The Doll sat in the far corner of history class in the row meant for Abyssus students beside Malina and Lila with a large book open on each of their desks. As was usual, Sir Somnus, who was supposed to be teaching the class, paid the students no mind, instead choosing to sleep at his desk. The Doll could never get over how improper this was for a teacher, but at least he provided the students with books from the library to read while he slept.
Currently, The Doll was reading the beginning chapters of the book, which laid out the division of the Realm of Rivenhiem. The book depicted a map that showed how the realm was divided into four regions, each ruled by a major noble family. Around these four regions was an area colored in by darkness to depict the uncharted territory of the realm known as the abyss. In the center of this map was a large circle indicating the capital where the royal family presided.
Looking away from the map The Doll attempted to focus on reading, but underneath her sleeve, she felt the cut on her wrist itch from the tightness of the strings that held it closed. The Doll resisted the urge to itch the wound, knowing that the strings holding it closed would only cut her fingers on contact, a fact she learned shortly after the strings appeared.
These strings that held the wound closed seemed impossible to remove and defied any form of proper logic. Despite the fact that the strings rest against her skin, they only cut her when she attempted to scratch at them. Furthermore when The Doll attempted to cut the strings with the scissors that she used to make the wound, the strings would get cut but ended up reattaching to other ends, ensuring the wound remained closed tight.
Once The Doll realized that she could do nothing further to deal with these strings within the confines of Malina's bathroom, she ended up climbing in the bed next to Malina and falling asleep. It seemed to be appropriate to not leave Malina alone considering the state that she was in prior to falling asleep.
As The Doll thought of sleeping with Malina, she found her gaze naturally drifting over to her. Currently Malina had her head down in her book, appearing to either be asleep or be attempting to sleep. Her hair was back in its typical style, but now she had a light-colored hairband over top of it, accompanied by two light-colored ties that separated her hair into its twin drill style. The Doll wasn't sure why Malina put the extra effort into accessorizing her hair, especially considering she had been acting rather groggy ever since waking this morning, lacking the usual energy that The Doll previously assumed Malina had a near limitless amount of.
The Doll supposed that this could be some form of emotional exhaustion after the events yesterday, but Malina appeared to be much more physically drained. When the two walked back to The Doll’s room in the morning so she could bathe and get a new uniform, Malina walked very slowly. This slowness persisted through getting Lila and walking between classes throughout the day. Malina also seemed less alert and talkative than normal; she was still much more talkative than The Doll but The Doll noticed more moments of silence falling between the group than typical as they walked.
This could be just because Lukaz wasn't present for Malina to argue with, but The Doll found her mind drifting to a different possibility. All of this seemed to line up with the typical symptoms of "backlash," the punishment for using too much magic.
After Malina showed up at the dueling grounds it would make sense that she would be experiencing these symptoms. But backlash always cleared up within a few hours of the symptom taking effect, and the duel had been two days ago. Furthermore if Malina was experiencing backlash, then she wouldn't be able to use magic at all, yet she had used piercinium to threaten Father.
Maybe this had something to do with the condition Father mentioned?
The Doll looked away from Malina and shifted her gaze down towards her desk in frustration. This was far too confusing for The Doll who didn't even know what it felt like to experience backlash. The Doll would simply have to ask Malina about the reasons for her exhaustion when she was feeling better; it seemed improper to ask in her current state.
Suddenly The Doll heard a quiet voice from her side ask, “Ar-are you alright Lady Ashencroft?" The Doll shifted her gaze over to the source of this voice and saw Lila looking at her with a distinct worry in her eyes.
Lila had been upset when The Doll and Malina showed up at her door because apparently she expected the two of them to meet with her yesterday. While The Doll didn't understand Lila's reasons for expecting the two to be there, she and Malina explained to her the circumstances, and Lila immediately launched into apologies.
The Doll and Malina did notably leave out telling Lila about the kiss the two shared, which was something The Doll and Malina had yet to talk about themselves. While The Doll wanted to assume Malina simply knew that this shouldn't be talked about, she found it much more likely Malina simply didn't see a need to talk about it. The Doll would have to speak with Malina about this, but the mere thought caused that strange heat to rise in her chest once again.
Off to her side The Doll felt Lila reach over to touch her shoulder in a comforting way; however, before she could say anything, a stern old voice filled the room. "Regius, the headmaster, would like to see you.” The Doll looked over at the source of this voice, which came from the doorway. Standing in the previously closed door was Madame Octavia in her typical all-black ensemble, accompanied by her outdated black hat.
Malina gave no response and made no action to move, prompting Madame Octavia to speak again, "Regius, you are not above direct orders from faculty.” Madame Octavia looked as if she would not hesitate to walk over to the group if Malina continued to keep her waiting.
Wanting to avoid this worst-case scenario The Doll brought her hands over to Malina and lightly shook her arm. When Malina gave no response to this The Doll said, "Malina, wake up; the headmaster wants to see you.” While saying this The Doll continued to lightly shake her shoulder.
