Castle Dimitrescu – February 9th, 2021
The clock of uncertainty had shifted its hands toward the late afternoon. Cassandra could not take her mind off everything that was going on. It tore at everything that she was made of.
Where was Ethan?
Where was Bela?
The brunette could not fathom how that man was able to elude her grasp. Most of all – what did he do to cause the disappearance of her older sister? She felt so responsible for everything that had gone down. It was yet another notch in the belt of screw-ups that had plagued her in recent times. Her mother had come down hard on her lately for senselessly killing Luana amid her anger following a trip to the kitchen.
The cook had only been keeping true to Bela's orders, thus objecting when she attempted to take a slab of meat to snack on before dinner. The blow to the back of the head when she wasn't looking was brutal. She could still remember the blood that poured out from the blonde's nostrils as she convulsed on the ground and stiffened up.
Such sights were normal in a castle filled with bloodshed. Luana's death was one of many that she had witnessed. The only trauma in it came from the intense verbal lashing that Alcina had laid on her after the fact.
Cassandra sat on one of the library chairs, hunched forward as she tirelessly twiddled her gloved thumbs. The cracks of the castle were random, akin to the embers of a raging fireplace. This place had its own soul, in one way or the other. It was like it was breathing.
The sounds kept her mind on edge and as she looked over to Daniela, she remembered how Luana was not the only person that she had laid her hands on.
A low sigh broke out from under her breath. She could hardly bear to look at her. After the incident in this very library just a few days ago, Cassandra did not know if there was anything she could do to take it back.
All their mother wanted was for her to help the redhead clean up the mess that she often left in the room. The brunette's feelings of resentment toward her siblings were already at an all-time high at that point. She was the odd one out – or, at least she thought.
She carried the perception in her head that nobody cared about her. She was nothing but a constant mess. A total screw-up. A daughter who had long fallen short of her mother's expectations, who always got the last bite because that was all she deserved.
Having to assist the youngest daughter with her own cleaning had brought her anger to new levels. The trophy that Daniela had broken may have been the biggest one she had, yes, but that wasn't the match that ignited the flame. It was the principle of how whenever she did something, there were repercussions. But, when it involved Daniela, it was no big deal.
All of that pent-up rage spilled out the moment Daniela pushed her final button – directing her to where the books belonged. It was only fitting that she destroyed a cherished item of the redhead's – her favorite book.
The look of horror in those amber eyes when the pages were ripped out was one that she could not forget, but when Daniela cried out about how Cassandra was the "worst" sister, that was when her fists took on a mind of their own. The strikes to her head were a physical manifestation of everything that she had held back through these years.
If Cassandra had to suffer, then so would she.
She walked out of that library with a high that only turned out to be a lie. When the dust settled and dinner was ruined, Cassandra had only dug her hole deeper. She had alienated herself from everyone, and with Bela now missing, her family felt more in danger than ever.
She had truly failed them all.
Cassandra raised her head as she tried to address her, but seeing Daniela sulk in her misery only made her turn her eyes back down. The woman was as still as a corpse, but the expression on her face was that of utter sadness. Her eyes glistened with an unending stream of tears that swam around the edges of her quivering lips.
She was terrified to be in the company of the sister who had hit her so ferociously, but there was nothing else that could be done about the matter. Their mother had ordered Cassandra to stay here, for whatever reason. The brunette thought she would better serve the matriarch by continuing her search for Ethan, just in case he was still wandering the castle. Though it seemed likely, his escape could not officially be confirmed.
All she knew was that her mother had grown anxious. The once calm demeanor of the tall Lord was nowhere in sight. She could see it in her eyes when she spoke to her. Something was going on that the daughters would not understand, but it did little to settle her worry.
The longer time progressed, the worse it got.
The golden rays of the sun were already beginning to pass through the clouds. It would likely be the evening before they knew it. With the planned ceremony that Miranda had allegedly been preparing, Cassandra wondered why an outsider's presence in the area was of such big concern now.
Yes, he was the father of the infant who had been crystalized. That much was known. But, besides that, what else was it that made him such a big name? Their mother never had to inform Mother Miranda about anyone who strayed into the castle. Until now, they were all fair game.
Why was Ethan Winters so special?
As Cassandra sat there in silence, a loud crash from down below caught her attention. It was so loud and chaotic that she could not believe what she had heard. Both she and Daniela sat up from their seats as soon as they heard it. The redhead was too flustered to even form words, but her older sister did not hesitate to gravitate toward the door as she went to check it out.
It sounded like various articles of furniture had been tossed around at great speed. Their mother's outbursts of anger were known to be followed by the occasional launching of a dresser or table, but this was different. There was more than just one involved, which was something that even the Lord herself could not muster.
What was going on down there?
