Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Word Count: 1927
Not including E/N.

 

The sounds of crying and yelling were what greeted the newborn infant, a child of barely a minute old. The chaos of the room didn’t help her state of mind, the conflicting voices and harsh cold air was all too familiar to her, but from where?

Her mind had trouble grasping onto the situation, all she could focus on was how she was being held up in the hands of someone else, not lovingly, clinically. At a certain point she had to stop telling herself this was a dream. She knew it wasn’t when it came to the tiny prick to her arm.

She didn’t feel warmth until she was finally put down, laid to rest in what she could only assume was a blanketed crib. No, there was no denying it now. With the way her eyes couldn’t open, the limited mobility in her limbs, and the crying she couldn’t control just a moment ago. She was a baby again.

It was difficult to think about, but it was the only logical explanation. The memories of her past life were hazy, certain moments vague at best, others as clear as ocean water. But she was left with an irrefutable fact. She’s done this all before.

Certainly not the rebirth part, but she’s been alive before, and she remembers. The memories of insomnia induced all nighters, her exacerbating at best customer service job, and the hours she’s spent pouring over fine details in her artwork are what stand out.

Peeking her eyes open for the first time of this new life didn’t yield what she expected. Instead of being greeted with fluorescent hospital lights and the scent of heavy cleaners.

D/N, instead finds herself in a room with wooden walls, a beige ceiling, a ceiling fan, and what she was right in assuming the first time, the tall gates of a crib on every side of her.

Whoever was holding her before, obviously had no decency, because she was still left as she came out of the womb. Just.. wrapped up in a blanket; also not as she expected, her supposed parents were nowhere in sight.

Despite the lighting not being as harsh as hospital lights, D/N still had to turn her head away from it. She never remembered her eyes being so sensitive before. But, thanks to the new angle, she could see one of her tiny arms sticking out from the blanket. What caught her eye in particular was the regular sized bandaid on it (which looked rather big on her baby arm).

Now she knows what that painful prick earlier was, and without the added burn, she could only assume they took blood. For whatever reason that would be needed.

Examining her surroundings more closely, she could only relate what she could see to a more traditional style of Japanese architecture.

The blanket she was covered in was a bit more difficult to see, but with her pre-knowledge (and strength of will alone), she was able to sit herself up just enough to get a good look.

The blanket itself was nothing special, but the fabric it was made out of was of much more importance.

It was the softest thing D/N has ever felt in her life, she could practically feel herself melting, or was that sleep getting to her.

Her eyelids were getting heavier and the warmer she got the further she slipped into a dark abyss.

—

D/N, or Vesper as she came to find out, never actually got to meet her parents. The first years of her life passed by in a blur, but she never once got a glimpse of their faces. And with her own face, as a reference, now that she’s turned five and can have access to a mirror, she’s fairly certain she would recognize them if she had seen them.

So far, all of her caretakers have been butlers and nursemaids, and she can count the amount of times she’s left this room on one hand. In fact, the only reason she’s still sane is because of the amount of reading material they provide.

She’s still not completely sure how they’re not questioning the college level education a literal child has. Cause god knows she’s not about to waste six years of her bachelors in art. But, they indulge in her curiosity with weekly gifts of books, so she’s not complaining.

Once, she asked for a blank book and a pen to draw with, and while she got what she wanted, she also noticed the, for the abundance of other words, disturbed expression her caretaker for the day gave her.

Another noteworthy discovery is her appearance in general. She looked like someone who’s gone through multiple illegal body modifications, and she’s five. That’s including her unnaturally bright blue eyes, the white patterns in her hair, and the odd symbols around her waist that are just a bit lighter than her skintone.

She’s fairly certain no one has experimented on her sleeping or awake, so, this was just how she looked. And, this opened up a giant can of worms because some of her caretakers also have odd features that normal people just.. don’t. And while a coincidence could be the cause after one or two, but over five people with either unnatural hair or eye colors, yeah, it’s no coincidence.

The fictional worlds of Anime and Manga had been one of her (not) guilty pleasures in her past life, so she knows when to spot one of them from miles away. Now, she just needed to figure out which one she landed in.

From her spot on the floor, arms crossed and a serious thinking face on, she must’ve looked either adorable, or like she was plotting something evil to the unfortunate caretaker that walked up to her.

