Knock! Knock! Knock!
The banging sound outside his door made him lose his focus and because of that the feeble fell onto his forehead, but, it did not hurt him much as it was before, he was only slightly irritated.
When Alexis grumpily swung the door opened who he saw outside is not Kyrille or anyone else from the group instead it was someone who he played with just this morning, Puppet.
He stretched his head out the hallway and saw that no one was there for him to imitate.
“Is it Miss Ellena?”
The servant briefly nodded before walking towards its master's room. Alexis scratched his head in puzzlement but he still followed him towards its destination. Their creaking steps came to halt once they arrived in front of her room, Puppet did not even made a motion of knocking instead his hand went straight for the doorknob. Turning it easily they were greeted by a wall of black fog.
Alexis was just about to ask a question if they went in the right direction but the servant did not wait for it to come out outside of his throat as he immediately went and vanished through the fog. He gulped the air back into his lungs and hesitated to either went inside or just go back into his room, however, what is in the other side? The curious part of his mind asked. Unable to control the urge, Alexis resolved himself and brace for anything unimaginable ahead before he plunged inside, encircled by the fog all the traces left on him outside the door vanished into thin air. And so the door closes.
Darkness brushing with his skin Alexis continued to thread forward-or what he discerned as forward. His steps are slow and careful and his hands tried to grasp something but there's nothing to feel, all around him is void. Time seemed to slow down inside that he felt walking for a while until a ray of light bypassed the thick fog and landed into his eyes, his movement sped up and his right hand stretched further to catch the shining orb of light. When the brightness spiked up and the elements brushing to his skin can be feel back again, even with his close shut eyes Alexis knew that his through.
What the young man first did is turned around to look at the wall of fog behind him, it look much thinner on this side, and when he snapped his head back forwards he saw a laboratory, more than a room. Its like he suddenly went to a different building if not for the bed that was placed perfectly in the middle that had design as the one in his room and the familiar servants that are manning the different stations that is exactly what he would thought. Alexis was liked a child entranced by the intricacies of the objects that they are using, his eyes wandered around the room filled with bubbling colorful liquids and unknown specimens kept in the glasses, the pair only had time to rest once they landed on a doll.
Pale white skin, and silky obsidian hair on top her perfectly angular small face. It quietly sat in a wooden rocking chair while holding a fluffy teddy bear as its glassy dark blue eyes apathetically leered into him. Alexis paused as he gazed back at the reflection of him in its eyes that slowly became clearer every step he made.
Alexis kneeled in front of the doll as he let his thoughts out, “Is this Miss Ellena's doll? But I didn't notice it before, did she just bought it?” Just as he was about to poke one of its round cheeks the doll suddenly opened her mouth and let out a familiar voice, “You came.”
The young man's heart almost leapt out of his mouth still he could be considered as brave due to him not having to yelp like a girl, instead he just stumbled and landed into his butt. Is this her new 'servant' or is it just a magic that could make a doll talk? That's what runs through his mind but it suddenly stopped when he finally noticed the familiar black robe that she's wearing.
“M-Miss Ellena?”
When he saw her nod and acknowledged it as her name he was first shocked before he calmed down his heart. Alexis hurriedly stood up and opened his mouth.
“So why did you call me M-Miss Ellena?”
He had a hesitation on whether to still address her as one after he saw her appearance, in the end he decided to be courteous as she is helping him.
Ellena did not answered him but instead she looked at her teddy bear while caressing it softly. “Do you have any experience dismantling living things?” Her voice was soft and low, her hand brushed its fur carefully.
“Yes. Some beast and small critters in the forest, my father was a hunter.”
“Are you proficient in it?”
“...Yes.”
“Then can you butcher something you...just seen for the first time...?”
“I...guess?”
The witch's eyes left her toy and went back to his, feeling that he would be suck in to those abyss he shifted his eyes away from her. If not for what happened earlier then Alexis might think that this day is his lucky day, because the two rarely spoken people of the cohort talked to him much longer than three sentences, but currently he really do not feel any luck blessing him.
