Chapter 69: Titled Ascendant
My body moved as instructed.
My brain followed suit.
And, alongside it, were the maddening whispers echoing endlessly in my ears.
At times, I'd pick up the limbs bleeding in white.
Other times, I'd respond to the whispers.
But, most of the time, I trudged through the muddy waters of punishment.
Day by day;
Broken limb after broken limb;
Torn blood vessel after torn blood vessel;
However.
My mind did not deteriorate.
The unexpected occurred; I, Alora, remained relatively stable.
Even after 15 different sets of punishment, even after I burst into pieces dozens more times, my brain remained firm.
Over the past six months, I have met Esme only twice. Once on the day before her birthday for a New Year's celebration, and once more on her birthday on New Year's Day.
Yet, I do not remember those interactions.
Because I had fried my brain with drugs in anticipation of it.
All I remember at this point is feeling good.
Really good.
Insanely fucking good.
I was on cloud nine those two days.
It was a brief respite of euphoric levels thanks to Esme's presence; my heart almost exploded a couple of times; it even stopped beating for a minute at some point.
Alas, other than those two precious days, the rest have been spent in Hilda's, mother's, or the Maiden's presence.
Mother and the Maiden were the usual entourage from the first 5 years; Hilda was new to the whole debacle of breaking apart with Curses and showing up bloodied almost once per week.
Fortunately...
SPLAT!!!
...she didn't have the pleasure of witnessing petals of Curses blossom from my body and envelope me with their leaves.
It only ever occurred at night, which made it practically impossible for her to be a witness to this scene. She only received the chance to watch me put my limbs back together with Curses; it wasn't much, but it was something.
Anyways.
Flutter- Flutter- Flutter-
One by one, petals sprouted from the dome of Curses surrounding me. The intricacy of the petals was much more refined than before; it was proof of my growth.
Mind-numbing screams shrieked from the Curses, flickers of frozen and burnt souls splattered the edges of the Curses; it was mayhem.
My Curses were acting on their own.
In essence, this was proof of the furthering of my perfection.
A Doll does not control itself; instead, it is plucked and controlled by external forces.
The out-of-control Curses were the proof.
The pain tearing me from the inside out was the proof.
Lovely.
It should only be another three years before I reach a state that allows for new variants of Curses to enter my veins.
Meaning;
Three years until the Second Step.
Three years until my Descent.
...Three years till the madness within me proliferates and blooms exponentially.
How wonderful.
That's not a lie, I truly believe that this is wonderful, because-
Hehe, Esme will grow beautifully into the Second Step.
My heart pounded with sweet love at the very thought of it.
An even Purer Esme, an even prettier Esme, an even cuter Esme; wonderful, beautiful!
With that in mind, I pushed the small volume of Curses I still had control of into my brain.
I had to get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow.
Hilda will be Ascending into a titled Ascendant of the Second Step;
Truly wonderful.
Then, I knocked myself out.
-----
My morning routine had a slight shift this time around. Hilda wasn't out and about to wake me up, nor did she do her usual cleaning routine.
She was at home preparing for Ascension.
Nevertheless, mother was around to accompany me.
Smush.
Placing her slender, cool fingers on my scalp, overwhelming peace flooded my body. Mother's fingers, her existence, brought about a euphoric sensation from simple contact alone.
My lips melted with glee, "Hehe... Thank you, mother."
Smiling beautifully at me, mother pulled me into her embrace, wrapping her arms around me with familial love, "It's only what you deserve, my sweet Alora."
My body numbed with peace, my limbs relaxing as I fell entirely into my mother's control.
So peaceful...
It felt amazing.
"Are you ready for Hilda's private ceremony? The red bird is quite excited, she's invited all her friends and Esme's. Unfortunately, the pathetic nobles seem to see it as a political move of sorts, how funny, right?"
"Mhm. Hilda doesn't care about that stuff, she only cares about-"
"Desserts and fun, right? My sweet Alora?"
"Yep." Smiling, I lifted my head and greeted my mother's eyes from the depths of her embrace. Our conversation passed over my head; I'd already forgotten what we'd just spoken about by the end of it.
All I could concentrate on-
It's so peaceful... So lovely...
---
"It fits you wonderfully, sweet Alora."
We stood by a mirror as my mother complimented me on my looks.
