Malina and The Doll landed with much more grace than the previous landing near the mana zone. The Doll turned to say her farewells to Malina so she could get to class, but before she could, the voice of an old lady crankily yelled in their direction, “ASHENCROFT, REGIUS. NEVER IN ALL MY YEARS AT THIS ACADEMY HAVE TWO STUDENTS EVER MISSED THEIR FIRST CLASS.”
The Doll saw Malina begin to open her mouth to speak and figured whatever she was about to say wouldn't be good, so she quickly put her hand on Malina's back and pushed her down into a bow with her. “I apologize for our lateness, Miss; it won't happen again.” The Doll said, hoping to avoid any backlash.
“You don't sound very sorry.” The old woman stated in a gentler but still stern voice.
Malina spoke this time before The Doll could notice, "That's just how Dollie talks; she has a lack of ability to speak in any tone beyond that of a well… I don't really have a good comparison.” The Doll truly didn't understand how Malina could act without thinking so consistently.
“Dollie?” The Doll could feel the old lady's gaze on her despite being unable to see her. "Regardless, the two of you are to follow me to the headmaster at once.”
The Doll got up from her bow and simply said, “Very well.” Despite the calmness she tried to exude, she felt the slightest shiver run down her spine. She had already met the headmaster, Nero Moris, a man with an ever-present aura of death and family magic that fit said aura.
Looking to her right The Doll noticed that Malina lacked any form of fear in her expression. She was either hiding it like her or was simply remarkably calm despite the circumstances. Regardless of the explanation, the two began to follow the old lady, who had already begun walking as if she knew the two would follow along without resistance.
As they walked, The Doll examined the back of the Old Lady, noting her appearance. She wore a long black dress that seemed similar to what noble women would traditionally wear in time of mourning. Her hair was obscured by a long, black, pointed hat, but the little bits that peeked out made it clear it was gray and aged in color. It was kind of nice that she matched the color tones The Doll could see.
The Doll felt Malina lean in and whisper, “I don't like her.” She seemed very certain in that assessment despite just meeting her.
The Doll debated whether or not she should answer back for a moment before deciding it was unlikely she would be heard. “You don't even know her name; how could you determine that you dislike her?” The Doll simply asked, keeping her tone just as quiet as Malina's.
“Her magic is strange.” Malina said nothing, giving any further elaboration, only narrowing her eyes at the lady. The Doll could only sigh and look forward; after all, she had no idea what was meant by "strange magic."
The Doll and Malina walked in blissful silence along a stone path with beautiful trees along the side. As they walked, the main academic building of Dreadwood got closer and closer, allowing The Doll to make out the finer details.
It was a large building that made an incomplete square with three diverging paths leading to the three different compartments that made up the academy, which was made of marble brick. The roofs all slanted up and remained on the same level, being made of about four floors, one for each year of students at Dreadwood. The sole exception to these four floors was in the middle of the middle portion of the building, which had one additional floor where the staff resided. In the middle of the outside area that the building surrounded was a large bell tower that rang every hour to signal a transition between classes.
The Doll thought it was all rather uniform, which was good; it meant she could retain some structure in her life despite the… She didn't finish that thought; instead, she looked over at Malina, who was cheerily walking around with her twin tails bouncing around, seemingly having forgotten about her grudge against the old lady. Yes, she was sure some order in her life would be more than welcome; she just had to get past this meeting.
"Hey, who even are you?” Malina said, breaking this silence but also asking a question that The Doll was shocked she didn't ask herself.
The old lady answered without missing a step, “I am Trenia Octavia, but you two will refer to me as Madame Octavia.” The Doll quickly racked her brain and remembered the Octavia family was a major noble family ranked just below the four major families. Yet another personage of important lineage at an academy beneath her social standing; this was becoming a strangely common trend.
As The Doll ruminated on this fact, Malina suddenly spoke up again, putting her hands behind her head as they walked. “And why should we care?” This did cause Madame Octavia to stop.
“What did you say?” Madame Octavia said angrily, clearly lacing her voice.
Malina also stopped, and The Doll could see a grin forming on her face.