Serpenmoor
Bela and Ethan had almost forgotten the amount of time that passed since they killed that monstrous dog. The thrill of conversation kept the blonde's attention narrowed, while the illusion of normalcy was welcomed by the man himself. Anything that detracted from the horrors of this miserable place was good, and like all good things, they would only last for so long.
Ethan took another look at the poem that she had written. There were a handful of questions just waiting to be asked about it. Bela had hinted at some more serious thoughts in its words. It reminded him of how some of the writers at the poetry slam would integrate their life problems into their work.
Why would she be any different?
Whatever the truth was, he could see how excited she was to receive such good remarks about it. Her eyelids curled as her cheeks rose to a smile. She had such strong lips, which heightened the attractiveness of the woman she was. No kind of monster could have been so beautiful.
Beautiful? Ethan took a breath to catch his thoughts. Sure, Bela was an attractive woman. All of the daughters were in that regard. Attractiveness was subjective, but he could imagine that many other men would have thought the same. However, it was the shift from the way he first felt about her that caught his attention.
She used to be nothing more than another horrendous bug monster to him. Just another species of evil that he had to face along the way of saving someone he loved. Marguerite Baker was the queen of insects in his mind. How could he have forgotten that disgusting spectacle of her elongated limbs and bulbous stomach that was filled with pustules and eggs? There had been too many bugs throughout both journeys of horror – before this hellhole became part of the equation.
To even think that this young blonde woman was anything but a sinister creature was out of his norm. But, then again, his norm was realms away. In this world, his enemy was his friend.
It just didn't make sense anymore.
The only thing that he could figure out was why he found her beautiful in the first place. There was no time for such transgressions. His thoughts reverted to those of his dearly departed wife and they would stay there. He shook his head to himself as he exhaled the dilemma from his soul.
Bela hummed as she moved her legs around some more. The pain from the injuries that she had sustained was almost gone. Her muscles were soft and nimble; no longer stiff from the wrath of the bites. She could bend her knees with ease and rotate her ankles accordingly. There would be no difficulty in standing up at this point and she knew it. But, staying here with him was more preferable than anything else.
She didn't want to go back to everything else that was out there.
If only this break could last forever…
Ethan stared down at his gun as he sat there across from her. Bela's eyebrows flattened when she took notice of his movements. She breathed a small sigh through her nose as she bit her bottom lip to prepare herself for the inevitable.
"So…" She said as her lips parted. "I guess it's time for us to leave."
Ethan spoke with an exhale to start his sentence, "I just don't want to leave Kyia by herself for so long."
Of course…
Bela filled her lungs as she raised her shoulders, expelling her frustrations out of her mouth as she softened her posture. "Yeah, I guess not."
"She must be terrified right now," Ethan said, hoping to instill the fact that the brunette was alone.
Bela rolled her mouth as she stared off into the corner of the dark room. She knew how he would perceive her. Part of her hoped that the impossible would happen, but all common sense told her that he would still get up to leave.
True to expectation, Ethan began to rise from where he sat. Bela's eyes drifted to the floor as he did. "Besides, we've cleared this section of the building. We should reconvene before we go any further. I don't want to risk any injuries until we come up with a better plan. God forbid one or both of us gets killed."
"Danger is all around us, you know?" She argued.
"I know."
Bela briefly shut her eyes. "Every door we open is another risk. Could we just not risk anything for a while?"
"That's fine," he agreed. "I just want to make sure that Kyia is safe."
I know you do. I'm surprised you've pulled yourself away from her for this long.
With a groan, Bela nodded and held out her arm so that he could assist her on the way up. "Let's go, then," Ethan said nothing as he obliged the gesture, wrapping his arm around her back as his shoulder seated itself under her.
Bela knew in her heart that she could have gotten up on her own, but it was the need for attention that drove her to test the waters. Kyia was the subject of Ethan's concern, and the blonde wanted to remind herself that she still mattered to him. On the way up, her amber orbs once again turned to gaze at the floor, where she contemplated the reasoning behind her actions.
Why am I doing this?
"Are you okay standing on your own?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah," she answered. "I'll be fine…thank you." He removed his arm from her, which left her silent as he retrieved his weapon.
It was fun while it lasted.
"Just stay behind me," Ethan directed.
After she took hold of her lantern and sickle, Bela huffed quietly as her eyebrows lifted to acknowledge his statement. "After you."
On their way out of the room, the woman's eyes turned to glance at the carcass of the deceased dog. The monstrous creature was too far gone from what it used to be. A distorted product of Vikcia's infection would always appear gruesome and malformed. However, as she gazed at its remains, there was a small part of her that felt a familiar emotion that she had never felt before.
Familiar? Such could not have been the right word for something she had never known, but yet, there it was. It was an emotion so vague that it may as well have been locked away for decades.
Why do I feel sad? It's just a damn dog.
.
Kyia was still in the middle of reading her book when she heard the approaching footsteps coming from behind the door. Uncertain of what it could be, she set the book down and reached for the gun nearby. Her hand was unsteady, shaking as she held the pistol across her chest.
