As Niklaus made his way down the hallway, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of doom overcome him. With Layla's help, he had managed to squeeze himself into the newest change of clothes, and thank the dead gods, they were much easier to get into than that damned gown.
So here he was, wearing a full-sleeved violet silk shirt that was puffed up at his shoulders and a maroon skirt that ended up at his ankles. He also had a large hat on his head, wide at the edge, and narrow at the top with a flat top. Layla had placed it on top of his head, and given the crooked way she had placed it, he figured that it was some sort of fashion statement he was too poor to understand.
He also had one of Cecilia's handbags hanging over his shoulders by the straps, mainly because Layla didn't let him leave without it, and he really needed a way to carry the money. As it turned out, his clothes did not have pockets. He had also, for reasons he didn't really understand, slipped that damned black notebook into the bag before leaving.
"Cecilia?"
Niklaus turned around at the sound of the name being called and froze stiff when he saw Audrey Hall approach. The older woman had changed out of her White and Gold gown and was now wearing a considerably more tame white and green dress with what looked like solid gold accents.
Still ridiculously expensive, just a lot tamer when compared to the rest of her stuff.
"Where are you headed to?"
Niklaus felt a brief burst of panic swell inside him before he drew on all of Cecilia's life experiences and answered just like she would have.
"Ah, mother," he started. "I have a trip planned to the Street of Silk with Laena and the others. I was just headed to meet up with them."
Audrey approached closer before stopping a few paces away, and placed her hands on her hips, a motherly action that was unlike the woman he'd met before. But going by Cecilia's actions, she was more familiar with this version of the woman than the one he had seen. "And have you completed your assigned work from academia?"
"Sadly, no," Niklaus answered, still talking like Cecilia. "But I will after dinner tonight. You have my word." Thankfully, Cecilia had a freakishly strong memory, and he could clearly remember everything regarding the topics. And to be honest, he was still in a bit of a daze about the fact that he now knew everything about how to ascend naturally till he became a Supreme.
He'd never even heard of this kind of stuff back in the waking world!
Audrey held her gaze to his for a brief moment before the expression on her face softened. "Very well, you may go to the Street of Silk. But I better not receive any letters of complaints from your professors."
Niklaus nodded, "Understood, mother."
"Good, now come here,"
Before Niklaus could make a move, Audrey took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He stiffened for a brief moment before melting into the embrace. His body responded before he could think, instinctively leaning into the comforting warmth like it had done so countless times before.
For the first few seconds, his mind struggled to process it. There was no hidden demand in her touch, no expectation, no cruelty waiting beneath the surface. She simply held him because she wanted to. Because she cared.
The realization struck harder than any blow ever had.
A strange tightness formed in his chest, painful and fragile all at once, as though something long starved inside him had suddenly been offered kindness for the very first time. The warmth of her embrace seeped into places he had kept cold for years, loosening tension buried so deeply within him that he had stopped noticing it entirely.
He felt safe.
The thought terrified him.
Yet even with that fear curling through him, he could not bring himself to pull away. Instead, he remained there in Audrey's arms, overwhelmed by the unbearable gentleness of being treated like someone worth holding.
Eventually, they had to separate.
Audrey stepped back with a smile on her face, but Niklaus noticed something that sent a chill down his spine and basically evaporated any lingering comfort he might have been feeling.
A brief flash of ominous crimson passed through Audrey's eyes – the same red he had seen in his vision when he'd entered the first nightmare.
The lingering warmth in his chest turned to ice.
Niklaus gulped.
///
"Come on! We're going in there next," the white-haired girl pointed as she practically dragged her friends to the next boutique. Behind her, Niklaus and Aveline shared a helpless look before they followed Laena to wherever she was taking them.
Laena Hall was the heiress to one of the major branch families of the House of Hall. She may share the same green eyes as every member of the House of Hall did, but her white hair did plenty to set her apart. A direct blood descendant of Hilbert Hall – Audrey's older and long since deceased mortal brother, Niklaus realized after going through Cecilia's memories – Laena had Audrey's favour, which granted her a degree of freedom and Agency that none of the noble girls had.
Not even Cecilia, considering she was the princess and would be the queen regent one day – Never the queen, because to these people, having Audrey die was just unimaginable.
But, going back to Laena, the sheer freedom to do whatever she wanted with no consequences did explain the carefree behaviour she expressed.
