A Piece of Your Fantasy

pyxis ★

Sun, one of the greatest enemies of those that travel the unforgiving land that Fiore can sometimes be. It was shining brightly, it’s rather hot beams landing on the surface of the ground and the light clothes done in school uniform style that was hiding the girl’s pale figure as she slowly made her way through the decrepit ruins. She knew that this was a bad idea from the very beginning, and yet, here she still was, continuing on forward. And why? Well, one would have to ask Seth for an answer to that question. They merely forced the girl to go out on this sunny day, informing her that she should search through these ruins and she would surely find something that she would cherish her whole life. It sounded bizarre to the young girl, but she was eager to find out nonetheless. Though it could not have been further away from pleasant, as she moved her head up, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the giant yellow orb in the sky. Black circles adorned the smooth skin just beneath her eyes that were of the usual, pure white color, hiding a great tiredness behind them. Despite her going out more and more as time progressed, her skin was already too used to the shade of her own room that she never left in the past and had rather hard time adjusting to all this. In fact, it was so bad that she had no idea where she currently was, the warmth completely disorienting the poor lass.

This place was not somewhere you would usually go for a casual stroll through the nature, far from it. It was something that resembled more of an archaeological site than anything else. And no matter how far she walked, nothing. It was afternoon, and the Sun was high in the sky, centered perfectly not to create much shadows with the columns and walls that were all over the place. So the poor little girl had to endure little bit more of this unnecessary torture until she managed to find a small opening in the ground, leading seemingly into the lower levels of this dreadful maze. There was not even a tiny bit of hesitation when she decided to jump down, disregarding any possible dangers that could be awaiting her down there, or even the fact that her fragile body could break upon jumping from that height. But if that was the case, then Seth would surely not allow her to do so in the first place, so everything had to be alright. The main thing was that no Sun rays could reach down there, and that was all she needed for now. If there were trouble, she could probably deal with it one way or another by running away fast enough now that she would not be slowed down by the insane temperature that was outside. And worse case scenario, she had the chance to give herself up to Seth, let him take control and do his best to get the girl out of any bad situation she could get into. Though that thought did not appeal to the puppeteer who heard her thoughts clear as a day, he wished that she would avoid danger in the first place instead of relying on their power.

And of course she did hope that it would not come to that scenario, where she would be forced into a corner like that, as that would mean problems for everyone involved, including those that would put her into danger. And not being aware of what was happening to her body, well… it was rather unsettling for sure, even after she got used to it. But still better than the Sun, and just like that, the young female was soaring through the air as her body fell through the small opening, quickly landing on the cold stones beneath her. The atmosphere changed rather drastically, as the whole coloring of the place suddenly changed from warm to a rather cold one, with strong hues of blue and green. The underground labyrinth of the ancient ruins, now Charlotte finally remembered what this place was, since she could finally properly focus on everything that was around her. There were apparently many layers to this place, going deep below the Earth's surface. And what she was traversing until now was the top layer located still above the grass and dirt. It would appear that she had found herself in a pretty unexpected place. But Seth surely knew what she was meant to be doing here and would not send her to a place of danger like this one if it wasn't really important, that was what the girl believed. So for now, she started just walking forward in hopes to find something interesting or something that would give her more clues.

Seth sure liked being mysterious about things... but all she managed to find in few minute’s worth of time was plenty of moss and other greenery that was trying to take this place back under it’s full control with the help of endless amount of time passing. It was rather obvious that not a single living soul was through these parts in ages. But ancient contraptions that still held their secrets could be fun as well! After all, the girl loved exploring new and fantastical places like this one! She was here on a quest, but while she was at it, she might as well try to get some fun out of it. So she started paying a bit more attention to the walls and generally everything around that could possibly lead her to some hidden rooms with treasures long forgotten. And she did not have to search for all that long either, as she managed to spot something new fairly quickly. A large crack in the ceiling with a ladder, a new way forward that could lead just about anywhere! The girl wasted no time and quickly placed her hands on the old object, climbing up until she reached a platform with a doorway that she quickly jumped through.

