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Elluka Clockworker had a conundrum.A rather…cumbersome, conundrum. An exceptionally problematic problem, if you will. That being- she and her apprentice were currently making their way to the room of the reigning monarch of a continental superpower with a half-baked plan that she came up with in the span of six hours to go exorcise said monarch.How did it come to this, you might ask?Well, truthfully it started months ago. She’d noticed the possession when the girl announced her intent to take over the country after her mother’s funeral. And her following behavior over the next few months certainly lined up. First, there was her excessive taxes. (85% per month, holy Levia-)Then, her screaming fits. (“ HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!”) Her executions for the slightest offense. (“Off with his head! He shouldn’t have brought my tea late!”) Just in general her abuse of power. (“I’m the Princess, I can do whatever I want. I can make you kneel right here, right now.”) Oh, and her callous disregard for the lives and feelings of others. (“Stop! I’ll behead you if you don’t!) Now on its own, this all was bad enough. But today, was the day when she encountered the straw that broke the camel’s back. Specifically 6 hours ago when a very anxious Alexi- Allen walked into her room.When Elluka let the poor boy into her study, he looked more frazzled than usual. He normally manages to maintain an impassive demeanor while working for the Princess- his sister, which made his current state all the more concerning. The mage poured out some tea in a cup and motioned for him to sit down.Honestly, she felt bad for the kid. He was supposed to be a Prince- only to be denied his inheritance in favor of protecting his life. The saving grace was that he could at least see his sister again- but low and behold, she’s an unwitting contractor of a demon.Elluka passes him the tea. “Something the matter, kid?”Allen grabs it, his hands wringing with so much nervous energy Elluka could almost see it manifest as electricity. “Riliane wants Leonhart dead.” He admits softly.
What.
As one of the Three Heroes, Riliane didn’t have the ability to execute him. An obvious precautionary measure given the faith Anne and Arth had in them. They couldn’t imagine her, Mariam, or Leonhart doing anything that could possibly warrant an execution. The Princess would know this- and that could only mean she was planning an assassination.The boy- Leonhart’s son - turns away. “She heard rumors that Leonhart’s planning to assassinate her and she…wishes to ‘kill him first’.”That…wasn’t good. Elluka sips her tea. “I see.” She puts the cup down slowly, her mind racing as formulated a dozen plans to deal with the problem. “...Anything else I should know?”Allen tried to keep his face neutral, but it turned into a pained grimace. “...She wants m- me to do it.”The mage’s hand clenches her cup- squeezing the cold porcelain handle tightly as her body goes cold with horror. Forcing a child to kill his own father? Good Held… “...Well, I’m glad you told me.” The mage chuckles humorlessly. Inject forced levity. Make the kid think she has a plan when she really doesn’t. “Can’t imagine how it would’ve turned out had you not and just kept this to yourself.”Allen stares into his teacup, before speaking softly. “What do we do…?”“Leave it to me.” Elluka waves him off. “Just don’t stress about it.”The boy’s eyes hold a wave of confusion as he stares at her. “But…are you sure you can…change her mind?”“I’m an advisor to the crown for a reason,” Elluka said, glancing out the window to the void of the night sky. Though her own view wouldn’t let her see it, she knew corpses of the hungry lay scattered about the streets, lit by the moon for all to see like a grim circus.“‘Bout time I do my job.”Allen frowns. “But, wouldn’t she try to kill you too then? The Princess…doesn’t take well to being challenged.”That got her to laugh. “Kid- I’ve dealt with much worse than some brat with too much power. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”He still seemed worried, but Elluka ushered him away. She sighed as he left, locking the door and slumping back down on her desk. Truth be told- she had little idea of what exactly she could do.It’s not like she was planning to do nothing at all about the fact Riliane was possessed- but the problem was that the demon was far too deeply rooted into her soul. A simple exorcism, like the one she did when the girl was eight, couldn’t fix this. Her solution? The Clockworker’s Arts. Problem is- that spell is ridiculously complicated and requires more than one person.Held had lent her Michaela and Gumilia as apprentices, but one was off having a lesbian romance in Elphegot and the other just wasn’t ready. And likely couldn’t get ready in the span of six hours.But it’s not like she could sit by and do nothing. Leonhart was her friend. One of her oldest and most longstanding friends. And the man had a family! She wasn’t about to let a brat with too much power force a kid to commit patricide and orphan two kids. Hell no. So- it was time to get…creative.Now, demons were still a type of spirit. Spirit transfer techniques happened to be one of Elluka’s specialties. It wasn’t a particularly good solution…but if she were to swap the demon into her body, herself into Riliane’s body, then have Gumilia transfer the demon into a makeshift vessel and bring her back to her body.When she confronted her apprentice with this plan, what she got was a deadpan stare and a long-suffering sigh.