"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
[Message/communication apparatus]
Date: August 1089
Location: Wladirosa, Kazimierz
POV: Zofia “Whislash”
How long has it been? I swear it felt like years since I saw the countryside of Kazimierz. Currently, I’m recuperating away from Kawalerielki because my newfound fame and notoriety means that official reporters and paparazzi are always trying to get the latest scoop on me, by any means necessary. Truly, it was a surreal and unpleasant experience.
I thought my, supposedly, great and phenomenal performance during the battle royale was bad enough. Oh how utterly wrong I was, a veritable proof that I have yet to see much about the outside world. I was burning with utter embarrassment after seeing the latest hubbub had yet to die down, my performance in standing up to the now-retired Black Knight was that much of a sensation.
One particularly notorious image was when I got carried out by the Black Knight in a bridal carry. That is enough for me to realize the absolute mayhem happening on the local online forum or, Feranmut forbid, international scale. To think that I was once among them, gossiping away without care… Now I faced the brunt of it, lovely.
Hmm? Is Black Knight retirement? Oh course she did. Last I heard she got, ahem, transferred to a wealthy Kjeragian lord or something. It is only a matter of time really, her third victory had cemented her as one of the best, if not the best, Competition Knight on Terra. K.G.C.C. was rumored to have grown tired of her and offered her a retirement plan.
Said retirement also results in her leaving the Grand Knights territory. Then again, I always heard how K.G.C.C. is such an insidious entity from Uncle Kiril. Strangely enough, Big Sis doesn’t necessarily agree with him. Maybe that’s a given since she was a mercenary and is now an NGO liaison so she needs to keep her mind clear.
Still though… I wouldn’t have her any other way. Even after my horrible outburst, she didn’t hold it in her heart and waved it like nothing. My memory of what happened exactly seems to be unclear after that café… song. I’m unsure. Big Sis had also asked me about it, and she seemed to be serious at the time about why she was so interested in that exact café.
I told her everything I knew and when I shamefully admitted that I don’t remember who played the song she just nodded and patted my head. She then keeps pampering me, to the point that the doctor must file a restraining order for her to cease. It was funny seeing despite her blank mask, her eyes shook like the world was about to end.
She would usually fight back against anyone who tried to bar her from anyone she cared about, but when it comes to medical staff she becomes very lenient and obedient. A part of me is really curious about how bad was her life before, but the other is afraid of setting off a landmine. So I’ll just wait it out, it is her right to open up.
On an unrelated, definitely, note, I once saw her returning home half-drunk and being carried by a certain blockhead who looked a bit woozy himself. The blockhead dunderhead seems to be having a hard time pacifying a drunk Pythia… if only I knew what they were on about.
Eh, enough about reminiscent and I’ll be better off using this moment to watch how that stubborn big sister of mine is currently being swarmed by children. They’re not just any children, however; they’re orphans and former slaves. My heart ached to know that a child no older than 4 had gotten enslaved. Of course, I know that slavery still exists in Kazimierz, yet I never realized it was this bad.
This is probably why all those years when Uncle was still healthy, Big Sis screamed at him to do something about this. Even though he tried his best with little result, she started doing it her way. Big Sis has been sending children she came across back to her controlled orphanage in Wladirosa. Then I was immensely rattled that it was staffed and guarded by Cordelian affiliates and Silverlances.
Just how powerful was she?! I know that she has conducted business with both of them, especially the latter, but this is ludicrous! I was half-tempted to ask whether she was some kind of bonafide pure blue blood in hiding. That made a lot of sense!
‘She must have been a princess or at least a runaway one…’
“Aunty! Aunty! Simon took my bracelet again!” my confusion was put on hold when a Zalak girl no older than 6 pestered my Big Sis for attention, which she reciprocated. Then another, a Pythia boy about 7 or 8, fumed from the accusation and pulled her other arms.
“I did not! Sheila was lying! She even took my muffin!” The girl glared, with a tint of redness adorning her cheeks, before shouting back.
“NO! You took mine first!”
“No! You keep lying!”
“Now, now… I’ll bake more for you. There is a rule though… you must make up first.” I couldn’t help the smile forming on my face. When she is outside of the Nearl’s mansion back in Kawalerielki, she adopts this cold, professional, and indifferent façade but here? She giggles, laughing, and even makes a watered-down angry expression when chastising children who get a bit too reckless.
“Aww…”
“No, he is stinky.”
“You stinky!” they start to bicker again, Big Sis could only shake her head with a smile. Then that smile turned into a smirk before morphing again into a sad and dispirited expression.
