But that wasn’t what happened.

That story was a lie you made up for yourself.

That truth was only what you wished would have happened.

And to remind you, you were not even supposed to be alive.

You were brought into this world as a character that didn’t originally exist.

You know when you met Emmi? That didn’t occur when you finished talking with your mother inside the house,

rather your encounter with the maid happened right after you dismounted your horse.

She was right there, waiting for you in the middle of the road, just as she promised in the letter which she sent you.

As she noticed you walking through the snow, you approached her and disclose your issue to her.

“Emmi, why did you want me to come here? You wanted to talk, right?” You ask her, confused.

“It is perhaps so young madam, I wanted to converse with you here.” She responds.

“What of your sudden pleading? Could you be kind to explain?” You query.

“Have you noticed any men around? Then we still have time. ”The maid tells you. “It is because I hoped that by telling you the truth about your mother in person would I have you convinced, before it would be too late.”

In reality however, it was you who sent her a letter first, warning about the men, the coal, and asking Emmi to escape with mother.

She only replied with a plea for you come in person, which wasn’t the reaction that you envisioned in your mind.

And furthermore, she was well aware of what was going to happen, thus she wouldn’t waver.

“I will tell the truth to you, not to them.” Emmi tells you. “The truth about your mother, and then something more.”

“I already know enough Emmi.” You answer.

“You do? How come, did your mother tell you?” Emmi asks you.

“She did perhaps, she did say that you are lying.” You say.

You know what Emmi is going to mention, about the child and about her family losing their life.

But you also knew that you were the baby there, that you were unrelated to your mother.

“I would require some confirmation if I were to believe in your story Emmi.” You add.

“Then what don’t you ask her who is the baby.” Emmi smiles.

“Because I already know about the fake birth certificates in her room.” You respond.

"They are authentic, I can assure that there is a copy in the church’s records.” Emmi says.

“You don’t understand Emmi, they are fake, they are lies.” You state. “My mother is the one that carried me in the womb, not you.”

Now that’s the lie you wanted to believe didn’t you? That Beamortha is your true mother?

Remember when you thought of your divorce and how it ruined your past life?

Now it happens that I also know something about it. It is a sad story I must say, but let’s recall it together later.

“Alas, would you say that revealing to me that information changed anything? I’m still her daughter and that is all I need to know.” You say.

“You don’t want to face the truth? Yet, there is another part of the story.” Emmi explains. “The baby who the spirit medium rescued was dead, burned to ash. I decided I would at least bury you, but I had to do it in secret. And that’s when you suddenly started to move. It was a miracle, you were brought to life.”

The reason for that is simple, the influence of a spirit. I presume you know what I’m talking about?

Then maybe I needed to say more, since I would probably bore you with petty details.

Do not fret however, everything will be revealed in time, when it’s the right time.

“One more thing young madam.” The maid stops in the middle of the road.

“What is it Emmi?” You tilt my head.

“I do wonder how you are planning on stopping the crowd from burning down the house.” The maid says.

“I don’t need your help, out of my sight!” You exclaim in anger.

“Well do please be careful young madam.” The maid bows and leaves you.

Now you are finally alone, without the person who told lies to you.

Yet, you face a problem, one that walks quickly towards your flimsy body.

It is the crowd of people who you decided to persuade with lies.

“Please, is the fact that I’m her daughter isn’t enough? Should I bring the birth certificate?” You tell them.

“We are done hearing you.” Someone says.

And everything here seems to be in order, you never managed to actually convince them.

But your lie of becoming a martyr for mother was truly something wonderful.

I will tell you, there was a lot more blood than just yours on the ground after you finished.

“Then allow me to play, if my words mean nothing to you.” You tell them.

The song you play is a discord of strange, eerie sounds that frighten the people.

They are however not aware of the meaning behind this recital, it annoys them.

This is why a man comes out forward and slaps you, causing you to land on the ground.

But you stand up and play again. It is the same sound from your practise, a voice of anger.

