Grand Figures of the Outside World

Diadochi: A greek word meaning general, this term is generally affiliated with Alexander the Great.

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January 9th, 1941

"Would you like an apple or a pear?"

"An apple, please," Ines said. She extended her silver food tray towards the lunch lady.

"Alright! One fresh apple coming right up for the lovely little miss!" She heartily laughed, placing a bright red apple in Ines' tray with silver tongs.

Though, upon seeing how empty Ine's tray was, the matron's laugh soon quieted down.

"Sweetheart, would you like a bigger serving? That feeble amount surely won't do–a growing lady such as yourself should eat more. Take Madam Lilian for example; don't you want to be as tall and beautiful as her?"

"Yes, but…" The young girl shook her head. "Thank you for your concern, ma'am, but I'm not hungry."

"You sure, love?"

Ines nodded.

"Well, alright, but if you do get hungry, you can come see me; I'll be here till late noon."

"Thank you, ma'am," She said.

"No problem!"

As Ines walked away from the canteen and towards the rows of seats and tables, she could faintly hear the chatter of the other kids.

For a minute, the young girl stood in place, her eyes wandering and searching the sea of children for Charlotte, only to no avail.

Did she already finish breakfast? Ines wondered. Charlotte wasn't in the same place she usually was, despite what she had told the younger girl half an hour ago.

Gosh… But she told me she'd wait, Ines murmured to herself as she visibly deflated; disappointment etched her eyes a murky color.

Beneath her feet, her shadow stirred.

However, Ines didn't mope for long. A couple of seconds later, a familiar voice echoed through the dining hall, causing multiple heads to turn.

"Ines! Over here!"

Hearing her name, Ines whipped her head towards the direction the voice came from. Charlotte, she thought (and hoped) as she gazed toward the familiar voice.

Though, upon noticing the figure who sat next to Charlotte, her eyeballs nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Charlotte… and Eugéne?

Why was she with—no matter, Ines decided. Clenching her tray of food, she speed-walked halfway across the dining hall, nearly dropping her fork in the process.

"Charlotte," The young girl greeted, her smile taut. Sitting down across from the two, she avoided looking in Eugéne's direction.

"Ines, hello!" Charlotte smiled back. She then took a bite out of her breakfast as if nothing was wrong—as if she had not sensed the growing tension.

For a moment, the trio said nothing as they quietly ate their breakfast.

And then, Ines broke the silence. "Have you heard anything from the Sisters- about the-" she paused, "the tutors?"

"No," Charlotte politely shook her head.

"…Oh."

"…"

"Then, do you—"

"Enough!" Eugéne finally said, exclaiming. Slamming down his bowl, he shot an ugly glare toward Ines, "Will the two of you quit yapping already and just eat?!"

"Eugéne," Charlotte scolded as she put down her fork. "Have you forgotten your manners and your upbringing?"

Beneath the dining table and under the table cloth, a golden skeletal hand reached through the floorboards and dug its fingers into Eugéne's ankle warningly.

It pressed down and increased the pressure on his flesh with each passing second, but not hard enough to draw blood or to tear his skin.

Eugéne scoffed. He flicked his wrist discreetly, tearing the skeletal hand off his ankle and crushing it effortlessly and soundlessly.

Crushed golden flakes and bone fragments crumbled beneath the floorboards, seeping into the edifice.

"No," He denied, watching as color slowly drained from Charlotte's face. "Have you?"

"Eugéne, you…"

Ines looked between the two, her expression one of confusion. Was there an underlying message between the few words they had just exchanged?

"You act like you're better than all of us just because Madam Lilian favors you, but even that is false."

"Do I? Or, are you just spiteful?" Charlotte snarled back.

"…You—!"

However, the sound of thunderous clapping quickly drowned what Eugéne had to say. Hearing this sudden applause, the bickering duo quieted down, and the three children swiveled their heads towards the cause of the sudden noise.

It was Madam Yvette and a masked woman in the forefront, followed by many other Sisters—one of them being someone Ines had been looking forward to seeing the past few days, Sister Edith.