“My lady Svanhildr. It’s time, dear.”

Who Vesper had nicknamed Pinkie Granny, walked up to her and coaxed her into following her down the hall. The nickname was fully in part to how she was so old, yet her hair has yet to lose its bright pink coloring.

Despite all of the chaos of her last life, the loud noises, traffic, crying over her favorite characters, and the blaring sound of air conditioning, it was quite easy for her to get used to the quiet environment she was reborn into.

She hasn’t heard the beep of car horns, heavy foot traffic, or even the sound of idle chatter in quite a while.

So, when Pinkie Granny led her into a room of silent women, all seemingly preparing for a big event, she wasn’t surprised at how quiet they all were.

It was like the unspoken rule of this place. Even the houses and children she can see outside of her window are as quiet as the wilderness surrounding them.

As she’s lifted into a high chair, spun to face a floor length mirror, and bedazzled to everyone’s hearts content, she’s struck at how random this all feels. In her past life, loneliness is something that crept up on her, invaded her slowly, and consumed her whole by the time she was in her mid twenties.

When she first started this life, she was thrust into it, the suffocating loneliness. She couldn’t bring herself to care, and without raging hormones messing with her headspace, it was easier to ignore.

But now, there were at least eight women in this one room, pampering her, dressing her up, and even Pinkie Granny was staying by her side.

Not once has she been in a room with more than two people at the same time since she was reborn. It set off alarm bells in her mind she didn’t know were there.

All she could think as she stood in front of the mirror, the eight or nine women finally finished, was how suspicious all of this felt. She couldn’t shake the feeling.

The outfit she wore was consistent with what she had seen Mikos from Shinto Shrines wear, though slightly more intricate.. and green. She was led out of the room quietly, walked down many hallways quietly, and arrived in the courtyard quietly.

The silence was even more unnerving paired with the crowd, when she spotted two individuals who stood out. A man and a woman, both wearing the same intricate ceremonial garb as she. They looked like leaders, and they stood before a water fountain, seemingly waiting for her to walk to them.

Her suspicions are only confirmed when she can feel Pinkie Granny nudging her forward.

It honestly feels like a walk of shame, with the eyes of many people staring her down. It looked like the whole village came just to stand at a distance and watch whatever this was.

As she neared, Vesper could see the similarities in her and the two leaders. She wanted to deny it, but it was very likely these two were her parents, and they didn’t look too happy to see her. The woman couldn’t hide the sneer creeping onto her face if her life depended on it. Vesper couldn’t control her face after that, the downturn of her lips making it very clear she didn’t want to be here either.

The ceremony, if you could even call it that, didn’t last very long, and it was as strange as actually witnessing pigs fly.

It started with her supposed father moving her to stand in front of the fountain. He then chanted in a language she came to associate with this village.

It didn’t take her long to pick it up from all of the books she read; and, she could relate it to Latin, but the symbols were unlike anything from her world, and the translations were slightly off.

After the odd chant, which just sounded like an elaborate poem about nature, her alleged mother picked up an intricate looking bowl of the fountain water…. and proceeded to pour it on her.

…

Safe to say her first impression of her parents was horrible, and she never wanted to leave her room again. She could already envision the poor house staff having to clean up the water trail she left on her way back to her room.

That very same night, Vesper found herself kept awake by insomnia that seemed to transcend lifetimes. Her mind couldn’t stop thinking about the odd occurrence, or that incessant and frankly disgusting feeling of something off. Not to mention the feeling of something thick weighing her down as she walked to her alleged parents.

She pushed the evil thoughts as far back into her mind as possible, instead, taking to drawing animals in her sketchbook.

Her current piece was a fox, though with her limited range of color being her only pencil, it would have to be a greyscale piece like all the others.

She was fairly happy with her artwork for only being five years old. The lines are a bit sloppy, and the shading could use more work, but she’s glad her years of slaving away over papers and canvases haven’t left her.

By the time the sun is peeking over the horizon, Vesper has proudly displayed yet another page on her wall of artworks above her bed, using the gaps in the wooden panels to hold each paper.

She sits back, staring at her masterpiece, and slowly leans back to stare at the ceiling. Sleep slowly started to consume her consciousness as it was supposed to hours earlier, with a content smile, she hoped to have happy dreams.

