"Auntie, why are there so many people parked outside the house?" Asked the 13-year-old Maze as she stared curiously at her window.
"Today is a special day for your big brother, Milady, and a lot of people want to celebrate with him." The older woman replied. She shared no blood ties with Maze and was only hired as her maid, yet Maze still insisted on calling her auntie.
"Big brother is only turning 18, it can't be that special." Maze retorted as she sat on her dressing chair. Her maid produced a brush out of her apron and held the freshly dried hair in her hands, brushing it to get rid of all the knots.
"Oh, but it is, Milady. Today young master Marcus will take inheritance of the family business and become a prominent member in the family church. This is a big milestone in young master's life, so it must be celebrated." Once all the knots were dealt with, she parted her hair in the middle and began braiding the one side. Moving with near expert precision.
"Really? What even happens in events like this, have you been to one before?" Maze asked, her bright and innocent eyes glowing with curiosity. Her auntie chuckled pridefully, puffing her chest before explaining, "I have been to too many events to count." Her shoulders dropped as she considered the other half of her question, her proud smile turning into an awkward one.
"But sadly, I'm just as clueless as you. Maids aren't allowed into these sort of things Milady, so I can't say what freaky stuff happens during the ceremony." She raised her hands in defeat, knowing that she might never know what happens in those ceremonies.
"Can you stop calling me "Milady", dad isn't here." Maze complained, slightly shocking her maid as she froze for a brief second.
"Listen, Maze, I love you and all, but I can't have your father chew me up like the last time I called you by name." Her maid laughed awkwardly, knowing that she could've lost her job for that.
"But that was an accident, you just need to not call me by name in front of him." Maze argued, a pout forming on her lips.
"Well, that's easier said than done you little brat, now stop complaining and hold still, or else we'll be late for the ceremony." Maze sighed in defiance but allowed her maid to continue braiding her hair.
"If you want to stand next to your brother during the ceremony then we can't let you walk out there looking like you just woke up. You are the youngest child of the Schmidt family, so you must carry yourself with courtesy." Maze sighed.
"Is the youngest child of the Schmidt family all I am to you?" She asked in annoyance. Her maid stopped and twisted her chair around, bending on one knee so that she could make eye contact with the little girl.
"Listen here Mazekien, I love you more than anything in this world, alright?" Although she was serious, she never lost that warm, teasing smile she carried around her. "Question me again and I swear I'll stop adding my little secret in your pancakes." Maze was shocked by her sudden change but was happy to see it. All her maids were kind, but she knew that was only because they were paid to be. Her auntie on the other hand loved her like she was her big sister.
"So, for this ceremony will you please behave?" She pleaded. Maze sighed in defeat.
"Who gave you permission to use my full name?" The maid laughed as she turned Maze around to finish her hair.
"If I recall correctly, wasn't it you who asked me to 'stop calling me 'Milady'?" She teased.
"Touche, but don't use my full name, it's embarrassing." Maze complained, getting another giggle from the older lady. Her auntie was about a year older than Marcus, having been hired 3 years prior. Ever since then the girls had been inseparable.
"I think Mazekien is a beautiful name. It's like the female version of Marcus." She explained, swooning at the mention of his name. Maze crossed her arms in defiance.
"You just say that because you have a crush on my big brother." She retorted, getting a flustered blush from her maid.
"In my defense, Marcus is a fucking stud." She said as her blush grew redder, ignoring the fact that she was being crude around her.
"Eww! That's my brother!" Maze's voice cracked in the middle of her complaining.
"That's exactly my point baby girl. Once you grow up, you'll be as much as a head turner as your big brother!" Maze looked at herself in the mirror, from their fair skin to their silky black hair with the only difference being that Maze had dark onyx eyes while he had a vibrant grey. If her auntie's words bore any truth to them, then being like her brother wasn't an impossible feat.
Her auntie finished with the braided pig tails and Maze got off her seat with a new sense of pride in her.
The door shot open and a lady way older than both of them walked in with a scowl that could shake the boots of even the most hardened warrior.
"I hope you two have been enjoying your little gossiping session, because you're late." She said with a silent fury under her tone.
"My apologies, Madame Jess. I will have her ready shortly." The older woman looked at Maze's maid with a glare that could cut stone in half, before turning to leave. Once the door closed the maid nearly collapsed on the spot, releasing a sigh as if she had been holding her breath the entire time.
"Let's get you cleaned up before Madame Jess has my head for lunch." The maid said, getting a giggle out of Maze. Her maid picked out dresses for her to wear, finding a maroon one made of silk that looked both modest and comfortable for the young madam.
"What if she is secretly a vampire? I've never seen her eat, she always has a mean look on her face and she never goes outside." Maze asked with a sparkle in her eyes as if the revelation would ensure their safety.
"I'd believe your theory if she wasn't so goddamn ugly." The maid giggled after having Maze wear the dress. Maze did a little twirl before posing in front of her mirror, enjoying the feel of the dress.
