Chapter 3: Disarray

Chapter 3:
Disarray

 

LINUS STOOD ATOP the tallest tower in the West District and cast his gaze across the town below.

Even from this high a vantage point, so keen was his vision that he could make out every individual characteristic of the rough and tumble crowd of the West District, the distinguished merchants in the East District, and the commoners who milled about the Central District.

“Where did Cyrill get off to?”

According to the guards, she was last seen fleeing the castle in a state of shock. When he went to Maria’s room to see if she had any idea where the young girl might be, he was surprised to find it empty as well.

“Something’s just not right here. I can feel it in my bones.”

A cool, damp breeze blew past his cheek as the clouds above took on an ominous shade of gray. It wasn’t just the wind that disquieted him. He caught a familiar, worrisome scent on the breeze.

“Blood, but not a human’s. Smells like it came from a monster.”

Judging by the strength of the scent, the source was a fairly large group, But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. Somewhere out of sight, a great deal of blood was being shed.

The omens the wind brought were only the most recent signs. Unexplained deaths in the capital had spiked in recent days, and a rumor trickled to Linus that Satuhkie and his clique were up to strange business.

Linus hopped down from the tower, landing silently in the street below. “Honestly, I’d love to just focus my energies on Maria.”

He pressed on undeterred into the darkest, most secluded corners of the city, following the copper tang of blood.

“Hey, didja hear? Apparently the lieutenant commander let one of the Children get away.”

“We were in a pretty tight spot back there for a bit. If we hadn’t found these things, the commander would’ve killed us for sure!”

Two church knights stood over the body of a woman.

“The hell are you doing?”

The scene reeked of blood, though not the kind Linus was in search of. This must have been yet another of the church knights’ unchecked murders.

“Wait, is that…??”

“…Linus Radiants?! No way. What’s a hero like him doing here??”

The soldiers quickly drew their swords, though Linus had already unslung his bow, drawn, and got off a shot before they found the initiative to move. Moving with a speed befitting one of the legendary heroes, his arrows found their marks in the soldiers’ arms, eliciting agonizing screams from both.

“Get the hell out of here. If you’re not gone in three seconds, it’ll be your life.”

Being in no place to question his intent, they took off running.

Linus lowered his bow and knelt down next to the groaning woman.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” He spoke in a soft, gentle tone and reached a hand out toward her. The figure was dressed in feminine attire and had a large protruding stomach. However…

She’s pretty big…and looking at her bone structure and scent, I’m not sure she’s even a woman. The closer he got, the more he began to question himself.

“Oh, thank you so much. I’ll be fine. I think I can walk myself home.”

There was something unnatural about the strange woman’s voice.

He thought for a moment that maybe there was a cloth or something else stuffed under her clothes around her stomach, but as far as he could tell, it looked real.

I guess it’s pretty rude to judge someone by their voice and appearance, the gentlemanly side of Linus told him reproachfully. Best to just leave it be.

The woman stood up, leaning on the wall for support, and began to walk in the opposite direction of the soldiers. After he’d convinced himself she was walking all right, Linus turned his back on her. In that moment, he heard that strange voice call out to him from behind.

“I suspect you’ll find what you seek in the castle’s dungeon.”

“What I seek…?” Linus scowled and spun around, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of her leaping into the air holding a weak-looking green-haired boy.

“Hey, wait up! Just who are you?!”

Linus jumped in the air after them, but he couldn’t see which way they’d gone. He let out a heavy sigh as he landed. “What in the hell was that all about? Maybe I should’ve stayed out of that whole encounter and left her alone…?”

Not that he could have done that, of course. He couldn’t turn his back on a woman in danger, no matter the circumstances.

“There was something weird about her, no doubt about it, but I guess it can’t hurt to go check out the dungeon. Come to think of it, does the castle even have a dungeon?”

He decided for the moment to trust what the woman told him and turned in the direction of the castle.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Cyrill roamed the city aimlessly, her hood pulled low over her face as she traversed mostly empty streets.

It’s all my fault, what happened to Flum. I’ve no right to carry the title of hero anymore. Then there’s Jean…and what happened to Maria… I don’t really have a party to go back to. I guess I could try to help Flum out of the spot I put her in, but…I wonder how she’d respond to me? Besides, didn’t Linus mention that she was doing all right for herself? I guess she doesn’t even need my help. Maybe I should just go home? But no, I can’t. I’d be betraying all the hopes and wishes they put into me if I return a failed hero.