 

———

 

End Note: First chapter out!! So what do you think? Don’t be shy, I can take constructive criticism. I don’t have a beta reader so anything I got wrong or any spelling errors may go unnoticed, though I will try my best to fact check and reread before posting!

Also don’t worry, I won’t linger too long on certain arcs, I know for sure I don’t want the exam arc or the zoldyck arc to take up too many chapters, so I’ve planned the beginning to be pretty short too. I’m thinking at most it will be five chapters, but probably not even that.

Anyway! Have a good night's rest, drink plenty of water, and don’t forget to eat something substantial! ( ^ω^ )

Chapter Text

Word Count: 2136

Not including A/N, S/N, or E/N.

   

   Author's Note: For the sake of ease (and establishing two important locations early on), I’m making the assumption that Meteor City is East of York New (Since we know nothing of its location on the map), and so Alew, which is the mountain village that Reader started in, will be on the outskirts of the United States of Saherta. So while I’m thinking Meteor City is closer to Greed Island, Alew will be to the West of Meteor City. Knowing my luck, as soon as Hunter X Hunter continues, we’ll get Meteor Cities confirmed location and it will be on a whole other continent, but oh well. (*´꒳`*)

Side Note: I also think the location I picked checks out since what we see of Meteor City kinda looks like the Gordeau Desert, so it makes sense to put them on the same continent. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we get the location of Meteor City from the Chimera Ant Arc (when the fake queen tries to take over), do we?

 

 

———

 

 

Over the course of a year Vesper came to enjoy her loneliness in peace once again. While she was brought meals every so often, none of the staff stayed around long enough for her to interact with them properly. She’s started to believe they purposely ignore her too. Which.. fair. But also she’s garnered that her parents are in a high position in this village, so why isn’t she being treated like royalty!

 

   To be honest, she was never quite a kid person in her last life either, but she also never took any jobs that made her need to interact with them. However, some good news was she was finally gaining more and more control of her limbs, this was good news for a multitude of reasons. Like refining her art skills, rearranging her room at odd hours, or I don’t know, sneaking out through her window when she’s not supposed to.

 

   That last one happens to be what she’s doing right now, in the middle of the night.

 

   But can you blame her, that room is the only thing she’s seen everyday of her life for the past six years. She needs a breath of fresh air, and maybe a sweet treat if she can get her hands on one.

 

   Slipping down the wall outside was fairly simple, not even with the abundance of house staff were there any patrolling outside. 

 

   Then again, the dark forest wasn’t very inviting, especially not when it loomed over unsuspecting six year olds.

 

   She could feel her sweat drop, she wasn’t ever afraid of the dark in her last life, but the woods felt oppressive somehow. Was it because she’s been reborn into an anime? She hasn’t found any evidence proving her assumption wrong yet, so she’s going to continue to assume so.

 

   Either way, her curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped forward bravely. She died once, and lived a life chasing her dream just to have it washed down the gutter. 

 

   She won’t be making the same mistake in this life, and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t make the most of her second chance.

 

   Her steps were fairly quiet on the wet ground, mud clinging to the bottom of her bare feet. The bottom of her nightgown was brushing up against bushes and plants and gathering dirt as well. Thankfully, she had access to a bathroom in her room to wash up in.

 

   What struck her as odd, was that just like the village, the forest surrounding it was completely quiet with this thick aura that pressed down on her. 

 

   Not only was it dark, but the same feeling she had a year ago in front of what she’s recently confirmed as her parents, was crawling over her again. Like a coating all over her body that she couldn’t see.

 

   Shockingly, the deeper she went, the lighter the atmosphere became. She could spot a clearing just a few meters away too, and sound was coming back. Crows were cawing off in the distance, crickets and their songs came back full force, and the shuffling of other nightly critters could be heard everywhere.

 

   Stepping out into the clearing, the moonlight illuminated a small pond with wild fish and frogs. Vesper couldn’t help but step forward, breathing in deeply now that the oppressive feeling was gone, even the thickness that weighed down on her skin had left.

 

   She sat down near the water, not caring for the dirt that stained her nightgown. She also noticed that her hair was getting lengthy, it tickled her face and gave her the urge to push it away.

