Chapter Text
click click click click click
...
There!
The knob turns and a thin smile makes its way across Ashe's face. He's here, he's finally made it. The Witch's Heart, that legendary wish-granting treasure of rumor is finally within grasp!
Of course, he has his doubts about its existence. Who wouldn't? Even he, desperate as he is, cannot delude himself into believing in it without reservations.
Still, he's scoured every old report on this place, he knows the story of the witch Dorothy, and he knows that there are rumors of a monster roaming this place. One made of flesh, that has made many think twice before trying to approach.
But not him. In fact, if such a supernatural creature truly exists, does it not give credence to the idea of the Witch's Heart itself? Especially if his theory, that it is the witch Dorothy herself, is correct...
...Though while he may not be scared off, the creature is still something he'll need to watch out for. Hopefully his knives will be enough to deal with it, but if worse comes to worst he may have to run away and come up with a new plan of attack.
Footsteps sound behind him.
He spins around, lockpicking tools sliding back into his sleeves, and sees a blue-haired woman rapidly approaching. She looks to be a young adult, perhaps a few years younger than him. Her arms are raised above her head in an unsuccessful attempt to shield her from the rain as she runs - they look to be well-defined... Perhaps she works out often?
A messenger bag is also slung across her shoulders. He can't see its contents, but it's obvious she came prepared. A traveler like him...? No, he doubts it. Perhaps she's a local from a nearby town then, but even those are far away enough that it's unlikely one would come around by accident. Is she another person in search of the Witch's Heart? Or is this mansion not as abandoned as he'd thought...?
Either way, he needs to learn what her intentions are before deciding on how to deal with her.
Feigning ignorance is likely the best course of action to begin with. "Ohhh my my my my myyy?" he starts. "Who might you be? A resident of this mansion perhaps?"
She startles, her grumbles cutting off sharply as she notices him. "I-I um. No??"
"Then what brings you to a place such as this?" After all, if he takes her words as fact, she's not a resident... She could just be a passerby, or some adrenaline junkie wanting to explore abandoned places with terrible history, but there is always the chance she's after the same thing he is… and he'd prefer to know if he has competition.
The girl's shoulders tense and she sends him a very unconvincing smile. "I-I was just, um, looking for shelter from the rain!" ...Even if Ashe were an idiot, he would be able to tell that she was lying. She continues on. "What about, uh, what about you?"
…
...The possibility of her being some clueless passerby has just dropped drastically. Regardless, he'll pretend he believes her for now. "Why, I'm seeking shelter as well!" he says. After all, despite her delivery, it is a plausible reason for coming here.
(He notices the girl relax a bit afterwards.)
(A curious reaction... Did he say something right, he wonders?)
He continues on. "My name is Ashe Bradley, I'm but a humble traveler!" A smile. "It is quite lucky for us both indeed that a mansion such as this is here then! Though if we're going to be seeing more of each other, might I ask your name?"
She smiles calmly. "It's Claire Elford."
"Claire! Miss Claire Elford. I see, I seeee! Surely a name brimming with the love with which your parents chose it! Goodness gracious how fantastic!" Ah, her expression fell a bit when he mentioned parents... Perhaps she might have a difficult relationship with them?
He changes topics. Best to not ask, it doesn't seem relevant. "And yet this rain, it's as if the sky weeps... If only I could, I'd like to go up to the heavens and console the sky! Oh, how I hope it stops soon!"
"Yeah." Miss Claire nods then hesitates for a bit. "Um, Ashe..."
"Yes?"
She walks up to the front door as she speaks. "About earlier, when I said I was looking for somewhere to hide from the rain... that was a–"
She gets interrupted as a stranger pushes her out of the way and walks inside without so much as a word.
(Ashe's eyes narrow. Another one? Are they after the Witch's Heart as well? This situation is growing truly complicated...)
Miss Claire is stunned for a moment before turning to the doors indignantly. "Wh- Hey! Don't just walk in there!"
What a strong reaction... "Perhaps he's from this mansion?" he suggests.
She shakes her head. "He isn't. I know the owner and he lives here alone."
Ashe blinks. "Oh?" An owner... Is the mansion not abandoned after all?
