Chapter Forty-Four
Weight of the World
'Dear Claire,
It's strange to be writing this to you. Especially after all that has occurred. But because Gilbert suggested it, I decided to do it.
Since there's just so much to tell and I don't want to confuse you, I'll start from where any good story starts: the beginning.'
With how those pieces of gold were fluttering so beautifully in the sky, it's almost hard to believe they're meant to represent the ticking time bomb that's counting down until the destruction of the world as we know it.
But it's also strangely fitting in a way.
"Claire?"
Hearing Chronos and Lacrimosa in my head again was heaven-sent, and I replied to them with a hum under my breath. It's also enough to veer my attention away from peering out the window and instead focus on what I had been doing instead.
Mr. Turner—Lutwidge's Headmaster—was kind enough to offer Oz and us his abode near the school to rest until we were ready to go. Seeing as the students weren't here at school yet, the place was pretty much empty and thus a good place to hide until Break awoke and our time to leave for Sablier came.
Until then, however, Duchess Rainsworth instructed us to take a moment of respite. I wholeheartedly thanked her for the chance after the last few hours I've had.
I'm grateful Mr. Turner allowed me leeway to enter the school grounds. Since his home and the academy are interconnected as well, I find an entrance back into the grounds, and with Lacrimosa back again, I'm able to skirt through the hallways undetected by the staff lingering during the long holidays and take a moment to appreciate the place.
"You look...rather calm,"Lacrimosa tentatively said, almost as if not having the right words to describe what she wanted to say.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's eerie,"Chronos confirmed outright.
I chuckled at his straightforwardness. "I suppose after all that's happened it might be strange, my giddiness."
Especially here.
But I can't help how I feel right now. Albeit more melancholic than anything, there's the tiniest tinge of serenity in me.
It's funny how now when we have our seconds counted for is when I can take the leisure to walk around these halls. Halls that...I would have traversed had things been different. It's crazy to think that had I never contracted Chronos and simply been Elliot's valet alongside Leo, I would have attended this very academy with them. I would've been able to live a relatively normal life and enjoyed it with them.
The thought alone makes my heart ache and I instantly reach for the zircon choker that sits around my neck.
Things could have been different. But there was no point in searching the past for an answer either. What mattered now was our present and what we're to face ahead of us at this very moment. And I'm here to remind myself of that.
I don't let myself venture any further than this into the academy. Not out of fear, but out of necessity. I have to get ready to leave as soon as Break awakens.
Returning to Mr. Turner's home, I take a moment to eat something and join Sharon and the Duchess for a cup of tea. It's them who tell me that they've managed to find my clothes to change into which I graciously thank them for. The smell of smoke and blood still cling to me and I would very much like to get rid of it.
After a quick shower, I find myself staring at my reflection in the mirror once changed. It looks like a uniform, maybe one of Lutwidge's older designs. Though a bit different than what I usually wear, the white-collared blouse fits nicely and the height of the collar lets me place the choker nicely over it. The long sleeves aren't cumbersome either and let me move just fine. It amazes me how a couple of years of using skirts made the idea of them comfortable at some point. Certainly makes using this one easier. It starts just below my bust and reaches my knees rather comfortably while being all black with gold accents around the hemline and two rows of golden buttons going down the center. Tying it together are a pair of dark brown boots that end just below my knees and laced up to the top with neat little bows.
As I'm adjusting the cuffs of my sleeves a bit tighter, a knock comes to the door of the room and without much preamble, Sharon walks in. For a moment I think that perhaps Break woke up already but when she raises a comb and some hair ties, I smile warmly at her. It doesn't take long for her to finish tidying my hair into a half ponytail before gathering what was left of my loose hair and pinning it to the back of my head. Like her, it was dainty and delicate but would surely hold strong no matter how hard I fought.
"Thank you, Sharon."
The smile she offers me is gentle though foreboding as she mutters 'you're welcome' under her breath. The sound of it rubs me off the wrong way and I'm not beyond asking her at this point if something's wrong.
"No, everything is fine." The way her hands tremble as they grasp her skirts tells me otherwise though.
Smiling, I reach out and place my hands over hers. "It's alright to be scared, Sharon."
"It's not—" The way she falters the moment our gazes meet stops her from finishing that sentence and instead she purses her lips as her gaze goes askance. "How can you be so calm?"
That question again.
My lips part intending on disagreeing with her but then the thought comes to me that there's a better way to show her exactly what I mean instead. Taking her hand away from her skirts, I place it just above my heart. Sharon's visibly startled and flustered at first but the moment she feels what I meant to show her, my lips pull at the ends into a small grin.
"I'm terrified, Sharon. Even if you can't see it. But being afraid—especially in these circumstances—is normal." I let her hand fall as she takes it back to rest over her own chest. "But fear won't help me protect what I care about. Only bravery will. And after what happened at the Court...I'll be damned if I lose anybody else."
"Grandmother told me what happened." I scoff. For some reason, that Duchess Rainsworth knows what happened so fast doesn't surprise me. She is Duke Barma's old friend after all.
"I didn't know him for very long," I admit as I fidget with the ring on my right index finger. "But he alongside Angele were the figures I looked up to the most from the moment I met them. I know he's the one hurting most right now too; it's a pain I can understand wholeheartedly. This is why I can't let myself be swayed by my fear anymore...despite how scared I am of losing all of you as well."
"Oh, Claire." Sharon leans forward and takes me into her arms without hesitation. I hold her as tight as she's embracing me and only let out a small sniffle before pulling away and standing up.
"Being brave is something I've learned from all of you one way or another," I finally say as I pick up Radiant Dawn in its sheath and strap it to my hip. Beneath me, my shadows shift, the outline of blue swaying with it as I stand. The sight of it calms me and brings a small smile to my lips. "And I'm going to do all I can to stop what Jack started. Something that I had a hand in as well."
"Nobody blames you, Claire," Sharon is quick to point out.
"Perhaps not, but I hold myself responsible for what I partook in."
I intend to set this all right. Years of being shunned by my past and finding it now have brought me here. They have taught me so much as well. And all of it has been for this.
Now as part of one of Master Glen's original Baskervilles I will see it to an end. As a Baskerville, as my mother's daughter, and as King of the Court of Miracles. The hopes of many ride upon my shoulders.
And what matters most of all, my own choices. The very same ones that brought me to stand where I am now.
I leave Sharon behind so that she can return to her Grandmother downstairs. Curiously enough, the ruckus that's become so synonymous with Gil and Alice's friendly bickering floats in the air as it comes from downstairs. I giggle at the sound of it as I head upstairs instead. As I approach the room where Break is resting, the door opens, and from it comes Oz. I raise my hand intending on catching his attention but he appears to be spaced out for the briefest of moments as he exits and turns away from the door. When he does and notices me at the top of the staircase, his tender smile becomes full.
"He's awake."
"That's good to hear," I reply.
Oz doesn't say another word, however. Instead, he seems intent on simply passing me by without another word. Before he can, however, I glance over my shoulder towards him and speak out of turn.
"I'm glad you're here, Oz."
He stops and spins on his heels to stare at me; it's hard to tell whether he's confused or not but I don't ask. Instead, I shake my head to dismiss him, never intending to tell him what I mean by that, and turn to head into Break's room when his voice suddenly rises from the stairs.
"There's no place I'd rather be, Claire."
His answer follows him as he climbs down the stairs. A faint grin pulls at my lips at his cheekiness. I knock a couple of times and don't wait for an answer before entering the room. Inside, I find Reim and Break chatting while the latter busies himself preparing for our departure.
"You're looking like a million bucks."
Break chuckles at my sarcasm all the while putting on his white coat. "And you're still quite the loudmouth brat."
"What can I say?" I harrumphed loudly as I plop down on the edge of the bed. I spot his sword sheathed in its cane as it stands leaning against the nightstand and grab it to twirl it around in my hand nonchalantly. "A hole in my gut ain't fixing what a million beatings from your training didn't."
"Yes, Reim told me what happened with you at the catacombs." He approached the bed with slight caution, eyes half-closed not really looking at anything in particular. As he closed them, however, the hint of sincerity reached his lips as they drew downward into a line. "I also heard what happened with Lord Artemisia."
My twirling of his cane stopped at the mention of Arbele. A sigh escaped me as the thought of him and Angele came to mind making me twist the silver band on my finger around as a melancholic smile pulled at my lips. I stood then, unaware that he stepped forward at the same time, and caused us both to bump into each other. My hand shot out instinctively to hold onto his arm as we both easily regained our footing, him with a taut line on his lips.
