The Claymore Mansion
Marius Claymore's paintbrush glided across the canvas, putting the finishing touches on a portrait of his wife, who sat in an elegant, cross-legged pose on a couch. She stifled a laugh, and Marius shot her a stern but playful glare, a silent reminder for her to remain still.
The study they sat in bore modest decorations with chairs, bookshelves, and a writing desk, all crafted from mahogany.
"I'm surprised you're still painting, love," Juliana noted, herself looking worn from physical activity. "After the time we had after getting home, I expected you to take a nap."
Marius chuckled. "Yes, well, twilight offers the best golden light." The light of the descending sun shone through a nearby window like a lantern in need of more gas. "Hold still. I'm nearly finished."
Juliana smiled and sighed as Marius set his easel down and continued painting. "Ever since we had the girls, I think I've become too modest to pose nude for you."
"Well, then, consider yourself much improved. Modesty shouldn't be frowned upon."
He gave her a confident smile, his painting of her completed. Juliana sighed in relief, and Marius took the picture down, the blank side facing his wife.
"Well, are you going to show me?" she asked through a giggle.
"The painting is a gift. A token to honor our anniversary," Marius announced.
A sudden realization splashed across her face. It was their twenty-first anniversary. That day, all those years ago, Juliana said "I do" to a man who swore to ensure their bloodlines remained stable and that their love would eclipse that.
Tears welled in Juliana's eyes. She was speechless.
"Marius…" Her tears fell, and she smiled.
"I understand, trust me. All this worry within the Sanctions got you frazzled," Marius responded.
"They say the disease is as close as Montelena. They're all self-isolating there."
Marius grew silent and pensive. After a moment that stretched, he spoke: "Something tells me that it's going to spiral into something worse before it gets better."
He felt a need to look out of the gold-kissed window and into the garden below.
A young girl with a thick tuft of hair pulled to the back of her head sat alone by a small creek. A cane half the size of her body propped next to her. She had her nose pressed into a book that was old and worn like a grimoire, and she used part of her dress to cover her mouth from a cough.
In front of her was an old loom with a half-finished tapestry; the young girl turned to work with surprising speed.
"We're going to need to protect Casella even more than before. The party tonight, anyone could be carrying the disease."
Juliana approached him, saying, "If that's such a worry, Marius, then why don't we cancel the party?"
Marius shook his head and turned to his wife. "If I could, I would. We're the hosts this year for Samhain, and it's Remilia's graduation night. The only other time we pull out the stops is for the girls' birthday."
"Whoever thought to have a family of girls would be so cumbersome?" Juliana commented as she looked down into the garden.
Her expression soured at the sight of Casella alone and reading. "Where the hell is Schala?"
"She did just lose her opportunity to join the Arcana Sanction, love. Why not give her some time to process her thoughts? I don't want you two arguing again."
"She's got a job to do; she's the only one I want taking care of Casella." Juliana waved her hand over her forearm, and the same tattoo of a thorned rose appeared. She traced a line down the middle slowly while Marius furrowed his brow.
"You'll cause her pain to tell her to come home when a simple message would do?"
Juliana turned to her husband, her face stern as stone. "You know Schala thinks she's better than this because she keeps coming up short. She evades a lot of responsibilities, simple ones--"
"Juliana, it's not like that at all--"
"--and I'm not about to be the only mother in Augurey with a defiant daughter!" she raised her voice a little. "If she can't handle this little bit of responsibility to help her sister, then Schala sorely needs a wake-up call."
The sound of screaming filled the air as the parents looked out of the window. Schala shimmered into view, lying curled into a ball on the grass behind Casella. Schala painfully glared at the window, but Juliana was gone. Instead, she reappeared in front of her in a shimmer that looked like broken glass.
Schala stood up, still shivering in pain as Remilia blinked into view. Juliana opened her mouth to speak, but Remilia interjected quickly:
"Mother, we were having lunch. Today was stressful for Schala--"
"You don't need to defend me, Remilia," Schala snapped. "Mother's going to think of me no matter what anyone thinks."
