Julia's mind was flooded with overlapping questions, stacking one after another, but one always came back to the surface,
Why did he have the same scars as her? And in exactly the same places?
A coincidence? Impossible.
A fluke? Certainly not.
And the others? Did they have them too?
At that moment, Julia struggled against the urge to undress everyone, but even she knew that wouldn't be acceptable—they'd be angry with her.
And she didn't want that.
They were her first friends since...
Never mind. She didn't want to think about it.
Julia had noticed Ethan's behavior—running around like a headless chicken—just as she'd noticed the strange behavior of the others.
Did they really want to stay here?
She wouldn't be surprised by the tall one, that witch was demonic.
But Klaus, who had insisted on reaching the tower as fast as possible, had suddenly forgotten it even existed?
And Cain, the strange thrill-seeker, had practically lain in the grass without moving a muscle for hours.
Something strange was going on. She was certain of it.
It was those disgusting women she'd seen earlier—they were to blame. She was sure of it.
The smell of death was even stronger on them than on Ethan or Cain, something she'd never encountered before.
She'd always had that "gift," though she considered it more of a curse.
A persistent stench followed people whose souls were tainted by sin, and she could smell it.
Though this ability had helped her greatly in her work, she hated it.
The constant assault on her nostrils was unbearable—that's why she always tried to talk nonstop, to distract herself.
Though it might not sound so bad, imagine the constant feeling that rotten eggs were swinging under your nose without ever stopping—it was torture.
The worst part? She could smell her own stench of death.
She reeked ten times more than the others.
Was it because of how many lives she'd taken? Or just the fact that it was hers? She had no idea. But she hoped to find the answer in this new world, filled with strange and fascinating things.
Oh?
She noticed Ethan talking to those horrid things pretending to be women—he even threw up.
Had he smelled the same thing she had? Or seen something?
A few minutes later, the lunatic was kneeling on the ground. What had happened? Had the woman hit him with one of her weapons? Probably not—he wouldn't still be alive otherwise.
Julia decided to get up and go see them. Maybe the distraction would make the nauseating stench that had spread since the arrival of the three abominations go away.
"Can I play with you~?"
She still wore that innocent little smile. It had always been her best weapon—who would suspect a little girl like her?
"Ethan, what happened to you? You look really pale."
Ethan's left eye twitched. Had she upset him?
The woman spoke in her crystalline voice,
"I allow you to play, little human. The more the merrier. But I will take both your lives instead of one."
Julia giggled, putting her hand in front of her mouth as if shy—though she was anything but.
"So, what are we playing~?"
Ethan grabbed her sleeve.
"Wait, Julia, don't—"
Clap.
The fae snapped her fingers. Ethan suddenly lost his voice, unable to say a single word, not even a sound. He could only stare at Julia, trembling, silently pleading her to stop this madness.
She just winked at him before turning her attention back to the woman before her.
"This game is very simple: say a sentence. If it's true, I'll cut you both down with my sword. If it's false, I'll pierce you with my spear."
Julia pouted, thinking.
"And what if you don't know the answer? Like, say, my date of birth?"
"Simple. I'll choose at random."
"That doesn't sound very fair…"
The woman's angelic face hardened—her patience was wearing thin.
"Choose. You have one minute."
Still covering her mouth, Julia gave a soft, timid giggle, followed by a crazed laugh—as if she'd completely lost her mind.
Ethan's expression fell even further. This girl was truly insane.
Even the other three companions stirred from their near-vegetative states, now watching her.
"Hihihi… I don't need a minute, you idiot. You're as stupid as you are ugly. My answer is this: You'll pierce us with the spear."[1]
The smiles vanished from the three women's faces.
Ethan was in complete shock—until his face, previously locked in despair, lit up with realization.
"You do have a brain in that little head of yours!"
Julia snorted.
"Hmff. At least I managed something, unlike you, Model Boy. You're supposed to be the brain—toughen up, we're going to need it."
She turned her attention back to the three women, whose faces were beginning to change.
Pustules began to form, their skin turning brown as if rotting. Their hair was falling out, and wrinkles were appearing on those once-perfect faces.
"So, are you going to cheat? Or are you letting us go, Ugly?"
A voice that didn't resemble anything anyone could imagine rang out, making the flowers tremble and the trees shake. The sky darkened, the sun dimmed, and the tiny glowing orbs that once looked like spirits now turned blood-red, radiating their mistress's fury.
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
She seized the spear and pointed it at Julia, taking several steps forward, her face contorting more and more—but just as she was a few steps away, she suddenly stopped, and then—
"HAHAHAHAHA… Fate's a real bitch!"
A mad laughter overtook her. She even held her stomach, as if the laughter physically hurt her grotesque form.
Even after several minutes, she didn't stop. Slowly, she began returning to her angelic appearance.
"My god, how many centuries has it been since I laughed like that? You five may leave."
That was… unexpected. Just minutes ago she wanted them dead, and now she was letting them go as if nothing had happened?
Ethan asked cautiously,
"May we know why you're letting us go? And… what does fate have to do with it?"
The fae looked at him like he was the most precious of jewels.
"You'll know in time, my child. It's still too early. You're far from ripe~."
Was this thing mad? Ten minutes ago she was ready to annihilate them, and now she was acting like a doting mother? What kind of situation was this?
Still doubtful, Ethan thanked the creature—afraid she'd change her mind.
"Thank you… We'll be going then."
"Wait, one last thing: which of you is 'the One Imbued with Madness'?"
Ethan and Julia looked at each other.
The same question in their minds:
Aren't we all mad?
"The Moon with the Bloody Smile?"
Their eyes instinctively drifted toward the slouched figure of Cain, who was rubbing his head as if slowly coming back to his senses.
The women smirked,
"I see… Tell him to come see me before you leave this place."
They both nodded, still wondering what she could want from him.
Just before leaving to rejoin the others, Julia had a sudden realization.
"Could it be related to these sca—"
Clap.
The fae clapped their hands together, cutting her off, then brought their index fingers to their lips.
[1] In the case you guys want an explanation : If she decide to pierce them then the answer would be true, if its true she must cut them with the sword, but if she does that then the sentence would be false and the cycle would continue endlessly. I hope i was clear enough :c