She had never held a firearm until today but understood the power that came out of them. The sound of the weapon would be deafening, and with no training, she found herself terrified to use it. The brunette's chest began to rise and fall at a rapid rate. She hated that she had been left by herself when this entire building was full of monsters.
A knock sounded at the door, which quelled some of her fears.
"Kyia," Ethan's voice could be heard on the other end. "It's us."
She exhaled a breath of relief as she set the gun on the floor. Her hand would not settle down as she returned it to her side. "I'm coming." Kyia rose from where she sat and moved over to unlock the door, allowing Ethan and Bela to pass through.
He greeted her with a nod and a smile, while the blonde barely offered a passing stare. The blood stains on their clothing were enough to tell her that they had been through a few fights during their time away. It was a miracle that either of them had survived, by the looks of it.
Kyia kept her green eyes focused on Ethan as he stopped to lock the door and set down his weapon. Bela crossed her arms as she shambled over to the corner of the room, where she sat down without another word. The brunette paid no mind to her as she returned her gaze to the man.
"Are any of you hurt?" She asked him.
"Bela got hurt, but I took care of her," he answered. Kyia spared the woman another look, but Bela's eyes would not meet hers.
"Very well," Kyia replied softly, bowing her head momentarily as she cupped her hands against her waist and moved closer toward him. "You look battered. Are you sure that you are uninjured?"
Bela interjected with an irritable tone, "He's fine."
Kyia's eyelids squinted as tilted her head and pressed her lips. Her bony knuckles flared as she clenched her fists, though she would not dare swing them. "I did not ask you," she responded.
Bela kept her mouth shut, giving a swift shake of her head despite what she had just been told. As much as she would have loved to trade words with the insufferable lady, getting into another shouting match would do nothing to soften Ethan's view of her. She'd keep her thoughts to herself – for now.
Visibly annoyed by the way Bela spoke to her, Kyia needed a second to compose herself before she spoke to Ethan again, "If you are hurt, please let me help you. If not, then so be it. It's just all the blood that is making me worried."
The man inspected his coat as soon as he heard her concerns. Kyia was extremely justified in her fears, as the last couple of fights had resulted in more and more streaks of crimson being absorbed into its fabric. One would have expected the blood to be his own after all that they had been through. "We made it out okay," he reassured her. "Thanks, though. It's good to have you with us."
The brunette smiled back as she squinted her eyelids. Bela couldn't ignore the chatter, though she refrained from exhausting herself with comments. She could not understand why Ethan's remarks had suddenly ignited a sense of disdain inside her. It likely had to do with the fact that she didn't enjoy Kyia's company to start with, she believed.
Still – why did she care so much?
Look at her smiling. Ugh…
Kyia sheepishly lowered her stare as she twiddled her thumbs. "So…what did you two find over there?"
Ethan rolled his eyebrows as he broke out a rag to clean the internals of his gun. "More monsters. Shit, some really fucked up ones."
Kyia tilted her head, expressing some confusion in her stare. "Fucked up? What does that mean?"
"Uhm…" Ethan wasn't sure how he was going to answer that. It was a strange question, as he assumed anyone would have understood its meaning. Even Bela, who barely cursed, had commented on his 'crass' language. "It means the infected people look very grotesque; some way worse off."
"Ah," she nodded. "Vikcia's dust has fucked all of them. It is its nature."
Bela turned her head away in astonishment, silently mouthing to herself, "Wow…"
Ethan rolled his lips and chuckled – while Kyia's confusion intensified. The skinny brunette lifted her left eyebrow as her eyes narrowed in on him. She did not appear too thrilled.
"Why are you laughing?" She asked. It was unusual enough to listen to her soft voice cuss so willingly, but it was another to be an audience to the unintended sentence that she had just uttered. The woman was so proper in her attire and mannerisms that hearing her say that blindsided him completely.
Ethan needed the entertainment, nonetheless.
"It's just…the way you said it…the context, I mean…" He couldn't put together the best explanation for her, which only led to greater confusion.
Kyia's raised brow fell to join the other in an irritated pinch. "Do not mock me for that of which I do not understand, Mr. Winters. It is quite rude."
The way she reverted to her frozen heart was incredible. She could either be sweet and talkative or mirror a stern teacher or mother, scolding an immature child. There was something to love about her, especially when she got annoyed or angry. Ethan would have been lying to himself if he said he didn't want to see another go around of her giving him the cold shoulder.
It was always so fun. It reminded him of when he would intentionally press Mia's buttons, waiting for her to lash out.
"I'm sorry," he said to her with a nod. "I did not mean it like that. You have my respect, Kyia."
"As you have mine." Kyia softened up as her expression loosened. "Friends in a world like this are in short order, and I am thankful for what I have. Treat me well, as I treat you."
Bela breathed a low groan that only she could hear.
