….
….
….
"...."
A long silence stretched between the two children. Neither spoke.
Remy held the broken eyepatch in the palm of his hand, open facing upwards. Manon was breathing heavily, heterochromic eyes burning in fury- hot on Remy's face. Tendrils of loose hair that had fallen from her braid suddenly floated.
And as if their ears had been unplugged- sounds came back.
Wind began to blow, rustling the trees with a soft howl. Leaves swayed in between the pair as they stared at each other, each thinking something entirely different.
Remy opened his mouth, poised to respond-
But before he could, he noticed Manon's eyes were no longer blue and brown, but fully white.
The wind picked up abruptly, a shadow overtaking the sky as it became clouded and dark. And Manon's eyes were rolled back as she faced the consequences of her successful defiance. The little girl crumpled to the ground with a gargled scream, rolling onto her back and arching up as if she were possessed.
Manon couldn't see Remy, or the Orchard, nor her surroundings- she just saw a blank space. An unknown space of darkness with a single window inviting her to read it even as her body convulsed on the ground.
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
[You must choose a response from what we give you.]
Manon's lips turned blue, unable to breathe or speak to even ask the system to stop, to apologize, or to plead. Not that she even wanted to, not that she would mean it.
But the pain was excruciating, crushing her lungs from the inside.
Remy stared in horror as the girl stopped gasping only to begin violently thrashing on the ground, her body stiff as a board and choking on her own saliva.
"Manon-"
Remy's voice sounded far away as Manon shook, trembled- afraid but stubbornly unapologetic for her actions.
She was tired of doing the system's bidding. She had hidden things from Colette who was actively trying to help her survive, and she was not even a main character. Why was she being restricted like this? Why couldn't she react how she wanted? All she wanted was her own choice.
Then it stopped.
Manon's body was brittle and stagnant as her eyes remained wide open saucers, looking hauntingly upward past Remy's terrified expression into the window peering down at her.
[The system has issued a revisional reward for Player 2, who rejected the previous reward.]
[The reward is a skill called "Have It Your Way"]
[As a courtesy, Player 2's punishment for not choosing a response shall be waived if you accept the reward this time]
[By accepting the reward, you may not reverse any changes it inflicts.]
[Do you accept?]
As if she had any choice. Manon would have spat at the system if she weren't currently on her back, exhausted and frozen in place.
[Do you accept?]
She knew the system would not tell her what the reward is until she got it- by now she had learned better. By now she knew one thing was for certain: The system was not her friend, and not trustworthy, and had its own agenda. Manon wanted nothing to do with it- but laying there possibly about to choke on her own vomit if she didn't get up soon, she realized the one thing she cared about more than being able to say no and having her own agency, was simply being able to live long enough to return home.
"Y-es."
Her voice was raw, making even Remy wince with a hiss regardless of the fact that he didn't know why she was saying that.
Instantaneously, Manon felt a cooling sensation wash over her, and her body loosened, making her eyes close from the sheer amount of relief she felt.
[Thank you. Your reward has been issued.]
[Exclusive Skill: Have It Your Way- Passive]
[Effects:]
[ALL NPCs now have AP system with Player 2 regardless of whether Player 1 has unlocked their AP system yet]
[As an effect, player 2 will have less instances of response choice window appearance, and will be able to respond how you like more often]
[When choices do appear, Player 2 may still respond outside of preset choices (custom response)]
[Any and all responses, custom or preset, regardless of the choice window appearing or not, can now raise or lower AP 5-10 points depending on the NPC's reaction- or stay the same.]
[If NPC reacts negatively or positively to Player 2's custom response, the penalty or reward is doubled if applicable.]
[Please have it your way, and face the consequences.]
...
….
…
The ghost Tatyana would not leave Colette's side. She floated by her side like a familiar, but the weight was no longer as daunting and heavy. Colette had promised to find a way to free Tatyana from her imprisonment if she guided them to the sapling. Ever since the deal was agreed on, the woman refused to part from the ginger girl's side.
Antoni walked ahead of them, Tatyana's scarlet eyes following him carefully, untrusting.
"Child," She had whispered, her voice low. "Is this this descendant a good person?"
The question took Colette off guard. She knew that Prince Antoni could definitely hear their whispers, but the boy was very adept at hiding it.
"..Well…his highness is…very kind. He is always polite and cares a lot about his people." Colette replied as best as she could. The ghost seemed to laugh, but in a noble woman manner, chittering behind her hand, her eyes cold.
"Yes, yes, all imperial princes can be like that. It's what they're taught." She said bitterly. "Do you know…I was the first wife of the Emperor. He promised he would make me Empress. I told him he did not have to, but it was he who insisted." She told her story as the children followed her directions, walking through a hidden path in the forestry back to the East trail.
Antoni glanced back, just a brief gleam of his gold irises, but even that seemed to make Tatyana tense up like an offended cat.
