somewhere, dark yet bright, nothing to grasp to and nothing to step on, floating in space as if gravity itself is void, yet... there.
------
"that stupid... damn him making stupid requests from an outsider..." a girl clad in white and black, golden rims and two asymmetrical horns. sitting in a chair that's not there.
"forgive your child would you please, even for an ethereal who once was a living being will still feel loneliness and regret. give him an easy time~" a tall woman clad in bright white and long hair, covering everything as if the air itself was forcing itself to hide it.
"Alyn... you know he has a book to find, even if it's just rumors or lies from those heathens."
"you really are searching for that book huh? it's been multiple millennia that even the past gods haven't seen or have ever heard of it. until now that is... it's still quite amusing for you to somehow dream about it even before you were born." the tall woman smiles, warmingly talking to her as if she was her own daughter
"that's why you granted me the god's gift when I was mortal, am I not right?" glaring at her intensely, the woman just smiles, with no response whatsoever.
"honestly, you're the least of my worries... so that aside, what's your opinion on him?"
"Sataniel? he's... quite interesting... some say he's a god of the underworld while others call him a fallen angel of their god. who he really is is up to him to decide really."
touching the waters, rippling through and through, reveals the man in black and red, ever so mysteriously sitting in the inn with a pen and paper. he notices that he's being watched and looked through the water pond as if he was right there. waving to the goddess, and then disappearing into thin air.
"ever so mysterious..."
----------------
"how did it come to this?"
I went to the city to find the former Guildhall in the area but... "it seems that it's all run down... what happened here?
suddenly, a man appeared beside me, "this ol' building has been demolished and has now been relocated to the sky! have you not heard of it, young lass?" relocated to the skies? oh!
"Does that mean the ship has been finished?" I've been curious for years about it. the guild has announced that they will finally fly and take on much more dangerous but profiting quests once they finish the whole project. Aunt Theia was the one who helped with the finances and resources to make the whole ship easily manageable and ease the maintenance.
the old(?) man confirmed it. this means that flying ships have been produced huh? I hope it doesn't pollute the sky that often. Laplace is large enough to probably store probably around 10 trillion more people?
"by the by, young lass, are you perhaps the niece of miss Theia?" !!
I spike up suddenly. does he know? let's just say no.
"p-perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else, I don't have any relation with au-. miss Theia" phew... that was close...
the man looks at me quite intently... please don't realize...
"well then... I see. for a young noble lass as you to be outside without a guardian or a bodyguard... you should go home, this isn't in the worst part of the city but some thieves can still smell a hint of gold. I better get going, be careful young lass."
ahh-... he left... thanks for the warning anyway.
***
hmm... "are there anything else inside? probably not..." I walk past the district... somehow... I feel like I'm being watched...
"I hope they can just leave me alone..." I walk faster but-
"hmpf!?" I'm suddenly- I can't move my mouth. what's happening?
"shh- best to stay quiet little lady" the man speaks. I can't see him... am I getting kidnapped? Om-... no... not yet... like Analisse said... don't show your trump card early in these kinds of situations...
without as much resistance from me, I follow his lead and wait for an attack but suddenly...
"-huh? he's... gone? where am I?" I'm suddenly in a grassy field... I look elsewhere and nothing but plains... what's going on?
"Hello? is anybody there?" I yell to find some people but no response... did I get teleported somehow?"
I walk around some more and after a few more minutes, I find-
I gasp, looking down at the destroyed village... no... this... is my village... when did I get here?
"I can't care any less for this village anymore... well... it's been a long time... why not explore it for a bit?"
rubble, destroyed houses, it's like this just happened moments ago... fire everywhere, it's complete devastation...
"who could've done this?" I ask. I didn't expect any answer anyway...
"GAAHH!" a scream could be heard from the distance, perhaps that was the one that destroyed this village? best not to get in its way then... I doubt I can defeat it on my own...
... I explore a little bit more then suddenly- "Monsters!" I prepare my scarf and summon- "Omi?! Omi! where are you!?" the stitch isn't there, no... it's gone... it's like it didn't exist in the first place...
