-Arc 1-

  Chapter 16

  “Darkness”

  *?*?*?*

  Carlos: "Though~ I am aware of the unfortunate happenstances that arose in my absence previously~, due to occurrences not completely unrelated to my most recent departure, I regret to inform you that I'm going to be leaving~ again.”

  Though he could have made his words far more concise, the maids who received this explanation were able to comprehend it.

  Seraphine: “What? You’re leaving again? Aren't you worried about another demon-beast showing up?”

  Seraphine, who had been nearly killed the last time Carlos had left the manor only a few days ago, was obviously the biggest voice against his decision. Not that the count would allow others to make decisions for him.

  Aqua had healed Seraphine’s life-threatening injuries almost immediately, but having been impaled, even Aqua’s healing magic could not completely erase the effects. She walked with an awkward gait, and occasionally clutched her abdomen in pain. Carlos gave her lightened duties as she healed.

  Aqua: “I don't mean ta be insubordinate n’ allat, but can I ask the reason ‘o why you’re leavin’?”

  Carlos, addressing his servants in the grand hall, let out a hearty chuckle which reverberated throughout the massive room.

  Carlos: “Uhahaha! Well~, there are no worries about insubordination, dear Aqua. Don't tell me that you still only think of me as a cold and pragmatic~ noble?”

  Aqua: “——”

  Carlos: “Yes, yes~. As for the reason of my leave~, it is just a bit of unavoidable business between partners, you know~? And how long I will be gone~, it is dubious even to me, but I’d say a few days~ at most…”

  Petra: “A week?”

  Aqua: “What will we do if anotha’ beast shows up?”

  Again, Carlos boomed out a laugh from his thin lips.

  Carlos: “Uhahaha~! If the well-being of my dear servants is in jeopardy~, I’m sure you all will do your best to protect each other and my domain~.”

  The seven maids, all present in the grand hall, were silent at Carlos’s response. Though, he did not seem demotivated by this. On the contrary, he seemed to be emboldened by it.

  Carlos: “If a great disaster is approaching~, face it head on as strong warriors!”

  Carlos suddenly spun around, his cloak flapping. Seeing him in such a well-lit setting was a bit unsettling. He was usually shrouded in darkness in his office.

  Glancing back at the maids with his pale face and flashing a wink and a grin, he tipped his feathered hat, and disappeared out the main door.

  After staring for a while at the door where Carlos had just disappeared out of, the maids eventually began to disperse away from the meeting.

  In particular, Aqua and Caelia left together rather quickly towards the west wing. Of course, Mirra and Aíma went by themselves in separate directions, and Seraphine made her way back to the kitchen, leaving only Eris and Petra behind.

  It had been a few days since the skirmish with the demon-beast, but the damaged part of the manor was still yet to be fixed. Carlos claimed that he was ‘working on acquiring a good team’ to repair it, but it was yet to come to fruition.

  Petra noticed that Eris had been acting oddly since the day she suddenly went catatonic again. Of course, she hadn't been ‘normal’ since before she lost her memories, but even the new Eris was not normally this quiet.

  Petra had made attempts to get her to open up and make meaningful conversation, but she was met with short responses and dead stares. Unlike Aíma’s blank looks, which were out of pure indifference, Eris seemed like she had a black cloud over her expressions, and generally she seemed to be miserable at all points of time.

  What the exact cause of it was, Petra still did not know. But she was determined to help Eris out, even if she didn't know how.

  Petra: “Eris, why don't we go out in the gardens and do a bit of work out there? It’d be nice for you to get some fresh air. You haven't gone outside for a few days.”

  Eris looked slowly over at Petra, dark lines under her eyes, and slowly shook her head.

  Eris: “No thanks, Petra. I’ll just do some inside work.”

  She didn't even attempt to smile as she spoke.

  Petra: “Ehh…”

  Averting her crimson eyes, Eris turned away from Petra and made her way up the stairs.

  Petra: “Oh, okay… that's fine. But, maybe I could help you?”

  Eris: “Don’t feel the need to burden yourself, Petra.”

  Her tone was sluggish, and her words were a bit painful to hear even though they were spoken in such a dull way.

  Petra: “It’s not a burden at all, Eris. You shouldn't be so worried about bothering people. I offered, you know?”