In response, Malina simply groaned and said, “I don't want to, Dollie.” Malina made no other moves after saying this, but her tone lacked the resolution it typically did when Malina said she wouldn't do something.
The Doll knew Malina could likely be convinced by the tone she used, so The Doll persisted, "Malina, please.” She then lowered her voice and whispered, “This could be a chance to ask Madame Octavia questions.” The Doll figured that giving Malina a reason to go beyond being ordered to would motivate her to leave.
This didn't work as The Doll expected, with Malina groaning again and saying, “I don't want to leave you alone thoughhhh.” These words didn't make any sense considering that Lila would still be here, but they regardless caused that strange heat to rise once.
Pushing this feeling down The Doll said, “I won't be alone; Lila will be here too.” She then found herself gripping Malina's shoulder tighter and whispering, “Do it for me.” The Doll knew that saying this wouldn't be viewed as proper, but she figured it would get Malina to agree.
That was the only reason The Doll said such a thing; the heat growing in her chest was irrelevant.
After hesitating for a moment Malina slowly got up after The Doll said this, causing her to let go of Malina's arm. Bringing her arms up in the air to stretch, Malina said, “Fine, Dollie, I'll be back as quick as I can.” After saying this, Malina got up and walked over to Madame Octavia, reluctance clear in every step she took.
The Doll watched Malina walk away until both she and Madame Octavia disappeared into the hallway, finding herself unable to look away from Malina as she left. With a sigh The Doll turned back around to Lila, whose face had grown a darker color as it often did for inexplicable reasons.
Seemingly noticing The Doll's attention, Lila quickly brought her hands up in front of her face and said, “Wh-what happened when you slept in Lady Regius’s room?" It seemed that Lila had heard what The Doll said to Malina.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Not wanting to have this conversation The Doll quickly looked for something to change the subject and found herself looking towards Lila's book. Unlike The Doll Lila had opened a much further page in the book that was titled “The Three Great Weapons” in large text. The Doll recalled that Lila had mentioned something about her family possessing one of these three great weapons on the first day.
Not knowing what these weapons were, The Doll decided this would be a suitable topic to shift the conversation to. “What are the three great weapons?” The Doll simply asked, seeing no reason to dance around the subject.
Lila's eyes widened in shock as she jumped out of her chair and suddenly yelled, “YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE THREE GREAT WEAPONS?” The Doll felt the rest of the class's gaze shift over the two of them, causing Lila to sit back down, her face growing even darker.
The Doll looked over to the rest of the class, all of whom were still staring at her, before Richard, who seemed to be the head of the group, brought his hands together and clapped. “Okay, let's get back to reading everybody.” The class seemed to listen to Richard’s words as they all went back to talking amongst themselves. Richard himself gave a bright smile towards The Doll and Lila before going back to reading.
Thankful for Richard’s intervention, The Doll looked back towards Lila, who was looking down at the desk face still dark. “Am I supposed to know about these weapons?” The Doll asked both to satisfy her own curiosity and distract Lila from the embarrassment she must be feeling.
Lila looked up from the desk, her face slightly less dark than before, as she said, "Ye-yes, of course everybody knows about them. I-I would assume your parents taught you about them.” The Doll supposed it made sense; she didn't know about these great weapons then, considering Father never taught her anything beyond what he considered necessary.
The Doll shrugged and responded, “Father never taught me anything he didn't consider necessary, and I'm sure you know what happened to Mother.” Lila flinched slightly upon The Doll saying this.
Lowering her gaze and softening her eyes, Lila said, “I-I apologize I had forgotten.” Lila then looked back up and shyly said, “I-I’ll teach you.” Lila awkwardly shifted in her seat after saying this as if waiting for permission from The Doll.
The Doll was slightly confused by this wait for affirmation, considering she had already asked, but she simply said, “I would appreciate it.” The Doll nodded her head up and down whilst saying this.
Emboldened by The Doll's agreement, Lila flipped through her book to a page that depicted a drawing and pushed it towards The Doll. In order to see this drawing better The Doll pulled out her chair and moved it next to Lila, an action that caused the girl to sputter for some reason.
The Doll ignored this sputter from Lila, instead focusing on the drawing in front of her. Depicted on the drawing were three objects, each connected to the others by arrows forming a triangle. The drawings were rather crude, but The Doll could make out what the three objects were: a sword at the top, a circular object that appeared to be a ring in the bottom right corner, and on the opposite side of the page, a thin line of some kind. In the center of this triangle was a drawing that depicted a radiant crown with arrows pointing to all three objects.
Lila began speaking while The Doll examined the drawing, “The three great weapons were the first and most powerful magic objects ever forged. They were created during the rule of the first king of Rivenheim to ensure any rebels beyond his reach could be taken down.” The Doll couldn't help but notice that Lila lacked her usual stutter as she spoke about these.
The Doll thought about what Lila had said so far. The idea that the king needed weapons to take down any rebels, given the existence of nobles and major nobles, seemed like a foreign notion now. But before the king had established the noble families The Doll supposed that it could make sense he would have needed a different means to keep order.