"shit... not the time to be fighting then..." a monster slashed through the wind. luckily, I managed to avoid it, I grab some dust on the floor and sprayed it over their eyes, although I can't get them all...
"I can only stave them off... screaming won't help... it could just attract that gigantic monster here..." I think of an escape plan immediately but...
not possible... I'm surrounded. damn it... how can I escape here? "I can't think of any plan... tch..." what am I supposed to do here?
***
more and more monsters pop up out of nowhere- I'm beginning to exhaust myself... damn it...
"I... can't hold this any much longer..." I'll have to try to test luck on this one... my least favorite thing to do...
I... really have no other choice right now... well... here goes... "Ana-"
a woman- no... a man? saves me, all of the monsters died in a matter of seconds... thank god...
"thank you for rescuing me... I would've died..." I bow to him but-
"Who are you and how did you survive?" he asks rather bluntly. right... I haven't introduced myself.
"I'm Osiria, Osiria Ro-" I suddenly stop- what... no, I must've choked it I repeat once again, "sorry, my full name is Osiria Ro-" huh? what's...
"well then, miss Osiria, I'm afraid that you will have to leave, now" he puts his hands to me and-
"wha- what's this!?" shadows, enveloping me ever so slowly. no- I... I don't want to die...
"I'm... sorry" he uttered silently while looking away... am-... I really gonna die?"
***
I wake up and find myself in a town... am I? back to the city? I look around and it seems that I've been tended to... I'll have to ask what happened to me...
I look around and see some... interesting books... perhaps I can read one of them? no... I have to find who tended to m-
"ara, it seems that you are awake Mademoiselle, it's nice to meet you again?" he smiled wickedly and bows... it's him! the one who made the stitch in my scarf!
"you- what are you going to do to me?" I ask, I need some answers, I need to know who he really is and what's his goal
"Perhaps you are too innocent and childish to play detective are you not? well, no matter. I shall answer everything you question. it's up to you to test the words of a stranger too~" with a snap of a finger, he sits down without even something to sit on... no... I need to focus.
"ahh~ right, prior to your last question, I am only here to provide support to the ever so lovely lady right in front of me. do you have any more questions?"
I can't tell what he's thinking... no matter, all I need is answers.
"where am I? what happened to me?" I began rummaging through my mind... what really did happen? my whole situation's a mess and I don't understand any of it...
"ahh- perhaps you have not realized yet, you were unconscious in a destroyed village, all faint of life so I HAD to rescue you" he's making a sarcastic tone... no... I don't believe him even for a second... "you are in a little shed that I live in. nothing more, nothing less"
that so.... well then- "what do you plan to do with me? what's your goal?" he smirks, giving off an aura that I can't even imagine what-
"I will return you to whence you came from later. we have limited time girl so I'll have to rush in for a bit. as for goals, does a person really need goals to live? in order to survive, one must have goals? I believe that's what humans tend to believe. worry not, I have nothing against you and I will do nothing to hurt you, as prior to my contract with the goddesses, "I shan't harm nor disturb the people of Laplace" so you have nothing to worry about."
you have pretty much disturbed me... more or less...
"and with that, I shall deliver you back home~ I don't want anyone to worry about such a beautiful girl~ well then, until with meet again" he forms a wicked smile and disappears into the shadows... he's gone... where am I anyway?
"a-huh?" the moment I blinked my eyes... I'm back in the dorms? how?
"Osiria! are y- oh! it's time for your mandatory classes! hurry up or you'll be late!" Alice is here. what... wasn't I... no, I shouldn't make that into my own problem... leave that for later... right?...
"hey, Alice, mind coming with me after class? I... I'm going somewhere and I don't know if it's dangerous..." I'm getting hesitant over something I shouldn't even make a problem to...
"it's fine. as long as you're safe like mother always say, your safety is the highest priority and if I ever get hurt, mother can always patch me up nicely" she's not even hesitant... I'm always asking for her when it comes to this scenarios...
I... feel apologetic... funny... "sorry for... being a nuisance to you..." really... I'm being a burden to everybody again...
