[Lilith]
It feels like my mind is on the fritz. It's all so…Jumbled. Just this morning I felt fine, but now I feel like a completely different person. Like my mind keeps flipping a switch. As we were walking our way to Amelia's Second house, it felt like I was getting a little sick. I thought it was the food I ate earlier today, but no. It's like a minor headache that just won't go away…Maybe I just need some rest?
No, This is something else. This has to be.
I opened the doors to Amelia's house, looking around as I waited for Kota. The house was quite large, similar to their house. The main difference with this house was the fact that the stairs to the second floor was a straight one against the wall, with a hallway underneath it that led to another room on the first floor. The second floor had Five doors to it, most likely being the rooms for everyone. The walls of the house were painted white and had wooden flooring with it.
"Oh? Lilith?" I heard Kale say through the hallway, His head poked out at the end of it. "Good news, They have a stockpile of rations and water here! And they have bathrooms here, the one down here has a large tub!"
"Large tub?" I said curiously, moving closer into the home. "Can I take a bath in it?" I tried to not let kale see the slight discomfort I was having, keeping a small smile on.
Maybe a bath would help me relax, I could use that private time to figure things out…Then I'll talk with Kota after it. Also…I don't think I showered for a while.
"Hm? Yeah, of course. I think at this point, we all need a little break before we can figure out our situation." I heard Kale say. "Oh, but tell Kota to come see me. I need him to explore the rest of this house."
Just as he said that, Kota walked into the house. His blue eyes wandered the house as he flicked his hair off his shoulder, His hair has grown quite long…Longer than mine. As he looked around for a moment, he finally looked at me.
"Where's kale?"
"He's at the end of the hall." I nudged my head in my direction.
The headache was starting to get worse.
"Kota! I'm gonna need you!" Kale shouted once more. Kota quickly moved his way into the hallway, With me following behind him.
As we walked to the end of the hallways, we entered a more open space. It kind of reminded me of Kota's place where the living room and kitchen were attached together. The kitchen area was separated by a counter that had a tub within it, alongside a little wooden gate that you could open. Kale was inside the kitchen, rubbing his head as he looked around it.
"Gotta make sure this place isn't filled with webs or anything. If they haven't touched this place in a while, there's gotta be spiders or something here."
"You needed me?" Kota asked him. The blonde hair man turned around to face him.
"Yeah, me and you are gonna look around the house. Make sure everything is safe and sound."
"Why?"
"Always make sure the place that someone gives us to sleep in is a safe place…I've had a few cases where it seemed like the person was nice, but turned out to be a monster or just a bit insane." Kale then put both his hands up defensively. "NOT saying that Amelia and Claire are pulling one on us, but you never know. Always be cautious."
"…There's no way you've been in this kind of situation multiple times before." Kota sounded doubtful.
"Oh, I have." Kale folded his arms. "And this house? Great example of something going wrong. I bet you we'll find something here that's a little funky…Like a hidden door or some ghost."
"You believe in ghost?"
"It's not often, but there are occasions where the bounty halls ask us to exercise a spirit in a home.
Most of the time we need someone who can do that, Typically someone who is able to use detoxification or healing magic." Kale explained. "I'm not the magic guy, it has something to do with the reversing of things…Anyways, we should do our little check up before the sun sets. It's almost time to do it, so let's get to it."
As Kale and Kota then headed their way to the hallways once more, Kale stopped to tell me something. "Oh, Lilith."
"Yeah?"
"Once you finish up in the bathroom, go ahead and just take one of the rooms upstairs. I think me and Kota will look at the warehouse, just…don't get spooked while alone."
Scared? For what? I don't think anything has scared me. To be honest, I don't think I'm scared of anything. I've handled being alone in the house before. If anything, I'll do a little sweep of the house when I finish up in the bathroom.
"I'll be fine, don't worry." I assured Kale. I then gave Kota a glance as well, Reminding him about our conversation from earlier. Kota noticed my look and slowly nodded.
When I looked at Kale, it looked like he wanted to say something else, his mouth forming a frown. Did he notice something was wrong with me?
