Pinball Wizard (Original System Fantasy)

[NotTheBaptist]

'The ocean dividing the Light Continent and the Dark Continent is a murky waste. All who lay eyes upon it feel a deep pulse of wrongness at the sight of it. Seemingly, this does not just extend to people, but the world itself. A perpetual tempest stirs the jet black waters, whipping the waters into a frenzy. Striking it with lances of lightning.



It was the conceit of the sky to think it could kill the sea.



Even beyond the sky's wrath, the ocean is despised. The land underneath holds it's own hatred for the water and those that may cross it. Jagged spires of stone burst free from the wild waters, rising and falling at random.



It was the cowardice of the land to think it would be enough to contain the ocean.



Trapping ships in uncrossable rock pools for months at a time, though, the sea's bounty and permanent storm means that no starvation will come. People lost at sea either die by their own hand, or by the arrogance of above.



But… natural hazards aren't the only thing that stops travel. Light does not pierce it's inky surface. Contact with its waters, if they can even be compared to true water, burn and scar those who swim too long. By all accounts, nothing should be able to survive down there.



And yet.



And yet.



Science has failed to explain it, but… the ocean is bubbling, teeming, frothing with life. Eels writhe, snapping at the surface hungrily. Sharks circle, filling their bellies with eels. And even deeper than that, things lurk, beyond comprehension.



These natural defences prevented contact between the two continents for thousands of years.'

• Adam Erlen, [Legacywright]

'An ocean filled with unknowable terrors, under constant lightning strikes and storm conditions, with rapidly shifting natural terrain defences. One must ask themselves, is it any wonder Yellowfield is the only beachhead the Light Continent holds?'

• Captain Vahn Erlen of the 21st Artillery, upon reading his grandfathers notebook.

It was Saturday. Thursday and Friday had gone by in a blur. Frankly, Miera didn't remember anything about them, did she go to school? Maybe! Miera was waiting on the stairwell, staring at the front door and checking her watch.



She saw not a person walk by. She heard not a sound. And yet. At precisely 3:45, when her wristwatch struck the quarter… there was a knock at the door.



She rushed forwards and opened it. It was certainly the same elf, a gentleman with long black hair, but his outfit had been thoroughly substituted. The only part of his clothing that remained from Wednesday was his circlet. The elaborate robes were gone, and his cloak went with it. They were replaced by a pair of navy blue jeans, a messenger bag and a t-shirt with a roaring dinosaur on it that looked like it was made for a child and then scaled up to fit an adult.



Miera looked the man up and down, her jaw slack. It certainly was a change. The old outfit had been gauche, but this new one was an affront. What she wanted to say was 'what the hell are you wearing?' But what came out instead was much more pertinent.



"How do you do that?"



"I beg your pardon?"



"Where you just…" Miera brought her hands in, clasping them into a tight ball before miming an explosion. "Poof! Appear like that!"



The man smirked, folding his arms and puffing out his chest. He glanced down at her with pride; both in himself, and in her. It was… nice. "Hah! I am glad you noticed. Perhaps there's hope for you yet. But I assure you, it is a paltry trick to one of my stature."



Miera stuck her pinkie in her ear and began to clean it. "No, yeah, but like, how though?"



"Perhaps under my ESTEEMED tutelage, you shall learn how I do so by your own will. Now, I have learned the 'moderne methodes' and I am eager to apply them in my tutelage, let us away to your dining table."



He turned to leave, but before he could, Miera grabbed him by the wrist and dug her heels in.



"Not so fast! First things first, undo whatever you did to my dad!"



He turned around, glaring down at her. There was a danger to his expression, as if he was considering whether tolerating the indignity he was suffering at the hand of this child was worth it, or whether he should just incinerate her.



"What are you prattling about, girl?"



"He said that you were, like, the best tutor ever!"



"Well, perhaps he has simple confidence in my ability, not everyone is such a skeptic, you know."



"Bull. Shit. He hates you. You did something."



"Oh, please. What on earth could I have..." He snapped his fingers and burst out a startled laugh. "Oh! Oh, of course! That old trick! Yes, I apologise, that would be <The Right Man For The Job> I'm afraid. Can't turn it off, even if I wanted to. You have nothing to fear, it simply means people hiring me believe me to be the best candidate unequivocally. It doesn't help me get away with bad behaviour, just gives me a little more leeway."