“Why exactly do you think body-swapping with a demon is a good idea?” Gumilia asked in resignation, a hand to her temple.Elluka casually leaned against the door frame of her apprentice’s room. “The exorcism spell is just a variant of a demonic transfer spell, so the damned thing is already resistant to it…the bodyswap spell though…” The archmage’s tone gained a subtle hint of gleeful excitement, and pride at her own eureka. “It deals with spirits that are supposed to be strongly tethered to a body.”Gumilia stared at her master again, before closing her eyes and mumbling a prayer. “Let me get my coffee first…”That led them to now- six hours, some silencing wards, and a bit of bribery later, they entered the Princess’ room in garbs one might associate with a stereotypical assassin. The Princess lay fast asleep on her bed, as it was about two-thirty in the morning. Elluka marched to the side of her bed, observing as the Princess cuddled into an orange plush bear.The sight tugged at her heartstrings a little- reminded her of the days when she and her brother were but little toddlers trying to make sense of a world so much bigger than them. Of the days when Anne’s daughter hadn’t been corrupted into a heartless tyrant and was just a little girl. Of the days when it felt like the world was their’s take on and rule.Elluka bitterly wonders how she ever let it get to the point it was at now. She should’ve taken her quest for the vessels more seriously- and she plans to after Riliane is exorcised for good. Whatever forces caused this better expect hell to pay.Gumilia stands to the side, their makeshift wooden doll vessel in hand. She observes her master nervously. Her magic poised to strike like a snake in case something were to go awry.Elluka cracks her knuckles. Time to get to work.Raising a hand to the slumbering Princess’ temple, she uttered, "Onorhc Yrots."In an instant, the signatures of two souls were revealed to her. One, was sickly, twisted, but still undeniably human. The other was pure darkness. Corruption. Sin. Elluka grabbed it with her magic and yanked hard.Riliane’s eyes fluttered open. Not the Princess’ regular blue- but eyes of a sickly golden hue. Panic was visible in the glowing irises.Elluka grins.
The first Elluka ever taught her about magic, was to detect its flow. It’s rhythm. If Gumilia had to liken it to any other feeling, she’d say it was like feeling the water flow around you like the wind.
And right now, what Gumilia was feeling was nothing short of a hurricane.
Seconds after Elluka whispered the incantation, the air exploded with magical energy as dark shadowy tendrils erupted from the Princess, a guttural demonic scream accompanying them, mixing in Riliane’s voice with something dark and unearthly. The air felt like bags of grain with how heavy the magic was.
Gumilia was suddenly very thankful they had the silencing wards up.
The unholy mass of darkness writhed- its screams led to a shockwave of wind that Gumila had to shield herself with using her own power. A crash catches her attention. She looks over and finds Riliane’s vanity has fallen over. Jewels, expensive makeup, and mirrors, all haphazardly on the floor.
She stares at it numbly.
That’s…several thousands of gold coins worth of property.
The Princess was going to have their heads for this if she ever figured it out- and for once, Gumilia couldn’t even say it was unjustified.
From the corner, she saw a dark tendril flung at her like a Warhammer, barely she buckled her knees in time to dodge as it swept upwards. Gumilia winced as louder, painful crashes could be heard. The wind picks up as the air writhes with raw magic, and the apprentice realizes that they are seconds away from a mini-hurricane.
She sent a panicked glance up to Elluka, who bathed in a bright pink light, eyes narrowed in focus. Her magic was still very firmly on the demon, but Gumilia could tell it wasn’t budging. It was rooted deep, like a parasite that had burrowed into the Princess’ very veins. Like a parasitic mushroom. (She internally shudders at the analogy- good grief no wonder the girl was so screwed up).
Even if they could remove it- ripping it out like this could only cause more pain.
The green-haired witch flinched as she heard the slow and steady groaning of wood, the skin-crawling cracks that followed. She took a step back, barely able to breathe with how much magic weighed down, and charged the air. And then she realized something.
Oh. The bed is about to give out.
Yeah no- if the ritual doesn’t kill Riliane, being crushed under several pounds of heavy wood certainly will. And that demon was nowhere
near
being out of Riliane’s body. There’s only one way this could end.
Held, this was a mistake, wasn’t it?
“Elluka!” She snapped. “That’s enough! We can’t keep going on like this!”
The witch shows no sign of even having heard her. The demonic mass lashes out again. The bed visibly shakes as another gut-wrenching crack can be heard.
Oh, Held- I need to stop this.
Now
.
Gumilia brought out her handbag and clasped her hands in prayer. She cried,
“Rewolf resal!”
A seed shoots up into the air, and a flower snakes out it, blooming as green light pierces the darkness. Energy forms in the petals, spiraling out in shades of brilliant green before being blasted straight into the spell with a violent crackle.
The resulting shockwave
shatters
the bed and everything near it, knocking Riliane into a wall and Elluka into the opposite wall. Immediately, Gumilia uses all the strength she has to keep any stray bits of wood, glass, or anything from reaching
either
her master or the Princess.
She soon collapses in exhaustion, heaving for several moments. She slowly rises to her senses, glancing up at the room around her. Most furniture was either on the ground or shattered, painting in pieces, and decorations tossed haphazardly on the floor.
Oh god…we’ve completely wrecked the room of the Princess of Lucifenia.
If the girl wanted them dead for this- yeah no, Gumilia will not blame her. That’s not even to mention the fallout of tonight.