Ellena finally set him free from her gaze as she turned her head towards the middle of the room, Alexis followed her index finger that points to the bed that is just previously wide open but now he saw the bare naked Puppet lay down there on his back before closing his eyes.
The mood and leading questions from before came back to his mind, now that he is watching the servant become comfortable with the bed his instincts started blasting in panic.
“Then cut it up.”
This was truly an unlucky day for Alexis.
“I thought long on what I could...teach you, like everybody else. But you're just starting to learn magic, and, both death spells and alchemy needed for you to be more knowledgeable about it, that's why this is only I could teach you, for now. The wonders of the human body.” The beautiful doll spat some crude and dangerous sounding words out of her petite mouth.
The young man tried so hard not to show his grimace in his face when he faced her glimmering on her ocean depth pupils.
You don't have to be that thoughtful Miss Ellena! Just the servants is already helpful. “Thank you for your consideration Miss Ellena. I am very interested on how our bodies works!” With strained smile Alexis admitted honestly—the second half that is.
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When she heard his response a rare genuine smile appeared to her face. Alexis heart was strummed when, he saw that but still he needed to asked something, “Miss Ellena do I really need to learn about the body by...cutting up one?”
She started caressing the bear again as she immersed herself into her own world, it took a while before she answered, “No, but its better if you see what's inside first as its troublesome to explain all of it.” He decided to ignore the first part and focus on the latter which is most likely her true feelings.
“Start.”
Not letting him voice any complaints she ordered, cutting off all his escape routes. Without any more hopes left Alexis resigned on his fate but when he looked around but he saw no tools that needed to operate this body, just as he was about to ask her of it one of the servants pushed a small cart in front of him.
On top of it are knives of different sizes, a scissor, small saw, and more equipments that are used for more precise cutting and had very varied looks than the their normal counterparts. And Alexis did not know how to use any of them.
He was about to take one of the knife from the cart to inspect them when he's suddenly stopped by the two servants that carries different items, one of them had a bucket of hot water while the other is a white cloth.
“Unlike how you handle a monster's carcass, a human corpse is full of dangers. First sterilize your hands.” Ellena reminded him.
Alexis had no plans to die because of the dead, so he followed her instructions as faithful as possible. After washing both of his hands, he spread the clothe that the other servant gave him, it look like a robe or a cloak but there are buttons sewed in like a shirt does. He first put his left arm on one of the two holes inside the cloak before looking towards Ellena, when he saw her gave a nod he continued to the other arm before pairing all the buttons into their designated holes.
As he check and fitted the robe one of servant handed him another white cloth shaped like a handkerchief, just a little bit bigger. Looking for help he decided to depend at her once more.
“Fold it to the triangle shape then tie it around your face.” Following it gave him a mask that covered both his nose and mouth. Ellena inspected him one last time before giving an approving nod, now he was send to his trial—lesson.
“I am s-starting.”
He first took a deep breath to calm his shaking hands, once they stopped one of then went for the scalpel and then hovered it above Puppet's abdomen. In any situation you are in being calm helps a lot, so Alexis took another deep breath to clear his mind.
However before he plunged the pointed end of his knife he needed the help of his imagination. So that he would not hesitate he imagined that what's in front of him is not a human instead a newly hunted beast.
Nostalgia of his father's strong arm that supported the young him on his first dismantling work hit him when the tip of his knife pierced through the skin of Puppet. His hand stopped only for a moment but immediately continued to widen the wound he just made until sight of the servant's entrails showed themselves to his eyes.
The witch who is watching next to him pointed towards one of the gores that was peeking out from the crack. “That one is the one they call stomach, its where the food you ate are being disgested. This one is connected to many organs that which create a system together, it starts with the mouth and ends in there.”
Alexis nodded as he traced with his eyes the track, his curiosity doused the repulsion he was feeling as he continued to ask about every organ he could see peeking out of his stomach. Only when he learned their known functions from her did he move on towards his chest.
Cutting it open he was met with dull and gloomy sticky crimsons that slimed all over the treasure trove. Enthusiastic in her loot the witch's eyes glimmered.