However, one question was gnawing at The Doll as she thought about this: “What would have stopped these rebels from using these weapons?" While The Doll was certain the royal family could defeat anybody regardless of these weapons, it was undeniable that should magic artifacts with power from the crown fall into the wrong hands, chaos would surely ensue.
Lila smiled after The Doll said this, clearly pleased to talk about this subject: “Each weapon was made in a way that one can nullify the effects of the other.” As she said this, Lila ran her fingers along the arrows that connected the three objects. “And if somebody ever got ahold of all three, the crown that the reigning king of Rivenheim wears can nullify the effects of all three.” As Lila said this, she pointed towards the crown in the middle.
How could such a thing work? The concept was probably simple for somebody who could understand how magic worked, but to The Doll the concept of magic being nullified was ridiculous.
The Doll found herself tempted to ask how this worked. However, not wanting to reveal her lack of knowledge about magic to anybody else, The Doll instead asked, “So what does each weapon do?” A question that The Doll figured would seem much more sensible.
Excitedly, Lila brought her finger down to the drawing, pointing at the object, which appeared to be a ring. “This is Calava, the ring of death; it has runes carved into it that will impose instantaneous death on whoever makes direct contact with it.” Lila then proudly brought her hand to her chest and said, “Calava is the one my family possesses; it was a gift from my father.” The Dolls eyes couldn't help but drift to the ring on Lila's finger that The Doll had never seen her take off.
The Doll never paid much mind to this simple silver ring, assuming it was simply an accessory that Lila was fond of, but the single word inscribed into it gave The Doll an ominous feeling. On the band of the ring was the word "DIE." The Doll also couldn't help but notice how it specifically rested on the edge of Lila's fingerless gloves just at the point where it wouldn't touch any skin.
Surely Lila wouldn't be allowed to bring such a dangerous weapon to the academy.
Seemingly noticing The Doll's gaze on Lila's finger, she quickly brought both her hands up in panic. "N-No, this is a replica my family made for me.” Lila then brought her finger up to directly touch the ring. “S-See no instant death.” The Doll found this to be a rather strange gift but saw no reason to doubt Lila.
But Lila was roommates with Cecilia, maybe—
No, The Doll stopped herself from thinking this; she had already decided to trust Malina and Lila, doubting one of the two would only bring unnecessary stress. Lila and Malina were allies that she trusted enough to tell about The Strings.
The Doll didn't want to doubt them.
The Doll gave Lila a soft smile and said, “I was just curious; you can continue with the next weapon.” Accompanying these words The Doll gave her best reassuring tone.
With a sigh of relief, Lila pointed towards the uppermost drawing the sword. “Directly nullifying Calava is Dominus, the royal sword given to whoever the current Master of the Sword is. Whoever wields this sword can have no death befall them with the exception of old age.” Lila's stutter was once again gone as she excitedly explained the function of Dominus.
Likely seeing that The Doll had no question, Lila moved on from Dominus and pointed to the final and most mysterious drawing to The Doll, the single thin line. Unlike the other two drawings, The Doll wasn't quite sure what this one was attempting to show. The line was relatively straight except for the end, which curved downward as if it were being cast out from a source.
Lila began to explain, "Lastly, there is Abist the string of fate.” The Doll froze at the mention of a string. She was nearly certain there was no relation to this weapon and the being inside of her, yet she couldn't help but think of the possibility. Lila continued, "It's a single line of string that changes fate to work out for whoever holds it.” The Doll barely listened to what Lila said, consumed by this idea. Lila seemingly didn't notice. The Doll was barely paying attention as she kept speaking, “It's kept in check by Dominus, as no matter what misfortune befalls a wielder of Dominus, they will never die.” Lila finally finished and waited to see if The Doll had any questions.
After a beat of silence The Doll asked a question she found necessary: “Who has possession of Abist?" It was a perfectly reasonable question considering The Doll knew who held the other two weapons, but The Doll only asked it as a way of confirmation that it wasn't the Ashencroft lineage.
Lila shrugged and said, “I don't know. Abist is passed between the four major families every year to ensure they get a prosperous rule for their land. The lineage that has it at any given moment is only known by the family heads.” The Doll breathed a sigh of relief if Abist was still being passed around; then whatever was inside of her wasn't some weapon.
The Doll figured this to be the case, but it was always safe to be sure.
The Doll figured she should also ask what Abist looked like. However, as The Doll opened her mouth to ask the question, Malina came back into the room, walking over to The Doll and Lila before sitting down with a huff. It appeared as though Malina’s meeting with the headmaster went about as well as expected.
The Doll allowed the thought of comforting Malina to enter her mind momentarily before shutting it down, as such an act would be improper. But would it be that improper? The act would probably just be viewed as a hug between friends. It was really strange that The Doll would consider such an action improper.
While The Doll mulled over this, footsteps began to echo through the open door before coming to an abrupt halt. "Ashencroft, the headmaster, would like to speak with you as well.” The Doll didn't need to look at the source to know who it was.
Madame Octavia had now come to collect her.