  Eris: “——”

  Eris, speaking to Petra from the stairs, was still yet to turn around and face her, her white hair facing Petra with her head only slightly cocked to acknowledge her presence. It was a miracle that she even stopped walking to listen to her.

  Petra exploited the small opening Eris provided, following Eris up the stairs.

  Petra: “I won't let you work alone again. You’ve probably been really lonely the past few days by yourself, right?”

  Eris: “I guess.”

  Following Eris around as she does her daily work, Petra made sure to go out of her way to help Eris as much as possible. Handling most of the cleaning, swiftly taking care of things before Eris gets the chance to.

  It wasn't that hard, since Eris was working slowly and sluggishly, as if in a daze the entire time. Her crimson eyes, usually astute and attentive, only seemed to reflect all light away from them.

  Petra: “You know, Seraphine told me a bit about what you two… talked about the first day you woke up with amnesia."

  Understanding that their argument was probably not something Eris wanted to dwell on, Petra had to swiftly follow up.

  Petra: “I’m not sure if I should say this, but Seraphine wants to apologize. But she can't figure out the right way to say it.”

  Eris: “——”

  Petra: “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you and Seraphine should… maybe try and make up?”

  Eris: “I’m not mad at her. Seraphine doesn't hate me either, right?”

  Petra: “That's… well, it’s good you’re not arguing. But I was trying to say that you two could be… friends, again?”

  Saying that to the lethargic Eris, Petra watched as she seemed to contemplate her offer.

  Eris: “Aren't we all friends… in the manor? Family…”

  As soon as those words left her mouth, Eris returned to her work.

  Petra: “——”

  At first, Petra was thinking of saying something like “you and Seraphine were really close before your amnesia,” but she understood that it would be an inconsiderate thing to say to her. From what Seraphine told her, Eris did not want to be Eris— or something like that.

  It was true that it was hard to consider the current Eris and the Previous Eris as the same person, especially with the way Eris was now acting.

  Still, she would like all of them to get along.

  Of course, it wasn't like Eris and Seraphine were cold to each other. In actuality, Petra had no idea what their true feelings about each other were, since she was not them. Eris did seem very worried about Seraphine when she wanted to check up on her after waking up, but Petra was able to convince her to rest more.

  Suddenly, Eris left the room.

  Petra: “Eris?”

  Rushing to follow after her, Eris was already making her way to the next room.

  Petra: “You weren't going to tell me…?”

  Eris: “Sorry, I guess I just forgot.”

  She wasn't sure if she was hurt or amused by Eris's narrow-minded action.

  Petra: “It does seem like you have a lot on your mind, huh?”

  Eris’s eyes widened, as if she had not noticed it herself. Glancing at the floor, Eris shrugged.

  Eris: “I guess.”

  The room Eris entered was the parlor. A large, cylindrical room that was inside the large tower that capped off the east wing. A huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling, with high windows that were locked shut and a piano among lounge chairs and bookshelves.

  Petra watched Eris for a moment as she moved around the room, cleaning absent-mindedly. Moving to do work of her own, she noticed Eris was looking about the room, eyeing things like the windows and furniture.

  Petra: “The decorations are a bit odd here, aren't they?”

  The green colored furniture did not really fit the manor’s color scheme. There were odd paintings on the wall, and the windows were huge.

  Eris: “...The decorations?”

  Petra: “Isn't that what you're looking at?”

  Eris: “——”

  Petra: “Or, maybe not…”

  Their eyes lingering on each other for a moment, Petra returned to her work. As she did previously, she worked quickly and thoroughly so that Eris would not strain herself with work in her state. Especially since, at the rate Eris was moving, this room would not be clean until the sun was setting.

  Petra was fine working without talking, but utter silence was uncomfortable. Most of the time, she worked in the gardens where she was alone. However, even though she was not speaking to anyone, it was far from silent. Birds sang, the wind rustled the trees, the sounds of bees’ wings on the flowers, frogs croaking and crickets chirping. At any moment outside, there were an innumerable amount of sounds that would keep her company during her extensive work.

  Right now, there was silence. The sounds of feather dusters and brooms were not something that could keep her company, and combined with the awkwardness between two people, the quiet was pervasive.

