POV Main

I wanted to befriend my group. Really. I wanted to sit with them and go through all this matters. Then, in pizzeria I found out that I was not ready and not all of them were ready. They all had their own decisions to decide, roads to go.

I became friends with Dee, but what would they become. Should I be there to push them through some blood? No, I decided. If they wanted to cooperate they needed to contact me and state their purpose. I wasn’t cut to be tyrant. On the other side I wouldn’t lead them step by step.

I found out, that it was nearly impossible to buy alive octopus or squid in War-Saw. Potentially I could fly to Italy or Greece and try there, but that meant too much trouble. I ordered some frozen octopuses and squids, and read about salamanders and some other lizards that could regenerate limbs.

I was little salty, because I felt that I was losing. Maybe you don’t understand me, maybe you can. It is part of region history. Near Poland are countries that through ages had drive to dominate others. One can be dominated by being dazzled, impressed by other. One can be dominated by being outsmarted or deceived. One can be dominated, when one have all strong points, reasons, but is lacking point of strength. I was feeling that Diana was building something, that would lack reasons. But would have pure, brute force. The future war was lost by in past preparations. I wanted to prepare more, but couldn’t guess how.

POV Alice

I stayed long with girls in the pub. We promised ourselves, that we would help each other and share hardships. We arranged visiting Viki with Paladin next day. Only Mary didn’t want to go, because of fear that her presence could worsen Viki’s health.

Then, in late evening we went to house on the suburbs. Andy, who knew Diana earlier and was one of her two friends, provided us this lodging. Girls, except Diana, got one big room with one bed. But we were prepared with sleeping bags.

Before we went sleep, Andy proposed for new fated, girls and boys, that Diana was providing ingredients for next ritual, and they could join her. One could join Diana’s group, if promised secrecy. Ritual would be done in different location. I was not invited.

All people from Diana’s group reported access, one newly fated from Vivaldi’s group and even his goon. All girls stayed together and refused to have more adventures that day.

We closed our room from inside and went to sleep. Somehow four of us was able to fit in one bed.

I couldn’t sleep well. I was worried about Mary and felt guilt towards Viki. My stone enchanted existence, which I called Fairy, told me, that because of stronger stones influence, she would be able to see only one, by luck two of splinters of wisdom. One would be lost for sure. I didn’t care much. There were people that needed me. And people were more important than wisdom in my mind.

I had little talk with Nameless in pub, before he took his group and left. He gave me something. This liquid should help a little with stone host problem, he argued. It should be poured on stone, but if Mary would drink some, it should be even better. I decided to trust him. After my stone grown second time, Fairy could produce medicine for heart and blood health and Mary drank it. Maybe he got something like that only against influence. When I dropped one drop on Fairy, she said that it helps with cleaning influences, but was hurting slightly. Fairy even wanted more for herself as she said, that she felt overwhelmed by influence, but my sister was my priority. So I watched her sleeping, happy, that she was not hurt after drinking that thing.

After some time I heard people coming back from their second ritual. I could feel that all stones were back. People were quite quiet. As if there was not much to talk about. I fall asleep shortly after.

In the morning, Andy came and said that all people that weren’t part of Ahriman’s Order, Diana’s group, should leave till noon. He also had massage from Diana to me, that I was now responsible for my sister. I wanted to talk with Diana, what was the meaning of this, but Andy said, that it was impossible that day and asked me to leave phone number.

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There was some coldness in the morning, but I thanked him for accommodation and went back to my group.

POV Lily, part of Mirror’s group

I almost used to name of Lily. It wasn’t my real name, so at the beginning when someone called me that, I needed few seconds to respond. Now I reacted almost immediately.

We were waiting at the hospital building for opening to visitors. Andy throw us out a little too early for our plan to go perfectly. I was thinking about all, what happened lately. It was first night since long, that I slept well. I heard in my dreams voice enchanted in stone. It was interesting, but I didn’t care too much about it. I wanted to do some holidays. If I had money, I would fly to warm country.

