Chapter 62: Still Not Enough Sacrifice
Light broke through the window panes, distorting elegantly through the drawn drapes; the room crackled with life, kicking out the grim darkness seeping in its corners.
In this room lay a girl in a puddle of Curse-ridden sweat.
Frowning beneath her mask, Alora twisted and turned with unbearable agony flaring up in her bones.
...It was her usual awakening.
"Hap!"
Heaving in air, my throat crunched and snapped with the natural flow of Curses. Taking a moment to calm my dishevelled self, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and clicked my fingers-
Fwoosh!
-Cursed flames flourished around me, rapidly destroying the Curse stains enveloping the sheets.
This was unusual.
It was the first time I'd awakened early and sweated Curses.
I'm deteriorating.
On the bright side, even if Hilda witnessed this scene, she'd keep quiet. But on the other hand, if Esme entered instead, it would be over.
Alas, I have no control over it.
Not to mention-
MotherwouldneverallowEsmetodiscoverthetruthwithoutmyincentive.
"..."
The personification of madness, on the other hand, is unpredictable; anything could happen at this point.
Click-
Not long after, Hilda entered the room, "Morning, little dummy!" She shouted those words the instant she noticed I was awake.
"Morning."
Returning the greeting, I dragged myself to the edge of the bed with grating, burning nerves sizzling my innards.
Once at the edge, I glanced at the crutches lying on the ground.
Prepping myself, I took a deep breath-
"Hap!"
-and tried to reach for them.
My fingertips lingered just a centimetre away from them, but I was too short to reach them. I had to wriggle a bit closer to the edge-
Crash!!!
Slamming into the ground, the sound of bones crunching echoed throughout the room. The agony of splitting both forearms in half sent insane volumes of pain rushing throughout my nervous system.
Nonetheless, I kept calm and circulated my Curses into my forearms.
I'd just glue them back tog-
"Little dummy!"
-Hilda appeared by my side as she pulled me into her embrace, stuffing my face into her soft, budding breasts.
"A, are you okay?!" Panicked, she took a look at my forearms...
Flinch.
I felt the vibrations of her flinch throughout our connected bodies; she had seen my distorted, cracked bones.
Gulping down the rising fear, "I'll bring a doctor!" Hilda was about to rush to the bedside table and slam the alarm button.
But I couldn't let that happen.
"Don't."
My calm voice paused the rattled girls' actions.
"I'll be fine."
"B, but-"
"Shhh..." Staring up into her ruby-red eyes, I crinkled my eyes into a smile.
"Everything will be okay if you listen to me."
Then.
Almost miraculously, Hilda lay witness to a pair of broken forearms realigning themselves-
Crunch.
-but the noise of grinding bones was quite unpleasant.
"Ew! W, what was that...?" Confused, disgusted, but simultaneously relieved, Hilda carefully poked my forearms with gentle taps.
"A little trick. But it hurts, so stop."
"...Okay."
Hilda retracted her curious fingers, then her tender arms wrapped around my waist with comfortable pressure, and she helped me to my feet. Patting any dust off my clothing, she picked up the crutches and slipped my arms into them while paying attention to my reaction to the pain.
Seconds later, I was 'standing' on my feet thanks to Hilda.
"I'll wash up, clean the room while I'm in the bathroom."
Clack.
Pushing myself into the bathroom, I left behind the worried and confused Hilda. It would do me no good to tell her too much; it's best to retain a comfortable line between us.
---
Cold bath water eased the pain engraved in my bones.
My morning salvation, however, was gradually losing its effectiveness. It can only help numb the pain so much before it starts causing more pain.
Not to mention, the pain is reaching a threshold that surpasses the numbness and causes agony nonetheless.
Still.
It's a soothing time.
An opportunity to get my thoughts in order.
This time, for example, I'm-
"That was the last time I'd get to hang out with Esme."
I'm already missing it.
-this time, I'm accepting the fact that I will lose this 6 months' worth of precious opportunity at 6 PM.
This meeting with the Maiden will also come the inevitable lessons; the inevitable punishment.
...It might be years before I can hang out with Esme casually again.
