It was the dead of night. Not a creature dared to tread under the pitch dark blanket enveloping the land. The once brightly coloured sky was overtaken by the colourless void. It wasn't always like that-about one thousand years ago, the night sky was full of life, teeming with millions of brightly coloured stars, but once the Heavenly War broke out, everything was changed.
The Goddess of the Night, who was on the opposing side of the battle, was slain by the God of Creation for treason, and the role of the bringer of night was reassigned.
The one to take over that role went by the name of 'Alastor,' whom was known only by one name, which was 'Marionette.'
She was a young Goddess, who regularly played with her dolls. She would attach strings to them and make them move around. Everywhere she went, she brought her dolls with her.
Alastor was happily accepted by the population of the world as the new Goddess of the Night, and regularly mingled with mortals. She went to their festivals, celebrated with them, and helped them recuperate after the war ended. But suddenly, she stopped. When this happened, night was completely changed.
All the stars faded from the sky, and monsters came out more regularly. No one even dared to leave their houses upon nightfall-it would've been suicide. Only fools would've dared to set foot into the never-ending void.
Here, Alastor was given a second name, one which reflected the seemingly vile act she did to the world, 'Eternal Night.'
***
"Careful now, watch your step." A party of three walked through the night, each holding a lit torch in one hand. Two men, and one woman, one of the men being of the 'Vampire' race, one half-demon, and the woman, a Lamia. All of which originated from the Underworld.
The half-demon waved his torch around, scanning the area. Luckily, no monsters were within their vicinity.
"Clear." He said.
"Y-yeah, w-we know…" The Lamia reacted, shivering from both fear and cold. She looked over to the vampire in desperation. "...Uuu...are we there yet? I hate walking out here at night!"
"No, we're still some hours away from the nearest inn. And keep your voice down, the monsters here have excellent hearing." The half-demon sternly responded, glaring slightly. He was more concerned about the party's safety rather than the length of the trip.
"Uuuu...we should've stayed in the Underworld...it's so freaking dark out here! At least we were able to see there!"
"I said, keep your voice down!"
"Eek! Sorry!"
"Aww, come on, gramps. We haven't seen any monsters for like an hour now. We can afford to have some fun, right?" The vampire, who was at the back of the party, carelessly held his head up with his hands, and spoke to the party leader, the half-demon.
"…" Half-demon paid no attention to him. He knew of his lack of caution, reacting to his statement would only cause Vampire to falter even more.
"Gosh, don't be so serious all the time. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
"The worst that can happen is us all ending up dead on the roadside. Shut up, and keep an eye out." Half-demon barked.
"*Sigh* You're no fun…"
"…" Sometimes, Half-demon wondered why Vampire was even in their party. He didn't contribute much, and was more of a hindrance than an aid in battle. Then again, they were best friends…
An hour later, the party came to a stop.
"Stop." Half-demon whispered. "There's something here."
"E-Ehh?! W-What is it?! What?!" Lamia panicked. By how Half-demon appeared, the situation was dire.
"I do not know. But it's dangerous, we need to stay quiet." He sent a look over to Vampire, who instinctively nodded.
With the vampire exclusive ability, 'Vampiric Sight,' Vampire looked at their surroundings.
"Hrm...I don't see nothin'. Just grass...grass...and more…wait a second...what is...that…?"
"W-w-what's what?"
"That…" Vampire pointed toward a patch of grass not far from them. There seemed to be two individuals, one was unconscious, while the other remained upright at his side, ensuring their safety. "...Looks like someone's there."
"Someone? It's not a monster?" Half-demon stated.
"No…" Vampire answered, "…It looks...human. We should check it out in case they need some help."
"Human? I will not doubt your vampiric sense, but are you certain it is human? Humans don't usually come this far out."
"Yeah…no horns, no animal stuff, just a normal human."
"Hrm…" Half-demon pondered around what Vampire told him. Humans...why would they be this far out?
Eventually, it was decided the party would check them out. Half-demon, Vampire, and Lamia huddled together, fully alert as they cautiously walked toward the two figures, all weapons drawn.
"U-Um...I-I don't have a good feeling about this...what if it really isn't human?! What then?!"