Miera frowned at the man and sighed. "I don't… exactly like that? Can you stop it? Break the spell somehow?"



"Well... if I told him I was incompetent, that would break it."



"Great! Let's do that, then?" Miera grinned, starting to tug him upstairs. He laughed, voice rich with amusement.



"Oh? I thought you wanted to discover what I am."



"I do!" Miera said, still trying to tug him around.



"And how do you plan on doing that with me five miles south?"



Miera stumbled forwards, before slowly turning to face her tutor. She blinked and frowned in consternation.



"Wh-what do you mean?"



"Come now. Surely your Father won't suffer a fraud, let alone one who flagrantly boasts of their inability! Breaking the enchantment on him is tantamount to getting me fired. I know for a fact that I am only here now because of your little comment at the end of our last session."



Miera opened her mouth to squabble and then blinked. "What comment?"



"'He's okaaaaaaaayyy…' or what have you."



"You were listening??"



"I have VERY good ears, Miera Lum Sundew." The man spoke, dryly. "Anyway. That is besides the point, I myself would not care if I were to end our relationship prematurely, but you… are an arrogant, curious little child who just has to know everything, aren't you?" He said, with a proud smile that said he meant it as a compliment.



"Okay, okay, slow down!" Miera waved her arms in a stopping motion as she gathered her bearings. She took a breath and evaluated everything he said. "First off, you said you don't care about this job, so why stick with it? Second off… what the hell makes you think I care enough about what you are to keep you as my tutor? Intentional or no, you're still mind controlling my dad! Third of all… if you're mind controlling my dad, can you at least be a li'l more pleasant to him? He wants you to give him a lesson plan before the sessions and report on my progress after."



"Because, Miera, you have a chip on your shoulder. I can feel it, gods ABOVE, I can almost TASTE that delightful little complex you're developing." He grinned nastily, looming over her. She could almost feel him resisting the urge to coil around her like a serpent.



She began to tremble, and he immediately backed away. "Food for thought, yes? For now, I shall, at your humble request, go report in to your Father, and then the lesson shall begin. Wait at the table."



For some reason, Miera felt tense and bundled up, like she was preparing to fight something much greater than herself. Without saying a word, she turned and walked down the steps. She was struck with a realisation as she kicked her legs at the table. He never actually explained anything about why he was still here.



—



By the time she stopped shaking, Miera saw him step downstairs. He was shaking his head in perceived disappointment. "Well, it seems to me like your father has… well… he seems rather engrossed in his work, it would be a bad idea to disturb him."



"…Y'know, you were talking super fancy before, but now you're… well you're still a little fancy I guess, but it's all… different."



"Well, I am disguised as an elf. They are known to mull into a fine, pompous vintage as they age." He barked out a mean laugh.



Miera hummed, seeming to have only really listened to the first sentence. "…Y'know what, fair enough. You just sounded exactly like my grandparents."



"I expect they must be quite esteemed folk, then!" He chortled.



"No, they're mostly just racist."



"Racist?"



"Like, well… thinking people are worse because of what they are, like… hating specifically elves for example."



"Well that's not so bad!"



Miera gave him a withering glare. "I will throw things at you. Hard."



The man flinched, his brow furrowing. "Pah. Larvae…"



"Huh? Larvae?" She looked up with sudden interest, scrambling to find a pen. "So are you like… a bug??"



"Oh my. How… bold." He let out a deep, relieved chuckle. "No, young one. I am not 'like a bug'."



"Aw man…"



"Haha! Well, what did you expect, young one? For me to make it easy?"



"Okay, fair enough! Gosh, this is a tricky mystery."



Miera loved mysteries. This new one was so exciting! And he was a way better teacher this time! She was learning so much about being a wizard, she was gonna be the best wizard in the world.



"Now, here's a tough multi-part question." He smirked, clearly quite pleased with himself.



"Ahem!~ Where do magic users draw their mana from?"