I had been ignoring that fact and focusing on the white fog and the secrets of Flamm's, but now that I'd figured out what needed figuring out;
I don't want to lose Esme again.
I'm now forced to face reality.
I will be losing this 'freedom'.
I will be falling further into this abyss of Curses.
...And I shall further upon my perfection;
This Perfect Cursed Doll shall grow.
Perfection.
A term I'm terribly familiar with.
A term irreversibly glued to me.
Only if my perfection grows will I be able to complete my Descent to the Second Step.
I am a Defiler of the First Step into my Descent.
...To reach the Second Step, to form my Armament of Curses, I must become a Fallen of the Second Step.
That is the purpose of furthering my Perfect self as a Cursed Doll.
If I do not further my perfection, then I shall be stuck at the First Step; and if Esme Ascends to the Second Step with my imperfect self clinging to her Ascension...
Death.
"I must become more Perfect. Purer. A being of Curses." Raising my hand, the droplets of cool water dripped down and rippled across the surface of the bathwater.
Staring into the reflection in the water, I observed the creature's curled lips; the manic Curses overflowing in its pupils.
"Isn't that right, mother?"
My observation dug deeper into the reflection, at the waves of chestnut and blue floating peacefully behind the creature's head.
Gazing into the lips of the owner of the waves of chestnut and blue, I received the answer with a saccharine smile.
-Indeed, my sweet Alora-
Hehe.
See?
Even my mother agrees.
"Little dummy! Are you okay?!" Hilda's muffled voice echoed through the door.
"Yes!" I strained my throat to respond in a loud voice.
Otherwise, she would enter the bathroom where there's no lock on the door.
Twitching my ears, I waited for another comment from Hilda, but it never came. So-
Splash.
-I dunked my head under water and started blowing bubbles.
It's nice to relax sometimes.
Plus, watching my hair float on the surface of the water is fun in its own way.
It's long.
A fact that I could no longer ignore: My hair had grown long.
Another symbol of this change into a girl...
With that in mind, I pushed my eyes into the water and stared downwards at the spot where my male genitalia used to reside.
Flat.
Not only was the location where the genitalia used to be flat, but so were my breasts and body.
This body was entirely undeveloped.
A frail, skinny little thing.
Yet it's so soft.
My skin is so soft; my belly is so squishy and gel-like to the touch.
This is my body, this is Alora of Lights' body; and this is the creature's body.
"..."
But, knowing that, a creepy smile encroached my lips.
Because this is the Alora of Lights' body, meaning it's the body of Esme's identical twin-
This is what Esme's body used to look like.
That perverted thought almost instantly overtook everything else-
"Come on! Get out! It has been a long time! Are you sure you're okay?!"
-Hilda doused my head with cold water, awakening me from that depraved stupor. Grumbling, "Okay!" I forced that word out while still holding lingering regrets over the fact that I'd lost that good mood.
Whatever.
Thiscreatureshouldn'tbedisgracingEsme'sbodyanyway.
With that, I pushed myself out of the water. The liquid drained down my frail skin, splattering into the bathtub.
It's about time I leave.
-----
"First, the connection."
"Second, the obsession."
"Third, the sacrifice."
The Mistress traced the edges of the leaf-engraved cup, the blue liquid within swirling in a whirlpool-esque manner.
"The Perfect Cursed Doll."
Whispering these words, she lifted her head to the skylight, towards the disc in the sky hiding behind the aurora's powerful light.
"My sweet Alora... Your connection with my dear Esme is strong."
Tap.
"My sweet Alora... Your obsession with my dear Esme is palpable."
Tap.
"However."
Crack!
The cup shattered, leaking the liquid onto her fingers.
"Your sacrifice is not enough."
Her oceanic eyes curled with love, "So we must sacrifice more."
Lifting her fingers above her head, the Mistress parted her lips, allowing the blue liquid to stream down the tips of her slender fingers and into her mouth.
Savouring the taste of the Ichor, she licked her lips-
"Maiden."
Kneeling beneath the Mistress' throne, the Maiden held her head down, "Yes, Esteemed Mistress."
"Begin the preparations."
"Yes, Mistress."