Give me a break. Why does she keep talking?
Ethan ran his rag through the opening of the weapon's action, collecting carbon and debris as it went along. The good thing about break-actions was that they were fairly reliable. Less moving parts, and no room for jams. The biggest concern from what he understood was firing pin failure or a bad lock-up. As long as the gun functioned as needed, it would remain serviceable.
Still – it didn't hurt just to be certain.
His LEMI had notably jammed on two occasions back in his world. A group of Lycans was a formidable opponent, even more so when that pistol failed to chamber the next round because of an ejection issue. It almost cost him his throat, but remedial action put the gun back into the fight. It was only after he blasted one of the Moroaice in the skull and sent it to the ground that he observed a failure to feed.
A quick breakdown of the gun revealed a recoil spring coated in grime. The old man who owned it must have been a stranger to semi-automatics. Chris was all about weapon maintenance. Automatic weapons were carbon factories. Neglecting to clean them was just grounds for potentially life-ending hang-ups. Guns were never Ethan's thing until his training, but as time went on, it began to grow on him.
He glanced up at the pistol that she had left in the corner of the room. "Hey, can you bring me that?"
She turned to the weapon, pausing before she went over to retrieve it. As she walked toward him with the gun, he could see her dainty hand wrapped around the slide, with the end of the muzzle facing him. Another thing that would have sent Chris's fury into the heavens.
"Kyia," Ethan gestured to the gun, "can you face the end of the barrel somewhere else?"
She stopped to look at the way it was in her hand. Her unfamiliarity with such tools was evident, as well as dangerous. "Of course," she casually replied, as if it was nothing. He remembered the time Chris threw him to the ground for flagging the rest of his squad with the rifle he was training with. It was an embarrassing outcome, but one that ingrained weapon safety into his skull forever.
Needless to say – Kyia was not going to get the same treatment.
As soon as she handed Ethan the gun, he motioned on the ground for her to join him. "Care to sit by me? I'll teach you more about this, if you want."
The brunette's eyes moved back and forth between the gun and the book she left on the other side. "I need to read some more," she nervously responded. It was clear how scared she was of the gun – to the point that she did not want to be around it.
Ethan sought to help break that fear so that she could hopefully become better at using it if the need arose. "I made a mistake by giving this to you without teaching you anything about it. I don't want anything to happen to you, but I also want you to be able to protect yourself."
"I can protect myself just fine without it."
Bela giggled as she sat there. "How? Beating the monsters to death with the book that you're so afraid to even scratch?"
Ethan sighed as he turned his head. "Bela, is that really –"
Kyia cut him off as she glared furiously at the blonde, "You do not understand how important that book is to our safety! It holds knowledge about the very predicament that you two are in, as well as what Vikcia is. I will not stand here and listen to you berate me over my actions that –"
"Oh, just shut up…" Bela was in no mood to hear her talk. She shook her head again and looked away, embracing her spot in the opposite corner of the room, as usual.
Ethan could see the way Kyia's fists were clenched. The woman was at the edge of her patience, and the last thing he wanted right now was for the two to start screaming at one another. "Hey," he said as he gently poked her arm.
Kyia huffed as her sharp eyes focused on him. "What?" The growl under her words was strong. It sent a tiny chill along the middle of his spine. Such an elegant lady caught in a moment of anger was always something to be feared.
"How about you grab your book and sit down with me." Ethan tried to defuse the situation. He spoke with such a kind, fatherly voice, that even Kyia's fiery green glare took notice. "You can read and relax while I clean these guns. I want to hear what your book says, and I believe you would benefit from learning about these weapons. We have to help each other."
It was a convincing strategy – so much so, that Kyia's defensive posture relented and that sparkle in her face returned. She was not the kind of woman who hunted for conflict, but instead, relished in the compassion of others. Ethan's interactions with her in the past had helped him understand her some more. She did not take criticism too well, but was sensible enough to work with others, despite her opinions of them.
The brunette pressed her lips as she turned to collect her book, which she cradled in both arms as she walked back to him. Bela kept her eyes on them as the woman sat beside Ethan, which prompted a click of her tongue upon sight.
I can't…ugh…
Ethan shifted his gaze to the blonde. He could tell that she was not happy, but the cause of her discontent escaped him. It made no sense as to why her mood suddenly changed. There was no issue with her attitude back in the room with the infected dog. Her tone was casual, almost gleeful, even. It had to have been the presence of Kyia, he suspected. Both women did not get along well and it seemed like old grudges died hard between them.
"Bela," he called out to her. Her amber orbs rotated in his direction immediately. "How are you doing over there?"
"Fine as ever," she mumbled.
"Is there anything that I can do for you?"
Walk away from her.
"No."
Ethan accepted that there wasn't going to be a resolution to this right now. As long as the blonde kept her words to herself, there likely wouldn't be any problems between everyone. It did not help that Kyia tended to act aggressively as well, though her inclination towards physical violence was non-existent.