The very essence of your disappointment from the world fills the air around you.

“Can you just stop?” You shout.

But no one complies with your plea. They said that they are done hearing so, so why bother?

“I don’t want to die.” You groan in pain.

Everyone deserve to live, every life is precious and worth nurturing,

and never should we kill, that is not right. Have you heard those words before?

“After all those years.” You cry.

After all those years of suffering in a world with an unsatisfying and undeserved male body…

Did you always wanted to be a little girl, just like the one from a novel?

Then perhaps I would feel sad for you, a little, but isn’t there something wrong?

Wasn’t this life about how you were not able to accept the reality around you? Again?

And then, on the ground, you really felt like it was it, like you had enough and wanted to rest.

In the snow and in the blood your flimsy body was ravaged by angry peasants.

As a little girl with a petite physique naturally there was nothing you could do.

All you wanted is to see your mother, just one more time, before you pass away.

Yet, that didn’t happen. There was only darkness proceeding the fact that you died.

You couldn’t stop the men from going into your house and dealing with your mother.

You couldn’t stop the lies that plagued you ever since you heard Emmi’s story.

And you couldn’t stop thinking that Harrivetta was actually right, that giving up on mother was the right choice.

“What is this?” Someone says.

“Something in the sky.” A man points out.

“In that Galnova?” A stranger ponders.

The sun beams a ray into everyone’s retinas, as they notice something strange happening.

They see a trail of colours travelling in the sky, something like a borealis.

People blink in disbelief and start slowly recalling information they learned from their parents.

This sky is called “Galnova”, and it's nothing out of the ordinary in this world.

Once in several months the mana is released from the sky in form of those colours rays,

in order to purify the land and bring about a new life.

“Why now?” Someone asks.

“This is very peculiar.” A man states.

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“First the church now a Galnova?” Someone says.

Perhaps the fact that the Galnova appeared here is connected to your demise, you ponder.

After all, it was the same sky Emmi saw when she tried to bury the child’s body handed over by Minorta’s mother.

“What is this?” Voices.

“What is happening?” Voices.

“Someone tell me?” Voices.

“Some kind of trick?” Voices.

“This young lady was dead! It’s true!” Voices.

“This is disgusting.” Voices.

“Please there is no…” Voices.

“Goddess help us!” Voices.

“This is a lie!” Voices.

“Dark creature!” Voices.

“Demons!” Voices.

The blackness suits you Pyrecilla.

A dark figure rose slowly from the ground, taking shape of a human dressed in a tar-black dress.

The dim fog-like ink appeared in the air and ghastly followed the creature around.

If one would direct their eyes at it, they would experience intensive displeasure.

It was as if the creature wasn’t human, yet it possessed a shadow of a young lady.

It’s skin was black like Anthracite and only the cerise eyes reflected light.

It created a fear, a distress and most of all forced the imagination to visit the darkest depths.

Pyrecilla once resembled a human, a normal young maiden with red hair, cerise eyes and modestly dressed.

But now, the shadow was there to remind everyone of the truth about what humans actually are.

They are wicked, deformed, vicious and most of all distasteful to encounter.

They would kill unscrupulously, they would perpetually lie, they would cause others to suffer for their own gains.

Despite this wasn’t what everyone gathered to see, the truth about themselves and the nature of a human spirit,

that’s what was revealed to them, whenever they will accept it or not.

To every villager there was a fault they wanted to conceal from others, hence they were fearful of the reckoning.

“Come down, we have to fight it!” Voices.

“It’s the same one as the vampir.” Voices.

“And the same one that caused fire at the church.” Voices.

“It’s the coal demon!” Voices.

“Don’t be afraid!” Voices.

“Let’s go!” Voices.

“Arms men!” Voices.

“Burn it!” Voices.

But in their attempt to disapprove of their faults, to erase the one who dares to manifest them,

they were not able to even land a starch to your new form and body.

Every stick would break, the metal would melt on contact and punches would only burn their hands.