"Now let's go to the dining hall before Madame Jess turns me to stone." She said, patting the young Maze on the head. The two walked out of the room together into the long halls of Schmidt manor. The mansion was easily 4 stories high. There was a wine cellar in the basement, the dining hall was on the ground floor of the mansion, and they were on the fourth floor, where all the maids' rooms were. They made haste, nearly running their way down the spiraling stairs until Maze had the bright idea to slide down the stair railing, the silk of her dress gliding seamlessly on the polished wooden surface. Seeing her antics, her Maid chased after her, hoping they were not seen by anyone else and just as they reached the ground floor Maze jumped off the railing and landed with a gymnast's precision.
The maid straightened out Maze's maroon dress before pulling her ear and walking with her to the massive family dining hall, ignoring her complaints and only releasing her as they walked in, Maze's ear red from the abuse. Masked men and women wearing expensive suits filled the venue, their faces only half hidden. Maze could recognize a few of them, but the rest she knew nothing about. Are all these people Mom and Dad's business friends or something? She thought, unconsciously gripping her auntie's hand tighter.
"Now remember what I told you Milady." Her auntie reminded her, noticing how tightly she clung to her hand. She too felt uncomfortable being in the presents of so many elites, mostly because they could ruin her life with the snap of a finger.
"I know, auntie, I will behave." Maze said, clinging tightly to her auntie's hand. With a light smile her auntie led her to her families table, but of course she sat alone, her mom and dad were too busy accommodating the guests to be seated with her and from what she could gather, Tiffany wasn't there. The only person she was excited to see other than her brother and she wasn't there.
Her maid turned to leave, having completed her task, but was pulled back by the little girl.
"Maze, I have to go help the other maids prepare for the..." Catching the pleading eyes of the young beauty she found it difficult to resist.
"Fine, but only until your brother arrives." She sighed, staying beside her as they waited for the ceremony to start.
The hustle and bustle of the guests in the hall wasn't easy to ignore. Everyone there seemed to know everyone else as they chatted heartily and drank their expensive wine without a care in the world, yet despite all of this, Maze couldn't help but feel that all their chatting and drinking lacked any substance. There was something empty about the conversations shared between those people.
The room grew silent as Maze's father stood on the podium, he had an imposing figure, standing tall amongst his peers, his shoulders broad enough to bare the weight of their family's fortune. He greeted everyone there with a kindness completely alien to Maze, he even laughed. On any other day he'd barely speak, reserving his words for her mom, sometimes for Marcus and even less for Maze, but on that day, he spoke with a charisma that captivated the audience. Once he concluded his speech, talking about the family's history and influence in the development of anti-mage tech, all stuff Maze has heard a hundred times over, he stepped aside to let her mother speak.
"Now, without a further Ado, let's welcome the future of the Schmidt family!" The crowd erupted in applause as the hall doors opened revealing a man in a pink suit and fur coat with his hair slicked back. Maze had to admit, the one thing her brother knew how to make was an entrance.
He strolled in between the applauding crowd with maids in front of him throwing flower petals in his path and the maids next to him gave Roses to every maiden he passed. They led him to the family table where even Maze's auntie stood in awe.
"I see you have been keeping my little sister company. Apologies that you had to deal with this little brat, Baranda." He said as he kissed her on the back of her hand causing an eruption of cheers from his fan girls and a collection of jealous stares from the maids behind him.
Her auntie blushed uncontrollably as she couldn't find the words to express herself. Maze just crossed her arms out of spite as she was just called a brat yet again, even though she had done nothing wrong.
Her maid bowed and left the two with the other Maids following behind her, all of them ready to bombard her with questions once they were out of sight.
"Shall we, my lovely sister?" He asked extending his hand for her, his calm blue eyes exuding a gentleness that was only served to her.
"You called me a brat." She pouted, getting a chuckle out of him.
"I got a lot of gifts and sweets in my room, wanna check them out after this ceremony?" He whispered and almost instantly she took his hand and started pulling him to the podium.
"Well, what are you waiting for big brother? Don't you have a speech to give?" Maze asked trying her hardest to pull the much bigger man.
"Ahh you're right, how could I forget?" He played along. The two walked together on the podium, getting an audible "aww", from the crowd as they witnessed brother and sister standing side by side.
"Maze sweetie, you will have to let your brother do his thing now. Come stand here next to mommy." Her mother called bearing an overbearingly wide smile. Maze looked at her brother who gave her a reassuring head pat.
"I'll make sure to keep it short." He said, giving her a wink. Maze smiled brazenly and marched next to her mother.
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming out today, to celebrate this milestone alongside my friends, colleagues and family is truly something special. Or, as my dad would like to say, 'you only turn 18 once'." The crowd chuckled. "Today I come to you, no longer the boy who would throw fits because his dad told him to study for another hour, but as a man who knows that every hour I spent behind that desk, every minute I spent solving those problems, and every second I spent being better than the person I was a second ago all led up to this moment! This one moment in time where I can look to each and every one of you and say that from this point onward things will never be the same! It's time for me to take control of my life, to take control of the fate of this family and bring it into the future! For the better of my sister, the better of my mother, for the legacy of my father!" He slammed his fist against his chest, getting a roaring ovation from the crowd.
