Chapter Text
Hope you all like the surprise!
Chise's POV
An hour ago, I had just woken up from my freaky encounter with Joseph. When Alice walked into my room, I was surprised. But when I walked into the living room, I was shocked. We had... lots of visitors... Elias was wearing his veil, he seemed a bit frosty too. I knew he wasn't comfortable having four Alchemists and Lindel's Familiar in the house. Silver had disappeared somewhere as well. I met an Alchemist called Adolf, and another Alchemist called Tory, who was a bit too enthusiastic. Alice and Renfred were there too.
They explained to me why they were here and what Joseph had done. My blood boiled at the thought of Joseph mutilating those dragon hatchlings just for his experiments... it's not right. Why does he think he has the right to cause other people suffering just because he suffers? He's not the only one who experiences pain.
Elias and I are going to help the College retrieve the two dragon hatchlings that Joseph stole. I'm so glad Elias agreed to help, even though I did have to blackmail him a little. Everyone was now happy that Elias had decided to help. To be honest, I was relieved.
Suddenly, Merituuli, Lindel's Familiar, bounced off Adolf's lap where she had been sitting comfortably. She bounded over to me, jumping into my arms and beaming happily. I was taken aback, but I kept calm.
"Apologies, young Robin! But I just remembered that Master Lindel wanted to speak to you urgently!"
"He does? Why?" My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
"It would be better for Master Lindel to explain, I'll let him speak now..."
Merituuli closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them again, slowly, and smiled warmly at me.
"Hello, my dear granddaughter. It's been quite some time since we last spoke."
It was Lindel's voice. He was speaking through Merituuli. As the Caretaker of the Dragon Aerie, he is not allowed to leave the Land of Dragons, so he often sends Merituuli in his place.
"Hello, Lindel. How are you?"
"I am well, Chise. Although, I've heard from the Fae that you're as reckless as ever."
Ack. Why does everyone say that? It's true, I don't think before I act. But if there's a way for me to help someone, even if I means I'll get hurt, I'll do it.
"Well... I suppose there's truth in that..." I quickly changed the subject. "Merituuli said that you needed to speak with me urgently, aside from the dragons, is there something wrong?"
Lindel sighed. "... Yes, Chise. There is something else. I wish there were an easy way to ask you this, but there is not."
I was getting nervous at his words. I really didn't know what he was going to ask me. I glanced over at Elias, and I knew he was staring at us intensely. I knew by his demeanour that he was also confused.
Abruptly, Lindel's Familiar raised her paw-like hand, and I set her down on the floor. She reached out her hand, her palm facing upwards. I soon realised that she was taking magic from the air and using it to form a ball of light. My eyes sparkled at the sight, my own gift of the Sight allowing me to see everything clearly. I heard Tory titter excitedly - he is fascinated by magic.
When Merituuli was satisfied with the ball of magical energy, she stared at me, speaking with Lindel's voice.
"Chise... Do you know who this girl is?"
Lindel's voice was deadly serious as an image began to materialise within the ball. At first, all I could see was purple, but then the image became much clearer...
I stiffened, my eyes going wide.
The girl was wearing a black dress, making her skin look as white as the snow. Her eyes were glowing purple, but they were partially obscured by her long, violet hair which was flowing freely in the wind. She had dark shadows under her eyes, much like I have when I use magic too much. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and a deep scar marred the left side of her face. It went through her left eye down to her jaw. My heart clenched at her expression; she was hurting, and I knew it... It was like I could feel her pain. She's so thin - too thin. You look so frail, so small... What has happened to you? I faintly heard someone gasp before Lindel spoke again.
"This child was present when the hunters under Joseph's influence took the dragon hatchlings. She was acting as the bait, for she, too, is a Sleigh Beggy. But it was against her will, she told me so herself. However, speaking to me cost her dearly as Joseph quickly possessed her when she tried to warn me. Before she was completely under his control, she mentioned your name specifically, Chise. Do you know her?
I barely heard Lindel speak. I couldn't believe it - I just sat there, staring intently at the ball that contained her image. I recognised her instantly. I felt a lump form in my throat and tears stung my eyes. My grip on Ruth's fur tightened. And she's a Sleigh Beggy, of course she is, we share the same soul, after all. That explains so much about our past.
I can't believe, after all these years... that's she's alive...
Chisa...
My twin...
My other half...
"Chise?"
A hand suddenly grabbed my arm. I finally tore my eyes away from the orb. It was Elias. After seeing my tears me must have crouched down beside me. He had removed his veil, and I'm so glad he did.