“What a shame… and I was about to make us all blueberry cupcakes… oh well, what can you do…?” She shrugs and starts leaving the children who look aghast, before long they immediately behave themselves and tackle her to the ground, she lets them do whatever. She laughs after being blessed with rains of apologies and promises to behave.
“She looks so carefree doesn’t she?” Turning around, I see a 190cm tall Kuranta lady donning a Lateran-style dress. She is Lina Nikella, Big Sis’ adopted daughter. She is also the director of a local orphanage and the children call her Mother Lina; she’s proud of it. I couldn’t help but wonder how she looked so mature despite being 24, her presence just oozed confidence.
Yes, she changed and took inspiration from Big Sis’ name… I heard that her parents died back during the war of 1072, that’s when Big Sis took up the role of her stepmother. I was quite gobsmacked to know that she is pretty much a polyglot. One thing I couldn’t help but notice is how her hair looks like Big Sis’ own, but much more vibrant. Imagine my surprise when I thought Big Sis had married, she had promptly corrected me and that was quite an experience when I teased her about how a certain blockhead might crack from such a piece of information.
“I couldn’t agree more since she always looks constrained back in the city, like even a single moment of weakness would spell her doom. I would love for her to just… shed all of her masks… but that won’t do huh?”
“Yep, Mama is stubborn upon the weirdest of things. I do understand that letting herself turned into a maelstrom is a must to deter people who don’t know any better…” Lina then turned her gaze on mine, she still wore her veil as usual.
“Do you need to wear that all the time?”
“What can I say? People keep stammering and turning red after seeing my full face… oh woe upon me for being such a sinful maiden…” My eyes twitched hearing that, she has this haughty undertone laced with pure amusement…
“You don’t have to wear that all the time you know?”
“Then let you hog all of me for yourself? I don’t think putting an even larger target on your back would be prudent.”
“Someone is confident.”
“I have to, especially after Mama adopted me for real. It won’t do to hide in her shadow or to use her name willy-nilly. Doesn’t help that I could end up as her weakness, so I’ll do the best I can to not let her down.” She spoke such a thing without a beat of hesitance, it made me even more self-conscious… Lina then put her hand on my shoulder, she looked worried.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well… kinda hurt here and there… but at least I can use a crutch myself. I feel bad to just laze around…”
“Come now, Mama and I are your caretakers, it is only natural if we keep track of your rehabilitation.”
“That's precisely why I’ll need to get back on top shape faster, I don’t want to impose.”
“Wow, you call Mama and the Nearl family stubborn but here you are not being that much different. Hah… You’re here to recuperate and…” Even when she had that veil on her, I could feel how she grinned followed by a mischievous quirk of her eyebrows.
“Mama called you her little sister so affectionately, which means….” Oh no, not again!
“That qualifies you as my Auntie, so what kind of niece would I be to not take care of my aunt?” Dear Terra why?! Am I being toyed by fate or something?!
“Oh come on! I’m still 19 and you’re older than me!”
“Hehe, now, now, Aunty Zofia, you shouldn’t freak out like that, look even the children are looking at you.” Huh? The children are looking at me with curiosity, well some of them anyway since the rest are too busy placating Big Sis who playfully made some resistance while they slowly coaxed her.
“Hmph, then as a good niece I want you to help me stand up.” Wait, what the hell did I just say?! No no no no no! I’m still young!
“Sure thing.” AHHHHHHH TO HELL WITH IT!
With her helping hand, I stand up from my chair since despite putting up a brave front, using a crutch still hurts, a lot. Thankfully there would be no lasting effect from what the doctor had told me, it helps that I was treated with top-of-the-line medical treatment. We slowly made our way to her, she flashed us a smile and beckoned us to join her in this pile of sugar overdose.
POV: Narrator
“Mrrh…. Drone is very hard to control…” A young Kuranta could be seen fiddling around with a drone interface under the watch of other children who couldn’t tear their eyes away from such a strange toy. One of them excitedly asked the Kuranta.
“Maria! Maria! Can I try?”
“Un!” The golden-haired girl immediately let her new friend try it. She watches how the drone starts wobbling even more but instead of being worried she is laughing along with the other children. Ever since she saw a world that is not hindered by a hundred meters tall walls, she begins appreciating things she has lost and is excited to find out new things to discover.
She was not supposed to come to Wladirosa, but due to both her Grandfather's and Uncle's urging, she left with her aunties. The purpose, on the surface, was that of recuperation and family tradition. The truth, however, is that Kiril and Młynar need to tie up surfacing problems after both the Major and the incident.
So here she is, playing around the prairie. They both left for Wladirosa in June, while Zofia would return by the next year, Maria was slated to return home in November. She has her studies to consider but because of how bright she is, and her interest in learning about engineering so early, Nyx… convinced… all the right people to allow her to skip grades. Of course, it caused quite an argument with Młynar who pointed out that such a thing would make Maria overly dependent on her. She boldly asserted with a simple “Good”, grinned, and left him with a headache.
