A Proclamation of Ruin

Ghosts, Silenced Songs and a Runway Disaster.

Princess Edriane sent me on my way and spoke to her sister about letting me train after getting registered into their system so they can monitor my state of life. I don't have a core so in her words, it's better than nothing despite how vague it is. She had also insisted I drop the honorifics but that is too quick of a jump from our previous relationship. I can tell from the look of her eyes that she hated me but now we're calling each other by name.

Well... I'm calling her by name, she just calls me hero. It has a nice ring to it but I'd rather it be more casual.

Half the day was taken up by the very brief history lesson and Q and A. I had not a single idea on how to return to my room and tear drop Uma was nowhere to be found. The maids I tried to approach avoided me in every possible instance. So finding directions proved to be difficult. I somehow passed through a spider infested hallway and ended up in a dimly lit room that looked unused and worn down. A significantly different interior to what I've seen throughout my day here. But it is more visually interesting than the cave I first woke up in, that's for sure.

Nothing really captivates me aside from the ticklish dust that victimised my nose, that was until I took a better look of my surroundings. Each wall was decorated with portraits of the same woman. She looks young, the red of her hair overtook the entire portrait, very wild and messy. Reminds me of what I look like every morning. She looked young and unmotivated. A strange, seemingly empty look in her eyes that contrasted the smile on her face. A tense and uncomfortable feeling washes over me. All the paintings gave me discomfort. All the paintings looked like that. The difference is what she's doing in the portrait. Mostly she was standing, sitting, posing for the portrait and in a few she was working on something. Holding what looked like a soldering tool on earth, goggles, gloves and sparks to complete the look. Her shoulders are more relaxed. Her expression is hidden due to the equipment but she seems more... alive in some way.

"Do you feel conflicted observing her?" A low, quiet voice of a woman who popped out of nowhere and appeared by my side says. She was blonde, golden even. Stronger than what Edriane has on her head. And her bejewelled red eyes glimmered with wonder.

My heart pounds in my chest and having a sneeze coming up doesn't really help. What the fuck. Where did she come from? And why is she here? I didn't hear the door open. Where did she come from? Where did I come from?

She asked me a question right? I should reply. It's rude not to reply. "A little bit. Art is usually up to interpretation, is it not? But I can't help but feel that this one has a story."

"It does. The woman in this portrait is a very impatient one. Known to have a nasty temper. You can imagine that she despised how long portraits took. Especially when the artists want to capture her beauty and essence completely." Huh so red heads having anger issues aren't far off. Aunt Amettie is sort of a red head, more ginger like ginger lady but not so orange. Wait... now that I think about it she may be more blonde. Strawberry blonde? So maybe not all redheads have anger issues. Maybe it's the blondes. Huh. Blondes. "She seems happier working than sitting for portraits. She is a mana engineer. The first. Lady Kree." Oh a mana engineer like Saint Rubaine.

"What is she making?"

"A rain shower. She wanted to provide water for people who lived in desolate grounds. Their solid dried up in a drought, so she wanted to help them. She utilised the mana and the affinity of water in her vicinity and channelled it into her devices until she crafted mana stones that powered her creations even without interference." Woah.

"Lady Kree is her name right?"

"Yes. This room where we stand is where she last greeted all her children. Her daughters put up portraits of her as their father, her husband destroyed her memories in grief..."