“What did you say?” Madame Octavia said angrily, her voice laced with irritation.
Malina tilted her head slightly, that grin not fading in the slightest. “I’m not trying to be rude,” she said, though her tone suggested otherwise. “I just don’t know who you are. So why should we care what you say? It’s a perfectly valid question.” The Doll couldn’t understand why she would display such blatant disrespect. Attempting to use her authority it didnt align with what The Doll knew of Malina.
It was simply… unnecessary.
Madame Octavia stayed silent for a moment before turning around, revealing her face—wrinkled, aged, and missing an eye—a detail The Doll had somehow overlooked before. “Do you believe that because you're of the Regius bloodline, you're entitled to some form of special privilege?” She stepped closer to Malina.
Malina didn't move. “That doesn’t really answer my question, Trenia,” Malina said, her grin widening just slightly. “I asked why we should care who you are.” The Doll felt a faint sense of unease. Yet another action Malina made that she couldn’t understand.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” Malina continued, almost lazily, “I am superior to you, but I just—" The slap came fast. A sharp crack echoed through the courtyard as Madame Octavia’s hand struck Malina across the face.
Malina’s head turned with the impact and then slowly turned back. Her grin hadn’t faded. If anything, it looked the same.
“I am the headmaster’s assistant, and you have managed to earn yourself detention after class,” Madame Octavia said coldly, pulling out a black cloth and wiping her hand. “Let me be clear on one thing here at Dreadwood: we faculty don’t care for your social status. You will listen, and you will follow the rules so you can be properly trained to be the noble person you are meant to be. Is that understood?”
Malina lifted a hand to her cheek, lightly brushing over where she had been struck. She looked away from Madame Octavia, the faintest trace of that grin still present as she said, “Yes, Madame.”
The Doll couldn’t make sense of it; if anything, Malina should have been angry or embarrassed.
Yet she was neither. The Doll looked forward again, choosing not to dwell on it.
After all, trying to understand Malina’s behavior had proven to be a pointless effort.
After this confirmation Madame Octaiva walked back forward, looking back only once to say, “Welcome to Dreadwood.” Before continuing the march, leaving The Doll uncertain as to what had just happened.
Not a moment after things seemed normal again The Doll felt Malina lean in close to whisper again, “Now don't panic when I say this, but I need to tell you something, Dollie, because you're the only one I can trust with this.”
The Doll decided to reply, “You overestimate our relationship.” She simply said it but didn't stop her from saying whatever secret she was trying to tell her.
Malina leaned in even closer and whispered even quieter, “That thing isn't human.” This caused The Doll to stop in her tracks in shock.
What did she mean by "not human"?
That surely wasn't possible, right?
Yet she thought back to that day in the throne room with that mysterious silhouette. No, that was just a child's memory; she had been told that countless times. The notion that monsters like that could exist was something that could only live in a child's mind.
Stolen story; please report.
Malina put her hand on The Dolls back forcing her to walk. "Okay, maybe calling her not human is extreme, but there's something wrong with her; she's different from everyone else in a bad way.” The Doll wanted to dismiss this as insanity, Malina just being mad that someone struck her across the face.
Yet something inside of her kept drawing her back to that throne room with that silhouette.
Maybe just maybe there was some truth to what she was saying.
I think that's pure insanity.
No, there couldn't be any truth. The Doll thought something like that made zero sense.
“Just stop talking. You've already gotten me in enough trouble as it is. I don't need you dragging me into whatever delusions you're having.” The Doll replied in that blank, emotionless tone, not changing her pace in the slightest.
The Doll heard Malina sigh next to her, "It's fine; I'll explain it to you later, and then you have to believe me.” How strange! The Doll expected Malina to act slightly more hurt at that declaration.
It almost felt like she wanted Malina to feel hurt.
But why would The Doll want that?
As The Doll ruminated on this, the small group reached the center entrance to the academic building. Madame Octavia pushed past the doors made of a wood that The Doll couldn't identify as anything other than dark. Once she pushed aside the door, The Doll and Malina entered the building behind her.
