The Advent of Madness: My Twin Sister And I

I'd have to make do with what I have at the moment.

AndImustawaitmyDescentintotheSecondStep.

I wonder what my Manifestation would be like, how Cursed would it be?

And I wonder how useful it will be in combat?

The Manifestation bestowed upon me will determine my future—if I can figure out how Manifestation occurs in a Human with no Blessings.

But.

Time is not on my side.

That advancement—regression—won't be available for at least another three years.

For now, I'll make do with-

"Ouch!"

A grunt escaped my lips as I misstepped, stumbling over with little to no strength in me:

Squish.

I landed in Hilda's embrace, her hands tenderly rubbed my back as she softly whispered, "Take it easy, little dummy..." Each word was laced with unease.

Painfully lifting my fingers, I squished her soft cheek and pulled her lips up, "Oh? Worried? Even though you..." I lingered my words, leaving the rest to her adorable imagination.

And, as expected, her face paled.

I felt her body quiver and heave through the embrace.

"I, I didn't mean-"

"Shh..." Pressing my finger onto her rosy lips, "I told you, didn't I? All you have to do is listen to me, and everything will be okay... Right?"

Hilda pushed her head up and down with great force, "I, I know, little dummy."

"Then it's fine!"

Tapping her head, I used her as leverage and pushed myself back up.

I needed to perfect this footwork to have any semblance of freedom returned to me. Plus, I had somewhere I needed to go in 25 days, if, by chance, I cannot go at that time...

I glanced up at Hilda.

...That won't be an issue, I have the perfect mule.

"Sigh."

Moments later, I continued the lesson under Hilda's guidance.

-JudgeMe-

That one asked for judgment.

-SaveMe-

That one asked for saving.

-GiveMe-

And that one asked for the retrieval of its limbs.

Being perfectly honest, that wasn't exactly what was said.

But if I attempted to put together the true string of sentences, it would become a jumbled mess of filth.

Incomprehensible.

Thus, those were their simplified words.

The words of the voices.

I practice footwork, occasionally aid the voices, and slowly lose my mind to the madness.

Some may question how I'm still alive.

Some may question how I have not passed out thousands of times already.

And some may question whether everything I have said so far has been a lie, a false reality conjured up by my broken brain.

I admit it.

I don't know.

I can no longer recognise whether this has been a long hallucination or reality.

Fascinating, is it not? That this creature can seemingly produce clear judgment, yet is entirely unaware of whether its clarity is real or not.

Truly fascinating.

Crunch.

I crunched my teeth together, solemnly following Hilda's instruction in the meantime. Her voice lingered in the back of my head, echoing alongside the voices.

A mellow breeze.

Soft grass and whispering trees.

Golden hair fluttering in the winds.

Pure-white eyes, blinking cutely through the gaps.

And a beautifully growing ruby-haired girl to accompany me.

How picturesque.

Pfft.

I laughed with no smile.

The light oozing from the aurora above attempted to soothe my riled-up nerves, but it did not help.

One moment, I'm planning.

Next, I'm messing with Hilda.

And then, I'm falling apart.

How cute, this life of mine.

I don't know if I've said this yet, but I daydream often.

At times, I daydream me basking in the sun, lazily resting on the soft grass with Hilda sleeping on my belly.

At times, I daydream me eating mango ice cream, or peach cake, with Hilda gently feeding me.

At times, I daydream me happily conversing with Esme, holding hands and swinging down the wedding aisle with Hilda supporting me by my side, preventing me from falling over.

At times, I daydream me stumbling around, playing board games and imagining what it is like to be free of this suffering.

Have you noticed?

I no longer dream of Earth.

...And I no longer remember what it means to feel no pain.

This pathetic self has long lost its original person.

What was it like when I first awoke?

I can vaguely recall the memories, but other than that, nothing.

What was it like when I first grovelled at my mother's feet?

I don't know, all I remember is grovelling thousands of times.

What was it like when I first Awakened with Curses?

Holdon.

Whatwasthatlike?

HowdidIAwaken?

I can't recall...

My memories are broken. Scattered across my soul like dull mirror shards, they float there, teasing me, yet unable to reflect their innards.

I came to a stop.

I no longer followed Hilda's footwork; instead, I stood there.

Quietly.

