A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 146: Wandering de Libellules

Chord sat up, propping herself on her hands. "Where are you going?"

"...the bathroom."

"Liar," Chord called out. She slid out of the bed on the other side and tip-toed around, whisper-accusing the other while shuffling on her own bright pink slippers where cloth bunny ears had been sewn on as well. "Let's go together. Maybe Daddy finally left his office."

Hera chewed on her lips, looking to the side. Her room was exactly the same as it had been during the daytime, but with the barely-illuminating glow of the fireplace, it looked a lot different. Suddenly, Chord's offer seemed logical, and Hera didn't want to roam the halls alone at night, even if it was "home," because it didn't feel like home anymore. It felt like that strange place where all of her stuff was and where she knew a lot of people, but a lot of people were missing. Without meeting them, it didn't feel like she was staying anywhere else than at an inn.

"But he wouldn't let us in."

"And? He's supposed to be sleeping. Daddy never locks his door at night."

"Well, sometimes?"

"That's only with Mommy. Mommy isn't here."

"Yeah...." It was only when Mommy and Daddy went to bed together that they did that. Sissy always told them not to go to Mommy and Daddy's rooms when it was locked, and just to go find her. "But if Daddy is awake-"

     "Then we can get Magaris," Chord shrugged, slapping her slippers along. "Daddy is not supposed to be awake. She will make him sleep."

     "But," Hera interjected, shuffling along with her own slippers. Seeing how dark it was really made it feel even scarier and more foreign, even if she recognized everything there. A stray hand fumbled in the air for a confident older sister's sleeve. "We're awake too."

     Chord stopped. She didn't seem to have realized that their presence in the halls and not in bed would've been even more frowned upon than the earl being awake.

     "...then we don't need to get Magaris. And, whether he's awake or asleep, we can just go in anyway."

     And with that, her confidence was renewed, striding forward. Hera chased her back while trying to keep hold of that frilly pink sleeve, glancing left and right as they passed through the halls.

     It took a while for Hera to notice, though Chord didn't seem to have.

     Why are the lights off?

     Through every hallway, for the children that often stumbled through the dark in rebellious phases - perhaps for that very moment, even - a single light was left on at the end of each hallway, connecting across swaths of shadowy passages when the curtains were drawn and the colorful light of the barrier didn't breach them. But no, they navigated in almost pure darkness, and Hera had to blink and blink and conjure a mana light after a while to be sure of where her steps really were. It felt like...falling, with every foot that went forward, and while approaching their father's room, Hera began to break out into a cold sweat. Her footsteps lagged, and Chord, who seemed to see straight through the gloom with no problem, glanced over her shoulder.

     "Hera? What's wrong?"

     "I-I don't feel good."

     "What? But we're almost there."

     Hera's stomach made a strange noise. Chord's eyes went wide and gold, almost glittering, but she blinked it back. It took them a few seconds to realize that it was really that dark, to the point that they couldn't see each other.