Alice looks at me, as if she's judging me... "Osiria... not this again..." no... please... don't-
Analisse hugs Osiria in an attempt to free her from self-isolation again. "listen, Osiria, I know you're having problems with your powers but keep your chin up alright? do this for your friend, I don't like you seeing this down." the door knocks and opens- "hell- ahh- sorry for interrupting you two... I'll... be seeing you two later... alright?" the person left, without even noticing her
Osiria cries ever so silently, within Analisse's hands, she tends to her and keeps her company, always.
* * *
"there... are you alright now?" she asks, still holding me in her arms.
"yeah... I'm fine now. thanks." I... keep doing this... being more of a burden but... yeah... right... we're always together... always...
"I'm your puppet and you're the puppeteer, keep that in mind alright?" she states. I don't like that term... "don't you have your own life to do?". she's always doing these for me... it's not like she's ordered to do so...
"Osiria, I keep telling you that I chose to be with you remember? honestly, you troublesome child" she gives me a smile. haha... yeah... I don't even know why I'm turning this into a problem...
"alright then! we're going to your class! and tell me about that place you told me, I'm quite curious where you troublesome girl run off to when I wasn't around"
"hey- come on... aren't you even more troublesome than me? we go reported the first day and you're calling me troublesome"
we jab at each other and finally fixed up and went to my mandatory class. it wasn't really anything interesting, I already knew all of them and if ever I miss something, I can just ask someone or the tutor about it...
* * *
the class ended after 1 long hour... Alice was already waiting for me in the gate.
she waves and calls me over in the distance, looking like a fool as always...
"so~? where are we going?" she asks. I'm quite nervous if she'd suddenly be angry when I tell her but... "remember the guy we found? what was his name?" "oh! you mean-... crap I forgot... huh-... that's the first time I ever forget something..." wait... something's...
"Alice!" I command her and immediately, we were transported to somewhere, somehow
the place... it's the village! this-
"Osiria!" huh?-
shrapnel, wood scattered across the area, I look around and it was Analisse, stabbed in the back- "n-... Analisse!" I scream but there was no response. the pulsating black claw that pierced through Analisse tore her more and splitting her in half, liquid ooze came out from her and evaporated into mist-
"A-... n-... no..." with her liquid dripping from my hands, evaporating as soon as it touches the black grass, the man who was controlling the hand showed himself.
"I-... I'm sorry... but, you have to die too" the claw protruding from him encased me once again, with nowhere to look but forward
*black...* *
I close my eyes but nothing's different, all I see is darkness looming me...
"she's... dead..." nothing could be changed... "she's really dead... I... killed her..." I... killed her...
*pitch...*black...*
I... feel nothing... I... feel lonely. Analisse is gone... this... this has to be a dream... "yeah... a dream..."
Illusions, holograms show themselves in front of me... I imagine these are my memories... right? "right?... a dream?"
just sleep... everything will be alright... just... this... is just a dream... just a dream... I'll wake up like nothing happened "right?"
---------------
"Osiria!" at that moment, Osiria died in front of Analisse, pulsating black claws tore her insides, nothing could be distinguishable after.
holding the blood of Osiria's, Analisse was bearing every thought as she had tears. slowly crippling herself.
"this... can't be..." she uttered to herself, with the blood of her partner soiling her clothes, she stood up. "this... absolutely cannot be" changing into a different tone, with an ominous sound cluttering from her insides. "I... wa...s me.ant t.o pro....tect you..." with her glitching voice, she took Osiria's blood.
darkened eyes, the skin made from Fallen wood Rotted slowly into her heart and the pitch-black shadows encased her. "it's futile" uttered with the most silent voice, she grabs hold of air, propelled her arm forward and caught something resembling somewhat of a human. grabbing to anything dead, the string connected to each to her arm.
the black case disappeared into nothingness, Analisse was already holding the man in question. "bastard..." even the slightest of voice would glitch her, tearing through the shadows, Analisse, with one punch, impaled him without any hesitation nor resistance. "this, is for killing, my best friend" transforming her hand into a knife, she sliced off the hand of the man without question.
