Clarissa stood in a refined manner in the center of Treasurehold, beside her was Karin who was looking around with interest. Around them was a bustling market place with various vendors, shops, and people transporting goods whether by hand or steamwagon. It was a tight area, not necessarily due to the narrow roads but more due to the amount of people walking around. It was near impossible not to bump into someone while walking.
This didn't bother Clarissa, who remained emotionless, but Karin clearly despised the constant contact. She hated people touching her without permission, and if Clarissa wasn't there to restrain her, she might have lashed out at someone.
"Was there a reason for your overreaction?" asked Clarissa, her voice calm as she addressed Karin without turning to face her.
Karin stopped scanning the area and turned to Clarissa in surprise. She hadn't expected Clarissa to engage her in conversation beyond threats.
"Your woman as well, aren't you? Hell, any normal person would hate to be touched without their permission," Karin replied, glaring at some of the people passing by.
"While that is true, the way you reacted suggests something more, are you traumatized in some way? Maybe you were sexually assaulted at some point in your life?" Clarissa inquired, turning towards Karin, who visibly clenched her teeth and fists in anger. Yet, beneath Clarissa's gaze, that anger swiftly gave way to fear, prompting Karin to turn away.
"Yes, I was. How else do you think that child came to be," Karin admitted, her voice tinged with vulnerability as she rubbed her arm. Clarissa shifted her attention back to the bustling marketplace.
"So, that's why you harbor such resentment towards Mari," Clarissa stated in her usual emotionless tone, noticing Karin's tightening grip on her own arm.
"Yes, every time I look at that child I feel sick and I remember that bastard," Karin confessed, her grip intensifying, causing her nails to dig into her skin. "His smug demeanor as he loomed over me, his disgusting sneer as he tormented me, his sadistic grin as he violated me, that child's face reminds me of it all," she trailed off as Clarissa silently absorbed her words.
Karin released a long, choked sigh, her voice heavy with emotion. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. It's not like you care. In your eyes, I'm just an enemy—a mother who despises her own child and deserves death because of it, right?" she asked, her smile strained as she awaited Clarissa's response.
Clarissa shifted her gaze towards Karin, causing her heart to pound with fear. Yet, despite the apprehension, Karin pressed on. "And if not that, you wouldn't even bother to consider what happened to me because you lack emotions. Like an automaton, you're cold, logical, and uncaring, right?" Karin continued, her voice trembling slightly.
Clarissa fully turned to face Karin, causing her to freeze in place. Slowly, Clarissa leaned closer to Karin, her presence sending shivers down her spine. "I told you to speak only when I allow you to," Clarissa's voice was calm but laced with an unmistakable edge.
Karin's eyes widened in fear as she felt the cold metal of a knife poking her abdomen, her breath catching in her throat. "I will spare you this time, but next time I won't hesitate to kill. Nod if you understand," Clarissa's words were firm and unwavering.
Quickly, Karin nodded her head, her fear palpable as Clarissa withdrew the blade and stowed it away Karin looked down at the ground, her thoughts racing. *She's an even greater monster than Mistress Eirisse. At least she showed some sympathy towards me,* her mind wandered back to the moments she had shared her story with Eirisse, and how she had found solace in her comfort. But those memories were soon overshadowed by the image of Eirisse consuming Almer before callously discarding his body. *Monsters, all of them. Just monsters,* Karin concluded.
"Just because I lack emotion doesn't mean I don't know right from wrong," Clarissa's voice interrupted the tense silence, prompting Karin to look up at her. Clarissa's gaze remained averted as she continued, "While it's understandable why you resent Mari given what you've been through, it doesn't excuse sacrificing her for your own benefit."
Karin hung her head, unable to find words to defend herself. However, Clarissa wasn't finished. "There's one thing about your story that doesn't add up. If you truly resented Mari, why did you keep her?" Clarissa's question caused Karin's eyes to widen as she turned to face Clarissa once more.
"I-I, because of the ritual, of course. Why else would I keep that spawn?" Karin stammered, her voice trembling. Clarissa raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "You knew of the ritual before Mistress Eirisse arrived in Moonveil?" she inquired.
Karin took a step back, shaking her head vigorously. "N-no, but I... I knew she would have some use, that's why I kept her," she explained hastily. Clarissa tilted her head, her gaze piercing. "Is that so? Then tell me, what could you have possibly gained from keeping Mari? From the sounds of it, you didn't confide in many people about what happened to you, so it's not like you could have garnered any sympathy by keeping her," Clarissa stated firmly, her gaze fixed on Karin.
Karin bit her tongue, struggling to find a satisfactory answer. "I just had to. If I could have, I would have given that child away. I didn't have a choice," she insisted, her voice shaky.
Clarissa shook her head, unconvinced. "You keep changing your reasoning. Also, from my knowledge, there are several centers in Moonveil where you could have arranged for Mari to be adopted. So, you did have a choice, and yet you kept Mari," Clarissa pointed out, her words piercing through Karin's defenses.
Karin struggled to find her voice, her words caught in her throat. She clenched her fists once more, her knuckles turning white as her nails dug into her palms. "What are you trying to do? What's the point of this? Why are you tormenting me?" she choked out, on the verge of tears.
Clarissa narrowed her eyes at Karin's outburst. "I simply want to see if there's a point to you being alive. I want to see if there's a single redeemable bone in your body. I want to see if you can be saved. I want to see if Mari can have her mother back," she explained coolly.
Karin's expression shifted from shock to bitterness as she turned away from Clarissa. "She can't. I have no love for that child. I don't care about her. I tried to sacrifice her for my own gain, so there's no way I can ever be her mother again," she declared, her voice tinged with the slightest bit of bitterness.
"I see. You're making excuses for yourself," Clarissa remarked, her tone devoid of sympathy.
Before Karin could protest, their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a sudden explosion and the ground shaking beneath them. Karin looked up in shock as dust rose from another part of the city. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"That's near where Master Lennix and Mari are walking," Clarissa said, her gaze fixed on the rising dust. Karin gasped in alarm, but quickly shook her head, trying to push away any concern for Mari. *Stop! I don't care about her!* she scolded herself silently.
"Follow me. If you try to escape, then you know what will happen," Clarissa warned. Karin nodded, knowing she had no choice, as they both started running toward the location of the explosion.