Blood and Lilies - Part II

"!"

I jolted awake, sitting upright with a gasp, air tearing into my lungs in ragged bursts. My hands flew to my neck, frantically patting, clutching my face and chest, searching everywhere in panic. My eyes darted down toward my torso and legs.

Nothing.

Yet, I was still unable to catch my breath.

"Master, Master, are you alright?" a familiar voice shouted from the side.

"Here, Master, please drink some water." 

"!"

Slowly, the voice made me tremble. I turned my head in paranoia, and there she was. 

The culprit. 

The one who had strangled me to death. Her face showed no trace of fury, only timid concern; her hands trembled as she held out a glass of water.

Out of instinct, I slapped the glass away. It shattered across the floor in an explosion of shards and water.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed.

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

My voice cracked and echoed with terror, my face contorting in fear at the sight of the culprit, the very one meant to serve and protect me. 

Tessa. 

Clara rushed to my side, gripping my shoulders in a desperate attempt to calm me.

"What’s wrong, Master? Are you alright?"

Her touch soothed me, grounding me. Slowly, I managed to breathe again.

"That’s it, Master. Take one or two deep breaths," Clara whispered.

Following her words, I inhaled shakily, then exhaled, until at last I regained some composure.

"Are you feeling better, Master?"

"Yes… Thanks, Clara."

Clara froze, stunned by my gratitude. 

But... hadn’t I already thanked her before?  Why did she react like that?

"..."

Could it be...?

My thoughts began to settle. I realised when I first woke up, gasping for air, I found myself in bed, dry and unharmed. No blood, no wounds. 

Nothing. 

Apart from the lingering soreness induced by my duel with Timothy, a pain I had never truly earned myself, but the one that was attributed to the old Elias… or so they say.

But still, I had been strangled.

Strangled by Tessa.

And Clara, shocked by my words of gratitude, looked at me as though… it was the first time she had ever heard them.

Did I… time-leap again?

"..."

"My pleasure, Master," Clara finally said, hesitant, as though trying to process everything anew. "But… if I may ask, why were you shouting at Tessa so much, dear Master?"

"..."

I drew a sharp breath. I couldn’t risk it again. I needed Tessa gone.

"Tell Tessa to leave."

"Sorry, Master…?" Clara tilted her head in confusion.

"I said, tell her to leave!"

"May I ask why, Master?"

"Clara! I do not have to tell you twice." My voice trembled with a mix of fear and command alike. "Tell. Her. To. Leave!"

"C-ce-certainly, dear Master!" Clara stammered. Turning to Tessa, she gestured gently with a nod. "Tessa, if you don’t mind, I’ll meet you again later."

Tessa lowered her head. I couldn’t read her face. Was it sadness? Anger? Or something else entirely? She stood there, frozen, silence heavy in the air.

Clara frowned with unease. "Tessa? Is something the matter?"

Instead of leaving, Tessa crouched down, her hand reaching toward the shattered glass on the floor. She picked up a large shard, gripped it tightly, and stood up once more.

She hissed under her breath, barely audible, yet I heard it just about, “So… you want to hurt 'my' Clara again, huh?”

"!"

In a split second, she swung.

The shard pierced straight into my eye.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Agony burst through me like fire. My vision shattered into a single blur, blood flooding hot and thick down my face from the ruined socket.

"How do you like that, you stupid brat!?” Tessa screamed, her laughter frenzied and unhinged, like a maniac on the edge of reason.

"What are you doing, Tessa?! Stop this at once!" Clara cried, lunging forward. She tried to restrain her, but Tessa shoved her aside with terrifying ease.

Yanking the shard free, Tessa stabbed at me again and again. I raised my arms to shield my face, but she was too fast, too precise.

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

"DIE!"

Each cry marked another strike.

Pain ripped through me as I cried in ceaseless torment, my body mutilated, my voice breaking until no sound remained.

And then, the final blow. The shard plunged deep into my chest, piercing straight through my heart.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"!"

Once again, I sat upright, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

My hands flew to my eye socket, patting it repeatedly, and only after a moment did I realise I still had vision left in both of my eyes. The small relief steadied my mind, but the memory of the horrific assault still shook me to the core. 

Surely… I had just died.

I looked down, exhaling deeply. There was no doubt, I had time-leapt. No one could survive such an assault intact.

But one thing was certain: I had to be cautious. Extremely cautious around Tessa.

I couldn’t be alone with her.

Nor could I send her away when Clara was present.

And I had to keep my mouth shut about Clara, no careless words, nor slip-ups.

"..."

And so, I waited for the familiar lines.

"…"

"Master, Master, are you alright?"

"Here, Master, please drink some water."

It was Tessa again. My heart trembled with fear after everything I had endured. But forcing down the panic, I stretched a shaky smile and reached for the glass.

"Th-tha-thanks." I smiled awkwardly.

As expected, both Clara and Tessa froze, with shock written plainly across their faces by words. This was no surprise, but it also confirmed what I had already begun to piece together.

I had now died four times.

Once in the previous world. Three times in this one.

Each death dragged me back to the start. A checkpoint, like in a game. How far back, I wasn’t quite sure, but the pain of dying lingered, etched into me. I clawed my hair, desperate to tear the terror free, yet it still clung to me.

"N-no-no problem, dear Ma-master," Tessa said, offering a shy, trembling smile. It may have seemed genuine, but I knew better. For now, I had no choice but to tolerate it.

And yet… something felt missing. 

Something I had long forgotten.

"..."

Then, as if on cue, the people I most wanted to see burst through the door, with worry etched across their faces.