Waurpel

36. Stone floors

I woke up face down against the cold floor. My whole body ached as I tried to raise myself from the ground. My memories were blurry.

Where was I exactly? 

As I slowly opened my eyes, I knew immediately something was very wrong. The floor was made of stone.

My heart instantly started racing in my chest. A surge of energy ran through my body, and I jumped to my feet. I backed away quickly, away from whatever the blur that still clouded my eyes hid in front of me. My back ...

35. Speaking up

Why? She asked…

It didn’t sound like a question, more like a statement of confusion, anger, happiness… A melting pot of emotions that couldn’t be expressed in words.

“It’s… Complicated.” I said hesitantly.

The fact that I hadn’t fully sorted my own emotions on the matter made the answer all the more difficult. Doubts flooded my mind once more. Did I think this through properly? Was it driven by some selfish desire? Was there a part of me that only sought an...

34. Of Kin and Mann

“What do you mean you can’t say?” I lashed out at the garrison captain.

“My apologies, Baron Ashbrook, I cannot currently deny or confirm that this was a garrison intervention. This garrison only deals with district affairs. If this was at a hig…”

“I don’t care about that!” I cut him dryly.

“Right now, there’s a five-year-old out there who was taken in broad daylight! I need you to either tell me what garrison took this girl or I need you to get off you...

33. Spring Bloom Festival

“C-C-Can I…. C-C-Can I have t-t-two…” I struggled to get the words out while the woman at the stall patiently waited with a crisped smile for me to finish my order. 

She was a neighbour who often came to help out at the orphanage, so I had felt confident talking to her, but it seems my voice didn’t want to cooperate.

I took a pause and a deep breath before speaking again

“... S-s-strawberry puffs!”

Yes, I got it!

The lady showed a proud smile b...

32. The call of the void (Part 4)

The carriage took me through the narrow streets of the lower district. It was the second time in two days that I subjected myself to the rough treatment of their cobblestone roads, as I stared at the passing houses. 

The carriage finally came to a stop at the church just as I had requested. I had told them it was to avoid scaring the children, but in truth, I simply wished to experience the walk the girl had taken yesterday from the church to her home. 

With the festival...

31. The call of the void (Part 3)

I sat at my desk, wrestling with my thoughts as I watched the sun set. My visit to the church this morning had left me with much to think about. 

My encounter with the girl, Silika, had left a strong impression on me, and I knew it had to be the sign I had been waiting for.

The most pressing thing on my mind, though, was what I could possibly do for that girl. Making a donation of some kind to her orphanage was the very least I could do, of course. Not only was it what Lily w...

30. The call of the void (Part 2)

The carriage was making its way to the Septenary Church. 

The poorly maintained cobblestones make the ride bumpy and uncomfortable. It was in no way the most glamorous Cathedral in the capital, but despite the area being modest, the church itself was anything but. It was an impressive holy vestige of the third era, when kins still roamed the world a plenty and white marble towers filled Evergreen's sky… One could only imagine what this place must have looked like back then, but n...

29. The call of the void (Part 1)

Nothing. 

The void. 

Death. 

The gift mann received from Solomon. 

In the tight embrace of the perhaps fictitious ruins of the immaterium, we return from whence we came and hopefully rejoin those that once were lost… But in the meantime, we remain forever split from them. Stuck in our material existence.

Only momentarily can we touch the membrane of the unknown in our dreams.

A light appeared. 

Sentience. 

The mat...

28. Ushering of a new day

-I hate this…- I complained as I tugged on the stiff dress the church attendants were forced to wear. 

The fabric was rough and itchy as I shuffled from foot to foot, trying to find a position that wasn't quite as uncomfortable as the others.

-Please bear with it, it's only for today.- Jade reminded me as she motioned for me to get back in place.

We were standing at one of the 4 great doors of the church. In front of us, hundreds of people were standing, waiting for t...

27. The preparations

The memories of the incident at the market slowly faded as spring came into full swing.

In those last couple of months, I had become intimately acquainted with the world outside the orphanage. I went on more errands in town and even day-long excursions with Jade, seeing different sights and meeting new people. I had even met the funny-looking man who gave me my satchel at my baptism!

Slowly, Evergreen’s mysteries revealed themselves to me and in a way, I became a part of it as w...