"Calm down, I checked! You're not doubting me, are you?"
"N-no!! O-of course not...I-I'm just-"
"Quiet." Half-demon silenced the two. "If this 'thing' we're headed toward proves to be dangerous, we'll be ready. So don't panic."
"Y-Yeah...H-he's right!! Ahahaha! N-nothing to worry about!! Ahahahaha! Ah…"
***
"Hmph. They're approaching us…" Est was a living Marionette created by Alastor, the Elder Goddess of Eternal Night. Age 7350, she was both older and taller than most other familiars, though still shorter than the average human. With her fiery, merciless gaze, she was a cold blooded killer, more so than any other Heavenly Entity created.
Her creation dated back to before the Heavenly War, where she was born and raised a devout disciple of the Marionette Goddess. She had no friends, neither family, and was commonly seen sitting alone with but a single doll. That doll was her best friend. Given to her by Alastor herself, it was something she loved and cherished more than anything and anyone in the world.
She wasn't sociable and always kept to herself. But despite this, she was given the task of guiding Christopher through his life in the new world.
Est's usual outfit was a medium length, formal, long sleeved, black gothic lolita dress with a large red bow just under her neck area. The dress had twelve buttons in total, all situated in the middle in rows of two. Between them is coloured black, with small patches of skin showing. Covering that area was a large blackish-grey bow attached to the middle-top area of the dress below her neck.
Her untainted, pale skin was icy to the touch, anyone who touched it would instinctively jump back. Est's hips were broad, and body size was that of a ten year old.
Est's gorgeous, long, luscious, smooth, silvery-grey hair reached down to the middle of her back, and was never tied nor trimmed. Covering that was a small dark hat, resembling that of a painter's, with two red bows on either side.
Though her eyes...her eyes were a different story. They were a deep red, with not a trace of life inside them. Some say that her eyes were infused with the blood of the people she'd slain long ago, while others say they got that way after thousands of years of being alone, with only a doll for company.
"Grr…" Est watched the three adventures with scorn in her eyes. Just seeing how ignorant they were to be approaching a being such as herself...it made her blood boil. She wished to pass judgement upon them, though she knew she shouldn't unless they deserved it.
"Tsk…" Her eyes fell upon her master, whom was covered in strings both inside and out. "…Do not worry, my master. Just rest. I shall guard you with my life."
A smile formed on her lips, then she once more eyed the adventurers.
"For threatening my master's safety, I am going to kill you."
***
"…" Vampire, Lamia, and Half-demon continued to approach the two in the grass. Though the aura emitted from the conscious one grew more and more chaotic by the second. They started to have second thoughts…
"This doesn't look good. Let's turn back." Half-demon said. A relieved sigh escaped both Vampire and Lamia's mouths, as they finally relaxed their minds.
"A-are you sure?" Vampire questioned Half-demon.
"Yes. We must go, quickly before it sees us."
"H-huh? O-okay!" They were about to turn and leave...but Est had other plans for them.
Est's mind was overrun with killer intent. She stood to her feet, and approached the three, her eyes glowing a deep crimson in the darkness.
"…" Not a word was said as she stared them all down, locking gazes with all three. Her presence alone was enough to make their skin crawl.
"Heeheehee...Hello there, adventures. My name is Est, I am both a familiar, and a devout disciple of the Marionette Goddess, Alastor. You may of know her mainly by her worldly name, 'Eternal Night.' I've been sent her as a guide and protector for the individual known by the name 'Christopher Hallowswift,' whom is currently recovering from his reincarnation from Earth." Breaking the silence, Est put up a false front for the three in an attempt for them to lower their guard. But none of them did.
With such a chaotic aura around her, they knew they had to be careful. The half-demon went up to her first, and spoke to her with his weapons at the ready.
"Ahem…" He said, "…My name is Blitz, the lamia is Cirea, and vampire is Mercy. We are adventures hailing from the Underworld. We don't want any trouble. If you let us go, we won't bother you again."
"L-let us go?! W-what are you talking about?!" Cirea, hearing what he said, suddenly panicked.
"Y-yeah, w-we didn't do anything yet, s-so w-what're you talking about?!"