Still, one might wonder why she has a military-grade drone meant for combat and reconnaissance-in-force to be used as nothing more than a toy… well, funny story.
Flashback
Maria is diligently studying with textbooks that would make even adults wince, she is reading a theoretical standard on engineering and the basics about physics. Maria has always been overtly fascinated with technology, especially with drones or smaller machinery that she technically could do by herself. She also took an interest in blacksmithing, a kind of activity that would make children her age bored out of their minds.
She flips page after page; each time more engrossed compared to the last. Of course, she remembered how Zofia promised her a drone. However, that memory made her frown sadly, even though she knew that Zofia was pushed on by her desire; some parts of her still feel guilty of burdening her aunt with her selfishness. Thus to make up for it, she studied twice as hard even when the promised drone might never come.
Her ears flicked upward hearing a distinct wheelchair being wheeled in her direction. She jumped from her seat and promptly opened the door to see Zofia with a package on her lap.
“There you are, I thought you ran off somewhere.” Her aunt beamed at her while the young Kuranta pieced together the package and her sudden arrival. She hung her head low, which alarmed Zofia.
“M-Maria! What’s wrong!? Are you sick?!”
“I’m sorry…” Zofia tilts her head quizzically before finally understanding why her niece is so down. She just laughed and patted the cinnamon roll lovingly. Maria looked back up; still with guilt shading her expression.
“Oh come on now, I’m not so brittle to just break like that. Besides, you have been doing great in school right?” Maria nodded but seeing that was not working, Zofia did the next best thing.
“Wouldn’t you want to make me happy?” Now the girl nodded quicker, seemingly eager to make up for her supposed mistake. Zofia then guided her by saying that while she bought a drone, she lied about not understanding how to use it.
This prompts Maria to excitedly explain what she knows about it, the Whislash Knight looks on fondly despite her internal confusion and general astonishment when Maria starts spouting technical terms. She drones on and on about what is a drone, how to use it, and that she has a dream of building one.
Zofia could only nod and tried her best to understand the impromptu lecture given by her niece. While they were having their family bonding, Młynar entered the room… with a drone package of his own. Zofia snickered when catching him caring so openly about his niece. The man felt like swallowing a bitter pill but decided to just get on with it.
Maria had no idea what to do now, the second drone was akin to a thunderbolt that struck the same spot twice in a row. Her confusion had yet to end when she heard a series of rapid steps heading towards her. She turns her head to the door just in time to see it being flung open by a giddy and bubbly ashen-haired Pythia.
“Happy birthday, Maria!” Nyx entered the scene… with an even bigger drone package in her hands. The other three reacted differently when hearing what she had just said.
“Wait, birthday?” Zofia feels like someone just punched her in the gut, she forgot that the 15th of July is Maria’s birthday! She is half-tempted to scream forgetting to buy a cake for it. She instantly pulled her terminal and started dialing the nearest available bakery.
“You made it here?” Młynar is confused, he doesn’t think that she has time to visit Maria’s birthday, especially with how busy she is so far. After all, she has to escort that Kjerag lord along with the Black Knight to Victoria.
“W-Wuh!?” Maria could only stare awkwardly seeing another drone that would surely be hers, she had forgotten her birthday too. Still, seeing such a large drone, most likely meant for military use just makes her even more fired up. She vowed to quadruple her studying effort, regardless of anything to make up for what her family had given her. Maria’s enthusiasm would instead cause Nyx to scream in a mix of horror and manic pride seeing how hard her cute niece is pushing herself, but that is a story for another time.
“Eh?” Nyx felt these conflicting emotions and she got bewildered seeing there was nothing around here that indicated an event was being held. She expected to be somewhat late to Maria’s modest birthday party, only to realize that there was never one. She frowned before turning her head towards her Mwi. Her scowl would have terrified her foes but she looks adorable in his eyes.
“Mwi…” She then narrowed her eyes on Młynar who had a feeling that Nyx would blame him somehow… He just sighed and braced himself, it’s hard to win an argument against her when she is dead set on winning from the get-go. Oh well, he could count it as training for the real argument or something…
Thus the confusion enveloped the family… Kiril could only watch from the side, shaking his head while being amused before getting back to rest in his room. That night a small birthday party was celebrated along with Margaret who attended using an interface, courtesy of an extremely naggy snake lady who doesn’t understand what the meaning of restraint is…
End of Flashback
Maria giggled happily from her memory, she played and tinkered with her drone forever more. She hopes that these days will last forever… she misses her parents, but Młynar and Nyx feel like her step-parents along with Zofia and Margaret who cherish her greatly. She also couldn’t help but hope that her dear grandfather would be healthy once more.