Perhaps that was not as smart of an idea as she thought, for the first thing that greeted her was her old friend, the Sun. Quickly covering her eyes with her hands, the girl made few steps forward without realizing that she was currently on an elevated platform, a balcony of some sort that had no railing. And just like that, she fell down a little bit, landing on her butt. It was a sloppy landing, but at least she did not manage to break anything inside of her body that she would need. Only few seconds later did her gaze adjust to the new light intensity, and the very first thing she spotted was a human being. Someone who was sitting mere steps away from her, adjacent to one of the walls. A blond boy who was probably exploring these ruins as well, though god knew for what reason. Shocked and surprised, the young lady quickly lept back onto her feet and started backing away until her back ran into a wall, the one that she just climbed with the ladder, only from inside, her look a bit terrified from the new person that was so close and with a weapon by his side. This certainly was some interesting first meeting, wasn’t it?

Word count - 1235

pyxis ★

An ungraceful entrance that made Charlotte show a little worse side of herself to the man that was eyeing her for a moment. She stayed with her back pressed against the wall, the dust and crumbling stone slowly starting to adorn the light-colored cloth that was forming her clothes as it sticked to it like parasites. It took a moment, but the blonde boy got up eventually, alarming poor little girl even more, at least until he started showing that he would not instantly go after her neck or eyes, the two usual weak spots. It was a good start that made her sigh in relief, her body finally capable of moving forward and separating herself from the ancient walls. Though she did stare at him for few more moments before finally smiling and placing her hands on her hips in a somewhat cheerful and way more confident motion.

"Oh, so you're not some monster or a dangerous person! I was worried there for a second, you looked like a mercenary that would have his way with a defenseless maiden if he was to find one."

Perhaps not the best thing to say to someone, but it was out of her now and nothing she could do about it. And along with the words, a magical energy started coursing through Charlotte like small shocks, message from a certain puppeteer that could not be sensed by neither the swordsman or the black-haired girl that was not yet noticed by Charlotte. And it was a message that intrigued the young one quite a bit, too. In fact, it made her stare at the blonde man for quite a while in disbelief before she would open her mouth again. But no words came out at all, at least when she tried it for the first time. Her lips sealed tight again and in few seconds, she would attempt to speak up once more.

"I... Seth says that you're the reason I'm here, mister. Not treasure, I've not heard about any treasure at all, honest."

As she spoke, a wave of air would move through the ruins, and an invisible presence. Terith would feel it too this time, for he had ghosts of his own. Something entered his body for a very brief moment, but did nothing at all. It was more like it wanted him to know about it's own presence within the world, a word of warning that this force named Seth that the girl spoke of was actually real. But without any context, it was probably just confusing to him and everyone around. Speaking of which, Charlotte finally noticed the other girl that was on the scene and made a step back, wary of this new person that could actually be bad. Or maybe not? Well, she had to be careful, though Seth wasn't warning her about anything so perhaps it was all just fine.

Word count - 484 (1719 total)

pyxis ★

The girl tilted her head a little, staring at the boy in front of her upon hearing his words. It wasn't that he looked too horrible or anything, though he had far from a perfectly clean look that Charlotte herself boasted with. It was her own fault mostly for calling him what she did, as she didn't weight her words properly either. Charlotte's view of this world was every so slightly bent and warped by the books in her own room, as that was her primary source of learning about anything and everything instead of proper studies or own exploration. People that were to roam destroyed temple ruins such as this one, they would surely have to be some sort of mercenaries of treasure hunters. That was what the young girl thought and the main reason why she called him such. It was probably rude and uncalled for, yet she did not quite realize and now she felt little bad about it. But Seth stopped her from just apologizing, so instead she gave him simply look of remorse with few more words.

"Y..yes, I'm afraid that you look a little ragged. I've not seen anyone here yet, so it made me overreact a little..."

She wanted to continue, but the puppeteer would take things into their own hands, or magical energy in this case, and introduce themselves to the man. It always felt odd when Seth left the young girl's body to do something like that. Well, not that he was really in her body in the first place, it was hard to describe. Rather than having something like a ghost constantly following her or dwelling inside of her body, it was merely like a presence of an eye that was capable of seeing anything and everything. The eye of her puppeteer and could control every little bit of Charlotte. After all, the girl had no free will of her own as she claimed to everyone who asked. But enough about that, the man seemingly accepted everything as pretty normal and introduced himself to the rest of the group. So that was a second new name she had to learn. Torian and... actually, the girl on the wall did not introduce herself at all. She merely spoke of her goal, looking for treasure hunters. Did that mean there were more than just these two? Were they also plan of Seth's grand plan that was slowly being set into motion? They did not inform young Charlotte, so she just had to kinda go with the flow, hoping for the best.