"this is for making us part ways early"
"and this, is for killing my girl"-
--------------
with a small blink, they find themselves in an abandoned wooden cottage, with no one else but themselves,
Analisse was standing, as if still holding the man while Osiria was crouched, empty, crying
"Osiria!?" surprised, she hugs Osiria as hard as she can, returning to her original self as quickly as possible. "Osiria, c'mon, I'm here, it's me, everything's alright" desperate to soothe her, Analisse attempts to find something that could calm her down
"my oh my, what an interesting bond you two have, it'd be a shame if that fragile little thing could be snapped in two~" a man clothed in black and red. it was the same man that introduced himself back at the park
"you! what did you do to Osiria! I demand answers! now!" saplings grew out of nowhere attempting to constraint the person
"relax there, hold on~ she's not hurt as you can see, I'm just attempting to- reawaken her, that's it~" still holding that devilish, wicked smile. "she's going to recover so don't worry, may peace bring you two closer but it appears that she has or have not accepted your death"
"what does that mean?" clenching her hands, Osiria confronted him and grab hold of his collar. "now careful there little lass" evaporating into thin mist, suddenly appearing in Osiria's back. "there is nothing for you to worry about~ all will be fine in the name of my contractor" leaving his final message, he disappears and they return to the dorm, leaving Osiria asleep and Analisse shocked.
"wh-... who was that guy?... I... don't remember his name..." even digging up his memory space, none seems to be corrupted nor tampered.
"ahh! Osiria! are you alright!?" from a single voice, Osiria wakes up, all teary-eyed and red- "ha-... haha... Osiria, I'm glad you're fine" with a warm smile, she hugs Osiria as hard as she can, completely ignoring if it'd hurt or not
Osiria does the same, with a smile in her face and apologizing for not being to do anything. both of them keeps this up for another hour.
--------------
"my oh my, that little devil is once again tempting to cross the rope Yvel"
hidden in the mist, the two goddesses seem to be once again with each other spying and reviewing reports of their followers and descendants.
"gah- him again!? what did he do this time?" Yvel, the underhanded yet kind Goddess, the goddess of creation and life. the mother of all that is life and death
"it seems that he has given your two granddaughters some trouble~" happily trotting in the wind. Alyn, the Goddess of the Fallen and the goddess of fate and will, Yvel's godmother and senior.
"tch, that fool... why did he have to contract such a troublesome anomaly..."
"it's not his fault now, c'mon, give them some slack, the two have bonded even more so, it's best to leave this to me and let me handle their fates"
"I'm afraid that you cannot my senior, it seems that one of them has a troubling fate in the future, we cannot control them nor can we stray from our original goal and rules. you are my senior are you not?"
"little devil, you're hurting me with your scolding~ then again... I'm afraid that you are right, we cannot stray to our path"
both of them nod and continue to their work,
---------------------
the whole afternoon pass without any problem and both Osiria and Analisse are in Osiria's dorm, still somewhat traumatized of the event they just experienced.
"h-hey... I'm really sorry for not being there alright? I couldn't do anything..." Analisse was the first to break off the silence. Osiria was still in fetal form on the corner of the room where the bed is.
after a long silence, Osiria spoke- "hey... Analisse... am I- weak?" she utters as if it she was whispering but Analisse heard her loud and clear.
"well-... I wouldn't say weak... you're just... not trained with using your Ether- right!- hey, why don't we stop this conversation and have dinner? I'm making curry today with chocolate! don't worry, it's not that spicy"
"y-yeah... thanks... Alice..."
Osiria smiles wryly. the night pass without any more trouble and both of them sleep comforting with each other. Analisse in the meanwhile-
standing on the balcony of the dorm room, Analisse is standing outside, with the owl on her shoulders and a paper
"this should be good enough, please deliver this to my mother as soon as you can" the owl leaves a yellow feather and heads to the northern continent.
"that man-... he's dangerous... I should meet up with Aunt Theia for this... it should be safe to call this as an emergency..."
with the clear night sky, Analisse enters the room. "right... this is for Osiria... nothing more"
------------
it's the middle of the week and Osiria and Analisse are walking around the city of the human country, a "date" if anyone would presume
"hey... Alice, are we going to avoid him? can we even avoid him?" Osiria's curiosity gave Analisse a sudden chill
"h-hey! don't ever think about that! I could only think if she somehow spies on us even in the bathrooms~-" with a gleeful smile-
"c'mon Alice, that's not nice teasing me, but that's just a theory... why don't we stop talking about that huh?"