"Hrmph…" Blitz stayed silent. Half-demons such as himself had an excellent feel for one's true intentions. Due to his power, he saw easily through the false stance she put up.
"Oh? What do you mean, Blitz? I'm not going to do anything! I'm friendly, honest! Don't you trust me? I'm just a little girl, you know…"
"Hrmph…" Blitz was already aware that all of it was lie, but he didn't have the bravery to point it out. Mercy and Cirea stepped up toward the devilish familiar, the vampire going first.
"Little girl or not, you sure gave us one hell of a scare!"
"Y-yeah…!" Cirea followed, "B-but you are going to let us go, r-right?"
"Hmm…" Est misleadingly pondered around that...and ultimately went with her original decision. With one final laugh, she looked them dead in the eyes, then shook her head. "...Teeheehee...you really think I would after you threatened the safety of my master? Oh you foolish mortals…"
"W-what…?"
"I should kill you just for that. Don't you even know who I am?"
Regardless of their trepidation, Blitz had the strength to shake his head, indicating his unknowingness.
"No, I do not. Tell us, if you would."
Est was unsurprised. She expected that of a lower life form.
"Heeheehee...hahahahahahahaha! Foolish mortals! You should be thankful you've made it this far in my presence!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Ghn-!" Her stance...didn't she say her name was Est, and she was created by Alastor? Blitz thought. He suddenly threw a glance toward Mercy, whom was equally unaware.
"D-don't look at me!"
"Nnrng…"
Tension filled the atmosphere, as the three feared for their lives. Blitz felt forced to maintain a fearless stance. Mercy repeatedly used his vapiric sense to scan Est, but always came back with unbelievable results. Cirea stayed put, unable to move an inch. After seeing all of this, Est eventually decided to just spit it out to them.
"Hmph. Fine. I'll tell you. My name is Est Marionette, I am a living doll created by the Elder Goddess of Eternal Night seven thousand, three hundred and fifty years ago. I fought ruthlessly, mercilessly during the Heavenly War, and caused the deaths of more people than you can ever imagine."
"Hhrng!!"
"As consequence for threatening the safety of my master, I shall kill you here and now!! Die!!!"
Before they could even react, dozens upon dozens of thin, unbreakable strings emerged from all directions and wrapped themselves unbearably tightly around their frail bodies.
It lifted them of the ground, squeezing them with just enough strength to just barely cut into their bodies.
"N-no! P-please! I-I don't want to die!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
"A-AHHHHHHHH-!! W-WHAT IS THIS THING?!"
"A-AARRRHHHHHHAAAHHHH-!" They struggled to escape it's grasp, but it was futile. The cords were wrapped around them too strongly.
Est had a striking resemblance to her deity, Alastor, who previously did the same actions to Christopher, though for him, it resulted in his second death. Was she going to eliminate those three?
In a desperate panic, Blitz thought about bargaining with the girl.
"H-hey, y-you said your master is unconscious, right?! RIGHT?!" He shouted out, straining his voice.
"Ho? And why should I tell you?"
"Th-there's an inn not far from here! I-it'd be much safer and more comfortable than being out in the open!! D-don't you want him to feel refreshed when he gets up?!"
"…" Est tilted her head. She wasn't sure whether those were just lies in an attempt to save him and his party, or if he told the truth. "...And why should I believe you, mortal?"
"P-please, I-I'm telling the truth. N-neither of you will have to pay anything at all! J-just come with us, y-you'll see!!"
"Hmmmmmmmm~" The merciless familiar was tempted to squash their pathetic bodies right there into a thousand pieces, but taking her master in consideration, she accepted the offer. If it'll make him more comfortable and ensure safety, it was better to take it.
Reluctantly, she let the three go, and they all crashed onto the cold, hard ground, thankful to still be alive.
Est approached Blitz, and ruthlessly lifted him by the neck using a single marionette string.
"You're lucky, Blitz!" She cheerily exclaimed, "I am not usually merciful, but I'll accept your offer! But if I find out you were lying…" Her voice lowered in pitch to a more gravely, eerie tone, "...The three of you shall face destruction like you've never seen before...Teehee~!"
***