Sister Edith…! Ines quickly raised her hand and waved at the older woman.

'Ines, hello,' Sister Edith mouthed. She discreetly waved back and smiled.

In the spur of the moment- the happiness- Ines failed to notice the obvious changes within Sister Edith's personage.

Her teeth were like that of Madam Clèmence's, sharp.

From the tips of her fingers to her hands to her limbs– the mechanical joints and the silk strings could be seen if one looked close enough.

"Silence!" Madam Yvette commanded. "Good afternoon, you all may be wondering why I'm here– why everyone is gathered here, but I suppose some of you have already been informed of this matter, your tutelage. Regarding this, I've heard numerous things from the Sisters. I've heard that some of you are quite disappointed, whilst some show great expectations and joy."

In sound to the Madam's words, some children averted their eyes and awkwardly shifted in their seats whilst some leaned closer, proving her statement to be true.

"Nonetheless, you all will receive formal training and tutoring from renowned scholars all over the Western Continent, including those who once served- or currently serve- in mighty empires such as the exalted Anthelion Empire and the supposed Dark Lands abandoned by the Heavenly Skies, The Dominion of Hatherell-" She took a deep breath and then continued her speech.

"-I've also been informed that there are even scholars who traveled from the distant Eastern Continent, Tianxia Empire, to be with us here today. Is what I have said correct, Head Mistress?"

The atmosphere in the dining hall froze. The Head Mistress? The notorious lady of all their nightmares?

Ines looked around, her gaze momentarily locking onto Charlotte's still figure and Eugéne's stock-still sweaty face before she turned her attention back in front of her.

The masked woman laughed.

Compared to her elegant guise and her baroque-white vizard, her laugh was dry and grating to the ears.

This was… the Head Mistress? Ines thought, studying the infamous woman.

"Yes, splendidly said, Yvette! You took the words right out of my mouth; now you've left me with no lines." The masked woman who was actually the esteemed Head Mistress said.

Madam Yvette only tersely smiled in response.

"Alright. Now that has been said, children, please give a warm welcome to these esteemed personages who traveled all this way to be here today."

Motioning her hands, the Head Mistress signaled for the Sisters who stood in the back to unlock the doors.

As the grandiose doors swung open, figures dressed in distinct robes and an assortment of clothing from different regions poured into the dining hall

Like a domino effect, murmurs and gasps exploded through the dining hall.

"Is that sword real?"

"Is that a wand- like- like the wands wizards from fairy tales use?"

"That man in dark blue robes has such a pretty hair color— but how does he have white hair when he looks so young?"

"Annelise! Shh, that's rude…"

Some wielded blades of different kinds, bows and arrows that looked as if they had been created and taken out of a fable, spears with unique hilts that appeared to weigh a dozen cattle and well-crafted artifacts that looked old as time.

Gradually, the commotion calmed down.

Eyes returned back to the front of the dining hall where all the important figures stood, including the Head Mistress and Madam Yvette.

The Head Mistress stepped aside, allowing for two robed men to step up front.

The first was the eye-catching man in dark blue robes; he donned the appearance of a refined aristocrat, wearing simple yet expensive-looking ornate robes.

The second man was a gentleman in plain black South Eastern robes.

He wore a playful smile, yet his eyes were wooden without any change in emotions—like a cheap second-hand farmer's market doll with a stitched-on smile, Ines observed.

His complexion was a mellow shade of caramel, and his hair was the color of ash, and it was tied up in a low ponytail.

"Head Mistress, if I may," The dark blue-robed man quietly inquired, his eyes sifting through the sea of children, "Where is Eugene?"

"He-"

The black-robed man cackled at this, interrupting the Head Mistress.

"Kaiser, how impolite of you! Shouldn't you be smiling at the prospect of seeing your spawn again? To show such an ugly face in front of all these children, what if you make one cry?"

The dark blue-robed man, Kaiser, ignored his words as if he were a deaf man.

"I apologize for his disrespect. Eugene, where is he?" He asked once more.