“That's the heart, it pumps the blood throughout your whole body, I'll prepare a sample for you later and you should study it thoroughly as the heart has a big part with your blessing.”
“Yes...”
Gazing beyond the white cage he is amazed by how different it is from what he imagined, the intricate yet fragile piece of art is something that is also inside him, Alexis raised his free hand to feel the beats of his.
Once she finished the rest of his explanation his curious mind focused on a different thing, pointing to the pair of organs that are closest to heart he asked, “What organs are this?”
“That is the lungs, it is where the air you breath stays and leave. If this organ or the heart got damage there is a higher chance of you...dying, but, the humans already had a natural armor that both hold and protect them.”
”Is it this one?”
“Mhmm, its called ribcage.” Its the thing that blocks him from fully seeing the organs in the chest fully. In
“That's why they are being targeted when in battle?”
“That's right, they are vital organs if attack your enemy will either suffer and die, or die.” Ellena stopped brushing her teddy bear and then walked around the bed while pointing where those organs are.
“.....,and brain. Destroy any of them and it will hard for someone to survive.”
“I-I see.”
Alexis never thought that by cutting up a human he could effectively increased not only his knowledge about his own but also the combat ones.
“Let's save the head next time, for now gaze upon this.” Ellena clapped her hands once and a servant walks towards them bring a large glass container. Inside is a floating organ that had a seemingly intricate maze carved out of it. Even if its colors faded and its owner rusted its unseen networks, mystery, something, and unknown hid away from his gaze.
The little witch exchanged her bear for the container, she carefully cradles and gently caress it with her arms while she looked at it deeply. “This is the brain, the most mysterious organ, as of yet, even Arcanist knew little of them, but, many agrees that this organ is...the house of our souls.”
The contrast of the cute doll like child and the gloomy gray slab of floating meat was strange...even creepy, yet somehow its right—charming even.
“...Its houses the soul?” Alexis had little knowledge about the soul so he couldn't help but be intrigued.
“The same with brain it is much more mysterious, is it a concept we just made to explain to comfort us with the thought of afterlife? Or is it what differentiate us from everyone? Or maybe its something else entirely. No one is certain but many believes that it's what makes you, you.”
The young man really did not understand all those school of thoughts he heard, but the final worlds she just uttered made an impact and left a mark in him that might not be forgotten any time soon.
“The class is finished, wash your hands first then go back.” Ellena passed the container back to servant and went back to her seat, once again she started brushing up her toy.
Alexis snapped from his daze, he put back all the instruments he used back on the trolley and then washed his hands in the new hot water that is given to him by a servant, after that he took off white outfits. Passing it all to the servant he looked at Ellena and asked, “When's the next class?”
He was not eager about cutting another body again but he had no choice if he wanted to learn more from her. He felt that in terms of knowledge she is only second to Old Man, even though the knowledge has most likely related to something nefarious.
“Hmm...once you advance to third class magician.” Ellena said in weak voice, she did not talked this long in a very long time and now she's starting to get tired.
“Alright, thank you for teaching me.” Alexis gave her a grateful bow before walking towards the wall of fog.
When he passed through the black fog and left her room, the thick smell of blood that he could smell instantly vanished, he turned behind him and saw the door slowly closed itself.
“It was like a dream.”
Without any trace of what happened inside stuck on his body or garments, who could say that he was wrong?Alexis didn't linger for much more longer and head back towards his room. The fight with the pebble still continues, he had a confidence that his victory is at grasp.
...
Inside the room, Puppet who was laying down on the bed with a big cut from his chest down to his abdomen suddenly moved his arms, which then took a needle and a thread from the trolley with the help of another servant.
Then Puppet started sewing the large gash, he sometimes stops just to put back the organs that spewed around in their right places. He stood up and wore its clothes after finishing the job, he then made a way into the station in the corner and continued back his halted experiments.
The room then returned to 'normal' back to before Alexis stepped inside, the only thing that change is the faint smile plastered on the lips of the resting doll.