Juliana raised her hand when Casella's shuffling movement came closer. "Schal! Remi! You're back!" The young girl hugged her sisters' waists, her smile softening her mother's heart. "How did it go at the exam?"
A soft silence enveloped the group. The twins shared a glance and smiled nervously.
Casella frowned. "Oh, no, don't tell me you both lost!" Her frown switched into a fierce scowl. "I've got half a mind to 'port over there and shove my cane--"
Schala covered her sister's mouth as she wagged her cane like a blunt object.
Juliana shot Schala an irritated look. "Why do you talk like that in front of her? You know she's impressionable!"
Marius approached his family from behind, and Casella moved to hug her father as he knelt and hugged her.
"Juliana, don't we have a party to worry about? Time's ticking and the party-goers will be knocking soon."
Juliana sighed deeply. "All right. Remilia, we got you a new dress. We want you to look your best when our guests bring you gifts. And Schala..." She turned to stare her daughter in the face.
"Yes, mother?" Schala fought not to grind her teeth.
"Do watch over Casella. Make sure she doesn't hurt herself on that loom. We don't want any more broken fingers."
Juliana turned and walked away.
"You'll accept a crooked spine but not broken fingers," Schala uttered.
"What was that?" Juliana called back.
"Juliana," Marius interjected. "Go work your magic on the house. We'll be inside soon."
Juliana left in silence. Remilia and Casella chuckled while Schala sighed deeply.
"Thanks, Papa," Schala said.
Marius shot her a look that teetered between "slightly disapproving" and "protective."
"Why do you wind your mother up that way?" he asked.
"Papa, I had a late lunch with Remilia. I was still trying to make sense of things. I pretty much have to study for another year if I want to join the Sanction."
Marius slightly frowned and laid his hands on Schala's shoulders. "Baby girl, I know how you feel. I'm your father, and my business is to know how my girls feel."
He looked at Remilia while he picked up Casella and rocked her like a baby. Schala stood next to her twin and crossed her arms.
"Girls, things might be getting a bit hectic in the coming days. This is the time we need to unite as a family. No more resentfulness at all." Marius gently set Casella down and sat on the bench.
"Cas," he said, "why don't you tell me about this tapestry you've been working on?"
"It's not finished," the young girl said. "I feel embarrassed."
She set the loom on a stand to provide more comfort while weaving. It was two feet tall, propped up like an artist's canvas. The books she read prior were all about weaving and tapestries of the past, an art she self-taught herself for a year.
"Cas, I remember the last tapestry you did. We were all happy in it," Schala reminisced.
Casella wove an image that showed their family together. Remilia remembered it and smiled.
"Yeah, we were happy," Casella commented. "But why won't you be happy with Mama?"
Schala grew tight-lipped for a moment. "Cas, why don't we take this inside so we can get ready for the party? Mom will be out here any minute to turn this place into the perfect Samhain dinner spot."
Remilia took Casella's loom while Schala helped her sister walk.
"What if Mama wants to have the party outside?" Casella looked around for any sign of party-goers.
"Then we shouldn't be in her way," Schala answered.
"Besides, I want to see this new dress Mom and Pop got me," Remilia noted as she held Casella's loom with care.
They walked up the steps to the mansion, and Remilia noticed that Schala bore a mixed look of incredulity. Schala idly rubbed her cheek, and Casella tugged at her sister's tunic.
"Schal?" Casella spoke up. "What's the matter?"
Schala chuckled mirthlessly. "Mother didn't find a reason to slap me. She must be in a good mood."
"Or even more impatient than before," Remilia interjected, earning her a glance from Schala and Casella.
"Why do you think that?" Casella peeped up.
"Mother's pulling out all the stops for this party. I thought it was because of graduation, but no, I heard her talking to father about a foreign dignitary, one from Faretalia."
Schala had heard about Faretalia during her studies. She'd never been out of the country, and her parents never brought it up in talks or passing mention. From what she knew, it was a continent that dealt with magic like them, but things were a bit more...complicated.