She couldn’t think of any place where she would be welcome. The only place where she felt she could be at ease for the moment was tucked into one of the back streets’ dark alcoves.

It was dank, and it did little to ease the worries that racked her soul, but she found solace in the fact that she was finally away from other humans. She sat down, closed her eyes, and pulled her knees close to her chest.

She was consumed with this question of where she belonged, hoping the answer would cut her loose from the guilt she felt for her inaction. It was all she could do to turn her back on her woes and try to keep her mind a blank slate.

Her exhaustion quickly took over, and she started to doze, but at the urging of the instincts beaten into her by her time as humankind’s hero, the familiar clack of footsteps shook her back to instant battle-ready alertness. Looking up, she spotted a young girl dressed in attire similar to her own. She, too, had her hood pulled down low, revealing only glimpses of white hair and pale skin. She was holding a doll coated in a light layer of grime.

There was something about the girl that seemed to stand out in the dark alley. Cyrill could tell she’d lived a hard life.

The figure slowly approached Cyrill and pointed to where she was sitting. “This…is my spot.”

“You’re…using this place?”

She nodded.

“And you can’t sit next to me?”

The girl’s cheeks puffed up at this, and she started to look as if she were about to lose her temper, so Cyrill hurriedly stepped aside for her. She plopped down on the ground, pulled her knees close to her chest, and smiled in relief.

Must be nice to have a place to call your own, Cyrill thought.

She was certainly a strange girl, but Cyrill didn’t get the sense that she was following her, nor did she bear any ill will. She just sat there silently as she clutched her doll and stared at the ground.

Cyrill thought about trying to talk to her, but she couldn’t find the right words to say.

After a long moment of heavy silence, the girl spoke up. “…You.” She cut straight to the point. “Why…are you here? Are you…homeless?”

“What makes you think that?” Slightly embarrassed at such a young girl being able to see straight through her, Cyrill lowered her voice slightly in an attempt to sound more mature than she was.

“You’re…like me.”

“You’re homeless, too?”

The girl nodded.

“I guess you and I have something in common for choosing to hide away from prying eyes.”

Cyrill felt a sense of relief at finding a companion, though the girl was quick to shake her head and reject this explanation.

“No, I’m not here to hide.”

“Then why are you here?”

One look at the girl’s eyes told Cyrill that this was where they differed: The young girl’s gaze betrayed an immense inner strength. A desire to live. She felt like she could be sucked into the girl’s beautiful, powerful gaze.

“I have…to repay Mother. I’m not going to just…disappear. I’m…leaving my mark here.”

Cyrill took the girl’s words to mean that she was trying to show some form of filial piety to her mother. It was hard to reconcile the fact that this little girl could sit here and be so positive about the future with the fact that Cyrill, a so-called hero, was hiding out in the darkness with her face buried in her knees. She wasn’t trying to repay anyone’s generosity or even atone for her sins. All she could think about was running away.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, and the harder it became to escape the pull of her grimmest notions.

Despite her desperate attempts to remove the negative feelings from the forefront of her mind, they were only replaced with memories of Maria as she transformed into the awful creature.

She felt sweat run down her palms. Her breath quickened.

The little girl’s decision to press on was nothing short of amazing, even praiseworthy. It was what Cyrill ought to have done.

Alas, she just couldn’t find it within her to force herself back to the castle. She wanted to keep running until she found a place where there would be no more pain. More than anything else, she wanted to disappear. Then she wouldn’t risk bothering anyone again, and she’d have nothing left to worry about.

“Do you have…anything?”

The question caught Cyrill off guard. She bit down on her lip. The girl tilted her head to the side and looked at Cyrill with great curiosity, then followed up with another question.

“You must. Humans can’t…live alone. Honor, despair, revenge…you must feel a desire for one of these.”

“I do, but…well, I’m the one who was wrong. That’s why I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ll just end up…tired…if you chastise yourself all the time. It’s a waste. You’d better…spend that effort on someone important.”

She knew that much already. Whether she could pull it off was another problem entirely.

“Cyrill Sweechka.”

Cyrill’s heart skipped a beat as the girl spoke her name. How did she know?

“If you…disappear, there will be many happy people…and just as many will find themselves lost.”

“How did you know my name?”

“You’re a hero. Famous. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I…I guess you’re right.”

It struck her that if a little kid like her knew who she was, there was no hope that Cyrill would be able to hide out in the capital.

“I want…to show people how valuable I really am…and…” The girl’s voice dropped to a mere whisper, making it hard for Cyrill to follow. It sounded like she was speaking more to herself than anyone else.

