Fortress of Lies

Our perspective shifts, now falling upon Eryth, as she wanders the dead empty halls of the lab.

All that echoes are my footsteps upon the metal flooring.

And all that shines is my magic, showing me a path forward, however small.

After journeying through the dark corridors a while I stop for a moment to think.

Why did King hide so much from me?

Did he not trust me? Did he ever?

But not even just him, my home…

Is it even real? Am I… even real?

My stability falters, causing my wooden joints to collapse in on my body and slump to the floor. It feels hard to breathe… but what does that even mean for me?

I can’t feel pain in the same way as him. My body can be mended with magic, barriers bolster my durability. Inside I’m just hollow, a void of life. There’s nothing besides strange magics that I don’t even understand keeping me alive.

Who am I?

Almza called me his daughter… Is that something that can be true? Can I even be someone’s daughter? Am I allowed to be?

He told me stories about the world, tales of adventure, within a world that seems to have always existed. A world that I wished to live in, that I thought I lived in. Always thinking they were just that, stories of my home… But everything now just seems so fake.

It’s hard to just–believe everything that you once believed was a lie. A world built on a lie, that I was created to live within.

…

My body feels like it's regaining some of its durability. Opening my hands and curling the fingers a slight creak squeaks with them. Pushing myself back up I balance out against the wall. I still feel dizzy, my mind is moving every which way and can’t discern the truth from the lies.

I don’t want to believe King is evil, or that he hates me.

I don’t want to believe my entire village has been slaughtered.

I just want this all to be a bad dream.

But it's not.

This is real.

But even if it is all real, am I?

I’m just a doll after all.

…

Slowly I glide down the hall, finding a new room. Some sort of storage room I think. I can’t really make out what’s inside. Moving closer I’m able to make out some shelving units. There are odd trinkets here, nothing I’ve ever seen before. Long boards with the abcs written on little buttons.

Click-

They don’t seem to do anything…

Tap Tap Tap–

And they make a clicking sound when you hit each little button. There were a few of these back in Dr. Creeks’ work area.

Among other things there are boxes containing files with names I don’t recognize. Countless people are written within, all of them having a small portrait of themselves within the files… I have to wonder if they’re still around. Maybe I’ll be able to find them deeper into the lab if I’m lucky. I'd love to get to know them, learn more of their history…

My eyes wander past the shelves, over towards a glare of my magic reflecting off of a tube of glass. The large pod seems to be filled with a dirtied green liquid, and something floats suspended within.

Getting closer I find a strange horned creature contained within. Although very withered and fallen apart the creature bares the horns of a Daystar atop its head. It appears to be made up of leaves and other living materials, all long dead and blackened by rot. Its horns still remain in contact however, these curling round horns are decorated with wilted flowers and appear to be made of a shiny material.

It's dead. Has been for a long long time.

Maybe it's a Daystar, maybe it's not. Though I would assume it to be one of their forms, at least at one point in their existence…

So why don’t I look like that? I’m like a smoothed out wooden doll. I have no leaves, no flowers, and especially no horns.

I’m no Daystar.

I’m no Human.

I’m really just a doll.

I’m not like anyone, nobody is like me, and nobody ever will be like me.

Just a doll… it doesn’t feel right. I feel like there should be more to it.

I have to exist for a reason. There has to be something. Someone out there must know what I was made for.

Just in the moment I hear the sound of another entering into the storage room behind me.

It must be King… I feel disheartened, but at the same time I feel like I should apologize for my sudden explosion. I didn’t share with him my feelings about–well everything.

I call out to him-.

“King… I–I’m sorry for kicking you around earlier… There’s a lot on my mind right now, I don’t really know how to discern fact from fiction. I know you’re probably in a rush to find the Demon Lord, but thanks for coming to get me.”

I speak but the response I get is not one I recognize.

“You must be Eryth, I've been hearing about you a lot lately.”

Turning around I see a silhouette standing in the doorway, not one of King. No this is a figure with horns, a Daystar. Their golden eyes piercing through the darkness setting upon me.

“Who—Who are you?! Where’s King!? What did you do to him?!”

“Wohoho, relax darling, I haven’t done anything to him… yet.”

“Are you the Demon Lord, the master of the pit?”

“Your deduction is correct, little miss, that I am. But despite your worries I have only come to chat.”

“How can I even start to trust you, YOU FREAK! You attacked King, and now you’re here for ME! I WON’T LET YOU WIN THIS TIME!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

I have barrier magic, it allows me to create barriers of protection. But besides that it can be used to increase the durability of my body. I am my own weapon. By controlling where my magic is directed across my body I can become stronger. Increasing the strength in my arms I can launch punches that feel like a cold slab of steel across the face.

Doing this will leave my body susceptible to damage though, I must move quickly before he can figure out the full extent of my strength.

Launching myself toward him–fist targeting those shining eyes.

He sidesteps.

Sending me crashing into the wall, creating a crater of dented metal along with a loud bang.

“You really must aim those attacks better, or better yet close the distance some other way.”

The Demon Lord gently slides the storage room door closed as I rip my hand from the ruptured wall. He slides backwards further down the hall, hiding in the darkness.

“AGH Get back here!” Pulling myself from the wall I charge deeper into the unknown after him.

I’m not really sure if what I’m doing is the right thing…

But according to King, the Demon Lord did kidnap his brothers. He must answer for those crimes.

I’ll fight him and get answers from him.

About their location.

And maybe even.

Anything he may know about me.

I have to know.

Who am I really?

END CHAPTER 16