  Petra: “Ahh, you know…”

  Eris: “——?”

  Petra: “Don't you think it's a bit strange that Carlos left again, even though we were attacked by a demon-beast only a few days ago?”

  It took a while for Eris to respond. She seemed startled at the mention of Carlos, which struck Petra as odd since they were cleaning his home as they spoke.

  Eris: “If he’s a politician, I guess it makes sense he’d have to leave a lot on short notice…”

  Petra: “Oh, that's a practical way of looking at it… Ah, Eris? What are you doing…?”

  Glancing at Eris, who up until now had been quiet and lethargic, was suddenly lifting a large couch near the window, moving it aside so it was under the window.

  Eris: “...I was going to sweep under it.”

  For some reason, it seemed to Petra that Eris was skeptical of her own answer, but it was not like lifting a couch was a suspicious thing, nor did she have any reason to not trust Eris, so it did not alarm her.

  Though Eris’s eyes did seem to linger on the locked glass pane, with the couch moved aside under the window.

  Petra: “I’m done over here, so I can sweep it!”

  Taking it upon herself, Petra carried herself and her broom over to the spot where the couch was moved, and began sweeping. It gets extra dirty under furniture since it’s harder to sweep and sometimes forgotten about.

  Eris watched her with that same blank look in her eyes. She did not appear to be grateful that Petra was doing her work for her, nor disappointed that she was not doing it herself.

  Suddenly the thought came to Petra that maybe taking over most of Eris’s duties for her wasn't helping her. Perhaps it made her feel worse, like that she was useless or something like that. It would be terrible if that was the case.

  Petra: “I know you can do it, but I just wanted to help you out, you know? It’s not a burden. I just wanted to help you, Eris.”

  Petra was trying to predict Eris’s thinking. If Eris was in a bad headspace, Petra wanted to at least try to minimize her sadness by preventing sad thoughts in the first place.

  Eris: “Thanks, but you shouldn't worry about me.”

  Petra: “I missed that one…”

  Eris apparently was skilled at being self-depricating. Petra had not planned for that line.

  Petra: “There's… nothing wrong with being nice. Not that I’m just doing it to be nice.”

  To Petra, to do something just because it was ‘nice’ came off as selfish. If you were doing a nice thing just to be nice, you were doing it for your own image and self-esteem, and not because you truly wanted to do something kind. She wasn't going to apply it to all people, but that's at least how she thought about it for her own personal actions.

  Eris: “——”

  To Petra’s surprise, Eris didn't have a response to that, so she felt rather triumphant.

  Following Eris to the other side of the room, they began to dust off the bookshelf. The books in the parlor were mostly for decoration, since the ones that actually got read were in the library. As such, these ones collected dust.

  Standing shoulder to shoulder without saying anything, the awkwardness was even more brutal than before. Feeling desperate, Petra brought up the first topic on her mind.

  Petra: “You guys seemed to be really close for a while, but I haven't seen you talk to Aqua at all lately.”

  As the name ‘Aqua’ left Petra’s lips, Eris's feather duster fell to the floor. She watched as Eris's beautiful face went pale, and her eyes widened.

  Petra: “Oh, sorry! Did you two get in a fight or something? I shouldn't have brought it up…”

  Eris: “A fight…”

  She seemed to be thoughtful about that word, so maybe it was something between a fight and argument. Either way, Eris looked to be unsure about her feelings on Aqua. Though, it was surprising that the two would argue. Not only was Aqua very kind and compassionate, she was not the type to argue unless something was threatening the safety of someone else. Eris was similar in her kindness, not to mention her post-amnesia self was rather unassertive. They seemed very close, and Petra couldn't think of a reason they would disagree anyway.

  Petra: “Well, you don't have to tell me! If it’s painful to think about, let's talk about something else, okay?”

  Eris: “It’s fine, Petra.”

  Petra: “Oh, Eris, do you still like reading? I’m sure you heard that you… well, ‘Eris’ used to, but I'm wondering if you still do?”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Eris: “—I do read… sometimes.”

  Petra: “Oh, you do… I’m not super into reading, but I do dabble into journaling and stuff… But reading puts me to sleep, so I can never make any progress on a book.”

  Running her finger along the spine of a dusty book, Eris stared blankly through it.