"..."
...Don't compliment me.
A vein bubbled on my forehead as I glared at the reflection in the mirror; a golden, pinkish dress adorned with white leaves wrapped around my body, fluttering outwardly in waves of folds and frills.
It comfortably clung to my skin, and everything about the dress was top-tier. From the patterns, the intricate embroidery, and the fabric used to produce it.
But, does that make me happy?
No!
I would rather not wear a dress!
"Say, mother, is it necessary to dress so well for Hilda's Asendancy? I doubt it's necessary..."
Mother chuckled and poked my cheek; so peaceful...
"Of course! The others will also be dressed up for her Ascendancy; it's the appropriate outfit for such a fantastic accomplishment. She's barely 11 yet she's already taken her Second Step, that's even better progress than her father."
"Do you understand now?"
"...Yes, mother."
"Good! Shall we proceed, then?" Lifting her hand towards me, I accepted her offer and planted my palm on hers.
So nice...
Gripping my palm firmly, my mother led me to the bedroom door, glanced down at me, "Ready?" And I responded aptly, "Yes, mother".
"Perfect."
Smiling cutely, mother twisted the door handles open and-
Lights.
Beautiful crystal lights hung down from the ceiling of the ceremonial hall; we had immediately stepped through the main doors of the hall and into the glamorous room.
It wasn't a massive banquet hall; instead, the setting was more moderate.
Scattered about, chatting, and eating from plates of food in a more relaxed manner were the kids; Hildekar, Elden, Jill, Vanessa, Yulei, and Nemora.
They'd all grown in the past 6 months, in height, body proportions and likely in strength and intelligence too.
And, as expected, as soon as mother and I entered the room, their eyes immediately turned in our direction.
Funnily enough, none looked towards the Mistress.
Instead, all eyes were on me.
And the most intense of them all were Nemora's eyes, they bore into me, attempting to peel away at the layers that I've hidden behind.
I'd be an idiot if you could look through me that easily, Nemora.
I didn't come here to be in the spotlight or deal with the children's worries or spite. I was here for Hilda's Ascendancy.
And only that.
"..."
...Alright, that might have been a tiny lie.
I also want to see Esme badly.
Like really badly.
It's been a month since our birthday, and I haven't seen her since. She'd already grown taller the last time I saw her, so I was anticipating her growth again this time around.
""We greet the Mistress and the Lady Alora of Light.""
As these thoughts fluttered across my mind, the group of young teenagers stepped up and gave a bow towards us; all but Yulei, she rolled over in her wheelchair and bobbed her head with myriad emotions expressed in her eyes.
She gazed at me with complicated thoughts hiding behind her prim and proper smile.
That was to be expected; the last time we had a proper conversation was over 6 months ago, and we hadn't cleared up the whole vomiting inky black blood and collapsing in front of His Majesty.
If anything, that incident had worsened my relations with most of these kids.
Especially Nemora.
She gazed at me with frigid eyes that screamed:
[I know what you've been doing.]
Not that I was worried that she actually knew, she's most likely talking about the investigation into Flamm's and the drugs I'd purchased. Now then, that second part is an issue I'd delayed worrying about for the longest time, and it seems that it'll be coming to bite me in the behind soon enough.
"Raise yourselves, no need for children to act so stiff! Have fun, okay?" Gently reminding the children, the Mistress put on a smile as she patted my head in the meantime.
Enduring the blasting waves of peace rushing through me with each head pat, I came to a quick understanding of her words.
Don't you dare seclude yourself from the children.
Mother didn't want me to stand aside and wade through today's procedures; she wanted me involved for some reason.
It's another one of her plans.
Nevertheless, as long as the plan did not negatively affect Esme- AndHilda -then I do not mind.
"Yes, Mistress."
"Understood, Mistress."
...
The young teenagers respectfully replied, bowing once again and took their leave; all but Yulei, that is.
She remained in her wheelchair in front of me.
"It seems like your dear friend would like to catch up with you. Don't let this old lady interrupt your youthful fun!" Waving towards us, mother winked her pretty blue eyes and walked aside to a few of the adults.
It's Hilda's mom; her dad isn't there, though, he must be with Hilda at the moment, preparing her.
With that, I was left to confront Yulei for the first time in a long time.