I hadn't taken it much into account how far his condition had progressed. He told me before that he could distinguish dark figures despite losing all details, but now, it seems that even that eludes him. Perhaps all that has happened in the last day has affected all of us more than I thought. Releasing his arm, I pick up his cane just below the top before tapping it against his chest.
"Sorry," I meekly say. "I shouldn't be playing with it."
He took it with ease and without a word.
At the sight of him as he is, a thought that has held me close swims around in my head. I've learned to successfully suppress this curiosity of mine over the years and the fact alone has gotten me far. But now, after all that I've gone through, silencing the most innate instinct hurts me to my core. Not because what I need to say is important but because I'll surely regret it if I don't.
And I'm tired of hurting.
"You can't see anymore, can you, Break?"
One of the strongest men I have known in my life stops cold in his tracks with his back turned to me. Reim doesn't look at me, instead of keeping his eye on Break's reaction. I do the same.
Though it's intimidating—when has he ever not been—the act of speaking my mind unfiltered is rather liberating. It's now that I realize hesitation is something I can't afford to have anymore. Not in battle, nor in my life. Though it's scary to act in such a seemingly reckless way, I don't want to let this fear control me.
The thought of never having 'a next time' petrifies me, and also encourages me to act.
Break barely glances over his shoulder at me. There isn't any expression whatsoever that I can see from him. No disagreement, no annoyance. Only quiet thoughtfulness. Something that comes over me after he nonchalantly replies to my inquiry.
"That's right." Tears build at the brim of my eyes for a moment before I wipe them away, sniffling briefly at the feeling that swells in my chest. When I do that, I hear Break suddenly groan as he fully turns around, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Please, don't cry. I can't deal with children crying."
The way he phrases that gets a chuckle out of me as I mutter a quiet 'I'm alright' all the while sniffling a bit more. The grimace he gives me says plenty of how he doesn't believe a word I'm saying though. To assuage him, I simply walk up and take the sleeve of his coat.
"Don't expect any special treatment from me after all these years of kicking my butt during training, you hear? I'm not letting you slack off even if you are a blind old man."
Break scoffs, an annoyed smirk coming across his face as he shoves me away with a hand on my face. I squawk at the sudden push and cry out how he's messing up Sharon's hard work. He releases me quickly though and while I'm trying my best to fix the stray strands of hair he set loose, I manage to hear what he says under his breath.
"Honestly, the cheekiest brats I've ever met the both of you."
A warm smile reaches me. I don't dislike the tease. And despite not having named the other, I have a hunch.
"Let us leave already."
It takes nothing much from me to agree. He opens the door and gestures for me to go first, all the while twirling his cane around one hand like I had. I had out first, but just as I cross the door he smacks the back of my knees with it, making them buckle beneath me. I fall to the floor unceremoniously and he just walks right by whistling merrily under his breath while completely ignoring my yelling at him as I pick myself up to chase after him.
My heart sinks at the sight of Sablier.
The last time I was here had been the day of the White Flora; the day Cloude and I vanquished Siva back to where she came from. The day both Cloude and I died. And the day Elliot, Leo and Oz somehow brought me back. Despite having heard the semantics, it was still quite a tough concept to wrap my head around even after all that has happened since then. The fact that I'm here with Oz and the others is a miracle unto itself. And though I'm grateful that I'm here now, it doesn't make the memories it brings any less painful.
There's not much time to think about that though. Not when both Oz and I spot the cracks in the sky that are teeming with Chains. A mere side glance towards him is all I need to know what I should do. I follow his lead as he leaps off of Owl's back towards the closest Chains threatening Sablier's people. With practiced ease that I almost missed too much, I summon one of Chronos' Hours.
"Excelion."
The medallions fall gingerly in my palms and the familiar orichalcum sash flourishes behind me with splendor when I summon it. Maunerving myself through the air with it is far easier than Radiant Dawn, although it takes some more effort than before after months of only using the sword. Still, it's easy to catch the Chain by its neck once I get close enough and let the tough fabric do its job with gravity's help.
I land gracefully on uneven ground with the way the air fills under Excelion, the heavy thud of the Chain's body following suit behind me. Panicked cries come from Oz's direction and I turn just in time to see the civilians he saved on his end run away in terror. Despite being biased and knowing he is anything but harmless, it is as incredible as it is intimidating to see Oz now that he fully wields the powers of B-Rabbit again.
Hearing the truth about who he is on the way to Sablier was a tough truth to swallow. Him? A sentient plush rabbit that Lacie and the Abyss gave a consciousness to? I can't imagine it. And yet Alice assures me it's true without any explicit detail. The true identity of the Black Rabbit is Oz, and the reason he has a body now is because of Jack's seemingly immortal body.
In spite of it being such a crazy thing to even think about, I force myself to at least understand it for my own sake. I'm done neglecting others around me because of my obliviousness.
The sound of Gil's and Alice's worried cries for Oz snap me out of my train of thought. Releasing Excelion, the sash vanishes as I turn towards where Owl landed and the others disembark.
"Are you alright, Claire?"
I'm...not. And I hate myself for that. All that talk about bravery and here I am trembling in my boots for what's to come. For what I fear may happen. Fear of not knowing what may even be.
"Deep breath." Chronos gently urges me. I follow his instructions and take a deep breath through my mouth and release when he nudges me to. "We won't ask you to not be afraid. Just take everything one step at a time as it comes."
One step at a time. I step forward towards the edge of the chasm and see not far away the image of a black city. Dark familiar buildings with obscured streets stand before us ominously. Almost like a warning.
"What is this…?" I question under my breath.
"A consequence of breaking the chains upholding this world." Lachesis is quieter than before now that Chronos and Lacrimosa have returned to me, but she doesn't hesitate in answering the questions only she can as the Curator of the Abyss. "The past and the present are beginning to meld together in preparation for their complete erasure. Much like the gates opening, it is the manifestation of the Abyss' powers overflowing untethered into your world."
Goodness…
And all this was wreaking havoc upon more innocent people.
A part of me wanted to stay behind and help get the people to safety, but as soon as the thought occurred to me, it's futility followed suit. The gates won't close and Chains will keep pouring out so long as the chains aren't repaired. If Oz wishes to reach Glen to stop him from changing the past and erasing the world as we know it, then I'm of better use to the world by going with them than staying. And with Duchess Rainsworth determined to take control of Pandora's troops stationed in Sablier to aid the people, I'm more certain of where I should go.
Oz, Alice, Gilbert, Break, Sharon and I; that's all the cavalry that's going after Glen, and that's frankly all we'll need.
We're attacked on our way down by lowly Trumps but it's nothing any of us can't take. Even Sharon with her low combat abilities with Eques and Alice without B-Rabbit's power can deal with them. That, however, is the least of our worries as we begin our descent into the bowels of the black city. A thick mist hovers around much like it did before making it rather chilly and has me adjusting the small coat over my shoulders to better cover myself.
Beyond the edifices around us stands a tall clock tower that serves as a good waypoint for us to follow to the city center. As if announcing itself to us, the bell rings ominously through the cold night air filling it with a dread that's almost as thick as the mist surrounding us.
"You know?"
I jump in my skin the moment Oz suddenly starts talking aloud soon after the bell tolls. I mutter a quiet "goddamn it..." under my breath as the boy goes on about holding another tea party. All of us together mutter the same thing to ourselves before he goes on to explain further.
"Yes. Just like the one held by Uncle Oscar," he says, cheeks somewhat rosy at the thought. "We had so much fun that day. We should pick a sunny day and invite lots of people."
I let the thought sink in for a moment. Seemingly everybody else does as well before they start joyfully planning for it. Sharon wants to wait for the warmer season and Gil agrees, claiming it'll give him time to practice cooking one-handed. Oz, meanwhile, wants to learn how to take photographs. A rather quaint yet fitting thing for him in my opinion.
"In that case, I'll learn a new dance to perform for everybody, too."
Their eyes land on me briefly, wide as can be at the sudden out of place comment, and it is Oz who questions my choice of performance.
"A dance?"
With a nod and a smile, I turn on my heels before grabbing his hands and twirling him around with me like we're a couple of idiots flailing about. A chuckle escapes me as my fingers twin through his and he suddenly flusters.
"I always liked dancing and singing for the children back at the House of Fianna! And since I wasn't all too well last time, I want to come up with a splendid performance that everybody will enjoy!"
"Can we make it a meat dance?!" Alice exclaims as she launches herself between us to question me.
My laughing grows and this time I hoist Alice and give her a few twirls as well while saying, "Sure, why not? Let's make it a meat dance!"
"Yeah, meat dance!"