It was only a moment before kale simply shook his head. "If…you say so. C'mon Kota." Even as the two walked into the hallway, Kale held his gaze at me for a bit longer before finally slipping into the hallway.
I found myself alone in the room, the candle lights the only thing keeping the room from feeling less empty. I stood here for a while before I heard the front door close. Those two should be taking their time in the other buildings, so I guess I should start with my bath.
****
Just next to the room I was in, the bathroom was just to the left of you entered through the hallway. Inside the bathroom was quite…Spacious to say the least. The flooring was made up of white tiles that felt cold to the touch of my feet. The tub itself was quite large, a big rounded one that was placed right in the middle of the room. Just at the end of the room, there was a water fountain made of stone with a bucket placed nicely at the edge, water pooled out of the holes and it was the only sound that came out of the room. And just to the left of the room was a mirror that looked to be precisely placed to see the tub.
On the right of the room, there was a hanger and a basket which looked to be used to drop my clothes off. I already took off my shoes when I entered the bathroom, so I hastily made my way to the basket so I could rid myself of my clothes.
As I stripped out of my clothes, I could feel the headache grow even worse. It was like a sharp pain coming from the left side of my head. As I finally got my underwear off, I rubbed my head with frustration.
Drip. The water fountain made a dripping noise that kept on going.
Why is this happening? Why now? Nothing happened earlier today, and now this pain just randomly started…
"…I need to get water in the tub…" I said to myself. I turned my way to the water fountain and picked up the bucket, Scooping up water into it and hastily making my way to the tub to fill it.
After a couple of bucket dumps, the tub was filled with water…cold water. I put my finger into it and shivered at the feeling of it. Maybe I should've asked Kota to do this for me at first…a warm bath would probably be more helpful for me right now.
I stared at the tub for a moment, looking into it. My reflection looked back at me, my silver hair dangled down as I frowned. My left eye burned red as I squinted-
Drip.
Huh? My eye is activated? I didn't even notice it, I don't feel a surge of mana going into my eye. Nor do I feel any sort of intense feelings. When did I activate it? I must've done it while I was here.
As I reached for my left eye to investigate further, a surge of pain shot through my head. It made me buckle and fall to my knees next to the tub, I grabbed the left side of my face as I grunted in pain.
"Haah…W-what the- Argh!" Another shot of pain coursed through me, searing pain burned in my left eye.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to get back to my feet. I held onto the tub as the pain continued to grow more and more. Once I finally stood up, I looked back down at the tub. Still, I saw the reflection of myself. I thought this was one of those visions that I had, but it didn't seem like it. If it isn't that, then what is it?!-
[Lilith.]
A voice echoed in my head, it was the same one I've heard before at the well. Except much more clearly, like as if it was talking directly to me.
[You can hear me, Can you?]
It was like the voice was right next to me. I swung my head, hastily looking around the bathroom to see if anyone else was in here with me.
No one.
"W-who is this?!" I said, panicking. I could feel my hands shaking as I was unsure of what was even happening.
Drip. The fountain continued on.
Suddenly, I slipped. I found myself falling backwards and going into the tub, The cold water hitting my head first. As the rest of my body fully went underneath the water, it looked like I was cozily lying in the tub.
Maybe it was the depth of my field, but it seemed like the water stretched on and on…Like I wasn't in this tub, but a large body of water. My eyes darted to see what was below, I couldn't move my head but I could just see out of the corner of my eyes.
Emptiness.
I couldn't move my arms, nor my legs. I just started to stare at the ceiling…feeling like I'm sinking further down. This felt oddly familiar, A burning sensation crept through my lungs like I was drowning. The headache I had still continued as well, although it seemed to be less intense.
Suddenly, a flicker happened. Like my vision swapped. I found myself in the water, But above me wasn't a ceiling.
A metallic bridge of some sorts with lights blaring from it replaced the ceiling.
Someone Holding me as we sank
Further down
into the
River.
As I blinked, suddenly the place went back to the Bathroom Ceiling. The voice echoed in my head once more.
