Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine!
Chapter 157 is here and as always, I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much all for following/favoring/ reading the chapters (yes, one more time). You are awesome and I appreciate you all so much.
See you all on the 21th with chapter 158. Until then, be well and have fun!
"Now I wonder… who this one might be."
The voice startled her. Even more so, the man it belonged to. A tall and slender elderly person, dressed in fine high-collar shirt and cloth pants covered by a long thick leather work apron, wondered out loudly.
Correction; the pale visage of such a person did that. His skin was so ghastly it made Alex look tan in comparison. His hair was a bleached white color and his body was so dried up his bones were fully visible.
The small room surrounding him was some sort of workstation. To Yang it looked similar to Ruby's weapon maintenance facility- previous Xiao Long family garage- in a far more twisted and quite sickening execution.
Tall shelves with heavy wooden boxes were placed on the walls. Piles of thin wire were carefully placed on the floor. Various rectangular and square objects she recognized as molds were neatly arranged around.
A small mountain of paint cans was neatly stashed on the back of the room. Next to it was a large shape, fully covered by a thick piece of red fabric. A heavy work bench was in the middle, next to the elderly man.
On top of the bench, she saw an array of glass containers full of- wait. An array of glass containers full of shimmering eyes welcomed her in a mostly unsettling way. A tiny human body was lying down next to them.
On the wall, just behind the man, a familiar painting was hanging. It was, in her eyes, a perfect replica of the eerie mansion picture she had seen in Ribuli's house. It even pulsed with the same malicious energy.
A loud thud slammed on the door behind her, suddenly reminding Yang why she was here in the first place; to avoid the monster haunting the shadowy corridor. She jumped around, ready to attack whatever may-
As if she didn't exist there in the first place, the man strode past her to the door and pressed his arm. A sudden glow erupted from his fingers and the array of runes flashed, engraving the wood in a shiny blue hue.
A rumble, a snort and a loud banging was the reply that came from the other side, but nothing more menacing happened. A few tense seconds passed and the man returned to his position, grumbling in annoyance.
"Dude, what the eff was that? And how did you do it?" she asked him in confusion. The man had just casually used magic to repel whatever that monster was and walked away as if it were the most natural thing ever.
The question seemed to startle the man. His deep black eyes opened in shock and he almost dropped the small brush he was holding in his thin and skeletal fingers before he turned his face towards the blonde girl.
"You can see me?" The question seemed a bit odd, but Yang realized at once the meaning behind it. "I shouldn't, should I?" she asked back. He lowered his eyes and picked up the brush from the dusty, webbed floor.
"Are you possessed, young lady?" his voice turned low, almost sad "or are you another cultist serving the Eldergrimm?" Yang's eyes fell on her blackened flesh. She cracked her fingers, trying to contain her disgust.
"I would say something towards the first one" she told him. The man's face dropped in a surprisingly sympathetic tone of understanding as he shook his head.
"You poor thing... you look so young and full of vigor. To have such a cruel fate bestowed upon you… I hope whatever monster is plaguing your soul, it doesn't have a taste for torment" he stared at her in pity.
She was reminded of the Grand Mother. Her gaze, fixed on her as the blonde dove towards Blake's paralyzed body… an accursed pulse that shook her to the very core… she shivered and rubbed her left wrist.
"I am Yang Xiao Long" she decided to try and ease the man a bit. She had a bit of an idea about him, but it would be better if he properly and willingly introduced himself first. "I am Fergus Celain, a pleasure to meet you" he curtly addressed her "former master of Celain Manor".
"I thought so" she took a step towards the man, noticing how sickly his form was up close "I am sorry to ask but why are you still in this place?" she tried to sound polite in spite of the slightly personal question.
"What a polite way to ask someone why aren't they dead after so many decades have passed, Ms. Xiao Long" he replied as a matter of fact. "To answer your question, Blekklat is what keeps me alive in this place."
"Blekklat?" she had no idea what that was, but merely mentioning its name sent a pang of cold running down her spine. "Is it a Grimm?" she asked despite knowing the answer already. The man solemnly nodded.