The brunette looked like she couldn't even hurt a fly.
"If you do…" Ethan kept his eyes on her. "I'm right here."
…
Bela kept silent, which prompted Ethan to just let the matter go, for now. She'd come around eventually. After all that these three had been through, they needed to settle down on the hostility. This world was already enough to deal with.
Kyia was noticeably troubled by the way Bela carried on, but she did not want to stoke the fire any more than she had to. Instead, the woman turned her attention to Ethan, whom she found herself sitting rather close to. They were only just a foot apart, which was excused solely by his insistence that she involved herself with the guns he had.
In turn, she cracked her book open and raised her knees as she sat there, resting the spine on top of them. "Which one of us is to go first?"
"Well…" Ethan peered down at the remains of burnt gunpowder that was caked on his hands. "How much do you value that book?"
With a still face, she calmly flipped a page while her eyes stayed dead set on him. "More than you will ever know."
"Then I say you show me what you've learned first." Ethan wiped the carbon off his skin with the mostly clean rag. "Everything I'm doing is pretty messy and I'd hate to get any of this crap on your pages there."
Her gaze turned to the smears along the rag, leading up to the gun he had been working on. "It is rather messy, indeed. Smart choice, Mr. Winters."
"Oh," he laughed. "I'm still Mr. Winters? You can call me Ethan, you know?"
"Only when you make smart choices," she responded.
"But, didn't you just say that was a smart choice?"
"Not smart enough," Kyia said with a smile. Once again, she was back in her evasive ways. The woman always kept him on a string with the way she played her words. Ethan couldn't help but find some enjoyment in the dynamic between the two of them.
They mingled like old friends – who barely knew anything about each other.
.
As Ethan looked on, Kyia showcased her latest discoveries that the book had to offer. It was a strange piece of literature, written in various languages in certain sections. Even the brunette couldn't understand them, but she made sense of the images at hand. It was a collection of theory and history and its large number of pages kept the woman in search of vital information that she may have overlooked.
She held it so close to her heart that it made him wonder if it was a relic from her younger years. She had mentioned, albeit briefly, about having a better life outside of this city. Kyia was a nerd in her own way. There was a great love for science that swept through her veins. She marveled at the discussions of technology in Ethan's world, even having gone so far as to become excited at the existence of a mere flashlight back when they first met.
Her past was a mystery, for sure. She did not openly talk about it like he did. Kyia had occasionally alluded to a sort of disconnect between herself and those she grew up with, but her disapproval of Serpenmoor was greater than any personal dispute. Even before the onset of Vikcia's plague, the brunette noted that she had nothing good to say about this place.
If someone like her was a criminal for believing in something else besides the religious deities this place worshipped, then why would she ever look at it in a positive light? Ethan had to have been such an astonishing find to her. Not only did he come from another world and confirm everything that she had believed in, but he also accepted her for who she was and encouraged her pursuits.
That was what had to have mattered to her the most.
Kyia happily scrolled through the pages as the man's eyes hovered over her shoulder. There was a distinct gleam in her gaze as those green irises turned his way. She was so excited to show this to him.
"So," the woman pointed to one of the illustrations. It was that of a complex series of walls, drawn crudely, but decipherable enough. "It is said that the realms around us are like strings, you could say. Each one travels an infinite distance, relative to the time period within it."
The drawings detailed so many vertical lines, but the patterns were there. The center was spacious, save for a few inside. The left and right sides with compacted with a multitude of dashes, some so close that the drawing was nothing but black blocks. "Each of these strings occupies the same place, to a certain degree. Imagine these strings as a tube. Each tube is composed of a line on the left and right. See how close they are?"
Ethan grasped the concept of what she was saying, but this was all too much for him to believe. "What are you saying, Kyia? We're living in a million realms at once?"
"No." She shook her head and waved her finger over the drawings. "We're in one realm. The realms are numerous and do not orbit stars as most planets themselves will. They all occupy the same space. It is their properties that allow them to do so. It is said that the barriers between these worlds are undeniably strong. Think of a blast of energy so great that it would vaporize your body in an instant."
Her eyes grew wide as she stared at him and snapped her fingers. This was truly her bread and butter, and she loved it.
Ethan nodded as the pieces began to come together. "Okay, that makes sense. Bela and I were hit by this great source of light right before we arrived here. It was a blue flash that turned insanely bright and clear. I've never seen anything like it before."
She paused as her hand graced the very bottom of her chin. She was so elegant in the way she acted. If there was ever an icon of a Victorian science lady, it would be her. "Intriguing, I admit. You had to have passed through the barriers, somehow. I remember you telling me that the light just…pulled you in?"
"Exactly."
"Huh." She looked down at her book. "Nothing on theory explains that. People have – it is theorized – that people have managed to cross realms in the past. Theory, Ethan, nothing more."