Oh, Held- the Court’s going to be a mess…
She’s going to have to get a memory-wiping spell out for the guards they bribed before, isn’t she?
Sighing, she grabs her master and mutters the incantation for the teleportation spell.
Next time Elluka suggests something like this, whack her in the head repeatedly.
Marie groans in pain as she retreats back into Riliane’s body and soul. By Sin and Vice, what was that
witch thinking!?
A bodyswap spell? With a demon?
It’s official. Clockworker’s sanity has officially crashed into rock bottom. Pity too. It’s only been Five-hundred-years.
Marie was not about to let her possession be undone by any mere exorcism. Nor was she about to falter to a critical misuse of mystic arts. Oh no, that witch
wasn’t
stopping her. She’d fail, just like she failed with Venomania and Conchita.
Marie will make sure of it.
And she will laugh as Elluka watches her precarious kingdom fall to ruin. Gleefully watch as the hope fades from her eyes as Riliane’s orders become more tyrannical by each passing day. She’ll turn Anne’s daughter into a Daughter of Evil itself, just for Elluka to watch. Watch,
and drown
in her failure.
That’s exactly what the witch deserved for attempting to stop her. Maybe she’ll find a way to make the deaths of the other two heroes some gloriously morbid spectacle- just to show Elluka how powerless she truly was. How much she would lose by attempting to even try stand in the way of the Strongest of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Marie smiled darkly.
It would be a perfect
-
Suddenly, she stops. In the depths of Riliane’s soul, she feels…something else.
Someone else
.
But that shouldn’t be possible! Marie would’ve
sensed
it if something else tried to possess the brat!
The Demon of Pride locates the presence of the other entity within Riliane’s soul. It’s not as deep as she is- but it’s lodged in haphazardly. Almost like it was thrown in.
Did Elluka have something to do with this? Is this a trick of hers?
Fine then. She’ll just have to crush it with her overwhelming might. Then she can plot on how to ruin the Sorceress’ life even more than the wreck it was for forcing Marie to put up with this.
The darkness around whisps off, giving away to a beach where the sky is grey, with no sun or clouds. There a lone figure stands. One with golden hair…and a
maid dress?
Marie chortles. “Oh, Elluka- this is the best you had!?” She laughs, and cackles at the sheer absurdity of it.
She marches through the sand, giving them a sickly sweet smile. “Well, well~ if it isn’t whatever poor spirit that worthless mage roped in to try and stop me. Do tell, what’s your na-”
The figure turns around, glancing at her with dark blue eyes. Suddenly, she feels it. A crushing weight on her very essence. It makes her feel small- makes her want to curl up, cry, beg for repentance. She recognizes this weight. She knew it well from her time in that accursed forest.
Divinity
.
“...Marie?” The figure speaks, confusion evident in his voice.
A flash of recognition hits her like a hammer. She takes a step back. And then another.
Behemo. She’s talking to
Behemo
.
She feels it claw up in her heart, clenching it in a vice-grip and her breath becomes shallow. The shadows that make her very self, writhe as panic pumps through her blood.
Why is he here!? WHY IS HE HERE!?
HE AND LEVIA WERE STILL TRAPPED IN THE ARK!
HOW!?
Behemo glances around, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed. “Wait…where are we?”
Marie tries desperately to compose herself, using her will to crush her panic down. She was the Demon of Pride. She was above fear. Besides, god or not, Behemo had been slumbering for a long time. He likely had little clue of the affairs of the current world. She can use that. Powerful as she is, any conflict with a deity was ill-advised. Her goal was to destroy them, but it wasn’t possible here. If she did kill him here, he would likely just reincarnate.
So, she’d do what she does best. Grin wide, and spin a web of lies. “Oh! We just happen to be in the soul of a girl I’m…helping out.”
Behemo gave her a dead look. “That’s a funny way to put ‘I’ve possessed this person and am corrupting their soul’.”
The demon’s eyes widen, and she instinctively takes a step back. The god scoffs at her, rolling his eyes as he trudges through the sand to stare her down. “I don’t know what kind of fool you take me for, but I can
sense
the malice within you.”
“H-how do you know the situation is what you think it is!?” Marie challenged. “The person I’m possessing is
horrible
,
rotten to the core!
I’m just making sure they get what’s coming to them!”
Behemo looks unimpressed. “A being of pure malice? Performing altruism? Yeah right- and Seth donates to charity every Sunday. Cut the charade, It’s not that difficult to piece together what you’re doing here.”
The god glances at the grey sky above them. “This girl’s soul is corrupted, yes. But this corruption isn’t normal. She’s infected with malice. On what I’m sure is an entirely and completely unrelated note,
there happens to be an entity of malice standing right next to me
.”
Marie flinches, trying to get away from Behemo to make the weight of presence feel more manageable. She’s losing control-
she’s losing control-
“The girl was already a selfish person at the start! All I’m doing uncovering stuff that already exists!”
“Oh- god forbid a human have any natural flaws.” The god replies dryly. “Also- she seems to have turned fourteen like- a month ago? Basically still a kid. Of course, she’s selfish.”