 

   A small crack interrupted her thoughts, and her eyes shifted to a small bush across from her position. Out stepped a timid fox, it was just a curious baby, and it made her heart swoon as she stared with wide eyes. 

 

   Foxes just weren’t common where she lived in her past life, and they’ve always been one of her favorite animals, after ravens. She tried to seem non threatening, making sure her hands weren’t palm up, and that she didn’t make any sudden movements.

 

   She watched as the small creature slowly approached, stopping on the other side of the pond. 

 

   She wondered what it thought of her, it was clearly looking at her. Then, she decided to stick one of her hands in the water, to make it look like she, for lack of a better word, had business with it.

 

   She wanted to seem busy so that it may get closer, and it worked! The fox, with her back turned to it, rounded the pond, growing faster and faster. And when Vesper turned to face it, they were nose to nose with each other. It was quite comical, the baby needing to step up onto one of her legs just to reach her height.

 

   They both stared at each other for approximately one second before the fox backed up abruptly. It didn’t end up going far, but Vesper probably scared it with her sudden head movement.

 

   She sat for quite some time trying to coax it closer to her. She tried everything at her disposal, grabbing a blade of grass and waving it around, picking up a frog and holding it out, and even pitifully patting the ground while calling for it.

 

   Her efforts were useless and she gave up, flopping on the ground. As she lays there, however, her eyes catch the abundance of stars in the sky. 

 

   Her window was always too overshadowed by trees to get a good look up, and in her past life there was far too much light pollution to get a good view. 

 

   Now, she was astonished. The brightness of the stars in the sky, how clearly she could see different dust clouds and the milky way. She could watch the sky for hours and never get bored of it. 

 

   The different constellations caught her attention too. With her abundance of books at her disposal, she not only wanted to read up on this world as much as possible, but she also got the chance to explore things she never got to in her past life. 

 

   Constellations was one of them, a subject that caught her fancy, just never enough to dedicate any significant amount of time to it. But the book she read, and the constellations she can see now at least lets her get a good idea of her location in this new world. The maps she’d seen doing her research were pretty rudimentary, only giving the continents and their names which didn’t help very much. But at least she knows she’s not in an anime that takes place back in her world, or a world similar. 

 

   When she first discovered that fact, she couldn’t help but shed a few tears over My Hero Academia, Black Butler, Demon Slayer, Tokyo Ghoul, and many more. She had also thought maybe she had ended up in Attack on Titan, especially with the isolated island at the top of the map, but she couldn’t remember anything about locations in anime that were different from her world.

 

   Heck, it could even be Hunter X Hunter for all she knew, she just wishes she’d paid more attention to the locations instead of fawning over her favorite characters.

 

   A pout formed on her face just thinking about her predicament. She wonders what god would want her to exist in this world, if it was even a god who put her here in the first place. Or who knows, this may be what happens to everyone when they die.

 

   Either way, she’s in another world, in the middle of a forest, staring up at a beautiful sky and counting the different constellations she can see.

 

   …

 

   How wonderful.

 

   “Ack!”

 

   She’s startled out of her thoughts when a nuzzle is shoved into her side. She looks down to see the baby fox, indeed, much closer now. Hesitantly, she lets her hand fall to its head and slowly pet down its fur. Surprised at how easily it’s now letting her touch it.

 

   The little fox lays there with her as she stares back up into the sky, letting her pet it as they both accompany the other in their peace. 

 

   True to her thoughts, Vesper doesn’t get up to move for a few hours. Her only indication of time passing being the lightening of the sky, showing the sun was about to rise soon.

 

   This made her sit up quickly, which in turn startled the fox that was very relaxed by her side. Looking down, she felt bad about leaving it, but she couldn’t waste anymore time. She gave the fox a small pat on the head before rushing back the way she came. 

 

   Her heartbeat rumbled in her ears as she went back through the dark forest, trying to shake off the feeling again, her window was in sight.

 

   Then she cursed. Cursed her existence, cursed her parents, and cursed this place. Because she’s too small to reach the window. So, lastly, she cursed her height. 

 

   Then the panic set in, if she couldn’t get back in her room, they would know she left, then…. Well, she didn’t know what would happen. But finding out was not on her bucket list! So, sneaking around and finding a door would have to substitute her entry route.

