𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

61 - brighella

a.n.

Some of the harbingers can be ooc. from this point on, i will make up a lot of harbinger lore, and some of them might definitely not be canon. so if you're from the future and you read this, you can treat it as an AU.

this chapter is a prologue of sorts, the timeline doesn't match the next few chapters; but i feel like this chapter is a more fitting intro for this act :D

---

The grand banquet hall of Zapolyarny Palace buzzed with anticipation and excitement. It was a lavish affair, befitting the celebration of the newly founded Fatui and their powerful harbingers. Opulent chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting a warm, golden glow over the elegantly dressed attendees. The air was filled with the sound of lively conversations and the clinking of glasses as servers glided through the crowd, offering trays of Snezhnaya's famed fire-water.

At the center of the hall, a grand table was set, adorned with luxurious fabrics and a dazzling array of delicacies, awaiting the arrival of the esteemed harbingers. Not all had arrived yet, but the atmosphere was already electric with the promise of their presence.

In one corner of the room, a Fatui agent leaned in to whisper to a colleague, a gleam of mischief in their eyes. "So, have you heard about the harbingers? They're quite the characters. There's Dottore – they say he's more mad scientist than medic. And then there's Columbina, they say her charm is as deadly as her cunning. Oh, and don't forget Brighella, a master of disguise and deception."

The colleague nodded, their curiosity piqued. "What about Pierro? I heard he's the director, not a harbinger."

The first agent chuckled. "Ah, Pierro – the puppet master himself. He may not be a harbinger, but he's the one pulling all the strings. Quite the lineup, isn't it? It's like a carnival of cunning and power."

---

At the Harbingers' table, the scene was a far cry from the elegance and poise typical of such banquets.

Columbina, ever the enigma, sat with a smile that could freeze blood in its tracks. Stunningly beautiful, yet with an aura of something inexplicably unsettling, she was a vision of eerie grace. Her eyes, perpetually closed, never once fluttered open, yet she navigated her glass with unnerving accuracy, as if her closed eyelids were mere windows to a different kind of sight.

Next to her, Il Dottore was engaged in what could only be described as an intense staring contest with... another Il Dottore. Yes, there were two of them. Whether it was a trick of light, a clone, or just another of his bizarre experiments, no one could tell. Their dual presence was unnerving, yet oddly fascinating.

Despite the double dose of Dottore creepiness, Columbina appeared blissfully oblivious, or perhaps she was simply unbothered, lost in her own closed-eye world. The rest of the Harbingers glanced at the scene with a mix of amusement and resignation, as if two Dottores and a sightless seer were just another day at the office.

Columbina, her ever-present, unnerving smile intact, tilted her head curiously towards the Dottores. "Hmm... which one of you is the elder?" she asked in a tone that was both innocent and eerie.

One of the Dottores scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We're the same age," he grumbled, clearly annoyed by the question.

The other Dottore, however, held a different view. "Incorrect. I am precisely six minutes older in terms of mental age. I am your creator here; you're just the outcome of an experiment, a mere test subject," he declared with a hint of superiority.

At the far end of the table, La Signora, draped in her usual aura of icy elegance, interjected with a scoff. "And just how many lives did you sacrifice to create your little experiments, Dottore?"