[You see them too? Everytime you remember, Our connection gets Stronger.]
[You Grow closer to your other self.]
The voice sounded so close to me. I finally was able to move my hands a little bit in the water, I went and tried to grab at the tub's edge so I could get myself out of the water.
[Why are you in Ozoth?]
"I…I'm here to get my friends home safe, and help Ozoth. Help Kota." I thought. I wasn't even sure if whoever was talking was hearing it. I just needed to get out of here!
Finally, I pulled myself out of the water. I gasped for air as I slowly looked up at the mirror that faced the Tub.
I saw myself, and someone else. Just behind my own head in the mirror, I saw another face. The same one I've seen in the well, The brown haired girl with brown eyes gazed at me.
[I didn't expect myself to be so kind and thoughtful. Here I thought you were bloodthirsty and cold.]
"What?!" I turned my head. As I looked behind myself, I saw no one. Instead…
I was in a whole new room. One that felt so familiar yet different. I found myself standing in a dimly lit hallway, three doors were lined up against one wall. As I raised my hand, I noticed that I was wearing clothes. A gray sweater was out onto me and as I looked down, I wore black joggers.
"I…Huh?" I let out a confused sigh. I looked around in utter confusion, Where was I? How do I know what I was wearing? I've never worn these before…
Just behind me, I could hear what seemed to be someone or something. So I turned, behind me was another room. There was a couch and…Some squared box that displayed something on it, what is that? The room was dimly lit, with the light source being only from that squared box. On the floor, there were a couple of toys. Plushies and a figurine laid on the floor. There was no one in the room at the moment, who…lived here?
The smell of rancid food or something even grosser was in the air, like someone left something out for a long time.
"Sis?" Another voice came from behind me, No…from one of the rooms. I turned around to check the doors. It sounded like a young boy.
"Sis, where are you?" The voice echoed from the middle door. As I approached the door and saw it in finer detail, I noticed the marks and chipped woods on it. It was like someone was clawing or hitting the door, there was even an indent on the doorknob.
And as the voice spoke, it sounded familiar as well. Like…I've heard it before, but from where?
"Can you open the door, sis? Please? Dad will be here any moment…" The boy's voice crept through the door.
"I…I'm not your sister? No…" I found myself stumbling over my thoughts, who was I? I slowly began to reach out to the doorknob.my thought felt like it was warping and melting. I didn't feel like myself.
"Sis is opening the door." I whispered.
Then, The voice came back. It whispered right into my ear.
[Don't. Do not open that door,] The voice was stern, Threatening in a way.
The door in front of me closed in on itself, swiping into the wall before seemingly disappearing. I backed away from it, feeling quite disturbed that the door would do that.
[Prying into my mind, Aren't you? I guess this spell works both ways..] The voice simply said. I looked at the other two doors, the left door looked open while the other was locked, barred by what seemed to be an iron bar. [Hell, I don't think you even know how you did it.]
"Where am I?" I asked, hoping the voice would answer.
[Home. Or…our Home]
"H-home?" I said, drawing myself closer to the left door. There was no answer from the voice. So I proceeded closer to the left door.
Opening the door to it, I found myself looking…at my own room? I see my dresser and desk, all of it is in the same place.
[what you see is your room. But also mine, you've placed everything just like I did in my own room. I guess we share the same taste.]
In the mirror on the dresser, I saw her again. The brown haired girl, only now her right eye glowed a red hue. The two of us stared at each other. I could feel the mana pooling into my left eye, activating it.
"You…You really do have my other eye." I stuttered.
[And you…look like a younger me. besides that hair and eye. It's hard to look at you. Still..] The voice trailed off. Suddenly, the door on my right rattled.
Eh?
[The other door. That's where the real Lilith is.]
I turned to the right door, an overwhelming presence could be felt even from where I was standing. I took a couple steps towards it before the voice came back.
[That other part of you, the Real you…should be in there. I'd be cautious opening that unless you need to.]
Still, I reached a hand out towards the knob. A strong wave of heat emitted from it, warming my hands as I got closer.