Nothing worked against you, not even if they had guns or cannons alike.

Your skin was hard as steel, and the ash-black fog smouldered with the temperature of a furnace.

What were you thinking at that time, I wonder, since you simply stood still.

“It’s not working!” Voices.

“It’s hopeless!” Voices.

“We have to run!” Voices.

“Ran away!” Voices.

“Get holy water!” Voices.

“We need the girl!” Voices.

“Quickly!” Voices.

Alas, they were not able to run for long, since there was something preventing their escape.

Just as they thought they would reach the fork in the road, they turned around, seeing you in front of them.

No matter the distance they covered, they always returned to your side.

And that is to say, their perception no longer was working correctly.

Suddenly, the people of the village found themselves trapped inside their own soil.

It was just the vast nothingness, the land they loved and had a bond with.

In the middle of it, it was you, angry about why wouldn’t the people understand you.

All you have done in your life was to follow your mother, the role model you found most truthful.

And the lies that made her what she was, that made her a successful woman, was your tool as well.

It’s just how humans are, what humans have to do in order to survive in this fake world.

And yes, you tried Virtual Reality, and was it more real than this? No it wasn’t.

That is why you want everyone to embrace the truth of the world you see.

“But your truth is important to you, isn’t it people?” You utter.

The first victim is a man who was questioning whenever you spoke of the bonds.

He was also the one who would mention that your mother performed adultery.

You met him and his eyes water. He cries and begs for mercy, but the voice is weak.

He knees to the ground, raises his hand and prays for you to stop. But you don’t.

“Please spare my wife!” He says.

“You love her, don’t you?” You respond.

“Yes!” He instantly says, startled.

“Suppose it’s true, but what of it?” You say.

“I love her with all my heart!” He states.

“I will see about that.” You state.

What he said might be lies, there is no way one could tell if he speaks of facts.

Yet, you notice that he doesn’t have a ring on his finger, he must a lair then.

But maybe you are mistaken, maybe he is a poor man and was afraid of wearing it outside, since it could be easily stolen or lost?

Whatever is the case, you decide to see what he said is actually correct.

You plunge your heart in his chest. The blood splashes everywhere, as well as it oozes from the hole you made.

As you pull it out, the man falls on the ground, which his eyes red and in fear.

Then you notice the driblets that made their way from the still beating heart into the snow.

It was indeed full of love, passion and determination to live, before it stops.

Then you notice that the blood on the ground forms a canal, a vein that leads towards two people.

It is his wife and his child, crying curled up on the ground, looking away.

But you feel a little sorry for them, so you decide that you will apologise.

And so, the river of blood under you ignites, as well as every red in your sight.

The red from your hair, the red from your eyes and the red of human blood sparks and the crimson flame raises.

With it, the pair of the child and mother are burned alive, screaming and squirming on the ground.

There is no longer escape from them, since they were cowards that left their father alone.

They only cared about themselves, but at least now the three are reunited thanks to the blood ties.

And, that is to say, you always thought that family was about bonds, about the blood.

But maybe Harrivetta was wrong about that. Maybe Ellien was wrong about that.

“Have you no shame killing innocent people, lady or demon?” An old man asks you.

As you recall that old man is the person who questioned your truth about the railway plan.

He also said that your mother sold coal that burned down a house.

He was knowledgeable, he knew every book, he knew the truth of the contracts.

Yet, why didn’t he warn others about the coal and it’s dangers then?

Why is that he stayed silent while others suffered from their lack of information?

Isn’t it up to the older generation to have the young learn the ways of the world?

“Did you know about coal?” You asks.

“I have had my doubts, but no one listened.” He states.

“Then haven’t you been deficient in your role as the elder?” You question.

“I spread wisdom, my eyes are too old to read.” He responds.

“Yet, even the words of the old have no bearing on the facts.” You state.

The truth can depend on one’s point of view, but facts will always stay the same.

This old man didn’t fulfil his role in society as an elder, all because he was tired.

