VII

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  Arc VII Chapter 1

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  1st Aqua Solar XI AAC 753

  The light of dawn unfurled, bathing Freyburg in her golden hue, but, as so often, impressions tended to deceive. The sun had lost her strength. Her warmth had waned in the wake of the encroaching winter. A pale morning greeted the city of Freyburg, the air crisp and winds gelid, bringing the cold of the North to banish the warmth of autumn. Even then, the city stirred beneath the soft caress of the morning light, slowly awakening from its slumber. The rhythmic clatter of hooves, the muffled hum of the city’s bustling streets, the heartfelt laughter of children, and the distant toll of bells announced the coming day. Yet not everyone had aroused from their slumber, which included a certain little doll.

  Morning light entered their chambers, creeping across the wooden floorboards. The light kissed her porcelain cheeks, her frame safely nestled beneath layers upon layers of woollen quilts. The warmth clung to her limbs, refusing to relinquish her from its grip. Nevertheless, it was time to rise. It was already late.

  “Muah~! Muahhh~! Muah~!” A cute yawn escaped little Aurora’s tender lips, her small frame stirring beneath the safety of her blankets. Her joints stretched and moved. Her eyelids fluttered open, reluctant, sluggish, at first. “... ... ...”

  For better or for worse, it had been a long and eventful night. These memories ... These were Aurora’s memories, memories from her distant past. Like the nights before, they had visited her once again, allowing or rather forcing her to relive a past not hers. What she had seen ... What she had felt ... What had been revealed ... It would be a lie to say that what she had seen had not shaken if not unsettled her. She neither claimed to be able to understand nor to comprehend what she had witnessed, but she grasped the significance, the implications of what had been revealed to her. Her life ... Her past ... Her purpose ... Her duty ... Her rearing ... Her training ... Her origins ... Her nature ...

  It was difficult at times to bear so much. Not that she had much of a choice, though. Her heart must remain strong.

  “... ... ...” Little Aurora sighed heavily, her tiny hands rubbing at her hazy eyes to banish the last vestiges of her drowsiness. It was only now that she had become aware that she was being watched, quite intently so, by a certain girl residing beside her in their shared bed.

  Two giant orbs of purple gazed at her with a semblance of amusement, the faint glimmer of her sinister mana hiding beneath their surface. Cold and calculating. Her mere gaze sufficed to send a shiver down little Aurora’s spine, to make her throat tighten. Her eyes observed her, scrutinising and evaluating her, despite the benevolent smile on her lips. Tall Aurora’s gaze was directed at her.

  “... ... ...” Oh, no. Little Aurora froze, the joints in her frame stiffening. She knew this expression. She knew it all too well. It was the harbinger of grave misfortune, or rather the harbinger of her being about to be scolded. Yet again.

  “...” Aurora beamed, her head tilting ever so slightly. Her gaze lightened considerably. “Guten Morgen, my precious little one, you know that I do like doing this, but did I not tell you a few times already that it is imperative for you to act with caution~?” Her hand drew closer, and her index finger gently tapped her nose.

  “...” Little Aurora, meanwhile, was less than amused.

  Tall Aurora mustered an amused giggle, her scrutiny entirely gone. “We are fortunate that Iris is an early riser, are we not? Because otherwise, we would have our hands full of explaining why my cute little doll is not only yawning but also stretching her cute, little armsies in the morning. I have my ways and methods to be quite persuasive, but we should better avoid such a scenario if possible. Do you understand?”

  “...” Little Aurora lowered her gaze, her fingers clutching the fabric of her blankets. Scary Aurora had a point. “I do ...”

  “I am pleased to hear so. You are a good girl~.” Tall Aurora smiled in response before resuming her tickling operations, her index finger once again occupied with repeatedly tapping her stubby nose, much to tall Aurora’s apparent enjoyment. “Anyway, no need to cry over spilt milk, would you not agree? Just promise me to be more careful in the future, understood~?”

  “...” Aurora merely nodded.