 

   In her past life, being sneaky was thankfully something she was known for. Her family often remarked about how quiet she was when entering a room, to the point she often startled them by showing up out of nowhere. 

 

   Her stealth skills are only just a bit better now that she’s a child again, knowing her footsteps don’t actually make that much noise. When she rounded the house to the courtyard, she side-eyed the fountain before making her way to the backdoor that she’d been taken out of a year prior.

 

   The amount of times she’s left her room has only grown by about twice since last time, so about six times now, has she had the chance to scope out the house she lives in. 

 

   Thankfully that’s enough to know relatively where her room is in the home, however, the amount of staff that is awake this early in the morning is honestly disgusting.

 

   Ducking behind flower pots and hiding behind corners was not what she planned to do today. Then again, she didn’t plan to be so short, an honest oversight on her part.

 

   She had to concentrate on her breathing, making her footsteps as light as feathers falling to the floor. At one point, at the very beginning actually, she was almost caught. One of the younger staff ladies was sweeping when she turned her head very suddenly in Vesper’s direction, almost giving the child a heart attack. After that, she learned she needed to make an actual effort to conceal her presence, which came saddeningly easy to her.

 

   Maybe her old life was worth more than possible foreknowledge on this world. Either way, she was just a few hallways away from her goal! 

 

   She could practically taste freedom, or rather, her gilded cage. She’s walking slowly, clutching onto the wall so she doesn’t slip on the newly cleaned floors. Peeking her head around a corner, she spots one of the only male staff members talking on the phone, he’s headed this way, and conveniently, there’s nothing to hide behind! There’s no way she’s not in an anime now.

 

   Deciding to do what all good protagonists do, she backs up a couple steps, and enters the room she passed just a moment ago. Her eye sees the male employee through the crack in the door, and she lets out a sigh of relief when he passes the room and continues on his way.

 

   Deciding to back up from the door, she turns around to gauge her surroundings. The whole room is much darker than the rest of the house, made of a darker wood and only one light is on, a lantern sitting on a desk next to a book. 

 

   Well if this isn’t the most foreboding situation to end up in. You know what they say! Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

 

   Vesper rounds the desk, peering up at all of the other bookshelves surrounding it. This room seemed to be a study of some sort, but there was one book that was bigger than the others.

 

   Climbing onto the chair, Vesper saw the title reads, “Rituum, Fabulae, et Historia profondissima Alew”, so it was a history book on Alew. 

 

   Vesper couldn’t help herself, she’s never heard of Alew, unless it was talking about the word, but that was unlikely. 

 

   She flipped the book open to the table of contents, found the history section, and began reading.

 

 

———

 

 

End Note: Sorry to leave it off so abruptly! I know I said I didn’t want the introduction to be so long, but I also knew this last chapter was going to be a lot longer if I didn’t cut it off somewhere. Without giving away too many spoilers, the next chapter may be a cut off of sorts, then we’ll lead into the next introductory arc, and finally we’ll get to the exam arc!

 

   Remember to eat, drink water, sleep, and take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you in the next chapters end notes!!( ^ω^ )

 

Chapter Text

Word Count: 2866
Not including A/N

Author’s Note: I am so sorry for my prolonged absence, I promise I haven’t abandoned this project! I come back with a new chapter to offer in place of my soul and I hope you enjoy it!

 

———

 

The small village of Alew was founded four centuries before the publishing of this textbook. Given its mountainous location, the surrounding forests have been used as protection against the wilderness and outsiders alike.

In the beginning, it’s thought that the founders used tree trunks and stone to build their shelters, many of which can be found just north of the modern village.

The first settlers of Alew had been a small committee of young adults. The founding members were Mireyo Kaworu, Ilqar Kyanopis, Fuli Chrysor, and Amagi Svanhildr, each seeking a new purpose as they tread on untouched land.

Not much is documented of this time, the only evidence of Kaworu, Kyanopis, and Chrysor’s existence being the old texts found in their abandoned homes centuries after their tragic end. Each of these texts mention the first days of their arrival and each end on the same day.

May 1st, 1536.