She turns to him, an apologetic look on her face. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, I'm actually here to see him today. Sorry for lying earlier but he's a bit wary of strangers breaking into his home and I wasn't sure if you were one of them so I had to be careful." She smiles. "But, you just want to take shelter from the rain, so I'm sure he'll let you stay!"
"Ah, thank you Miss Claire...!" What a surprise... So not only is the mansion not abandoned, but she knows the mansion's owner...! Does this mean that she is not after the Witch's Heart herself? Or perhaps she's much more cunning than he'd assumed...?
Either way, he truly hopes she didn't see him lockpicking the door... it's in his best interests to try and keep good relations with both her and the mansion owner if he wishes to investigate.
But speaking of, who is this mysterious mansion owner? It cannot be the witch Dorothy, after all there was a grave for her outside... Is it a disciple of hers perhaps? Someone unrelated? But then how come he never saw anything about it during his research?
Miss Claire moves into the open doorway. "But come on, we should stop that stranger, I don't know what he's planning to do."
Ashe nods. "Right! Lead the way Miss Claire!"
His time at the witch's mansion is looking to be quite interesting...
It doesn't take them long to find the tresspasser again. He's on the second floor, trying to open the last door in the hallway.
Miss Claire marches up to him with a shout of "YOU!" and Ashe hides a wince as he trails after her. It doesn't seem like the wisest move to directly confront the trespasser like this, Miss Claire, you don't know his intentions...!
Though, the stranger seems nonplussed by Miss Claire's shouting as he doesn't even flinch before turning around to face them. How cool-headed...
"Huh? What do you want?" he asks.
(A fairly flat affect as well... It might be a bit difficult to get a read on this one if this is how he usually acts.)
Miss Claire huffs. "Who do you think you are, just walking in here without even knocking? That's called trespassing!"
"And do you live here or...?"
"I-I mean, I don't but-"
The stranger waves a hand in dismissal. "Then I don't care."
"Wh-! You should!!" Miss Claire shouts. "This is a person's home you're talking about!! How would you feel if someone broke into your house??"
The stranger's eyes narrow. Ashe swallows nervously. "Why do you care so much about this? You're trespassing too."
Miss Claire frowns and Ashe gets the bad feeling that if the conversation keeps going this way, something bad could happen. After all, even though the stranger has acted calm thus far, even the most patient people snap at some point, and Ashe does not know where the line lies.
(Not to mention, if the stranger was after the Witch's Heart, and familiar with the mansion like Ashe suspected, he's likely to have brought a weapon to defend himself — Ashe would rather not find out how skilled he is at using it.)
So, before Miss Claire has a chance to respond, Ashe butts in.
"Ahaha, please excuse Miss Claire! She knows the owner of this mansion so she's just particularly worked up because of that." He sees Miss Claire turn to look at him from the corner of his eye but keeps his attention on the stranger. "Do forgive me for asking, but were you perhaps under the impression that this mansion was abandoned?"
A moment of silence. "...Maybe so. But if you're saying that I suppose I was mistaken, huh?" The stranger turns to look at Miss Claire. "You know the owner?"
She nods. "Y-Yeah, I do." Her brows furrow. "Why would you think it was abandoned...?"
The stranger averts his eyes and doesn't respond so Ashe decides to answer instead. It may not be wise to let Miss Claire know he was familiar with the mansion beforehand but... "Well, who would want to live here, considering all the rumors and stories that surround it?"
Miss Claire blinks. She seems... surprised? "There are rumors?"
...Huh??? "Are... Are you not familiar, Miss Claire?" She's a friend of the 'lord of the mansion', likely someone living in one of the nearby towns, and she's not familiar in the slightest? The situation only gets stranger... "That the heinous witch Dorothy, a witch famous for her extreme, inhumane cruelty is said to have owned and lived in this mansion?"
"...Heinous witch? Dorothy??" That is the part she focuses on?? A troubled expression makes its way onto her face. "That... has to be wrong."
Wrong...? "Is something the matter, Miss Claire?"
The toubled expression clears. "Ah, no no, it's nothing." Her words come quickly, however he doesn't get the chance to question further as she turns to the stranger with a pout. "You should've talked with us earlier though! You didn't need to be so rude as to push me out of the way."