"Aw, look at you sticking up for me!"

"…"

"Worry not. Lord 'Diadochi' Adamos, regarding Eugene, let us speak of this matter in private," The Head Mistress said, her voice hushed.

Kaiser nodded and stepped aside, tugging the black-robed man along with him as he left.

"Wait, wait, Kaiser! I had something to say too!"

"Shut it."

"That's so rude! Oh, woe me, how could you be so mean to someone such as I?"

"…"

"Kaiser-!"

As their voices (mainly the black-robed man's voice) and footsteps fade away, the doors shut behind them, leaving behind only the sound of silence.

After a moment, the Head Mistress turned to face the rest of the robed figures. "Would any of you like to say anything regarding the tutelage to the children?"

A woman donned in purple and black apparel stepped upfront.

"Consul Amadeus?"

Ines couldn't help but stare despite how her heart palpitated with unease and how goosebumps formed all over her arms.

She nodded in greeting, "Head Mistress, it's been a while." Peering down at the many youths, her eyes veiled with raw disdain met Ines' curious gaze, more specifically, her shadow.

"Talent, do you know what that is? It's what one is born with, an innate skill– something that is terribly difficult to mimic," Consul Amadeus said, slowly enunciating each and every single word. "If you have no talent, then you better pray for fortune and wealth. If you have neither, then you're better off dead."

Consul Amadeus didn't look away. Her face—no, her flesh ploddingly collapsed off the slope of her high nose bridge, revealing the abyss beneath.

Beneath was a faceless woman draped in the atmosphere of the world, her skin covered in reptile-like scales.

She wore a corporeal dress made from the destruction and tears of the universe, and in her veins flowed the remnants of a forgotten epoch.

Ines' heart dropped.

The young girl's shadow—if it could even be called a shadow anymore—was malformed and contorted.

It elongated and twisted beneath the tables.

It stretched outwards at a great speed until it became thin and withered like the nature-drunken trees of winter.

It twisted and spun till it was svelte and scrawny as an infant's pinky nail.

However, despite how it feverishly fled, it couldn't leave the dining halls.

The quicker and farther it scampered, the more apparent the restrictive sigil of a dreamcatcher became.

The more apparent it became, the tighter the bond became.

The tighter the bond became, the quicker Ines' heart raced.

At that moment, her blood furiously pumped backward, and all the organs in her body threatened to implode as a second face slowly formed on her bony back.

"Look away," Charlotte whispered.

Those words worked like a pacifier of sorts, shaking the young girl out of her frightened stupor, and she broke eye contact.

Her skin reconstructed itself, and her flesh soon swallowed the second face.

Consul Amadeus only shook her head as the mirage faded away, leaving behind the colorful scenes of reality.

"-...But make sure to study and still have fun. Don't take Consul Amadeus's words to heart; you all are still young—you are all children, so be children and nothing else," A veiled woman in demure blue raiment said.

Most children who were still paying attention applauded after she finished speaking.

After the applause simmered down, the Head Mistress turned to face both crowds. "Wonderfully said, Dame Deirdre!"

Dame Deirdre smiled and whispered a quiet thank you.

"If you have any questions after breakfast, you may visit any Madam whose doors are open." The Head Mistress said. "Have a wonderful day, children."

Ines watched as the Head Mistress and her entourage left the dining hall, followed by the many robed figures.

Most left without turning back once, whilst some remained for a couple of moments to interact with the kids.

"Charlotte, that madam with purple robes was really scary," Ines finally said after all the important figures had left.

"Was she?" Charlotte offhandedly replied, her eyes swiveling around the dining hall.

"Yes, didn't you see the way she stared at me? It was horrifying!"

"Was it?"

"Yes!" Ines firmly said as she crassly dug into her food.

"But, I wonder what we'll be learning. Will there be an assessment to determine our teachers? The sir in dark-blue robes seemed to know Eugene—"

"Eugene," Charlotte interrupted. "Where did he go?"

Where the younger boy previously sat was now empty.