"Uh… exercise… eating healthy food… that's it." She had started putting fingers up, but she realised she only remembered the two points.



"Ha! No. Mages draw mana simply by living life. Novel experiences, sleep, intellectual stimulation, high emotions, talking to friends, exercise, good food. GOOD food, not healthy food. No idea where you got that idea from. Next part! With this information in mind, what would the best way to drain a wizard of their mana?"



She hummed and frowned, it was an exaggerated pout of a thinking face. But such a hard question deserved hard thought! "Hmmmm!~ Gosh, I suppose I'd… break their legs?"



"Ha! Don't be an idiot, pain is a very strong emotion. No… you simply… starve them. Starve them of anything but tasteless gruel, keep them inside, isolate them. Isolation and monotonous tasks. The Order Continent has perfected this system, actually, though strangely, they apply it to everyone who transgresses, not just their mages. How odd, yes?"



"Wait, wait, wait! The who continent?!"



"Oh, hah. Yes. I believe your people call it the Dark Continent these days. How… nationalistic of you cockroaches." He laughed, full of scorn.



Miera blinked as he leaned in, both exchanging warm, sunny smiles.



"You all disgust me."



—



By the end of the session, she was grinning wide and happy. Utterly relaxed, body loose and free. She learned a lot today! She eagerly waved to Mr. Frio as he left. She caught herself and frowned. The words had a weird shape to her.



"Mister… Frio…"



That name… hm. It sounded correct. It certainly registered to her as his name, but he never mentioned his name, did he?



—



It was Monday. She was hungry, so she moved her body to the fridge. The fridge was empty. She searched the cupboards. There was a large sack of rice. She began to scoop the uncooked rice into a bowl.



But then, something amazing happened. Like clockwork. Like magic. At precisely 3:45, there was a knock at the door.



It was like an alarm had gone off in her head, excitement buzzing through her. Had he decided to come early?! She dropped the container of rice and sprinted to the front door. She threw the door wide open… but it wasn't Mr. Frio. The girl on the other side was pretty. She had very beautiful red hair, a long brown coat and a newsboy cap on and a magnifying glass clenched in a white knuckled grip.



"Mimi! You're-"



She slammed the door with all her might. She should've punched that ugly cunt's face. How DARE she get her hopes up?!



She returned to the kitchen (thankfully, the curtains were drawn so she didn't have to see that bitch as she walked away) and began to eat uncooked rice off of the floor, one grain at a time.



—



3:40.



3:41.



3:42.



3:43.



3:44.



3:45-knock knock knock.



Miera tore down the stairs like a bat out of hell, scrambling as fast as she could, she tore the door open with excitement.



"Mister Frio!"



She ripped the door open, and… the person standing there was not in fact Mr. Frio.



"Nah." It was an teen orc girl in a hoodie. "Seems she was right though, 3:45's the only time you answer the door."



She didn't really care what this girl was saying, but she wasn't Mr. Frio, so Miera went to slam the door as hard as she could.



An arm braced the door before she could. "Ah. Ah. None of that now kid."



The orc's fingertip grazed her nose, and she uttered two words before Miera managed to pull away. "[Clear Mind]."



And the last six days fell into sharp relief.

—

"Haha! Well, what did you expect, young one? For me to make it easy? Not so. Miera Lum Sundew, look at me. I need you to be absolutely quiet for me, can you do that?"



Miera turned to him with a blink. She nodded slowly, quietly. Her throat felt like it was sealed shut.



"My name is Mr. Frio. I know I remain here only because you want to solve my mystery, but, I am still your tutor. I am the one who is supposed to teach you, correct?"



Miera nodded.



"And as your tutor, I need you to have an open mind so you can be taught correctly."



Miera nodded.



"If I ask you to do something, I need you to do it. If I ask you a question, I need you to answer it to the best of your ability. Because if you don't do these things, I can't guarantee the quality of my lessons."



Miera nodded.



"Good. Which guardian protects this settlement? And what are they?"



"None."



"None? This is the Chaos continent, is it not?"



"This is the Light Continent."



"It most certainly is not! What… arrogance have your people succumbed to? The cockroaches skittering in the dirt of this wretched land think themselves its wardens, do they?"



"Yes."