It was a bit surprising when Torian dropped one of his knees to the ground right in front of her and started explaining the situation, but the girl did her best to remain in place and follow his words carefully. Ancient treasure sounded like a lot of fun and perhaps even something that would interest Seth too, but bad people was something on the very opposite side of that spectrum. Charlotte did not like bad people at all, not even those in her books and stories she read. She just wanted everyone to get along, to live happily ever after without having to hurt one another because of stupid issues that should not even exist. The side of her that would deny anything that could break the poor girl, it was slowly starting to act up. Thankfully, she managed to get back into a stable state before anything bad happened, only looked scared all of a sudden. Good thing too, as it would do no good to anyone if the youngest one from this group was to suddenly start collapsing for seemingly no reason at all. Seth sure did send her to a dangerous place despite their nature, it was quite odd. To think she would be present in an actual combat... well, hopefully the girl and Torian were capable of handling it all. After all, Charlotte had no actual experience of even abilities that could harm others at all. Her powers were of completely different nature than most. Well, there was a way for her to fight, but she herself did not even know about it. It was something that only the puppeteer could start, and it would be scary, even more than the current situation. And right now, Charlotte was indeed worried, even her voice was shaking.

Charlotte... it's Charlotte and Seth. Um... will we have to fight these bad people...?

Word Count - 742 (2416 total)

pyxis ★

Charlotte never had a pet that could be considered 'normal'. The one and only pet was a magcat that she adopted while she was younger, a creature that would normally look like an abomination, an amalgamation of a cat and an over-sized maggot. But the young girl somehow found them charming and in all honesty, they were not so bad. Cute as cats and scary like maggots when they needed to be. She was instantly reminded of that little goofball of hers when she saw Torian produce some form of fluff ball from his clothes, only to reveal that it was in fact breathing and alive. Whatever something like that could be, the young one was not quite sure. And in all honest, it appeared that even Seth was a little bit at a loss there as to what the creature actually was. Even more so when it changed it's form and started to tend to it's master, taking care of his somewhat ragged appearance and leaving him sparkly clean. Or... at least somewhat clean.

It brought a lovely smile to Charlotte's face, only so it could be quickly crushed by what came next, the question of their soon to be real encounter. It was painfully obvious that the pale girl was no fighter. In fact, she never even was present for a real life-to-death battle, so this one would be her first. And with her sheltered nature, well... things could go south really quickly. Especially when she noticed Torian's little gesture of his fingers sliding across the blade he was carrying, the thing that sacred the girl when she first saw him. Did that mean that... they would start killing each other? No, surely not... that could possibly not be what he meant at all! The girl absolutely refused to believe it, no matter what! She simply hang her head low as she positioned herself behind the two, the answer to her question crystal clear.

"I understand... I won't get in the way, I promise. So I'll just stay behind and run if anyone gets near me. I don't actually know any spells that cold help in place like this, so... I won't do anything."

The difference between her current and previous mood was rather drastic, but that simply was how things were in these situations. The girl was far too ignorant and naive for something like this. She was fifteen winters old, yet she only left Rose Garden for the very first time not too long ago. Something like this, it was just way too much for her. So if anything were to happen, the two more skilled magicians would have to protect the girl, as she was pretty much completely incapable of doing anything herself. And while Seth was always ready to act in her stead, well... they knew that they themselves would probably not be able to do all that much right now. After all, her powers were still suppressed greatly and the method of unlocking the girl's potential was quite a brutal one.

Word Count - 508 (2924 total)

pyxis ★

Haia seemed like an interesting person alright. Though despite her somewhat dominance-inducing behaviour, she was still at the same height level as Charlotte herself. This was second time already this sort of thing happened. The first case was Jiyu, who despite her sometimes pretty aggressive acts and suggestive way of clothing was smaller than the pale haired girl. Humans really were all over the place, some short and frail while others tall and stronger than mountains themselves. It made the young girl wonder how she would be like in the future. There was still a lot of time, lot of room for growth. After all, she changed so much over the course of last five years. Yes, if someone were to compare her from back then and now, they would probably not even realize they were looking at the same person, safe for the color of hair and eyes. That pure white without any pupils could probably not be very easily mistaken, though even with that, others would probably not think of her as the same person. That was just how much she changed, and all thanks to Seth and her new family. It was shame that she wasn't seeing them as often as in the past, there was less time with Charlotte going on all kinds of jobs for Black Rose. But perhaps that only made the moments she would spend with her alien friends all the more precious? It certainly was possible. And Seth was with the girl always, ensuring that she would never be truly alone. And even in these moments of fear, it felt as if he was truly next to her, stroking her hair in affectionate manner. It could have been sensation caused by the puppeteer, or maybe it was nothing more than a sad illusion created by the young witch herself and her unstable powers.

