Ashes

Arch III. The Longest Road. Entry 8. Bad News

Taking a deep breath, Nine opened her eyes. She was in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by various dry herbs, strange decorations. A sharp smell of spices pierced her nose. The girl coughed. A woman immediately came out in response to this cough. She was dressed in a strange dress, decorated with the same dry herbs, and on her belt were various vials with an incomprehensible liquid, which seemed to glow when the woman exhaled. Her wavy chestnut hair was tied with an ordinary red ribbon with intricate patterns. She sank to the floor closer to the girl and began to intently examine her with bright green eyes.

"I see you're awake... Or rather, you, but not your consciousness, girl," having said this, she lightly touched her patient's forehead with the tip of her index finger. Nine immediately fell head first onto the pillow. The woman leaned towards her and looked into her lilac eyes, which were looking somewhere into the void. Then she loudly clapped her hands, and all the pain seemed to return to Nine. This pain also brought her back to reality. Tears involuntarily flowed from her eyes. The woman understood what she had to do. She helped her sit up and continued "What is your name, girl?"

"N-Number Nine," she whispered very faintly. The pain was pulsing all over her body.

"Oh, you're the one Ritsu almost killed three days ago," she breathed out. She knew who she was talking about, and she knew who this girl was. But she needed to make sure she remembered who she was. Apparently not. She only remembered the name she'd been given after her "ascension." "Don't worry, dear. He won't hurt you anymore."

"Is he... Dead...?" she asked hoping to hear good news

"Of course, not" she laughed a little. It was clear that Nine was simply tired of the constant beatings, constant commands and injuries that she received while protecting the young Lord. But this was the fate of everyone who in one way or another caught the young ruler's eye. "But, after talking with his brother, and with his Master as well, I am sure that things will change"

"With... His brother?" she repeated after her ignoring her words about the Master since she knew who his Master was.

"Yes," Number One's voice was heard in the doorway. He entered the room and immediately looked away so as not to look at the girl covered in bandages. At that moment, the woman helped the girl put on her shirt. One sat down at the table standing near the bed. "I did not tell right away, because there was no time or... Chance? He was not like this when our parents were alive. He probably told you that they did not have time to teach him much. And me, in principle, too. I tried to learn everything myself," he sighed heavily. "When they were gone, Ritsu began to seek help. He asked me, our subjects... That year, a man came to our continent who now rules Xentaron. Then I did not yet know what a catastrophe it would turn into. At first I trusted him, but soon I realized that I could not do what he wanted from me. Then he got into my brother's head, who was easier to lure to the dark side. Ritsu became his follower, but... To gain the power he promised, something had to be sacrificed... Or... Someone," One wiped away his tears. "You know, I have a name... I still remember it: Haddan... Ahriman said that my life had to be sacrificed. But Ritsu offered me to make a deal with the Darkness. So, I would remain alive, but without the opportunity to ascend to the throne by right. I realized that my life is more valuable, and I gave up the title. I let my brother rule, but the Darkness clouded his mind, and now he is who he is, although sometimes he has "epiphanies" when he simply cannot... Or does not want to harm anyone. There was only one thing I regretted that day. I regretted not running away when I was given the chance. I just... I couldn't leave him here alone. You know how many people tried to kill him. I protected him from them, just like you do now, Number Nine."

"But... How...?" she started to speak

"You mean the scar on my neck? Believe me, at that time he hadn't yet thought of burning numbers into the necks of those he bought. My number was cut out with a knife. It happened a year after the Darkness descended on the continent."