He turned an eye to her, wondering why she was so adamant about affirming that. "Go on."
With a breath, Kyia settled down as she flipped to the next section of her book. "I say 'theory' because all these stories are widely disputed. This book relies on accounts told across the century of a world where some people were able to perform the impossible."
"What world was that? Earth?"
"No," she replied. "It's another world from another realm. The story goes that a dagger was created by the people who lived there. It is rumored to have been capable of cutting through the realm walls."
"Why would someone want to just hop across realms, especially into worlds that they do not know?"
Kyia shrugged her shoulders. "I do not know."
"I'm guessing this dagger must be important, then?" Ethan sighed as he looked at the drawings of the fabled blade on the old page in front of him. It was nothing different than something one would see depicted in a fantasy movie, given its distinct, downward curve and ornate handle. It all sounded too ludicrous to be true, but given everything else that had happened in his life, a magical dagger from a distant universe opening up the barriers of realms might as well be in the cards.
"More than you could ever know!" Kyia immediately pointed to the text below the drawing. "You've heard about the metal fragments in this world, correct?"
"Yeah." Ethan squinted his eyes at the writings in front of him, reading some of them as his ears keyed into everything that she was telling him. "Some notes we discovered mentioned them. Bela and I were discussing it at one point, but only for a little bit. The clock tower houses a bunch of them, which, from what we gathered, is also Vikcia's dwelling. Do you think she brought the metal here?"
"I don't think so," Kyia explained. "At least, I am unsure. I've told you about her world. It was written in an old book I read when I was younger. A string of worlds full of infectious diseases and death. She is what she is because she derives from there. I wish I could tell you more, but I do not understand them. But, what we have witnessed is the devastation that occurs when something like them enters another realm. It will take its place and infect everything around it. There may be other kinds of lifeforms in those other worlds besides Vikcia's, but I doubt they are less destructive. That does not mean their potential for infection is absent, however."
"Sounds like that world is fucked," Ethan grumbled as he stretched out his back.
"I agree," Kyia stated. "It is a very grotesque world."
He suppressed the next chuckle that reared up in his throat. She got it right this time, if not unintentionally. "What brought the metal here?"
"It is theorized that the people who created the dagger caused a disruption, of sorts, with it. Now, it doesn't explicitly state it in this book, but I have heard through word of mouth such theories." Kyia set the book down and directed her full attention to him. "Those fragments may be part of the dagger itself. People who are cut with it have experienced the same, collective set of visions. If we can acquire enough pieces, we could possibly form it together and carve an opening back to your world – and out of this one."
Ethan had to take a moment to think about all this. It was one hell of a plan, almost too grandiose to be realistic. The metal fragments must have been out there, but to assemble them into a semi-functional item and tear open universes sounded crazy. At this rate, Vikcia would have laid down her claws and sat down for tea before a fantastical feat like that could have been accomplished.
He cupped his hands between his knees as he tried to come up with an answer. "Kyia, that all sounds great, but how could we be sure that all this would even work?"
The brunette curled her fingers against her chest as her eyes went back to the book. She did not look as confident as she had been just moments ago. Maybe Ethan was right. It was all just speculation and theory.
Things that had not been put to the test before.
"I…I'm not sure..." Kyia hung her head as if she felt like a total idiot. With a sigh, she closed her book and set it back down beside her. Her eyes drifted across the floor as she looked away from him. She sat still, with the exception of a single brush of her fingers along her dark, dangling locks of hair along the back of her large bun.
Ethan could not escape the feeling of regret that washed over him as soon as he saw the look on her face. As simple as this plan must have been, there was no doubt that Kyia had placed a lot of her trust in it, only to think of herself as an utter fool as soon as it was questioned. He didn't want her to feel this way, but the woman's emotions were often a complex mechanism that he could not dismantle. Some kindness would surely help her, but what drove her way of thinking was something more obscured than anything under Vikcia's darkest shadows.
Her low self-esteem would come out from time to time and all Ethan wanted to do was bring it back up. He had his struggles here to contend with. Survival was his top priority, as well as what lay in wait for him in his home world as soon as he returned. The journey to rescue his daughter from the clutches of those psychopaths was a heavy weight on top of his crumbling shoulders. A man could only take so much and he wasn't certain how he managed to continue standing.
Yet, with all of that to deal with, he still found room for the goodness in his heart. In his most desperate moments, when he had been stripped of everything that made him whole, Ethan's compassion for others remained embedded within his soul. People like Kyia, and even Bela, deserved whatever fragments of kindness were left in this world.
"It's not a bad plan," he said to cheer her up. "It's just that there are so many things that we are unsure about. The metal fragments are written to be in that clock tower…" Ethan turned his eyes to the blonde. "Right, Bela?"
As she filled her chest with air, Bela slowly dragged her stare back to him before she huffed out a short breath. She had not shut away her ears during this entire conversation. "As I have read. Vikcia hides there. If you want my opinion: Walking into her domain to mess with something that we neither understand nor know for sure will work, is just asking for death."