Most recently, this day holds the Sanguis Lunae Festival, one held only after the birth of Lukene’s disciple, an event meant for cleansing the land, absolving the Svanhildr’s of their transgression, and keeping peace with Lukene.

Vesper couldn’t understand much of what the history part of the textbook was getting at, so she flipped over to the Rituum section, looking for the Sanguis Lunae Festival, hoping it held more answers regarding her odd start in this life.

She glanced up at the clock quickly, making sure she had enough time before breakfast. Seeing as it was still early morning, she could get away with another thirty minutes if she really wanted to, but she promised herself this last section, to quell her curiosity and then she’d return to her room to get cleaned up.

Turning back to the page, she kept on reading.

The Sanguis Lunae Festival, section three, origins. The origins of this village tradition can be dated back by four centuries, approximately three years after the founding of this village. To understand the purpose of the ceremony, it’s important to understand the events which took place so long ago.

With evidence from old scripts and texts, we’ve gathered that a few weeks into settling here, Kaworu and Svanhildr had come across a stone shrine South of their settlement. It was an unusual discovery, and looked to be in pristine condition for the time it had to have been there.

The first thing they did, according to their journals, was scout out the area for any signs of life. When they came up empty handed, they left the area alone, noting the particularly quiet and suffocating atmosphere around it.

Svanhildr had noted returning multiple times to check on the state of the shrine, sketching a rough image of it, and remarking its unusually pristine condition and odd lure it had on him.

A few months after its discovery, all of the people that had followed the small group of young adults to this new settlement started complaining about strange occurrences.

Bright blue flowers blooming in their crops, that no matter how they chopped them away, would return. Animal corpses of all sizes appeared in the pathways, outside front doors, and in their ponds. Lastly, a hum coming from the woods at night had all of the villagers whispering of ghosts and folktales.

The conclusion that Svanhildr came to, after visiting the shrine so many times, was that a deity resided on the mountain. He saw the remnants of old settlers and started preaching to his fellow people. He spoke of warnings and blessings alike. Pleading with the people to start worshipping this mysterious mountain deity. That by discovering its shrine, they needed to appease it if they wanted to continue to live off of the land.

The villagers were difficult to come around, but with encouragement from all four of the leaders, it wasn’t long until they were enthusiastically embracing the idea. They started a tradition, that once every month they would trek to the shrine and offer their best yielded crops, in hopes of seeking favor with the deity, which they named Lukene.

Unfortunately, their good fortune didn’t last long, and approximately seventy-five percent of the village fell ill with a fever and exhaustion that killed many. No medicine they brought from outside helped, nor could their Doctor diagnose what was wrong with them.

In a desperate attempt to save the remaining villagers from the deities wrath, Svanhildr took each of his companions to the shrine, Kaworu, Kyanopis, and Chrysor, to offer up their lives in exchange for three hundred years of peace.

He took their bodies before the shrine, pleading with Lukene, hands clasped, and bargained for safety. There’s no record of his return from the shrine for four days, and when he did return, he brought news of his deal, and his execrable actions.

For over three hundred years now, every so often a son or a daughter in the Svanhildr bloodline will be born with the mark of Lukene, demonstrating they are a disciple. They carry the transgression of Amagi before them, and to uphold the agreement between Amagi and Lukene, they must be sacrificed on the stake, under the moon of a Sanguis Lunae Festival.

…

The pictures that accompanied the text made Vesper's blood go cold, as the very same marks that were supposedly on Lukene’s disciples.. were on her.

In her panic, she tried to find when this festival would take place… and the door to the study slams open, making her flinch and reflexively close the book.

Her father stands in the doorway, a menacing look on his face. All of her attempts at explaining the situation are overshadowed by her sudden fear, now all too aware that her parents of this world likely wanted to kill her.

When he approaches, she doesn’t fight back as he snatches her by the arm, nor does she try to run when she’s dragged to her room and thrown in. All of this is feeling too real, like she hadn’t officially come to terms with this being her life, HER life.

She wasn’t looking in on an anime character, wasn’t sitting on a couch as she watched a sad backstory.

She was experiencing this for herself, and she hated it.

Like hell she was going to sit around and wait to be killed, she’s died once, not happening again!

Looking up from her place on the floor, her resolve solidified as she stood and headed back to her window.

