Chapter 78: Our Moment
Thus.
Mother led me to the bedroom doors.
It was the same position we had been in 4 years ago, on that day.
Pressing her fingers over the door handle, the Mistress twisted it open and walked us in; again, after so long, I was met with the innards of the hall.
Of that lavish, wealth-ingrained banquet hall.
But, there were no guests; no fancy-dressed nobles and rats. Only the silence of an empty, yet grand hall.
And, again, before my eyes sat two Staircases.
To my left, beyond the gel-like veil separating the boundary between this world of mine and the outside world, was the Staircase of Blessings.
And, in front of me, the Staircase of Curses.
I was back.
Except this time, mother had already left my side.
I was to tread alone.
It's just me.
Today, I was to walk.
My useless limbs are of no importance; I may freely circulate the Curses within them, for, soon enough, it shall not matter.
Thus, I did as expected of me.
Curses flourished and extended to every limb, empowering my faulty vessel with enough strength to march across and onto the Staircase of Curses.
Taking my first step, I pushed my gaze upwards. The Staircase of Curses plateaued at the top, then curved to the left, towards the back of the overhang, where the Altar of Curses would sit behind the Altar of Blessings.
My steps were slow; they were meaningful.
I kept my mind occupied whilst thinking of my soon-to-come reality.
The reality of a worthless, useless little creature that shall limp for the sake of its dearest, cutest sister.
Hands?
Unnecessary.
Arms?
Useless.
Feet?
Pathetic.
Legs?
Immovable.
At this moment, I am taking my final steps up the Staircase of Curses.
The final steps of this accursed life.
Henceforth, the Curses will not be enough to move my limbs.
Hehe.
I'll be joining Yulei.
But.
It's fine.
For Esme, I will do anything and everything.
My purpose is Esme.
My existence is for Esme.
It's all for Esme.
Clack.
My leather boots stomped up the Staircase of Curses.
I can feel it.
As a Defiler of the First Step; I can feel my Curses amplifying, churning...
Preparing.
My body was being forced into a state of readiness. Not a single iota of Curses was left untouched, all of it circulated through my body alongside my blood; it tore me upside-down.
The pain, however, wasn't debilitating.
Not anymore, at least.
Not after what I've been through. This pain is no longer enough to stop me from climbing to my inevitable fate as the Perfect Cursed Doll.
...So, I climbed.
Upwards.
Onwards.
To my destiny.
Every step crushed my bones, forcing me to hastily reconnect the shattered pieces.
Every step ripped my muscles, forcing me to glue the bruised and swollen muscles back in place.
Every step burned me; Every step froze me; Every step hounded me with millions of voices-
Millions-
...Right, millions of voices.
So I climbed, and climbed; and suffered.
Till this creature reached the top.
Till I was faced with the Altar of Curses.
Walking onto the accursed Altar of Curses, I took my place behind the boundary separating this Altar of Curses and Esme's Altar of Blessings; this was where I first melted into pieces, and this was also the spot where I stitched myself together for the first time.
It's been a long time, truly.
Relaxing on this bed of nails, I rested my head on the gel-like veil between my Altar and her Altar. Then, I shifted my head to the right, sticking my cheek on the soft, see-through wall.
My eyes traced the lavish halls' contours, then they landed on the grand doors.
I was awaiting her arrival.
Alas, the time of her arrival eluded me.
So, I shut my eyes.
I had some waiting to do.
-----
Blazing eyes sputtered with blistering flames; the golden hue within them glistened wrathfully as the growing girl gazed upon the woman before her.
"What is the issue, dear daughter? My sweet Esme?" Her loving, graceful smile descended upon her daughter; the Mistress did not mind the rage brewing in the depths of her daughter's adorable eyes.
"Nothing. Mother." Esme spat these words without a care in the world.
There were no words to be spoken to the Mistress; Esme had no more words to speak to her mother.
All words had already been spoken, and the anger bubbling within her has been brewing for four years.
How could it not?
Throughout these agonisingly long four years, she'd met Alora nine times.
Nine times.
Twice on each new year, and once on Hilda's Ascension.
That's it.
Alora said nothing.
And Hilda would ignore her or pretend to be busy whenever she'd run into her in Yulei's abode; Esme has had no opportunity to come to terms with this ridiculous state of affairs.
But.
She knew this;
Her instincts screamed this;
[It's your fault.]