The interior was very comparable to Lunarie House, with a fancy carpet that ran along the hardwood floor leading to various corridors and hallways within the academy. Despite the academy only ever housing 200 students at a time, the administrators made sure that every class had every possible resource at their disposal to properly educate them. The halls were silent without a single echo being heard throughout, undoubtedly because everyone had already entered their respective second period classes.
Instead of walking down one of these hallways like she expected from today, Madame Octavia led them upstairs, where only the older years typically resided. They walked past the second, third, and fourth floors before stopping on the fifth.
Immediately upon leaving the staircase, the three were presented with various hallways and corridors similar to the other floors of the academy. Except The Doll didn't need to walk down any of these halls, as her target was right in front of her. A single large door with a nameplate on the wall to the right of it that simply read “Headmaster Moris"; this was it. After this simple meeting, The Doll could start her uniform, orderly days at Dreadwood.
Madame Octavia looked towards the two, her gaze notably focusing more on Malina than on The Doll, and said, “I am sure you two can handle opening the door yourself. I have other more important matters to attend to.”
The two stood in front of the door. The Doll knew she should just open the door and get this over with, yet she found herself unable to move. That chill running up her spine had grown immensely now that she stood in front of the office of Nero. She could vividly remember her first meeting with the man when he came to Gelun to personally evaluate The Doll's qualifications for Dreadwood. The way he stared at her was as if he were staring into her very soul.
No, she was being ridiculous; he was just a man like any other.
The Doll felt Malina lay her hand on her shoulder and heard her say, “You okay, Dollie?” The Doll looked over to Malina and noted that once again she looked far more curious than she looked concerned.
The Doll decided not to encourage this curiosity and instead simply replied, “Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Malina's expression shifted to what The Doll assumed was disappointment as she took her hand off. The Doll's shoulders and put her hands behind her head, assuming a much more lackadaisical look as she approached the door.
“Well, let's get this over with. I found meetings with old geezers like this to be rather tedious.” She then kicked open the door and looked back. "Actually, I suppose annoying would be a more appropriate word.” She then walked into the office without a care in the world.
Truly, The Doll could not even begin to understand the machinations of her mind.
But with no other option, she followed behind Malina, feeling slightly more confident considering her companion's lackluster approach. Was "companion" really the right word to use to describe Malina? The Doll wasn't really sure. I mean, she hadn't agreed to be her friend, but she also seemed like an unavoidable attachment.
I think "parasite" would be a more apt term.
The Doll supposed she could use the word "companion" for now.
The Dolls thoughts were interrupted as a gruff voice with a cold tone she had only ever heard matched by Father filled the room, "Ah, Ashencroft and Regius, two jewels of our humble academy.” The Doll looked up and stared down the speaker of these words.
Even sitting down at his large wooden desk filled with various scrolls, he was notably taller than The Doll and, by extension, Malina. He had neat, seemingly black hair with streaks of gray that was shaved at the sides with an equally short, trimmed beard at his chin. His eyes were pitch black, and his skin was a tone that The Doll assumed to be chestnut. His hands were neatly folded on the table as he stared the two down. The chill that ran down The Doll's spine made it undeniable this was him, Headmaster Moris.
The Doll didn't dare to speak, and it seemed Malina was following at least a similar train of thought. Headmaster Moris took the silence as a sign to continue talking. “Now I do wonder why two of the most promising students in Dreadwood history are skipping the first day of class. I mean, of all days, why the first? That is by far the most important.” He then reached down, opened a drawer, and from it produced two scrolls.
Both scrolls were extremely fancy and decorated with neat ribbons that had their family names written on them. The Doll immediately recognized these are their class schedules, something all students received after the traditional welcome speech for all years. “I mean, you two missed the welcome speech and didn't even receive your schedules. Do you even know what class the two of you are in?”
Malina spoke out very suddenly: "Can you just hand us those scroll things, and we will be off? I'm sure you don't want to waste time, and we would rather get to class, so can we skip the lecture?" The Doll had to hold back a sigh at the blatant disrespect Malina was showing.