"What do you propose then?" Ethan wanted to know.
Bela shrugged her shoulder and softly averted her eyes from him. She didn't appear happy, but Ethan wasn't sure why. "I don't know." She let out a tiny scoff. "It doesn't sound much better than fighting these monsters until one or both of us dies. What is the point?"
He could not believe that she was giving up. "We have to keep trying. Otherwise, we're just going to die if we stay here and do nothing."
We're going to die either way, Ethan. I just wish you could see that. This is our last world. It all ends here…
"This dagger that you're talking about sounds like a myth," she stated, believing that they were only chasing ghosts that would lead them nowhere. "Villagers chased a stupid dagger that my mother kept in her castle because they believed in its 'special' properties. Let me tell you something: It's all a lie. Some came looking for it, and they died, and for what? A story? Give me a break, now."
The man groaned as Kyia looked on. He wanted to diffuse this situation, but the lack of help Bela had to offer was nothing short of aggravating. "We have to believe in something. None of us want to die here. Neither do you. Could you just try to be on board?"
"On board?" Ugh…don't even start with that. You're just having the time of your life talking with her.
Bela grinned as she spat out a short laugh to herself. "I'm not going to be 'on board' with something that is going to get me killed. If you want to believe in fairytale magic, then go right ahead. Whatever weapon these people in some other world made, it isn't real. I'm sure the villagers you met on the way to my castle must have had you with their stories of the Dagger of Death's Flowers."
She ended with a dry chuckle, "Such a joke…"
"Wait!" Kyia's head shot up, more anxious than ever before. "How did you know about that?"
Bela raised a brow as she turned her eye over to the brunette. "What? That stupid dagger? It's in my castle. The stories about it are all made up. Why would I care about –"
"Have you seen it?" Kyia interrupted her as soon as her lungs could inflate. "What does it look like?"
Bela clicked her tongue again. She was not in the mood for this, but nonetheless, she chose to answer the woman's questions anyway, "I saw it once. It's silver with a short, curved blade and some carvings along the handle. The bottom of it looks like a lion, or something…"
Kyia's hands were shaking as she snatched the book up from the ground and immediately began combing through the vast number of pages. Her urgency was shown through her speedy eyes and parted lips, which vibrated from the increased blood throughout her thin body. Ethan wanted to know why she was suddenly on such a high state of alert, but when she finally found the page she wanted, he understood completely.
There it was – the drawing of the dagger that she had shown him before,
The same one that Bela had just described. Sure enough, that very name was written in the text.
Kyia held the book out to Bela as she pointed at the drawing. "This! This is it, right?"
"Yes…" Bela squinted her eyes at the sketch. "But, what does –"
"I never told you the name of this dagger!" Kyia began to flip through some more pages. "Did any of you find that out through any other means?"
Ethan and Bela both responded in unison, "No."
"And you're certain that it is in this castle of yours, in your world?" Kyia's words rattled in her throat. She was like a scientist who just inadvertently discovered something ground-breaking.
Perhaps, she did.
"I just told you I did. It's been there for years." Bela rotated her body a little more toward Kyia, now that this conversation seemed to be taking an unforeseen turn. "You think it's the dagger you're talking about?"
"It's written about in this book!" Kyia stopped when she found the next page that she wanted to read. "It says, 'The Dagger of Death's Flowers is the only alleged instrument capable of discovering new worlds. According to the details of several victims of these visions, the dagger was indued with properties of these women who were capable of wielding blue fire. Visions allegedly depicted its use by this group, which created a powerful wall of energy and a chaotic explosion. These collective accounts throughout the years showcase a strange phenomenon that compels us to –'"
Kyia shook her head. "Look, it's basically saying that this dagger is responsible for the openings of realms. That blade is in your world and this one is aware of its existence." She grew excited at the thought, though her speech was also riddled with a sense of unease, "This is incredible! I have studied that dagger ever since I arrived in this city and to hear you validate this all is…astounding, to say the least!"
Bela could not believe what she had just been told. The dagger that resided inside her castle – that simple knife – was an artifact from an entirely different universe?
"Wait." The blonde shuffled her body up to a more erect posture. "How? You're telling me that the dagger was destroyed. There are fragments everywhere, correct? I've seen the one inside my castle. It is intact. Not a single scratch on it. So, how could that be possible?"
Kyia's face resumed that same expression of earlier. Once again, she felt like a fool for getting excited about something that made no sense at all. If Bela had said that the dagger in her world had not been destroyed, then what did that mean for the metal fragments?
The brunette took a breath as she attempted to think this one through. There had to be an answer, somewhere. "I suppose you're correct. Damn it, that doesn't add up." Kyia ran her hand along the side of her bushy, bundled hair. "Why would the metal present visions of Locwitary?"