Her resolve waned when she found it nailed shut.

From the outside too! They must’ve found it open when she was gone. Now that she thinks about it, her feet were dragging in mud tracks.

An oversight on her part.

Taking deep breaths and slowing down to think; knowing what she does now, the last ceremony she was brought out for must’ve been a prerequisite of some kind.

Meaning it’s likely she still has time.

Given the state of her only window, and that her doors are the worst choice, she’d need to wait for an opening.

Hopefully she’ll be able to ask Pinkie Granny to take her to the small library they have in the house, those are the only times before she’s been let out.

She’d need to settle down and wait for her chance. Her first objective however, is to go over all of the new information she’s found on her home. As her stomach growled, she knew she needed to eat something too.

But before all of that…. she really needs a bath.

—

Waking up to a room full of staff members wasn’t on her yearly bingo card. Especially just a few days after her big discovery.

As she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she could see about ten different people, and even more in the hallway outside of her open door. They were rushing around and seemed to be frantically preparing something.

This occurrence didn‘t bode anything well for Vesper, as the last time she was around more than two people she was forced to partake in a ceremony that would unknowingly lead to her death one day.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Pinkie Granny approached her, holding a simple outfit in her arms that was so small she had to assume it was for her.

“My lady, today has become a special day!”

Pinkie Granny had a kind smile on her face, however her statement made Vesper feel like these people were being everything but kind to her.

The dread looming over her shoulder and that thickness covering her skin once again was like a sixth sense.

She had a pretty good feeling she knew what awaited her should she go back to the courtyard, or wherever it is they’d take her.

Without much else to do with all these people around, she begrudgingly went to clean up and change into the outfit Pinkie Granny gave her.

It looked like a simple white gown, it had a high neckline, a hem that went to her ankles, long baggy sleeves, and a red circle on the chest.

When Vesper exited the bathroom, she let the ladies that swarmed her do whatever it is they wanted to her hair, though they definitely put too much hair spray.

She didn’t get a moment's rest, because as soon as the women were done with her, she was whisked away by Pinkie Granny and four male staff, of which she’s never seen before.

As they walk, Vesper mentally sighs in relief when they pass the hall that leads to the courtyard, thanking whatever god that may be listening. Heck, maybe even Lukene.

However, the next few hallways down, and they’re heading right out the front door. As her first time outside the front of the house, Vesper takes this chance to survey.

From what she can see, the house has a small garden out front, the path leading to the road that goes through the village, and other houses on either side as well as across.

The village is especially quiet today, not even the occasional kid can be seen out right now. Pinkie Granny and the staff start walking her to the road, and follow it until they reach a divergence.

A smaller, rougher, and definitely overgrown path branches off from the main road a ways away from the house.

Walking (more like climbing) the path is a struggle, but with the help of Pinkie Granny, Vesper’s able to make the journey without a scratch.

She’s led a little further into the woods, situated behind Pinkie Granny now as the sounds of people return. The vague whispers of arguing and murmurs of detest quieten at the sound of their approach, the odd silence making way for branches snapping and leaves rustling.

They arrive in a clearing shortly after their trek and she can see practically everyone in the village, except for any children, gathered around in the forest, wearing robes that look similar to her own outfit. When Pinkie Granny steps out of her line of sight, the following scene chills her to the core.

Everything goes still and hushed whispers can be heard from the surrounding crowd. A tall wooden pillar stands in the middle of the clearing, piles of hay and dry mulch at the base. Behind it, stand Vesper's parents, in front of a mysterious stone shrine.

She can feel that oppressive sensation return, now as thick as molasses and pressing down hard. All eyes were on her, and she couldn’t stop the horror from painting her face. She thought she had more time, but the various torches, obvious execution setup, and ever growing hateful glares made it obvious… what was going to happen.

She was pushed forward by Pinkie Granny once again, and stood in the middle of the path that connected to the small area where her execution would be held. She watched as Pinkie Granny was handed a cloak, as well as the other staff with them, and turned forward before she could see them join the crowd.

Vesper gulped as she stood in silence, meeting the expecting glares with nothing. She couldn’t bring herself to move an inch, couldn’t watch herself throw this life away, there was certainly no guarantee she would be given a third.