It's hilarious seeing her continue to spin around while exclaiming about meat and I join her, twirling on the heels of my boots before stopping to sway from side to side. My laughter and smile die quickly though when silence suddenly takes the place of our merriment. The fog's getting thicker, too, just like last time.
And before I know it everybody's disappeared.
I'm alone now...but I don't feel alone.
"How strange."
This newfound sense of belonging propels me forth and I set off towards the clock tower's general direction. It's eerie how fast I make it there. A quick scan of the area tells me that I'm the first one here too by the looks of it. Though I wish it were different, I have no idea how to proceed and that has me at an impasse that leaves me with no option other than waiting.
A sudden stir underneath me catches my attention then. Beneath me, even in the darkness of the city, I can see my shadow writhing. I thumb the silver band over my finger for a split moment before my shadow rises from underneath. No, this isn't my shadow. Arbel's tall silhouette stands a couple of heads over me just like he once had. The light of those haunting oceanic eyes stares down at me, his expression telling me everything and nothing all at.
"You sense the disturbance being caused in the world, too, don't you?"
He blinks wordlessly before nodding once. What a strange being formed by even stranger abilities. It makes me wonder how our innate powers as Corvus—be us pureblood or halflings—connect to the Core. Do we exist in tandem with it? As an extension? Or maybe something completely outside of its control.
"Y'know, because I was so preoccupied with searching for my past, I never dared to wonder about my future. Even when I found out about where I came from and the people I belong to, I never let myself wonder too far. I suppose...I was afraid. But now that I think about it, it's sad that I don't know even the slightest thing about anything outside of this tiny country of ours."
My confession is unwarranted. I don't have the luxury to be thinking these kinds of things now. But the sight of him here—a mere shadow of a dear friend and comrade now gone—is opening my eyes to something beyond myself. Protecting the Court, meeting its Lords, becoming its monarch—I've done all these things without the slightest idea of anything.
"I want to know more."
I reach my hands outward to him then, but because he's taller than me, I can't reach him. Noticing this, the shadow blinks before slowly taking what looks to be a knee before me without my having to say a word. Now that he's like this I can see the features that his shadow kept from his body. They're faint but distinguishable. From where I stand, it's easy to see the faint ring of red that surrounds his eyes. Even weirder still, I see the faintest reflection of myself in them.
Now that I let myself finally wonder, one of many thoughts comes to the forefront of my mind.
My eyes have always been blue. Cloude's as well. Yet during my time at the Baskervilles they changed into a bright scarlet. A shade that reminded me of how Arbel's changed when he was taken over. But the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Neither of us were pureblood Corvus like Arbel had been.
So why?
"You have someone who can answer your questions." Chronos sounded calm and collected, almost like he already knew the answer. "All you have to do is ask her."
My breath hitched at that. Of course.
"Lachesis?"
"Yes?"
I only need one question. A very simple one that would give me all the answers I sought.
"Why do we have powers?"
Silence answered but just for a moment. Almost as if she were hesitating to give me what I wanted. Behind me, all across the world, chains continued to break, their shattering links a cacophony too loud to ignore. But for that second I tried to ignore it and listen to her and her alone.
"Children of Misfortune are born because of its loneliness."
Out of the haziness of the fog, silhouettes took form with what I recognized as Lacrimosa's powers. They were human images. Faint at first, they wore no details except for their eyes that were bright red in color.
"But after it became aware of what the world was doing with its creations, it realized that carelessly creating them would only beget the same outcome."
Those silhouettes then began to vanish one by one until only a handful of them remained.
"So, in order to avoid this outcome, it devised a system instead." Suddenly those red piercing gazes changed becoming a myriad of different colors in the blink of an eye. "A way for them to hide in plain sight."
"When you say it, are you referring to what lies in the depths of the Abyss?"
"The Core, yes."
"Then our powers come from the Abyss as well. Like Chains."
"To some extent. Your lineage—the Corvus as they've come to be known—is the new bloodline handcrafted by the Core to survive in a world that hunted them down. To that same end, it also bestowed a small fraction of what powers it had to the ones it was able to for their protection."
"You mean purebloods like Arbel control its powers?"
"In its purest form, no human is capable of controlling the Abyss' prowess. Only channel it. It is why Arbel Artemisia was overtaken. The young spiritist gave control to that innate piece of the Abyss living within you all."
"Why a ring of red and not full scarlet then?" I ask, coming to my last question. "Wouldn't it make sense for purebloods like Arbel and Kein to have those eyes and those like Cloude and I to have the rings instead?"
"The fact your people consider those like Arbel Artemisia a pureblood shows how much information has become diluted and lost through the centuries. You are all still humans regardless of how much of the Abyss' power resides within you; all that changes is how much of it has been redistributed with each passing generation."
It was then that it began to slowly make sense. Arbel was considered a pureblood only because, in essence, he was one of the oldest who could channel those powers given to us by the Core. But if it's distributed through generations and those generations thin over time regardless of blood purity, all that mattered was time.
"When did the Core begin creating the Corvus?"
"After my brother cast me into the Abyss."
My whole body tensed at the sound of Lacie's voice. The last time I heard it had been just after Elliot's death. Despite her helping me regain myself after all that had happened to me, I was still sore from the memories that resurfaced because of her. Taking that into account, I suppose my caustic tone was to be expected.
"I didn't ask you."
"Pity," she simply said. "And here I was going to graciously share a way for you to reach where my brother is at this very moment."
Instantly, my head snaps towards the general direction from where her voice is most prominent. To my surprise, a silhouette much like the ones Lacrimosa created stands there before me but with much more detail than the other faceless shades. And so much more different than the one I saw back when I first saw her.
Here and now, she's much older. Probably just a bit younger than Gil. Long black hair flows freely down her back and those piercing red eyes of hers match well with the dark crimson and tan gown she wears. An indifferent expression is plastered across her beautiful face. One that resembles Alice's too much for it to be a coincidence.
Though downplaying my more than distasteful words would've been the way to go, I don't hold anything back and address her exactly how I wish to.
"You know, just because a tiny piece of your soul is with me, doesn't mean you can barge in as you see fit."
"Never was my intention. Even if that was my goal all along, it would be impossible to accomplish anyway." The way she moves around me almost gives the semblance that she's truly here before me. However, the transparency of her body kept reminding me each time that what I'm seeing is nothing more than a mere ghost of the past clinging to me. "What little remains of me within you doesn't have enough strength to take over. Unlike Glen and nii-sama, I'm just a fraction of what I once was within you."
"Then why use what little strength you have to talk now?" I spat back.
"Because I wish for my brother to be stopped."
"Of course you do," I sneer. "You want to stop him from killing you, right? So that you'll exist in this world."
"I could care less about what happens to me."
What?
"Then...why?"
Her gaze turns downcast for a moment as a smile spreads across her lips. A delicate and melancholic smile. "Despite everything, he's never lost his sense of self. My brother always knew who he was and why he did the things he did. This, however, is different. His hand is being forced...just like it was when he cast me into the Abyss."
One of her hands suddenly reaches out to me and grazes my cheek. In the blink of an eye, the scenery around me changes. I'm in a round reception room that has the golden doors to the Abyss ahead of me; it doesn't take me long to recognize it as the Door controlled by the Baskervilles. A door I once exited from 100 years after the fall of Sablier. But this one looks different; it looks brand new. Well-kept. Around me is a crowd of red-hooded figures and before me a man I recognize as the one I called my master before, Glen. Though the name comes to mind, another thought surfaces in my head. I knew him as Glen, but Lacie knew him as her beloved older brother, Oswald. It was the silver-haired and purple-eyed man standing behind him that held the name of Glen before him.
All at once, what I saw made sense.
This was the day he cast her into the Abyss.
Darkness swallows me whole when that realization hits me and I'm brought back to the Sablier now. A part of me is still reeling with the information I was given. It's not much but it is enough for me to understand why. Why she wishes to stop Glen—to stop Oswald. And frankly, I can't believe it didn't come to me sooner. It's the same reason why I'm going after Leo after all.
"You don't want him to suffer anymore because of you."
Her gaze turns into a pained expression and a wry smile pulls at the edges of her lips at my deduction. "I've risked my complete erasure for one thing and one thing alone, Clarice. And I will show you how to reach your brother as well if you promise to help me achieve it."
Though I want nothing more than to find Leo and bring him back to his senses by getting rid of Oswald, I don't give in that easily to her request. Not without knowing what that is first.
"Which is?"
Lacie takes one step forward and leans into my ear. Her voice is quiet as she relates to me what it is she wants, and as she does, my eyes widen. She steps back with a smile on her face as I stand there in disbelief.
