Abridged Ties (Gilbert x OC)

Khorin Gurvan

"Mama..." Ten-year-old little Noelle was perplexed with the situation.  "Why aren't you coming with me?"

"Because, dear... Mister Glen can only give you a better life.  He will help you grow into a kind, strong woman." Her mother, with long violet curls and warm brown eyes, wore a smile.  But it was easy to see that she was putting all of her energy into suppressing her tears in front of the child.

"But, mama..." The young girl's violet eyes saddened.  "When will I see you again?"

Her mother's smile faltered as a single tear dripped from her closed eyes.  "I don't know, dear.  Hopefully, Mister Glen will allow you to visit."

"But now, it's time to say goodbye, Noelle." The beautiful woman kneeled and pulled her small child into a hug.  Noelle could feel her body shaking as she released her and kissed her forehead.  "I hope I will see you soon, dear.  I love you."

"Mama..." The young girl couldn't help the tears that slipped from her round eyes as her mother walked away, the tall, light-haired man beside her, gripping onto her tiny hand.

"It'll be alright.  I'll take good care of you." The man, only to be known as the current 'Glen' Baskerville, smiled at her and led her to the elaborate Baskerville manor.

And nearly four years before the notorious Tragedy of Sablier would be the last time the young Noelle ever saw her mother.

~+-+-+-+~

"Noelle, how have you liked being here?" The light-haired 'Glen' asked, giving her a plate of food and a glass of juice.  It was always the same purple-colored juice every time he visited her little white room.

The dark-haired child began to nibble on a piece of bread as she shrugged.  "I dunno... It's a lot nicer than where I lived before, but it does get a little lonely."  She then picked up the glass of juice and started into the contents.  "And the juice is weird."

Glen laughed.  "Why is the juice weird?"

"It tastes like metal..." Noelle furrowed her brows strangely.

"It's good for you, so just drink it.  It won't hurt you."  His smile was impenetrable.  Thus, as she had done every day, she obeyed and drank the peculiar purple liquid.

"And now..." The joyful man leapt to his feet excitedly.  "... it's time for a picture!"  It had become a daily routine.  Glen would come to her tiny room a two or three times a day, bringing her food, the juice, and taking her picture.

The routine was consistent for a few months before some changes started occurring within Noelle's tiny, nearly eleven-year-old body.

One night, she felt an excruciating pain develop in her chest, lurching her awake as she struggled to breathe.  She fell into a hysterical fit of coughs, each one becoming more painful than the past as tears already fell from her scared violet eyes.

Noelle removed her hand from her mouth, letting out a scream when she saw the blood that had splattered all over the white bed sheets.

Luckily, she hadn't gone unheard, as Glen soon arrived at her door, rushing to her side and rubbing her small back to ease her coughs.

"Damnit..." He cursed under his breath, and then raised his voice so that the troubled girl could hear.  "Are you alright?"

Noelle nodded slowly, finally steadying her breathing.  "I... had a weird dream..."

"What was your dream about?"

"I don't know.  It was just... weird."  She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

She felt Glen stiffen and she met his startled blue gaze.  He pointed at the white wall opposite of them, so she followed where his finger gestured.  "What is that?"

Drawn with thick, black ink was a bird-like image, appearing to be sketched roughly and quickly.  "I have no idea... it wasn't there when I fell asleep..." Noelle was equally astonished by the picture's existence in her little white room.

From that night on, strange images started appearing on Noelle's walls, and she had no recollection of where they came from, so she just tried to ignore them.  Yet, what she did notice was that she was growing increasingly tired as time pressed on.

Despite her exhaustion, Glen approached her one day, saying that they were going to take a trip.  Her first thought was to see her beloved, dearly missed mother, but he had other things in store.

They had rode in a carriage for a few hours, Noelle gazing through the window excitedly as it was the first time she had seen the sky in over a year.  They stopped at a small village resting far from any town.  It was clearly underdeveloped, but nonetheless, the people seemed happy.

"Where are we?" Noelle asked.

Glen smiled down at her, more excitedly than kindly.  "I need you to take this pin..." He rummaged through the pockets of his coat, retrieving a tiny, pointed needle.  "And prick your finger."

"But... wouldn't that hurt?"  She was startled by his demand.

However, he shook his head, his smile softening as she dropped the silver pin in her hand.  Noelle examined the instrument for a few moments before holding her breath and poking the tip into her finger pad.  It wasn't painful, but the sight of her dark, dripping blood captivated her mind.

Something eerily familiar manifested within Noelle's heart and mind, swirling her thoughts as the blood from her finger dissolved into the minerals of the ground.  She could feel her consciousness fading from reality, almost as though her mind was being replaced with something else, or someone else's mind.

While she felt as though she was only a bystander amidst the chaos that disrupted her actions, thoughts, and sights, Noelle was surely within her own body.  But another state of consciousness was controlling her as she ventured into one of the peaceful village houses.

The moment she saw a human, all of her own humanity was suppressed.

And the moment she felt as though she had ownership of her body, Noelle witnessed the scene of the burning and bloodied village, every person within it slaughtered by her own, corrupted hands.

That night, Noelle met Kheree.  The Kheree that grasped onto her consciousness and drove her to destroy the village.  It was also the Kheree that possessed her soul, portraying the image of a tall, beautiful white-haired woman with blood red eyes and dangerous claws.

Kheree latched onto the weakness in her heart, causing the young Noelle to submit to her devilish power.

However, that was the last she saw of Kheree for a while.