Chapter 100: Agony & Consequences
"So, what happened to her? And your sister?"
Nemora, sitting opposite me, pointed at the two girls lying on the ground side by side. It wasn't just her; the rest were also quite curious.
I have 20 minutes left, that's enough time to explain and get out of the way to endure the consequences in a secluded location.
Pointing at Yulei, "Her Soul was sucked out."
"Wha-"
"Wait, let me finish explaining."
I moved my finger over to the left, to the white crown adorned with three upside-down crosses, "I don't know if you can see it, but her soul is now floating there."
"All I did was keep the connection between her body and her Soul, preventing her from dying."
I stared at Vaness and Hildekar by the end, "If we're looking for an explanation as to why that happened, we need to ask these two."
Finally, I pointed at the sleeping Esme, "As for my cute sister, I know why, but I'm unable to tell you. Issues with Authority."
At least I think so. I also don't want to risk exposing the madness to them any time soon. They can continue thinking of it as 'His Majesty'.
"I can also confirm that it's not any of our faults, nor is it something that we can deal with at the moment."
"Fine. I trust you."
...Well, that's surprising.
I didn't expect Nemora to so bluntly state that she trusts me after her outburst just an hour ago.
"Confused?" She asked me.
I helplessly nodded. It's true, I'm confused.
"Esme is involved. Your eyes always clear up when Esme is mentioned; therefore, I can trust those specific words."
"Fuck off with the sappiness and 'Oh! I trust you! Alora! My dear!'. Can you just shut the fuck up and let us talk already? I couldn't give less of a fuck about all this bullshit, you twin retards. I'm talking about you, fuck ass Nemora and dumbass Alora."
Clicking her teeth, Vanessa's eyes dripped with disgust, "Now, can I talk?"
Without giving us a chance to respond-
"Good! Hildekar, tell them."
"...Me?"
"Yes, you, fuckass."
"...Fine. Whatever you say, milady."
---
The Canary.
Ruins.
Bird.
Three houses with three differing tapestries depicting a scene.
Standing nearby to where Yulei almost had her Soul completely separated from her body, I observed the three houses alongside the others.
I would like to enter and observe, but-
Ba-dump.
My heart was pounding with an unpleasant noise.
Something horrible is about to shred me from the inside out soon; something I'm certain I'm not ready for.
That's the consequence of overdrafting the Book of Heresy.
I shouldn't have amplified my body. I was too hasty with it. Had I known that physical force was useless, and instead Curses would be necessary, I would not have written the second line.
Did I regret hastily writing down two orders?
Yes.
Will I do it again?
No.
That's a lesson learnt.
"Hilda." I poked at Hilda's unprotected abdomen.
Flinching, "Little dummy?!" Hilda recoiled and covered her belly defensively.
"Don't overreact-" Staring up at her, "-I'll be going off to that nearby house, guard in front of it. But check in on me every minute and wait for a response. If, at any point, I don't respond, come in and save me. Got it?"
Solemnly nodding, "...Okay."
She knows what I'm mentioning.
Of course she does.
And precisely because she knows, because she understands the agony I endure; I can trust her to protect me.
"I'll be back in a minute. I'll be taking Hilda with me for now. Take care of Esme and Yulei." Waving at the others, I dragged Hilda by the hem of her apron towards a distant house.
I specifically chose a home far enough away to dampen my inevitable screams.
-----
Bright lights shrouded her dazed eyes.
Tossing and turning, her limbs slowly peeled off the pitch-black darkness piled beneath her young body.
Picking up her long, snow-white hair, she grunted as she slowly awoke from her deep sleep, "So annoying..." Mumbling under her breath, she eventually separated her hair from the darkness with the aid of pure Blessings.
Yawning-
"Haaa~ Hng... Where...?"
-Esme patted her open mouth a couple of times, distorting her cute voice.
With her limbs stretched out and clarity returning to her clouded mind, Esme began concentrating on her surroundings; on the mysterious, never-before-seen, blank world enveloping her.
Patting the now clean ground beneath her, she stood up with caution in her eyes.
'What is this?'
"Alora? Dear sister? Nemora? Jill? Hildy?"
Calling out the names of a few of the people closest to her, she recoiled and observed every angle of her surroundings.