"That's it?" I ask with utter disbelief still audible in my words.
She nods. "That is it."
I give myself only a moment to think it over, but, frankly, it's an unnecessary moment. A part of me already had its answer before she even disclosed to me what she wanted.
"I'll do it."
"Then let's waste no time." Once again, she reaches out with her hands and takes my cheeks in them. It's very strange how despite not physically being able to touch me, I can still feel her hands on me. It's an eerie sensation of warmth and frigidness. "You may not look it but you are like me and so many others before us. Hidden behind those dark sapphire eyes are the ones you saw in your memories—the red eyes of misfortune. They will help you get to that place."
My brow scrunches up at the thought of what she's saying. "I don't know how to bring them out. I didn't even know it was something I could do until a few seconds ago."
"Because you're thinking about it. Don't think. Feel. What was your state of mind when that change happened?"
My state of mind...? My parents had just died. Cloude was slowly leaving me. I had no one.
"I was lonely."
"Exactly," she breathes with a sorrow that just barely reaches her voice. "That is its connection to us. Now hold it tight and channel it. Embrace it."
I don't know if what I'm doing is right, but I follow her instructions and simply feel my way through. It's painful to recall those memories now, especially since they feel so fresh in my mind, but if it's what I must do, then a little bit more pain now will be worth it.
"Good. Now, open your eyes."
The moment I do, Lacie is gone and in her stead I see something different. Lights. Tiny floating lights all around me that, much like the mist from before, surrounds me. I realize suddenly that I've seen those lights before. They're the same ones that guided us to the Baskerville mansion after our mother managed to send us away to safety.
Aside from them, there's something else lurking about. Something hidden. Without realizing what I'm doing, I reach out in front of me towards nothing at all when suddenly everything shatters around me like frail glass. The clock tower and Sablier are left behind as I now step into a whole different place.
It looks...like a courtroom. A very ornate and grand courtroom that could probably house thousands of people at once. I have little time to question where I am or what just happened though. I suddenly see a staircase straight ahead that leads upwards to an open gate. A very familiar one at that.
It's the Door to the Abyss belonging to the Baskervilles.
Beyond the center of the room stands a golden staircase that leads to it. The faint vestiges of what looks like Jabberwock vanishes past the door and brings my attention to where the staircase ends. There, two familiar figures are scurrying about: Break and Vincent. My first instinct is to rush to them but by the time I get there, Vincent is already gone. He's crossed through the open doors which leaves Break behind as he struggles to stand.
"Break!" Rushing to him, I drop to my knees to help him to his feet. A well placed arm over my shoulders is good enough to help him up, his weight shifting precariously from side to side as he composes himself after another coughing fit. Shit, he's must've fought with Vincent and Glen; his body's acting up again.
"H...How did you get here?" Break asks, his voice low. Before I can answer that though, I meet his gaze which causes his eyes to widen for a split second. It's hard to tell but his reaction makes me wonder if my eyes are scarlet like they had been when I was little. "I see...it's the same reason. You're one, too."
"Forget about it." I adjust his weight as he coughs some more. "For now, let's worry about meeting up with the others."
Before I can even start leading him down the staircase towards the lower landing, however, Break forces me away and separates from me. Stunned by the sudden shunning, I can only stare wide-eyed as Break wobbles on his feet before facing me directly.
"Go after Glen."
"What?"
"Listen to your elders now, Miss Dawn." He manages to take a few steps and grabs the banister of the staircase before smiling that grin I've known for years now. "You've always been better at tracking than anybody. I'll stay behind and await Oz-kun, m'lady and the others so I can send them your way."
Though I understand what he's saying, there's this uncertainty that settles in me. It crawls under my skin and is so uncomfortable that I can't stand it. But as uncomfortable as it is, it's also familiar. Vaguely so. It reminds me of my mother. I may not have any solid memory of her—they're all vague and fuzzy because of how young I was—but I do recall the way her voice sounded that night.
The night we ran away. The night she saved us. The very same one were we lost her.
My throat dries up at the sudden thought and tears begin to form at the brim of my eyes at the realization.
"Come on now. None of this," he says. His voice is closer now that he's taken the liberty of approaching me as I hang my head. Before I know it, his hand falls on top of it as he gently pats my head. "If it's you and Oz-kun, you'll surely rise above these circumstances. You two are too much of a handful for this to hold you back. So make haste after Leo-kun, Claire. I'll be just fine here."
Tears threaten to fall but I wipe them away as I bite my lip and run past him. My grief chokes me, and I almost think I'll leave him behind without a word, but the memory of Cloude stops me in my tracks as I face the doorway. Swallowing my fear, I turn around and inhale deeply before letting out the biggest shout of my life.
"I'm the handful you made, Break! You taught me so much of what I know so—so don't worry! We're going to finish this!"
"I'm sure you will." Break chuckles and hides his smile behind his sleeve before waving back at me. "Have a safe trip, Miss Claire."
It's only when I turn around that I finally let my tears fall. Not wanting them to stop me, I leap into the doorway and let it sweep me away. The road before me appears endless as I run through it, but before I know it, it warps and suddenly disappears from underneath me. My own tears brush by my face with how the wind sweeps them away as I fall. A whirlwind of images appears in the blink of an eye and they're much too familiar to not recognize.
"What's happening?"
"Are those your memories?" Chronos exclaims over the rowdy air rushing through.
"No!" Lacrimosa's sudden gasp puts all my attention towards her. "Lachesis! This is your—"
"Indeed," she affirms. "You've entered my domain, and these are the archives of the world recorded in the Abyss."
All at once, I understand what this is.
"It's our past."
The wind around me suddenly picks up speed. It's so forceful that I fear I might be swept away completely and lose myself in this chasm of time. Just as I fear the worst, a small light catches my attention. A light that I recognize all too well now. Reaching out towards Lacie, I grasp onto the ephemeral silhouette of her thin hand before the blinding light consumes me. The fall takes all but a second before I crash onto the solid floor back first. Cursing under my groans of pain, I turn on my side and almost let out a scream at the sight of the lifeless, bloodied mess of a body that's precariously lying there. The scream dies in my throat as I recoil from it only to hit the wall behind me.
The putrid smell of burning flesh and blood permeates my nostrils the moment my breath hitches at the sight before me.
It's the Tragedy of Sablier.
But unlike the ones I've seen I can immediately tell there's an immense difference from the times I've seen it before. Those memories don't hold a candle to what I saw now that I stand here in this burning mansion. This is the real thing; the actual night of the massacre that ensued after Jack shattered the chains using Oz.
"Why lead me here?" I cry out into the air.
"Because he's here."
Despite accepting Lacie's request, I still don't know whether to fully trust her or not. For the time being, however, she's my only sure connection to Master Glen and to where Leo is right now.
The thought alone helps me regain my composure and leave the balcony where I landed to go on searching. It's sickening to witness with fresh eyes the tragedy I was so blissfully unaware of as a child. It's so many people; so many of them gasping their last breath after being so mercilessly taken.
Why? Why did Master Glen order us to kill everybody?
"It is a simple answer."
"B-But I don't understand, Mister Fang! Why does the Master want us to kill everybody?"
That voice stops me in my tracks. Eyes wide in disbelief, I turn towards the corridor that just opened to my right to find that little boy from my memories. His name leaves my lips and it isn't anything above a pained whisper.
"Cloude?"
A little six-year-old boy with dark black hair, a pair of red eyes and a scar across his face. It's him. No doubt about it. His attire is minimal for a Baskerville and is hidden behind the overly large cloak that Fang fixes on upon him.
"It's not for us to understand, Cloude," Fang tells him. Despite his words, his hesitancy belies itself in his tone of voice. If there ever was an order he and Lottie ever doubted from Master Glen it was this one. "We must obey…but we won't allow this to fall on you children."
At those words he places Cloude's hood over his head hiding his face. Cloude, taken aback, lifts the hood away from his eyes, his gaze and lips trembling with fear and confusion. "W-What do you mean?"
"Search for Claire and go to Lily's room. Charlotte's surely already instructed her to lead you both out of Sablier."
"O-Out?" he repeats, tears starting to pool at the brim of his eyes. "But why? Didn't Master—" But his words suddenly stop when Fang takes ahold of his tiny shoulders. Despite the slight pain that crosses Cloude's young face, a small smile is plastered across Fang's as he raises his hand to rest atop his head.
"Charlotte, Doug and I will oversee Master Glen's orders," he assures him. "Children shouldn't be involved with such horrific things." It's then that he pushed Cloude away towards the corridor that I knew led to the bedrooms. "Now go! Get out of here!"
