CH 76 - Voices

Fall of Autumn, Week 4, Day 4

It was before the suns rose in the sky, and I was wide awake. My mana was back to full, and I was free to do whatever I wanted for four more days.

What do I want? What should I do?

I was perched on the balcony once again, looking over the gardens. Inside, my creations laid lifeless. The air was crisp, and if it hadn’t been for the black blanket wrapped around my shoulders, I would have been half-frozen after a few minutes. Instead, the cold air chilled my nose and cheeks but left my body alone.

>You should work.We better, child. If I’m to be stuck as the voice in your head, you need to be someone we both like.You can do both at once, child. Fret not.Then talk with your emotions, with your mind. I can hear it all.You and I are one already. There is no need to bother with separation.At no fault of your own. I suppose I can admit at least that much.We’ll see what the future holds when we get there, I suppose.<

A smile curled on my lips, and I nodded.

I stood there, wrapped in a blanket of my own creation, as I watched Troya rise over the horizon. The world was slowly awakening. I could hear the staff of the manor rifling about, preparing the estate for the day. The first person I saw was a man trimming the dormant branches of the near-empty hedges in the garden. If a stick was so much as a centimeter out of place, the man clipped it. Unlike the main estate, there were no ever-blooming flowers in the garden. No out-of-season growth. It was likely that Fellan simply wasn't important enough of a waypoint to support the cost.

I spent some more time in the cold, thinking about my plans, but by the time Dreya rose across the horizon, I was already dressed and ready for the day. I had chosen two simple braids for the day, and their individual links looked much like bubbles —plump and rounded. It was fun, and it only took a few short minutes to do. Unlike the past few days, I had no reason to go out of my way to show an impressive display.

Before I left the room, I called upon [Shadow Animation]. The darkness sank into Noir alone, and I held him loosely out across from me.

“Follow me,” I said, power lining my voice.

I set Noir down by my feet, and he stabilized himself as I set out —walking slowly so that his short legs could keep up.

“Where are we going?”

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Ah, it was Entertainer. Obvious by the lilt in his voice, the way Noir’s arms flared out as he walked. As if prepared to somersault at any moment.

“To breakfast.” I smiled as we walked out of my rooms, the toddling bunny hot my tail. “Then Twilight. And then the library. Though we’ll have to hunt it down first.”

It was interesting, watching the eyes of the maids follow Noir as he walked. Though it wasn’t the first time they’d seen him. I had made quite the spectacle when I arrived to dinner with the knights. Still, I saw the way their shoulders tensed, or their mouths dropped, or even, once, how their knuckles went white, gripping their feather duster.

I wouldn’t say it was a fun feeling being watched so closely. But it was something new —to be paid attention to. To be watched. To be cared for, sort of.

Rather than leave Noir to his own devices, I scooped him up when we got to the grand staircase that would take us downstairs. It wouldn’t do for him to fall behind or, worse, tumble down the stairs. It didn’t matter that he was knit and would likely be fine. He was mine. And I was not one who treated their things with disdain.

Noir wiggled in my arms until he was facing me, wrapping his arms as far around my midsection as he could.

I hummed in acknowledgment.

He’s so cute, I huffed to myself.

Once we finished descending, I set him back down next to me and patted his head.

“Keep it up, Noir. You’re doing great.”

“I am, aren’t I?” He preened in response and then, because what else would Entertainer choose to do, he bowed grandly.

Laughing lightly, I continued on toward the dining room. I ran across several more members of the staff but I ignored their eyes following Noir and pulled open the door to the dining room.

Different maids watched over me this time. Rather than teenagers, the women seemed to be in their mid-thirties. They were delicate in the way they served breakfast, and graceful in their movements. They were clearly skilled at their jobs. And when I spoke to them they maintained a distance Helena and Erie seemed incapable of. That wasn’t to say they were rude. Quite the opposite.

These two, Ocula and Nina, spoke with soft voices and gentle words. The way they said ‘Lady Nora’ was warmth incarnate. And while that set me at ease, it did make me wish for Erie’s gossip some. I much preferred the way Arlen and even Klein spoke to me over the distance and propriety the other knights showed. This was no different.