“Maria!” She heard someone call for her and turned around. She watched as Lina and Zofia made their way towards them, two huge plates of cupcakes on their hands. Maria is a bit worried seeing her aunt bringing in a treat with only one hand. Her friends had different ideas and just swarmed them both with their proactive begging.
She strolled towards them while dragging her friend who was too engrossed with the drone along.
-
-
-
While they are all having a generally good time, Nyx can be seen walking towards a fairly isolated cabin. There is no trace of joy on her face, only a somber acceptance of what she is about to witness. Her eyes finally caught a glimpse of the cabin, looking pristine, clean, and honestly truly out of place with how modern it is.
She exhaled before pushing the door open and saw a lot of vacant rooms. Nyx made her way inside while casting glances along the way, these rooms are of higher quality in terms of amenities and construction. Each has a small refrigerator that is always restocked with beverages and snacks for potential occupants. The wardrobe placed inside might be empty, but it would be filled with the finest she could find when there is an occupant. The bedding is perhaps the best of all, one that would even make a frontier noble green with envy due to its luxury and comfort.
It held a secret, however…
She found a man wearing the equivalent of hazmat gear waiting for her by the hallway along with several other of his colleagues. His stony expression was all she needed, she gestured with her head for him to proceed with standard procedures. The man, and by extension his team, complied while giving her the destination before making haste towards another room; a specialized room.
Where is she? Well…
Nyx reached her destination, the only room that was currently occupied. She knocked softly on the door, and a tiny whimpering grunt answered her. Taking it as her permission, she visits the occupant who has a large Originium shard growing from their right arm. Nyx hardened her heart in a bid to keep her somber smile.
“Sera… it’s me.” An utterance of a name, or was that a monster’s desperate prayers?
“… *cough*…. *cough*… ma…ma…?” The occupant turns out to be a Sarkaz girl, she limply gazed at Nyx but still managed to smile weakly. Nyx smiled back, as brightly as she could. Her eyes still show the telltale of pain; especially when she stared at the girl’s missing horns.
“Ma… Y-you’re… back…”
“Yes… I won’t break another one of my promises, sweetheart… I was busy with work, I should have come sooner… we could have gone to that lake I promised you, together.”
“D-Don’t be… he he… mama… would… mother… be… waiting…. for *cough!*…” Nyx leaped to her side, completely disregarding the blood that was drenching the girl’s dying visage. Blood or Originium matters as much as dirt to her; a dying ember of human life takes precedence.
“Shh…. It’s alright Sera… it’s alright…” One of her hands patted the dying girl’s head, her smile grew wider despite the ember turned into flickers.
“Ma… I missed Mother… and… Father… I’m so tired…” Alas, another of her prayers was not answered. She displayed a sardonic smile from those passing thoughts; who would want to accept hers anyway…?
“Everything would be alright, let me tell you that… you will soon see a place bigger than the lake…”
“Really…?”
“Yes… so…” Her other hand reaches out on a satchel behind her back. Nyx pulled out a syringe, thus further elaboration would no longer be necessary.
-
-
-
Day turned into night when people had already made their way to bed. Not everyone though, Nyx is still up and hard at work processing documents that require her attention. Despite her flighty and independent nature, she still has her responsibilities to uphold as a Paramilitary Liaison for the Contingency Contract and Catastrophe Messenger.
Her concentration was interrupted by a message being sent to her terminal. She glanced at it and saw that it was in the form of audio; so she just used her earpiece to play it while her hand scribbled and grappled with legal documents.
[This is Doctor Kal’tsit, from Babel’s Landship; Rhodes Island.] She stopped and listened closely.
[The research had reached 97%, it would be most beneficial if you could visit Rhodes Island at your earliest convenience. I suggest you provide a rather conspicuous display to obfuscate the truth… To explain what I could gather so far; you’re a specimen worth trading half of Kawalerielki’s population and wealth…] Nyx was stunned, her reply was delayed for a few minutes of pure silence.
“This is Nyx, Wilco.” She sent her voice message and switched channels to contact Conrad.
[Anything you need, my lady?] Conrad rapidly replied.
“Prepare the decoys and convoys.”
[Where to?]
“Kazdel.”
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author’s Note:
Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who is suffering both mentally and physically.
Kal’tsit finally finished her research into what the hell Nyx really is as an individual. Now it is just a matter of whether or not her caution would pay off…
I’m straight up having a rather hard time, so updates might really be taking a hit from here on out.
Welp, I hope my life gets better.