"Where's Faretalia?" Casella asked.
"It's east," Schala answered. "It's across the ocean."
The Claymore sisters adjourned to their rooms while Juliana frantically cast Transforming Arcana around the house. The color palette changed from a taste of violet and cerulean to that of autumn colors, replete with well-carved jack o' lanterns around the mansion's bottom floor.
Marius snapped his fingers, and the party room table filled with drinks and finger foods. The middle of the floor was polished, and tables bordered the outer layers of the hall.
Half an hour later, the party was in full swing. Lively jazz filled the air as party patrons clapped their hands in tune with the instruments.
People approached the Claymore house in droves, some with torches while flanked by humans carrying teenage girls on palanquins. The girls waved like champions to the crowd, as they were the jewels of the great families of Augurey.
One particular guest, a fifteen-year-old, had hair of flowing sterling silver and sat near the Claymores with a grand regality. With one leg crossed over the other, she eyed the crowd with deep curiosity. She wasn't used to being near so many humans. Things were indeed different than back home.
Annalise Galden, the Snow White ruler of the icy realm of Eirascyn in Faretalia, was flanked by a large white wolf who perched at her side like a stalwart sentinel. When Annalise looked to one side, the wolf looked to the opposite.
"Moro, in a land of differences, there are so many things that are the same," Annalise spoke loud enough for the wolf to hear. The wolf responded by rubbing its head against her leg.
"She's spoken to no one but that blasted wolf!" Julianna fretted. "We've laid out the welcome wagon for Magi all over Augurey--"
"Julianna, it will be fine. One guest does not make the party." Marius laid his hand on his wife's shoulder. "She chose to come here to see our celebration. If things go right, who knows? The Arcana Sanction could share secrets with their organizations and vice versa."
Julianna huffed. "It's like having royalty at your house, and they deem you unworthy to be spoken to."
Marius chuckled. "Yeah, but this is our place. She's still a guest, so let's hope the girls put on a good show."
After a minute of quiet watching, Annalise stood and grunted loud enough for her wolf to hear. "Come along, Moro," she uttered. "We've stayed long enough."
The young monarch turned to depart, but Julianna rushed in front of her, a nervous smile stretched across her lips. Worry and irritation set Annalise's face like a sculpture of marble, and her aura chilled like winter's first frost. Julianna's junior by fifteen years, she was entering her adulthood, yet the queen bore an incomparable gait that stopped friends - if she had any - at ten paces.
Julianna shivered but mustered the words to speak. "Leaving so soon? Were the festivities to your liking?"
"I have matters to handle back home. Consider yourself graced by my presence," Annalise responded as she stepped past Julianna.
The mother felt her spirit grow red-hot. She turned and stepped in front of Annalise, eliciting a snarl from Moro. She opened her mouth--
"Before you speak, just know that we in Faretalia don't take kindly to foreigners trying to impress us with flashy parties. We rely on being upfront with each other, and we frown upon decadence."
"Now wait just--"
"No, you wait. As Queen of Eirascyn and monarch of Faretalia, I have more important matters to see, like why monsters attack my people. I don't have time to sit miles from home thrown by a woman who thinks herself a ruler but is nothing but a horrid mother in my eyes."
Julianna's face bore the same heat she felt deep in her gut but remained silent. With a loud exhale, she returned to her seat. Annalise sat on Moro's back, and the wolf's powerful legs galloped them away.
Remilia sat on a palanquin in a navy blue lace top dress with a skirt that covered her legs. She tied her locs back in a ponytail, her blue conical hat sat on her head, and she wore gloves that matched her dress. She waved in the same fashion as the girls.
Schala and Casella sat by, smiling and watching as several people approached the girls. Remilia joined the other girls as they converged in the courtyard, surrounded by floating jack o' lanterns.
As the girls' palanquins were set on the ground, their bearers offered their arms to help them dismount. They walked to a five-step-stand at the edge of the courtyard where Juliana awaited them. Marius stood by with his arms folded behind his back.