"Calling it merely 'A Grimm' would be a bit of an understatement" he said. "It's a devil in Grimm form; a monster that should not exist in this beautiful, accursed world of ours. My master and my tormentor."
"Master…" she whispered. "Is it related to Charon?" He didn't have to answer her. His expression told Yang everything she needed to know about the Grimm's relation to the Mad King of Curses.
"You" she opened her eyes in acknowledgement of what Fergus Celain was telling her "formed a contract with that thing?" a bit of red flared in her lilac eyes. "Why would you ever do such a thing?" her voice rose.
"Ah…" he whispered "I have asked myself that question so many times during those years." His eyes mellowed a little and he placed the brush down on the bench "If I could say one thing it would be this; I wanted to save as many lives as I could. And I did so in the most foolish way."
She narrowed her glare "don't give me cryptic answers, pal. I am not in the mood or the luxury to pry things out of you." He nodded once more and took a small breath.
"To make you fully understand why, let me explain a few things about me and Celain Manor as well as the reasons that led me into accepting that devil's offer" he stated "it all begun a few years before the war…"
-o—
"I grew up in Mistral, working as a doll maker for a local orphanage in the south. Never met my parents or any family, life was tough growing up in the orphanage before I started getting paid for my creations."
His eyes flickered a bit, possibly out of sentiment for his early days. "I was quite talented, I must say. Children loved my dolls and I loved see them smile in happiness at them. Those days were… quite fulfilling."
"But you left" Yang commented "why?" Fergus Celain stared at her in sorrow. "For all their innocence and happiness, children are weak and fickle beings. There some things they can't do; like defending their lives from Grimm attacks." Yang felt as if cold water was poured in her back.
Something stirred in the corner of her eyes. For a moment, she thought she saw little children forms fade into nothingness. She blinked to clear her mind. There was nothing there- except for a waving hanging thread.
"Don't even try to think about it" Celain told her. "It's best if you don't pay attention to the ghosts of the past, lest they return said attention to you." "That's reassuring" she replied, but complied with his request.
"The town was overrun by Grimm. I survived due to a generous stroke of luck that had me in the nearby city shopping for supplies. I- didn't get to see the aftermath. An officer told me all my friends were dead and that was it. I was supposed to forget and go on with my life somehow."
He frowned a bit "so, I moved to Vacuo. I was able to trade a few of my works for a good amount of lien and buy the house you came to know as Celain Manor. I wanted to leave the past behind and try start anew."
"Quite the mature approach" she commented. "I was just running away from my despair, Miss Yang" he replied "I had no desire for fame, lien or material pleasures. I just wanted to bury my sorrow and start anew."
"It's still commendable." "Thank you. I appreciate your understanding" he smiled at her. "I reformed the house and made an agreement with the authorities to allow me take in orphaned and abandoned children.
A few years passed and the house was slowly yet steadily filling with joy and laughter. My dolls were coming out as beautiful as ever and the kids I took in were growing strong and healthy. It truly was bliss, lady.
I watched those kids blossom to young teenagers. I even taught my art to a few of them. Some were exceptionally gifted; in some cases they could even surpass me. And I would be happy if that were the case."
The blonde allowed a tender smile to grace her lips. She closed her eyes and slowly reminisced of all the times she had let her heart and soul get some rest during these last years.
She laughed her heart out with team LEAD while annihilating them in card games.
She smiled at Blake when the cat girl frowned at Sun losing their house keys for the third time in a row.
She puffed her chest in pride when Ruby was nominated huntress of the year by online votes. She laughed at her shyness and discomfort.
She held Weiss in her arms. She melted in happiness as the pale girl's tender voice whispered soft words of love at her ears.
"Happiness" she whispered "is so damn temporary." The man stared at her, as if he completely understood what she meant. "That is true; you have felt it as well- and I am really sad to hear that, young miss."
"What happened?" she asked. "War" he replied. "They took my older children away and returned them home as burnt and stabbed corpses. They took a piece of my soul- a part of me- with every coffin I buried."
Her face dropped. "I am sorry to hear that; I can't even think how it felt to you." "It was harrowing; maddening even. It feasted on my soul. All I did was cry and weep and wonder. Why did they have to die like this? Why did they have to be killed for the sake of a war they didn't want?"