"Chise!"
It was his voice. He put his hand on my back and rubbed it soothingly, trying to calm me down. It worked, to an extent. Another hand abruptly clutched my other. My eyes darted over to find Alice. She looked sad, her eyes glued to the orb. Does she know my sister too?
"Chise! Are you alright?" Elias asked me.
Immediately, Lindel interjected. "Ah, Ainsworth. Chise, I believe I have upset you, and I'm sorry for that. Although, I do need to know if you recognise this girl."
I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. But I just can't believe she's been alive all this time. I thought she was dead, since our bond was severed and I could no longer feel her.
"Yes... I know her..." I struggled to find the right words.
"I see... was she related to you in any way? Again, I'm sorry if these questions upset you," he says sincerely.
"It's okay... and yes..." I hesitate, looking at everyone before I answer him. They're all looking at me, concern and shock etched on their faces. Elias is stiff beside me - I never mentioned Chisa, it was too painful, so this is a shock to him, too.
"Her name is Chisa... and she's my twin sister..."
Gasps and shouts of surprise echo around the room. The words sound foreign on my tongue, but I'm so happy I got to say them again. Some tears still escaped my eyes, but they were a mixture of happiness and sadness. Suddenly, Alice threw her arms around me, pulling me into her chest.
"Alice-" I began.
"Chise I'm so sorry!" Her voice was thick with emotion.
"So it is true... Chise, I apologise for putting you through this, but the girl- Chisa, told me the exact same thing. She was deeply concerned about the hatchlings, saying she would try and protect them. She said you are her twin, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't a trick set up by Joseph-"
I cut him off. "Joseph?" My heartbeat started to accelerate at his name.
"Chise, I cannot lie to you, and this will be hard for you to hear... Chisa... belongs to Joseph."
I felt the blood drain from my face. Chisa is... with Joseph. How can that be? Is she okay? What if he's hurting her- is that how she got that scar on her face? Did Joseph do that? My breathing quickened as scary images of Chisa being hurt flashed before my eyes.
"Chise, please, try to calm down."
It was Ruth. He could feel exactly what I was feeling. But Chisa's existence came as a shock to him too. I never shared her existence with anyone - it hurt too much.
"Chise," it was Alice. "I'm so sorry. Master and I, we've met Chisa." She pulls away from me, not quite meeting my eyes. "She's with Joseph."
I suddenly felt cold. Not a lonely cold, but the instinctual cold feeling you get when you know something bad is coming. The worlds tumbled out of my mouth, showing my desperation: "Is she alright? What has he done? Has he hurt her? Please, tell me!" My voice cracked, more tears leaked from my eyes.
Alice bit her lip, turning away from me to face Renfred. He was tense. He shifted uneasily in his chair, realising that he has to continue what Alice was trying to say.
"Chise," I could hear the caution in his tone. "You aren't going to like this. The first time we met Chisa, she tried to defend us. Joseph used his Chimera against her, injuring her badly. The next time we saw Chisa, I had to seal wounds that marred her arms and her face. Those wounds were most likely caused by Joseph. He claims that they have also made a Pact - which are hard to undo without both sides agreeing to end it. Chise, your sister is not safe with Joseph."
My heart broke at his words. I felt numb. Chisa, my sister, is alive, but at the mercy of Joseph. He's hurting her, abusing her... it's not fair, she's probably suffering right now... and I'm not there to protect her.
I covered my mouth quickly to muffle the first sob that escaped me. It just hurt to much to realise that my sister is alive, but suffering because of Joseph.
"Can everyone please leave us for a few minutes," Elias calmly said.
The sound of his voice was comforting, but I still continued to cry. Everyone started to file out of the room without much protest. Their widened eyes told me that they were still reeling from this news, too.
Merituuli came over to me and patted my arm, "Chise, I'm sorry for upsetting you. Though, I think you should know, Chisa is a lot stronger than she appears to be."
"Thank you Lindel," I whispered, fearing if I used my voice it would crack.
With that Merituuli patted the top of my head and scampered out of the room. I wiped my teary eyes with my hand, but I still cried. I hadn't noticed that Elias had moved back to his chair until I felt his warm hands under my arms as he lifted me onto his lap. I let my head rest on his chest and he wrapped his arm around me. I knew he had questions, but he didn't say anything. He just let me cry, which I was grateful for - I needed to.