"...Sorry."
She sighs. "Just don't do it again, alright? Even if you think the place is abandoned..." She taps her foot on the floor. "But anyways, I should let Sirius know what happened. Did you want to wait out the rain too?"
The stranger is silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."
Miss Claire nods back. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Though first we'll have to find him…" she mumbles to herself.
Ashe holds his hands together. "The lord of the mansion, I assume?"
"Yes. Normally, he greets me at the entrance, but with all the chaos..." She drifts off, clearly worried, before cheering back up. "I have an idea of where he might be though!" She turns back around the way they came from. "Come on, follow me."
And so, they follow after Miss Claire.
"...It should be fine, but don't be alarmed if I have to talk to him for a while, he's a bit stubborn." Miss Claire stops in front of a dark blue door. She takes a deep breath and knocks with a call of "Sirius? Are you in there?"
A moment passes (Ashe can barely make out the muffled sound of footsteps growing louder) before there's a response. "...Claire? Is that you?"
She smiles. "Yeah! There's two people with me, but before you panic, the situation is under control, they just want to wait out the rain!"
"Huuuh?!"
There's a moment of silence before the door opens. In the blink of an eye, Miss Claire disappears inside.
Ashe smiles nervously. "Um?"
Seems as though she wasn't exaggerating the mansion owner's wariness... Hopefully Miss Claire was right and Sirius would let them all stay. While he could just break in again, Ashe would much rather not resort to that if he could help it.
The muffled sound of shouting startles Ashe out of his thoughts. "What were you thinking letting two people in?! You're an exception, not the rule!"
He looks to the door with narrowed eyes. That doesn't seem to bode well. What is the two's relationship like if Sirius raised his voice at her so easily?
"H-Huuuuh?" Miss Claire responds, indignant. "I didn't let either of them in, the front door was open!!!"
Unfortunately, the response was too muffled for Ashe to make anything out, despite his best efforts. He supposes he won't hear any more of their conversation unless they start shouting again. Hopefully the lack of it means that at least Miss Claire has got the situation under control...
His eyes are drawn to the stranger, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed.
He still doesn't know much about him, he realizes. And though he's unsure how long Miss Claire and the lord's conversation will take, this may be a good opportunity to talk to him without those two being present… He should make the best of it.
He puts on a bright smile. "I just realized, but I never got the chance to introduce myself! My name is Ashe Bradley, and I'm but a humble traveler! What about you?"
The stranger meets Ashe's eyes for a moment before looking away with a shrug and offering nothing more than "Wilardo Adler" before falling quiet. Short-spoken that one, truly...
Regardless, wether the stranger wants to or not, the conversation must continue on. Ashe has things he wants to find out. "Wilardo! I see, I see. How wonderful to meet you!" He tilts his head in feigned confusion. "But I can't help but wonder, if you were familiar with this mansion's history, whatever could have brought you here?"
Wilardo scoffs. "Same reason as you, I presume."
...'Same reason', huh.
"Ahaha, whatever could you mean? I only came to hide from the rain...!"
He looks at Ashe flatly. "I think we both know that's not true."
...
He smiles. "Perhaps."
He's about to continue speaking when a shout of "I am NOT letting them stay here!!!" interrupts him.
He looks to the door. Oh dear… This is the second time now, is Miss Claire doing alright in there? She seemed sure that she could convince the lord to let them stay, but he sounded quite angry just now...
Wilardo's eyes flick over to the door as well. Perhaps he should...
"What do you make of those two?" he asks.
"The girl and the mansion owner?" Wilardo says before pausing. Eventually, he shrugs. "Not much to say. Definitely didn't expecting anyone to live here though, that's for sure."
Ashe nods. "Yes, it is awfully strange, isn't it? Not to mention Miss Claire... She claims to be unfamiliar with the stories surrounding the mansion, but is that truly the case...? After all, her reaction when Dorothy was mentioned wasn't one of someone who knows nothing..." Wilardo stays silent so Ashe continues. "It makes one wonder, how much does the lord of the mansion know either?"
Wilardo shrugs and they fall into silence until the handle turns, marking the arrival of Miss Claire and the lord of the mansion.
