Clown: "There is… no peace… there's no such thing as peace… as long as humans exist… They kill for the dumbest reasons. Instead of understanding each other, they slaughter one another and leave their children to pay for their sins… wars… And I will make sure peace reigns by wiping humans from Grimmhoth out! Only then can the others—elves, fairies, druids, and animals—finally be left in peace."
(Meanwhile in Dukewood—specifically in Timhooth!)
Elizabeth: "Hello, Fiona. My name is Elizabeth Ainsworth."Fiona: "Hello…"Elizabeth: "Please, sit."
She sat down. Elizabeth was still young—probably late twenties or early thirties.
Elizabeth: "I heard you're looking for Tina Household?"Fiona: "She might be my mother… As for my father… I don't know… is it Gargamel?"Elizabeth: "No, it's all right—you're from the Household family. Your father is Hans Household. The child from the affair isn't identified."Fiona: "How do you know that?"Elizabeth: "I knew your mother and even held you in my arms…"Fiona: "You look too young for that."Elizabeth: "Hehehe… I was young too. You were still a baby and I was ten. To be precise, my mother was friends with yours—well, not really friends, but they knew each other…"Fiona: "I see…"Elizabeth: "You should know—we're mages. The Ainsworth family. More precisely: arcanists."Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "Be that as it may, my dear… I want to discuss a few things with you. You've heard about the vampires, haven't you?"Fiona: "Mhm."Elizabeth: "These attacks started a long time ago—specifically since 1230. They were rare… but lately, within one month there were 29 bite victims—that's more than in the last 80 years combined."Fiona: "Hmm… what does that mean?"Elizabeth: "The vampires have likely gathered in Dukewood… and that's… not great."
She folded her hands. She had two lilac-colored eyes, medium-length black hair, a very small nose, and a gentle voice. About 170 cm tall, fair skin, and a birthmark on her arm.
Elizabeth: "All right, on to the second topic—the one that interests you. Your mother… was murdered by someone you've actually met."Fiona: "What?"Elizabeth: "Mr. Edwardson."Fiona: "Ugh…"Elizabeth: "Mr. Edwardson is a fool—yet brutal and clever. He wanted an artifact that only your mother possessed."Fiona: "Which would be?"Elizabeth: "An instrument."Fiona: "Huh?"Elizabeth: "I know… a real 'WTF' moment… but it's no ordinary object—this instrument is magical. It belonged to… Oz."Fiona: "Why would my mother have something like that?"Elizabeth: "Hehe… foolishly… your mother didn't know it was a magical instrument. This instrument has a specialty."Fiona: "What—predicting birth rates?"Elizabeth: "(Sweats) … no. Rather… curses."Fiona: "Curses…"Elizabeth: "Here comes the kicker… These curses make one's skin pale white… teeth turn sharp… and a craving for blood arises."Fiona: "Fits vampires…"Elizabeth: "It turns humans into vampires."Fiona: "What!"Elizabeth: "Well… something similar—more precisely… ghouls."Fiona: "Of course… another monster…"Elizabeth: "Ghouls are, well, a kind of Nemesis."Fiona: "Hmm."Elizabeth: "The instrument is a small violin, called Veln."Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "By the musician Bethoven."Fiona: "Him again?"
Ludwig von Bethevon was a renowned musician and symphonist in Grimmhoth. One day, he quarreled with a fan because she coughed too long. He didn't know how embarrassing that was for her—and she even ended up in the newspaper. The young woman was apparently too humiliated and took her own life. Her sister boiled with rage and cast a curse on Ludwig. This curse made Bethoven lose his hearing; his hands weakened, and he could no longer walk properly. The woman who cursed him later met him and pretended to be kind, telling him that people had done this to him and that some, out of envy, had cursed him. This stoked Bethoven's anger, and he composed more music—but these pieces brought curses and disasters. He also prepared four instruments that inflict curses: the small violin Veln, the large violin Laufdrub, the Piano of Dawn, and the Flute of the Hages. What he didn't know: the woman he later married—the one who cared for him—was the very person who had cursed him in the first place. He married her after she tended to him, not knowing she had brought this curse…
Elizabeth: "You know Bethoven's past?"Fiona: "A bit."Elizabeth: "The story isn't over."Fiona: "I thought he died and—even in death—never learned the curse came from her."Elizabeth: "You're wrong—he knew. Shortly before his death, or rather years before it. But he wasn't angry at her; he said nothing. He felt sorry for his wife. He didn't even marry her when he first found out. Why do you think he then hid those instruments? He felt guilty for what he intended to do—make people suffer. He wasn't angry at his wife; he felt guilty about the girl who took her life. So he made one last instrument—also a violin. He named it Merlene, after the girl who died. This instrument is the solution—it causes curses… to disappear, at least some of them."Fiona: "Okay… and my mother had the dangerous one—Veln."Elizabeth: "Exactly. And one more thing—I want…"Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "I want you to join us."Fiona: "Huh?"Elizabeth: "I know, I know—but don't forget: Dark Umbrella is after you. And we both know we have no idea how strong they still are, yet I can protect you… Fiona."Fiona: "Hmm… I don't want to cause you trouble."Elizabeth: "But I want to help you… You don't stand a chance against them alone."Fiona: "I… I could settle things with Meliodas. There's still good in him."Elizabeth: "Meliodas… you mean Meliodas of Horn?"Fiona: "Yes."Elizabeth: "Hmm… I met him once. Indeed—he leans toward the somewhat good. But still, you must know this is dangerous… please, Fiona."Fiona: "Hmmm…"Elizabeth: "Join the House of Clover… Please—join my family."Fiona: "Okay."Elizabeth: "Hehehe… Good choice…"Fiona: "Hmm… but only because I can't manage alone."Elizabeth: "Hehehe… Okay."Fiona: "There's something I want to tell you…"Elizabeth: "Hmm?"Fiona: "You should close one eye."Elizabeth: "Oh… okay."Fiona: "I have to as well."