26. Spring Market

-Silika, help me with this!- Jade signed to me. 

-Yes, just a second!- I signed back.

We traded hand signals back and forth, almost as fluidly as words. Over the cold months, Jade and I had tirelessly practised our ‘secret language’ as we had come to call it. 

We had not quite mastered it yet, but we could hold conversations with ease to the point where Hare couldn’t keep up anymore. 

I had gotten to know her quite a bit more through our practices ...

25. Our house

[One, two, three, four stains on the wall, and nothing at all…] I hummed to myself as I hung my head upside down from the edge of the windowsill, looking at the opposite side of the room.

It had been a while since breakfast had ended. Jade had been taking lessons with Hare almost every other morning for the last few weeks, and every time, I was incredibly bored. I even tried to follow Jade into lessons a couple of times, but for some reason, Hare didn’t allow it.

I brought Dar...

24. The life of a director

The wind blew through me, stinging my eyes, as I sludged along the narrow streets of the lower south-west quarters of Evergreen, or as it was commonly called, Woodrick Mews. Despite being known for its narrow streets and high traffic, the surrounding houses and shops were not enough to shield me from the cold wind that felt like it reached my very bones. Between two difficult steps, I looked down at the list in my hand and let out an exhausted sigh.

Perhaps I should have listened to Fel...

23. One Step at a time

And here we were… The dumb purple-haired boy and I... Sitting in the classroom while the others were celebrating downstairs. 

What a G R E A T baptism day! 

And that idiot completely ruined it!

I felt my stomach rumble uncomfortably. I put Darkie on my belly to calm the discomfort.

I can’t believe I didn’t even get to eat any of the delicious food! 

AAAARRRGGH! THAT DUMB DUMB DUMB FAT PURPLE BOY! I HATE HIM!

I banged my desk with my fis...

22. Celebration

After the baptism, I sat in the prayer room, admiring my newly acquired Scorn insignia. 

It looked beautiful with a raven holding a sharp-pointed diagonal cross. The same shape as Scorn’s Irises. Its wings folded over the cross, and its beak nestled in the upper notch.

Some distance away, at the front of the chapel, the Scorn Archkinsmann was discussing with Hare. 

After my encounter with Scorn and my return to the cathedral, I had -accidentally- caused a bit of ...

21. Scorn

As the girl’s shape dissipated, I lingered. I stood there, admiring the vestige of the immaterium that used to be home to us all. 

I chuckled to myself. It was no loss. The collapse of the immaterium was the only true gift the creator ever gave any of us.

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I reopened them, I was back to sitting on the rosewood chair in my office. I took a deep breath and relaxed my body, letting my head slowly tilt back. Baptisms were an exhausting season ...

20. The Goddess

The voice sliced through the silence of the mind like a blade of glass. 

It isn’t my imagination, is it?

“Are you alright, young kin?” The voice called out again inquisitively.

Surprised, I spun around to face the strange voice. When facing the intruder, I took a step back in surprise.

It was a woman. Or at least she looked like a woman. She was tall, taller than anyone I had ever met before. She had long, silky black hair tied behind her back, and her skin ...

19. Baptism

Back in the dormitory, Jade helped me put on the baptism dress she had picked out. The other kids who were around my age, about 8 of them, were also getting prepared. It seems they had already picked out a dress in advance… I wonder why I went separately?

The boys were mostly wearing plain robes. They seemed to be uncomfortable wearing no pants and were avoiding eye contact. It didn’t seem to put them in a particularly bad mood; they just looked embarrassed. If I could speak, I woul...

18. Choices to come

I dragged my feet as we walked down the corridor. It had been a couple of days since the incident, but even now, I dreaded having to spend time with anyone other than Jade or Hare…

Most of the time, I could get away with it, but meals were something all the children had to attend, no matter what.

Jade nearly had to drag me through the halls toward the dining room, where the other children were waiting for us.

I saw a couple of disdainful and angry looks as we made our way ...

17. Hare and Jade

I was shaken awake. 

It was Jade. The nickname I’d given the golden-haired girl with the shiny green eyes.

At first, she tried to correct me and get me to say her real name, but I could never get it right, so she just accepted the nickname. Every morning, she came to wake me up. Apparently, Hare also rang a bell, but since I couldn't hear it, she took it upon herself to get me out of bed. 