  Eris: "Maybe I should try it, then?”

  Petra: “What, reading?”

  Eris: “You say reading puts you to sleep…”

  Petra: “Oh, I see. You’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

  It's true that when Petra gets poor sleep, especially for multiple nights in a row, she gets irritable and antisocial. Even the gardens seem unappealing at that point. So she always tries to prioritize getting the best sleep she can so she doesn't snap at anyone.

  Petra: “You know what puts me right to sleep? Eating. Maybe it’s just because we eat dinner right after our duties are done, but I always seem to be tired after.”

  Eris: “Thanks, Petra. I’ll… try that.”

  Petra: “Speaking of eating, it’s about time that Seraphine would have delivered lunch to us...”

  Her body had gotten used to eating at this time, so her appetite was starting to reawaken by now.

  Petra: “Maybe it’s because we usually aren't over this way that Seraphine hasn't found us?”

  Eris: “Maybe.”

  Though she was concerned about Eris and her monosyllabic responses, she was optimistic that a good night's rest would put her on track for recovery.

  Petra: “I’m starving. What about you, Eris?”

  Eris: “I’m not really hungry, no.”

  Petra: “Oh, you aren't? Are you sure? A good meal might make you feel better… Well, I’ll go look for Seraphine anyway, since I’m sure she’s probably getting annoyed that she can't find us.”

  Eris glanced up at Petra, her eyes a bit more open than her usual dead look of late. Unsure of the reason, Petra decided not to dwell on it since her stomach was calling for food.

  Petra: “If you’re finished with this room while I’m gone, just leave a note telling me where you went, okay?”

  Eris only responded with a half-nod.

  —*—

  Petra: “Seraphine?”

  She had been walking up and down the halls, following Seraphine's usual route for deliveries, but she was yet to find her. It had gotten past the usual delivery time, so maybe Seraphine got fed up and decided to leave their lunches in the kitchen.

  Peeking inside said kitchen, she did not see any packed lunches waiting for her. More surprisingly however, was the lack of Seraphine herself. Though she was of course the one that delivered the lunches, at this time, she would have usually made her return.

  Petra: “Either she’s still out looking for us, or she got held up…”

  Without any signs of her nearby on her usual route, Petra decided to check the east wing. Going through the grand hall, she was met with a sense of relief.

  Petra: “Oh, there she is.”

  Seraphine and Aqua were standing by the main door, and seemed to be conversing with someone. At first, Petra believed that Carlos may have returned, but getting a closer look at the guest, it was clearly not the case. She had never seen the man before.

  Aqua: “Again, if you wish to speak with our Master, perhaps you can return at another time?”

  When speaking with guests, Aqua masked her dialect, but sometimes it still cut through.

  ???: “Do not aggravate me, maid. I just want to speak with him! I really doubt he’s gone, so let me in.”

  The man's voice was sharp and rough, full of irritation and self-importance.

  Seraphine: “The Count truly is not here at the moment. He is away on a business trip.”

  ???: “Is it because I'm not a politician? You know, I’m an emissary of a lord, you know?”

  Approaching the scene, she felt the man’s sharp eyes study her form.

  Aqua: “Of a lord? If you could give us their name, then we can inform Master Carlos upon his return.”

  ???: “——I… well, I can't name them, but it’s true.”

  Petra: “Is everything alright here?”

  The man was wearing a black and red outfit. Garments that seemed to be simple work clothes, but in colors that were rare for a laborer to own.

  Seraphine: “Oh, Petra. Sorry about lunch, I got a little… held up.”

  Seraphine motioned to the annoyed man at the door.

  Aqua: “If you can't name them, then I can't inform the master.”

  ???: “Urgh! You insolent servants! I’d never hire you. As expected of a politician…”

  Seraphine: “Didn't you say you worked for a lord?”

  ???: “Shut up!”

  The man’s brash attitude was not helping his charm, and he only got further and further from gaining permission to enter the manor.

  Getting impatient, the gruff man tapped his foot, breathing heavily.

  ???: “Look, little ladies. I need to speak with your master. It’s a matter way above you! It’s about… politics, so don't even try to comprehend it.”

  Petra grew a bit annoyed at the insinuation that they could not understand politics because they were servants, or perhaps ladies, but her discomfort was nothing compared to Seraphine, whose face was hot and red.