The boutique they were being dragged to lay a few hundred feet ahead of them. It was like a jewel box split open onto the Street of Silk, all mirrored glass and silver filigree, with mannequins posed behind the windows in gowns that, if he were to sell them back in the outskirts, each one of them would probably net him more than a year's worth of synth paste. Soft and enchanting music played somewhere nearby, the notes of violin drifting as it mingled with the chatter of the people and the merchants.
Laena pointed dramatically at the storefront, "We are absolutely going in there next," she declared.
"You said that about the last five stores," Avy pointed out.
"And I was correct every single time."
"That last one sold hats," the pink-haired girl said, "Just hats, and nothing else."
"And?" Laena asked, scandalized. Her hands reached up to absentmindedly play with the wide-rimmed hat that now sat on her shock of white hair. She'd seen it from the outside and had absolutely loved it! And like always, she was absolutely correct.
It looked wonderful on her.
"I… I…," Avy sputtered before giving up entirely. Truly, no one could beat an idiot in an argument; they just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Niklaus had to bite down a snicker at the expression on Avy's face, while Cecilia's instincts and borrowed habits stirred an odd urge to argue about the hat quality with his cousin.
It was terrifying.
They continued down the crowded street together.
The Street of Silk was alive in a way few places in Arcos ever were. Elegant carriages rolled along the polished streets while glowing lanterns floated overhead, despite it not being evening yet. Rich perfumes drifted from open storefronts, mingling with the scent of polished wood and fresh pastries. Bolts of shimmering fabric hung from storefronts like cascading waterfalls of colour. Some people hurried between the stores, carrying armfuls of boxes, while others strolled along the idyllic stone road, leisurely window-shopping and chatting in this festive atmosphere.
A performer nearby played a silver-stringed instrument while ribbons of illusory butterflies drifted overhead, drawing delighted laughter from children.
Avy leaned closer to her girlfriend as they walked, whispering in her ear, secretly enjoying the way the girl she loved shivered. "You're quieter today."
"It's nothing, I'm just… thinking."
"That's dangerous, y'know," Avy shot him a bright and mischievous grin at the look he shot her for that.
"You say that every time I think."
He'd accommodated enough of Cecilia's memories that the line between what he knew and what she knew had begun to blur.
Avy's gaze dragged over him slowly, almost lazily, with the kind of open appreciation that made heat pool low in his stomach before he could stop it. "Because every time you get all quiet and thoughtful," she murmured, "you start looking like you're imagining exactly how to make someone come apart beneath you."
He nearly stumbled before sputtering out, "That is a completely unfair accusation."
"Is it?" Avy stepped closer through the crowd until there was barely any space left between them, her shoulder brushing against his arm, her thigh grazing his for just a second too long. "Because right now you're staring at me hard enough that I'm starting to feel overdressed."
Heat surged violently, creeping up his neck.
Avy noticed instantly.
Her smile deepened, slow and satisfied, like she'd enjoy every second of unravelling him. "Gods," she whispered, eyes flicking briefly to his lips, "you really have no idea what that expression does to people."
"You are being ridiculous." He managed to speak through his flushed face.
"Mhm." Her voice dipped lower, softer. "And yet you still haven't looked away."
Niklaus realized with horror that she was right.
Avy leaned closer, close enough that warm breath brushed against the shell of his ear beneath the noise of the crowded street. "Careful," she murmured. "Keep looking at me like that and I'm going to start wondering what would happen if I pulled you into the nearest dressing room for five minutes."
"I…" Niklaus opened his mouth, struggling to think of anything to say, but his thoughts had completely fallen apart as her hot breath ghosted against his ear, close enough to send a sharp pulse of heat through him.
Thankfully, before Avy could make things even worse for him, Laena's voice sliced cleanly through the tension. "Hurry up, you two!"
Thankful for the reprieve from his cousin, Niklaus started walking a bit faster to catch up to Laena when he suddenly caught something out of the corner of his eye and paused mid-step. He turned around to see a procession moving through the avenue in one of the adjacent streets to the side.
The laughter and the music that had filled the air of the entire street of silk seemed to fade away as the festive atmosphere died out.
Entire groups of people moved in silent formation, dressed in flowing pale robes as they walked barefoot on the stone street. Their faces were painted, covered in a thick layer of pastel white, looking unnaturally smooth and almost doll-like beneath the lantern glow.
And from their eyes, dripped streaks of crimson, dividing the pastel white into two as the tears ran down. Somehow, from deep within him, Niklaus could tell – that wasn't paint.
They were tears.
Long, deep trails of red tears that ran down from their eyes to their jaws like blood oozing out of empty sockets.