But, no matter where she looked, no matter where her eyes landed-
"What is this place...?"
-only the reflection of a blank, white space returned to her eyes.
Repressing the instinct to panic, Esme took multiple deep breaths, calming herself. Rubbing her hands over her face, she parted the gaps between her fingers and stared into the infinite white space.
But then-
"Who are you?"
-she asked the air.
Still staring through the gap, "You can't? Why?"
Seemingly hearing a response to her questions:
"I'll reiterate, then, what are you?"
Then, Esme listened.
For half a minute.
A minute.
Then two, four, six...
"Understood." Her voice came out shaky, and her body quivered with dense emotion.
With grim determination engrained in her eyes, she faintly nodded-
"Bye."
-then opened her eyes to the ashen, cavernous walls once more.
-----
Tap.
A small hand tapped Nemora's back, "Where's my sister?"
Twisting with joy fleeting in her green eyes, Nemora smiled at the person she trusted the most in the world, "Esme! Alora of Light should be with Hilda in one of those distant homes." Pointing at one of the houses, Nemora's eyes crinkled with a tiny smile.
"How are you feeling? Better? What was wrong?"
Esme shrugged at each question, "Fine, I'm not sure what happened to me either. Thank you, Nemora, for protecting me from lashing out at my dear sister."
"Don't worry."
Pat.
Gently lapping her hand onto Esme's scalp, Nemora rubbed her head warmly, "You would do the same, no?"
"...Yes. I would." Smiling back at the surprisingly warm image of Nemora, Esme playfully tapped her hand off and walked off.
She had to get to her sister.
Strolling past the others, Esme greeted them with a smile, reassuring them each time they asked that she was fine.
Esme remained relatively quiet throughout her journey to the distant Hilda; she didn't want to interrupt their investigation of whatever Yulei, Vanessa, and Hildekar had discovered. She could ask after checking up on Alora, her dear sister.
Pressing through the vast caverns, Hilda's figure grew larger with each step.
And, with each of these steps-
"...Hilda?"
-the curled up, sobbing Hilda became clearer.
Tears dripped down her face as she struggled to wipe them away without getting her white apron stained any further.
Crackle!
A blast of lightning flickered across the ashen grounds, sending billows of dust flying in circular patterns behind her. If not for the controlled output of Blessings restricting the airflow, a shriek of screeching air would have reverberated throughout the caverns.
Digging her heels into the ground, Hilda's soaring body came to an abrupt halt above Hilda's crouched, melancholic body.
"Hic- E, Esme... Hic-"
Wiping her swollen eyes with her sleeves, Hilda pulled out a handkerchief and hurriedly wiped her nose; she was a mess.
"Hilda."
Staring at the messy Hilda, "What is going-"
Esme paused her words.
She flicked her eyes upwards at the house Hilda was guarding.
Then, she heard-
"AHHHH-!!!"
A scream.
A throat-tearing, abysmal, shriek.
A youthful, guttural, phlegmy cry stuffed to the brim with agony.
A voice she was all too familiar with.
"Sister?" A soft whisper escaped Esme's lips.
Heaving dry air, she stumbled forward, towards the door.
Her hand reached out, hesitating, quivering, struggling to choose between opening the door into the unknown or not.
Wisps of white hair escaped her neat hairstyle and clung to her face; a couple even slipped into her lips. Esme licked the hair strands away, gulping the dry nothingness of her mouth while she was at it.
"-Esme."
Another hand rose before her, blocking her path.
"Hilda move-"
"No." Hilda watched Esme through misty, veiled eyes.
"I won't move. And I won't let you go in."
Holding her tears back, Hilda sluggishly forced herself back onto her two feet. Reinforcing the strength in her held-out arm, "Please don't try to enter."
Licking her dry lips, "Why...? Why not?"
Esme's voice came out cracked; hollow and faintly, nigh imperceptibly, broken, "I want to help her, I want to-"
"You can't!"
Squeezing her held-out hand, "I can't. You can't. Neither of us can."
Hilda's agitated voice lowered itself to a deep, unsettling tone, "I already tried. Not just tried, I did help her, for a while. It was the most I could do."
"So why-"
"Because it's useless now."