What a pitiful person he is that he dares to question your demeanour and your actions.

He shouldn’t be allowed to speak, if all he cares about is himself and his age.

You take his head and slam it into the ground. The blood bespatters all over the snow and his face.

It instantly ignites and burns the old man ears, eyes and mouth, since it also came from there.

Now that the skull is broken, what remains is to make the best use of his knowledge.

You stomp his head with your heels, and with every instance, it becomes more like the mush.

There is soon nothing there, just the ground, just the soil this man was created from.

It is simply that he, like every other villager, has a deep connection with the soil.

That is their ideology, to work the fields so that it will produce new life.

There is no longer a human there, no bones, no skin, no face, just the dirt that the further generations are going to treat on.

“What has caused you to do this?” Someone asks.

This woman was here to ask you of your judgement when you stated that her group had ill intentions.

She was also the one that mentioned that your mother was overworking Emmi.

What she also wanted to do was to simply to talk. Yet what is her goal, you started pondering.

Her eyes were not afraid, yet her body was shaking constantly.

Her face was fair, but she wore a dirty and quite used simple dress.

Was she really someone that would want to injure your mother?

“I frequently see you at the market, you and your maid Emmi.” The woman speaks. “Your name is Pyrecilla, is that correct?”

“What do you want, lady?” You answer.

“I am sorry for all this, but please do not kill anymore! We will never doubt lady Abronova again.” She pleads to me.

“Why would that be?” You question.

“You have my word! If that is not enough take anything!” The lady tells me.

“What if I don’t want anything you have?” You ask.

“You don’t want my life? Why?” The lady tilts her head.

“Because it’s worthless, it’s insipid.” You reply.

A woman who works at the market, the same person who you remember buying groceries from.

She gave you an extra garlic, just to upset Ellien since she knew it was a charm against a Vampir.

Knowing that behind this achromatic attire and simple facade is a wretched woman was disgusting to you.

Just facing her makes you want to punch her guts out, and you do exactly that.

With a quick move of the hand a rupture appears on her chest and she is no longer alive.

Instead, there is a body on the floor that has many shades of pink and red.

Perhaps now, in the flames, she will be able to appreciate life a little more.

What of those people that are only satisfied from a simple life that stems from marriage?

Don’t they desire more, don’t they want to achieve their dreams and wildest desires?

Don’t they want to become like the nobles, like the capitalists, who decide their own fate?

You look at the face that melts into the ground and see no smile, only something revolting.

And yet, she spoke as if she knew you, as if she had the same principles, as if you two were equal.

But every individual is different, and from that they can’t relate to one another.

That’s the same as you and Minorta. Despite that she said that you both are spirit mediums,

that you have something special that connects you two, the reality was different.

You were, at the time, just a person reading or acting inside of a novel.

You were simply floating as the story would progress and had no influence over what happens.

But then you discover the power of lies, and moulded the story into what it is now.

The power to change your fate and the fate of your mother is in your hands.

“Is there anyone else?” You ask, looking around.

No, everyone who came to harm your mother has vanished from existence. You are alone now.

What remains is the road of corpses, some missing limbs, and some don’t even resemble humans anymore.

A river of blood flows, and with it the crimson flame which melts the snow on the field.

But at least you have succeeded, after all you have been through.

You made a good impression for your family as being a good student.

You quite skilfully made your entrance into the high society.

You even made powerful friends along the way that will support you no matter what.

And perhaps you also killed some people, but your mother also did the same.

It was all for Beamortha Abronova, you tell yourself, my only and true mother.

You say that after you turn around, back at the house you knew from your memories.

It is a warm and welcoming feeling, the return of to one’s past in which so many good memories were created.

You still have those memories, right? The time you went to the church with your mother.

The time you bathed with your mother. The time you showed your abilities with your mother.

All of those are important memories in your head and you wouldn’t want to lose them.

Yet, one thing does escape your mind. With the flames quieting down, with the fog disappearing,

your dress and skin return to normal colours slowly. But yet, your cerise eyes still reflect fire.