Marie mentally screams with frustration- realizing she’s fully lost control over the conversation’s flow now. But she wasn’t about to lose this vessel and come out as one of the demons who
failed
in their goals. That simply wasn’t acceptable. She was the Demon of Pride- she wasn’t about to admit defeat just because some old, barely worshiped deity showed up.
The demon pauses as she realizes something. They were still in the soul of her contractor, surrounded by all the Pride she could ever need to call upon for power. She’d been active for centuries, plotting, scheming, causing destruction. Behemo’s been dormant since the fall of the Magic Kingdom. He’s likely rusty, barely as experienced as she is.
She’d have the upper hand in this confrontation, wouldn’t she?
Marie grins now.
What was I even worried about in the first place?
The Demon of Pride sighs dramatically. “...It appears my attempt at hospitality has been rejected.” She looks up, flashing a dark grin as the shadows around her writhe. “I didn’t
want
it to come to this- but I’m afraid you need to be shown who
TRULY
is in control here!”
Tendrils of darkness are launched towards the god. Ready to pierce into him and reduce him to minced meat that Marie can kick out her contractor’s soul with a delightful satisfaction. They are barely inches away from him-
-Before she watches in horror as they are neutralized into nothingness.
In a blink, Behemo stares down at her. A golden sun rises in the sea behind him, bringing color back to the skies. It shines above his head, its rays illuminating him like a crown fit for a god.
Marie tries to muster up more of her power- only to have her horror grow in the fact that she
can’t
. She tries to reach into her contract- only to realize with panic that she
can’t find it
. She takes a step back, and then another. Her knees begging to buckle and cower.
“I think it’s time we end this.” Behemo decides, his eyes lighting up as he calls forth more divine power. The sun glows brighter behind him, blinding the demon.
“W-wait!” She pleads. “Y-you can’t just kick me out!”
“Why not?” The god asks flatly.
Marie gulps. “I-I’m far too deeply rooted in the girl’s soul! I-If you kick me out, who knows
what
you’ll take with-”
Behemo boots her out.
“Well! Now that
that’s
been dealt with…” the god looked around the beach. “Now what?”
He knows he’s been dormant for quite some time. But he does have memories to call on. Some vivid, others not so much.
He knows that he’s been residing with his sister in ‘Elluka’ this entire time- up until she attempted some kind of spell that went haywire and finally separated the two. He knows he’s in the body of the Princess of Lucifenia, Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche. (Sheesh, what a mouthful).
He also knows that Marie and some of the other forest spirits of Held have decided a career in demonhood was worthwhile. Causing chaos and calamities. He knows the girl was Marie’s latest victim. (Not contractor- at least the other two knew what they were getting into. Poor girl had been forced into contracting a demon, and genuinely had no clue).
Now though…?
Eh- he’ll just wait until he can meet with his new vessel personally. Then he’ll figure out where to go from there.
“YOU WERE ON NIGHTSHIFT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU JUST LEFT!?”
The girl groaned as she awoke, bright morning light cracking into her sight as she opened her eyes. She winced loud noises stung her ears. Looking around, she can tell that she was in a room. A room that was completely…wrecked. Completely and utterly wrecked.
There was a bunch of people hovering around, whispering among themselves. It all made her head hurt- she wanted to go back to sleep! She tried to curl up, only to yelp as a sharp pain in her back flared up.
The whispering died down as all eyes turned to her. Her stomach dropped as she saw them all step back. She didn’t like how they were all looking at her with such wide eyes. It made her feel uneasy.
Two people step to the front. One was a lady in a pretty purple dress, the other was a much smaller boy with yellow hair in an orange suit. She feels a spark of…something warm when she sees them. Happiness? Relief?
“Oh- Your Majesty!” The lady spoke. She was talking all fancy but she sounded rather relieved. “Are you alright?”
She stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond to that. The boy looked a little worried at that. “Riliane?”
Her attention went to him. He looked…familiar. In a comforting way- like he was an old friend.