She smiles brightly, waving the hand not holding the Sirius' wrist in the air. "Good news everyone, Sirius agreed to let everyone stay!"
Ashe gasps. "Really? Yayy thank you so much!"
Sirius tears his hand out of Miss Claire's grasp. "Ugh, yes, unfortunately I have." He glares at Ashe and Wilardo. "However do keep in mind that I can revoke this decision at any time, so do be sure to behave."
Ashe gulps. Scary... "A-Ahaha got it!"
Wilardo simply nods.
Sirius huffs and then crosses his arms. "Anyhow, it would be pertinent for us to introduce ourselves. As such, I am Sirius Gibson, lord of..."
After introductions are finished, Sirius leads them back to the second floor hallway.
"For the duration of your stay, I will be lending you the second floor guest rooms," he says before walking up to the purple door. "This is my room, however I do ask that you don't bother me unless there is an emergency."
Hm? "What about the room on the first floor? Is it not a bedroom as well?" Ashe asks.
"That room is one you will not have access to. Please do your best to ignore it during your stay." Sirius glares at him and he gulps. Clearly he touched a nerve... He's still curious though. Maybe he should ask Miss Claire about it instead? She seemed much more open to talking.
The room assignments go on, and Ashe ends up with the key to the green room. To read all the books inside would likely take weeks, even with his quick reading speed, and while he's planning on taking a cursory look he doubts the mansion lord would give him this room if there was anything useful in it.
Wilardo gets a room key next and soon only Miss Claire is left.
The group walks into the light-blue room, though from a cursory look-around it doesn't look to be of much interest. Beyond housing another bookshelf and a piano, that is.
"And as usual, here is your room, Claire." Sirius walks over to Miss Claire, handing her the key.
She cheers. "Yayy! Thank you Siriussss!"
Sirius rolls his eyes at her before looking over the whole group. "Now then, since all the keys have been distributed I shall be in my room. Do make sure to avoid dirtying yours. You are all guests, after all."
With that, Sirius walks out of the room and after a quick goodbye Wilardo is off as well, leaving only Ashe and Claire still inside. This is his chance.
…Before he can say anything he sees Miss Claire take a deep breath and turn to him with quite a serious expression on her face.
"Hey... Ashe?" she says.
Hopefully whatever she has to say won't take too long. "Yes Miss Claire? Is something the matter?" He still needs to maintain good relations and it'd be rude to ignore her now…
"Could you tell me more about Dorothy? That witch you mentioned."
He blinks. "Ah? Not that I mind talking about it, but why do you ask?"
She doesn't meet his eyes. "I just... need to know."
…What a vague reason.
He'll entertain her inquiry though. Maybe if he does, she'll tell him why she wanted to know more about the witch in the first place. It's clear she knows something, and he'd prefer to know whether it's something he should worry about.
"Well, alright!" he says. "As I've said before, Dorothy was a heinous witch who once lived in this mansion. Around twelve years ago she would regularly kidnap and kill people, before disappearing with one last massacre." Miss Claire's brows furrow, listening intently. How interesting… "Overall, it's said she took the lives of over one hundred people at least!"
She gasps. "O-Over one hundred people?? Here?! There's no way!"
…Hm. That reaction is more in line with what he expected but… "Well, while I can't say I was in the area at the time, I can assure you it's true! I've read many articles about her deeds with no reason to doubt their credibility, so the case seems quite clear cut, no?"
She frowns. "That's... I'm sorry Ashe, but I can't believe that's true." Is she really about to- "Granny... she can't have done all that."
...It's one thing after another with her. "Granny?"
Miss Claire startles. "...Ack! I didn't mean to-! ...Well, I suppose there's no harm in talking about it." Her worried expression turns into a nervous smile. "Yes, Dorothy was my grandmother. She... She took care of me and Sirius when I was younger."
So that's why she asked. "And you're certain that your grandmother and the witch are the same person?"
"Well, it only makes sense, right? They both lived at this mansion."
She has a point, yes. "I see. I'm sorry for your loss then."
She laughs nervously. "Ah, well, it's alright, really-! To be honest, I don't actually remember her at all haha..."
