Three Spheres

Chapter 46 - Candle

She moves on forward with skips and leaps. Her huge blue eyes are wide open, watching the nothingness within the darkness. In one of her hands, a piece of chalk; in the other, the severed arm of a Golem. Whispers fill the air, like ghosts.

Suddenly, she stops and fixes her gaze on the ground: A footprint. Of a boot. She brings her face close to the stone, sniffs and licks it. Then she howls:

_ It caaaaaaan't beeeeeee...!! _ She gets up and crosses her arms _ It is reasonable to imply that my friends would not have destroyed my machinery. This suggest the presence of unrequited visitors. _ She strokes her chin, like a rational person.

However, composure is subverted by a new cry and she runs, while saying:

_ It's impossible for my friends to lose! MY FRIENDS!! _ She opens a door to a great hall, where dozens of creatures crawl and grunt _ Edisia's friends are very, very strong. Heheheheh!

She sits on the floor in front of her abominable creations and pulls out a small piece of cracked mirror. With excessive affection, she touches it. A shiver spreads over her body in the moment of contact with the cold surface. She feels a bizarre excitement...

_ Y'know, mommy, Edisia has already spoken to the pretty lady. She said it's okay... okay... okay... _ She hugs the mirror _ Edisia has already sent all her friends to the fort. Eeeeverybody will die!! Except for him. The pretty lady promised me.

With that promise in mind, Edisia continues to send her troops through the stone maze that she built just for this moment. Gradually, the hall empties...

She rolls on the gooey floor, extremely cheerful. The mud mixes with the bruises she has all over the body. She doesn't let go of the mirror. However, on the tip of her feet, she feels a strange tickling. She looks down to find the culprit: A spider, hairy, black and horrible. She takes the arachnid by the abdomen and squeezes it, enjoying the grotesque view of its legs flailing in the air, while a secretion oozes. Edisia's expression becomes serious and she puts the creature closer to her ear.

_ Hm... Right, right... Umm... Huh? _ She throws the spider on the wall _ That's not true! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE for those dumb humans to kill my friends!! Although Vampires are strong... And... they didn't send the right people for the mission... 

She gets up, disgusted. Stomping her feet, she heads for a "room", where a wooden dressing table attracts attention. She approaches and delicately fits the shard of mirror into a specific position.

The glass becomes completely black... Gradually, a silhouette appears.

_ Miss Edisia. _ Amorphous lips are formed in the mirror _ I am "The Cat". What may I be of aid? _ Yellow eyes slowly open.

_ A-Ah... Uhh... I-I think...

_ I suppose you will report yet another failure for your collection? _ "The Cat" interrupts _ I was instructed to inform you of the following: If you fail here, you will not have a second chance. Proceed. Setbacks should not stop the progress. Follow the plan. Die for the plan, if it is needed. _ The eyes close _ I suggest that you personally watch your defeat. It is valuable to learn about your enemies. Disappear now, Minor Witch.

The mirror returns to its original colors and the fragment pops out. Edisia remains static for long minutes before it.

Red tears fall from her eyes and stain the gray skin. She takes a black cloth that lies on the floor and wears it like a cloak. With slow, almost dragging steps, she permeates the corridors, enveloped in the deepest silence.

She walks, walks and walks, through endless caves. Hours pass; so many that she loses track of time. However, finally, she finds an opening to emerge from. Above her head, a sea of ​​stars; before her eyes, the destroyed bodies of her clay friends.

There is no sign of humans or Fabulares, but she notices a commotion inside the fort. She walks, desolate. Strands of red hair fall in front of her eyes glazed with terror. Was her mistake to focus more on the numbers than on the quality of the soldiers? Or perhaps it was investing all her resources in the most important target? She is just too young to be sure.

She turns her head slowly and stares at a silhouette in the window. She licks her lips. Is it bad to have a witness? That thing doesn't even seem to be a real person.

With a quick gesture, she lights a small flame at her fingertips. The silhouette startles, but doesn't react. With another gesture, Edisia makes the fire disappear and, with it, her body and all the debris of her creatures. There only remains a wisp of smoke from an invisible fire that burns at her own will.

She walks again, slowly, now towards the boreal forest. She smiles. In her mind, she sings her precious joyful music. Smiles.