Finally, she let out a small sigh. “Did you want to see it?”

Before Cyrill could ask what she meant, the girl slowly stood up and focused her intense gaze on her. “Proof that we…are alive. Our…mark.”

Cyrill got the impression that the girl wanted her to follow. But why would she want to take a complete stranger like herself somewhere? She didn’t know, but she also didn’t care what she did anymore if it gave her some kind of purpose. Cyrill clenched her jaw hard and nodded. The young girl smiled back.

“I’m…Mute.”

“Ah, that’s…a name? Well, nice to meet you, Mute.”

“Our time may be brief, but I’m pleased to meet you, Cyrill.”

She reached out and took Cyrill’s hand into her own to shake on it. Mute’s palm was so cold that Cyrill tensed up without thinking. For a moment, she almost thought she sensed a mysterious power coursing through the young girl.

In the end, she wrote it off as her imagination, choosing to follow Mute out into the main street.

 

***

 

The kingdom was dotted with countless long-since-retired laboratories, and one of these forgotten facilities deep under the capital had recently been occupied by a new interloper.

It was more of a dungeon than a lab, lined with cells as it was. A peculiar scene was playing out in one in particular.

“How long do we need to keep standing watch?”

“Until Echidna calls for us, I’d guess.”

These cells were used when either the country or church felt the need to hold a person whose presence was inconvenient, even if no particular laws were broken.

The two guards armed with spears held their positions as they commiserated.

“Haah…we really should just stop wasting time and do something about the nun.”

“What’re you talking about? They’re still gonna use her, aren’t they? I mean, this is Echidna we’re talking about.”

“How the hell could you use her, with a face like that?”

The two guards glanced past the iron bars at Maria. She was lying on the ground, racked by powerful convulsions.

Her face was completely transformed into that of an unsettling creature, consisting of a mound of bright-red gyrating muscles that spat blood.

“Eww…”

“Just getting grossed out by it now? It’s not the first time you’ve looked at her.”

“I know, but…she used to be so pretty, ya know? The difference blows my mind. Does she really need someone to stand guard?”

The men had been sent to capture Maria and bring her to this cell once she was caught in Echidna’s trap. The Chimera core that had been used on her wasn’t meant for human subjects, leaving her little more than a sack of blood, meat, and bones that could hardly move under her own power. She was likely slated to be fodder for one of Echidna’s upcoming experiments, in which she would undoubtedly die.

But I’m…still…

But she wasn’t like the others.

She wasn’t like the pope and the king, who had been brainwashed since childhood with stories about being called on by Origin. Nor was she implanted with a core and fed the line that she was one of the chosen. And yet, Origin had still chosen her as one of his followers, one of a rare few. Obviously, they weren’t going to let her go easily.

Looks…like I’ve been betrayed…by my fellow man…once again. Aaaugh…fool me once…

Though it might have looked like she’d lost consciousness to the casual observer, that was all an act.

It had taken a while for the core meant for monsters to bond with her body and complete its transformation. But now, Origin’s power flowed through her, animating her flesh.

I refuse to die until I snuff out all these miserable lives.

Maria and Origin’s hatred fed off each other. The world didn’t need any of these animals living on it. Humans, demons…regardless of the form they took, they would only betray you in the end. There was no point in keeping them around.

Origin… Ah, yes. For my next step… Right… I agree.

Once Maria received her orders, she went to work immediately.

Mindful to avoid the guards’ notice, she ever so slowly got to her feet and summoned up a spiral of light in the palm of her hand. All she had to do was release the particles of light from the spiral, and she would be able to blast through the cell, the opposing wall, and the two soldiers standing in between.

However…

“What’re you doing here?!”

“Stay back! You’re not allowed to…ngyaaaugh!!”

Before Maria had a chance to attack, she saw the two guards fall to the ground. She stood there, stunned by this new development, when suddenly the man she’d longed to see appeared before her cell.

“The gallant prince arrives on the scene, and the lovely Maria swoons at the sight!” Linus snapped his fingers and smiled broadly.

“Linus…but…how—why? Aaugh. N-noooooooooo!” Maria suddenly remembered the shape her face was in and rushed to cover it up. Linus was the last person she wanted to see her like this.

“Hmm, I guess there was no swooning to be had. Anyway, I’ll get this open in a jiffy. Just hang on.” He pulled several metal pins from his pocket and stuck them into the lock.