"Hm? Growing a spine are we, little doll?"



"Yes. We cockroaches do." The doll turned to him, twitching, straining against it's strings. "Is there a problem with that?"



"Yes. Where are the dragons? The sphinx? The elementals? The spirits? The true shepherds of this flock."



"They're all dead or dying."



He blinked. Then chuckled. It turned into a laugh. Long, and loud, and rich, and hoarse.



She laughed with him politely, smiling warmly.



"Dead! This uneducated CHILD proclaims the natural order of things dead!"



Still retaining her Marcusian smile, she spoke.



"Of course. This is the era of the Folk. We can feel it, Mr. Frio." She turned to face him, expression suddenly serious. Older. "We aren't supposed to be on this land. We crave the solidity of order, we appease the patterns in our mind. Now the old masters are usurped and we roam free in this land, yearning for something we do not even know."



This gave the creature pause.



"Who… are you?" It asked.



As if it was being held back by a rubber band, her smile snapped back into place. "Miera Sundew."



After minutes of no elaboration, it shook its head and scoffed, intent on moving on. "And I suppose you invented a new calendar for such an ostentatious boast?"



"Yes. The current year is FY199."



"How… repulsive." It turned to The Doll, glancing down at her with mild interest. "If there are no guardian beings… how do you tame the land? How do you tame the beasts? How does anything happen?



"I do not understand the question."



"Only a guardian could bring the Chaos Wilds to heel, but you come to me saying that the guardians of the Chaos Continent have died, this continent's name has changed, and yet this… settlement stands, taller than any other?"



"It's not."



"…Not?"



"Not taller than any other. Dad says Grey Dominion has… they call them 'sky scrapers'. Giant towers made out of concrete and steel. But no wizards live there. And in Grey Dominion, that is what a normal building is."



"…You are quite…Forget this ever happened. I am the greatest tutor you know, I am your idol. You worship me, and only me."



It let out a creeping little chuckle. The Doll stared back with a pleasant expression.



"You know… you… really really really almost had me, Miera, you… sneaky little so and so. But you're just as vulnerable to me as the rest of them. I thought you might have the mark of the sphinx. Perhaps in another life… you would have."



The being frowned. "Hah. How sentimental of me. I'm mourning the sheepdog."



It suddenly remembered that it wasn't alone, it swivelled to face the girl.



"Wake up, Miera Sundew. And banish this from your mind."



—



Miera's mind was cleared. Her limbs, which were being held up purely by the fact they did not know their own weight suddenly gave out and she collapsed into a hungry, exhausted heap. She could feel she was fading fast, she… she… she felt the orc scoop her up.



"You're… from the church…" She croaked.



"Yep. Let's you and me get outta here, huh? Holy shit, you are… hhheavyyy…"



Miera was vaguely aware of the orc shifting her around until she was placed on the orc's back, and then, sudden rhythmic bouncing as she began to run.



Miera groaned, quietly, head pressed against the back of her neck.



"Can… can you waive the fine…? 'S my fault… I'm sorry…"



She quietly laughed. "Sorry kid, you'll have to settle for your life!"

 

[NotTheBaptist]

Humans, Elves, Dwarves, et cetera. The sapient, humanoid races are not native to the Chaos Continent. Originally they were kept as pets or work animals by dragons. But they spread, got loose. Humanoid ownership spread to the sphinx, and the wyrm, and the manticore, and the chimera. It became something of a mark of pride and wealth amongst the greater species of the Chaos Continent. But then they didn't stop spreading. And then… order was brought to the continent by the finest of the humanoid races, and suddenly they weren't oddities, they weren't pets, they weren't work animals or companions. Suddenly they were demanding equal rights, equal treatment, and they had a big enough stick to achieve it.

And still, some part of the invasive humanoids long for home.

It was 3:45. It had been 3:45 for the past two hours now. Miera was running up the stairs to her room. When was the last time she actually went in her room? Three… no, four days? The steps extended the same as they ever did, a mere fourteen of them. However, curiously enough, no matter how far upwards she ran, she always found herself on the bottom step.