Ethan tilted his head. "What is Locwitary?"
Kyia's eyes turned to him before their lids pressed shut. She waved her head from left to right as she shrugged the question off, "It's the suspected name of their world. It says it in my book. Ethan, that's not important. What is important are these fragments that had to have come from that world, but they cannot have come from that intact dagger…unless…"
Bela called out to her, "Unless what?"
Kyia went into science mode; throwing the book open and skimming the pages until she landed back on the drawing of the realm-theory. Her green eyes bared hard into each line when she found it, scanning them for any clue of what could be. After a half-minute of searching, she stumbled upon one possible explanation.
"Branching, or…refraction?" She cleared her throat. "The realm barriers are the purest of energy, or so they say. Maybe the realm barriers duplicated the dagger's properties for just a second. If they are theorized to exist on all in the same place, but occupy it wholly at once –"
Bela shouted again, "You're not making sense!"
Kyia clenched her fists with a firm groan. "Argh! I'm trying to find the right words, you inpatient witch!"
The blonde smacked her hands against the ground as she sat there. "Who are you calling a witch?!"
"Enough!" Ethan broke the argument, causing the two ladies to drop their heated glare at each other and look at him. "Kyia, just relax and tell me what you think about this."
Comfort her, Ethan. Go right ahead…
The brunette paused to regain her composure. She settled on a few, slow breaths before she cleared her throat a second time and closed her eyes. "Maybe, perhaps, these realms exist all in one spot but remain separate from one another because of this energy. You're all here, just as you were back in your own worlds, correct?"
Ethan nodded, though Bela remained eerily silent.
Ignorant of the truth, Kyia went on, "Your exposure to this energy and that of the dagger must have been different. If there are fragments of it, but it is intact in your world, then something had to have happened during its travels. If you were pulled here and dragged away from your world, then maybe your world is right here, but you are just in the incorrect realm. The dagger is not far, either, but like you: it is in the wrong realm. That might be why the fragments are located here."
Ethan was catching on. His fingers were now pressed against his chin as he slowly nodded his head. "Alright, so, you're saying that the thing that separates us from our world is a wall of energy?"
Kyia sighed before she raised and lowered her shoulders. "I guess. I cannot be too certain, but I'm going off of everything that I believe. None of this has been proven. It is all theory, Ethan."
"Well," he said, "you are the local subject-matter expert."
The brunette let off a small giggle. "At your service."
Bela grimaced at the sight of it.
I…cannot…stand her…
Ethan shifted his stare to Bela and then focused back on the woman beside him. "Okay, I'll buy it. It's the best chance we got. If that metal can be our ticket to getting back home and getting you out of here, then that's where we should go."
"But, Vikcia lives where it is kept," Bela questioned their plan.
That was when Ethan stared at her with the most determined glare that she had ever seen. Something in that man had sparked. It was a fire resistant to water. His mission was still in his heart and he would be damned if he let anything get in his way. "Then we will take her down."
NOTES:
And so, the plan is coming together. The Dagger of Death's Flowers, a hot topic in Fragmented Flies, is also an item of interest in this story, just as it will be in the Daniela story. Realm-hopping is a pretty problematic thing, as this series will show. Our trio's plan is a hasty one, but it is a step in the right direction, even though everyone is unsure how well this will pan out.
Vikcia's den sounds like a horrifying place, and trust me, it is.
Kyia's back in the story, as some of you were hoping for. It's fun to get back into writing the dynamic between her and Ethan. She is so well-mannered and spoken, but also with a set of claws, too. Such a fun character and a growing contention point for Bela.
Jealousy is in the air.
What to expect in the next chapter? Expect the gang to get moving along and some growing tensions. This story is still far from over, but it will be heading into some exceptionally dark territory soon enough.
With Fragmented Flies releasing its final story chapters on the 14th and 21st, I want to devote some extra time to polishing them. So, the next chapter may be released on the 21st, if not just a little bit later. I will do my best to get it out ASAP, but going forward, this story will be updated weekly for the foreseeable future, so be ready! Life has just been busy between work, writing, and losing the rest of my hair over Lies of P…
I also wanted to add that it's been on my mind to adapt these fan fiction stories into my own original works, outside the realm (hehe) of fandom. It's just a thought, but perhaps one day I'll publish a novel about a woman named Kyia, set in a Victorian city, known as Serpenmoor, which has been besieged by the arrival of a certain dust-witch. The Fragmented series and the spin-offs involving other RE characters that I plan to write are a fusion of the fandom with plots, settings, and ideas for stories I would have normally done alone. So…maybe one day.
Either way, I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you all! I am so thankful to have such great readers who inspire me to always look for the next best thing to do! You all have been so supportive thus far and it means a lot! Hope you all have been happy since the last update and that life has been good to you. If not, please keep your head up and remember what makes you smile. It'll be alright 😊
Stay safe and healthy! See you again soon! 😊