"I wish I could answer that. I really wish I had a solution to that, too. All I can say is that sometimes life is just unfair. You are dealt a bad hand and are forced to play with it. I mean" she broke into a bitter laughter.
"What can you do about it other than struggle?" Fergus didn't reply to her question at first, nervously staring at Yang's arm. "You can choose to be a fool" he ominously whispered "and fall prey to the madness."
His voice cracked and his throat gurgled. "I can still hear its voice; liquid and hideous, whispering into my mind, crawling into my soul. It called to me… spoke honeyed words in my sleep… whispered sweet promises.
'Death is not the end' it told me. 'Death can die too. I can help you kill it. You want to save them. You want to cheat the horrible fate this unfair world has bestowed upon them. I can help you with that.'
I still remember it. A tall, husky figure cloaked in darkness, staring at me from the dark corners of the dollhouse. It spoke of such dreadful things. It made promises of immense and inhuman proportions…
And, in my despair and sorrow, I replied." His eyes were moist from the tears threatening to drop down his face. Yang took a handkerchief- kind courtesy of Weiss- and helped him wipe them off. "You are so kind."
"Please continue, if you are not pressing yourself a lot. I have to know as much as possible for this place."
He nodded and sniffed "Intrigued by its sweet promises, I sat down and listened to its proposal. Dear Gods! I sat down and let the darkness talk; whisper to me about vile magic; spells that could bring the dead back to life, Miss Xiao Long. It showed me how I could bring my children back."
"And you fell for it…" Yang's voice trailed off. "Wouldn't you?" he asked her. She bit her lip and licked the inside of her mouth "I hope I'll never have to ask myself that. Having to choose between those I love and-"
Her mind travelled back to the accursed cave. The waves of the restless dead moved towards her. She averted her gaze; she didn't want to deal with that now. "I am sorry; I brought up some unpleasant memories."
"No, it's my fault. Please continue" Yang urged him. "I was charmed by the sweet prospect of cheating death, Miss Yang. I took the offer and formed a pact with Blekklat. I offered my soul to it- such a fool I was."
She clicked her tongue and shook her head, trying her best to not insult the poor man. "The contract was simple; it would teach me how to bring my children back from the dead and I would become its servant."
"Servant for what?" Yang's eyes opened wide in disgust. "I would use my skills- my doll making talent- to create vessels for its horrible form. It would show me how to bind them with magic for better results."
"Did it work?" she already knew the answer, but couldn't help herself from asking. "That it did; I created an unbelievable amalgamation of unbridled horror- all for the sake of learning the reanimation ritual."
He rubbed his eyes with the handkerchief "Blekklat was very keen in teaching me. After possessing a couple dolls, it started moving inside the house- I needed to stay on its good side so I ignored its wandering.
That was it, until I saw the Grimm ensnare poor young Petro. It spoke, reached out to him and charmed his mind the same way it had done to me. It controlled him and pushed him to create that accursed altar…"
"The altar!" Yang jumped up, cutting him off. "You tell me Petro was the one who created it?" Not realizing the familiarity Yang had with the child, Fergus nodded in affirmation "that cursed devil made him to."
"Did you see it?" she pressed even further. "No; because when I saw the monster use Petro that way, I realized one thing. It had tricked me. It had simply used me to claw its way to the world of the living and the moment it did, it had abandoned me and reached out to a new victim.
I was mad. I was in pain. I was filled in despair. I…" he stopped for a moment to ponder "I had helped a monstrous Grimm to our world and hadn't even managed to achieve the one single thing I sold my soul for.
I was blinded in rage and utter despair. I lost my mind. I did another, even worse mistake" his voice trailed off. "You confronted it" lilac orbs narrowed at the man. "Precisely. I went and straight up challenged it."
Her left arm cracked, but she restrained it. Anger slowly crept up her heart. She was frustrated at the man for being so foolish and selfish and her mind was filled in images of punching him for his sins. He deserved-
Yang dug her metal fingers on the surface of her left palm. She felt hot goo pile down her skin, but hid it away to not alert him even more. That anger… she had to calm down somehow. That anger wasn't hers.