“Um…” she began, confusion entering her voice. “What’s a Riliane?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
..So, my name is Riliane?”“Yes.”“It’s not a food or drink?”“No.”“And my full name is Riliane Lucyfern-“Lucifen. Lucifen d’Autriche.”“ Ughhhhhh! Why did you all name me something so complicated?!”Mariam sighed from where she knelt next to the girl. “Honey, we didn’t. Your parents did.”“Right my…parents…” Riliane mumbled. “Who are apparently all dead.”The head-maid glances away for a moment, before gently putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder in comfort. The sunlight of the window fell upon her gently, streaks of shade where the frame of the bed stood in its way. Its warmth felt nice. Something simple to focus on instead of all the chaos around her.According to all the people around her, her name was Riliane and she was the princess . In charge of everyone within the kingdom. The thought made her stomach churn. Oh- and she’d been attacked last night and had her room wrecked.Thinking back on it just made her feel vaguely sad, even if she didn’t quite remember it anymore. That room she woke up in was supposedly hers, and everything in it had been broken and shattered. Even if she didn’t remember, someone must’ve really not liked her to have done that. And without her memories, Riliane didn’t know what she did to cause that or how she could fix it. Or if someone else would come after her. It made her feel uneasy. It made her feel scared.She huddled up in her blankets. They were also warm. And soft. Much nicer to focus on than the idea of people wanting her dead.Her eyes traveled to the door as she heard it open, a maid with fluffy red-ish pink hair walked in with a tray of food. She nestled out of the blankets a bit to inspect the food.Breads. Some strew too- but lots of breads. Sweet ones, she thinks. The idea of sweets makes her smile, and she eagerly emerges from her makeshift cavern of blankets like a hungry tiger.The sight just makes Mariam chuckle lightly.“Of course, she still remembers the Brioche.” The maid rolls her eyes as she sets the tray on the bed. Riliane feels a bit abashed- but quickly she shoves it aside as she grabs the bread- the Brioche. She tears chunks off it like a starving tiger. Savoring the god-sent sweetness of the flavor. Delicious. Divine. Brioche.The red-head maid lets out a startled laugh, eyes going wide. “Holy Levia-” “She used to eat like that all the time,” Mariam noted with fond amusement as she stared at the child ravenously devouring the bread. “It was such a pain to get her to learn proper table manners.”“I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see this!” The girl gestured at her. “I mean- she’s so prim and proper all the time! It’s like staring at a doll- kinda creepy actually-” The girl mimicked the motions of a marionette, waving her hands around. Riliane paid her no mind, simply focused on another brioche. And then another.
Before yelping when she felt something burn her skin. Hissing with pain that sharply scorched through her body, her eyes traveled to the tray, noting the stew had been knocked over. Spilled all over her and the blankets.
She can hear Mariam sharply inhale.
She feels something rise. A curl in her chest, that soon dragged every other muscle down with it. She let out a shallow breath, and saw
red
.
“OH GOD- um-” The maid instantly begins to take a step, cowering like a cornered animal. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-”
As if that mattered!?
HOW DARE THIS SERVANT TREAT HER LIKE-
.
.
.
Enough. Shut up.
A sharp pain went through her head, and she groaned. The anger that had overtaken her vanishes as a deep exhaustion takes its place. She glances at the servant again.The girl was practically white as a sheet, curling on herself and rambling sorry after sorry. It made Riliane feel sad. The poor girl looked so scared.“I-It’s fine…” Riliane tried to assure her. “It was just an accident after all! Even if it hurts!” She tries to flash her a grin.Both maids stare at the princess blankly. As if completely and utterly baffled. That feeling of uneasiness comes back. Why were they looking at me like that?“I-is it really okay?” The redhead maid asks, almost in disbelief.Riliane fights the oncoming headache as she replies. “Yeah. It was an accident. No point in getting too mad about it…” She groaned, nestling back down into the blankets as the pain compounded with lights, sounds, smells, and the sharp burn of the hot liquid still on her.The younger maid breathed a sigh of relief, nearly going limp from how tensed up she was while the older one frowned. “Are you alright, your majesty?”'The girl just groaned for a bit, curling up more in the blankets. “Hurts.” She said shortly. “Head hurts.”“I…see.” Mariam gently patted her on the back. “How about I clean this all up first, you go get changed, have a nice proper meal, and then a nap? Is that alright, hun?”Riliane nodded. That sounded nice.She noticed the other girl was trying to make a beeline for the door. She still seemed so wound up. Almost like she was still afraid. The thought just made Riliane feel guilty.
Why would she be so scared?
“Wait!” Riliane called out. The maid promptly turned heel, nearly tripping on her own feet. The poor girl stumbled for a moment, before regaining her footing.
“Hah-yeah- er,
Your Majesty
! What do you need?” The girl asked as though she were pleading with the devil.
Riliane bit her lip for a moment, the fear in the other girl’s eyes felt…
wrong
. So, so wrong. She was afraid of Riliane. So very afraid. Why was she so scared?
Mariam glanced at her for a moment. “...Your Majesty, I believe it would be…excessive to-”
“Could you stay, please?” Riliane asked.
Both maids blinked in surprise. Feeling self-conscious, she elaborated a little. “Don’t want to be alone...”
The other maid gave her the same feelings Mariam, and the other boy-
Allen-
did. Something warm. Something familiar. She couldn’t remember anymore, but she thinks she liked them all.
Were they her friends?
The thought makes Riliane sad- because if they were, she’d had no memory of it. Then again…friends don’t stare at someone like they’re about to kill them.
And Riliane wouldn’t kill anyone!
The two maids had some sort of silent conversation with their eyes. “I suppose there’s no harm in simply sticking around for a bit,” Mariam mumbled softly.
The maid awkwardly nodded, hovering next to Riliane as Mariam went away with the dirty blankets. There was a moment of awkward silence. It was then that Riliane realized that she didn’t really know the girl. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Mariam, the head maid in the pretty purple dress, was apparently a friend of her mother and father. And her main caretaker over the years. Even then, she still felt like there was a well of lost knowledge. The other servants though? She didn’t know anything about them. The fact made her feel lonely, like a stranger in her own life.
