The room they rented out for the night was nearly identical to the first. There was a large double bed at the far end of the room, with slightly torn cloth coverings. At the nightstand was a single lit candle, which dimly lit that section. A small table was found in the midst of the room, and there, Christopher laid his coin purse.
The boy sat upon the mattress with his familiar, who sat beside him with her doll. After a small sigh, Christopher spoke,
"What a day…How're you holding up, Est?"
Est didn't look at him, instead, her eyes were fixated upon her stuffed toy. She picked it up by the arms and moved them around sideways, which caused it to sway to and fro.
"I am fine, master. Familiars do not need the same maintenance as mortals do." Est replied. She dropped the doll onto her lap, then eyed him, "Tonight may be dangerous for you. Would you like me to keep watch?"
"Hrm…well that would be good. But I don't think anyone would try anything given the display earlier. So that won't be necessary."
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah, just take it easy."
She paused for a moment before acknowledging him.
"Alright, master." Following, her eyes once more fell upon her doll. Picking it up, she hugged the stuffed toy to her chest in a tight embrace without saying a word.
"Mm…"
"You really like that doll, don't you?" Christopher asked, emitting a quiet chuckle.
"Yes. I've had it ever since Alastor gave it to me upon my creation 7350 years ago."
"That long?"
"Yes." Est nodded. She glanced toward her master with her usual indifferent expression, "Would you like to hold it?"
"Sure." He didn't see any reason to refuse, so he accepted. Est placed the doll in his hands, ensuring that it wouldn't fall.
"Don't drop it." She uttered.
"I won't."
The doll's texture was squishy, and the material used in its crafting was rough. It had visible injuries around its body, some on its chest area, as well as some on its arms and head, but they were all stitched together by what appeared to be thin black strings.
Christopher took his free hand, and gently stroked the toy's head, pushing it back slightly.
"It's quite sturdy for something so old. You must take really good care of it."
"I do."
"Have you ever lost it before?"
"..." Est remained silent. She kept her eyes on him, not even blinking. By that reaction, he would have guessed that she did indeed lose it once.
She refused to answer that question. Eventually, he retracted it.
"Ah-sorry, n-nevermind, I-"
"Once."
"Mm?" Her reply came so suddenly that he was caught off guard. "What was that?"
"A long time ago."
"Oh…what happened?"
"..." Silence befell the girl once more. Her gaze moved over to her master's face as she stared at him in a way which made him uncomfortable.
"Do you always ask this many questions, master?" Est finally mouthed.
"S-sorry…you don't have to answer it. H-here…" He handed her the doll. She happily retrieved it.
"Thank you."
Est continued to play with her doll, Christopher watched her. The way she moved the doll around, gently moving its arms, holding onto its tummy as she mimicked a walk, it all reminded him of an innocent young girl.
Despite what she'd done since he was reincarnated, to him, Est truly was a child at heart…although, there was always an unapproachable look plastered onto her face. Her voice never showed any signs of emotion, and her eyes…her eyes frightened him.
Est's eyes appeared lifeless, as if all the joy was drained out of her at one point. He wondered if she'd always been like that.
She continued playing with her doll until Christopher spoke up.
"Est?" He said.
"Yes?" Est replied, looking at him.
"N-nothing…goodnight."
"Goodnight, master."
He ultimately decided not to ask her. Laying down on the far side of the mattress, he covered himself with the bedsheets, and gave Est one final glance.
"Night."
She, without looking back, returned the statement.
"Night, master."
***
"Christopher…*weep**weep* Christopher…why…why did you have to save me…*weep**weep* Why…"
"A-Ah…R…Rosel…ina…"
"Why…why did it have to turn out like this?! Why did you jump in front of me?! Didn't you know what would happen to you?! You're so stupid! Stupid Christopher!!!"
"*Cough**Sputter**Cough* A-Uuuurrrgghh…" Before he knew it, an immense pain shot through his body, and he found himself lying in a pool of his own blood, his younger sister, Roselina Hallowswift, in tears, sitting just in front of him. He wasn't able to speak, for each time he did, it felt as though his throat was burning up.
He was confused, flabbergasted as to what happened to him. Without moving his head, his eyes panned the surroundings. His body was set upon a two-way street, with dozens of vehicles parked all around him.
