badly, daddy. It has been so long since mama left. But I waited, like a good girl would. Even as my stomach started to hurt. Even as my nails grew too long. I've been so alone. So, so alone”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I don't have a child!” I retorted.
“B-But daddy, mama Susan always said you would co!” the child replied innocently.
Susan... Susan. Oh, darn, who was that again? “Ahh, you an that strumpet who thought I loved her. So I actually got her pregnant, huh? Well, I don't care. You might as well be sobody else's child. Whores are whores.“
“B-But Daddy!“ it said, turning slowly to face .
“I already told you, I'm not—“ I froze when I saw her face. While the left half looked relatively normal, the other was simply sickening. Her eyeball had half fallen out, and flies and maggots were already eating it. She had a gaping wound on her jaw, allowing one to look deep inside of her mouth, and down to the bone. Her teeth were rotten, and worms and vermin were feasting on it.
“Why are you looking at like that? Am I really that pretty? Yes, that's right. I'm as pretty as mama and you!" the girl yipped happily, so maggots falling to the floor in the process. I wanted to throw up.
She slowly stood up. Instinctively, I took a few steps back. "Daddy? Why are you moving away? A-Are you so happy to have finally found ? Yes, that must be it. You really do love ! We can always be together from now on. You, , and all my siblings!"
“S-Siblings?” I breathed.
The girl tilted her head. “Yes. My little sister, for one. Mama said she passed away while still in her tummy, but I know she's unmistakably doing well. So are we all!”
“For fuck's sake, you monster! I don't have any kids, you fucking freak. It's not my fault if those won got pregnant. They could have used so dicine against it or whatever. It's not my problem! I'm Richard von Ramondt, and the only children I accept are those with blood just as noble as mine. Not an abomination like you!“ I scread.
But the crazy kid just started giggling. “Now, now, daddy! We know you love us. And we love you too; that's why we want you with us forever and ever!“
Before I could put an end to this madness, I heard a horrible watery splashing sound from behind the table. I took another step back and was about to turn around and get out of here when I saw it... a disgusting little blob-like thing. It pulled itself forward with a deford and barely developed hand, leaving a trail of blood and mucus behind. It squealed and screeched at a disturbing frequency of a mutated squirrel.
“Sister, sister! There you are! Look, it's daddy. He wants to be with us forever! He—” before she could even finish the sentence, I had already turned tail and ran. This freak show was too much for . I would have torn her to shreds if only my sword hadn't disappeared, and I couldn’t be sure if dark magic was at work here and protected them sohow. Touching them might have shocked or sothing. Couldn’t risk that. I had to find a way out.
So I ran down the corridor in the opposite direction from which I had co, hoping there would be an exit on that side and without any of those things. But suddenly, I heard the girl's echoing voice from behind.
“Papaaa. Wheree aaarre yooou? Don't be afraid; we just want to be with you. We love you so much! Oh! Are you playing catch with us? Of course, you do. You love us, after all. We’re coming, Papi”
My heart galloped and nearly leapt into my mouth. For the love of the goddess, what kind of sick horror was this? Had I accidentally walked into the lair of a necromancer?! This pagan mansion must have been a secret lair of the demon queen, after all. I had to warn the others, and then those unruly monsters would taste my fury.
Suddenly the doors on the sides flew open, and more little kids, no older than four or five, rushed out.
“Sister was right! Papa ca to us!“
“Papa!“
“Vater?“
“We missed you so much!” shouted the chorus of emaciated and neglected children.
I tried to fight my way through the onrushing mass, ignoring the potential threat of magical backlash. A kick here, a punch there. Teeth flew, bones broke, but there were too many. They pulled at , jumped on , and held on.
Ultimately, I fell to the ground. The children held my arms and feet so tightly that I couldn't move. The splashing resounded, and I saw, with a turn of my head, that the creature—whatever it might have been—was crawling toward . Behind it followed the crazy girl.
"Heh-heh, it was fun playing catch with you! But now it's ti for you to help my poor sister. You know, she feels soooo cold. And the candles would only burn her and I am not fed enough to give her warmth. So…you know, she really needs to get back into a tummy so she can be happy again. So tell , why don't you take over what mama had already started? Now that you're already here?"
"W-What the hell is wrong with you? I refuse. Burn that abomination for all I care. No, wait, what are you up to? No, god damn it, go away! I said, go away with that thing! I don't want it in my mou—"
The girl refused to listen and began to shove the jelly-like creature into my mouth, but I clenched my teeth. But she kept pressing, my teeth started to give way, to break. I had to hold in my screams, until I couldn’t.
At that mont I felt the gooey arm reaching inside my mouth and pulled itself inside. My stomach turned, but my vomit had no way out, shoved deeper by the screeching creature finding its way inside.
“That’s good, daddy. You are doing good. Just a bit more, then she is all inside.”
My eyes teared, muffled screams and unfathomable pain overtook . Then, everything just went black.
Suddenly, I was back in the corridor, at the sa point where I had started, but this ti I could hear the girl's whimpering from here, in the distance.
"Daaaddy? You want another round?"
I paled. Please, not again…
[collapse]
╭══◞ Maera POV ◟══╮
As I waved my hand, everyone fell into the boggy ground, eyes open. After that, they just lay there motionless. I spared them from the fate of getting drowned.
"What did you do?" asked Pheles curiously.
"Wraith magic," I whispered, cold.
"Heeee?" she pressed.
"A spell called 'Nightmare'. It does exactly what the na promises... depending on how much energy you pour into it. The three of them should—if they're lucky—wake up in a couple of hours and will probably be a little emotionally disturbed. But, apart from that, they should be fine.
“Not that it is important. Everyone else got put to sleep. No nightmares. But they would've beco so noisy. I can’t handle noise right now. I’m not interested in conversing with them either. Mhrm, you can do it. Now that you are awake, you can do the job. And you don’t have to look at like this, trust , you will love it, my little scher.”
Yes, that was right. Pheles was here. She could do it. She was a master in it after all. So many plans, so much to do. A revenge well played, slowly unrevealed. A theater play on the big stage.
Pheles pulled on my arm, gesturing around us. Oh, right. I had to clean up this place. I snapped—the mansion returned. I let Drask handle everyone when he returned from his errand. Deidre and Tulsi were already stirring—impressive, yet not worth my attention. Pheles and I had things to plan. Heh, how about a secret evil organization?
Now that would be fun~.
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