Ciao
"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
[Message/communication apparatus]
Date: August 1089
Location: Wladirosa, Kazimierz
POV: Zofia “Whislash”
How long has it been? I swear it felt like years since I saw the countryside of Kazimierz. Currently, I’m recuperating away from Kawalerielki because my newfound fame and notoriety means that official reporters and paparazzi are always trying to get the latest scoop on me, by any means necessary. Truly, it was a surreal and unpleasant experience.
I thought my, supposedly, great and phenomenal performance during the battle royale was bad enough. Oh how utterly wrong I was, a veritable proof that I have yet to see much about the outside world. I was burning with utter embarrassment after seeing the latest hubbub had yet to die down, my performance in standing up to the now-retired Black Knight was that much of a sensation.
One particularly notorious image was when I got carried out by the Black Knight in a bridal carry. That is enough for me to realize the absolute mayhem happening on the local online forum or, Feranmut forbid, international scale. To think that I was once among them, gossiping away without care… Now I faced the brunt of it, lovely.
Hmm? Is Black Knight retirement? Oh course she did. Last I heard she got, ahem, transferred to a wealthy Kjeragian lord or something. It is only a matter of time really, her third victory had cemented her as one of the best, if not the best, Competition Knight on Terra. K.G.C.C. was rumored to have grown tired of her and offered her a retirement plan.
Said retirement also results in her leaving the Grand Knights territory. Then again, I always heard how K.G.C.C. is such an insidious entity from Uncle Kiril. Strangely enough, Big Sis doesn’t necessarily agree with him. Maybe that’s a given since she was a mercenary and is now an NGO liaison so she needs to keep her mind clear.
Still though… I wouldn’t have her any other way. Even after my horrible outburst, she didn’t hold it in her heart and waved it like nothing. My memory of what happened exactly seems to be unclear after that café… song. I’m unsure. Big Sis had also asked me about it, and she seemed to be serious at the time about why she was so interested in that exact café.
I told her everything I knew and when I shamefully admitted that I don’t remember who played the song she just nodded and patted my head. She then keeps pampering me, to the point that the doctor must file a restraining order for her to cease. It was funny seeing despite her blank mask, her eyes shook like the world was about to end.
She would usually fight back against anyone who tried to bar her from anyone she cared about, but when it comes to medical staff she becomes very lenient and obedient. A part of me is really curious about how bad was her life before, but the other is afraid of setting off a landmine. So I’ll just wait it out, it is her right to open up.
On an unrelated, definitely, note, I once saw her returning home half-drunk and being carried by a certain blockhead who looked a bit woozy himself. The blockhead dunderhead seems to be having a hard time pacifying a drunk Pythia… if only I knew what they were on about.
Eh, enough about reminiscent and I’ll be better off using this moment to watch how that stubborn big sister of mine is currently being swarmed by children. They’re not just any children, however; they’re orphans and former slaves. My heart ached to know that a child no older than 4 had gotten enslaved. Of course, I know that slavery still exists in Kazimierz, yet I never realized it was this bad.
This is probably why all those years when Uncle was still healthy, Big Sis screamed at him to do something about this. Even though he tried his best with little result, she started doing it her way. Big Sis has been sending children she came across back to her controlled orphanage in Wladirosa. Then I was immensely rattled that it was staffed and guarded by Cordelian affiliates and Silverlances.
Just how powerful was she?! I know that she has conducted business with both of them, especially the latter, but this is ludicrous! I was half-tempted to ask whether she was some kind of bonafide pure blue blood in hiding. That made a lot of sense!
‘She must have been a princess or at least a runaway one…’
“Aunty! Aunty! Simon took my bracelet again!” my confusion was put on hold when a Zalak girl no older than 6 pestered my Big Sis for attention, which she reciprocated. Then another, a Pythia boy about 7 or 8, fumed from the accusation and pulled her other arms.
“I did not! Sheila was lying! She even took my muffin!” The girl glared, with a tint of redness adorning her cheeks, before shouting back.
“NO! You took mine first!”
“No! You keep lying!”
“Now, now… I’ll bake more for you. There is a rule though… you must make up first.” I couldn’t help the smile forming on my face. When she is outside of the Nearl’s mansion back in Kawalerielki, she adopts this cold, professional, and indifferent façade but here? She giggles, laughing, and even makes a watered-down angry expression when chastising children who get a bit too reckless.
“Aww…”
“No, he is stinky.”
“You stinky!” they start to bicker again, Big Sis could only shake her head with a smile. Then that smile turned into a smirk before morphing again into a sad and dispirited expression.