As I was about a foot away from it, the door rattled even more. Like something slammed against it, wanting to get out. My hands were searing from the heat, but It didn't feel bad. But as soon as I touched the door knob, My vision blackened. The door rattling grew louder and louder before…
It stopped.
In a blink of an eye, the room changed once more. I was back in the bathroom, Now standing in the tub with my hand outreached. I was taken aback by the sudden change that I stumbled in the tub, water Splashing around me.
I don't even know what's going on. That wasn't my thoughts, was it? That was the other girl's thoughts, I entered her mind. Or…I entered my own?
The girls voice came back, whispering once more into my ear.
[The spells is getting weak again.]
"What do you want with me?" I asked, looking into the mirror.
Once again, the brown haired girl stood next to me. Her head placed on my shoulder as she looked up at me. Her eyes looked solemn and eyed me with anxiety.
[I just want to go Home. Find me, in the Library.]
My vision blacked out for a moment, before a Loud thundering noise clapped in the air. The sound of rain patted the roof as I heard the clouds rumbling even more.
It's thundering outside.
The voices stopped, the girl wasn't there anymore. I found myself once more alone, The water from the fountain dripping being the only noise now.
Drip.
The headache I had seemed to subside, the pain that coursed through me vanished. Was breathing heavily, grasping my chest.
Another vision…no, This was something else. That Girl talked to me, read my thoughts. She could see me, and what did she mean by the real Lilith?
Aren't I the real one?
Drip.
I simply slid back into the cold water, my head bobbing at the surface.
This is all too surreal to me, these visions and the girl. I remember knowing nothing about her but she knew me, she said I was sort of her somehow. And the spell she was using…Was that the reason I've been feeling these visions? Her trying to connect with me ended up hurting me and sending me those Views of her side. And the other thing she said…
Who's this other being inside me?
I took a glance at the mirror and looked at myself once more. My left eye was glowing amber now, it deactivated. There was no girl in the mirror next to me. She was really gone.
I let out a long deep sigh, finally relaxing. At least the headache was over, now I can just…freeze in this cold water.
The thunder outside roared once more, The rain seemed to be dropping harder than before. It was a soothing pattern to me that almost put me to sleep, But I couldn't sit here for too long.
Drip. Water droplets hit my head.
After a couple of minutes passed, I decided to get out of the tub. My mind felt much clearer and better than before. Actually…I Feel like I've gotten hotter, like my whole chest area started to burn in a good way. My arms were burning as well, a warmth enveloped my hands. I clenched my fist, feeling it.
I needed to tell Kota about this too.
Then thought crossed my mind, how long have I been here? It should be sunset at this point right? Hopefully this whole event didn't just go on for that long.
I turned my way to the basket that had my clothes in it. As I turned, I saw the entrance door for the bathroom. Something stirred my alertness when I saw it, it made me pause for a moment as I walked to the basket. I quickly got my clothes back on me, tightening the holster for my sword as I eyed the door. My black shortsword was already in hand as I slowly walked to the door, and I confirmed what made me cautious.
The door was slightly open. And past the door, it was dark. The candle lights in the next room were gone. I would've heard Kale or Kota coming into the house or they would've said something before doing anything else.
Something else was here…Just like Kale guessed.
I gripped the handle of the blade tighter as I tiptoed my way to the door, slowly moving my free hand towards the handle. But before I could touch it…
Drip. Beads of water droplets hit my head once more. I stopped what I was doing and stood there for a moment. The hair on my neck rising, I felt frozen at the realization.
I wasn't under the tub anymore. That fountain shouldn't be making those noises, it was a constant stream of water coming out of it. There's no other holes in the ceiling to be making these drip noises.
I built up the courage to look up at what was above me, my eyes slowly panning from the door…and then the ceiling above me.
And above me, was a white humanoid creature. It's body was transparent and its head its neck twisted in a horrific way, It's facial expression permanent formed a gaping look with its open mouth. Its arms and legs clung and held onto the ceiling. It's mouth agape and shaped like a circle…a hole, it slowly drooled and once more. A droplet fell.
Drip.