—-

Lady Ori undressed herself with great difficulty. She at last stripped down to her undergarments. Her bloody gown and skirts she threw to the side. She sighed in relief to be rid of them.

After she had murdered the Contessa, the Knights had descended upon her. She had been thrown in a new room without a maid.

Her hands and face were still covered in the Contessa’s blood. Her black eye felt like it was on fire; her gums stung. She knocked on her door, “Hello~? Sir Knights? Get me some washing water.”

The knights guarding the door in the hallway made noises in derision.

Lady Ori laughed. “Oh, and pain medication!”

Julie knew they wouldn’t bring anything to her, she only felt like teasing them. They must feel frustrated at having failed their only job: to protect the Contessa.

Her consciousness swam with revenge euphoria. Everything was perfect.

Baby Ori’s feelings were different. She felt self-loathing, shame, and panic―all mixed. She wanted to throw up, to die, to disappear.

The two oscillated back and forth, ignoring each other. Julie wanted to hold on to her high, and Baby Ori hated it.

Without food, water, or books, the two had nothing to do. It was boring and exhausting.

Lady Ori milled around, then decided to lie down. Her stomach writhed and squelched. She closed her eyes.

―

Her feelings were disorienting. She felt sick. She felt gleeful.

Baby Ori’s disgust was so that she would not look at Julie. She sat rocking herself inside their mind’s eye.

Julie walked towards her, hand outstretched to soothe her. “Baby Ori—“

“I’m leaving.” Baby Ori said without feeling.

Julie flinched. She sat down next to her soul sister. “…to the Reapers?”

Baby Ori shook her head, scooting away. “To the inside.”

Julie felt relief flow over her. “Oh.”

Baby Ori frowned. “I can make it however I want in there.” She pointed to the only door. “I made a room, and a garden inside. I saw other children.”

Julie looked towards the door, “Wow, you did?”

Baby Ori nodded. “I’m going to live there forever.” She was firm.

Julie sat in silence, thinking. “That’s a good idea, Baby Ori. I’ll visit you often.”

Baby Ori grimaced.

Julie felt surprised. A strange thought occurred to her. “Wait, do you hate me, Baby Ori?”

Baby Ori was silent.

Julie put her head in her hands. Feelings welled up into the chest. “Are you serious? After everything I just did for us?”

Baby Ori looked away.

Julie grit her teeth. “Everything I do is to protect you. I’m only alive to keep you safe. How can you blame me?”

Baby Ori bit her lip, and gripped her little dress, “Julie, I’m the bad one.”

“How!” Julie snapped, angry.

Baby Ori stood up, her children’s heels click-clacking towards the door to their unconscious. “I thought…if I was a good girl forever, then I would be safe.”

Julie watched her, frustrated. She clenched her fists. “You weren’t safe because the Contessa, not because of anything you did or didn’t do, Baby Ori.”

Baby Ori’s eyes filled with tears. “Julie, I couldn’t be safe without you. I was the bad one all along. I lost the game. I died.”

Julie stood up, fists clenched. “We’ve never been bad! It was always the Contessa who was bad! Everything was the Contessa’s fault! We wouldn’t even―“ Julie dug her nails into her palms and swallowed. “We wouldn’t even be different spirits if it weren’t for that awful bitch.” She took a deep breath, shaking. “Baby Ori, I never would have existed if the Contessa had been a good person.”

Baby Ori placed her tiny hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know, I need to think about it.”

“Baby Ori!!” Cried Julie, dumbfounded.

“Bye, Julie.” Baby Ori walked through the door and shut it behind her.

—-

Baby Ori wiped her tears. The world of adults was too much. It was too scary for a child. She didn’t want to pretend to be big anymore.

Baby Ori turned around, away from the door. A stone cottage near a large thicket materialized. The front garden shone with blooming flowers. Children played in the fields around it, shrieking with laughter.

This is the world she had made for herself and the other children. Here, in her mind, she could do whatever she wanted.

A child stopped and turned to look at Baby Ori. “Hey!!” the child called. “We’re playing tag!”

Baby Ori laughed in joy. She took her first step towards the other children, and weight of her feelings and memories left her.

“I want to make a creek!!” Baby Ori yelled.

“I want to catch a salamander!!” laughed another child.

At least just for now, Baby Ori did not thinking about the real world.

―-

Julie cursed. She should have known that nothing would have changed. In the end, it was always Julie verses the Oris. She curled up like a child and blubbered into her knees.

“Damn it!” Julie sobbed. She didn’t want to be alone.

It’s not that she expected a thank you from Baby Ori, but to be hated? She felt disrespected; abandoned.

Julie swallowed hard. What had been the point of working so hard, if she couldn’t even feel happy about her own revenge?

This was hell, the Reaper was right. Even a pit of fire was kinder than this filthy life. Not once had she ever been at ease in this fucked up realm. She wanted to be Julie the cold hard bitch again. She was disgusted with herself. Crying was gross. Feeling was awful.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon with no fanfare. Julie felt stuck in her thoughts, too wired to sleep. She began to ruminate on the past.

As a child, she had been abused and discarded. It hurt so much. She had always…just wanted to be loved.

She blinked.

Lady Ori sat up in bed, confused. How old was she again? She’d been seven years old just a few minutes ago, why was she suddenly twenty-three?

She looked at her hands and felt her face, feeling panicked. “Hello?” she thought. “Hello?!”

No one answered.

Where was Julie?

Was she Julie?

Lady Ori felt odd. She jumped up and looked into the mirror, then winced. All her injuries seemed worse then before. Everything hurt. But more importantly, Lady Ori looked old. Way too old to be seven.

Lady Ori sat down on the floor, deep in thought. She whispered to herself in the mirror. “Am I Julie? No. But I have her memories. I have Baby Ori’s memories too.”

She could remember so many horrible childhood moments. It was overwhelming.

Lady Ori’s reflection flinched. “What happened? Am I okay?” She tongued the bloody spot in the back of her mouth where her tooth had been. She did not feel okay.

Was this because Baby Ori had surrendered the body? Was this because Julie had finished her revenge?

Lady Ori gasped and pointed at her reflection, “Wait, am I one soul now?! Is this what the reapers meant?!”

Lady Ori’s head spun. She was a soul that had always lived in this world. When she wad a little girl, she was called Ori.

She was a transmigrated spirit. Her name used to be Julie. She had already spent an entire lifetime in another world, fucking around and snorting cocaine.

She was a woman with a strong identity; a cutthroat bitch who murdered her mother and stabbed her step-brother in his dick. But she was also sensitive and nervous; playful and selfish.

Lady Ori laughed in disbelief. She crawled back into the soft bed and cuddled into the pillows.

She looked at her hands again, which felt heavy with her soul inside. She no longer looked through the eyes, she simply saw with them.

Ori became Ori on a bed caked in her late mother’s blood. She chuckled to herself.

The Knights on the other side of the door exchanged glances.

―

An attendant rushed into the King’s morning meetings with a letter. He awaited his turn, then passed the letter to the King.

The King read its contents as his court stood in silence. He looked down at the attendant from his throne. “Call for the palace doctors and have them attend this evening’s meetings. Then write a summons for the following men.” The King rattled off names and titles.

The court mumbled and shifted in response. “It sounds like His Majesty is preparing for…” “…yes, perhaps he will meet with Lady Ori de Rohan…” “…today?” “…why doctors? Who is injured?”

That order of business done, the King’s court moved on to other affairs. Soon, they would meet Lady Ori de Rohan.

—-