  Seraphine: “You—!”

  Aqua put a hand on her shoulder, calming her enough to prevent her from lashing out with unnecessary words.

  Aqua: “As servants of the Schwartzhardt’s domain, we are orderin’ you to leave the premises. If you wish to speak with the Count, please return another day.”

  Aqua’s accent slipped a bit, as she was growing annoyed as well.

  ???: “Ragh! This is ridiculous! It’s insulting, really. Whatever, you’ll get what's coming. All of you!”

  Turning violently, the man stormed off. They kept the door open, watching him until he left the bounds of the manor’s fence, and disappeared amongst the winding road.

  Petra: “Who was that?”

  Aqua: “No idea. I’d say ‘e was a servant of one of Carlos’s friends, but…”

  Petra: “But?”

  Aqua: “Well, I don't think he was quite telling the truth there.”

  Petra: “That's true, he did seem quite suspicious.”

  Suspicious, among other things. Personally, Petra felt that people like that should be disregarded after speaking with them, because rude and conceited people were mentally draining, and nobody should be obligated to subject themself to harsh treatment. That was partially why she tried to avoid Caelia.

  It wasn't that she disliked Caelia, as Petra understood her attitude had reasons and that it was only a mask. But regardless, she felt her sharp attitude was not something she wanted to engage with.

  Aqua: “What do you think, Sera? You’re lookin’ kinda deep in thought there.”

  To Aqua’s words, Seraphine was pulled out of her thoughtful gaze. Her fingers were over her chin, and she looked a bit concerned.

  Seraphine: “Oh, I dunno. It's probably nothing.”

  Petra: “Are you sure? You look worried.”

  Aqua nodded, agreeing with Petra’s statement.

  Seraphine: “I might just be paranoid, but that guy was wearing black and red.”

  Aqua: “Yeah, he was. You don't see clothes in those colors often, do ya?”

  Seraphine: “No, but it worries me because…”

  Seraphine looked like she was reminiscing on something terrible as her face contorted with shame and sadness.

  Petra: “——”

  Aqua: “—?”

  Seeing the suddenly grim face of Seraphine, Aqua tilted her head with an eyebrow raised. Petra too was curious about the significance of the colors of the man's clothes.

  Aqua: “Is there somethin’ I’m missin’?”

  Seraphine: “When me and Eris were attacked outside of Velna and she lost her memories, the men who did so...”

  Petra: “Oh.”

  The story Seraphine told Petra while sitting by Eris’s bedside immediately came back to Petra, and she was hit with a wave of understanding.

  Seraphine: “...also wore only black and red.”

  Aqua: “That is odd, ain't it?”

  Petra wondered herself if it was a coincidence. Black and red were both uncommon colors, especially for common folk. Master Carlos wore almost exclusively black with some purple, another exceptionally rare color, but he was a wealthy Count with a high status and merit in the nation. Among the population, he was in the 0.01%.

  In fairness, the man claimed to be an ‘emissary of a lord,’ but without proof, his status was dubious at best.

  Especially for clothes of that type, a working tunic and trousers, he did not seem to be someone of wealth or status.

  Petra did not place the value of a person based on those things, but it did speak to the strangeness of his fashion. From her limited knowledge, she could not come to an easy conclusion that the man was related to the men who attacked Eris and Seraphine or not.

  Aqua: “If they’re related, we should be more weary, y’know? I’ll tell Cae ‘bout it. Hopefully it’s nothin’, right?”

  Seraphine: “I hope so. I don't want people like that showing up here.”

  Petra: “Why don't we take our minds off it?”

  Petra knew it was a bit irresponsible to avoid worrying about things like that, but it was really the only strategy she had. Aqua was making her way back, presumably to Caelia, to inform her of the strange man. Petra would probably have to tell Aíma, Eris, and Mirra about it as well.

  Seraphine: “——”

  Petra: “Did you make lunch? I’m pretty hungry.”

  Seraphine reached into the small bag in her hands, presenting a green boxed lunch to her.

  Petra: “I’ll give Eris’s to her as well.”

  Taking the white boxed lunch from Seraphine, Petra wondered. Again, she was not entirely sure about the relationship between Eris and Seraphine now, but Seraphine seemed to be down lately as well. Perhaps working with each other would cheer them up?

