"Mono/Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

Narration

[Message/communication apparatus]

Date: December 1088

Location: Kawalerielki, Kazimierz

POV: Narrator

The Grey Serpent weaves across a relatively empty highway, this is still early in the morning after all. She is dressed much more formally with a pair of business suits and pants along with an overcoat that hides her pair of Originium pistols and knives. Nyx already sensed the presence of Armorless Union monitors who kept their proximity much farther than usual; a non-verbal admission that they did not wish to make the water murkier.

Her bike has been modified to emit as minimal noise as possible, courtesy of a company in which she has invested. Nyx is out so early for the day due to an important meeting, which pertained to the incident a week ago. She rides for a few more minutes before arriving in an underground parking lot, a standard procedure because of how limited the mobile city is in terms of land.

Stepping off her ride, she could also be seen to be bringing a briefcase. Checking on her self-defense equipment, she rapidly walks back to the surface to finish her business and has more than one today. She passes by the locals who watch her with starry eyes, wary eyes, and even subdued misgivings. Nyx paid them no mind and instead glanced at her watch, which told her that it was 5:31 A.M.

Once outside, she is greeted by the sparsely populated walkways and street food sellers who are preparing to conduct business. Kawalerielki is a busy, and harsh, city where office workers often forgo breakfast to avoid traffic and potentially coming in late. This city has little regard for those who can’t compete; everyone is just a tiny cog with replacements that are a dime a dozen.

Nyx continues walking towards a rather isolated but well-guarded location, she can see several security personnel either lazing around or awaiting dispatch. This building is none other than Central Security HQ, a paramilitary company that has been hired by the National Council to keep the peace ever since Campaign Knights, not including a select few, has been barred from being part of the permanent garrison due to asinine political maneuvering.

She had been walking nonchalantly so far yet the moment they caught sight of her, they tensed up and those who had been waiting for a shift of theirs suddenly had a burst of motivation to be more productive despite it not counting into overtime because of regulations. The rest either busy themselves by looking at objects of interest such as the neatly trimmed patches of grass, the pristine windows, and even the lovely half-dark sky.

The Grey Serpent skipped the luggage checking station and they too pretended to not notice that, once again courtesy of their caring superior. She inspects her surroundings and notices that… they are all worthless. She scoffed internally from realizing that those brats from the Victorian Royal Academy would be more useful than these people, then again she was being unfair. One side is being groomed and trained into bonafide soldiers while the other is just hired for policing acts and suppressing civil disturbances. Armorless Union did most of the dirty work after all.

She walks steadily and calmly, but from the eyes of everyone else, she looks very intimidating and seems to be taking her time. She reach the primary building and sees that a pair of guards had been trembling since they got a heads-up from their superior that The Grey Serpent will come for a visit.

“W-Welcome, Lady Baroness. The Captain of the Guard has been expecting you.”

“We are honored to be an escort-”

“Cut the crap, move.”

““Y-Yes, Ma’am!”” The two blameless securities immediately answer in unison and guide her inside. She kept her face forward but her eyes scanned everything in the building. She notices a pair of hidden turrets just behind the plants, a hidden door that probably leads to a secret QRF room which when she probed with her synapse proved to be correct, and so much more.

Her inspection was cut short when they finally arrived. The two securities opened the door for her before saluting. She nodded and they stepped aside. Nyx enters the room to see a Liberi man in his 40s already waiting for her, he looks calm but it doesn’t take an empath to see that he is sweating buckets and has traces of nervousness behind that smile.

“Aha, welcome to our humble HQ, Lady Grey Serpent.” He motioned her to sit down and she obliged. Once they are seated, Nyx puts her briefcase on the table before speaking her piece.

“How nice of you but let’s cut to the chase…” Nyx opened it to show stacks of LMDs neatly arranged inside. She sensed his mood changed from fear into a much more affable and cooperative one. She speaks once again.

“15 million LMDs.”

“Ho… and what does this gift entail if I may be so bold?”

“10 million is your reward for deactivating the cameras and choosing wisely when the incident last week turned for the worst…” She emphasized ‘the worst’ part, causing the Captain to flinch but still managed to hold his picture-perfect business smile. The man silently thanked his quick thinking, else he would have been sacked or worse. He is not stupid, between a monster who is much too dangerous and influential to antagonize and a no-name, disposable, security captain, he knows which one the National Council will throw under the bus.