They all cheered, drawn by his inescapable charm. Cameras flashed all over him, blending in with the applaud of the crowd. His father walked up next to him, holding a purple pillow with a golden rim, but the draw of the pillow wasn't the pillow itself, but what was on it. A silver dagger with Alchemical sigils on its hilt. Maze's eyes blew open with astonishment as he raised the dagger above his head, it's blade glinting under the orange light of the chandelier, and almost immediately stopped their clapping, inviting an earie silence with it as the guests stood at attention, with their arms crossed behind their backs. The air grew thick the second Marcus raised his wrist toward the blade.
"With the blood I draw from this blade, I Marcus Maziel Schmidt, surrender my life to the one above all, the almighty God of man, Akuma!" Marcus slashed his wrist, drawing blood from the wound. Dropping his arm, he let the blood trickle down his palm before stamping his hand on the contract. Everyone in the room dropped to their knees, including Maze's mom who also forced the little girl to bow and gave her one simple instruction.
"Do not raise your head."
Before Maze could process her mother's words, a dark and heavy presence entered the room. The air became near impossible to breathe. A pungent metallic scent filled the room, like nothing the little girl had ever smelt before. It was disgusting. The room went dark as if the entity had sucked all light from it. Maze couldn't tell what was happening, the unease in her gut growing heavier the longer they stayed that way. In her peripheral vision she saw a foot stand next to her brother. What's happening, who is that, humans don't have black feet, do they? Questions kept running in Mazekien's head and she could feel her curiosity build up.
Just a little peak, a little peak won't hurt, would it? She wondered, biting her lip as the anticipation killed her from the inside. She looked to her mother who had her eyes closed, her mouth moving frantically as if she were in prayer. Whatever it was, it confirmed that Maze wouldn't get caught if she peaked. So, with a slow tilt of her head the being present came into full view.
Standing before Marcus was a tall being with lanky arms that dragged on the floor. It was skinny, its bony spine and ribcage exposed, but even they bore an unnatural shape. Despite all these features what captivated Maze the most was its mouthless face and its glowing red eyes that seemed to be the only source of light in the room.
Maze heard her mother shudder and took her eyes off the being for a moment before it stood right next to her. There was no patter of feet or shifts on the wooden floor, it just appeared there. Maze's breath caught in her throat as a deep seeded sense of dread began to spread across her body, her hairs standing on edge as her fight or flight instincts ran frantic. She needed to run, but doing so will inform her mother that she looked. That she'd disobeyed her authority, and who's to say that she'd even be able to get away from the thing, it was right in front of her. Now pulled between her sense of dread and the possible trouble she'd put herself in, Maze remained frozen keeping her gaze glued on her mother as she could feel the monster's gaze peer deep in her soul.
The lights switched on causing her to blink and in that blink, it was as if everything had returned to normal. Marcus was back on the podium with their father standing next to him supportively. For a split second she noticed that look of dread on Marcus's face before it got replaced by his charismatic smile. She dropped her gaze back to the floor, trying to process what had just happened.
Everyone began to stand from their bow and Maze followed unblinkingly. Her hands still shivered from the fear the entity left in her, but realizing her mother would notice she steeled her will and wrapped her trembling hands behind her back.
"That was scary, wasn't it?" Her mother asked, ignorant to her daughter's distress.
"Y-Yeah… it was," She bit her lip mentally trying to steal herself as she knew her mother would soon see past her façade.
"Why did the air turn cold mommy? Was it something bad?" She asked, playing off her innocence.
"It's nothing you have to worry about sweetie." She gave Maze a kiss on the forehead, her lips brushing against the cold layer of sweat.
"Marcus just got a visit from the one we worship." She explained, as if she didn't notice the sweat or the light shuddering vibrating throughout her body. It was like she was in a trance.
"He's the one that protects our family from all the bad people who want to see us fall, so you shouldn't be afraid, just as long as you didn't raise your head." Maze felt a shiver run down her spine, as her mother dawned an uncharacteristic smile on her face.
"I-I was too afraid to look mommy." She dished out the cute girl card, knowing that it would likely get her out of the bind.
"Good girl." She said, giving Maze a big hug, but there was no warmth behind it. Her eyes met with Marcus's for a split second and for that instant their eyes met, she saw a look she thought she'd never see on her brother. She saw fear. He switched up as their dad came to congratulate him. Allowing Maze to process what she just saw.
Her mother released her, and she immediately ran off to her brother. "Congratulations big bro!" She continued her act, burying her face in his chest to wipe the tears that were welling up. She needed something, anything that would tell her that she was dreaming. That what she saw wasn't real. Marcus bent down, giving her a proper hug. He held her tight as if afraid she'd slip away. She could feel the warmth radiating off him and it nearly eased all her worries.
"I got to shake a few hands in this party, so meet me at my room when I'm done." There was a slight hesitation in Marcus's voice as if he was holding something back. All Maze could do was nod in assurance. He let go, ruffling her well-made hair before being escorted by their father to see the other guests. His words carried an inexplicable weight to them. As if he too was only putting up an act.