Hello again. Brief note; Emilia will make an appearance soon but Subaru will not (this is my idea of how Rem and Ram were before the anime).
This story should be another 3 or 4 chapters until the end. Hopefully all of them will be posted by the end of next week (if not this weekend).
Thanks again to the amazing Autonomee (writer/publisher on the Archive) for betaing this chapter!
Enjoy 3
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Rem and Ram stood in front of Roswaal's study doors. They were thick, dark wood, and almost reached the ceiling. Undecipherable text and symbols swirled around the grains in the wood.
Ram watched as Rem took a deep breath.
Ram couldn't tell how her sister was feeling; this, to her, was a rare occasion. Rem was usually an open book to her. However, Ram felt that recently Rem had developed a slightly guarded attitude.
I really need to suggest that she go slower. Ram thought. She's pushing herself too hard.
Ram hoped that was all there was to it – stress brought on by wanting too much and gaining too little in terms of magical prowess. Something nagged at Ram but she couldn't quite place what it was. Something about what Rem had said earlier...
Ram shrugged it off. It could wait. This, however, couldn't.
Rem knocked resolutely.
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The doors opened.
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A voice from within.
"What price will you pay for your powers?"
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"Anything but my sister." Rem strode forward and Ram followed.
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"Then come, understand and decide."
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Earlier at Dinner
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Roswaal set his fork and knife down on the plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Rem and Ram, another terrific dinner. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Master Roswaal." Rem and Ram responded in unison. They had started doing that recently for efficacy purposes. As employees of the mansion, they were one and the same, so they responded thusly.
Although most of it was Rem's cooking. Ram thought. I need to get better at this.
With a nod, Roswaal stood up and moved to walk out. Rem and Ram each started reaching for the plates to clean up. As if he had remembered something, Roswaal paused mid-step and turned back to them.
"Rem and Ram, a moment please."
"Yes, Master Roswaal." The twin oni stopped their movements and stood at attention. Ram wondered what it could be. It was somewhat rare for the magician to request their attention.
The magician spoke in his strange inflection.
"I've finished analyzing your mana residue and blood configurations. I won't bore you with the details but in short, there is something we can do about Rem's powers. Before I get your hopes up," he added somewhat hastily seeing Rem's eyes widen, "If you choose to take it, there will be a price to pay. It's –"
"I'll pay it." Rem interjected. Ram inadvertently gasped. She had never heard Rem interrupt someone while they were talking.
Roswaal paused, also clearly surprised.
"I'll pay it." Rem repeated.
Intense determination and will burned in those three words. Fire burned in Rem's azure blue eyes. Roswaal sighed. The choice given to this young oni was not a fair one at all.
"Come to my study later tonight, after your chores and studies with Beatrice are finished. We will discuss what's necessary then."
Roswaal tore his gaze away from Rem's intense eyes and walked out of the room.
Ram reached towards Rem but faltered when she saw her sister's fists clenched at her sides. Evidently, even Ram hadn't realized the full extent to which Rem yearned to gain control of her powers.
How much is she willing to sacrifice?
Shaking her doubts, Ram embraced her sister. The tension in her twin's body was as taught as a tightrope. Slowly, the rigidity in Rem's body loosened and she relaxed into Ram's embrace.
"I could be whole again." Rem whispered.
Ram wondered what that meant. If anyone could be made whole, it would be Ram, wouldn't it? There was not a single inkling of bitterness in Ram about losing her horn. She had lost it saving her sister and would do it all over again, but she knew Rem still did not see it that way. Ram knew that some part of Rem still blamed herself for the incident, which was why Rem pushed so hard to master her magic and flail. But what did Rem mean about being whole again?
"Rem?"
Rem turned to her, a small smile on her face. A single teardrop glistened at the corner of her blue eyes.
"Onee-chan..."
Rem wrapped her arms around sister. Ram embraced her back and Rem's shoulders shook with teary sniffles.
Tears of... happiness? Relief?
Part of Ram was scared that she couldn't read her sister that well these days. It was off-putting. There had been times in the past when the twins had grown slightly apart, when Rem and Ram weren't in sync as they usually were; those periods only lasted a couple of days at most. Ram had always written off those episodes as part of growing up, and she hoped this was the same.
Looking back on this moment, Ram would perpetually wonder whether she could have prevented the storm that would strike in the coming days.
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Present, Roswaal's Study
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Roswaal stood at the window with his back to the twin oni.
"Rem, you've come to understand how to better control your powers."
"Yes, Master Roswaal." Rem replied. Ram stood behind her silently.
"Nothing in this world comes for free. Especially things that have the mark of magic."
Roswaal turned to them. For once, there was a grave look on his face.
"I paid my own price for my influence and power." Roswaal's eyes glinted a dark purple and green. "Throughout this long life I've led, there isn't a single day when I don't think back to that moment and wonder. If. What if I had taken the other choice? Armed with the knowledge I have now, would I make the same decision?"
The magician paced to his long, simple wooden desk and laid his hands on the surface. Leaning forward on his arms, he asked in an uncharacteristically solemn voice.
"Rem, would you know the price you must pay for your power?"
Rem stiffened. Ram clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
Please let it be something small.
"I would." Rem replied, her voice sounding small but firm.
The magician was silent for a minute. Ram could have cut the tension in the room with a knife.
The silence lasted. Ram could hear her own heartbeat growing in pace.
At long last, the magician spoke.
But they were words neither Ram nor Rem had been ready for.
"You can gain control of your horn by unlinking its association with the Witch cult within your memories. The severance spell is rather easy to apply. However," Roswaal stared unblinkingly at Rem, "By severing the horn from your memories, you have to lose one side or the other.
"By choosing the power of the horn, you will lose most of the memories of your early life."
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Rem sat alone on a bench on the lawn. Ram had sat with her for a while but had gone inside because she understood that Rem needed time to herself.
The night sky twinkled with dozens of stars. The summer wind was like a playful dog that whirled and nipped harmlessly. Crickets and frogs sang harmonies to the swaying grasses and rustling leaves, and only the faint smell of roses colored the breeze.
Rem was still. She could hear the magician's voice in her mind echoing over and over.
The horn or your memories.
How unfair.
How can I possibly give up my memories?
A familiar voice interjected from within the recesses of her mind.
You don't need to give up your memories to be whole, Rem.
Aren't you angry I tried to go behind your back?
Of course not. You're a clever girl and it's only right that you use all the resources you have – it's only a matter of time before you claim your birthright too.
The cost of doing it your way would be just as high.
Do you know that? The voice countered. An oni and her horn are one. It is unnatural that you have subconsciously split us in two.
Because of my memories of the Witch cult? Rem thought.
Yes. The trauma of seeing your home and family burn was too much to bear. Your mind broke us apart in an attempt to suppress the shock.
Then why couldn't I just lose the memories of that night?
Memories are a complicated web of interconnected strands. By taking away one strand, you would inadvertently untangle the entire web.
...
Life isn't fair. Rem sighed hollowly.
You're right, little one. It's up to you to use what resources you have to protect what you hold closest to your heart.
With that, the voice receded into the dark corners of Rem's mind.
The dark blue sky was now streaked with orange and yellow from the rising sun. Morning birds began twittering their morning songs as the lawn grew from dark dull green to emerald, the grass catching and reflecting the sunlight.
It was a warm beautiful morning but the sliver of ice in Rem's heart stayed cold and dark.