"Agreed... I wouldn't ever dare to imagine him... his wicked smile, the demo-"
"alright! alright! just stop messing with me!" with a sudden shout, Osiria attracted attention that she was heard across the street
"damn you... Alice..."
"haha- alright, I'll stop messing with you."
shopping and entering every shop they see, they noticed someone fairly familiar- in a butler uniform- it was Rohel, Theia's most well-mannered and formal butler.
"hey! sir Rohel! over here!" Analisse waves, Rohel notices and waves back. he heads to them with a bag on his arm
"miss Rosa, Miss Yin, it's good to see you two well, how's the treatment of the school recommended by my lady?"
"everything's good! although unrelated to the school, we did have some trouble with a man we hardly know but at least we're fine" Osiria breaks her own silence-
"not at least without a bit of Trauma... I don't want to experience that again." Analisse chuckles a bit, "alright, alright. I'm stopping the conversation about him right now. that aside, how's miss Maya? is she faring well today? I heard from sir Avian that she was sick a day ago-"
Osiria, in curiosity, "how'd you heard that? what happened to miss Maya?"
"ahh- if you're asking for Maya then I'll gladly escort you two to where she's currently in right now. if you two don't have any classes that is..."
"we don't it's the middle of the week so we're currently on rest day. so? please escort us! we're kinda worried how she's keeping right now"
"affirmative, I shall escort you two to her right now."
---------------
a "small" mansion sitting just atop of a hill and a patch of bush and flowers, like I have always remembered... both Analisse and I lived in this mansion for lessons and hobbies. since it's been left out for quite some time right now, it's now only a temporary shelter for both of us.
"welcome back milady Rosa, Lady Yin" the servants were all lined up, every servant was trained by two people, Rohel and Maya. since then, Aunt Theia's Territory was growing by the second.
"This is Maya's room, she's currently resting in the bed and it's not wise to run amok inside so please refrain from stressing her too much." he opens the doors and leaves us, I assume that he'll place those things in the bag of his?
we see miss Maya bedridden- "miss Maya! are you alright!?" Analisse shouted, I bonked her head and so. "ow- that hurts", "didn't sir Rohel told us to not stress her out? stop shouting
Miss Maya laughs- "haha- c'mon girls, it's alright, I'm not sick" she lets us sit nearby her, we grabbed some chairs and-
"miss Maya, why are you bedridden anyway? if you're not sick then-"
Alice interrupts- "then she's obviously tired! if anything, we shouldn't be here in the first place"
"sometime's... I'm curious if I need to ask for Mei and fix you up sometimes..."
"eek~ please spare me~" haahh... Alice as always...
"girls, relax, I'm not tired, I'm actually quite happy right now." she stands up and grabs a glass of water.
"then... what's wrong with you? if you're not sick or anything then there should be something right?" Maya grabs what seems to be a strong fabric, paper or something?-
"see this? this is Aether, he will be born in the late month of war season." she smiles and both me and Analisse are in awe. miss Maya's pregnant!?
Analisse was in total shock, completely baffled at it, she takes a closer look.
"wow- so this is being pregnant looks like... so who's the lucky guy? is it sir Rohel?"
the door opens and suddenly interrupts our conversation-
"no, we're just friends and I'm quite happy to see her this joyful, still, it stings a little bit that you fell for someone"
"oho- you must be kidding Rohel, I have never even felt a slight tinge of affection from you nor from the girls you have been working with"
sir Rohel smiles- "well certainly, none exceeds my expectations and not even you, I'm afraid I cannot fall in love with such matters and I probably never will. so? how's your health?"
"fine, it's still early for me to feel any symptoms."
Analisse was still gazing at the picture... is it really that interesting for her?