In any case, they had to move forth. And they had to do it carefully, as the lady of the group managed to locate their enemies and make sure the rest of the group knew of them as well. The girl quickly covered her mouth with her own hands to make absolutely certain that she would not make a sound to alert these two men. She only uncovered it when the coat suddenly flew at her, quickly grabbing it so it would not fall to the ground. It would be shame to dirty something like this, seemingly of high quality and pretty looks. Though it wasn't quite Charlotte's style. And as the lady Starstruck started her action, Mister Torian started reassuring her and even walked her to a wall where she would surely be safe. Everything will be fine, that was his promise to her. And she nodded, agreeing with it, the coat now over her shoulders. Even he walked off to face the enemy, but she did not want to see it. She simply ducked with nervous look in her eyes. At that moment, she noticed a pair of polished black shoes right in front of her. They belonged to a very tall man, who was dressed in a suit, mask made out of deer's skull hiding his face. And in his hands, a fancy black umbrella that he was using instead of a cane. Observer... she knew this man, just as much as he knew her. And only she could see him. His presence, and even his energy, was completely invisible to the other two members of the team. In somewhat menacing manner, he would lover his giant figure, kneeling down and removing the mask only to reveal a face of a grown man, who's eyes shone with grand gold.

"What is wrong, dear? Have you found yourself in a situation that you would rather avoid? A place that you would rather run away from? A company you would rather not meet? Isn't it all fine? Just remember the melody I thought you when you had trouble falling asleep because of the monsters in your closet and beneath your bed. It should help you calm down."

The man's smile was somewhat eerie, yet it brought comfort to the young girl. As she would closer her eyes and cover them with her hands, starting to hum to herself. And the man whom she called Observer was no longer in front of her. No longer to be found anywhere nearby, the whole world started fading away along with the melody. As Haia and Torian fought, the walls of the labyrint would slowly start changing in color, as if a film was being displayed on them. They would become made out of wood, beautiful windows adorning it with gentle sun shining through it and illuminating the corridor. Fancy furniture would decorate the otherwise bare hallway with flowers atop them. A pleasant smell that filled the air and brought comfort to all. It wasn't like the man with golden eyes, it was actually real. And both her partners could see it. At least until the moment Torian spoke to the young girl, tearing her away from the delusion. And in that single second, it all reverted to normal. The corridor was once again moldy and damp, made out of blue-tinted cobblestones and some sand here and there. It was the reality that they existed in, one that they had to accept. Charlotte would quickly jump up again and smile at the man, as if nothing was wrong.

Is the way clear now? It feels like we can proceed further if we want to! Seth told me that we should follow some sort of odd vine if we want to get where we have to, but... he didn't quite mention what kind? I'm not really knowledgeable in vines...

It was merely the puppeteer giving her the info that her partner just got out of the enemy so they would not have to explain it all, but it seemed that the young girl mistook few things in her moment of confusion where she moved from her dream back to the reality, her magic leaking out more and more as it affected everything around them quite visible. But for now, as long as Charlotte her had focus, the place and people within it should be still fine.

Word Count - 1043 / 8850 everyone

pyxis ★

Mister Torian seemed to be somewhat confused by things unknown to the young girl who stared at him now, his mangled emotions rewarded by a slight head tilt that made Charlotte's pure white hair dance with the gravity for but a moment. There was an innate desire inside of her, one that begged her to ask him why he said those words and why his expression looked so clouded, as if his mind was in a world entirely different from this one. A far away place in the depths of his psyche, somewhere he could relive any memory without being interrupted or hurt by the outside world. The descendant of great white witch had a place like that too, for she would escape to it on many occasions in the past. It was always more pleasant to dream through unpleasant events like that after all.