So, she resolves to change that, starting now.
“What’s your name?” Riliane asks the other girl.
She blinks. “Eh- Chartette! My name’s Chartette!”
Chartette. It had a nice ring to it. “That’s a pretty name.”
The girl- Chartette- looked a little surprised at that. “Thank you..? It’s the first time anyone ever said that about it.”
“It is?” Riliane asked, slightly baffled.
“Yeah-uh-,” the girl awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. “Most people say that it’s a weird version of ‘Charlotte’ and uh- makes a bunch of changes to a name that didn’t really need them?”
Riliane frowned in thought. Charlotte was also a pretty name, but it didn’t really fit the girl before her. She huffed. “Well, they’re wrong! Your name is very pretty, and it suits you!”
The girl smiled at that, though she still seemed very surprised. “T...Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Just call me Riliane.” The girl insisted. She curled up a little, staring out a window. “All this princess talk just makes my head hurt.”
Chartette actually laughed at that.
Allen Avadonia liked to consider himself a calm and reasonable person. Prone to calm and reasonable reactions.
Hence why, he was currently pointing a dagger at Elluka and Gumila, glaring at them viciously. Elluka just casually sipped her tea. Gumilia at least had the decency to appear apologetic.
“What did you do!?” He hissed. He normally wouldn’t dare raise a blade against one of the Three Heroes- but all bets were off the table when Riliane was harmed. “I said to talk to her! NOT GIVE HER A CONCUSION!”
Elluka took another sip of her tea. “We tried to exorcise her and failed.”
That caused him to take a step back. “
Exorcise?”
Gumila whacked her master on the head. “Elluka! I thought you said we were supposed to keep that a
secret
?”
“What- do you want to tell the boy we tried to kill her in some weird moral learning in not killing Leonhart? Because that’s the only other conclusion he could draw from how badly we fucked up her room.”
“I-” Allen tried to form words, but the sheer bafflement he felt stole them from him. He placed the dagger back in its sheathe at the very least. “...Riliane was
possessed?
”
The mage nodded casually.“Mphm, by one of the Demons of Sin.”
“The
what?”
“Demons of Sin. Seven all-powerful scumbags that seek to spread malice and bring chaos into the lives of humans.” Elluka explained. “Riliane was possessed by the Demon of Pride, I think.”
Allen felt his legs just give up, as he sat down in a chair in Elluka’s study. He held his head against his clasped hands as if asking in prayer,
why the hell he’s only finding out about this now
?
He glanced up at them tiredly. “...How long have you known?”
“Since the beginning of her reign.”
Allen inhaled sharply.
“
We have been trying to get rid of it,
” Gumilia assured, shooting her master a dirty look and Allen a sympathetic one. “It’s just been…hard.”
“Hard how?” Allen asked. He didn’t know that much about demons. The most he heard about them was at church, and Levia-Behemo knows how much of that info can be trusted. Plus, hearing that getting rid of the
Demon
possessing his
sister
was
difficult
couldn’t possibly be a good sign.
“The Demon is…rooted very deeply into her soul. Probably because she was a pretty good fit for Pride.” Elluka grumbled. “The damn thing would resist any normal exorcism so I came up with a…solution.”
“She came up with a pitiful wreck of an idea she calls a solution.” Her apprentice ‘corrected’. Elluka shot her an annoyed look. “Did you have any better ideas?”
“Did you really think trying to bodyswap with a demon would work?”
“She tried to
WHAT!?
“
“The plan was to use the bodyswap spell to put the demon into
my
body and myself in Riliane’s body so that Gumilia could then swap the demon
out
of my body and into a wooden doll we bought for like four silver coins.” Elluka gestured at the doll, who was sitting on a shelf at the top of a legion of books. Its carved smile felt as though it was taunting their failures and the mess they got into.
“Obviously, attempting to use a spell made for
humans
on a
demon
failed miserably,” Gumilia adds, glaring at her master again.
“...Is that why Riliane has amnesia?”
Both heads snapped to look at Allen.
“What?
”
He just crossed his arms. “When I spoke to her, she asked me what a Riliane was.”
Gumilia slowly brought her hands to her head. As if contemplating her life choices.
“Well…at least she probably won’t be concerned about property damage for a good while.” Elluka shrugged. Before frowning. “Though I’ll admit that…does seem a bit odd?”
“What, after you tried playing hopscotch with her soul?” Allen shot the witch a tired glare.
“With the demon’s soul in her body.”
“DOES THAT MAKE IT ANY BETTER!?”
“Point is- I don’t think the demon would’ve let her memories be lost so easily.”
That got Allen’s curiosity. “Huh? Why not?”
“Demonic contracts are a…two-way street. For more power, the demon needs more influence over the soul of it’s contractor and it often does this by infecting the person in question with their sin.”
“Is that why Riliane was…” Allen paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to best phrase it.
“A selfish brat who would get homicidal at the slightest slight?” Elluka deadpanned. “Yes.”
Allen flinched at that. He never liked it when people insulted his sister, even if it was admittedly deserved. Or was it? Considering she was possessed…
“You could’ve phrased it a little nicer than that.” Allen insisted. “It’s not her fault.”