She knew the reason why she was being kept from her room. There was a knock at the door. There always was. She stared at it. She really, really, really ought to open the door. Her mother didn't like having to get the door. She was too traditionally elfish at times, Dad said.

And then, she suddenly found herself shorter? No. No, not shorter… lower down. She blinked at the sudden change in elevation. She looked down and found that, whilst caught in her musings, her body had somehow stepped down from the stairs.

She grimaced, and reoriented herself. She placed her hand on the railing, and raised her foot in order to move back onto the steps. But then, when she lowered her foot, it inexplicably ended at the exact same elevation it started at. It was as if she hadn't moved at all. There was another thing that was bothering her.

It was awfully peculiar, Miera could feel that she had placed her hand on the railing as she stepped up onto the steps, and yet, when she looked down, she was holding nothing but air. And come to think of it, she couldn't actually feel the bannister railing, people could usually feel things they were touching right? She was absolutely certain that she was touching it. But she couldn't feel it, and her hand could move, and she wasn't even ON the stairs, but she was definitely touching it!

She looked back towards the door. It was straining and bulging. There was something trying to get in. To get to her.

Go away. She thought at it, frowning.

"Little Mimi… open the door. Let me in, child. You wouldn't have me starve in the cold, would you?" It moaned pitifully, still trying to barge the door in.

It breathed. It was an all too… dead sound, the wet, uncontrolled, painful-sounding wheezing of a corpse with too much life stuffed into it. It held this for a few seconds before it slowly turned into a dark chuckle. Then building further, crescendoing to a sick, harsh laugh, as it wailed its fists against the door.

The door bulged outwards and she could just about catch a glimpse of Mr. Frio. Or… maybe not. Three long, spindly, blue fingers tipped with claws slithered through the crack of the door. It was creaking as he managed to fit his full arm into the gap. It was rail thin and yet, it was built from sinewy muscle, flexing as his long claws gouged thin strips out of the wooden door.

"You're stuck here you know… the only way out of here is through the door… the only way out is to let me in…"

It cackled, dryly. She couldn't take it anymore. She rushed to the door, and slammed it shut. It let out a wrenching howl, and its trapped arm began fumbling blindly

And then, it found her. Its muscles tensed with anticipation as the claw pinned her to the door. It was oily almost, coated in a slick substance that oozed onto her, staining her clothes. It was slowly, gradually prying the door open with its other arm.

"Miera Lum Sundew…" It paused after each word, savouring them, relishing them. Miera grabbed at its fingers desperately, trying to pull it away from ber midsection. In this dream… she couldn't actually feel anything but the panic of it was VERY real.

"Where is your mother?"

And then, she screamed. It was that strained instant between wakefulness and sleep, that moment where one tries to scream in the dream and can feel their lips are sealed in reality, and preventing anything from escaping your lungs. Or when you realise that you can feel your eyelids have been shut, and yet you can see perfectly well.

That moment of lucidity hung for a second before her eyelids began to crack open.

—

"Nk…" Miera groaned. She tried to move and immediately felt the weight of the world pile onto her. Specifically, on her legs. The blanket she was under felt like a sheet of lead foil and for the life of her, she couldn't squirm out of it. But to be completely honest, she wasn't too upset with it, being asleep in her own bed was a nice idea, sure, but this one was at least twice as comfortable, if she was being honest with herself. She felt herself beginning to relax again, at last, she felt like she could relax, and was about to drift off.

Of course, then she heard movement on her right, followed by an exclamatory noise from a familiar voice. Her eyes sluggishly tracked to the right. Even they felt weighed down by the past… however many days' events. It was an active struggle to move them, and even more so to keep them trained on something.

The figure in the room was exactly who Miera had expected. A teenaged girl with green skin in a sleeveless black hoodie, grey sweatpants and trainers. She had a pair of tusks and toned arms. This was her. This was… the orc girl who's name she forgot.

"Oh? You're up. Phew, yowza, kid, you were having a doozy of a nightmare there."

She opened her mouth. Let out another croak. The orc girl (what on earth WAS her name, anyway?) blinked.

"You, uh… tryna say something, kid?"

"…ter…"

"Hm?"

"Wa…ter…"

"Oh! Yeah, right, water! That makes sense!" She scrambled away.