What's going on? He wondered to himself. What happened to me? Why does my body hurt so much? His heart rate rapidly increased, up to the point where he visibly saw the veins in his eyes pulsing with each beat. He shot his eyes to Roselina once more, he ached to say something to her.
"*Cough**Sputter* R-Rose…lin…aa…"
However, no matter how many times he tried to speak, she just wouldn't hear it-his voice was too quiet. Soon, he heard an ambulance approaching from a distance. The loud wails did nothing to relieve him of his agony, it only added to it.
"M-my God, w-what happened here?! Who did this?!"
"Quickly! Get him to the hospital!!" Two paramedics raced out of the ambulance, and lifted his body, he silently watched as he was placed upon a portable bed, and swiftly carried into the vehicle.
"Ch-Christopher!!" Roselina called out to him, she ran to the entrance to the patient area in the ambulance, but was stopped from entering by a paramedic.
"Little girl, it's best if you stay here with your parents, okay? You don't want to see him right now."
"B-but he's my brother! I have to see him!!" She struggled to enter, but was continually halted. "L-let me enter!!"
"No. He's too badly damaged. You're too young to see this."
"Please, just let me see him! P-please I…"
"No. Behave yourself, little girl." The doctor sent a look toward the people around them, "If the parents of this girl are in the crowd, please control her!"
"Sir, we're leaving. Please enter."
"Alright." Not even a minute passed until they were ready to depart. The paramedic pushed Roselina out of the way, and hastily shut the ambulance's back doors with him inside. Roselina just barely retained her balance.
"N-No! Ch-Christopher!!!" She shouted, but before she had the chance to do anything, the ambulance sped off with the body of her nearly deceased elder brother inside.
***
"This is bad…it doesn't look like he'll live much longer. What should we do, doc?"
"Nnrng…He's in terrible shape, his body is beyond repair…it may be best to just let him die."
"Let him die?" Christopher was in an emergency room, his body was in the process of examination. In total he had eight fractures, both of his shoulders, his ribs, his legs, and his head were broken-his head with a large crack on both the left side, and behind. His lungs were badly damaged, and were cut into by the ribcage. He didn't have long left to live. Just barely, did his heart escape damage.
"Yes." The doctor said, "His body is too badly damaged to survive. It's a miracle he is still alive." The doctor walked to his desk, which was located just two metres away.
"Then…what should we do? He's just a boy."
He went into his files, and took out a long syringe, which was filled with a dark purple liquid. The one operating on the boy instantly recognized it.
"B-but that's…"
Without saying a word, the doctor returned beside him with the needle. He, with a dark grimance, glanced over to the other.
"The only thing we can do is put an end to his suffering. His body is too badly damaged, anything we do now would only delay the inevitable, doctor."
"Nnrng…" The doctor knew this. He didn't want Christopher to pass away, he was only fourteen. But seeing the state he was in…he knew he couldn't save him. He backed away a few steps, dropping his instruments to the floor. "...Make it quick."
"I plan to."
The doctor neared him, holding the syringe to his neck. He pressed the needle into the length, and placed his finger at the top of the tool.
"I'm sorry we couldn't save you, Christopher." Was the final thing Christopher heard before the liquid was injected into him.
The chemical made its way into his blood, and to his heart, where it was absorbed into the organ. The poison caused the rapid beating to cease, and not long after, Christopher was dead. His cause of death…a fatal road accident while on the way to middle school with Roselina Hallowswift, his thirteen year old younger sister.
***
"Master, master, wake up."
"Rosa…lina…h…huh?" Christopher slowly opened his eyes to Est's calls. Sitting up, he gazed around the room until his eyes fell upon his familiar.
"Oh…Est…" He sleepily murmured, "...What time is it?"
"Three hours until sunrise." Est replied. She sat beside him to his left. "You were having a bad dream."
"Yeah…thanks for waking me up." He recalled the dream he awakened from. Roselina…Alastor said that Roselina may or may not be in the world with him. Although by the way she spoke, it was obvious she was. Just…where was she?
Clearly the girl wasn't in the small adventurer's stop they rested in, nor was she in the previous inn. If that's the case…could she've been further into the world, in one of the many kingdoms, perhaps?