Elluka and Gumilia shared a knowing glance. “It is
partially
her fault.” The pink-haired witch replied. “The demon, despite their abilities to influence mortals, can’t truly rob them of their free will. Even for the influencing to start, Riliane ultimately chose to give in to the demon’s suggestions, even if she didn’t know. Her choices were still hers.”
The boy paused at that. Riliane was possessed…but her choices were still hers? “...How does a demonic possession work exactly?”
Elluka frowned thoughtfully for a moment, sitting up a little straighter. Allen knew her history- an immortal sorceress whimsically going about from place to place. But for once, within the walls of her crowded study, she actually looked the part.
Ancient. Having seen too much. Having known too much.
She sighs. “For demons to have power over someone, that person needs to be sinful in the demon’s respective vice. But before that, when the demon might initially establish contact, they’ll have to work through more…covert means.”
“Covert?” Allen questioned. “Such as?”
Elluka took another sip of her tea, her eyes seeming fogged in the winds of time. “Manipulation. Little whispers in someone’s ears, repeated nightmares, occasional hallucinations, manipulation of emotions, that stuff.” She gestured as she explained, setting the teacup down with a thud. “All for the sake of pushing the Sinner to the brink.”
“What happens when the sinner gets pushed to the brink?” Allen asked hesitantly.
“...Then, the demon can begin…influencing the soul of whoever they contracted. Degrading their empathy, their doubts, inflating their respective sin within the mind of that person.” Elluka’s eyes were dim, lightless as she recounted. “That stuff.”
Allen stared at her, pale with horror. The idea of anything having that much corruptive power over someone was…unthinkable. At a certain point, Allen doesn’t think the person would even be themselves anymore. Just a hollow, demonically animated shell.
Dear Levia-Behemo, is that what Riliane was going through?
Allen shuddered. Loathe as he were to admit it, but if that were the case he was
thankful
she lost her memories.
“...But wait- at a certain point, wouldn’t it become more of the demon’s fault rather than the Sinner’s?” Allen asked.
“The demon cannot make the sinner cross a line.” The sorceress replied. “They can apply heavy amounts of pressure, but they ultimately cannot dictate the choices of the sinner. They simply make it…harder to go back when those choices are made.”
The boy nodded. “I see…”
So Riliane’s choices
did
lead her down that path…
Allen mused mentally.
He spoke aloud after a moment. “...Even if the demon couldn’t make her cross a line…I still can’t find it in myself to blame her. We’re only human after all, and all of us have a breaking point. And she’s still just a kid…”
“In hindsight, an amnesiac child would be easy pickings for any demon.” Elluka mused.
Allen blinked. “Amniesiac?”
“She lost her memories after I exorcised the Demon of Gluttony from her.”
“SHE WAS POSSESED BY
TWO
OF THESE THINGS!??”
Riliane had a lot of fun talking to Chartette. Sure, the girl wasn’t particularly girly, more fond of swords and steel rather than bows and dresses, but she was absolutely a blast to be around and talk to. Eventually, her work called her away, but Riliane liked to think they were at least friends now.
Her headache had also subsided, though that left her more tired than anything.
Eventually, Mariam returned with another stew and some fresh blankets, insisting that Riliane drink it all up. Exhaustion soon beckoned her, and she soon drifted off. The outside world turned to a blur as she closed her eyes.
Then, she awoke here.
It was a massive hall, adorned with mirrors that sparkled as the golden rays of the sun descended upon them. Ornately carved, with paintings all around. It felt grand. Intense
Familiar.
At the end of it was someone in a similar outfit that Chartette had, calmly sweeping. She walked closer to them, her footsteps echoing into the grand empty halls. As Riliane approached she could vaguely make out something…trapped in a bird cage?
“RELEASE ME YOU UNCOUTH DEMON!”
“Says the remnants of an actual demon’s influence.”
Riliane blinked at them for a moment.
It was then the figure in a maid's dress noticed her. Waving at her with a smile, they-
he
spoke.
“Yo! You must be Princess Riliane, right?”
The thing in the cage shrieked.
“I AM PRINCESS RILIANE!”
She flinched at how loud it was. Looking over the cage, the thing inside seemed to resemble a person. One with a very complicated but pretty gown, and inky black skin. Their eyes were pure white, save for large black dots that simply stared.
Riliane shuddered. She didn’t like this person, she decided. But why did it claim to be
her
…?
“Ignore the wraith in the cage- she’s just salty she doesn’t actually exist as anything beyond a figment of demonic corruption.” The maid man assured her.
“LIES!”
The thing wailed.
“YOU STOLE MY-”
With a snap from the maid golden light surrounded the cage, shining like glass. The thing was instantly silenced. It clawed at the bars of the cage angrily.
The girl found herself equal parts impressed and scared. Impressed because- wow! magic!- and scared because of…whatever was inside the cage. It’s eyes kept traveling between the maid and her. To the made, with clear seething hate. To her…a strange sense of blankness that put her on edge.