Juliana turned to address the crowd. "Now, per this year's Samhain Benediction, the Magi of Augurey bless you all."
The party patrons, especially humans, cheered, whistled, and clapped. Juliana stepped down, and the girls approached the edge of the stairs.
With eyes as sharp as a dagger and clad in a dress that would make a tree ripe with jealousy, one of the girls raised her arms. The ground beneath them quivered and quaked, surprising the humans. She lowered her arms, and the crowd cheered.
The second, who looked as pure as the driven snow, closed her eyes and waved her arms. A sharp wind kicked up and gathered fallen leaves into a small twister of golden foliage.
When it was Remilia's turn, she snapped both sets of fingers. Blips of light twirled around the crowd before they raised above everyone's heads and popped like fireworks.
The crowd roared in excitement as Juliana raised her voice again, "Our new, promising Magi, dedicated to ushering our country into the next generation!"
Fifteen minutes later, Schala returned to the party after excusing herself to bring Casella to bed. She stood and watched her sister receive scores of adorations.
Schala felt her skin run hot and her breath quicken. Her mind raced. Her thoughts became a cacophony of jumbled words from before the day.
"Is there something wrong?" Juliana's voice made Schala jump a bit. She looked to see her mother standing next to her on a step, looking down at her.
"These people came to praise the Magi of Augurey. I'm not going to lie, Mother; I should be up there with them." Schala rubbed her hands, the same phantom pain returning thanks to her distressing thoughts.
"It's true, you're both Magi of Augurey, but they've earned their spot and adoration. What of note have you done, my daughter?" Juliana crossed her arms, still looking down at her daughter.
"Arcana's a gift from Mother Gaia," Schala stated, still rubbing her hands. "I've had to work twice as hard to honor that gift. You know it didn't come easy, nor did you make it easy for me, Mother."
"I'm not going to argue with you," Juliana stated bluntly. "You need to stay in your place, my daughter. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's putting people in their place."
Juliana stepped away and snapped her fingers. A wine glass appeared in her grasp, along with a buttering knife. She tapped it a few times and caught the party's attention.
"Welcome. As is our time-honored tradition, you are all welcome to deliver your offerings. It is our custom that no one should be turned away, no blessing be denied." She raised her glass, and the teens sat down.
Remilia looked at Schala, who still rubbed her hands, and peered at the crowd. She snapped her fingers, and a chair like her own appeared at her side. She stood and looked at her sister.
"Come join me, Schala," Remilia requested.
The crowd quieted itself.
Julianna exhaled through her nostrils. Marius laid a hand on his wife's shoulder.
Schala's cheeks were beet red as she neared her sister. Juliana glared at them both from the crowd.
"You deserve this just like me," Remilia ensured.
Schala looked down. "What have I done to deserve this, Remi?"
"Stop kicking yourself and sit with me. You're my sister, and nothing or no one can change that." Remilia took hold of her sister's hands and rubbed them. "No pain at all."
Schala smirked. "No pain at all." She took the seat next to her twin and gave her first genuine smile of the entire night.
That smile slowly dropped as attendants were told to pass Schala and only give the other girls gifts. Her eyes narrowed as the girls smiled and thanked the gift-givers for their offerings. Remilia was the only other who found it difficult to smile.
After what felt like an eternity, Remilia bore the most gifts. Schala propped her head up, and an aloof leer stretched across her face.
"This is so stupid. I let my emotions get the best of me. I made myself look like a complete idiot. I should've just gone inside," she thought as she stood to leave.
"If I may have your attention, everyone?" Marius magically projected his voice over the party. "We're gathered here today to pay homage to our beloved Magi, but one exceptional Magus--"
"Oh goddess, please kill me now…" Schala uttered.
"--a Magus who has pulled herself up from a personal injury to study and master almost all facets of Arcanacraft has been utterly ignored." Marius reached into his cloak. "That seems a little unfair to me," he stated as he produced a small wrapped box.
Schala shook her head. "No, dad, I don't want your gift. You don't need to save me."