I knew crying wouldn't solve anything, but my thoughts are just so muddled. Chisa is alive... I just can't believe it. All this time, she's been close. I remember everything about her, I just never talked about her to anyone because it hurt too much to remember. I remember how soft her hair felt when I braided it for her, and how her eyes would light up when she smiled. Chisa's hugs were always the best, even better than Dad's. We were so close, so being separated, broke us.
After a while, I gradually quietened. I did feel better, but I was still really worried about Chisa. Elias was rubbing my back in a soothing manner, and Ruth was resting his head on my knee. Their presence brought me comfort. Eventually, Elias started asking questions, like I knew he would.
"Chise, are you alright? Seeing you cry, makes my chest feel tight somehow... I don't like it." He removed his hand from my back and placed it on his chest, emphasising his point.
I sniffed, giving a feeble chuckle, "I think I'm okay, Elias. And I think me being upset, made you upset. I'm sorry."
Elias brought his hand up to my face. "Don't apologise, this has clearly distressed you. But I am confused. Shouldn't you be happy that your twin is alive? I wasn't even aware that you had one, you didn't mention her at all when you spoke of your family."
As always, he gets straight to the point and is very blunt about it. Yet, when he acts this way, I know it's because he cares and he genuinely wants to know.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he said gently.
"No, it's okay. I think talking about it would help." I shifted my position on his lap so that my back was pressed against his chest. Looking up at the ceiling, I reminisced the buried memories. "Chisa and I are twins. We stuck to each other like glue, we were so close. But no matter where we went, horrible creatures would stalk us, telling us how tasty we looked, loving our frightened expressions." I shuddered, Elias put his arms around me, comforting me.
"We always did everything together: play, eat, sleep... just all the natural twin rituals. We even had our own language!" I laughed half-heartedly. "I knew we were different, our whole family was. Dad always protected us. I didn't even realise we were Sleigh Beggies. But that really explains a lot. Yet, Chisa was always weaker than me. She couldn't run for a long time and she's always needed more sleep. And when her glassy green eyes would turn purple for a few moments, she always passed out."
"Her eyes aren't naturally purple?" Elias asked.
"No, they're the same colour as mine." I replied, slightly confused as to why he would ask.
"I see." He quickly changed topic. "You really "love" her, don't you," it was a statement more than a question.
"Yes... it's hard to explain, but she was like my built-in best friend, my strength, as well as my sister. I was happy when I was with her..." I trailed off, feeling the tears returning.
"You recall Chisa so fondly. Why didn't you ever mention her, Chise?"
"Honestly," My voice cracked, and the tears flowed down my cheeks. "Because it really hurts. We were separated so cruelly, I felt our bond break. It was like a ripping sensation that cut deep. After that, I never talked about her to anyone. She was my twin, and I wasn't there to protect her anymore. I locked our memories inside my head and buried them, because most things reminded me of her. Not knowing if she was alive and just assuming she was dead, broke me. It was easier not to think about her. I was being selfish, but with all the creatures around me, I felt like I had to protect myself... and I felt so guilty... because I believed I was trying to forget her, and I would never do that..." I broke off, crying hysterically.
Elias picked me up with his big hands, spinning me around and placing me back on his lap. I was now facing him. Elias hugged me tightly, and I buried my face into his chest, instantly soaking his waistcoat with my tears. He nuzzled the top of my head with his own, comforting me.
I cried for Chisa, for our lost bond, for all the good times. I cried for all the possible times Chisa may have felt alone because I wasn't there. I'm sorry, Chisa. I'm sorry if you ever thought I forgot about you, I could never do that! I'll never forget you, ever...
I don't know how much time had passed before I eventually stopped crying. I peeled myself away from Elias, shifting on his lap sideways, so that I could rest my head on his chest again.
"Chise... we'll find Chisa, and protect her from Joseph." Elias suddenly said.
My eyes widened, but I smiled softly, knowing he was telling me the truth. "Thank you, Elias."
I hugged him again, which he returned. I was happy. I'm certain we can save Chisa. I want her to be safe, I want to be reunited with her. I want her to know that I never forgot about her - I just hope she never forgot about me... We just have to find Joseph first... and I have a feeling that he's in London...
Chisa... I remember you, and I won't give up until I find you. When I see you again, I'm never letting you go again.
*****
Surprise! Hope you all liked it 😁
I really hope I did Chise justice as well
Have to admit, I got emotional myself when I wrote this chapter 😂 (I know, I'm a big softie 😂)
Until next time
ilovemanga19 💕