Three days ago, in the Felnatus family mansion, a small violet glow entered Mellorus's office. The bright violet bird landed directly on the patriarch's head, and Amiliath's voice echoed inside his head.
"The preparations have been completed. As soon as the festival is over, the guild will take care of recovering Manila directly to the mansion before Commander Boltu even realizes what happened."
"Good news at last." Mellorus smiled as he spoke to himself. "She never disappoints me, unlike Luccio. When did that brat become so useless?" He shrugs before standing up and heading to his small private wine cellar.
"If all goes well, that abomination will be here soon. Before sending her into exile, I will teach that thing what it is to try to defy me." Triumphant in his thoughts, he pours himself a glass of fine wine and tastes it with pleasure.
"Delicious..." He pours another glass and puts the bottle away before returning to his desk.
"What reward will I give her? Since Luccio became a hindrance, she has proven to be of great value to this Family."
He continued muttering several words that conveyed his plans and thoughts, focusing on the moment of success he had earned. Another bright figure, this time emerald in color, enters his office and lands on his head.
"Greetings, Patriarch. Vice Commander Petros Avalrich of the Wall Regiment presents himself to make an emergency report. The security plans for the northern border were completed within the established deadline, and the harvest festival in this region will happen without problems. Our troops stationed in Armlar are in full control of security and logistics, and nothing will disrupt or interfere with the festival. However, my lord..." There is a disturbing pause in the message, and the vice commander's voice sounded strange.
"I must inform you that due to a lapse in judgment, something went unnoticed, one of my captains, by order of young master Luccio, omitted his absence for the entire period of the mission. He has already been punished by me and is imprisoned according to the laws of the archduchy. After the festival, he will be put on trial in your custody, my lord. I ask your forgiveness for choosing my subordinates incorrectly and causing trouble for you, my lord."
The sound of the wine glass breaking at the end of the message indicates Mellorus's frustration.
"Luccio...LUCCIO!!! THAT BASTARD DISOBEYED ME AGAIN! ISABELLA! ISABELLA!!!!" He shouted in fury. Immediately, a maid wearing a formal and luxurious uniform with the colors of the family crest entered the office and knelt before him.
"What can I do for you, my lord?"
"CLEAN UP THIS MESS, AND WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED, CALL ANDREAS, AND TELL HIM IT'S URGENT!"
He sat down in one of the armchairs near the bookshelf, indignant at the situation.
"What's going on in that imbecile's head!? I gave him one last chance, and this is how he repays me!? ISABELLA!"
"Yes, sir?" Said the maid without stopping to clean the table.
"Before you call Andreas, bring me the violet communication gem. I need to speak to Amiliath."
"Yes, sir." She finishes cleaning quickly and leaves the office.
"Where could that bastard be..."
Drop after drop, this is the only sound Manila hears for most of the day. A blindfold made of rough cloth obstructs her vision, and her hands and legs are tied tightly, causing small lacerations on her skin. Her thoughts focus on where she is, how long she has been there, and whether Elzen is nearby.
"Is Elzen okay? Is he still alive?" She worried about his health.
The only certainty she has is that someone feeds her as little as possible, and that he visits her regularly. In the distance, she hears footsteps that gradually become louder, the rusty sound of a metal gate opening is already familiar to her, and then the voice she hates to hear provokes her.
"Hello... hello... hello, I see you are still in your accommodations." Luccio's voice makes her body react violently, an uneasiness she has not felt for a long time.
"You know..." He slowly approaches with an air of superiority.
"If you knew your place and how to behave like the trash you are, maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't be in this situation."
Ever since he was a child, Luccio's erratic behavior has always been a problem for those around him; his bad temper has created many headaches for everyone in the mansion. Attacks against maids and butlers when they didn't give him exclusive attention, destruction of furniture and decorative china when he was bored, and the many times he abused his siblings.
When he was twelve, his father summoned him and his siblings to the office. Upon arriving, they were greeted by the strange figure of a six-year-old girl wearing old maid's clothes.
"This is Manila." Said his father. "She is an orphan adopted by one of the mansion's maids. Now she is old enough to start helping out here, so she will do little things until she gets used to the servants' routine. You are this girl's master, not friends or colleagues, so do not treat her any differently than a maid. That is all I wanted to say. You are dismissed."
Before leaving, he looked closely at the little girl and noticed her emotionless gaze. That was when something inside him awakened. He wanted to destroy that look, to break that dull expression, and from that moment on, he began to torment her.
With each passing year, he created a new task for her to perform alone, but she never complained. He ordered the other servants to treat the girl as badly as possible, but she never complained, frustrating him.
In addition to the tasks, he began to apply physical punishments for the most foolish or cruel reasons, but she never complained. The desire to see Manila express anything to him became an obsession, a delirium, a passion. Year after year, he always failed.
One day, the fencing instructor suggested that he should have someone to train with, and he suggested Manila. From that day on, his arrogance turned into a poison that consumed all his rationality because he was never able to break her.
It's been ten days since he brought her to this makeshift prison. He visits every day without fail and punishes her for her behavior, but nothing happens. She doesn't scream for help, she doesn't ask for forgiveness, doesn't cry, and doesn't even let a simple moan of pain escape her lips.
He clenches his fists in frustration. Every second he watches her, something seems to burn inside his chest: hatred.
"Why... WHY? WHY DON'T YOU REACT?!" A kick to the head makes Manila fall, and a trickle of blood runs down her head.
"CRY! SCREAM! BEG! DO SOMETHING YOU MONSTER!" Kick after kick, letting his anger control his actions again, he continues to punish her.
For an entire hour, Manila was at the mercy of Luccio's fury; silence was the only gift she gave him. Exhausted, weak, and in immense pain, she struggled to maintain her consciousness. It was then that something inside her began to manifest.
"Let me take charge..."
"Not now." She replied
"Why continue suffering? Just let me be in control and I'll take care of everything."
"Not now...I need you, but when the time is right."
Manila's Mana manifested itself violently, radiating happiness and numbness; all the pain disappeared, and she healed her internal wounds.
"Will you call me?! Will you let me control your body even if you're conscious?!"
"No...not my body...Ours."
The mana inside Manila intensifies even more, generating small fluctuations of energy that jump from different parts of her body. Without realizing it, Luccio hits her again with a kick, causing a violent reaction and throwing him against the wall of the room.
Two people rush inside the room and find him unconscious with wounds all over his body. Confused, they quickly took Luccio out to heal his wounds and locked the door.
"Hahahahahaha!" Manila's inner voice laughs uncontrollably.
"Milla..." Manila said with a weakened voice.
"Huh?"
"That's what...I'll call you...when...I need you..." Little by little, the erratic energy calms down and works as it should. The wounds heal immediately as they normally do, but her weakened state causes her body to become exhausted.
"Milla...when I call you, you are free to do whatever you want...but please try not to attack anyone I know."
"Even in this situation, do you care about others?" Milla says indignantly. "I won't promise, but I'll do my best."
"Thank you...I'll see you...soon." Manila gives a weak smile before letting herself be carried away by exhaustion.
"Yes, I'll see you soon." Milla says in a softer voice, using the same tone as Manila.