His red eyes glisten with unshed tears before he turns away to leave. Without even thinking about it, my feet move on their own and rush after him.
"Claire, focus! This is—"
"The past, I know!" My chest aches at the sight of Fang's ephemeral figure as I pass him and chase after my brother. "But I can't just leave it be! There's something bothering me still. I ended here for a reason!"
Chasing Cloude through bloodied and body-infested corridors, it's becoming harder and harder to breath by the second. One turn then another and another; the chase seemed endless and tiresome the longer it went on. But finally, Cloude bursts through a pair of double doors to find a carnage left behind at a foyer. One I recognize as the main hall. Despite keeping my distance from him, I can tell well enough what lies beyond those doors.
There were many bodies there. Fresh ones. And what was even more telling were the crimson cloaks with nothing but dust within them. Something had gone through here and killed Baskervilles. To my knowledge, only a contractor and it's Chain were capable of going against a Baskerville. Judging by the marks on the ground and all around it had to be some kind of blade. A very large blade.
At the thought, only a very large rabbit came to mind.
Jack must've been here with Oz.
Sudden gurgling takes me and Cloude by surprise as he and I intend to cross the hall. A red-haired woman lays on the floor amongst the carnage with a large slash across her chest yet still alive. Cloude only spares her a horrified glance before sprinting away. I, however, stop. Red eyes, red hair. Reminds me too much of Duke Barma to be a mere coincidence.
"O-Os—wald—" She can barely speak from what surely is the pain her wound is causing her. I can't understand her but Lacie somehow can as she quietly spectates from inside my mind.
"Nii-sama."
"W-Who's she?"
"Miranda Barma. I never met her, but I always knew from what my blissfully ignorant brother told me that she was a despicable woman."
I linger briefly before chasing after Cloude once more. This time isn't as hard to find him again. He's caught in a room trying to battle away those nobles who are actually putting up a fight against the massacre going on around them. It breaks my heart to see Cloude fighting back, using what Fang taught him and his own powers over space to kill them. Their fresh blood covers him as the hand holding onto his basket hilt sword, Christ, shakes so terribly. He empties his stomach not far from where the bodies lay and cries out his frustrations and fears.
It's clear to me now that he never wanted to kill anybody. For as battle-hardened as he may have been in the last moments I fought alongside him, it didn't take away the fact that he had been a scared little boy once, too. Much like I had been a little girl too oblivious to her surroundings and the people manipulating her to act better.
"What if what she said is really the only way...Lacrimosa?" He's voice is quiet as he tries to push away the sobs that escape him.
"This..." Lacrimosa's voice is sullen in my head. Almost like this is just as painful for her to remember.
"No, little foal." The Lacrimosa I hear say those words isn't the one in my head. It's the one with Cloude. Her words continue to echo throughout the room as she speaks. "There must be another outcome. Another possibility."
"But what if there isn't?" he continues, his eyes brimming with tears. "If it is and I go through with it...then I won't be able to see Claire anymore, will I?"
The silence that lingers is heavy until Lacrimosa breaks it again. "No."
"Then I wasted all this time." They finally begin to pour down his cheeks freely and it pains me to hear the hurt in his torn voice. "I spent all this time pushing her away when I should've cherished her and now...it's too late."
"Cloude!"
The sound of my own childish voice stuns me and I turn just in time to see myself as a small child run across the room and meet with him. Realization hits me like a ton of bricks. This...this is the memory Jack showed me back in Cheshire's lair. It must've been one of the few he didn't alter with the spell he cast on me. I'm sure of it because it's unfolding exactly as he showed it to me.
"Thank goodness! When the earthquake hit, I came looking for you. And when all I found were people dead...I was worried sick about you." It was mind boggling to see this play out again and feel the pain of it so viscerally in such a different way. "Hurry! We have to find Jack and the others and leave. This place is aflame!" My child self pulls at Cloude's arm towards the door but when he refuses to budge is when I know what's about to happen.
This time when the little girl speaks, it's with fear in her voice, and I hate myself for it. "C-Cloude… W-We have to leave."
"It's no use. It won't change anything."
The little girl panics and questions him. Cloude, so out of touch with everything by that point, repeats the orders Glen must've given the rest of the Baskverilles. The fight I remember well ensues. He's so caught up with the burden of knowing my own death that he can't see I'm right there in front of him. Even after that little girl summons Star Seeker somehow, Cloude isn't convinced. If anything, it drives his own downward spiral further.
"I never wanted to see you hurt. All I wanted was to see your smiling face, Claire." I never saw the desperate smile that night when he spoke of his hopes. Much less of his fears and burdens. "But...I have an obligation to uphold."
The two clash and the familiar void opens beneath them that will lead them to the Abyss. Seeing it from here, though, I'm caught off guard as the chains pull me in first. That little girl disappears into the gate as the chains wrap around Cloude then. I'm speechless watching him accept his impending doom, but when he opens his eyes for a moment and suddenly stares straight ahead with eyes wide as can be, a realization hits me.
He can see me.
"Who…?"
It's impossible for me to say what in heaven's name suddenly possessed me. Whatever does brings me closer to the open gate as it begins to close on him, becoming smaller and smaller around his small chained body. I fall to my knees as my eyes start brimming with tears once more. Despite them, I keep a smile on my lips as I try to convey what lies deep in my heart with tremulous words. I can think of everything and nothing to say to him but in the end can only smile, lips trembling, as I speak.
"Thank you, ixoto."
His eyes widen utterly baffled but in the next blink, the bright red of his irises turned a dark sapphire with tears brimming in them and his lips forming into the most beautiful smile I've ever seen.
"...thank goodness."
That's all he says—all he gets to say— before the chains drag him down and the gates close behind him. My heart drops at the sight and all that's left behind to my utter shock is the crimson cloak he'd been wearing; it must've come off in the struggle, I think. It was always too big for us when we were little. The thought comes to my mind and tortures me further. My hand reaches out and grasps the fabric noting just how real it feels.
But it is real, I remind myself. It's the past. It happened.
Bringing his cloak closer to me, I hold it against me and can't help but scream at the sudden pain that strikes me. It's like losing him all over again. And not just him. There's...so many loved ones that I'm losing without being able to do anything about it.
Arbel. Break. Cloude.
It's just...too much.
"You have to keep moving."
"I can't…" Despite Chronos' words, I can't bring myself to stand back up again. The thought alone paralyzes me with fear of what I might find around the bend. Who will die next? Who else will I lose? My voice trembles as I shake my head, "I can't…"
"You have to." The voice that calls out to me this time is one I don't expect to hear. Before I know it, Lottie's gentle hand rests on my shoulders as she kneels beside me. Her gaze is melancholic as she stares at the cloak crumpled in my hands for a moment before reaching down to place one of hers atop of mine. "We have to keep going, Claire. Otherwise, you'll only trample on their sacrifices."
Her eyes are gentle as she lifts them to meet mine. I know she's supposed to be my enemy right now, but despite this, I can't help but be relieved that she's by my side. The one who raised me alongside the other Baskervilles was her. And more than a simple caretaker or even sister, it always felt like she was a mother to us.
"Lottie. Why are you—"
"I've chosen to come and stop Glen-sama from erasing the past." Her statement is straight to the point and assuages many of my questions and doubts. This ease allows me to reach out to her and embrace her tightly as I let every emotion inside me spill forth.
Just for a moment. Just so these feelings don't end up crushing me in the end.
Spent in less than a minute, I let myself breathe and let my mind think. Lottie is right. I can't trample on the feelings of those who are gone. Their hopes are on my shoulders—on all of ours. They left the world and future to us.
I won't let you down.
Wiping away my tears with the sleeve of my blouse, I rise from the floor before sweeping the cloak around and securing it onto my shoulders. Undoing the ribbon on my hair, half of my hair falls down, and I use the ribbon to better tie the neck of the crimson cloak. The dark blue contrasts well against the red and it sits at my bosom as a small bow.
I choke at the warmth that it still holds but instead of crying, I brace myself before turning to face Lottie and Doug who stand behind me. The sight of them there reminds me of something.
Lacrimosa, can you attach strings to them?
There's no reply, but I don't need much of one when I can see them clear as can be. Thin silver strings that attach themselves to both and connect them to me. I ask her to do it once more, this time sweeping the mansion to find any of the others in case they were here already.
"It'll take a great toll on you to search such a huge expanse of space, Claire."
"I'll manage."
She accedes at last and I feel the way her magnetic field suddenly scatters across the entirety of the mansion. My breath hitches at the sudden way my strength leaves me, but thankfully it's not great enough to debilitate me.