Hare was the nickname I gave to the white-haired and red-eyed man who was ...

16. Colours of the world

The play came to an abrupt end as the boy playing whom I assumed to be ‘Diid’, toppled over ‘Seeir’ and ‘Fey’, creating a pile at the front of the stage.

The room entire room exploded in laughter. 

All throughout the play, I couldn’t hear the lines of course, but I could tell they were hesitating on difficult words and sometimes forgot their lines completely. They also tripped several times on the poorly made costumes and props throughout the play. Someone even ...

15. Story: Root

Once upon a time, before kingdoms, before wars, before even time itself…

There was only light.

It was not a warm light, nor a cold light. It was not a gentle light, nor a harsh light. 

It was simply, light.

So bright, so endless, that nothing else could exist in its presence.

But then—something stirred.

A tree sprouted alone in the emptiness, and from its branch, a single seed dropped.

Where it fell, a flame bloomed. It flickered and spun, da...

14. Bed Hair

The next morning, I was forcefully woken up. 

After weeks of sleeping on the road, I had hoped to enjoy the comfort of a real bed and a proper blanket for a little longer...

Still half-asleep, I opened my eyes and was surprised to find the white-haired man gently shaking my shoulder as the other children chaotically got out of bed and huddled in the middle of the room.

I wiped a sleepy tear away from the corner of my eye and did my best to get up as well. Just as I went...

13. New life

The white haired man led me inside the building by the hand. As we crossed the threshold, I saw two kids run out of a door and another pop up behind them. They turned toward us for a second while giggling before chasing after one another.

As we walked down the hall, I noticed more and more children. Different ages, different faces. And not a single adult besides the man holding my hand.

This place… Could… Could it really be…?

I looked around, trying to make sense of it...

12. Shades of winter

The journey was a long one, and I didn’t know our destination. I had seen a map of the world once in a book, but the memory was blurry, and my sense of direction wasn’t very sharp. All I knew was that we weren’t going toward the sea, as the forest surrounding the road grew thicker and darker with each passing day.

At first, I slept most of the day, tucked under a heavy blanket at the driver's side. It was strange, facing the road instead of watching it blur past through the side w...

11. The Escape

I did it. 

I stood up to Mother and made her flee, but at what cost? The darkness had swallowed me once more and I couldn’t start to imagine what I would wake up to. 

Will they whip me harder? Break my arms? Rip out my nails and hair?

As my mind slowly settled back into my body, the pain I experienced was excruciating. 

I felt as if my whole body was on fire. 

I had gotten used to that from the continuous beatings of the last few weeks, but ...

10. The Black Maid (Part 3)

“And so, Silika’s condition is…?”

“Stable, Marquess”

Every two weeks, I gave a report to Marquess Everest regarding Silika’s condition. Contrary to his wife, Alfred Everest did not know the nature of my identity. He only knew me as the ‘charity case’ his mother-in-law had forced on the family for one reason or another.

He let out a long sigh. 

“Can she speak?” He asked.

“No, my lord. She is improving physically, but her mind still app...

9. The Black Maid (Part 2)

As Silika healed, she became more active.

Not to say that she was now a perfect little angel. Silika had always been a problem child and very temperamental…

And that hadn't changed.

She constantly got irritated when she didn’t like the toys I brought her, and more than once broke them out of spite. When I brought her a doll her sister Ela had asked me to give her, she only so much as looked at it with a disgusted expression before giving it back to me like an especially ...

8. The Black Maid (Part 1)

My name is Jace Miller. The ‘Black Maid’ of the Everest Household.

I have been at the service of the family for almost 15 years, and during that time, I was always kept away from the scrutinising eyes due to my appearance: black hair and golden eyes.

These traits are a inherited from the goddessf Scorn, something I received through my father’s bloodline. A distant gift from to the goddess of discord and hate herself. In Salland, and by extension the county of Oblon, where Me...

7. Purgatory

I was locked in my room as soon as I arrived at the estate. 

Later that day, servants came back and stripped everything from my room. They removed the blanket, the toys, the furnitures… They barred up the windows from the inside. Barely leaving gaps for the light to filter through. In the end, all they left was my mattress on the cold, hard floor. 

For a while after that, I didn’t see anyone. Not even Goldie. Once a day, they cracked the door open just enough to leav...