Miera reached an arm out, weakly. She didn't want the woman to go. She didn't want to be, no, couldn't be alone right now. But she was. She opened her mouth to speak again.

"…"

But nothing came out. Just a wheezy, dry croak. Miera's arm flopped limp on the bed. She bit her lip, it was cracked and dry. She could taste blood, a long vertical split down the centre of her lip stung. She grimaced.

She couldn't quite remember it all. It was… a haze, really. She sat on those steps until she needed to get up and eat. She would eat a cup of dry rice and then return to the stairs. she never drank any water. And she loved it. Every second of it. Part of her still did. Right now, whilst her body was soof still, just staring ahead and breathing, it felt right. It felt good. Before she could fall any further, before the rapturous stillness could bend her will more, the orc lady returned, breaking her from her reverie.

"Here ya go!"

She placed it on the bedside table. Miera glanced at it, and then back at the other girl, with a flat expression. Miera slowly raised her arm up, trembling, and tried to grab the glass. It was more like she was sliding it closer and closer to the edge. She kept watching the orc girl to see if she'd intervene, but she didn't. She was just watching the scene owlishly. As soon as the glass tipped over the threshold of the bedside table, the arm she was using to drag the glass was suddenly yanked down by the overwhelming weight of a single glass of water.

"Fuck, what'd ya do that for?! You're meant to drink…it. Oh. You can't lift that glass, can you?"

She laughed sheepishly, picking the glass up. "I'll go get you a refill, sorry!"

Miera was left alone for a moment. She let in a breath, trying to steel herself. This time she wasn't gonna fall for that trap. She took in the room around her. The room was… cute. Surprisingly pink, with big fluffy pillows and a few carnival plushies. A work desk with an open notebook and several textbooks were the only sign it belonged to a sixteen year old instead of a pre-teen like Miera.

The absurd level of cleanliness was it's own thing, it seemed like she dusted and vacuumed daily, and there was no telltale Laundry Pile anywhere. Either her church mum person kept a tight ship, or Elise (Elise! That was her name!) was a total neat freak.

Miera had money on it being the former, Elise seemed like kind of a ditzy klutz, based on her behaviour. Not at all the professional church lady she projected herself as last time.

"Hookay, water!" Elise marched in. "Don't worry kid, I got this. I did a course on this stuff."

Elise sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the water on the bedside table. She slipped a gentle hand underneath Miera and sat her into an upright position.

"Comfy?"

Miera could barely keep herself upright, let alone nod. She just glanced pointedly at the water. Elise picked up the glass, raised it to her lips and tilted it.

As soon as the first droplet of water moistened her lips, Miera found hidden strength within herself. She lurched forward, her weak arms clinging to the glass, like a baby from a bottle. She drank from the glass, deep and greedy. She drank and drank and drank until the glass was empty, and then, and only then did she allow herself to collapse back into bed.

"Thank you, Elise…"

"Holy sh-holy wow, you were thirsty!"

"I don't… didn't… drink in five days." Miera had regained enough of her faculties to glare at Elise. "Am I gonna get fined for drinking the churches water too?"

Elise grimaced. "Look, kid, that wasn't nothing personal, alright? You broke the rules and like everyone else you have to pay, it's how society functions, we treat each other with respect because the rules are better than no rules. Also… you're very lucky to be in a church, but if you ever have someone else who hasn't drank in so long, don't do what I did, okay? This was an exception, my boss fixed up most of the damage you had. There was maybe a day's worth of actual dehydration left by the time you woke up, maybe."

"But the rules are stupid. I picked my class at my age and I'm gonna be awesome, just you watch." Miera glared at Elise.

Elise sighed, and rolled her eyes, moving to the desk chair and cracking open an old book. The cover was dark and faded, it's original title was indecipherable. There was clearly meant to be some kind of filligree on the cover, but it had long since peeled off. She had moved to a specific passage and was reading it.

"Please. That's not proof of anything until you actually do something, you realise. Until then, you're a silly kid bragging about costing her family hundreds…"

"…"

Miera slumped back, melting into the bed and staring at the ceiling. She was right. Poor Little Mimi hadn't done anything impressive. Her big break was meant to be the tournament. She'd pay off her fine and…wait.

