Peak of Autumn, Week 5, Day 2

Dame Arella settled in as we took off –and the first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t a sound enchantment on this compartment like before. I could hear the rolling of the wheels on stone, the rhythmic thumping of the trunks hitting the back of the carriage, and even the muffled voices of the knights. It was a long moment that we sat in silence before Dame Arella held up the wet cloth she had been holding earlier.

“May I?” Her voice was soft, and I wondered how much was an act for a child and how much was her true self.

“Yeah,” I near-whispered, and she shifted to sit close.

Her hand was warm as she gently pulled the hair back from one of my ears. I felt my curls being pried from the dried blood that cemented my hair to my skin. That was when a soothing chill spread from my skin –Dame Arella had begun clearing off the blood.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice shaking as she continued to work on cleaning my ears.

Dame Arella froze, then immediately resumed her efforts. I glanced at her face and she had her brow furrowed. It was nearly a minute before she spoke.

“My Lady, you don’t know us very well, but we care a great deal about you.” She spoke with sincerity and conviction, but I was waiting – “You are a Dawn, the daughter of our liege lord.”

Ah, there it is. I thought to myself. I already knew it, but it still stings.

>Stop being a child. The Knights of the Dusk care for only two things: swordplay and their liege.<

I grit my teeth at the voice, the voice that sounded so much like the Eunora from Scylla’s vision.

“Not to mention,” Dame Arella continued without pause, “You are a child. You still need protection. It won’t always be this way –and it is our duty to make sure you reach that day.”

As I let the words wash over me, I swallowed. My eyes stung as I held back tears. I was so tired of being alone. And these knights, they were sworn to the Dawns. No matter how much I hated it, that meant they were sworn to me too. I was a Dawn —a child of light. I let out a breath. Dame Arella shifted to my other side, and I watched as the cloth, now stained with blood, shook and cleared itself. It returned to a clean slate. Maybe I could too.

“One day, I will be so strong you couldn’t hope to compare.”

I felt Dame Arella stiffen.

“One day,” I paused, “I will be stronger than the Goddess that did this to me.”

Maybe it was irresponsible to say that to the woman. Maybe it was unfair to give Dame Arella this insight about my Affirmation. Maybe it would give her more responsibility. But that didn’t matter to me. My body was forced to bow to a Goddess I did not worship. My words were stolen from me –pried from my mouth without my consent. And I was made to pay the price –the pain, the blood, the strike on my soul. And none but me had witnessed it.

I wasn’t strong, not like Sir Rellar or the Countess or Father Regin. But one day –yes, one day, I could surpass them. When that day came, I would be a monster. Just like the rest of them –all the Dawns. Monsters in the making.

If Eunora, without my Divinity and Affinity, could become a force so strong she stood against an army –what could I become?

Anything.

>Anything.<

My internal voices overlapped, and for the first time today, the sound of Eunora in my head was not so daunting. I didn’t have to shove the thought away. It didn’t shake me.

“That’s a tall order, my Lady.” Dame Arella’s voice grounded me in the present, and I shifted my head to look at her. Her face was severe, not the softness she had shown before. But maybe that was when she thought I was scared and weak and a child –not someone who resented the very Gods’ that blessed her, “And I won’t say you can do it. I don’t know you that well. But the Knights of the Dusk won’t hold you back.”

I bit my lip, about to respond, when Dame Arella broke her expression with a wicked grin, “Besides, I hear you’re not set to return to the main estate for several years yet. That means Fellan will be your new governess. And she is not quite as soft as the Estate.”

No, the borderlands are dangerous. I knew that. But it’s where heroes make a name for themselves. Heroes and monsters both.

My heart started pounding, “Will you help me?”

I met Dame Arella’s eyes, blue meeting brown.

“It’s a long journey,” She said as she went back to wiping the blood from the side of my head, “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“I’m mediocre at best,” I bit the inside of my cheek, the thought of Lina’s horse riding lessons reigniting a fire within me. She hadn’t simply been stern. She’d snapped the crop at Eunora’s hands whenever she made a wrong move –or at Eunora’s back when her posture slackened. Eunora never could get it right. And though I had once been athletic, there was no telling what I could do now.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Then I will speak with Captain Rellar.”

I felt myself nodding.

Dame Arella leaned backward, the cloth once again clean in her hand. She was done, and I was tired. So, so tired.

“Thank you, Dame Arella,” I felt a wobbly smile creep up across my face.

“Anytime, my Lady,” She bowed her head, a glint in her eyes.

And then, to my shock, she said something under her breath, and instead of telling Sir Neil to stop the carriage, Dame Arella stood and went to the door. She swung it open, her palm gripping the doorframe.

“Wait–” I started, but Dame Arella was gone, and the door was slamming closed as she jumped. We weren’t going crazy fast, but it wasn’t like we were dragging ourselves along, either. It was a ridiculous thing to do.

I sat there in shock for several seconds before I rubbed my eyes and pulled out Noir and Haze.