Christopher wished Alastor just spelled it out for him, but if she did, that probably would've been more of a bad thing-since he would've just ventured to her location unprepared.
He stared at Est with curiosity in his eyes. He asked her, "Do you know if a girl named 'Roselina Hallowswift' was reincarnated to this world with me, Est?"
Est paused, and thought about it, finally coming up with a negative.
"No, master. I do not. My only instructions were to guide and aid you in your journey.I was not given any more information."
"I-I see…"
That was a disappointment… He expected that response. If Alastor refused to give him information on Roselina other than that she was there, then Est wouldn't either.
"My apologies, master." Est bowed her head in an apologetic way.
"Th-that's alright…you don't have to apologise."
"Anyway…were you up all night, Est?"
"Yes, master. I thought it was necessary to keep watch."
"Wow…" Christopher smiled. He admired the dedication Est put into her role as his familiar. "...Thank you, Est. You didn't have to do that."
"I am aware of that. However…"
"However…what?"
"Two hours ago as you slept…" Subsequently, Est reached for the nightstand, where she took a strange white envelope from underneath the lit candle. She handed Christopher the letter, and he stared at it.
"...This came from underneath the door. I haven't opened it, but I suspect it may be from someone who wants you dead, given the aura imprinted onto the letter."
"Someone who…wants me dead?"
"Yes, master."
"Hrm…"
Christopher's blood ran cold just thinking of it. If it really was from someone who wanted him dead… The only one it could be is that girl and familiar I nearly killed…or well, it could also be someone who just doesn't like demons wandering around the place… The latter was unlikely though. He more thought it was the girl, Alvara and her familiar, Quth.
However, he warned her not to mess with him again, else he'd eliminate Alvara-which Quth didn't want to happen. If it really was her…
"Heh…" Then for sure he'd eliminate Alvara. "...You think it's from Alvara and Quth?"
"Yes, master. I assume it is."
"Those poor bastards…" Not wasting a single moment, he tore the envelope open, and removed a small white page from inside. The note read:
To the Marionette Disciple,
Come to the back of the village at the field, I shall be awaiting your arrival.
With love,
Anonymous.
The letter ended there.
To the Marionette Disciple, this meant Alvara and Quth were planning to make an attempt on his life-the exact thing he warned them about. But to Est…
"What do you think, Est? Think it's them?"
"Hard to say. By the actions we took during the battle, it is obvious to everyone who saw the fight that you are indeed a disciple of Alastor, and I am your familiar." Est replied, "Will you be going, master?"
"Hm…" Christopher wanted to. It'd be his pleasure to beat up anyone who challenged him. Though he was only a beginner at fighting…he only knew his attacks due to the programming engraved into his body. Heck, he couldn't even remember how to fight, nor how he summoned the marionette strings.
Assuming the same thing would happen again, he decided that he'd pay whoever sent him the letter a visit.
"Yeah, let's go, Est. Let's show who sent us this letter not to mess with the wrong people."
"You're going to kill them?" Est asked, tilting her head.
"If they attack us, yes."
"I see." Est got up from the mattress, and stood on the ground, her doll held closely to her chest. "I shall come with you then. Let us go, master."
***
In the dead of night, the duo left the inn for the very back of the village, where a large field was located. The field was used by those who made the village their home as a resting area, where they would go for picnics, strolls, or farming, if they saw the need.
No monsters would ever appear in that area, and the ones who did were quickly taken care of by passing adventurers. So it was always a peaceful area.
But that night, it was a potential battle ground, as whoever summoned the disciple there was bound to face a painful demise.
Arriving, Christopher and Est both got into their battle stances.
"Alright, who's out there?! Show yourself!" He shouted out. He kept his guard up, ready for an attack at any moment.
Sooner than he expected, two black silhouettes formed in the distance, one shorter than the other, and hovering at their side.
They both neared the duo up until they were only separated by a distance of fifteen feet. He quickly recognized the clothing and height of them both.
"It's about time you showed up. What took you so long, Marionette Disciple Christopher?" Alvara said out loud. She drew her long sword from her waist, and kept it by her side.
"Easy. I was sleeping. Don't you know what time it is, Death Disciple Alvara? Rank four familiar Quth?"