They did.
Fiona: "I met the Clown."Elizabeth: "Oh… ugh!"Fiona: "Hmm."Elizabeth: "You met the Clown? The Guardian of Envy?"Fiona: "Exactly."Elizabeth: "Hmm…"
They opened their eyes.
Elizabeth: "Then closing the eye wasn't necessary. Don't worry—the Ainsworth family has a protection against that. You should too, since you serve Holle…"Elizabeth looked at her.
Fiona: "I don't. No… I only have her card…"Elizabeth: "I see… What did he want from you?"Fiona: "I don't know… I only know I was dead—along with my comrades."
Fiona looked at her and pointed to the ring.
Fiona: "This saved me. Inside is the blood of Holle—Guardian of Night and Darkness!"Elizabeth: "I understand…"
Elizabeth stood.
Elizabeth: "One more thing, Fiona…"Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "It's okay… to be sad."Fiona: "But… what do you mean?"Elizabeth: "Hehe… I can read how people feel right away. I can hear their heartbeat and read their eyes… Your eyes show no emotion… but your heart… is full of sorrow and pain…"Fiona: "Ugh…"Elizabeth: "It's okay… Your tears matter too."Fiona: "But… I don't know… how to cry…"Elizabeth: "You've never cried?"Fiona: "I've been sad often… but I never cried. Maybe… my eyes got used to suffering."Elizabeth: "Hmm?"Fiona: "The experiments Dark Umbrella's doctors did… were meant to set our emotions aside… Anything negative or in the way—pain, grief, coma, suffering, compassion… The experiments were to accustom us to every pain… so our bodies would forget it or adapt to it."Elizabeth: "Even so… emotions matter. Having no emotions gets in my way as much as having them… Fiona… It's okay to cry… okay to cry, okay to be angry, okay to hurt… You're a good girl."Fiona: "Huh…"
She walked over to her.
Elizabeth: "You shouldn't forget your tears…"
She held her hand.
Elizabeth: "I can feel it—your heart wants to cry… I know you want to cry but can't. But tears and crying are underestimated… When we cry, we show how sad we can be—or how happy. It shows what it is to suffer or to be very happy… It's important for your heart…"Fiona: "Hmm…"Elizabeth: "One day… you will cry. And then you'll know what I mean…"Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "Is there something you want…"Fiona: "Hmm."Elizabeth: "Or regret?"Fiona: "… hmm…"
She shook her head.
Fiona: "Hmm… I can't think of anything…"Elizabeth (thinking): "(What did they do to her to make her show so little emotion?)"Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "May I see your back for a moment?"Fiona: "What?"
Elizabeth slipped off the jacket and tugged the suit down a bit so the back was visible.
Fiona: "What?"Elizabeth: "Ugh… damn…"
Scars everywhere. Many wounds—burns, too.
Elizabeth: "Care to explain?"Fiona: "The Card of the Mysterious heals me enough that I don't die… but the wounds remain—and I still feel the pain."Elizabeth: "Hmm…"
She noticed the staff.
Elizabeth: "Aren't you a bit young for a staff?"Fiona: "Maybe."Elizabeth: "What about your foot…"
Fiona lifted her pant leg a bit.
Elizabeth: "Ugh!"
Fiona's left foot wasn't there—only a lilac-colored shadow.
Elizabeth: "Hmm."Fiona: "A sacrifice for the Guardian Holle."Elizabeth: "Your left eye… that's also an issue, isn't it?"Fiona: "Different eye color? Happens a lot."