“How lucky, no one was hurt and you’re useful…” Sensing that it took a darker turn, the man redirect the conversation by mentioning the rest of the money.

“… What about the 5 million?” Nyx narrowed her eyes just enough to be noticeable. The man’s heart rate spikes for each second that passes in silence. He doesn’t know whether he would die or suffer… Thankfully his worry was unfounded when Nyx's gaze returned to its expressionless state.

“… That’s just an extra something for if you agree to help me, but that’s not my primary offer for us to profit from this situation.” He is more than eager to help, his family still needs him and he doubts there will be justice for him or them otherwise.

“What cooperation do you seek from me?”

“So I heard that you’re currently investigating the streak of madness that happened weeks ago… How about you start compiling what happened in this exact location…”

-

-

-

Nyx is currently waiting in one of the waiting rooms from the shop she and Nelka had visited back on 19^th Major, the very same Exotic shop. She is waiting for Arkhipov, the Ursus man who has more than one facet of his business. Naturally, she has herself the VVIP treatment. The room she is in has its staffing of a bartender and even a chef. Then whatever she wants is in the house, proof of their longstanding relationship.

She had also been offered someone to entertain her or perhaps provide her with service according to her taste. She would lie to say that doesn’t entice her interest but turned it down because her mind is much too dominated by the thought of a certain eternally scowling Kuranta. She is not one to talk decorum, but even she knows that if her mind is elsewhere while having fun is rude on its own and the only thing she would achieve is a transient fantasy at best or everlasting guilt at worst.

Her wait finally ended when the man entered the room. He motioned for the staff to leave them and they obeyed. Once it is just the two of them, Arkhipov starts laughing at what she had brought a few hours after the incident.

“I must say, you’re one hell of a collaborator. I have rarely gotten this many goods from a single deal! Hahahaha! The stock you offered would be enough for me to fill in demands for months on end.”

“Oh please, I’m just a kleptomaniac bastard and shameless avaricious slut the media has been labeling me after all. If I recall correctly, the more outspoken rumor mills said that I worked 6 hours a day in a high-end secretive nightclub. I was quite flattered when they said that I reaped 30 million Hellers from a single romp, not counting the numerous tips I would get, imaginative folks are always fascinating.”

Nyx said every syllable with an imperceptible smile of amusement. Every word that was uttered was bereft of sarcasm and genuinely a good source of entertainment for her. She rather spend her time doing something more productive than clarifying someone’s fantasy.

“Normally, a lady would be beyond furious, but here you end up amused instead. Let's not forget that’s not the main reason you could amass such wealth, I heard the much more credible rumors of how you start investing in a lot of things. A part of me envied you to be honest, but the other would love to have you as mine and we can share this small empire.” Nyx would usually reply coldly when someone unashamedly proposed to her like that, yet she smiled thinly instead.

“How sweet, but no.”

“Can’t say I haven’t tried but… here is your part of the spoils and the cash… but are you sure? I won’t mind splitting it evenly you know?” The man brought up a huge box and a briefcase. The huge box practically screams suspicious content inside. Why? It is tightly sealed and has been enhanced with what would entail in… preservation.

“Aren’t you a merchant?”

“Being a merchant is not all about having reaping the most profits from the get-go. I’m more interested in nurturing trust because without trust we won’t have anything done to its maximum potential nor was it efficient to dwell on negative hypotheticals.”

“Prudent… anyway, these are still in relatively good condition right?”

“Positive. My expert has deemed these to be of the highest possible quality, barring my share of course, and disregarding the conditions said goods were brought in. You are truly precise, the rumors don’t even come close to the truth.”

“I’ll trust your words because you know better than to double-cross me, now it is time for me to go. I couldn’t keep the sick children waiting after all.”

“Let me escort you outside and before I forget, you could always count on us for both trading and cleaning service.”

“Appreciated.”

-

-

-

-

The Grey Serpent met Darksteel’s mouthpiece within a nondescript warehouse. She was assured that Armorless Union would provide her with a suitable reparation for this incident while citing that she has been quite an immense help.

The Grey Serpent was glaring all the while their negotiation was ongoing. The poor mouthpiece was on the verge of tears even, but they had no other choice since Darksteel or Nyx were equally cruel in their ways. Nyx realized, however, that she had been glaring at the wrong person the entire time and tried her damnedest to stay focused on the negotiation.

