Colette was in a trance as she walked, carrying armfuls of bones, bit by bit, placing them into a large red pot in the living room that had long been abandoned. Perhaps it was emptied for this very purpose. For Colette to place the preserved bones of the ghost who led her here into it. Each trip upstairs to gather more drained her but also brought about a strange feeling.
She was not just mourning Tatyana, the concubine she could never put a face to. She was mourning herself in a quiet, accepting way. She laid each bone out carefully, feeling saddened that even in the afterlife her body would be left in a fetal position, unable to be free in physicality if she wanted her soul to be free. If she were buried outside, she'd become a part of the orchard's collection of poor souls who never escaped. It was the reason why she couldn't be buried there amongst the fruit and lush greenery. But still, Colette was determined to give her a proper burial.
The last bone she collected was her skull, beautiful and pristine, untouched by time. She could see where Tatyana's cheeks were high, where she clenched her back rows of teeth. Her small thumbs rubbed where the temple of her head would have been as she slowly approached the pot. She carefully pressed a kiss to the top of the skull before setting it on top of the rest of the bones.
Like she already knew what to do next, she collected ash from the old unlit fireplace, cupping it in her hands and pouring it over the skeleton in the pot bit by bit. Exactly 7 times.
Tatyana's ghost watched, unmoving and wordlessly beside her remains, as if greeting the girl every time she returned to fulfill the next step.
Colette went around the entire villa, uprooting small potted plants and pouring the soil into Tatyana's grave. The pot filled slowly, even as sweat dripped down the ginger girl's forehead over her brows. She did not let up until the pot was full, covering the top of Tatyana's skull to keep her remains warm beneath.
Dirt caked her gloved hands, the white fabric stained brown. Colette fished the small golden apple out of her pocket then, falling to her knees as she clasped it between her warm palms. She closed her eyes, beginning to recite the empire's funeral rites the way she knew from the thousands of times she read how to do while playing this game that was now her reality.
"Under the dragons, under the gods, under the soil. We bring life back to the beginning of its cycle. Not farewell, but a greeting. For the blessed shall reign free amongst their beloved, and the fire that burns in their soul shall never go out." Colette knew this was the empire's rite, and she knew how Tatyana felt about the empire. Not believing this would satisfy her soul quite enough, Colette paused, about to say the last line before changing her mind.
"She who has met such misfortune but glared in the face of force. She, who has been trapped but still fights for her freedom. She, who has been chased but still chases. She, who knows what love is, but could never stop loving herself. Countess Tatyana Dumont Dales who will forever watch over her territory and descendants, will be free of the prison she never wished for. It is so."
Colette prayed, hearing Tatyana's form waver. Her eyes opened at the faint sound of shifting. The countess was smiling softly at her through watery eyes, her ghostly form fading ever so slowly.
Quickly, Colette moved to plant the shining fruit beneath the surface. She wanted something to grow from Tatyana's love embodied in the fruit. But she wasn't able to do as she pleased.
"Stop, child." Tatyana finally spoke, her voice light but mature. "I want you to have it."
Colette's mouth opened and closed, her expression shocked. But the ghost nodded once more as if confirming. "But….why? This is yours." In past gameplays, Colette never got her hands on this apple as the prince wanted it immediately. This would mark the first time she had it in her possession. But Tatyana didn't have time to explain. She just hovered over her pot, which when Colette took a second glance at, looking closely, she could see a small bit of green trying to grow.
"You will need that apple soon, Colette. Your journey may be…difficult. But I think you will make the right choice. I hope you do." Tatyana closed her eyes knowingly, as if she were so tired. Her rosy cheeks began to fade away too much to Colette's despair. But her eyes, as red as ruby frost apples, fluttered open one final time, glancing down at the tiny green leaf sprout in her grave. "Come back in 12 years with a friend. This little one is growing because of you."
"Countess…." Colette held the apple to her body as she watched Tatyana's fade more and more. But she looked…peaceful, almost tranquil. Finally a bit happy. Finally free. Her form seemed to shimmer out of existence, sprinkles of sparkling red dust absorbing into the soil of the pot that became her grave. Her final words hung in the air like a song, sweet and melodious.