Hilda nervously stared at me, but I didn't pay her mind.

...What does it matter, though?

Why do my memories matter?

Why does the past matter?

I'm just a Doll now.

A Perfect Cursed Doll.

Esme's Salvation.

That is what I am.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

"I just have to stay alive."

"Of course you do, little dummy!" Hilda clasped my fingers, interlacing them with her own. "Don't make such a sad face!"

She lowered herself, pushing her face close to mine.

Close enough for the veil of liquid shimmering on her ruby eyes to reflect in my eyes, close enough to smell her pleasant scent, close enough to absorb her warmth...

Pomf~

I lowered my head into her warm shoulder, her soft, dough-like shoulder.

Inhaling-

"Hoo..." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

-I smiled into her shoulder.

She flinched from the breath, struggling to figure out what to do with her arms. In the end, she wrapped them around my back, pulling me into her heavenly embrace.

"You'll help me stay alive, right?" I asked.

"Of course!" And she obeyed.

Closing my eyes, I coalesced a swarm of Curses into my brain-

Flop.

-and knocked myself asleep, leaving Hilda to deal with the aftermath.

"H, hey, little dummy?!" Partially pushing the little dummy away, Hilda lifted her sleepy head and placed her index finger below her nose.

Sensing a breath, she released a sigh of relief.

"Thank the light... She's okay, just asleep." Hilda would be a liar if she said that Esme's lightning didn't momentarily flash through her vision alongside the threat.

But, mostly, she felt genuine relief.

The little dummy had been acting strangely for the past five minutes, so she was getting really, and I mean really, worried.

Fortunately, she was just tired.

Wiping the faint sweat off her forehead, Hilda supported Alora with her left arm and removed the crutches with her right. Then, swooping the light little dummy into a princess carry, she knelt and tossed the crutches on her shoulder.

"Let's go back, okay?" Whispering over her shoulder, Hilda wished the little dummy good dreams and slowly carried her back through the pristine gardens.

-----

25 Days Later.

Donning a common mascot mask, a girl with her hair hidden beneath a cap and dressed in dark garbs waded through the busy Starcrossed Alley. Occasionally, she'd come to a stop beside a patissery, sniffing and drooling.

But she'd quickly pick herself back up and continue the journey.

With her eleventh birthday approaching and amid puberty, her height had grown drastically since her first meeting with Alora.

157cm.

She was 5 feet 1 inch.

Her body has also grown by a vast amount, her femininity vastly overwhelmed her previous state from their first meeting.

Everything had grown by a lot.

This also made it easier to sneak around in public; she blended in perfectly.

Also, for reference, the only reason she wasn't wearing a Remmy mascot mask was because the little dummy stopped her.

She said:

"If you wear that, what's the point of the disguise?"

'Hmph.'

'What's bad about wearing a Remmy mask?!'

Pouting adorably, Hilda crossed a couple of blocks down Starcrossed Alley and arrived before Sparked and Sparkles.

The little dummy said that the person will be waiting for them around here...

Looking around, Hilda was surrounded by outgoing families, children, and store workers advertising their shops:

It was very lively.

'How can I find someone in all of this mess?'

Moving along with the crowds like a helpless fish, Hilda struggled in the waves, doing her utmost just to remain in the vicinity of the stores without attracting too much attention. The mascot mask helped, but it wouldn't take long before people noticed the same face roaming the same spot for minutes on end.

Thud.

A child abruptly rammed into her hip, pushing her out of this rhythm and into an even stronger wave of humans.

Rustle.

But then she noticed it.

A stacked pile of papers was tucked into her skirt's waistband.

'Huh?'

Momentarily confused, Hilda powered herself with a trickle of Blessings and pushed her way out of the crowd and into an alleyway.

Glancing left and right, she saw no one in the immediate vicinity and pulled out the sheets.

Signed at the forefront of the papers was:

[To Our Dear Customer, A Comprehensive List As Requested]

'Wow.'

Fascinated by this secretive, spy-esque method of communication, Hilda had to do her utmost to keep her excitement down.

'I have to ask the little dummy to let me do this again~'

Giggling, Hilda skipped herself back toward the palace grounds.

Tweet~ Tweet~

Resting on a pole far above, a brown bird twitched its head, gazing intently into the back of the departing girl.