"I've found a handful not belonging to the timeflow we're presently in. There's a conglomeration of five northeast of here. Stationary. Three others are northbound; two of them together."
"Connect me to all of them."
The moment she does, I can see what she does. The empty black space contrasts greatly with the thin slivers of silver that now connect me to the others. The magnetic field from Leo's body was easiest to recognize. I spent too many years by his side to not distinguish it at a glance. Alice is separated from Oz and a strange presence is with her; that worries me. With that in mind, I find Oz next. He's one of the bunch Lacrimosa found alongside Gilbert and Vincent, it seems. Another one is Ada Vessalius; I don't know why she's there, but if Oz is with her it might've been because of him. The last one is Zwei...no. What's wrong with this one? It feels like Zwei but at the same time it doesn't.
Who…?
Echo?
Before I have any more time to ponder about it, the tautness of her particular string begins to waver. It's steadily losing its strength. She's... A gasp escapes me at finally placing this feeling and it sends me on the run after it. Lottie and Doug call out after me and are quick to follow after me.
Good. I don't have time to explain.
Turning corridor after corridor chasing after that fading string is what leads us to an open foyer. I stop in my tracks at the sight before me. It's like they fought in here. Vincent and Ada are together and apart from Oz, Gilbert and who I can only think is Echo. My feet only take me enough steps forward for me to see what's happening to her body. A mere glance tells me I was right.
This waning of her string…
She's really dying.
Oz is there for her. He knew Echo the most. Accepted her right from the beginning. And that seems to have been enough for her.
"It itches a little...but it's not so bad...to leave like this…"
Dust.
It happens slowly and all at once. She disappears into dust that is easily blown away, leaving nothing behind but the crimson cloak she wore. Oz...this pained him. In a way that I can't describe but that arises an aching in me anew. They're all affected even when they won't say it properly.
Finally I step forward, catching Gilbert's attention as he says my name quietly under his breath. Glancing down at him, I call out to Oz instead. He doesn't answer right away. It takes him another solid second before he stands and dons Echo's cloak.
A memento of the one he lost. Much like mine.
"Let's go."
Determination tinged with sadness echoes across the room as he turns my way. His emerald eyes meet mine briefly before he speaks up again. Almost as if needing his own words to strengthen his own resolve.
"Let's stop Glen."
I give him a solemn nod before turning away towards the one string that will guide me to them. To Master Glen and Leo.
"This way!"
A right down the stairs.
Leaving the mansion behind, we enter the forest.
Straight through this opening and past that tree.
I could maneuver these woods with ease without a string, and that helps me in guiding them through it while following Leo's string in particular.
He's close. He's close. He's—
My eyes widen at the sight before me, but only one person, in particular, is whom I care about. My emotions take over then, my chest tightening at the sight of Leo. The words suddenly slip from my lips the instant I'm close enough for him to hear me.
"Leo-nii!"
I know Glen is in control of his body right now—something obvious by how he recognizes Lottie immediately and calls out to Lottie instead—but I know Leo can hear me. He's in there too. Before either of us can get an answer, however, Oz gets in the way and takes the brunt of the slash from Glen's sword. He holds him at an impasse and tells him what he told us on our way here.
His plan to stop the destruction of the chains. The one that implicated returning the Core of the Abyss to its original state—to before it gained a body in the other Alice—by using his power as B-Rabbit to destroy the body of the Will of the Abyss. And it makes me sick to my stomach that Glen sums it up the same way I did when Oz related this to us.
"So basically you're saying you are going to kill the other Alice with your own hands?"
Out of the blue, the sky above us cracked like a broken mirror. This scenario—it's the same thing that happened when we were at Cheshire's lair. This dimension is breaking. Speaking of which, the cat was back. Here I thought Break had vanquished it with Mad Hatter back then. But he's here, alive and kicking and seriously furious at what Oz just said we would do.
He wastes no time to pounce at us, but thankfully Doug is enough to hold him at bay. From how viciously he's attacking, it's hard to get to Oz or even the tower to go with Gil. Cheshire won't allow it; he's protecting the other Alice. That's why he's gotten so feral out of nowhere. Glen is much the same way now that he knows what Oz intends to do. I comprehend why too. What he intends to do is dangerous. It could very well destroy the fabric of this world into nothingness.
Still...if there's a chance, we'll take it.
"Fools," he grunts, "Relying on such a slim chance of success."
The words slip out of me as I glare at Glen from where we stand. If there's something Cloude taught me after all these years, it's one thing. "No matter how slim the chance, so long as it exists, we'll go after it for the sake of our world!"
"WHY?!" It's incredible how the ground trembles with his bellow. "Why are you trying so hard to stop me?!"
Lottie is much of the same mentality as us. She's realized that what he's trying to do isn't right. But he won't listen to anybody. From what I'm hearing, he's too obsessed with fulfilling his duty as Glen. Of correcting whatever he perceives as his mistake.
Jabberwock is summoned from his outburst, but something seems off. Almost like he's having trouble controlling the Chain. Unfortunately, he has enough of it to mount the black-winged dragon and soar upward towards the tower.
"Like hell you're getting away now." Dodging out of Cheshire's way, I call Achlys forth and hold the bullwhip steady in one hand before lassoing it towards Jabberwock. The spiked-end latches around one of his claws and lifts me off my feet alongside it as it takes to the sky. Shortening it until I can climb onto its claw, I somehow make my way up to its back just as Oz lands from above beside me.
Now it's just us against him.
Oz and I fall in tandem despite the small space we have to work with. I imagine that his scythe is different to maneuver than a sword but he makes it work with what Break and I taught him. As for me, I give Glen no leeway. Even though I never once sparred against him, I knew our Master had formidable and inhuman swordsmanship. Pulling my punches now would cost me greatly.
When Oz suddenly loses his footing, panic flashes across my face for a second before he summons his chains. The sight of him grasping onto Jabberwock's neck is enough of a relief and allows me to focus ahead of me. Brandishing Radiant Garden, I charge forward to keep Glen preoccupied and allow Oz a chance to return unhindered.
He strikes first, desperate to get us off Jabberwock. The moment he strikes, I'm ready. He's quick and agile, but I'm able to match him blow for blow. His impact is heavier on my smaller frame but even through that, I stand. He's not bringing me down now.
Finally, I catch him before he can strike again and hold him against my blade using both my hands and full weight to keep him in place. The enraged expression marring Leo's face stuns me momentarily until I remind myself who the one controlling him is.
This isn't my big brother.
He pushes against me and our blades screech at the force. I grit my teeth and try to go against him, but I can feel myself shaking as he towers over me with that menacing scowl. "Stand down, Clarice."
"No, Master," I groan through gritted teeth, my arms trembling from the force fighting against me. "I won't let you go through with this."
"It must be done!"
"Not when there's another way!"
Not when I can see the truth in that terrifying glare.
You don't want to kill Lacie.
Overhead, I somehow catch Oz's shadow as he hauls himself above Jabberwock. And I can tell where he's aim is. Glen wants to push me away to block Oz's attack, but I don't let him. I stand my ground as doggedly as I can until the last second to give Oz the best chance he can have.
"And I have decided to reach out towards that light!"
His bellow is cue enough. Using all the might I can muster, I shove him into Oz's attack while slipping out from under Jabberwock's body. I'm not even falling for a second before Achlys is in my hand once again, this time to latch onto his wing.
The victory is short-lived though. The moment I do that, Jabberwock disappears and leaves me to fall freely through the sky. What's worse, there's no ground for me to land on. The dimension, already too fragile as it was, shattered and left us in that same vortex of memories that we traveled to get to the past. The whirlwind is so much different this time, though. It's so overwhelming, so suffocating. I can feel myself being torn to shreds.
My very mind. My very soul. It's all being torn asunder.
Suddenly there's nothing but darkness. Strangely enough, I have the sense that I've been here before. It feels like an eternity before I put it together.
"This is...where I came to when I died."
That peaceful and lonesome darkness.
Exhaustion suddenly overcomes me to the point that I fear I might close my eyes and not wake again. And though I try fighting it, the sensation overwhelms me. The one that begs me to sleep. That beckons me to close my eyes and finally rest from all the pain in the world.
"No...I won't...let you…"
"You won't withstand this much longer."
Lacie…? My eyelids feel heavier than ever, my mind slowing down to such a crawling pace that I'm just barely able to discern her voice.
"I'll guide you through...with what remains of this tiny piece of me."
It's then that I hear it, her voice resonating in that endless void. The melody is one I have heard one too many times in memories: the song in that pocket watch. It's the melody of a century that guides us through the darkness, invoking memories connected to it and forming the road ahead. Many of them don't recognize Lacie. It's not surprising; none of them would have a reason to know her.