“Again, pay her no mind.” The maid said to her again. “Honestly, I’d probably have cleaned her up, but the mind isn’t really my specialty so uh…this is the best we’re getting.”
“Who are you?” Riliane asked.
“Behemo. I’m a god.” The maid said casually.
“Um…what’s a god?”
“Magic person with cool powers.” Behemo held out his palm, golden light sparkling off it.
Riliane gasped in wonder, trying to catch one of the sparkles that ventured close enough to her. She clapped her hands around it with a delighted giggle, and much to her pleasant surprise, it stayed in her hands. “Woah…”
Behemo laughed. “Amazing, aren’t I?”
She stared at the sparkle for a moment, before the glowing golden light around the cage caught her attention. Riliane turned her head to it, staring at the barrier around the cage. And the thing that sulking inside it.
“...And who is she?” She found herself asking.
Behemo turned his head to the cage, exasperation leaking into his tone. “That’s where the complicated part begins.”
Riliane glanced at him, tilting her head. “Complicated part…?”
“You notice how you don’t have any memories, right? Well, she-” Behemo points to the thing in the cage. “Is a wraith made up of your lost memories, spawned due to remnants of the demonic influence of the demon that possessed you.”
Riliane stayed silent for a moment. “...What’s a demon?”
Behemo paused at that. “Bad person with magical powers.”
“Oh.” That doesn’t sound good…
The girl looked at Behmo again. “What’s a possession?”
The god stared at her blankly for a moment, before promptly face-palming. “
Of all amnesia tropes-
”
He then explained to the girl her situation. Telling her that when she began her reign as Princess, she’d been possessed by the Demon of Pride, and how the demon had slowly corrupted her soul. Until one day, when he, Behemo, arrived and kicked her out.
A lot of it just made her head spin. Even though she fundamentally digested the information, it felt unreal. Too grand to do anything other than make her head spin.
By the end of it, Behemo was just grumbling to himself. “I am going to harass Levia for an exposition spell after this.” He huffed. “Whenever she stops LARPing as that one woman who died 500 years ago.”
Riliane just stared at the ground for a moment, before slowly glancing back up at the thing locked in the cage. At…what was basically
herself
. Behind bars. Glaring hatefully at everything outside.
She remembers Chartette’s fear when she spilled the soup.
She remembers Mariam’s tone when she tried to convince her to not do
something
.
She remembers the looks everyone was giving her when she first woke up.
She could tell the thing- the person trapped in that cage wasn’t a good one. That she was there for a reason. That…things would be bad if she was let out.
But what did that say about
her
? That this amalgamation of her memories was like
this?
What kind of person was Princess Riliane?
“Hey, Behemo?”
The god in question breaks out his grumbling, glancing at her. “What is it?”
She looks at him, almost hesitant to ask. “What…was I like before I lost my memories?”
“And then she asked me if I could get her one of those! Could you believe it!?” Chartette gossiped with a group of servants. “Princess Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche asked for the average wooden doll!”
Allen smiled. Chartette had been staying with his sister, and apparently, Riliane was much, much nicer now. It felt like a surprise…and yet to an extent, it also didn’t. Allen always knew Riliane could be nice and kind- she was at one point.
She was never inherently a bad person. It would make sense that without memories of whatever the demon did to manipulate her, she went back to being a good person.
Thinking about the demon just made Allen’s mood drop again. The idea that something so insidious was corrupting Riliane this entire time…Allen did always feel bad for his sister to an extent, thinking that she never genuinely seemed happy. But after finding out she had to deal with an honest-to-god demonic entity? As a child? He genuinely felt sorry for her. He didn’t think anyone could turn out better when dealt that hand.
Still. He shouldn’t act like she isn’t to blame completely. That’s not entirely correct.
He remembers Elluka’s works before he left the room.
‘The reason I’m telling you all this is because I know you want to help your sister. And if you genuinely want to help her, you can’t act like she isn’t to blame for what happened. Because that simply
isn’t true
. She chose to give in to whatever temptations were whispered into her ear. She might not hold all the blame. Maybe it’s understandable that she did what she did- but truth be told that doesn’t matter. When you choose to hurt others, whatever leads you to do so doesn’t matter. What matters, is that you take accountability and improve yourself.’
‘If you want to help her- you can’t keep coddling and appeasing her like you have. It’s not going to be healthy for her, or you. If you want to help her- then you need to help her be
better.
”
‘You need to help her be
better
.’
The words echoed in Allen’s mind over and over again. And he vowed that he will.
He won’t let that demon corrupt his sister again.
As he turned to leave, to head to Riliane’s room for the moment, he caught sight of Ney. Posture stiff, half-listening to the gossip. Allen frowned. The poor girl seemed…stressed.
“Hi Ney, everything okay?” He asks, taking a seat next to her for the moment.
The girl blinks as if snapping out of some stupor. “Oh. Allen! Good to see you- uh, I’m fine. Just…pondering over some important matters.” She laughed nervously.
Allen frowns in thought. “Is it something relating to castle work?”
Ney just laughs again, twirling a hand mirror around absentmindedly. “You…could say that.”