Speaking of unpleasant events, the girl seemed to completely ignore the unconscious bodies that lied on the cold and moist floor. It was not very nice to leave them in the watery grave of moss and stone that this corridor was, but as they were essentially invisible to her innocent gaze, there was no word of concern at any point. Instead, she merely walked past them and straight to the girl named Haia. Yes, she was focusing on a map, but... there was something that Charlotte wished to ask. So she tugged on the other girl's shirt in attempts to gain her attention.

"Do you want it back?"

The coat that was still hanging over Charlie's shoulders reflected what little light was going through this place. It belonged to the black-colored witch and seeing as there was no scuffle happening at all, maybe she wanted it back. Or perhaps she did not, willing to leave it in the white girl's care for a little bit more. The answer was unclear, which was why she wished to ask in this manner, hoping that she would not interrupt her too much. The last thing she wanted was to be an unpleasant child, annoying to those around her. Just thinking about that made her feel bad, her expression dropping slightly.

Whatever the answer was, she also wanted to help in the overall story they had set in front of them. Searching for something? The girl wasn't all that good at finding treasure, as she never tried to do so! But her eyes were young and worked very well, even in the dim atmosphere that surrounded them and weighed down on their shoulders. Soon enough, a strangely shaped vine would get her attention, making her wave at the others. Just as they said, it was cut by something sharp, most likely a machete. A clear indication of where they should go, as a tunnel crossroad expanded in front of them.

Word Count - 463 / 10430 everyone

pyxis ★

The additional piece of one's attire was indeed removed from the girl's shoulders as Haia gracefully took it back for now. But since there were still more dangers lurking in the depths of these mysterious tunnels, there was also a good chance that young Charlotte would become caretaker of those clothes once more, making sure they would not be damaged at all during combat or other dangerous situations. Was that really the best role for her? Probably. Her lack of experience or even abilities that she could use to defend herself or bring harm to others was a good enough excuse for her to be nothing more than just that. A cute mascot that was following the heroes on their adventure, cheering them on from the sidelines. And she was fine with it, for being part of the story was more than enough for her. Experience could be gained by doing just about anything after all, right? So even something that seemed so trivial, she would do her best to learn and support others. That was what she wished for. No harm, no pain... she only wanted others to feel well.

And so, she would move behind them like a silent, white shadow. Her pupil-less eyes darting all over the mossy and moist walls as they walked further and further into the land of unknown, maws of stone beast that could swallow them whole at any moment. And they were only guided by very little light that torches on the walls provided. Oh, how unfortunate they were, for every single one of them was firmly affixed to the brick wall. Trying to remove them would be probably completely futile and without a point, forcing them to merely march forward with no hope for their own light of hope to guide them on the path to accursed items of the past saints. But alas, that was not even the greatest mockery thrown at them. After all, this place was a maze! It was nothing more than a question of time before they would arrive at a point where the paths would split. Worried and silent, the young pale girl would remind completely still while standing behind the two adults, though one of them was rather short for her age.

Fear filled her once more as she listened to the cruel words of a swordsman that was to her left, examining the hall that lead into black oblivion. Surely he meant well, but Charlotte's mind was fragile. After all, it almost shattered simply because fighting was mentioned before. And it was about to happen again right now. Her small figure started shaking ever so slightly as she was approached by the man who told her that she had to choose. She did not want to choose. She wanted to stay with them both! But the final blow was when he said that one of the parties could end up fighting. Sudden flashes started plaguing her mind, images from possible future. Images that showed both mister Torian and miss Starstruck laying in the ground, drowning in their shallow, bloody graves. Something shattered. A wall in her mind that was blocking the overflow of magic was now in pieces, even if none could hear, nor see it.

Gripping her head tightly, the girl nearly collapsed for a moment, but others could probably not focus on that at all. For a terrible wave moved itself through the entire dungeon, causing something that seemed like an Earthquake. And the whole world went black... but only for a mere moment. For the darkness would be soon illuminated by a torch that was sitting on a wall to the girl's left. Wall that was before an open path, one of the two that they had in front of them. But that was there no more and only one single tunnel was open for them to explore. Even the torch itself could be detached and used as a portable light source now. And Charlotte would smile once again, as if nothing at all had happened. Though she now appear little bit more... uncanny for some reason.

"Whatever are you talking about Mr. Torian? There is only one path ahead. Though it is quite dark... I'm glad we managed to find a torch here though, that is very convenient! I'm glad we don't have to split up!"

Word Count - 727 / 12313 everyone (WC achieved)

pyxis ★