“What a shame… and I was about to make us all blueberry cupcakes… oh well, what can you do…?” She shrugs and starts leaving the children who look aghast, before long they immediately behave themselves and tackle her to the ground, she lets them do whatever. She laughs after being blessed with rains of apologies and promises to behave.
“She looks so carefree doesn’t she?” Turning around, I see a 190cm tall Kuranta lady donning a Lateran-style dress. She is Lina Nikella, Big Sis’ adopted daughter. She is also the director of a local orphanage and the children call her Mother Lina; she’s proud of it. I couldn’t help but wonder how she looked so mature despite being 24, her presence just oozed confidence.
Yes, she changed and took inspiration from Big Sis’ name… I heard that her parents died back during the war of 1072, that’s when Big Sis took up the role of her stepmother. I was quite gobsmacked to know that she is pretty much a polyglot. One thing I couldn’t help but notice is how her hair looks like Big Sis’ own, but much more vibrant. Imagine my surprise when I thought Big Sis had married, she had promptly corrected me and that was quite an experience when I teased her about how a certain blockhead might crack from such a piece of information.
“I couldn’t agree more since she always looks constrained back in the city, like even a single moment of weakness would spell her doom. I would love for her to just… shed all of her masks… but that won’t do huh?”
“Yep, Mama is stubborn upon the weirdest of things. I do understand that letting herself turned into a maelstrom is a must to deter people who don’t know any better…” Lina then turned her gaze on mine, she still wore her veil as usual.
“Do you need to wear that all the time?”
“What can I say? People keep stammering and turning red after seeing my full face… oh woe upon me for being such a sinful maiden…” My eyes twitched hearing that, she has this haughty undertone laced with pure amusement…
“You don’t have to wear that all the time you know?”
“Then let you hog all of me for yourself? I don’t think putting an even larger target on your back would be prudent.”
“Someone is confident.”
“I have to, especially after Mama adopted me for real. It won’t do to hide in her shadow or to use her name willy-nilly. Doesn’t help that I could end up as her weakness, so I’ll do the best I can to not let her down.” She spoke such a thing without a beat of hesitance, it made me even more self-conscious… Lina then put her hand on my shoulder, she looked worried.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well… kinda hurt here and there… but at least I can use a crutch myself. I feel bad to just laze around…”
“Come now, Mama and I are your caretakers, it is only natural if we keep track of your rehabilitation.”
“That's precisely why I’ll need to get back on top shape faster, I don’t want to impose.”
“Wow, you call Mama and the Nearl family stubborn but here you are not being that much different. Hah… You’re here to recuperate and…” Even when she had that veil on her, I could feel how she grinned followed by a mischievous quirk of her eyebrows.
“Mama called you her little sister so affectionately, which means….” Oh no, not again!
“That qualifies you as my Auntie, so what kind of niece would I be to not take care of my aunt?” Dear Terra why?! Am I being toyed by fate or something?!
“Oh come on! I’m still 19 and you’re older than me!”
“Hehe, now, now, Aunty Zofia, you shouldn’t freak out like that, look even the children are looking at you.” Huh? The children are looking at me with curiosity, well some of them anyway since the rest are too busy placating Big Sis who playfully made some resistance while they slowly coaxed her.
“Hmph, then as a good niece I want you to help me stand up.” Wait, what the hell did I just say?! No no no no no! I’m still young!
“Sure thing.” AHHHHHHH TO HELL WITH IT!
With her helping hand, I stand up from my chair since despite putting up a brave front, using a crutch still hurts, a lot. Thankfully there would be no lasting effect from what the doctor had told me, it helps that I was treated with top-of-the-line medical treatment. We slowly made our way to her, she flashed us a smile and beckoned us to join her in this pile of sugar overdose.
POV: Narrator
“Mrrh…. Drone is very hard to control…” A young Kuranta could be seen fiddling around with a drone interface under the watch of other children who couldn’t tear their eyes away from such a strange toy. One of them excitedly asked the Kuranta.
“Maria! Maria! Can I try?”
“Un!” The golden-haired girl immediately let her new friend try it. She watches how the drone starts wobbling even more but instead of being worried she is laughing along with the other children. Ever since she saw a world that is not hindered by a hundred meters tall walls, she begins appreciating things she has lost and is excited to find out new things to discover.
She was not supposed to come to Wladirosa, but due to both her Grandfather's and Uncle's urging, she left with her aunties. The purpose, on the surface, was that of recuperation and family tradition. The truth, however, is that Kiril and Młynar need to tie up surfacing problems after both the Major and the incident.
So here she is, playing around the prairie. They both left for Wladirosa in June, while Zofia would return by the next year, Maria was slated to return home in November. She has her studies to consider but because of how bright she is, and her interest in learning about engineering so early, Nyx… convinced… all the right people to allow her to skip grades. Of course, it caused quite an argument with Młynar who pointed out that such a thing would make Maria overly dependent on her. She boldly asserted with a simple “Good”, grinned, and left him with a headache.