Elizabeth sat down.
Elizabeth: "Are you aware that every user of this card… suffers more than enough?"Fiona: "I am."Elizabeth: "Hmm."Fiona: "I don't know exactly what you were thinking—did you really think Dark Umbrella takes in children, kidnaps orphans to treat them well? No… I saw with my own eyes what they did to us kids… They ran experiments… Many died in them—in front of me. And instead of showing pity… they threw the children's corpses into a deep cellar… There were many bodies there… Every day about five children died… starvation… illness… too many experiments… suicide… I tried to kill myself three times too… but unfortunately I wasn't as lucky as those who succeeded… The experiments were meant to produce more agents… Most don't even know what happened to their parents… or why they're there… The experiments begin as soon as the child turns four. Children who do well—get good grades—get more food. Those who fail get less food… and more experiments are done on them."Elizabeth: "Is it really like that there?"Fiona: "Mhm. I got the Card of the Mysterious from a mage… but… I feel like something's been wrong with me since birth."Elizabeth: "What do you mean?"Fiona: "I don't know, but…"
She handed Elizabeth Aunt Elena's diary.
Fiona: "It says here that since my birth I've had an illness—or rather… I was born under a curse."Elizabeth: "A curse—what kind?"Fiona: "It doesn't say… That's why I want to find out."Elizabeth: "Hmm… Maybe there's more information if we see your birth record."Fiona: "And where is it? It wasn't in Dehl."Elizabeth: "Maybe your family's killer has it?"Fiona: "Why would he?"Elizabeth: "I don't know… If you want, I can check whether he was ever caught."Fiona: "Hmm."Elizabeth: "Or would you rather start with the case of the violin Veln first?"Fiona: "Private matters can wait. I'll help you—but under a few conditions."Elizabeth: "Hmm? Which are?"Fiona: "First, I want to meet the members. Second, I want no contract—I come and go when I want. Third: I work… alone."Elizabeth: "Hehehe… All right—first two are fine. But the third, my dear… you have to work with the others."Fiona: "Why's that?"Elizabeth: "Because we're more like a family, you know… Most people here trust each other."Fiona: "I trust no one… The last person I trusted tried to kill me and called me a freak."Elizabeth: "I understand why you're like this… even so, that's how it is… Just try."Fiona: "Fine… then I want to meet them. I've seen the Frankenstein siblings… Do I need to see more?"Elizabeth: "There are four others for investigations besides those two: you already know Oliver—then April, Daisy, and Grey."
She stood, and Fiona stood as well. Elizabeth walked ahead and opened the door.
Elizabeth: "Come on. Let me introduce them to you."Fiona: "Hahh…"
She followed. The building was huge, full of paintings that moved and watched. The suits of armor also watched, and when Elizabeth passed they struck their swords on the floor.
Fiona: "Are those spirit paintings…?"Elizabeth: "Yes… they're guardian spirits. They keep the building protected."Fiona: "Has anyone ever come in without permission?"Elizabeth: "Yes, indeed… Want to see him?"
She took something from her pocket—a finger bone.
Elizabeth: "This is what's left of him."Fiona: "Hmm…"
They went on. The portraits watched Fiona.
Fiona: "They're watching me…"Elizabeth: "You can talk to spirits. Of course they're eager to meet you—you bear the Card of the Mysterious… a rare ability."Fiona: "Feels more like a curse than an ability to me…"Elizabeth: "Oh, my dear, that's okay…"
She opened a large door; the remaining investigators were inside.
Elizabeth: "Hello, my dears… Fiona will help us from now on—she has, so to speak, joined us, at least for the Veln case… Be nice to her."Oliver: "Glad to hear it. You already know me."
Oliver Steinmeier, 24 years old, black hair, gentleman's outfit, about 170 cm tall, male—said a spirit.
Fiona: "Um… was that necessary?"Elizabeth: "Sorry—he talks a lot…"
A girl stepped forward.
April: "April Theslford. Pleased to meet you. I'm 18. I can control and talk to dolls—whether cursed or dolls from the start."Daisy: "Hahh… Daisy Heinsenheim, 20. My ability turns objects I touch into weapons… Nice to meet you, or whatever one is supposed to say…"Grey: "Grey Denpart, 20. My ability is blood… yeah, kind of creepy… but it happens."Oliver: "Hmm?"Fiona: "Don't you have an ability?"Oliver: "No—just strong fists."Fiona: "Aha… All right—my name is Fiona Household. Ability… Mysterious. I possess the Card of the Mysterious."Grey: "Ugh… how interesting."April: "Wow…"Daisy: "So it really exists… what exactly can it do?"Fiona: "Speak with spirits; become a spirit myself by putting a bullet in my own head; as for combat—my staff is also a blade. The Card of the Mysterious also gives me several other things—I just have to pull them out of the hat."Daisy: "Can you show us?"Fiona: "If I must."