None except Oz and Glen.
And it's as we traverse that road of memories that I witness what happened to Lacie the day she was cast into the Abyss once again. She looks exactly like the woman I saw not too long ago. Everything is the same except for that melancholic look in her eye.
"It's a bittersweet memory, my last goodbye."
My throat tightens with sentiment, but before I can even say anything, we fall through the memories as they vanish before our eyes. A panicked scream wants to escape my throat at the sudden freefall, but it has no time to exit when my fall is broken by something cold and soft underneath me. Slowly turning over from my back, my hands touch the snow beneath me and it dawns on me then that we're somewhere different. This isn't the Baskerville mansion—I don't think I recognize this place—but something within me does.
Lacie.
Lifting my head, I take a long gander at our surroundings and find the scenery of a midwinter day. Trees lay bare of life and the snow-covered ground is missing its spring vibrancy. All around us, a gentle snowfall came. Instinctively, my hand reaches upward to the snowflakes that slowly fall and catch one in my hand. It melts with ease, the warmth of my body too much for it to keep its shape.
This... It must be the moment in time that Glen wanted to reach—where he came to with the intention to kill Lacie.
Snow crunching under someone's feet takes my attention away from where we are and brings it to whomever is now approaching us.
It's a little girl, probably no older than I was when Sablier fell. A little girl with jet-black hair and blood-red eyes.
It's you.
Inside my head, I could see Lacie's form—the part of her residing within me—clear as could be. She doesn't respond to my words. All she does is smile down at the little girl.
Nobody dares to move, breathe or even think. Glen, the closest to the little Lacie, stares up at her from where he knelt; the little girl simply approached him without a care nor concern, gazing down at him with a blasse expression that is just the tiniest bit curious. Suddenly, when Glen moves to stand, Oz, the one closest to me all this time, notices and reaches out his hand—
Only to stop.
Though it should've appeared strange after all we've gone through to stop him, I understand his hesitation. It's something I feel within me as well. Not because we could easily stop Glen, but because we both came to understand the same thing.
We watch as Glen feebly raises his sword against the defenseless child. Lacie doesn't run. She's not even afraid. All she does is smile. Suddenly, before any of us knows it, Glen's obsidian sword falls silently into the snow behind him. He falls to his knees and proclaims out loud what Oz and I both knew from the start.
"This is it...I can't...kill Lacie…"
"Nii-sama!"
My heart jumps at her little voice calling out to the small boy that comes into view. He's Glen—no, that's Oswald. The scene that unfolds before us wrings my heart. Despite their circumstances, it's obvious they protected and cared for each other. The love they held for one another was clear simply by the way they held hands and trekked forth to live in the cruel world before them.
And it breaks my heart to think of the even crueler future that awaits them.
Neither of you should've suffered all this.
"It's already happened," Lacie reminds me, her voice echoing in my mind. "It's useless to cry about it."
Still... The little girl looks back over her shoulder and waves Glen goodbye. The smile that comes over Leo's face is gentle but it doesn't hide the tears that well up in his eyes. Strangely enough, he reminds me so much of Cloude now more than ever. None of us deserved what happened to us.
The sound of Glen suddenly falling over onto the freshly fallen snow takes me aback. More so the bits of light I can see that are suddenly emanating from his body.
"Claire. I've done my part of our bargain." Lacie interrupts me before I can even ask what it is that I'm seeing. To my surprise, I can sense her hands on my shoulders as she tightly holds onto them. That gesture is all that I need to tell what she means by those words.
It's my turn to fulfill my end.
Strangely enough, I don't feel at odds about letting her do this. I don't have an exact reason why—I highly doubt there is—but I'm not wary of her or what she asked of me any longer. I think it's because I finally understand. Despite how poorly I've thought of her, I don't truly believe she's a bad person. After seeing this, I can see her for what she was, just a girl thrust into unfortunate circumstances because of something out of her control. A girl that did her best to live the life she was given the way she wanted. And a woman that did her best to fulfill the role she was given for the sake of her only family.
We're really not that different, you and I.
Lacie chuckles under her breath. "Sadly for you."
Not sadly, but the only way I let her know I don't see things that way is with the faint smile that crosses my lips and the words I speak to her quietly under my breath.
"Take your time," I say under my breath, letting my eyes close.
Oz knelt not far from where Glen had fallen, watching over as Charlotte proclaimed her promise to Glen to look after Leo after he's gone. Because of this, he failed to notice the flush of a crimson cloak as Claire walked by and only did so after his friend stopped before Glen.
"...Claire?"
The moment he voiced her name, however, Oz could sense something wasn't right about her. He didn't know what to call it. The closest thing he could imagine was 'familiarity'. The moment he saw Claire's eyes, though, he knew why. The sense that those now blood-red eyes gave him was a familiar one.
A loving one.
La...cie…?
But it couldn't be...could it?
Without paying them any attention, she knelt before Glen. The way he was now, so feeble and on the brink of disappearing, all Glen could do was look up at her. Oz, noticing Charlotte's quick attempt to stop her, gestured for her to wait. Charlotte gave him a baffled look in protest, and all Oz could respond with was a pained frown. If this was truly her—if this really was Lacie...then they deserved this much.
"Clarice—"
Glen's words stopped in his throat when she suddenly took him into her arms and laid him on her lap facing upward. Gently, her hand brushed the dark strands of his hair behind his ear until his vision was clear. The moment he actually looked in her eyes, his eyes widened with disbelief as his lips parted.
"...L…"
"Shh." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Only loud enough for him to hear. Her hand gently caressed his cheek as she spoke. "I'm going with you. So let's go together. To whatever awaits us, nii-sama."
His gaze finally turned gentle, the ghost of a smile grazing his lips as he turned his head towards her. Low in her throat, she began to hum quietly a song dear to them.
Just for the two of them, she sang, until the last specks of gold vanished into nothingness after his eyes closed.
The sensation of not being in control of my own body yet being aware of every little thing that I was doing is strange. But I bear with it.
For them.
The return of it is just as conspicuous. It's like a heaviness being lifted off of my shoulders, taking with it an oppressiveness I hadn't noticed was strangling my heart. It goes away after a moment and the feeling of her leaves with it. Those golden specks of light I saw have already vanished into thin air and are long gone. These red eyes of mine can see them, and my heart tells me exactly what they are.
Their souls. Both Oswald's and Lacie's...leaving together.
"Leo?"
Oz's voice brings me fully to the present. More so the name he said. The instant I look over to where his voice came from is the very same one that Leo takes to punching his head down. After his complaint of being pierced by chains, Oz isn't too far behind, headbutting him right under his chin as payback. The bickering that ensues allows my shoulders to relax and the ghost of a smile to come to my lips.
It's short-lived but appreciated, their little bickering. Now that Glen is gone, Oz's primary concern is Alice. And to get her back from the Core, we'll need Leo's help. Thankfully, Leo is on board. He doesn't wish to change the past either. He believes in the sliver of hope we found—stopping the chains' destruction and restoring the Abyss to its original state—and will do everything in his power to do it.
Good. Though it's small, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Out of the blue, a hand juts down towards me, startling me. Looking up, I find those familiar eyes looking down at me, dark with beautiful golden specks swimming within them. I take his hand and rise to my feet, but when I turn back to him, Leo sheepishly averts his gaze.
"Claire, I'm—"
I don't let him finish. Instead, I throw myself against him, burying my face against his chest and grasping the fabric over his chest as tight as I can. Just as I feel his hand moving to hold me back, though, I violently shake him by the hold I have on his cloak.
"You should be sorry!" I shout back, his head bobbing back and forth with every shake I give him. "How could you leave me without saying anything, you big jerk!"
"I—I—I'm so—rry!"
"Sorry doesn't begin to cut it!" With that last exclamation, I take a long breath before punching him twice on the shoulder. He groans and rubs at his shoulder with a panicked look on his face. "One for both of us!"
"What do you—" The air audibly leaves him when I hold him again, this time in a tight embrace while I lay my cheek against his.
"I'm sorry, too, for not being there when you needed me most," I quietly say. "So let's talk once we return home. About everything, okay?"
Leo chokes back a sob as he buries his face against my shoulder, his hand instantly reaching up to hug me back as tight as he can. "Thank you, Claire."
"Mm." Despite the small tears that fall down my cheeks, my smile persists more than ever. "And you better never leave me behind again. You two promised me that much, after all. Learn to keep your word a little better, okay, Leo-nii?"
He nods against my shoulder, his hand gripping the back of my cloak.