She earned herself 50 million worth of equipment as compensation as well as a single request if she wanted someone dead, Darksteel would personally honor it. The Armorless Union themselves got more than they anticipated, with the rogues gone and those on the fence being dealt with, the bloated organization has come under restructuring on a massive scale and risen in quality.

On a side note, Roy has been watching on the sideline while munching on a whole bag of pierogi. With their negotiation done, Nyx left the scene and headed towards the hospital Zofia was at. While riding her bike, she deliberated with Conrad about the suggestion that he had advised her with.

“I’m still quite pissed that his hand is intact…” Conrad’s suggestion was the impetuous she needed to coax the cooperation of Captain of the Guard. Nyx couldn’t help her ingrained grudge to cooperate with someone who has a hand in an attempt that threaten someone important to her, but she also understood that she shouldn’t create too many enemies.

[That would achieve nothing, my lady. Your presence is enough to cow him into submission, there would be more gained through diplomatic means. You said yourself didn’t you? All this violence starts to grate your nerves.]

“Hah… yeah.” Nyx is deluded and way over her head regarding her violent reputation. It could only mean so much then reach so far before idiots like Aoyuki’s clan came around knocking like some hotshot. Rather than uprooting everything, Conrad advised her to use them to her advantage instead. She could keep up her neutral stance and balancing game a lot better.

[Precisely why I advised you to seek the most peaceful method. Regarding my preliminary investigation, it appears that we could truly connect all the dots back to just before The Black Knight and Lady Zofia’s match. I wager we would find a much more enlightening insight, straight from our dear lady.]

“You’re not wrong, so I’ll just have to wait till she wakes up huh?” She maneuvered her bike to avoid cars that were starting to clog the highways. Her speed allowed her to keep up a steady pace towards her last destination of the day.

Nyx is making her rounds for days and on end until Zofia finally wakes up weeks afterward. The investigation has been going smoothly and she keeps up a clandestine means of contact with her collaborators. Between her job as a Chief Paramilitary Liaison for CC and moving her assets by proxy, she is getting hella busy. She is infinitely grateful to find Conrad back in that deserted cave… otherwise, she would be tearing her hair for work that keeps on piling up.

Not forgetting that all of these are also in between her job with Enciodes, she is technically still employed until he decides to leave Kazimierz. The Feline man is taking his time in promoting Kjerag and seeking cooperation. She wonders just how good is he to not only keep his footing in the game but to also thrive against Kawalerielki’s capitalists.

Location: Pharmaceutical Service District, Kawalerielki, Kazimierz

POV: Zofia Narleka

“Come on Zofia! Keep up with her, don’t lose!” I could see myself moving, like in an autopilot… I could see how my battered and injured body was slowly mending itself while simultaneously breaking down rapidly.

“Abandon blocking, you will only meet the grave otherwise!” Just watched myself fighting with all I had while my opponent was not taking my strike all that seriously. Desperation is the name of the game, each aching muscle and waterfall of sweats marked all that was left of me.

Then I saw, a bright light illuminating my palm. It was so warm, so gentle, yet it bellied a raw Pegasian might I never know to possess. World I used to see light up in a resplendent hue of ancestral glory and the weight of time, the light in my palm let me see the world in such a blinding form. Such was the moment when I thought I stood a chance…

Yet fate said otherwise… since…

-

-

-

-

“I lost…” My eyes slowly open, and a tear slides down my cheek. The tear did slide down, but something else was bubbling and boiling inside of me. It feels so natural, but also so, so, unpleasant. A voice in my head seems to be goading me to let it out… but a faint and hazy voice is screaming and pleading for me to not lose myself. Am I losing myself to what?

‘Where am I?’ That’s the first thing that came to my mind. It felt like I had been forgetting something, but what? I have no idea what it is… My body feels like a brick, while memories of what happened before I lost consciousness returned.

“Zofia, are you ok?” I tried to immediately raise my body upright, but pain prevented me from doing so. A pair of gentle hands were wrapped around my shoulder and helped to lower my aching body back onto the bed. The soft bedding tells that I’m most likely in the hospital, also judging from the white and sterile-looking walls that I caught glimpses of.

After the pain subsides, I crane my face upward, I can see Big Sis's worried face. From the corner of my vision, I could also see how the chair she had been sitting on toppled, scrutinizing her face I spotted dark rings around her eyes as well… she hasn’t slept much huh?