“Just stop, please! You saw me, didn’t you? My gruesome face? I can’t return back to my original self, you know. Why would you want to help me??”

“A little bird told me I could find something interesting if I checked out the dungeon. Well, hey, there goes the lock.” Ignoring her questions, Linus stepped into the open cell. “See? You can escape now. I’ve gotta say, a dank, musty cell like this is no place for a beauty like you.”

He looked at her, entirely unfazed by the pulsating mass of muscles taking up her face, and casually offered a hand. Maria crouched back in her cell and groaned, so Linus put his hand on her shoulder instead.

“Aw, don’t cry. Now show me that pretty little face of yours.”

“No…absolutely not…”

“Listen, no matter what happens, I still love you, Maria. And I can promise you that a little something like this will never change that.”

Though she was happy to hear these words, she still refused to move her hands as blood poured out from between her fingers. Linus was the last person in the world she wanted to see her like this. Still, even she knew she couldn’t hide her face forever. Figuring this was the end and resigned to her fate, Maria slowly dropped her hands and let Linus get a good, close look at her.

“Just look at how awful it is. Can you really say with a straight face that you love me, even like this?”

Even though she’d offered her life up to Origin, renouncing all worldly desires…when she was with Linus, she felt like a normal girl again. Perhaps this was what love felt like. The harder she tried to resist it, the stronger it came back. It made it all the more painful for her to accept the fact that she would never be her original self again. This would be the breaking point; undoubtedly, Linus would lose his interest. When he did, Maria decided that she would run away for good. She would give up on being a human and live the rest of her life as a follower of Origin.

So the plan went, but things didn’t play out as she’d expected.

He reached out and stroked the flesh where her cheek had once been, coating his hand in thick mucus in the process.

“…Huh?” Maria stared at Linus’s rueful smile in shock.

“Ah, sorry about that. Did it hurt?”

Why wasn’t he afraid? Why didn’t he mock her? She…she was a disgusting creature now.

“I mean, there’s all that blood. And the exposed flesh.” He talked to her like this was a completely normal development.

“But…I mean…but why?”

“‘Why’ what?”

“Stop pretending. Just look at your hand where you touched my face; it’s filthy.”

His smile was unwavering. “Heh, what’re you talking about? Is there anything more important in this world than being able to feel your touch?”

His response betrayed all her assumptions and turned her world upside down. Maria’s resolve began to crumble.

“Sorry to disappoint, but this is hardly enough to make me hate you.”

“You’re…just trying to get used to it.”

“Maybe I am. But I love you so much that I’m willing to do it, and it’s all because of how you treated me during our time together on the journey. So you can’t say it’s all my fault.”

Linus’s shy shrug elicited a laugh from Maria.

“But what will we do? It’s hardly like we can walk around outside together with a face like this.”

“Well…I guess this would kind of draw attention. Listen, when things calm down, maybe we could go hide out in a small village.”

“Hmph, but then you’d be throwing everything away, Linus! Your fame, your reputation…”

“So what? I could live out the rest of my days with the money I’ve saved. Maybe we could buy a farm, supplement our food with hunting, and live out a relatively peaceful life. Though I guess that might be pretty boring for you.”

It wasn’t his ideal, but Linus wasn’t lying. He was ready to do it should she choose to. No matter the occasion, he was always quick with a plan in a pinch. It would take time to get used to all the little inconveniences of small-town life, but as long as they were together, he knew that he could learn to enjoy it. Of that much he was certain.

“That all, it sounds…well… I just don’t know if I can allow myself to dream…”

“Dream? I’m overjoyed to hear you describe it that way. So much so that I want to do everything in my power to make it come true. Anyway, it looks like we’re of the same mind, so that pretty much settles it. Don’t worry too much; I promise that I’ll make you happy.”

Deep in her heart, Maria began to wonder if she could still bear a child with her body like this.

…But no, she couldn’t do that. That hope was ruined.

“There’s just one big hurdle to sort out.”

“And what’s that?”

Linus ran a hand through his hair and gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, uh…where should I kiss you?”

“I…well, I guess I don’t know either.” Maria’s face would have been burning bright red out of embarrassment, if she had a face to blush with.

Even without the visual cue to go by, Linus seemed to catch on. After a moment of hesitation, he took Maria’s hand into his own and kissed it to seal their promise. “Well, then, shall we get going, my princess?”

In spite of the trite line, Maria felt her heart race and her head go light as the once-foreign sensation of love began to spread throughout her body.

She clasped his warm hand and let herself dream again.