"How long was I out?…"

"Oh, just a few hours."

"That… but-I mean… hah. What day is it?"

"Ah. Tuesday."

"Tuesday… I missed it." She blinked, in exhausted realisation.

"Missed what?" She hummed idly, not looking up.

"The first round of this pinball tournament I was in. I guess I won't be paying back that fine."

Elise was focused on this all-important book. Her lips were moving with no sound, she was mouthing the passage to herself on a loop and for whatever reason, this simple task took much of her concentration. She was transfixed on it, and it was like the air was gaining a charge… before it slowly faded. Elise blinked, as if remembering the presence of Miera. She frowned, giving her a searching look.

"Oh. Don't you have bigger fish to fry now? I mean, your Mum and Dad are being held hostage. I managed to sneak you out, but they're still in that house. It's only a pinball tournament."

"…You're terrible at this." Miera frowned, lifting herself up. She felt something in her strain, but she just sneered at Elise. "My parents are being held hostage and you think to remind me of that, instead of… letting me be distracted? What the fuck? I don't know if my parents are alive. Hell, he taunted me in my dreams today! He came in and asked me about my Mum and I'm now I'm worried sick because I haven't SEEN her in SIX! DAYS!"

Miera was gasping by the end of her outburst, shaking and sweating. She collapsed back onto the bed, heaving, but she was still shooting Elise a venomous glare.

Elise looked up with irritation, then closed her book with a frown.

She closed her eyes, in visible thought. She breathed in, and then out, and then in again. Before she screamed and slapped herself in the face. "FUCK!! You're right. I'm sorry. [Clear Mind]. Sorry, sorry, that book's cursed."

Miera was stunned at the sudden, unusual behaviour, her anger replaced with bafflement. "…Wh!? you keep a cursed book in your room?"

"Yes. Well, I keep several, to be clear."

"…WHY?!"

"I am the only person within the church who is capable of Clearing my Mind. These curses are all mind-affective, so it makes sense that I should have them in my room so I can absorb their knowledge and then remove any corruptive influence from myself."

"But… what if you just don't? Clear yourself, I mean. Isn't that dangerous??"

"Well, a lot of the learnings within are simply guarded by these curses. Some of these weren't even considered curses until recently. For example…" She lifted up the faded old book in her hand.

"That one made you a dick though."

"No, I'm afraid that's just me. The curse makes you focus on the material until you understand it fully. Truthfully, this was a study aide, until someone nearly starved trying to understand one of the passages."

"Oh. Why did you start reading it then? What were you studying?"

"It's a… not-quite spell. Don't worry about it."

Miera frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Elise stood up. "That reminds me! There's someone else here who wants to see you. She's got a plan for getting your parents back, I'll get her, she's apparently a friend of yours!" And then, she ran out of the room.

Once again, Miera was left alone. It was fine. She felt a lot better, but she was still hungry, and she wished that Elise had left her more water. She took a breath in and looked up at the ceiling from her spot on the bed. This time she didn't blank out, or let the world fall into static. She didn't observe or get a feel for the room. She just fell back and closed her eyes.

"Sorry, Mimi, I'm back!" Elise walked in with a bowl. "He said you'd be hungry and to let you eat before you two met."

Miera glanced at the bowl, before sitting up and making grabby hands at it. She was hoping for soup, or something hot, but… no. It was just plain cereal. She still brought her face to the bowl and rapidly spooned it into her mouth of course.

It was soon drained of its grainy goodness and she set the bowl down with a satisfied sigh.

"Haah… that does make me feel better… so who's this friend?"

Elise opened her mouth to speak. And suddenly he stepped in. No… that's not right. And suddenly, she stepped in. Hm, that's not right either! And suddenly they stepped in. No. It was simply that none of them fit, and all of them fit, simultaneously.

"Oh fuck no." Miera shook her head, fingers white-knuckled against the plastic bowl. "What the fuck are YOU doing here?!"

"Miera!~ I'm so happy you're alive! You missed the first round you naughty little so and so!~" The person who beat her in a game of pinball sat across from her, wearing her own skin.