It takes me a bit to separate from him, but when I do, he's got the most determined look I've seen on him yet. We're both hellbent on doing this however we can. And with the depths of the Abyss where Alice and the Core are being our goal, we've got our work cut out for us according to Lottie. If we go into it now with the state the Core is in, we would literally be walking into our deaths.
"Unless there was a way to connect directly with the bottom of the Abyss."
"There is a way." We all think Oz is crazy when he interrupts Lottie with that statement. Even more so when he touches his chest and proclaims that to be the way. "We will use the power of the seal to reach the Will of the Abyss."
Before any of us can say anything about it, Lottie's sudden screech takes us aback but not as much as when she cries out Lily's name out of the blue. Apparently, she met up with Sharon along the way and Eques has been attached to her shadow ever since. The connection must've stabilized enough to make contact. She asks about Alice and Gilbert and it's bitter to tell her that they're not with us.
What pains me most, however, is her asking us to bring them back safe and sound. Especially with what she says next.
"I...will make arrangements for the tea party."
Oz assures her he will and thanks her. Before Eques' connection weakens any further, Lottie asks for someone to be taken back. I'm confused at first about her request, but when I see Vincent with Ada, I see what this is about. From where I am I can't hear what he tells her but I can see how he holds her. I can see how precious she is.
And letting go of her must be the most painful thing he's ever had to do.
After she's gone, we're left in a serenity that doesn't last. Oz is ready to send us into the depths. The moment his seal turns a full rotation and the gate begins to open, I hold onto Leo to keep from being blown away. Before I know it, we are taken by that darkness again. This time, instead of being swept away, it feels like we're being pulled down into the depths of the murkiest water. It's suffocating and it's hard to see anything beyond the shadows.
Just as suddenly as it came, though, it vanishes. When I open my eyes, I find we're in a parlor room, the same one from the few memories I saw of Lacie's room except gaudier. Childish even. Oz leads the way, but when he speaks, a heaviness sinks in my chest.
"I'm sorry...for the long wait."
That's not Oz. And the Will of the Abyss can see that, too. "Jack...?"
"I'm here to fulfill my promise, Alice."
I stay back with Leo and the others, watching closely each and every move that Jack makes. If necessary, I can stop him. He doesn't have any sort of power anymore. If...If Oz is really gone, then B-Rabbit's power isn't his to control anymore. With Chronos and Lacrimosa, it would be easy. But Oz allowed this to happen—he's too smart not to have known it would occur—which makes me believe that he planned this.
But the Will of the Abyss doesn't reach for him. Out of nowhere, the space around us starts to be destroyed bit by bit as she rages. Thick branches sprout from the floor encroaching her and threatening to isolate her away from us. But if this is what Oz planned, we have to see it through.
We need to appease Alice.
Vincent calling out to Leo urges him to do just that. Much like Vincent, I know what Leo can do now that he's the current Glen of the Baskervilles. Leo's capable of stopping the chains of the world from breaking even if he only has Jabberwock to do so. And despite being all serious at first, something makes him snap in annoyance. Having experienced what having another soul within your body, I can only imagine what having the previous incarnations of Glen within him is like.
"Brace yourselves, because I'm going to show you, who are always making fun of this world and even those aloof on-lookers, a masterpiece that will crack you up!"
Pretty damn obnoxious by the sound of it.
He's able to prevent the chains from breaking but when his knees suddenly buckle beneath him, I curse under my breath and rush to him.
"What's wrong, Leo-nii?!"
"A-All the chaos here! Even with the black-winged Chains—the dimension is too unstable!"
The dimension?
"You can stabilize it, mia Dominia."
I try fooling myself for a second, but it's useless. I know that what Lachesis is saying is true. If I try, I could most likely maintain the depths of the Abyss stable enough for Leo to uphold the chains, feeble as they may be. But the only way I have to do that is—
"Claire!Claire!"
Their calls for me to act make my hesitation brief but not any less painful.
"I just got you guys back!" I cry out. My hands shoot up to press against my chest, as if that would help it to hurt any less at what I have to do.
"We know." It's hard to ignore Lacrimosa's voice tinged with a bit of sadness. The warmth of a hand settles atop mine; a gentle touch. "And we loved being with you again all the same, no matter how short of a time it was."
"And you want to know something, kid?" Chronos' voice is just the tiniest bit saddened as well, but I can still hear that boastfulness of his. Almost reminiscent of pride. And when his rougher touch lays over Lacrimosa's, I sense it. "If it's to help save you and the world you love so much, then we wouldn't have it any other way."
Not wanting to say goodbye with a grimace, I instead smile back and hold onto them tight as could be.
"Thank you, Chronos, Lacrimosa. For everything."
Their voices and presences within me disappear and the bits of light left behind unite in my hands before bursting into Star Seeker. The staff is still a head taller than I am, but it's easily maneuverable as I twirl it before stabbing the ground between my feet.
"Astrovylia!" A ring of light forms around me as the starlight shroud of the Harbinger rises from beneath me. She takes form behind me and as her contractor, I order from her one thing only.
Keep this place afloat. Give them the space and time to accomplish what we came here to do!
Her head nods overhead before she retrieves into the head of the staff. There, the three colored glass tears begin to glow before giving their light to the main one being upheld by the crescent moon. A ring of stars suddenly bursts outward from the white sphere, keeping the space from destroying itself and even vanquishing the roots that sprouted farthest from Alice and the Core.
Seeing the way I cleared ahead, Leo looks over at Vincent before calling out. "Go to Gilbert, Vincent! Go do your part!"
Vincent hesitates for a moment, surely not wanting to leave his master behind, but I step forward with Astrovylia in hand. "Go. We have his back." Before he goes, I give him a cheeky grin. "He's not just your master, Vincent. He's ours, too."
As if acknowledging that as well, both Doug and Lottie join me in protecting Leo from the Core's chaos. With that ease of mind, he rushes towards Gilbert and leaves this to us. He and Gil are keeping Jack well guarded but can't seem to find any way to reach Alice. But just as I'm about to rush in and help them as well, a light bursts outward from the middle of the room. From that light a familiar rabbit appears. With ease, he destroys the roots I couldn't and calls out to us.
"Sorry I'm late!"
"Oz!"
It's strange to see him in that form but there's no denying that it's him. It's Oz.
With the additional way that he cleared, Jack has a set path to her. He takes it and finally reaches her, taking her hand in his. Just when I think he's about to say something, he pauses, takes a breath—
And tells her the truth.
"Alice, I have been lying to you all along."
About wanting to meet the person most important to him. About having approached her in the hopes of doing that. About deceiving her into creating B-Rabbit to take the world into the depths of the Abyss for that other person.
"I didn't do it for you, or to be with you… Those were all lies." About everything. "I did it all for myself. Everything I did was because I just wanted to stay alive."
"Is this...you, Jack?"
Her words stun me for some reason. But when she describes what it is she felt towards him, it makes sense. Despite loving him, it scared her to not know even the first thing about him. And now that he admitted all of this, she seemed to understand who he truly was beyond all the lies and deception.
"Stark white and pitch black, a hopelessly lonely person."
She sees him.
"Here you are. At long last."
Alice. I never got to know...either of them while I was a Baskerville. But knowing how lonely they were, I wished now more than ever that I would've had the courage to do so. Now that she's come back to her senses, there was only one thing left to do.
"Oz… Form a contract with me."
This is it.
Once Oz formed a contract with them, he would be able to sever the bond between Alice and the Core of the Abyss and return the Abyss to its original state. We would accomplish what we sought out to do.
This would end it. All of it.
A twinkle of light escapes from Star Seeker as Oz cuts his finger and lets Alice drink his blood. It's small at first, then suddenly blinding all at once and the light it emanates engulfs all of us.
And it's within that blinding whiteness that I hear the distinctive sound of a turning page.
After all that we had been through and how against us the odds may have been, I always held out hope that we would overcome them. That we would be successful in our endeavor and that none of their sacrifices would be in vain.
I just never imagined how much that victory would cost us.
A/N:
Going strong! This one turned out to be longer than I intended because I tacked on the end part of the next chapter. Good news is that finalizing this story will come sooner than I thought. Aside from this one, I only have 2 more chapters; one is already written and the other is just the epilogue which won't be as long as either this one of the next chapter.
I don't have much to say aside from that frankly :3 I might have more next chapter because, ngl, it got me tearing up like a baby writing it. Not just because its PH but because this is one of my oldest stories that I always intended to finish but could never get around to doing until now.
For now, I hope you enjoyed the update and that you stayed tuned for the next chapter :)
*Evie*