  Petra: “Seraphine, do you want to work with me and Eris? It’s getting lonely just the two of us.”

  Hesitating for a moment, Seraphine bit her lip.

  Seraphine: “I think I’ll start preparing dinner, actually.”

  Petra: “Even though it’s only noon?”

  With a nod, Seraphine quietly left Petra behind in the grand hall. Her red hair disappearing around the corner, Petra let out a disappointed sigh.

  Petra: “The manor feels so different lately.”

  Even after Eris had lost her memories, things still felt normal for a while. However, in the past few days, the status-quo has crumbled. Everyone seemed so tense and on edge. Dinner was almost silent. Eris and Seraphine immediately retreated to their rooms after eating. Aqua and Caelia spoke to nobody but each other aside from specific occasions. Even Petra had started to feel the effects of it. Trying to keep the mood up, worrying about the others, trying to understand what the cause of it all was, all while doing her duties was very draining. Especially now with the demon-beast attack, and now the strange guest.

  She wondered if things really were changing, or it was just the seasons making people depressed.

  —*—

  Eris did not want to come to dinner, and even though Petra protested vehemently, trying to get her to come eat, Eris insisted on continuing her work. Petra found it strange, because other than the obvious reasons, Eris seemed to be very unenthusiastic about her work lately.

  After a while of trying to get her to at least come and eat a bit of food, Petra gave up and attended dinner.

  As usual, it was silent other than the clattering of silverware and the scuff of a chair, especially so with the absence of the flamboyant Carlos. During clean up, nobody coordinated with words, and everyone went about their own business, cleaning up their own sections without asking for or offering help.

  Not even Petra had the courage to speak up and say something like; “what's going on with you all?” She felt a bit left-out, ignorant of why everyone was acting like this. The only people who seemed to be acting normally were Mirra and Aíma, who were silent in normal circumstances.

  After her bath, Petra went back up to the third floor to find Eris. She was still cleaning the parlor.

  Petra: “Seraphine kept some leftovers for you if you get hungry.”

  Eris: “Okay.”

  Absent-mindedly brushing a shelf with her feather duster, Eris did not turn around to face Petra as she spoke.

  Petra: “Are you going to get ready for bed? The bath is still hot.”

  Eris: “Maybe later.”

  Petra: “Erm… Well, alright Eris. Good night. Don't push yourself.”

  She didn't know how to be firm and tell Eris that she should eat now, and go to bed now so that she can get a good nights rest.

  Though Eris said she was going to try the strategies that Petra suggested, she made no effort to have a good meal or sleep well. Petra wasn't going to blame Eris, since she knew how it felt, but it was frustrating to be unable to help her.

  As the door shut, leaving Eris alone in the dim room, Eris let out a sigh. Her body was drained of all energy, and moving felt extremely laborious. Not because she was exhausted, but because her mind was sluggishly gray. Her stomach growled, beginning to burn with nausea, but her appetite had not returned since that night in the red room.

  Her wrist was beginning to get sore from dusting the same spot with the same feather-duster repeatedly, but she did not care enough to stop or move on to another shelf.

  Suddenly, the door opened again, and a bit of annoyance crept into her mind. She could tell that Petra and to an extent Seraphine were concerned for her, but she preferred to not weigh anyone down.

  Seraphine: “Eris, you’re still working…?”

  Eris: “——”

  Seraphine: “Aren't you gonna get ready for bed soon? I left some food in the kitchen for when you get hungry.”

  Eris: “Thanks, Seraphine.”

  Seraphine: “Aren't you hungry?”

  Eris: “Not really.”

  Seraphine: “Ah— ...Okay, Eris. Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

  Eris: “Goodnight.”

  As the door shut behind Seraphine, Eris’s heart began to pump harder. She had examined the window from afar and came to the conclusion that with a bit of leverage, the lock would break and she could open it. She would use her own strength for that. The one thing that she felt she could rely on was her physical strength.

  To actually reach the window, she would use the furniture. She had tested it before when she was working with Petra, and knew that she could easily move the furniture to use as a step to get under the window.

  Pushing the same green couch as before, she lined it up under the window, and climbed on top. Just barely able to reach the window sill with her fingers, just as she predicted, she lifted herself up.