  Tall Aurora ceased her tickling, retreating her nimble fingers. “That being said, I hope that you had a splendid night~. I certainly did myself~.”

  “Hmm ...” Little Aurora fell silent, her tiny fists clenched. She could not remain silent. Not when her dreams weighed so heavily upon her.

  “Aurora ...” Little Aurora whispered, her hands fidgeting. Her voice hesitated, wavered, yet she insisted. “Tonight, ... I had ... yet another dream.”

  “Another dream ...?” Older Aurora tilted her head, curiosity flickering across her eyes. “I hope that my memories have not troubled you overly. So, tell me, what did you see, Aurora~?” Her voice was smooth, softer than gossamer, more delicate than silk, yet the implications of her words did not escape little Aurora. There was more, and there was more to come.

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  “...” Their eyes met, Aurora’s and hers interlocking. Purple met violet. In the end, little Aurora gathered her courage to raise her voice. “I saw ... a wide, open field. It was a training ground of some sort. There was tension in the air. And then, ... I saw you. It was definitely you. The former you. You were standing there, all alone, all on your own. You had closed your eyes, and you were slowing your breathing to focus. You were dressed in a black uniform. You gripped your sword. You were preparing yourself to fight against someone, ... someone you knew ... They called themselves ‘Guards’, I think.”

  “... ... ...” Tall Aurora listened attentively, carefully, waiting for her to speak without interrupting her. Every single word she spoke was judged and gauged in silence, although she had reasons to suspect that Aurora had already recognised the episode that she was describing. “And then, ... What happened, Aurora?” Her tender voice urged her to continue.

  “Well, ...” Little Aurora lowered her gaze, deeply pensive. “The truth is that I do not understand any of it myself ... It all happened so fast ... The world suddenly exploded. There were bright flashes ... There was the sound of explosions ... There were smoke and dust pluming everywhere ... There were these things ... They were fast ... They were strong ... They were not magic in nature, I think. They were made out of hardened steel. You called them ‘projectiles’.”

  “...” Tall Aurora merely listened, her voice silent.

  Little Aurora continued, her voice strained. “And yet you faced these things, without the slightest hint of doubt. I saw them striking against your shield, but your shield refused to break no matter what. Your magic prevailed ... Not only that, I saw you fight them. You engaged them. You stood your ground. And you won. You defeated them. I saw it with my very eyes. It was ... It was as if you were invincible. The way you moved ... Your speed ... Your strength ... It was ... It was incredible. Never in my entire life have I seen anything like this ... Never before have I seen such a display of power ... You are powerful. Far more powerful than Brother ever was. Far more powerful than even Father.”

  “...” Little Aurora raised her chin, her gaze directed at her larger self. Her heart filled with a mixture of fear and fright, but also admiration, amazement, awe. “Is this who you truly are?”

  ...

  ...

  ...

  “... ... ...” Tall Aurora savoured the silence, enjoying every single moment of it. A faint smile spread across her lips. It was a smile brimming with pride and confidence. “I see that you have gained some insight into my capabilities, though, admittedly, not the way I had necessarily expected. Not that it matters. You would have sooner or later, considering our relationship, I suppose.”

  “...” Aurora closed her eyes, reminiscing about the distant past. “I remember that day. That day I fought the 1st Guard Regiment. It was a sweet victory. It was a joyous day. Fond memories, all things considered. These were happy times~. Did you see anything else? Or did your dream stop there?”

  “...” Little Aurora pondered her choice, slightly uncertain whether she should tell her, or not. “It did not ... I saw more ...”

  “Oh~.” Tall Aurora beamed, her smile benign. “Tell me more~. What else did you experience~?”

  Little Aurora considered her words, carefully. “You were ... You were talking to your father. It was in his study. He told you the truth. He also gave you a hug, and something to read.”

  “...” Taller Aurora remained calm, yet the mere mention of the word ‘hug’ sufficed to elicit the faint semblance of a smile, perhaps something even akin to happiness. “Oh, yes, a hug ... I remember it well. That being said, I gather that you have read the report then. Was it just the summary report, or the various annexes as well?”