"so? who's the father?" I asked, Maya and Rohel suddenly stopped talking realizing that they were talking for quite a while-
"ahh- yes, the father is Gilbert Ronsvitch, he works for milady also as a merchant and information gatherer. still, how'd you fall in love for such a guy?"
"girl's secret Rohel, it's best for you to experience it, remember too that we won't live long and will have to serve the lady with all we've got"
they're... not going to live long?
"wait- what does that mean?" I ask, both of them gave me a wry smile. "I'm afraid it's as Maya said, our life span's nearing its end and we have to resolve ourselves to that."
"what!? you two don't look that old to us. so what's the big deal with that?"
"we are spirits, both me and Maya are the only spirits in milady's servants and thus, live longer than any of them but-"
"as always with life, we will still die of old age. it may not look like it but we are exactly 500 years old. any more than that and we will only be a hindrance to the Lady."
"but- I thought you two are Fallen? aren't Fallen supposed to be half immortal?"
"that's the joy of being a Fallen Lady Rosa, but I'm afraid we are only experimented on with that in mind by the master, Kirin Aiha. we are human spirits infused with the blood of a Fallen centuries ago but as time goes on, we will start deteriorating our bodies as a body of a Human spirit won't handle immortality like that. we don't have cells and mechanisms like an original Fallen would be."
if... it's unavoidable, then- "then... how long will you two live? do we still have time to enjoy your assistance like always?
"I'm afraid we only have 5 months left, the end of the year will be our deaths, milady has already readied our coffins. soon, we'll turn to dust and leave this young boy to his own father."
both of them are still smiling... albeit, a little lonesome...
"so... you two only have limited time and are still serving Aunt Theia?"
"afraid so, don't worry though, it may not look like it but Lady Theia is a caring person on the inside, she may be strict but she understands her own servant's will, she'll carry out the appropriate orders for us." both of them seems so carefree...
with smiles on their faces, they both bow to each other, Rohel left... leaving only me, miss Maya and Alice who's still indulging herself in the picture...
"so- do you finally understand our situations?" I nod, I can't believe both of them will be leaving... sooner than expected too...
"I'll only ask this once to you miss Rosa, as a servant and as a mother, please take care of Aether when he grows up, I'll come back to the Bloodfall Mansion where milady is currently resting in, don't worry, I'll serve her appropriately without pushing myself"
they're really loyal to Auntie... what did she do to get this much loyalty?
"no lady Rosa, Lady Yin, if you two still have time, I'd brew some tea if you two want, like always I assume?"
"yes please, what about you Alice?" I call her but...
"Alice?". while still looking at the picture- "ahh? yeah- yeah. I'll do whatever" she's too engrossed with the picture... did she even hear the conversation we had?
we had a blast conversing with each other, though it's scary and lonesome knowing the person you're talking to will die in the near future... I'm still quite happy that she's giving birth o a child and soon too. after all of that, the sun is still up and we left the mansion, we found Aunt Theia in the distance too so we had to ask her about miss Maya's condition, her response-
"I'm afraid that I'll have to give her an early retirement... same goes to Rohel since both of them are nearing their end." she was blunt, but her voice seemed a bit sad, it doesn't show on her face but the servant behind her, Finn, knows it too, catching a few glance at each other.
"I'm afraid that I have no time for lamenting about it, I'm already used in this scenario but it's still a tad bit lonely. I digress, how're your study? I assume that you're doing well?"
ahh- right, she was the one who enrolled me into this school...
"of course. momst of them I already know so I keep having almost perfect scores, although I gotta ask, why's Alice going with me? she's not enrolled but why's she accepted anyway?"
she gives a deep sigh, "that girl insisted and negotiated with me, knowing full well of your strengths and weaknesses so she told me that she would protect you even if I don't give her permission, that girl..." her phone rings and she answered. seems like she's still quite busy... even in this day and age...
"forgive me Osiria but I need to leave, make sure to keep up on your studies, its fine to cut classes as long as you know what you're doing alright? I don't like raising a robot even if it turns them perfect so do anything to relax when you have the time." that... was pretty nice of her. I bowed to her and she left in a carriage.
"I think I should head to the mall right now, Alice might be waiting for me already...