…Oh? "Then how are you so certain that she was a good person?"
She's silent for a long moment, and Ashe starts to wonder if she'll actually answer the question but…
"I'm not," she says.
And then, she looks at him, a solemn smile on her face.
"But Sirius is. And he's told me so much about her, so many good things. I want to believe someone like that wouldn't do something so horrible. I want to believe there's more to this."
He…
…
"That's a little naive, don't you think?"
Miss Claire laughs lightly. "Maybe so." She then looks at him, a certain conviction in her eyes. "But Sirius isn't a bad person. And I'd like to believe he wouldn't think so highly of someone who did such terrible things."
…
He smiles. "Of course!" He brings his hands together. "But actually, I had a couple of questions I wanted to ask, if you don't mind? It'll only take a short while, I'm sure!"
"Oh, alright! I'll do my best!" Miss Claire says and then smiles awkwadly. "Though if it's anything about the mansion I'm sure Sirius would know more…"
He thinks about Sirius. "Please don't take this the wrong way Miss Claire, but while that may be true I feel like he'd sooner kick me out than answer my questions."
"W-Well I'm sure he'd at least hear you out…!"
Maybe so, but he'd rather wait until after he's had a night to investigate before attempting to wheedle out any information out of the owner. There is another seeking the Witch's Heart, and so time is of the essence.
Besides, he did have a question he wanted to ask Miss Claire in particular. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully Miss Claire! Any information you give will be extremely helpful."
She doesn't seem to believe him as she still has that worried look on her face. "If you say so. What did you want to ask?"
What first, what first? Perhaps the question the mansion owner refused to answer?
…He feels his voice take on a meeker tone. "Um, why was Sirius so upset over me asking about the first floor bedroom?"
"Ah. That." Her expression gains an apologetic quality. "Sorry about that, it's just that that room actually belongs to granny and he's really protective of her, so that's probably why he reacted so strongly."
Protective over the witch… "I see."
She looks away nervously for a moment. "And um… don't tell Sirius about this, but… I'm pretty sure she's dead. He's actually the one who made the grave outside but despite that he's… he's still waiting for her to come back."
"Even after twelve years?" …Though Sirius might know something Miss Claire doesn't. He should try to find out more about it later.
Miss Claire looks shocked. "W-Wait, she died twelve years ago?? He would've been so young then… And he's been alone all this time??"
…That's vaguely concerning. And it's interesting that Miss Claire speaks as though this information is new to her, considering she claims to be Sirius' friend. Though she did say that Dorothy took care of her while she was young and nothing about later on in life… Perhaps she moved out of the area for a while and only came back recently? He supposes it'd make sense.
But he doesn't particularly care to delve deeper into the topic at the moment, it doesn't seem strictly relevant to the Witch's Heart and time is only passing by. He should probably try to reassure her, though… "Well, at least it seems he's got a good friend looking out for him!"
Miss Claire nods, slowly at first before gaining confidence. "Y-Yeah, you're right… You're right! He's not going to be alone any more, I'll make sure of it!"
He smiles brightly. Get on with it. "I'm sure!" He holds his hands together. "But there's one more question I wanted to ask if that's alright!" He has a feeling he knows the answer considering her demeanor so far but… "Would you have happened to see any kind of… monster in this mansion?"
"…A monster?" She looks at him questioningly. "Is this another part of those rumors you mentioned?"
…Well. "Ahaha, yes, it is. Some sources report sightings of a monster in this mansion, so I was curious if there was any truth to it."
"I haven't seen anything like that so it's probably just exaggeration isn't it? Something to make the place sound spookier than it is."
"I suppose that's probably the case haha!" As he suspected, she's clueless. Of course, she did say she's not familiar with the mansion. There's a chance that the mansion owner would know more, but it's a bad sign for his goal regardless. Nonetheless, he puts on a bright smile. "But thank you for answering my questions Miss Claire! I won't take any more of your time then and let you sleep. Have a good night!"
She smiles back at him. "You too!"
And so, the two part ways.
It doesn't take long for Ashe to make it back to his room, and soon after, his investigation begins. There's no time to waste if he wishes to succeed, he's nearly at the end, and his competition is closing in. He must move quickly.