“I must have startled you, sorry about that…”

“N-no… It’s me who must apologize.” My head already hung low, I used to fantasize that a victory against such insurmountable odds wasn’t so insurmountable after all… all I did was make a fool of myself.

“What for?” I have a feeling she tries to steer me away from what I feel. I suppose she meant well if only it didn’t come at a cost of herself.

“You have been up for days, right?”

“O-Oh… ahaha…erm… guess my make-up sucks huh? I swear it was hidden minutes ago…”

“Hah… you shouldn’t coddle me too much, I’m not a child you know? Doesn’t matter… erm… how long had I been out?”

“20 days.”

“T-Twenty!? *cough* *cough* *cough*!” I cough from both surprise and guilt for how much trouble I had caused the family, that’s no doubt happened. Then I had been inconveniencing her for that long?!

“Easy there, Lil Sis. You still need to rest and make sure to be in tip-top shape.”

“… Tip-top?” The word seems to trigger something in me… where did I hear it before… A piece of music and melody that gave me the courage to do the impossible despite only ending up fooling myself. A music so magical and sublime, only losing out slightly to Big Sis’s singing…

‘Ah… I remember now…’

I remembered a music so beautiful that it made me feel truly alive. I have a hard time recalling who sang or played it, my whole attention was solely on the melody that I thought to be well and alive. Each pitch, note, and rhyme was ingrained deep within me… So why did I feel a stabbing ache inside my heart? What’s wrong with me? Why am I feeling so… so… dissatisfied? Disgusted, even…?

Flashback

“Ugh… I’m so nervous…” I can’t take it anymore, the pressure of my upcoming match with Degenbrecher just 4 days from now keeps gnawing my mind. To make matters worse, I kept getting chased around by my newly emerging fanbase. It was flattering and fun the first few times, but now it is just a chore that rarely ends up being useful.

That’s not mentioned when I have to fend off creeps that try to get a feel of my body… I shuddered from disgust at anyone trying to force themselves on me. Luckily, Big Sis had taught me how to deal with that species of miscreant. Long story short, several perverts are holding their stomachs in pain while my actual fanbase ganged up on them.

Using that chance, I quickly disappeared into streams of pedestrians. That’s how it has been going usually, I learned from my mistakes and now put heavy emphasis on disguise. Baggy clothing but not too obvious to rouse suspicion, contact lenses, heavier and lengthier make-up session, and thus here I am now… god I hate being this lonely…

‘If only Margaret was here… she would have been handling the people a lot better. Scratch that, she would be in an even bigger danger than me because she is too nice! Hahhhhhh….’

Such a thing reminds me of when she works in a bookstore or café using makeup to disguise herself. When I asked whether anyone was being insolent she only replied that they were only being a tad touchy-feely and she paid it no mind. Imagine my horror and thank god I managed to convince her to not go into detail about it with Big Sis… There would have been a literal bloodbath…

Shelving my thoughts, I continue my incognito stroll. Kawalerielki hadn’t changed much, but even I know that hundreds if not thousands of people come and go each month. I had once eavesdropped on a conversation between my uncle and cousin, how they talked about the city growing into an unrecognizable mess of cliques, petty alliances, or outright hostility.

Thankfully though, some things have yet to change. One such thing is a café I used to frequent openly, but now I can’t do that. I made a mistake such as that once, causing a small restaurant to be jam-packed with visitors and preventing me from just resting up and enjoying myself. I won’t make such a mistake again.

Making my way inside, I’m in luck since the customers doesn't pay much attention on me. This place also provides a small space for anyone who wishes to sing. The owner is a nice Anaty guy, heard he was from Yan actually, he allows anyone to play. Provided they brought their instrument and didn’t cause a ruckus of course. The owner was surprised because he noticed one of his frequent customers, but after making a discreet gesture he understood and just grinned while pointing upstairs. I bowed a little and made my way up.

I look around and find that the tables are full… except for one. I spotted an Oni woman who appears to be deep in thought, she has yet to touch her crepes or her soufflé. Well… I guess I’ll try it.

“Um… would you share your table with me?”

“H-Huh?” She looked surprised seeing me and I sensed a spike of emotion that was too fleeting to decipher but I did surprise her, so no harm done there. After looking at me some more, she smiles at me and answers.