  “Hmm ...” Little Aurora raised her tiny chin. “I think it was only the summary ... It was quite the difficult read ... I barely understood half of it.” Which was the truth. It was a difficult read, with far too many strange and unknown words and terms being thrown around left and right for her little headsie.

  “I see ...” Tall Aurora leaned back, hardly surprised. In fact, she probably had expected so. “Well, to be honest, I doubt that you have missed out on much. While certainly informative and useful from an academic point of view, the annexes make for quite the heavy read, even by my own standards.”

  ...

  ...

  ...

  “Hmm ...” Little Aurora had fallen silent, her eyes avoiding her stare. The air was heavy, laden with tension. A question unspoken was left hanging in the air. They both knew that it was only a matter of time before it would surface. The time was now.

  Thus, Little Aurora gathered her courage, clenching her tiny fisties. They needed to talk. “Aurora, ...” Having uttered her name garnered her immediate attention. Aurora directed her gaze and undivided attention at her.

  Little Aurora gulped in response, but her heart remained strong. She must not fail. “You know, I have read the report ...”

  “...” Taller Aurora listened.

  “I might not have all of it, but I have understood enough”, little Aurora confessed, a heavy sigh escaping her. “Is it true? Are you ... Are you ... really a hom ... a homun ...?”

  Tall Aurora came to her aid. “A homunculus, you mean?”

  “...” Little Aurora nodded. Words and concepts might differ, but even she knew what a homunculus was. Her tutors had taught her about the history and secrets of alchemy. An artificial human being created through magic. They were said to be a legend, a myth, an old wives’ tale, nothing more. And yet ...

  “Hehehe ...” Tall Aurora giggled, an amused smirk spreading along her lustrous lips. “Truth ... Truth is always such an exceedingly delicate affair. You are correct, though, Aurora, I am a homunculus, which makes you coincidentally one of the few privileged to know more about me than nearly the entirety of people that I have ever met or ever will meet. In fact, I think that some congratulations are in order~.” Her hands clapped gently, offering her some modest applause.

  “... ... ...” There was a long pause: It took little Aurora some time to process her words, some time before full realisation hit her. “So it is true ...”

  “...” Tall Aurora merely smiled in response. It was a knowing smile. “It would be remiss of me at this point to deny the obvious. I was indeed created artificially. My soul and body were constructed with a sole purpose in mind, to serve as the Reich’s sword and shield. In their question for perfection, I was thus born, from the blood of my father and his si ... Well, you know whom. That being said, you must admit that the circumstances of my birth do afford some undeniable ... advantages. Being more spirit than human has its benefits, at times~.”

  Little Aurora furrowed an eyebrow, cutely. “What do you mean?”

  “...” Tall Aurora smirked, secretive and conspiratory as usual. “Aurora, think about it, ... How did you ... How did we die? You were stabbed straight through your lungs ... His sword sundered your flesh and bones ... You were lying there under the rain, dead ... How do you suppose that we miraculously survived? How do you suppose that we resurrected from the dead, Aurora? It was hardly a coincidence. In the end, the will of the soul always prevails over mere matter, although it took some considerable persuasion on my part.”

  “... ... ...” Little Aurora fell silent. The girl left the rest to her imagination, but the correct answer was strongly implied. More spirit than human ... Her words reverberated in her mind. “I see ... So it was like that ...”

  “...” Tall Aurora merely nodded in confirmation. “As said, at times, being more spirit than human has its tangible benefits. Some of them intended. Some of them less intended, although they came to be greatly appreciated. Perhaps also by you now that we are one.”

  Little Aurora tilted her little doll head, slightly dubious. Less intended benefits? What was that supposed to mean? “Such as?”

  “...” Tall Aurora grinned mischievously, her words laced with honey. “As you might be aware, Aurora, those around me always used to remark on my doll like appearance ... My immaculate complexion ... My frail and petite physique ... The same as for you ... They were not entirely mistaken ...”

  The other Aurora leaned closer, her saccharine voice whispering in her ear. “After all, dolls do not age either.”

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