"Goodbye for now, Colette. Thank you. Please tell his highness Prince Antoni the same."
….
Colette needed to hurry. As soon as she exited the villa, closing the door behind her- she realized just how quickly the sky had turned black. Everything felt eerie in a different way, her vision now impaired from the night. If it was truly dark in the orchard- undead creatures were roaming around and they needed to depart NOW.
Quickly, she slid on a familiar red crystal ring.
"Raidhoh"
Within seconds, Colette appeared exactly where she intended in order to retrieve the key to the gift box to complete the 2nd part of their mission objectives. The gazebo in the west alcove of the orchard.
She appeared in a flourish of red rings just as she had in the orphanage, the air whipping her hair upwards along with various leaves and debris until it finally settled.
Immediately Colette looked up at the mural ceiling, her blue eyes widening in shock.
Realizing Manon and Remy must have found the fruit embedded in the crack- it being the only viable option. Antoni wouldn't have stopped just to decipher the riddle, and no other beings in the orchard would want it or find it so easily either. She had no doubt Manon would have been able to swiftly solve the puzzle. It had to be her. Colette turned to walk out of the gazebo, towards the trail, hopeful they had been able to avoid any unpleasant encounters.
That was until she noticed.
Arrows. One on the ground of the gazebo, bloodied at the tip. A small puddle to its right. Droplets of red liquid not even dried yet all over the gazebo floor. Several arrows in the bushes behind the structure, even one so strong it was stuck in a marble column. Fear clenched Colette's heart as she searched for more clues. She had to know who got hurt.
She scanned the entire gazebo but couldn't find any identifying elements. Her feet frantically carried her to the left out of the gazebo and towards the trail, and that's when she saw it.
A black, furry thing lying on the ground a few feet to the left of the pond. Crumpled with several…arrows embedded in it. Just a few feet away, Colette ran, falling to her knees and ripping the arrows out of the fur with some effort until she held the limp garment with her hands. One side of the fur shawl was soaked with blood, the fluid staining her white gloves even more than the soil had, making Colette herself tremble and breathe shakily.
She needed to find her. She had to still be alive.
Colette struggled to gather her bearings, standing up on her tired legs and fiddling with the teleporting ring, the band sliding loosely on her finger. She almost accidentally let it slip off her too thin index finger, but managed to right it before she spoke the command, holding Manon's black fur shawl in her other hand.
"Raidhoh"
….
She appeared with a ripple of red once more, this time at the entrance of the orchard under the pink lady tree where this all began. Her head whipped around but she didn't see any signs of Manon. Just a half eaten yellow apple and another pink looking fruit with a bite taken out of it. It was dark, and the lazy river around the courtyard was loud, affecting her hearing. But softly, very faintly, she could have sworn she was hearing something. Like…footsteps?
Colette ran closer to the northwest region where she had heard the faint sounds, crouching low as her fingers messed with the ring, sliding it up her index and twisting it around nervously as she waited.
She did not have to wait long, as soon enough, one…two figures appeared from the shadows of the west trail. Suspiciously but relievingly, the figures of two male children. But they were not alone.
She froze.
Three undead entities, unholy and unnaturally muscular forms of tortured souls who were trapped here were hot on the boy's tails. And it was with a sickening thought that Colette realized Manon was not with them. Remy also didn't have the box. That meant…
Manon must have gone to get it and they got separated. She needed to go to the north immediately.
"Colette dodge!" The command Remy shouted as they approached the courtyard was last minute but Colette followed the suggestion, dropping herself low just as a thick arrow tore through the sound barrier at a speed she had never witnessed in reality. It flew right into the space she had just been present in, and if she hadn't immediately dropped she would have been skewered.
She tried to remind herself this- that she was lucky to be alive- because the very next moment she realized that her ring allowing her to teleport straight to Manon and save her so they could leave had slipped right off her finger and been carried away into the infinitely cycling stream of water going around the pink lady tree.
….
…
..
When Manon opened her eyes. She was in darkness. The same darkness that engulfed her when she entered the orchard- but instead of feeling her feet planted firmly on the ground, she felt weightlessness, like she was out of her own body.