Whenever she met her mother, the Mistress, this spark of anger and judgment would fire within her.
Yet, each time, she'd have no opportunity to peel and strip the truth away from her mother. She was too tight-lipped.
But-
'Ascension. You won't stop me after my Ascension, nothing will stop me.'
Biting her lip, she swung her waist-length, wavy, snow-white hair over her shoulder and stepped past her mother. "Stop stalling, I have places to be."
"...So be it, my dear daughter. Let's go."
Remaining a step behind her daughter, the Mistress watched over the growing girl with loving eyes. Her every move was captured in her vision as she absorbed every iota of her precious daughter's existence.
Before long, the mother and daughter arrived at a set of grand doors.
There were no guards or attendants to open the doors; there was also no noise blasting through the door in a muffled tone.
Today, it was Esme and her mother.
'Just as I requested.'
She didn't want observers, nor did she want this moment interrupted by a flashy, pathetic banquet that she held no interest in.
Esme was going to Ascend to her Second Step, and, upon Ascension...
'I will make you talk, Mother. Whether you like it or not.'
Filling her arms with Blessings, she pressed both palms on the doors-
Slam!
-and flung them open with full force, slamming them into the walls and sending a blast of noise echoing down the hallways.
The gradual rumbling of vibrations beneath her feet sent shivers of adrenaline down her spine.
Because this was it.
This was her day.
After this, she will have finally taken a Step towards arriving at the answers she'd always wanted to grasp.
"Come, Mother." Stepping into the empty, grand banquet hall, Esme basked in the gentle chandelier lights as she turned backwards, beckoning the Mistress in.
"Haha, my sweet daughter, no need for the reminder~" Chuckling, the Mistress stepped past the boundary and-
Thud!
-shut the door behind her with no extra movements.
It would have looked miraculous if not for Esme's ability to spot the surge of Blessings that had flourished from the Mistress' body and slammed the doors shut.
Swivelling on her feet, Esme stared at the Staircase of Blessings; it had been a while since the last time she saw this scene.
The memory lingered loosely, with most of the scenes having already exited her brain.
Only one scene stuck well from that day.
And, it was the most important moment of them all...
'Alora.'
Clenching her fists, Esme released her breath and stepped forth.
Today, she was going to climb the Step to a titled Ascendant.
-----
Esme...
My fingers sprawled painfully over the gel-like wall. I tried to push my nails through the veil, but, alas-
So pretty.
-I could only watch on.
Walking up the steps of the Staircase of Blessings, the fountain of Blessings gushing within her body overflowed; they pulsed and danced, coalescing around Esme as her Blessings were amplified and purified.
This was the first step to her Ascension, to her rise as an Ascendant.
Unlike the normal person, she required ample Blessings to make up for the lack of Curses.
Without this amplification of the Staircase of Blessings, her Ascension, and, thereby, the ritual for this Perfect Cursed Doll will fail.
And with that failure would come death.
So, there was no two ways about it.
Watching through this veil, I absorbed her wonderful sight as she approached the Altar of Blessings; she was almost right in front of me.
She was right there, a mere arm's reach away...
Yet.
This distance felt like an unbreakable infinity.
A wall that separated this pair of sisters indomitably.
Before long, Esme had reached the top of the Staircase of Blessings.
The gushing Blessings filled the grand hall to the brim with golden, pure, flowing lights. The air probably smelled amazing, and your body would likely feel refreshed if you stood in her pure Blessings.
But I'm not on that side.
All I feel is pain—the most familiar of all the sensations available to me.
The agony of soul-wrenching, amplified Curses.
But it's okay.
I'm fine.
I'll be fine, because Esme is there.
She's right there, right in front of me, with her back facing me.
Just like me, Esme sat on the Altar. One in the light, and the other in the endless dark.
This was the inevitable fate of these accursed twin sisters.
Her Ascension and my Descent are about to start.
For Esme, her Approval is already complete. I'm not familiar with her requirements, but for mine...
I have no Approval; I have no requirements.
I'm a unique case whereby such things aren't necessary, nor do they matter, because my Descent aligns with Esme's Ascension. If Esme doesn't Ascend, I cannot Descend.
I cannot hinder her, I simply shadow and follow in her footsteps.
However-
It's beginning.
A flurry of Blessings and Curses had begun to descend.