"I loved him. Truly. And I would not have cared if he made another one of his wives Empress. But he not only did that, but he gave my palace to another concubine…not even the Empress. He cancelled all trading contracts with my family in favor of that concubine's family. All because my father was a Count of a small territory and hers was a Marquis. My father…my poor father had a heart attack because Dales suffered that winter…" She glared at Antoni as they turned, once again on the East trail, a bit further along than the point at which they had gone off course.
"And that's why you ran away…to help your mother after he died?" Colette presumed, gaining a nod from the ghost, who tore her glare away from Antoni to gaze at Colette peacefully.
"All I could do before that wretched man imprisoned me was send my mother to another Empire. He only returned the fruit agricultural contracts to the territory after my family fell. Renamed the town Dales in our honor. The sick bastard- pardon my language- I forget you are young children." The ghost covered her lips with her fingers thoughtfully. Colette could understand her anger.
Personally, she had similar issues when playing the game in Antoni's route.
She had faced all sorts of scenarios with him. Being cast aside for a princess of a neighboring kingdom, having to face women with more power who wanted him- all kinds of things turned Antoni's head, but mostly power and how it could be given to the Imperial family.
As Tatyana had said- that was how they were raised, he was no exception.
"Still, Countess…Prince Antoni cares enough about orphans like me and the other two children you saw in the west…he hates how the church exploits us. He hates how the church wants to prevent sick people who are poor from getting treatment. He wants the best for people." Tatyana seemed to stare at the girl for a long moment, her eyes searching. She seemed to have hesitantly found it, as she spoke again.
"Child, a good ruler could be a good husband and a good person." She glanced at Antoni again, her gaze more neutral than previously.
"But a great ruler…he is more often than not, a terrible husband, and not too good of a person. Do not assume the best in someone. For everyone must choose to be a jack of one trade, or a master of none."
Colette sat with the words, thinking perhaps the ghost assumed she had childish feelings for Antoni. She wondered…if she could even begin to explain how she was an adult who knew this all too well…that people were not perfect.
Nonetheless, as she checked on Antoni, he seemed rather pleased about the words she said about him.
[Antoni finds Colette's flattery impressive even if it is recycled. He intends to tell her this later. AP: 18]
"Enough of that, we must hurry. Straight ahead." Tatyana urged.
Sure enough, Antoni and Colette began to see the outline of a green archway right in front of them. But something itched at her brain as she sped up to keep up with Antoni's hastened pace.
"Why must we hurry? We should still have around an hour and a half until sunset even starts." Colette said just as they reached the archway. Tatyana would have replied but it would have been on deaf ears, as Colette was promptly distracted by the sight in front of her.
The archway opened up to a villa. A beautiful home, that once may have been perfectly polished and clean.
Now, it was reclaimed by nature. The large structure was absolutely covered in red wisteria, the vines strangling the marble columns and windows in the most beautifully tragic way. What was once a pristine front garden area was overgrown grass, remains of seating and a tea table lost in the greenery. The sight was as lovely as it was sad. By the time Colette snapped back to reality, Tatyana was gazing at her gently, a look of melancholy on her pretty features.
"It's…."
"Beautiful." Antoni finished for her, his golden eyes scanning the architecture. "It looks to have been made by a skilled craftsman mage. It is even more beautiful as nature claims it." He said exactly what Colette had been thinking, making Tatyana raise a brow. But that was all.
The three entered the home, still bright from its white walls and the sun bleeding past the green through windows and cracks. It looked….normal.
They had expected nature to claim the inside too, but no.
The inside of the villa, aside from exterior walls, remained virtually untouched. It was a simple yet practical home despite the luxurious outside. Yes, there were still some opulent touches such as light fixtures and certain materials…but it was quite minimal, with a medium- not too warm shade of wood with shiny lacquer for flooring, and champagne gold fixtures on doors and stair railings.
It was at this point that Tatyana though it wise to continue answering Colette's earlier question, now that they were inside and safe.
"When it becomes dark, bad things come."
Antoni and Colette both stared at the ghost, confused and distraught. The ghost- for the first time since attaching herself, drifted away from Colette to face both children, a serious look on her face.
"The Emperor was extremely paranoid and believed I would get villagers or mercenaries to aid my escape" she said, floating over to the great room. The children followed slowly, watching as the woman seemed to seat herself on a chair by the undusted fireplace. "Or that groups would split up to find and kidnap me for ransom from the imperial family."
Colette and Antoni shared yet another look, their expressions conflicted. They stood a ways away from the ghost, awkwardly standing there. Tatyana continued.
"So, a big reason why people do not survive the orchard, is because they split up. This orchard….it is alive…" She breathed in, her ghostly form expanding and contracting. "So when it detects that people within are separated and alive…it responds…minor things at first. Abrupt silence, hallucinations….making people…hungry…so they eat the strange fruit."
"At first….so it becomes worse?" Antoni inquired, his voice quiet. The ghost met his eyes.
"Yes….and it gets angry if people come to the house, where it can't reach. Angry enough to make bad things happen...force things to happen..." She looked at Colette, red eyes grim.
"I hope your orphan friends have already left this place before the dark comes."