She tried not to freak out, but thankfully, a familiar shimmering blue window grounded her consciousness.
[Hello Player 2. You have eaten the key to the concubine's gift box.]
[This is a highly unusual choice that is usually unavailable. But since the owner of the box is amused by your choice, the system will reward your…unique choice with a separate gift.]
[You have a wish. An undefined, unspecified tool that will take the form of what you need most at the point you decide to use it.]
[When you are ready, the option will be available]
[Please enjoy the rest of your game.]
Manon couldn't feel her body, couldn't even open her mouth to reply. But she didn't need to. In the next moment, like she had never been in that liminal space, she was suddenly back in the orchard.
She stood, bare feet in the grass, surrounded by honey crisp apple trees.
They were fixated in a circle around her, like some sort of ritualistic formation. It was still dark but the moon was perfectly positioned in the center of the treetops, moonlight pouring into a spot right in front of the brunette girl.
Manon's heterochromic eyes fixated on the spot the moonlight illuminated, finally noticing the medium sized chest the color of gala apples with golden trim. It was wide open, but she couldn't see anything inside.
The gift box.
[Congratulations. You have found the Concubine's gift box. You are free to take as much or as little as you'd like.]
The window closed as soon as Manon finished reading.
She wondered if she should actually take more than what she had told Remy. But truthfully, as she stared at the contents of the box that began to reveal themselves as if a veil had been lifted, she didn't know what anything was.
She touched what looked like a pink stone, picking it up and squinting at it dubiously. No windows popped up and nothing told her what these things were. She would have to wing things.
So Manon sifted through the box, deciding she would at least take one thing that looked interesting, pushing all the various jewels and items around the box that seemed to hold a lot more than what met the eye. Almost like Mary Poppins' purse, the chest was almost like it was bottomless, though she could definitely tell there were only about 7 items. Manon turned her head with a sigh, no longer looking as she dug around.
She was just about to give up and take the whole thing to go find Remy when her fingertips brushed against something with a familiar structure.
Her small fingers clasped at the item and pulled it out of the box, a strange curious expression on her features.
In her hand was a tassel accessory Manon knew as a norigae. A Korean tassel accessory. The main centerpiece being a medallion of translucent black jadeite, with the woven string a silvery color twisted into delicate flowers on the top and bottom of the centerpiece jade. Right above the two connected bundles of long silvery tassels that dangled freely, were two small beads of azure jade for each bundle. The accessory was clearly extremely valuable, but more than that, Manon was simply confused. She studied the design of the black jade, not able to see just how intricate it was, but it could be felt with her fingertips. She could make out only what seemed to be two sticks of...bamboo? That was traditionally Chinese?
This game, this world within the game- it was based on European standards. Buildings were inherently European. Names were…well she supposed there were some Arabic or African names Colette had mentioned, but the vast majority were French.
Did it have something to do with the game's design? The developers?
Now that she thought of it, Manon realized that Remy appeared to look...like her. Despite his odd hair color and eyes, he had very East Asian features, and Sir Lionel had a similar but very different eastern appearance as well. Something was…odd.
Perhaps there was some sort of other fictional country within the game based on something in her reality? Perhaps the developers were planting little seeds this way? Manon suddenly remembered her earlier dream when she had passed out the first time from consuming the strange fruit- fully trying not to cringe as she remembered the fact that she had fainted twice today.
The woman…the one with the odd garments reminiscent of Eastern Asian culture- a combination of sorts. If it had been witnessed by the internet warriors in her reality- it would probably cause a culture uproar due to the fusion that confused her greatly. Perhaps this had something to do with her? the woman she saw? But who was she? Just her imagination? Or real memories this body held? She needed to ask Colette what she knew about Manon.
Manon didn't know what the norigae would do, but she wanted it.
So she pocketed the item and quickly closed the chest, deciding it was all she would take.
Just as she picked up the red chest, warm wood pressed to her abdomen securely, she felt the world shift like she was being yanked by a giant hand.
It was with some acceptance despite the unexpected sensation of being pulled like a mother cat grabbing her kitten by the scruff, that she realized she was being brought back to the beginning.