And at the center of the procession, he saw several priests carry a silver basin overhead as the crowd parted around them in a respectful silence. Some people, both nobles and not, lowered their heads as they passed. Others whispered prayers and blessings beneath their breath
And Niklaus, well – he felt something cold crawl up his spine. "…Avy," he asked quietly, eyes fixed on the procession. "What is happening?"
Aveline blinked before following his gaze. "Hm?"
"The people there, what is going on?"
"Are you asking about the ceremony?" Avy tilted her head, shooting her girlfriend a confused and concerned glance. She should know all this, the ceremony and the processions have been happening every now and then for a few months now. And now that she thought about it, wasn't Cecilia acting a bit too shy today? She didn't do public displays of affection, sure, but Aveline had convinced Cecilia on several occasions to let loose and make out and get hot and heavy in some dingy alley or another.
Suddenly realizing she'd gotten lost in her thoughts, Aveline quickly answered Cecilia, "They're from the Church of the New Moon." She said, hoping it would jog Cecilia's memory of why this was too important of a thing to just casually forget.
After all, it wasn't every day you got to witness the birth of a new Sequence 0.
"…the moon?" She heard Cecilia whisper.
"Mhm," She gave a nod before reaching out to squeeze her girlfriend's hand. "Lady Victorine is preparing her advancement ritual to become Sequence 0. How do you not remember this? It is the main thing that's been talked about for the past year."
Niklaus's eyes sharpened immediately, and he ignored the concerned look Aveline was giving him as he realized the implications of this.
A Sequence 0.
That was a God.
Niklaus still didn't understand this new way of power as well as he probably should, but still knew enough thanks to Cecilia's memories and knowledge – he knew a monumental of an event someone advancing to godhood was.
If he were to compare it in terms he was more familiar with – the system of awakening and ascension used by the Nightmare Spell – he figured that this would like someone ascending to the Divine Rank, or maybe Sacred at the lowest.
The procession hadn't stopped while he'd been lost in his thoughts, and had continued forward slowly. As they came closer, he could help but notice that the tears running down their painted faces almost seemed to shimmer wetly beneath the lantern light.
"…What are the tears for?" He asked Aveline, whispering softly for some reason he couldn't understand. It was like there was a curtain of tension and silence that had fallen over the usually lively Street of Silk, and he didn't want to be the one to break the ice.
"The what?" Avy asked, looking confused.
"The tears, on their faces," He said, a frown appearing on his face as he was starting to realise that something was amiss. "You know, the red streaks going from their eyes."
Aveline stared at the girl she loved for several seconds, before turning her blue eyes towards the procession, as if trying to see what Cecilia was. She was met by several faces huddled together, all caked in a thick layer of pastel white paint, thick enough to conceal their features.
But no red.
She couldn't see the red tears Cecilia was talking about. Hell – none of them were wearing even a single thing that was red. "…Cecilia, their faces are painted white."
"And?" Niklaus prompted, waiting for her to continue
"And that's it."
Silence.
Niklaus exchanged a glance with Aveline, both the now-blonde and the pink-haired girl having a concerned and troubled expression on their faces – albiet for different reasons.
Niklaus looked back towards the procession.
No, the crimson tears were still there – Bright, wet, and almost glowing.
As he was examining the pastel faces and the red tears, trying to figure out what was going on, one of the robed figures suddenly turned their head.
Not toward the crowd.
Toward him.
Its painted white face locked directly onto Niklaus as the cloaked figure from the church of the New Moon met Niklaus's eyes from across the street.
And slowly, impossibly slowly, the corners of its lips began to rise.
The pastel white paint cracked at the edges of the lips as it grinned.
A shiver ran down Niklaus's spine as he waited for something to happen – but nothing did. The cracked, eerie smile lingered on the painted figure's lips as the procession continued onward as though nothing had happened.
His – Cecilia's spirituality flared in ways that he couldn't understand, but one thing was clear.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Cecilia?" Avy asked softly, noticing the way the blonde girl had gone still. "You're scaring me a little."
Niklaus tore his gaze away from the procession. "We're leaving."
Laena blinked, before turning an appalled gaze towards her cousin. "What? Why? We just got here," She said, ending in a bit of a whine.
"Because I said so!" Niklaus snapped, uncaring that he wasn't acting like Cecilia. All he knew that they needed to be away from here, yesterday. "We. Are. Leaving."
Something in his tone must have made both the girls pause, because Aveline did nothing but frown a little, and even Laena only pouted without arguing any further. "Fine. Dramatic as always."