First, he starts off with investigating the bookshelf in his room — as he'd expected, he finds nothing useful in any of the books there, so he makes his way to the witch Dorothy's room. Or, as Miss Claire called her, "granny's" room.
The door is locked but he makes quick work of it, and soon, he's inside.
The room doesn't seem particularly remarkable, but there are many more books to look through and it doesn't take him long to find something interesting — books about demons, jewels, and most importantly, demonic pacts and how they offer a wish.
A wish... Could he grant his wish this way? Could he bring them back? Of course, he'd need to sacrifice a body part and a plot of land, but it sounds like a small price to pay for access to such power. He wonders if the plot of land needs to be one you own or if you could just sign off any place in the world?
Though, the body part… the book did mention that the scale of the wish depended on which body part you sacrificed… and that the most powerful wish would come from the heart. Could it be that the legendary Witch's Heart comes from a demonic pact such as this...?
Ahh, but how does it help if he doesn't know anyone with such a pact? Perhaps he'll have to start looking into how to summon a demon...? But dealing with a demon seems like it'd be quite an arduous task... Not to mention, if he made the pact for the heart, he likely wouldn't live to see his wish come to fruition. Perhaps an eye then…? It was also mentioned to be powerful, and unlike the heart, it's removal wouldn't cause him to perish…
...The door to Sirius's room catches his eye as he passes by.
It's... open. Did Sirius forget to lock it...? But no, he doesn't strike Ashe as the type to forget such a thing. Why…?
Cautiously, he makes his way inside. At first glance, the room looks normal, though quickly he notices the folded corner of the carpet. He gives a brief glance to the sleeping figure of Sirius before drawing closer and uncovering a... trapdoor.
...How curious.
Well, he has to investigate now, but Sirius waking up is a threat. After all, there's still some questions he'd like to ask the other, and he has a feeling that the mansion owner would be more receptive to answering them if he didn't catch Ashe rummaging around in his room.
So, with that in mind, he pulls out some diethyl ether and quickly ensures that Sirius remains asleep before making his way down the stairs.
(He doesn't know that his actions had the opposite effect.)
The room Ashe ends up at appears to be a storage of some sort, holding various barrels and closets. And if that were all it contained, he likely would have given it a cursory look before leaving.
However, what draws Ashe's attention, is the piece of paper laying on the table, as if set out specifically for him. It's... slightly unnerving to be quite honest, but he's already gotten this far and soon he finds himself standing in front of the contract.
A... contract regarding a demonic pact, in fact.
A demonic pact for a heart .
He reads through it quickly, the terms outlined are the same as in the book he read earlier and the parties involved are-
...
...Ha. Hahaha.
Claire Elford.
Miss Claire Elford herself.
So she's the one who it belongs to. The Witch's Heart. Of course it's her.
She's been at the center of everything, hasn't she? From the moment he entered the mansion, she's always been the driving force of everything. The one making moves. It's not the mansion owner he should've been wary of. It's always been her.
He let his guard down, fooled by her naive words and oh so trusting personality.
(The shadows of himself he saw in her.)
He should've seen it sooner.
…The pact. The book said something about the offered body part, didn't it? That a red jewel slowly builds around it, and that's what the demons seek…?
And with this pact, the jewel is made of the heart, is it not...?
…
So he has to kill her.
He just has to kill Miss Claire, and it will all be over! His family will be back and all his years of suffering will have paid off! Everything he's done, it will all have been worth it!
He just has to kill her.
He pushes a hand to his face, unsuccessfully trying to fight back the giggles bubbling in the back of his throat. Murder. That's what it all boils down to.
Murder. He has to kill someone. A life for a life.
(Oh god, he has to kill someone.)
...You lose if you worry. You lose if you hesitate.
Ashe takes a breath in, and out, before laying the contract back down on the table. He makes sure he has his scalpels on him as he makes his way back up to Miss Claire's room.
You should've been more wary, Miss Claire, he can't help but think.
He's finally going to be free.
(And so the tragedy is set in motion. With two people dead, and another alive despite it all, a man realizes his actions were futile, and a monster helplessly watches it all happen.
Though, with just a few words... It all begins once more.
"Rouge. Please... go back.")