“Of course not, we are fellow customers after all.” She motioned me to sit down and I’m grateful for it. A waitress came and showed me the menu. After making my order, just a creamy latte and chocolate soft cake, I wait up and I just realize that the Oni woman has been staring at me.

“… Um… is there a problem?”

“Hmm? No. I’m just surprised to share a table with the current hot topic for gossip.” Oh god, not again… please don’t be weird. I inaudibly sighed and the woman seemingly had noticed it before smirking mischievously.

“Oh don’t worry about me ratting you out. To be honest, I’m more interested in The Black Knight or that Grey Serpent woman. Coming from Higashi and whatnot…” Eastern that I had seen were all usually so quiet or reserved. She looks different though, if anything she seems to be blending in just fine with locals.

“Hmm? Well… I can see why.”

“Hold on, where is my manner? I’m… Sumi Nakamura by the way.”

“Oh… er… I’m Zofia Narleka, or you probably knew already… so uh… Miss Nakamura?”

“Yes… how should I call you?”

“I have no problem with how people usually call me.”

“Then I’ll call you… Whislash.” Her grin widened and while it irked me somehow, I honestly didn’t find that nickname displeasing… If I disregard how a certain Pythia will no doubt make fun of me anyway.

“So what was it you wish to talk about?” Miss Nakamura said while starting to scoop up her dessert.

“I thought people of Higashi would be a lot more… how should I say this…?”

“Traditional.” She said nonchalantly before her eyes widened from the taste of her soufflé. Heh, it’s funny how I would never have had enough of seeing first-timers having their eyes popped open like that. It has become like a somewhat unspoken agreement, people rarely talk about this place because they want it for themselves. The owner has a cult following of his own…

“A first-timer huh~?” A smile tugged on my lips before the woman realized that I had been watching with interest and then looked away with reddened cheeks. Her mannerism indicates that she is somewhere in her early 30s, despite her… eccentric light brown with blue highlights hair.

“… W-Well, it surpassed my expectation… but back to your question… we are undergoing modernization.”

“Really?”

“Surprising isn’t it? We know how the world views us, but not everywhere is burning you know? Even we need to harvest our crops” She said so fluently but I sensed the bitter undertones in her voice. I made this awkward, didn’t I? Uh… how do I salvage this?

Fortunately, the woman started talking about a different topic.

“I came here for work. Being around the Eastern cities was quite a novel experience, which is also why the Major intrigues me.”

“It has to do with the Grand Knight isn’t it?” My order came up and I started enjoying it too. The woman nodded before elaborating.

“A part of it and let’s just say that this place is a lot calmer compared to back home.”

“I couldn’t see why you wouldn’t say that honestly…” We conversed on numerous topics, mostly centered around the Major and oddly enough about Big Sis. I tried my best not to divulge too much unnecessary information since anyone could fetch a hefty sum on her. So I keep it rudimentary. For the major and Degenbrecher, I’m a tad more outspoken. Our conversation was halted when clapping could be heard.

“Hmm? What happened?”

“Oh right, it’s your first time here. People usually clapped when someone came up to play, sometimes good and other times bad but people just laughed it off.” I tried to look over the railing but since I’m closer to the window, I can only see a black halo and parts of wings but no horns so an ordinary Sankta is probably playing down there.

Before I could continue conversing with this surprisingly attentive and fun-to-talk Oni, a musical note rattled me to the core. The both of us are silent while listening … this… this… freeing and sublime melody. The sound and what I surmised to be the strumming of a cello coalesced into a mythical display of musical wonder.

More and more did get absorbed into it, like a whirlpool of emotions suddenly feels so… so… vibrant and it makes me sad to see it subdued. I could also hear cheering, sobbing, and even the owner’s voice in the mix. I feel like floating, and nothing else matters… but an alarm bell is ringing so loudly in my mind.

Without even understanding what was happening, I already made my way downstairs and paid the bill. I felt guilty for leaving my conversation partner like that but something feels amiss and I must go. When I was about to reach the door, a woman’s voice of softness, gentleness, and gleefulness caressed my ears.

“Luceat lux vestra

Luceo non uro

Luctor et emergo

Lux et veritas

Lux, Veritas, Virtus

Lux… Animae.”

-

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-

“Zofia? Hey, Zofia!” Big Sis words’ woke me up from my stupor. She looked worried when I stopped responding to her words, I mustered up a weak but genuine smile of apology.