"I ain't got time for sleeping. YOU TWO are MY TARGETS. So I MUST kill you BOTH TONIGHT, you hear me?!" She aimed her sword directly toward Christopher, who instinctively summoned his strings at his fingertips. Est went in front of him, and summoned a large shield, guarding him.
"I shall not allow you to harm my master, puny Death Disciple. Flee now, and we shall spare your lives. If not, you both shall be my next victims."
She meant it, Quth knew nothing of Christopher, though she knew pretty much everything about Est in terms of what she'd done in the past. Her only hope was the promise Christopher had made her back at the inn-that he'd kill her instead of her master. But regardless, she urged Alvara to stop.
"Master, I really think you shouldn't fight them…I don't know much about Christopher, but if you value your life, Est is really not the person you should be fighting! She doesn't just kill her victims, she gives them the most agonising death imaginable before finally allowing them to die! If you wish, I could show you all the reports you want on her endeavours during the Heavenly War as proof of what I'm telling you! Even rank 1's and 2's are afraid of her!! You are going to die!!!"
Alvara ignored her familiar's warnings and laughed at the two. She was wholly confident that if she fought at her full strength, she would be able to eliminate them.
"Hahahahahahahaha! And why should I? I am a proud disciple of the Death and Destruction Goddess Achlys! Retreating now would only tarnish her name!" Alvara pridefully exclaimed. The statement irritated Quth so much that she growled at her.
"Grrrr!! You're not listening to me!!! Fine! If you want to die, then die for all I care! I actually value my life so I'm not going to be a part of this!" Next, she looked at the duo with worry in her eyes, "Just…remember your promise to me, okay Christopher? Please go easy on her."
"Promise?" Christopher remembered what he said to Quth clearly, though it was a lie.
"Yeah. The promise saying that you won't kill her. You ARE going to keep it, aren't you?"
"Heh…hehhehhehhehheh…"
"Right…?"
Christopher hung his head low, giggling menacingly to himself. Then when he raised it back up to look at her…the words he said brought shivers down Quth's spine. At that very moment, she knew that he lied to her.
"What promise?"
"W…What…? N-no…b-but-"
Immediately, Est dropped the shield. The strings she called for the shield shot toward Quth, and wrapped tightly around her body, restricting all of her movements.
"A-AAAHHHHH-! W-WHAT'RE YOU DOING?! CH-CHRISTOPHER-?!"
"Hmph. You were a fool for trusting us, Quth. Now suffer the consequences."
"W-What?! B-but you promised!! Oof!" The strings Est wrapped around the poor familiar slammed her body to the ground, then swiftly brought her over to the Marionette familiar, who stared down at her injured body.
"Heh…look what you've gotten yourself into, Quth!" Est cheerily exclaimed, "Ahh…if only I could kill you…I'd savour the sounds of your terrified screams as I toyed away at your utterly delicious little body…"
"A-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-N-NOOOOOO!!!!"
"Heeheehee…yes! Just like that! Scream for me, Quth! SCREAM FOR ME!!!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! AAARRRHHAHGHHHHHH!" Est clenched her hands together, and on command, the strings started crushing Quth's body. Tighter and tighter, they crushed her, up until they broke into her flesh, and tore away at her bones. From there, the strings stopped. Est held her palm out in front of Quth's face, and wagged her first finger.
"Ah-ah-ah, master said not to kill you, so I will not. If Christopher really does kill Alvara, he wants you as our personal slave."
"Sl-slave..?" Quth uttered in a trembling voice. Her eyes bulged out of her head, and her body was quaking with trepidation as she awaited Est's words. She didn't want to be their slaves-at least not Est's. Who knew what they'd do to her?
"Yes! Isn't it exciting? Hmm…with your tiny body…I think master would want you as his…hmmm…a sex slave? A personal maid to clean up the blood and guts he tears from the people we kill together? Or someone to release his anger to…hmm…I wonder which one…"
"No…no…please…th-those sound horrible!! Please, just kill me instead! I don't want that!!!"
"Hahahahaha! Who gives a fuck what you want? You're our slave now, Quth. So you must do as you are TOLD!"
"A-ACK-!" Est kicked the head of Quth in both anger and excitement, leaving a deep red mark on her forehead.