So, I set off for Twilight.

It was easy finding my way through the manor, easy to sink through the false wall, easy to walk down the [Descent of Astrala]. What wasn’t so easy was getting myself to open the door.

“Noir, what if they’re there.” I half-whispered.

“Then I will be there too.” Entertainer’s voice had a lilt to it that made me take a moment to appreciate the humor in being afraid of confrontation.

What could the children of the Dawn do to me that they haven’t done already?

Raphael, with his screaming and yelling and intimidation.

Theo, with his indifference, turned to unwelcome interest.

Eve, with her vile attitude and general violence.

Eve, I hissed in my head, my lip snarling for a half-moment before I took a breath. If you’re on the other side of this door, there will be words.

That was what it took to push open the door and enter into the Great Inbetween. I slid through the passageway, Noir right behind me, and took in the sight once again.

Twilight was beautiful, with its light reflected on the thin layer of water on the ground. It looked endless. Beside me, I could here the soft squish of knit fabric growing heavy with liquid as Noir stepped. Despite him seemingly being able to maneuver himself, I swiped him up into my arms, gently pressing on his feet to drain the water.

“Next time, I’ll carry you myself. Sorry, Noir.” My words were solemn, but my lips twitched in amusement.

“Thank you, our Lady of Drainage!” He said it with such enthusiasm I felt a grin spread across my face. I huffed a laugh at Entertainer’s response and finished getting what water I could out of his paws.

“You're welcome, Mr. Lord of Buffoons,” I said jovially and with not a small amount of warmth.

Tightening my grip, I slowly made my way to the pillars. I hesitated before stepping into the center, but no one was there —or seemed to be about to appear out of thin air. So I quickly went to one of the other pillars to figure out what Theo’s Skills were. I wasn’t sure if Skills listed simply disappeared when one left, or if the pillar always had them on display.

I approached the pillar to the left of my own, the one Theo had appeared outside of, and found myself blinking in surprise.

It was empty.

There was no writing at all, not even unintelligible writing. There was, however, the same plaque my own pillar had displayed. I held my hand out, grazing the stone with my fingertips, and a green notice appeared in my eyes.

[System Notice: Access to ‘Twilight Trial 3 - Theodore Alfred Dawn’ denied. Please return to your own trial for access.]

I took a sharp breath in. That meant, more likely than not, that the other children of the Dawn would be unable to see and interact with my own pillar. A wave of relief spread through me, and I turned away from the pillar. I was protected from the prying eyes of my siblings. Tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding released from my body, and a smile bloomed.

“All right, back to our own training, Noir.”

The bunny in my hands nodded, and I headed straight for my own pillar. There was no need to stick around and tempt fate for another unfortunate encounter. And I wouldn’t be jinxing it by thinking something ridiculous, like ‘Finally, I’m safe.’ That would just be asking for Eve to appear.

I stared at the plaque outlining my Skills, searching for [Silent as a Shadow] once again. Surely, now that I knew how it worked, I would be faster this time. Better matched. More willing to become a shadow.

However, it took longer than I expected to find the Skill.

0th Tier: Inspect, Mana Manipulation, Mana Sense, Weaving

1st Tier: Quick Calculation, Weave of Darkness

2nd Tier: Mental Fortitude, Otherworldly, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Manipulation

3rd Tier: Shadow Animation

Untiered: Eternal Communion, Eyes of Gospel, Tight Lips, Sophism, Steal Nerves

SKILL TRIAL COOLDOWN: Silent as a Shadow

I blinked at the text, watching the stone engraving flicker in and out of existence. A gray-tinted [Silent as a Shadow] bounced from the 1st tier to the Cooldown zone.

“Oh.” I said, my voice trembling, “So there really is a limit.”

Perhaps, I thought to myself, I should have figured it worked like this. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to be trapped in Twilight at risk of seeing one of my siblings, so I made a quick decision and pressed Inspect.

It was Level 9, and I was ready to move it along.

Thus, I was sucked into Twilight.