“Sorry… my mind is a mess right now.”

“Like I said, take it easy…”

“Easy for you to say…” The bitter feelings returned, and this time it only grew in momentum. The faint voice in the back of my mind has been silenced, while the one that has been roaring and goading me since I woke up has been getting bolder.

“… Big Sis…” My emotion is reaching its breaking point. She did not say anything and just listened. This is the moment where strings of words that I deeply regretted for years were uttered…

“What vested interest do you have in me really?” Her eyes shook, either I hit the nail on her, or she was deeply hurt by it. Yet I couldn’t stop it, the feeling was back and seemingly urged me to be truthful, the fear of catastrophe or fear of loss feels so alien in the face of being true to what I see in myself…

“You watched how I fought in such a pathetic manner didn’t you?” My eyes are blurry, my lung feels like it is burning, and I feel immense disappointment for myself…

“You gave your best in teaching, training, and educating me with what I need, could, should, and would want to know. Disappointingly and expectedly, I couldn’t even touch Margaret’s feet in terms of skill. She is better than me for even less, I’m happy for everything she reached and has become… but each time I look into the mirror I can only see an idiotic girl with failures…”

“Zofia…” Please don’t be sad for a failure… Yes… a failure and an arrogant brat.

“What’s more? In my arrogance, I had the gall to call you my Big Sister… All I did was sully your name with my ineptitude and incompetence…” I couldn’t hold my gaze on her eyes anymore.

“…” She said nothing, but her eyes were staring at me. It would have been better if there was even a shred of condemnation in her gaze, but I see nothing in her eyes… Yes, I’m nothing after betting it all… So stop looking at me like that... I hate it.

“… You’re always on top of most things, making it easier for you to lecture anyone... especially normal folks, and I'm one of them.”

“…”

“I was trying to keep up, you know? How I painfully realized that compared to the main branch, and now you, I’m just… nothing.” A weak laugh escaped my lips, my voice lost its vigor and the world felt like a transient and insignificant thing…

“Uncle Kiril was a War Hero, Młynar is still the Tenebrous Hero despite being lost in his grief, Schnitz is considered to be the finest warrior in our bloodline as a whole, Iolanta is the most beautiful handmaiden and an accomplished scholar of ancient history… Then Margaret has made a name for herself… Radiant Knight, they called her, how nice and fitting… Ha ha… Even Maria shows prodigal talent in logic and mathematics despite being 9… I don’t need to flatter you… Then what am I?”

“…”

“A little lady whose good is to only prance around like a decorative animal?! A Lady-In-Waiting without a lady to serve?! What good is my existence if I couldn’t stop being a burden?! What’s more? I know that my body is broken…”

“Your body isn’t-”

“You wouldn't understand simply because you couldn't!” Those words left my lips before my mind could comprehend them. Thus I realized what I had said and done, horror dawned on my face and my heart almost break seeing her looking at me with saddened eyes, even after that she still refuse to disapprove my outburst. Big Sis said nothing for a while but even I know that was a wrong thing to say; right on her face no less. 

“… I-I didn’t… didn’t… *sobs* T-that wasn’t… that wasn’t… *sobs*” My heart rate is climbing exponentially, I had said something truly vile. Big Sis was only worried about me, she even lost sleep for me. Then what I did do to repay her care? I spat at her, insulted her, and belittled her like she was just a beast with human skin.

I feel like sinking.

I had hurt her and that much is no doubt.

I recalled the day she said that she used to be blamed, insulted, and cursed upon… Yet I dare wager she is no less hurt for each and every one of them. Now, I have the infamy of etching myself into numerous mental scars she has to bear… My eyes are blurry, my lung feels like it is burning, and I feel immense disappointment for myself…

Then a soft humming voice reaches my ears. My mind compared the allure of the song and the unknown’s singer voice with hers. This voice is like a lifeline that lifted me up from drowning when compared to the allure of what might be offered by the song.

Not long after, a pair of hands are cradling me gently. I don’t need to open my eyes to know who is consoling me, but it only made the ache worse.

“I’m sorry… *sobs* I’m sorry… *sobs* I’m sorry….” Like a broken record, my lips couldn’t stop repeating for repentance like rewriting a mantra. Her gentle caress, touch, and care have now started to erode the voice in my head. The one that had been drowning was lifted back up, but it fell silent. If the voice is truly a living being, I picture a pair of eyes looking at me with me pity and resignation before vanishing back into my sub-consciousness.