"Heh…hahahahahahahaahahaha!" Est once more balled her hands into fists, and the strings dug even more deeply into her flesh, tearing through the bones on her arms and legs, piercing through her veins and annihilating her skin. Est ensured that she didn't hit any of her vitals-for she wanted her alive throughout the experience.
The Marionette Familiar smiled at her work, she savoured the sounds of her agonising shrieks. Just enough to keep her alive… She thought, Just enough to keep her alive…
Meanwhile, Christopher was watching from behind her.
"M-my God…" Est truly is a monster! With what she did to Quth, Christopher made a mental note not to get on her bad side. Just seeing what she did horrified him. She enjoyed it too-he saw the twinkle she had plastered onto her lips. Does she only smile when she's torturing somebody?! My familiar's crazy!
He looked away from the scene, and retained his focus on Alvara, who was in tears at the sight.
"*Gasp* QUTH!!!" She yelled out. Though she knew she shouldn't go near. Instead, she shot daggers at Christopher as she readied herself for battle.
"You're going to PAY for doing that to my friend! You jerk! You guys are horrible!! How could you do that to such an innocent girl?!"
Christopher laughed at her. She blamed them for Quth's state, while she was the actual cause.
"Hahahaha! You're blaming US?! This whole thing's your fault! Didn't you even listen to Quth in the first place?! No! You were just too stubborn! Now look what you've done, your one and only familiar is nearly DEAD!!! Welcome to the fucking concequences of your fucking actions!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Nnrng…*Whimper*" Just seeing Quth's state caused Alvara to be frozen in place. Her body shivered-shivered more than ever before. She couldn't even move her head at all. Not a single part of her wanted to. For she knew this was her end-killed by two psychopaths calling themselves Marionette Disciples.
"You…you jerk…you…you really are…going to kill me, a-a-aren't you…" Alvara, stuttering, questioned.
"You know it, girl."
"B-but…I…I'm only a ch-child…I…I'm twelve, y-you know that…? J-just look…" She dropped her sword to the ground, and pulled down her hoodie, revealing her long, dark purple, lucious, smooth hair which reached up to her lower back. Her milky face was white, and round in shape. Her beady eyes were filled with tears as she feared for her life. She really was just a child, Christopher almost felt sympathy for her.
"Please…I…I beg you…please…you…you don't have to do this…please…I-I was only following Goddess Achlys's orders! Honest! Mom and Dad are expecting me back at the Death Faction's headquarters a-after the mission! You're a kid, so you have parents too, don't you?! So you must understand!"
"..." Christopher couldn't believe what he saw. Her face, she looked as though she truly was just a child. A child sent out to assassinate both him and his familiar-who the Goddess they worship clearly knew neither she nor her familiar could beat. And look where that got them.
Quth was nearly dead, and Alvara was at Christopher's mercy, begging him to spare her life.
He was completely enraged at the thought. Achlys… That was a Goddess even worse than Alastor was. A complete maniac. What was she thinking?
Christopher's eyes shot toward Alvara, tears forming in his sockets.
"What the hell kind of Goddess is that, huh?!"
"E-EEK-!"
His marionette strings dissipated, and faded from his fingertips as he slowly neared Alvara.
"Sending out a child as young as you are…you're only a year younger than my little sister! Who in their right fucking mind would even THINK about doing this to you?!"
"Ch-Christopher-W-What're-"
"Did she just send you out to die?! Your fucking Goddess clearly knew that this would happen!"
"W-What?! N-no! SH-She'd never-"
"I swear…if I ever see that stupid good-for-nothing Goddes you call Achlys…I swear…I'LL KILL HER WITH MY OWN HANDS! MMMRRRAAAHH!!!"
"AAH-!" Right then and there, Christopher summoned his marionette strings, and plunged them straight through Alvara's throat, his face only inches away from her own.
Alvara looked at him, her face overflowing with tears as she gradually felt her life slipping away from her.
"W…why…Ch…Christopher…"
"I swear…" He said, his voice trembling with sadness and anger. "...I'll bring you back, and you'll be a Marionette Disciple from now on. I won't let you serve that stupid Goddess again…"
"W-What?" Alvara uttered, "W-What do you…mean…ugh…"
Before she knew it, her eyes rolled back in their sockets, and she was already dead.