At the breakfast I talked with this one guy that went in the night for second ritual, but somehow resigned in the middle of it. He said that he sworn secrecy and that he couldn’t tell much, but he felt tainted and judged it wicked.

People from Ahriman’s Order seemed to avoid us. They looked at us with superiority.

There was also this funny scene, when Vivaldi came for his lackey. His lackey said, that he is part of Ahriman’s Order now and that they should limit contacts. Vivaldi left. He didn’t care for others from his group.

One guy originally from Vivaldi’s group said that all of it was like nightmare, bad dream, and he don’t want to have anything with all of us and left.

I had my second thoughts too. Mirror and Mary were sweet and all, but too much sweetness was making me sick. Really. I needed to go back to my old life and I had already problems there because of sleep deprivation. Being sweet wouldn’t solve my problems.

I had some contact with Anna from another group. She told me in secret, that there was some way to get money out of stone. She didn’t exactly knew how, but she would in the future. I was thinking about switching there.

After few more minutes we could visit Viki. We all, except Mary but with Paladin, went there.

Viki was in room with one another patient. Her parents were by her bed already. She was plugged in to some medical devices. We said hi, but even if she had opened eyes, she didn’t seem to realize what was happening around her. We looked at her for few minutes. Her mother moved us out of the room to talk freely.

-= It’s nice that you came. – Said Viki’s mother. – I don’t know you, but Viki has so many friends, that I can’t know all of them. Less if they don’t live in our town but in War-Saw. Thank you.

-= We know her newly, but she conquered our hearts. – Mirror was too sweet for my taste. – We wanted to know, if we can help somehow? Do something?

-= No, no. I appreciate that you want to help. Doctor said that Viki have unparalleled case of neurotransmitters disruption. She is back to herself only when she gets strong drugs. But these drugs are harmful for her heart and other organs. Even when she is back to herself, she don’t remember few of last days and she seem to be lost, having attention and recognition problems.

-= But she is getting better? – Asked someone.

-= Probably. Doctors are saying that time is needed to recover when cases are involving brain damage. – Mother was crying. - Just stay with us for few minutes and think warmly about our daughter.

I had tears in my eyes. We all have. Mirror was crying too. I got that thought, that Mirror shouldn’t be crying, because she was our leader. She should be ready to act. I wiped away my tears.

POV Main

For few next days there were lesser and major affairs. I want to stick to one topic for now. I felt weak. I did much to become stronger. And I did much to make Dee stronger.

Dee was eating almost all day. He had frozen octopuses and squids for breakfast. Alive salamanders and newts on lunch. Meat and blood of mammals on dinner. My bathroom looked like butcher’s room. Sometimes, when I wanted to take shower, I went to the gym network facility nearby.

In the meantime Dee cracked another snippet of memory. Now he knew that artificial body could be prepared for him. He would be able to move and perhaps have sensory functions that way. There even were options, how to build this construct. It could be done from amalgamation of alive biomass, or some kind of necromantic creature, if meat and bones were fresh, or construct from metal and flesh. Dee said, that we shouldn’t even try to work on it, till he would be around level five. But there was new knowledge attached about living bodies and life sustaining processes. Dee said, that his mixture could be upgraded to all body and health strengthening potion. We didn’t try it before leveling.

One day Dee said that he would have growth spurt. He was lying in the bathtub amongst biomass. I left him there. I was hoping that we were catching up to Diana. I lived in the hurry through last few days. I wanted to sit dawn and surf internet without any worry in mind. I watched The Platform (2019) and Puss in boots: Last wish (2022). I would count both as horror genre. If not for the endings.

I was sitting at the laptop and doing something in the late night, when I heard Dee in my mind.

-= I’ve done. – He said.

-= You can do that now? – I asked.

-= Yes. I can on short distances. – I smiled in my head. – Come to me please.

-= Oh. So you can’t walk yet. All right, all right, it was so nice here.

-= Come. It’s only few small steps for you.

-= Ok, ok.

I was just joking, bantering. I was interested what changed.