She pulled something from her hat—a sword.
Fiona: "This looks like an ordinary sword… but it isn't. When I use my blood…"
She cut herself.
Fiona: "Then this happens."
The sword suddenly lit up and began to float.
Fiona: "If I tell it to, say, wound the enemy—it does."Daisy: "Oh… interesting."Fiona: "But I mostly like using these daggers. I see some of you think I can't fight because of the staff. But I can move without the staff and even be quick—I only bring it in case my left leg gives out. Besides, the staff itself is a blade."Daisy: "Oh… I take it back—you're more interesting than I thought…"Fiona: "Thanks."Daisy: "How old are you?"Fiona: "20."Daisy: "Same age as me… Hmm…"Fiona: "Exactly."Elizabeth: "All right, my dears… You should know: the instrument Veln is missing, but we have a few leads on how to find it. Any ideas, Fiona?"Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "You can become a ghost yourself, right?"Fiona: "Yes."Elizabeth: "What does that get you exactly?"Fiona: "Then I can talk to spirits. If I even find a photo or an object, I can, as a spirit, return through time and see what happened."Daisy: "What—that's insane—how—what…"Fiona: "Do you have a photo?"Daisy: "What… but… isn't that scary?"Fiona: "I find it rather painful…"
She showed a photo.
Daisy: "Why?"Fiona: "Because I have to shoot myself in the head."Daisy: "Huh?"April: "What?"Grey: "Hey… what do you mean…"Oliver: "Hmm."
She took a pistol and aimed it at herself.
Daisy: "What are you doing!"
(Peng!)
She fell to the floor.
Daisy: "Ugh… wh-what…"
(Splop!)
Blood spilled out… Fiona became a spirit.
Daisy: "Ugh…"
A cup fell. As a spirit, Fiona tore back into the past.
Fiona: "Ugh… so this is it… hmm?"
She looked around.
Fiona: "Where exactly is this… instrument… hmm?"
She found a chest.
Fiona: "Maybe there…"
Fiona watched it. Suddenly someone came in. She hid—just in case.
Fiona: "Hmm… ugh…"
It was a woman… Fiona's mother.
Fiona: "… Mom…"
She stood up.
Fiona: "Mother, I mean…"
She was young, with long blond hair and blue eyes.
Fiona: "Ugh…"
She opened the chest.
Fiona: "Ugh…"Tina: "Hahh… why do I have a bad feeling…"
Fiona: "Ugh… Something's wrong…"
Fiona watched her, then the clock—the time sped up…
Fiona: "Ugh…"
Suddenly it changed—Tina vanished, and the door opened. It was… Edwardson.
Fiona: "Ugh…"
Blood on his hands, a wicked grin.
Fiona: "What…"
She looked behind the door… there lay the corpse… her mother.
Fiona: "Ugh… No… The killer of my mother… my parents and siblings… is Edwardson! Ghhhhh… that… bastard…"
He took the instrument. And again it shifted—to another place… a dark room…
Fiona: "Hmm."
The door opened. A carriage. Edwardson took the chest and went into a building… then inside.
Fiona: "Address of the house… street name… fast… time is passing…"
She hurried there.
Fiona: "Hahhh… Snowdale Quarter…"
(Klick!)(Dong!)
Time—time passed, and Fiona returned to her body.
Fiona: "Guhhh… (cough!)… (cough!)"Daisy: "Ugh… damn…"Fiona: "Hahh."
She jumped up at once—apparently she'd been laid on a sofa.
Fiona: "Hahh."Daisy: "What happened…"Fiona: "Nothing—the time's up. It never lasts long."Daisy: "I see."Elizabeth: "Find anything?"Fiona: "Yes… I know where it is… Snowdale Quarter."Daisy: "But… that can't be."Fiona: "Hmm?"Elizabeth: "Hahhh… Fiona, that street… well… it no longer exists. There used to be another city—called Snowline—but…"Fiona: "Hmm?"Grey: "Eighteen years ago… a great catastrophe—the black hole—opened. Nemesis poured out… and, well… there were too many. It's now… a restricted zone."Fiona: "Hmm… I see…"Elizabeth: "That means we have to go to Snowdale Quarter, in Snowline."Daisy: "Hmm…"Fiona: "Something wrong?"Daisy: "No… it's fine…"Elizabeth: "Hmm."Daisy: "I'm coming."Oliver: "I'll come as well—it would be an honor. House of Clover must work."Fiona: "I don't know my way around… But… if there were that many Nemesis there—so many and so strong that the whole city is sealed off—then it's dangerous."Oliver: "Be that as it may… we have to get moving."