The sounds of Adeline were filtering in through the windows, and unlike the other compartment, there were two doors leading out. Merchants hawking wares, the sounds of other carriages rolling nearby, even the voice of a guardsman yelling after a pickpocket. I could hear it all. It was somehow less unsettling than the silence of the prior carriage. It eased the anxiety within me to be a part of a city so large rather than sitting in isolation from the outside world. It also made me feel more comfortable knowing how loud the world around me was –because who cared about another voice in the wind.

I slid the curtains closed across all the windows –this time, it was just the side windows without a gap to speak to the knights driving the carriage. The curtains were heavier this go round, clearly meant to block out all light. As darkness filled the cabin, a small mage light began to glow at the center of the compartment.

That was fine. I just wanted to know what new manacle was tied to my soul.

“[Status]”

I watched as the green System box appeared before me.

[Status Summary]

[Name: Eunora Dawn]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 8]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality: 55 Endurance: 28]

[Strength: 30 Dexterity: 56]

[Perception: 105 Magic: 55]

[Luck: 45 Divinity: 107]

[0th Tier Class: Child of the Gods, Level Max]

[Boon: Morloch’s Blessing]

[1st Tier Class: Young Lady of Darkness, Level 12/20, 4%]

[Skills:

0th Tier: Inspect Lv. 2, Weaving Lv. 4

1st Tier: Quick Calculation Lv. 2, Silent as a Shadow Lv.2, Weave of Darkness Lv. 5

2nd Tier: Otherworldly Lv. 1, Mental Fortitude Lv. 10, Shadow Conjuration Lv. 3, Shadow Manipulation Lv. 3

3rd Tier: Shadow Animation Lv. 5

Untiered: Tight Lips Lv. 1, Steal Nerves Lv. 2, Sophism Lv. 2, Eternal Communion Lv. 1

I fixated on the newest addition to my Status.

“[Inspect]”

[Eternal Communion: You have attracted the attention of the Goddess of Prophecy, Scylla. In order to correct the Tydes of Fate, Scylla has given you the ability to commune with the Alter Ego attached to your second soul. Due to the nature of your takeover, Scylla has pulled the personality of your Alter Ego’s future from the Tydes and embedded it into you. This skill was granted as part of a Noble Affirmation. This skill is Passive only. Limitation on communication with your Alter Ego is limited based on the level of the skill. Caliber of communication increases each level. Control increases each level.]

I knew it. I did. Her voice hadn’t just appeared.

“[Inspect]”

[Eternal Communion: REDACTED TIER. REDACTED ACTIVATION. REDACTED LIMITATIONS. Current level [1] out of [REDACTED].]

I sighed –of course. It was just like [Steal Nerves] and [Sophism]. So many implications and so few certainties.

I watched as the System box faded out of existence. It was horrifying, knowing for certain that I had body-snatched Eunora. That she had a life ahead of her. One that I –no, Scylla had confirmed that it was Brel and Grel who snatched me and brought me here.

Scylla’s words resounded throughout my head.

“Oh, come now, they killed you too, you know.”

My stomach rolled.

I had known it from the very moment I saw that storm –everything had been normal. No sirens, no Bismokes. Just a storm within the Dome. Something impossible. And then I awoke here. No longer was I of elsewhere. Then there were those messages from the very Gods who brought me here.

I took a deep, jagged breath.

“This is stupid.” I pressed my hands into my eyes.

“This is beyond stupid.” I grit my teeth.

“Oh, screw it.” I bit out, my eyes flying open.

“[Shadow Conjuration+Shadow Manipulation]”

I had hours to waste, and I wasn’t feeling up to reading a dry history of Maeve or another word about the Divine. It was still morning. We wouldn’t be stopping for hours yet. And I was feeling particularly invisible in this carriage, the world rushing around me, drowning out my voice.

Before me was another ball of shadow. I began sculpting, images flooding my mind.

I allowed myself to get lost in the act of manipulating the darkness.

----------------------------------------

It was midday when I found myself surrounded by knives. Well, I had a knife on each side. They weren’t the same as the crude thing I’d made earlier and tucked behind my back. No. These were sharp, had defined hilts, and had taken me two hours to get the first one right. I had shaved and slammed and smoothed that ball of shadow to hell and back in order to get the look right. They weren’t masterpieces. They were, of course, still limited by my own knowledge of knives. But I was happy with them –and once I’d maintained one, there was enough strain on my focus that I wanted to see how many I could maintain at once.

The answer turned out to be only two. The amount of discipline to maintain the second knife was ungodly –it took exponentially more of my Will, even though I’d taken the time to perfect the blueprint. This was nothing like the mountains of shadow spikes I’d made just a few days before.

We’d barely left the gates Adeline when a knock on the window jolted me out of my focus. I jumped, my Will shattering as I turned to my left. The two knives dissolved into the ether. I pulled back the curtain to see Arlen with a goofy smile on his face. He was trotting along just a few feet away, so I pulled open the window to hear him clearer.

“Lunch soon?” He was just… so chipper. And friendly. I couldn’t help but think about him and Klein’s banter.

I nodded, a small smile on my face.