She watches in silence as her parents converse with other cloaked figures, and doesn't make a peep when one of them starts approaching her.

“Wait!”

A soft voice calls out, stepping from the crowd, still cloaked to hide their appearance but tall and advancing her way as well. The previous cloaked figure lowers his hood, revealing a brooding man with a large presence.

“It’s not even time for the festival, please reconsider leader! Acting too rashly may doom us to Lukene’s wrath.”

The still cloaked figure speaks with fear and uncertainty, their cloak visibly shaking as they gesture to the sky and to the shrine.

“I’m sorry for speaking out of turn, but this is unusual, even for you, sir. What reason do we have to break tradition like this, to perform the ritual so early?”

Her fathers imposing presence keeps everyone else quiet, his glare burning into the cloaked figure still shaking like a leaf. It’s apparent he leads with an iron fist, but it comes as a surprise to Vesper that her mother’s the one to speak up.

“Hold your tongue, brat! Now is not the time to be asking such impudent questions.”

Her tone is snappy and harsh, reminding Vesper of a snapping turtle. And now she can’t get the image of her mother as a turtle out of her head. It takes everything in her not to crack a smile as she stands silently.

“Now may not be the destined night of the ceremony, however, plans change, and either way Lukene will be receiving the offering. Due to recent circumstances it is imperative that it be done as soon as possible. Day or night, the contract will stand.”

Her mother does a full one eighty, turning towards the fearful crowd and becoming akin to a monarch, commanding, but reassuring. Her presence still makes Vesper uncomfortable, but the crowd is comforted and the murmurs quiet completely.

Her mothers gesture for the brooding man to continue snaps Vesper out of her observance. Her limbs would finally move, and as he advanced she tried to back away.

He stepped quicker, following her as her small feet picked up the pace. He grew approximately three feet away before her mind blanked and her feet took her towards the treeline as she dashed to the right.

Her mind processes the view of the forest before it’s wrenched from her in a quick motion that leaves her hair in her eyes. The massive arms around her midsection keep her pinned to an equally massive chest and she’s painfully squeezed, her breath rasping as she kicks out and hits the arms around her.

The pressure on her skin worsens, covering her in a thick layer of what now feels like slime, squishing and melting to every part of her body and overtop her clothes. She’s brought closer and closer to the shrine, closer to her demise and she can’t think. Her eyes dash everywhere, looking at her parents, the cloaked figures, the trees, the hay and dry mulch, the trail they arrived on.

A fox. Her mind stops on the baby fox she encountered, the feel of its fur beneath hers, the time she spent recalling every detail of it to sketch and draw. The thick feeling continues to grow until she can’t see, can’t hear, can’t smell, can’t feel anything.

She next comes to while she’s running, her senses return all at once, bombarding her with a plethora of new sounds, new smells, new feelings, and the forest. She can hear a commotion behind her, but she runs. She can vaguely feel her ears twitch with the sounds of squirrels in the tree tops, her nose twitch with a mossy and sweet scent.

She can’t even tell where her hands and her feet are, all she knows is that she’s running, and she will continue to run.

—

At some point day had turned to dusk, which turned to night, which then turned to dawn. Her newfound senses had given her an intuition that let her find safe places to rest, but everything to her was still foggy. She could vaguely tell where she was, but it all felt like a dream. At some point during the night she contemplated her short life, wondering if she had died after all.

Eventually, she got herself up and continued, searching for water when she could, but food evaded her.

The downhill forests eventually turned into plains, which turned into a desert. Her tiny body dragged on, her energy waning and failing her by the minute. Before she let herself succumb to slumber, her nose caught this horrible stench, her eyes catching piles of something on the horizon line.

Then her vision blurred, she slumped down, and huffed as her limbs gave up and a weight lifted off of her. The feeling of a blanket being lifted from her drifted with her into her dreams.

 

———

 

End Note: I hope I didn’t make things too obvious, but I just couldn’t help myself, I’ve had this idea stuck in my brain space for way too long! Anyway, if you were wondering, my absence was due to some health issues I’ve been slowly dealing with. Nothing life threatening, so don’t worry! I may not post consecutively every week because of this, but I will try to make it as often as possible.

Remember to eat, drink water, sleep, and take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you in the next chapters end notes!!( ^ω^ )