The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 13 part 1] Rose - The Room Of Skulls

Thankfully, they weren't human. Mythical monsters invariably made their way onto Enera. Either summons were made real, or less friendly entities crossed over on their own, consuming large amounts of life to sustain themselves. Demonic beasts. The remains of both hung high around her.

On three sides, the room's glass doors lead out to a balcony. The interior wall was a fireplace flanked by bookshelves. Opposite was a fancy bar, and between was a large coffee table with sofas and armchairs. The extravagance was rounded out by a piano, chandeliers, and lavish lamps.

I'm not the first. Rose installed herself near her two brothers. Light was engrossed in the trophies, while Soul was frowning at the bar. That's right, what kind of rare liquors do world leaders drink? She'd never taste alcohol so the pretty bottles were tempting. Maybe later.

Rose smirked. Soul really can't help worrying over everything. Sensing this, he turned to her and shook his head. 'You are not thinking things through', his expression said.

Rose paused, imagining her siblings drunk. Good god, that can never be allowed, especially Free. Certainly not while she was trapped in the same living space. What would I find in my room tomorrow? Rose grimaced, and Soul smiled sadly. 'Now you get it'.

As if I hadn't enough concerns... While being 'doppelgangers' might pleased Light, the bounty on their head was significantly less 'cool'. Hopefully mother's outlook is overly pessimistic. On the plus side, the mystery that'd haunted her was over. All that was left was the ramifications. I sense meeting Lily Morgana will be an issue.

Dawn, Silver, and Wise entered. Rose joined them studying the decor. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between a serpent skull and dragon skull. Of those she could categorize, five were reptilian, two ape, one wolf, and three feline. The rest are hard to place.

"Wise, what's that?" Dawn pointed to the fifteen foot fang above the bar.

"That's a Leviathan tooth. It's from eons ago, back when it was still small." Wise explained as the others pressed him for details. Only two missing. Free was examining the Tomb Ivy. As for Hope... We should've drawn lots. Glancing at the alcohol, she regretted it in more ways than one.

We're getting pranked later, Rose sighed. Their sister would hide touch-activated stones in unexpected places: bags, beds, shoes... Next thing you knew, you'd be drenched in water or realize your shoe was glued on with a rock inside. Once, she'd awoken to discover herself neon pink. Making it glow-in-the-dark too was vicious. It'd been mortifying, especially when Astra had declared: 'Take this opportunity to master controlling your skin tone'. She'd never been so motivated to learn. I pray it won't be that bad.

Free and Astra arrived. Their mother looked around, "Where's Hope?"

"Napping." Dawn answered. That doesn't seem right.

"Oh really?" Astra was about to summon fairies when Hope burst in.

"Sorry, I'm late." She panted.

"Did you have a good rest?" Astra asked coldly.

"What're you talking about?" Hope whimpered.

"You were lying face down motionless." Dawn stated.

"Ah..." Glaring daggers, Hope stomped over to the sofa. Next time, let's leave Free and Dawn together.

"Simon's reporting to Nero and will return shortly." Astra began "Tomorrow, we'll warp to Isle of Dreams. I'll have the airship sent separately, so repack what you need."