Still, one might wonder why she has a military-grade drone meant for combat and reconnaissance-in-force to be used as nothing more than a toy… well, funny story.
Flashback
Maria is diligently studying with textbooks that would make even adults wince, she is reading a theoretical standard on engineering and the basics about physics. Maria has always been overtly fascinated with technology, especially with drones or smaller machinery that she technically could do by herself. She also took an interest in blacksmithing, a kind of activity that would make children her age bored out of their minds.
She flips page after page; each time more engrossed compared to the last. Of course, she remembered how Zofia promised her a drone. However, that memory made her frown sadly, even though she knew that Zofia was pushed on by her desire; some parts of her still feel guilty of burdening her aunt with her selfishness. Thus to make up for it, she studied twice as hard even when the promised drone might never come.
Her ears flicked upward hearing a distinct wheelchair being wheeled in her direction. She jumped from her seat and promptly opened the door to see Zofia with a package on her lap.
“There you are, I thought you ran off somewhere.” Her aunt beamed at her while the young Kuranta pieced together the package and her sudden arrival. She hung her head low, which alarmed Zofia.
“M-Maria! What’s wrong!? Are you sick?!”
“I’m sorry…” Zofia tilts her head quizzically before finally understanding why her niece is so down. She just laughed and patted the cinnamon roll lovingly. Maria looked back up; still with guilt shading her expression.
“Oh come on now, I’m not so brittle to just break like that. Besides, you have been doing great in school right?” Maria nodded but seeing that was not working, Zofia did the next best thing.
“Wouldn’t you want to make me happy?” Now the girl nodded quicker, seemingly eager to make up for her supposed mistake. Zofia then guided her by saying that while she bought a drone, she lied about not understanding how to use it.
This prompts Maria to excitedly explain what she knows about it, the Whislash Knight looks on fondly despite her internal confusion and general astonishment when Maria starts spouting technical terms. She drones on and on about what is a drone, how to use it, and that she has a dream of building one.
Zofia could only nod and tried her best to understand the impromptu lecture given by her niece. While they were having their family bonding, Młynar entered the room… with a drone package of his own. Zofia snickered when catching him caring so openly about his niece. The man felt like swallowing a bitter pill but decided to just get on with it.
Maria had no idea what to do now, the second drone was akin to a thunderbolt that struck the same spot twice in a row. Her confusion had yet to end when she heard a series of rapid steps heading towards her. She turns her head to the door just in time to see it being flung open by a giddy and bubbly ashen-haired Pythia.
“Happy birthday, Maria!” Nyx entered the scene… with an even bigger drone package in her hands. The other three reacted differently when hearing what she had just said.
“Wait, birthday?” Zofia feels like someone just punched her in the gut, she forgot that the 15th of July is Maria’s birthday! She is half-tempted to scream forgetting to buy a cake for it. She instantly pulled her terminal and started dialing the nearest available bakery.
“You made it here?” Młynar is confused, he doesn’t think that she has time to visit Maria’s birthday, especially with how busy she is so far. After all, she has to escort that Kjerag lord along with the Black Knight to Victoria.
“W-Wuh!?” Maria could only stare awkwardly seeing another drone that would surely be hers, she had forgotten her birthday too. Still, seeing such a large drone, most likely meant for military use just makes her even more fired up. She vowed to quadruple her studying effort, regardless of anything to make up for what her family had given her. Maria’s enthusiasm would instead cause Nyx to scream in a mix of horror and manic pride seeing how hard her cute niece is pushing herself, but that is a story for another time.
“Eh?” Nyx felt these conflicting emotions and she got bewildered seeing there was nothing around here that indicated an event was being held. She expected to be somewhat late to Maria’s modest birthday party, only to realize that there was never one. She frowned before turning her head towards her Mwi. Her scowl would have terrified her foes but she looks adorable in his eyes.
“Mwi…” She then narrowed her eyes on Młynar who had a feeling that Nyx would blame him somehow… He just sighed and braced himself, it’s hard to win an argument against her when she is dead set on winning from the get-go. Oh well, he could count it as training for the real argument or something…
Thus the confusion enveloped the family… Kiril could only watch from the side, shaking his head while being amused before getting back to rest in his room. That night a small birthday party was celebrated along with Margaret who attended using an interface, courtesy of an extremely naggy snake lady who doesn’t understand what the meaning of restraint is…
End of Flashback
Maria giggled happily from her memory, she played and tinkered with her drone forever more. She hopes that these days will last forever… she misses her parents, but Młynar and Nyx feel like her step-parents along with Zofia and Margaret who cherish her greatly. She also couldn’t help but hope that her dear grandfather would be healthy once more.