You look upon your house again to see it engulfed in flames, in the silence of the night.

No matter where you turn to look, this sight is not what you wanted to see.

“No no no no!” You shout multiple times.

You waste no time and run inside the burning building, seeing your mother inside.

There is smoke and pieces of wood on fire everywhere, but you don’t mind the burns you receive.

You rush towards the unconscious woman, and somehow manage to carry her outside and into the snow.

With relief, you start to check her pulse. It appears that she is still alive, but she has trouble breathing.

“Mother!” You shout.

You start resuscitating her with your hands and your lips. After a while she wakes up and opens her brown eyes.

“Darling, is that you?” She asks.

“Of course! It’s me!” You tell her, crying and embracing her.

Before this reunion begins however, your mother coughs heavily and releases a black smoke.

It doesn’t look like she simply lost consciousness, but rather was poisoned by inhaling some gas.

“I was truly worried!” You say. “You are awake now, but is everything okay?”

“It is fine, I had it coming.” Your mother says coughing.

“Please, there might be something I could do!” You exclaim. “I will give you my oxygen.”

“Still trying to escape? Darling, you shan’t be this confusing to your mother.” Your mother lectures you.

“You knew about your fate and you waited?” You question.

“I knew about the men and decided to tell them the truth.” Your mother tells you. “About the lies and the terrible things I did.”

But your heart couldn’t take it. What terrible things? You adored your mother with everything!

She hasn't done a single thing wrong, she wasn’t the one that is supposed to apologise.

Why would she reach for such measures as suicide? Just in order to prevent herself from facing the men?

“What you did is absurd, please do understand at least.” You state while shredding more tears.

“Quite so darling, reasoning with this poor lady would be absurd.” Your mother states.

“What did you aspire to do then? Why poison yourself with gas?” You ask.

“I will state the truth now, unlike how I previously spoke with you darling.” Your mother tells you, hacking. ”There was simply nothing good coming from what I did. That is why I decided that it would be fine to end it here, before more people get hurt.”

But the person that was hurt the most is me, you said to yourself. Why would your beloved mother do such a thing?

“Why? Just tell me!” You demand of her.

“I was asleep when the fire started, it wasn’t my intention.” Your mother responds, having trouble producing words. “I simply accepted my fate. It happened as if it was retribution, from someone, reminding me how I once sold coal of shady quality to a family, knowing very well it might kill them.”

Maybe it was your fault? Maybe it was because you haven’t loved her enough?

“You knew about the coal, about the railway, about the problems of the people and understood their mentality.” You state.

“No darling, I manipulated people in order to fulfil my own goals.” Your mother speaks.

That truth pierces your heart and follows the veils to your hands and legs.

They become slightly numb, but you still don’t lose the hold of your coughing mother.

“You wanted to industrialise the village, you wanted them to benefit from capitalism, goods and advancement.” You state crying.

“No darling, all I wanted is everyone’s money and obedience.” Your mother says while hacking.

This truth pierces your back, and follows through the spine, reaching the lower part of your body.

You are no longer able to support yourself and fall onto the ground, along with your mother.

“You wanted to prove that you were not lying and that your previous husband was the one in the wrong.” You wail.

“No darling, I only wanted my revenge and I figured out how to do that. The man wouldn’t even check the bed, thus I substituted myself with a maid, back when we were still married and he had doubts of my faithfulness. Needless to say, he took the bait.” Your mother admits, while having trouble breathing.

And this truth pierces your eyes and ears, no longer you are able to properly listen and see.

“But tell me at least, if you did all that, does it mean that you love me? Does it mean that you did all that for your only daughter?” You lament heavily.

“No darling, I never was your mother, it was Emmi.” Your mother speaks, closing her eyes.

This truth pieces your neck, and the pulse that resonates throughout your body is quite strong.

You are rendered motionless, as your body falls completely to the ground like a marionette’s.

No longer does your mother show the sight of life, but neither do you.