The three quickly turned away from the main avenue and slipped into one of the quieter side streets branching away from the Street of Silk. The noise of the crowd faded behind them as they moved deeper into the narrower roads between the boutiques and noble estates.
Niklaus's thoughts churned as they walked.
Red tears, tears that only he could see.
They were the same red he'd seen in Audrey's eyes earlier.
The same red that had been in the vision at the start of this nightmare trial.
A cold knot tightened in his stomach.
The alley ahead was dimly lit, illuminated only by a pair of pale lanterns hanging from iron hooks overhead. Rainwater from earlier dripped quietly from rooftops, forming shallow puddles across the stone ground.
"Wait," Avy suddenly stopped walking, and he crashed into her back, but not hard enough to send her tumbling to the grimy floor. She didn't even notice the force of the impact, her eyes wide as she gazed farther down into the alley.
Laena followed her gaze – and froze.
There was someone slumped against the wall ahead. They had white hair, and wearing the same Academy uniform that the three girls had been donned in just earlier this day. And then there was the blood.
There was so much blood
So much blood.
Finally, after what felt like years - one of them, and no one knew who it was - put a name to the figure, "Avery…?"
Laena's breath caught in her throat as they rushed forward. Avery Fou Graham sat collapsed against the alley wall, her body twisted unnaturally sideways. Her hands were covered in blood up to the wrists.
But what horrified them the most were the eyes. Where her eyes should have been, lay only ruined empty sockets – looking raw and shredded, and still a pinkish red, with blood still dripping down her ruined eyes and down her cheeks in a grotesque imitation of the red tears Niklaus had seen on white painted faces in the procession.
Down near her green skirt, Avery's bloodied fingers were clenched close, clutching pieces of torn flesh and strands of optic nerve between them.
Laena gagged violently beside her as Avy stumbled backward with a horrified sound caught halfway between a scream and a sob. "No no no no - "
Niklaus knelt besides the corpse, being able to keep himself somewhat calm – mainly because seen worse back in the outskirts – but a feeling of nausea still threatened to claw its way upwards at the gory sight. His sequence 5 enhanced Spectator observation acted quickly, rapidly piecing details together through the horror.
There were deep scratches along Avery's face.
They weren't defensive wounds, but self-inflicted.
She'd done it to herself with her own nails.
And her mouth…
Her lips had been split apart from biting too hard. Like she had tried desperately not to scream.
Then he noticed a nearby wall. There were words carved into the stone besides Avery's body, scratched into the material with her fingernails. They read out two words:
DON'T LOOK
His spirituality suddenly exploded in warning as a powerful sense of foreboding overcame him. Before he could do anything, he heard soft footsteps echo through the alley from behind him.
One.
Two.
Then dozens.
He turned around sharply, only to pause at the sight of the white-faced worshippers standing at the entrance of the alley. They stood there silently and motionless, looking at them, and all their gazes felt like they were looking right into the deepest part of themselves.
Their faces were still painted that soft pastel white, but now Niklaus could see the crimson tears more clearly than ever, and how they streamed endlessly down their cheeks like fresh blood.
One of them tilted its head.
Another smiled.
A third opened its mouth just slightly – and Niklaus heard faint sobbing sounds spill from inside him. What horrified him was the fact that the third person wasn't sobbing, the sound was coming from somewhere deeper inside their throat.
Like something crying inside a hollow cave.
He shared a glance with Avy, and their hands met in the middle, clasping, like they'd don't this a thousand times before. He reached out with his other hand and grabbed Laena by her elbow.
He then activated Psychological Invisibility.
He couldn't feel anything happening, but he knew that the white-faced people should have forgotten they were even here. From what he understood about this ability, it hid you just beyond the corner of someone's eye, in the blind spot of their consciousness, so that they would never be able to spot him, no matter how much they tried.
The human mind should have slid away from them naturally.
The gazes should have fallen to the wayside with confusion
Should have.
The worshippers did not look away.
Not one of them.
Instead, every single head turned toward Niklaus simultaneously, and their smiles widened.
Cold terror slammed into his chest at the realization that the ability either didn't work, or they had some way of bypassing it.
Either way, it was bad news.
"Run," He whispered to the girls.
The nearest worshipper took a step forward, then another. Then all of a sudden, they moved at once – rushing towards the trio
"RUN!" He shouted.
The three girls bolted deeper into the alley just as the pastel-white-faced congregation surged after them.
Alternate Chapter Title: The Eyes of Avery Fou Graham