“Maria!” She heard someone call for her and turned around. She watched as Lina and Zofia made their way towards them, two huge plates of cupcakes on their hands. Maria is a bit worried seeing her aunt bringing in a treat with only one hand. Her friends had different ideas and just swarmed them both with their proactive begging.
She strolled towards them while dragging her friend who was too engrossed with the drone along.
-
-
-
While they are all having a generally good time, Nyx can be seen walking towards a fairly isolated cabin. There is no trace of joy on her face, only a somber acceptance of what she is about to witness. Her eyes finally caught a glimpse of the cabin, looking pristine, clean, and honestly truly out of place with how modern it is.
She exhaled before pushing the door open and saw a lot of vacant rooms. Nyx made her way inside while casting glances along the way, these rooms are of higher quality in terms of amenities and construction. Each has a small refrigerator that is always restocked with beverages and snacks for potential occupants. The wardrobe placed inside might be empty, but it would be filled with the finest she could find when there is an occupant. The bedding is perhaps the best of all, one that would even make a frontier noble green with envy due to its luxury and comfort.
It held a secret, however…
She found a man wearing the equivalent of hazmat gear waiting for her by the hallway along with several other of his colleagues. His stony expression was all she needed, she gestured with her head for him to proceed with standard procedures. The man, and by extension his team, complied while giving her the destination before making haste towards another room; a specialized room.
Where is she? Well…
Nyx reached her destination, the only room that was currently occupied. She knocked softly on the door, and a tiny whimpering grunt answered her. Taking it as her permission, she visits the occupant who has a large Originium shard growing from their right arm. Nyx hardened her heart in a bid to keep her somber smile.
“Sera… it’s me.” An utterance of a name, or was that a monster’s desperate prayers?
“… *cough*…. *cough*… ma…ma…?” The occupant turns out to be a Sarkaz girl, she limply gazed at Nyx but still managed to smile weakly. Nyx smiled back, as brightly as she could. Her eyes still show the telltale of pain; especially when she stared at the girl’s missing horns.
“Ma… Y-you’re… back…”
“Yes… I won’t break another one of my promises, sweetheart… I was busy with work, I should have come sooner… we could have gone to that lake I promised you, together.”
“D-Don’t be… he he… mama… would… mother… be… waiting…. for *cough!*…” Nyx leaped to her side, completely disregarding the blood that was drenching the girl’s dying visage. Blood or Originium matters as much as dirt to her; a dying ember of human life takes precedence.
“Shh…. It’s alright Sera… it’s alright…” One of her hands patted the dying girl’s head, her smile grew wider despite the ember turned into flickers.
“Ma… I missed Mother… and… Father… I’m so tired…” Alas, another of her prayers was not answered. She displayed a sardonic smile from those passing thoughts; who would want to accept hers anyway…?
“Everything would be alright, let me tell you that… you will soon see a place bigger than the lake…”
“Really…?”
“Yes… so…” Her other hand reaches out on a satchel behind her back. Nyx pulled out a syringe, thus further elaboration would no longer be necessary.
-
-
-
Day turned into night when people had already made their way to bed. Not everyone though, Nyx is still up and hard at work processing documents that require her attention. Despite her flighty and independent nature, she still has her responsibilities to uphold as a Paramilitary Liaison for the Contingency Contract and Catastrophe Messenger.
Her concentration was interrupted by a message being sent to her terminal. She glanced at it and saw that it was in the form of audio; so she just used her earpiece to play it while her hand scribbled and grappled with legal documents.
[This is Doctor Kal’tsit, from Babel’s Landship; Rhodes Island.] She stopped and listened closely.
[The research had reached 97%, it would be most beneficial if you could visit Rhodes Island at your earliest convenience. I suggest you provide a rather conspicuous display to obfuscate the truth… To explain what I could gather so far; you’re a specimen worth trading half of Kawalerielki’s population and wealth…] Nyx was stunned, her reply was delayed for a few minutes of pure silence.
“This is Nyx, Wilco.” She sent her voice message and switched channels to contact Conrad.
[Anything you need, my lady?] Conrad rapidly replied.
“Prepare the decoys and convoys.”
[Where to?]
“Kazdel.”
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author’s Note:
Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who is suffering both mentally and physically.
Kal’tsit finally finished her research into what the hell Nyx really is as an individual. Now it is just a matter of whether or not her caution would pay off…
I’m straight up having a rather hard time, so updates might really be taking a hit from here on out.
Welp, I hope my life gets better.
Ciao