"I understand why you'd turn it away. In truth, many of us here today have shortcomings we strive to overcome day after day. I used to have an anger problem in my youth, so I picked up painting. My youngest daughter has health issues, but she took up weaving to keep herself active. My point is Schala did just as much as the other Magi, and she deserves the same respect."
Marius presented his present to Schala once more. She reached to take it--
"Argh!" An anguished groan came from within the crowd.
Everyone turned toward the source of the cry and spotted a man crouched over in immense pain. His body shivered tremendously, and he sputtered moist choking coughs.
He vomited a black blob of ooze on the ground and fought to speak. The man clutched at his eyes and smashed his head into the ground. The people backed away from the ill man and were horrified to see another figure standing not too far from them.
The figure, clad in black, had no light reach its face. It made no sound, no movement - it stood as still as a tree but seemed as light as the wind. The figure was tall and gaunt like a stiffened corpse.
The crowd was silent. Schala, Remilia, Marius, and Juliana were at the rear looking on, their haggard breaths punctuating their horror.
Remilia pressed her palms twice, and Enkidu appeared in her grasp.
"Remi, don't think about it," Schala uttered loud enough for her sister to hear.
"Already done, Schal. You go left; I go right. We'll box him in," Remilia directed.
"Remi, wait! We don't know what the hell that thing is!"
Their powwow was interrupted by more anguished screams. The figure began to move like a cloud plume, wafting just above the ground. It hovered next to people, and they violently hemorrhaged the black tar.
The cobbled courtyard grounds were stained black.
"Gilgamesh!" Schala called. Her grimoire appeared in her grasp, and Remilia stood together as their parents ushered those unaffected into their house.
Remilia aimed Enkidu and Schala held out her palm. As one, the twins incanted, "Radieuse Obliger!" A powerful stream of blinding light ejected from their palm and wand, striking the figure in a sudden burst.
Their vision cleared moments later. Their enemy was nowhere in sight. When the twins surveyed their courtyard, they shared an uneasy smile and stepped carefully, for the cobblestone was still stained, and those afflicted remained on the ground catatonic.
"The disease. Noct Vein. Whatever that thing was, it could spread it through presence alone," Remilia said. Her breath trembled as the gravity of the situation settled in her thoughts.
"You don't think we're infected, do you?" Schala checked herself. She didn't feel weak, and it was a blessing they weren't vomiting. "I heard the disease might have a long incubation period."
"There's been no cases in Picquery City, none at all. Unless one of the humans brought it in," Remilia uttered in disbelief.
"Don't even joke like that!" Schala snapped. "We saw that thing do it!"
"I know, I know! But what if someone accidentally brought it here? What if it tracks people by infection and spreads it when they're in crowds?"
Schala approached her sister as Gilgamesh disappeared from her palm. "Then how do you explain that grim reaper-looking bastard? What does the disease manifest into a carrier and spreads? How do we beat something like that?"
Schala calmed herself. Her heart raced, as did her sister's.
Their eyes met; they shared the same face, the same look of burgeoning terror.
The people before them wailed in torment, and the twins stepped back cautiously. The Noct Vein had come like a thief in the night.
From inside the mansion, an ear-piercing scream caught the twins' attention, a cry that belonged to their mother. Juliana's wail frightened them to the core.
The twins rushed inside to their mother's side in their room; Julianna knelt next to Casella's lean body.
The youngest Claymore twitched like a dying bug, her eyes locked in horror, a puddle of black vomit next to her.
Marius tried to pull her back for fear of infection. The sisters were distracted by something else: a message scrawled on their wall in blood.
"The black creeping holds illimitable dominion over us all," it said in horrid narrow letters.
Schala and Remilia both fought to keep tears from spilling. Schala pressed her lips closed to restrain a scream while Remilia held her palm to her mouth.
"Whatever the hell that thing was, it wanted us to know it can get us at any time it chooses," Schala said.
"She was asleep," Remilia commented, "and woke up infected."
The twins shared a horrified glance before looking down at the painful visage of their sister. Julianna was beyond consolable.