  Again, as she predicted, she was able to break the lock with a bit of force from her palm, and the window slid open. Immediately, her breath was sucked out of her lungs as heavy wind whipped across the room. Feeling her white hair flying about, Eris sat herself on the edge of the window, looking down at the grounds below.

  The beautifully, diligently manicured lawn, maintained by Petra. The swaying forest illuminated by the full moon in the sky. Dark storm clouds rolled in from the distance, threatening the world with their torrents of rain. She remembered for a moment the brief outdoor tour she had gotten, where she admired the view of the rolling hills and the size of the manor.

  At this height, when she fell, she knew she would only have a brief window of time that she could orient herself to fall head first, so that her neck would snap upon impact and kill her. If she failed in this task, missed her window, she would undoubtedly break many bones, but would probably survive.

  She also had to avoid the bushes, which would soften her fall and risk saving her life.

  Pulling herself up from sitting to now standing with her feet balancing in the window, she had to stabilize herself against the powerful wind.

  Now standing there, poised to jump, she froze in contemplation. She had thought about this moment almost constantly for days, but now that it was in front of her, she could not help but feel a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

  She wondered if it would really be okay to end her life here. If she died here, the spiral of her mind would end, and no longer would she be burdened with memories, emotions and self-lacerating thoughts. The suffering of the red room would be erased, and it would prevent any further suffering to herself, and herself from inevitably causing suffering to others

  On the contrary, she felt reservations about ‘Eris.’ She had thoughtlessly, inconsiderately robbed her of her body, usurping her as Eris, and was now going to discard her as if her body was a waste because of her selfish feelings.

  There was also Petra and Seraphine, who seemed to genuinely be concerned for Eris. Though, they were only concerned for ‘Eris,’ whom they believed still had a chance to reappear, or was still here in a memoryless state. She was not ‘Eris’ in the slightest, so they were wrong. Regardless, she knew that jumping would undoubtedly cause the two pain. She wondered about Aqua and Caelia. How would they feel? She would feel a bit of satisfaction, making those that caused her to do this feel a bit of despair. But she also was hesitant to think they would feel anything about her death.

  To avoid contemplating it anymore, she tried to move her foot off the edge. But it would not let her. Indeed, even if Eris was set on her fate, ‘Eris’s’ body betrayed its new master. At this moment, she felt annoyed that Aqua reattached it after Caelia sliced it off.

  But she could not force herself to move. After all, she was hit with a thought.

  After this, there would be no suffering. She had gotten so used to it that she wondered what it would be like to be free of it all.

  She understood suddenly that death would make everything up until now a waste.

  The thought of that made her veins ice over.

  Truly, it is unfathomable to the mind that, facing death and what will come beyond it, there is nothing. Everything up until that point; the knowledge gained, people met, words exchanged, deeds done, choices made and actions carried out… Death ceases that constant stream of things, and they will never continue. Never, for the rest of time, will the dead gain knowledge, meet new people, exchange words, do deeds, make choices, or carry out actions. Everything done up until the point of death, and the preparations that were made for dying itself, they also cease and become meaningless. All that was learned and acquired is discarded without purpose, rendering all that was done completely over without the ability to ever continue again.

  If her life were to end now, she would no longer be alive. It’s a simple conclusion, but it was incomprehensible to her. Indeed, she had not truly thought of that fact alone, only considering that death would end her suffering.

  Eris: “Shut up. Shut up, shut up!”

  Those thoughts were raging inside her head. They were all hindrances. Burdens. They were trying to stop her from escaping. Chains restraining her from her goal. They needed to be shut out.

  But her body wouldn't move. She couldn't step out of the window, and she couldn't jump.

  Eris: “Shut up! Let me go!”

  Wrenching at her leg that would not jump, she tried to pull at it like it would come off as easily as Caelia made it.

  Eris: “Let me jump!”

  She began to use her hands to try and push herself from the window to the moonlit lawn below, but as she applied herself to it——

  Eris: “——”

  A loud crash reverberated from below. Echoing not only from inside the manor, but outside as well. The entire earth seemed to shake, the boom reverberating through her every organ.

  The Maids of

  Count Schwartzhardt's Manor