"It wasn't your fault; I would have probably done the same in that case. Even if it would turn out for worse, I mean." He looked at her and for a split second Yang saw a tinge of mirth in his ghastly, grisly visage.
"I don't deserve such understanding, Miss Yang" he softly replied. "My outrage merely did everything worse. Blekklat spread its power among my dolls, infusing its flesh inside their pure porcelain- tainting them.
I tried my best to purge it- but of course there was nothing among the spells it taught me that could be used against it. After a failed attempt, it decided it was time to completely replace me with poor Petro.
I barely managed to help everyone leave. Thankfully, most of the kids remaining were too young to understand what was happening, so it was easier for me to drive them away before it caught up to me. That-"
He took one deep breath "that was the last thing I did as a living human before it flayed my skin and flesh and trapped my spirit in this cursed prison. It still had a use for me, you see. It still had a use for my skills."
"It wanted more dolls" Yang gulped, choosing to skip the part where the monster had skinned the person in front of her alive. It was a thing she wouldn't wish even in her worst enemy- and excited her eye much.
Fuck you in the worst way possible, she thought while clutching it. "For the monster, it was both a game and a source of power. I created more and more magical-powered dolls for it to use as hosts to move in.
Meanwhile, Petro was being forced to act as its agent and drag people in the house, torment and feed them to the altar. It was a disgusting, vile game to the creature- and it forced me to watch as my boy flayed, chopped and mauled other humans for the Jester to consume.
I can't even describe how many times I asked, prayed, begged for death to come and save both Petro and me. Can you imagine how it felt to see a person you love and cherish being turned into a mad killer against their will? Being forced to watch their torment for eight decades?"
She shook her head. How could she even consider knowing such a vile, sinister fate for someone? "And you stayed here like this; creating dolls for that thing for eighty years; waiting for a miracle?" she asked him.
"An observer of everything sinister I was… I saw my child butcher that bystander… I saw that couple from the suburbs being eaten alive in the dollhouse by Blekklat… that poor faunus family being tormented…
I stayed like this, having abandoned all hope, until that man found me a few years ago." "That man?" she asked. Fergus sent a gaze to the back of his workshop "his daughter and he had visited this place before."
Could it be? "He found me, not by accident, but on purpose. He shared his story with mine and showed me our common fate- the pact symbol with an ancient Grimm. He bared the Mad King's mask" Fergus noted.
If Yang was alarmed before, she for sure was on high alert now. That man, whoever he was, had reached out to this place with his daughter after he had forged a contract with the Mad King's forces; that was bad.
"What did he say?" She decided to pry a bit more. "He told me he had a plan. He said that he wanted me to make one last doll for him and if his plan worked, he would set me free from the Jester's inhuman curse."
That was strange a request. Strange and worrisome. "Did you do it?" Yang pondered out "did you make the doll he asked you to?" Fergus stood up and, instead of answering, walked to the cloth-covered shape.
"I had nothing to lose" he carefully assessed the fabric. "In addition, his demand was that I create a true masterpiece; a life-sized doll. He even knew what analogies and details he wanted me to shape on it."
As he spoke, he slowly removed the fabric. The cloth fell on the floor, but even before it did Yang felt her breath being stopped. A powerful, horrified feeling burst out from her soul as her gaze met with the dolls'.
Bright yellow eyes, adorned by short-cropped neon blue hair, stared at Yang Xiao Long's very soul. That oval face… that sinister grin as if she is looking at someone's suffering and enjoying every moment of it…
Her body was chiseled out of some sort of durable looking metal in a way so masterful that her muscles seemed as toned as the girl was in life. For a moment, Yang was speechless, staring at the evil ghost of her past- the naked doll with the murderous summer maiden's sly face.
"What is this?" she finally whispered, her body shaking in anticipation. The details Celain had sculpted on this doll were so fine; she thought it would at any moment wake up to laugh at her. "What did you create?"
Fergus Celain, slightly worried by her reaction, covered the effigy again. "Maize asked me to create a life-sized, exact duplicate" he ominously explained "for he intends to bring his beloved daughter back to life."