She never once stopped humming… and it calms me down, like a mother’s lullaby.

“Rest easy there, Lil Sis… your Big Sis will always be close by.”

Fatigue built up, limbs grew heavy but relaxed, and with the last vestige of my strength before the inevitable slumber, I opened up my eyes.

There I see her smiling all the same, her humming seems to gain an impetuous vigor. Despite everything… she still loves me.

POV: Nyx

“Hmm~, Hmm~, Hmm~…” I keep on humming her a simple lullaby. Once sung by a colleague of mine each time she was forced to watch her children leave with a smile plastered on her lips. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was mocking her for it, how it doesn’t correlate with our work and that her consolation meant nothing… Guess that was also why I was amongst the first to be shot when rebellion broke out.

Now? I understand that the song is no mere parting, it is a gift for someone you cherish. Then she opens her eyes, the Arts that has been plaguing her seeping away slowly… clarity returns upon that gorgeous sapphire. She is still asking my forgiveness, but what is there to forgive? Nothing because she has done me no wrong.

Insult, praise, curse, bless, and so on have been uttered to me. Her outburst was tame, but I’m glad that she managed to get that out of her chest. It will take time for her to make peace with her supposed mistake, but I know just the place for her to recuperate. Once she was sound asleep, I kissed her forehead and bid her a good night.

Once outside, my face turned serious and I pulled up my communication piece.

“Conrad, your conjecture was partially correct… it was a variant of mental manipulation, but might not be what you thought to be.”

Date: January 1089

Location: Kawalerielki, Kazimierz

POV: Narrator

Days turn into weeks, New Year’s Eve turns into the start of a new page, and our Pythia has work to do. After her usual hospital visits and reassurance towards her lovely little sister, Nyx has been running all over Kawalerielki to compromise or tie up loose ends.

She rewarded her moles who had monitored parties of interest, such as those working for Armorless Union. She was giving them monetary gain or the escape opportunity from Kazimierz as long as they swore not to return nor divulge their previous work. To make it easier, she faked their death and gave them a new identity, but it also means that she disavowed them from here on out.

Nyx has also been coordinating with Conrad about the Arts that used to plague Zofia and the understanding she had gained from overriding said Arts. Conrad moved Cordelia's agents to probe the city under the guise of property scouting since a lot became vacant due to the outstandingly stupid debacle that happened in November last month.

Her A.I. companion and her collaborator finally pieced together everything that has been known so far. The maddened perpetrators of violence had all visited a fairly average, in-build, café at section 17. This is further proven by a much more credible source that has been provided by the Captain of the Guard.

He noted that he too was surprised with these findings. While also apologize profusely since combing through thousands of data hourly is not an easy feat, especially if it has been done for weeks on end. All-in-all, she is just satisfied that her cautiousness paid off.

To provide further clarification, she is leveraging, coaxing, and using her favors to access a list of addresses and IDs. She got herself limited access to who they were and their previous occupation. Naturally, anything much more private is beyond her, but that’s enough to form a theory about the Arts that was swirling inside Zofia’s body and theorized to be also plaguing these crazy lunatics.

Everyone that has been there on that exact day acted weirdly the next day. She also watched the footage and confirmed its veracity. She also spotted 2 people of interest, since they were near the windows, who are Zofia and Aoyuki conversing and chatting with one another before their attention was taken elsewhere. Nyx was shocked to her core but refrained from making assumptions just yet.

More astonishingly, not everyone turned into a psychopath or raging lunatic that’s frothing in the mouth. For example, a girl decided to leave Kawalerielki and was confirmed to be a somewhat successful farmer in the countryside, not to mention how happy she was. Then there is one street vendor who returns home and becomes a good teacher. Or that one where a girl has been on the rise as a competition knight. So many more good stories and bad started surfacing after that day.

 [END OF CHAPTER]

Author’s Note:

Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who wanna spice up the drama a little.

Alright before you guys start lynching me alive as to why Zofia is much more emotionally fragile, remember that in the official timeline, she is all alone to keep the family from sinking deeper and she succeeds for the most part. It also helps her from thinking too much and just focusing on taking care of the family, cultivating her mental fortitude and hardworking nature.

Detailed explanation below for those who are interested.

Update as, usual, or so I hope.

Ciao