Headmaster Moris's gaze shifted over to Malina entirely as he said, “Ah yes, Malina Regius, fourth in line to the throne. Neglected by her parents in favor of your much more promising siblings. Commonly acts out in hopes of getting any form of attention.” Malina started to speak, but Headmaster Moris continued, immediately shutting down her attempt to interrupt, “All very standard stuff, yet you possess a, how shall I say, unique profile that goes beyond that need for attenti—"
Malina suddenly spoke over him. “I said to skip the lecture.” This was a new tone that The Doll was unfamiliar with from Malina. It wasn't exactly anger per se; perhaps the correct word was hostility?
Headmaster Moris didn't seem to care, and if anything, the outburst seemed to encourage him. "No, you don't see the world the same as the rest of us do, you? You're different, special even.” The Doll could hear Malina incoherently mumbling under her breath.
Headmaster Moris continued, “You see things beyond what others do. People's emotions—you understand them all so differently from even the most advanced mages.” The Doll could now hear what Malina was saying as she continued to grow louder.
“Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet.” Her face was contouring in an unfamiliar way.
Headmaster Moris continued seemingly not hearing or not caring. “And that that makes you feel isolated is exactly why your family doesn't understand you. Why can't they understand you, and it's exactly why they choose to treat you so differently?" The Doll felt an intense magical pressure fill the room as her hands thrust to the side.
Her voice now became a single loud shout, “BE QUIET.” After saying this, she immediately turned around and stomped towards the door, pulling it open and slamming it closed behind her.
The Doll stood there in shocked silence, staring at the door for a while, unsure what to do next. Part of her wanted to see if Malina was okay, yet she hadn't yet been dismissed. "Don't even think about following her, Ashencroft.” Headmaster Moris said, Making the decision on what to do next for her.
The Doll turned her gaze to Headmaster Moris, pushing down all inklings of fear that had begun to rise up in her. "Yes, Headmaster?” She simply said she was waiting for whatever lecture he had to deliver to be over.
“I would like to go over a few things regarding your peculiar condition.” Headmaster Moris said, causing The Dolls' hearts to skip a beat. Surely he wasn't talking about her inability to use magic.’
Headmaster Moris continued, "Yes, your father made sure to inform me of everything regarding your inability to use magic.” Unfortunately, The Doll's fears had been made reality as yet another person knew about her problem. “Arangements have been made to keep this knowledge restricted to me alone. You will not have to participate in any magical exercises and have had your magic test results preordained, so you won't have to ever get them publicly tested.” The Doll simply nodded. “Just know you won't be receiving any other forms of special treatment, as I do expect great things from you.” Headmaster Moris seemingly concluded.
The Doll figured now would be the proper time to speak. "Yes, Headmaster.” She simply said, repeating her previous statement, attempting to conclude this meeting as soon as possible.
Headmaster Moris stared her down as she said this, not responding, just staring at her. Those eyes stared at her as if they were looking at something else. Something bigger than herself, something that The Doll was unaware of.
Sighing Headmaster Moris spoke, “Why do you restrain yourself so?” The Doll paused for a moment, thinking of the proper response, but the Headmaster put his hand up, signaling for her to be quiet as he stood up.
He began speaking as he slowly crept towards her, “I don't want you to answer that question yet, Doll. I want you to grow and evolve a bit more, giving in to those feelings that you continually deny yourself.”
Step by step he advanced closer.
"You're to undergo a metamorphosis soon, Doll, one where you will break out of this shell that contains you.” He now stood inches away from her, his eyes looking down on her, peering deeper and deeper. “When that metamorphosis happens, the result will be truly beautiful; only then do I want you to answer that question.”
I am inclined to agree.
The Doll could only stand there in silence; she wasn't sure what he meant by this but didn't dare to speak up. She felt the two scrolls slip into her hand. “Now go give this schedule to Regius; she seems to have forgotten it.” The Doll could only nod as she turned away and walked towards the door at a rapid pace.
The headmaster made one last statement as The Doll put her hand on the door: “I expect great things from both of you. Doll.” These words rung in her ears as she pulled the door open and walked out, feeling a sense of relief as she entered the hallway.