Chapter 18: 8th Birthday
"..." I’m holding the golden apple in one hand and the monster’s core in the other, I’m ready to eat this and evolve.
"Okay, it’s time to eat..." My hand trembles nervously as I bring the apple to my mouth, I open my mouth and sink my teeth into it, taking a big bite of the fruit.
Crunch Crunch
I chew, tasting the flavor, it’s actually quite pleasant, it’s sweet and has a naturally stronger acidity than a regular apple, it’s definitely a fruit I’d eat more often.
But I don’t have time to savor it, I drop the apple and stuff the core in my mouth, it’s big, hard and a bit tough to swallow, but I force myself to swallow it even though I want to spit it out.
The core uncomfortably goes down my throat as I pant erratically from almost choking on it.
’Dang, that’s tough!...is that it?’ Nothing happens, in the game the effect was instant so I thought it would be the same here, but I’m still normal.
"Well, since I’m normal, I guess I’ll finish eating the apple and..." I collapse to the ground as my vision turns red, I notice drops of blood dripping from my nose to the floor while hearing an unpleasant sound of something bursting.
I feel a horrible pain in my chest as my fingers contort, it feels like my bones are being broken and turned to dust by an overwhelming external force.
My blood flows from my eyes, nose and mouth to the ground as I try to move, I can’t even breathe as I cough up blood, the blood filled my lungs faster than expected.
Tears stream down my face along with the blood as I can’t even make any sound of pain, just strange choking sounds as I’m drowning in my own blood.
’I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts, I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts, I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts, I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts, I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts, I-It hurts, it hurts, it h-hurts’ A repetition occurs in my mind where the only thing I feel is pain.
My body hurts so much, it’s much worse than I thought, in the game it didn’t seem so bad, it wasn’t so painful and ended quickly, but here I feel a hellish pain as my organs are destroyed and my blood drains from my body, forming a pool on the floor.
I try to crawl, but stop immediately, trying to move only increases the hellish pain, and I can’t even scream to relieve the pain since my mouth is full of blood, the metallic taste of the blood is gross.
It’s an uncomfortable and unpleasant taste, being the strangest thing I’ve ever had the displeasure of tasting, but it doesn’t get better, for some reason the pain gets worse.
The evolution process is slow, the organs are slowly affected as I can only cry while praying for my life, I don’t want to die, I just had a new chance at life.
I’m trying so hard not to be that useless antisocial person anymore, so why am I dying again? Is it really that bad to just try to have a life in a dangerous world like this?
But before I can feel more of this painful hell, my mind goes elsewhere, to a memory of the original Evelyn, an image I’ve never seen in the game, a scene that happened with Evelyn in this world.
...
...
...
"H-Hyaa" I’m thrown forcefully against the wall.
"S-Sorry, s-sorry...Aaagh" I try to apologize, but I’m grabbed by the throat and thrown hard to the ground.
"For an 8-year-old brat, you’re pretty bold, Evelyn" The head maid speaks coldly.
"S-Sorry" I can only apologize, she’s very angry with me.
"Stealing food from the kitchen is one thing, but stealing supplies from the maids’ quarters is crossing the line, even for a useless one like you" She says while kicking me in the abdomen, making me curl up in pain.
"Hyaaa" I can only cry and scream in pain, it hurts so much, why is she doing this? W-Why did I just want a material for a puppet, it wasn’t even something valuable, just a small piece of gold to form a core and maybe make the puppet move on its own.
It was no more than a coin, why is she beating me up for a simple metal piece? I said I could give one back to her in the future.
"From stealing food to stealing money now, huh? If it weren’t for the rules, I’d kill you myself for this" She says while grabbing my arm, lifting me off the ground.
"S-Sorry p-please, I-I won’t do it again..." I say to Verena, apologizing with tears.
"Apologies don’t solve anything, normally the punishment for theft at this level would be to remove your thieving hands, but since you’re a candidate for the throne, I might have trouble if I cut off your hands."
"So I’ll just break the arm that holds that thieving hand you thought you could steal with" She says, pulling me as she walks towards a tree stump.
"N-No, no, no! I-I’m sorry! I-I’m sorry please, I-I’ll never touch money again, I-I won’t steal anymore, p-please don’t do it!!" I beg in fear, my tears won’t stop falling.
"Shut up or I’ll do a lot more than just break your arm" She speaks while placing my hand on the wood, holding it firmly as she stretches my arm, she has a chilling smile on her face as she does this.
"N-No I-I...HYAAAAAAAA" I let out a blood-curdling scream when she steps on my arm, breaking it in one go, I hear a sickening crack of my bone breaking as I feel an unbearable pain, she lets go and takes a step back as I fall to the ground.
My arm is horribly broken, it will take months to fully recover, which will make it much harder for me to get food to survive.
"Happy 8th birthday, Evelyn, I hope you never forget what happens to thieves like you, if you want money, sell your body, sell your organs, or work as a lab experiment, but never try to steal again or next time I’ll break your legs" Verena says as she leaves.
While that happens, I lie on the ground crying, I try to hold my arm, but the slightest touch increases the pain to an unbearable level, my tears fall, mixing with the dust and my dirty dress.
"W-Why are they always so mean to me?" I murmur, crying. I just wanted a new friend for my birthday, is that really so wrong? Why can’t I even build a friend on this date that should be special?
It was just a coin, the cost to build a friend that could move and maybe even talk to me.
"H-Hick...I-I hate this...w-why only me...w-why do they only do this to me" It’s so unfair, the others never have these problems, why am I the only one treated this way for trying to have a new friend on my birthday?
I wish I’d never been born...maybe it would be better that way, if I had never existed, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this, I wouldn’t have to be humiliated and have to live off scraps I can scavenge when I’m lucky.
The maids have already said I’m lucky not to be living on the streets, but what’s the difference between me and those living on the streets? At least the ones on the streets have freedom, while I can’t even leave the castle or I might be killed.
I can’t even go out or I might be killed, this makes me wonder, is it really worth living this way? Shouldn’t I just let them kill me and end all this?
At least if I die, I won’t have to have maids beating and humiliating me anymore, if I’m useless and a failure...then I’d rather someone take my place and erase me from existence.
I wish I could be replaced by someone who could teach a lesson to all those I hate, someone who could simply...be my true friend...
...
...
...
"..." I open my eyes, the memory still vivid in my mind, as if it was yesterday that the head maid Verena broke my arm with a smile on her face.
My body no longer hurts, but I can’t stop crying, this memory hurts my "heart", a child of 8 who didn’t even know the value of money having to suffer that and accept it silently, as if this injustice was something right that she must accept.
This never happened in the game, a scene where Evelyn just wanted to try to create a friend on her birthday, but in return had her arm cruelly broken by a castle servant, was never shown.
I look at my hands, they tremble with pure hatred for the head maid who did this "to me", I finally understand after feeling all this pain, this is no longer a game.
This is not just a sad script for the Lore of an Otome Game, this is now my reality, I am this injured girl that everyone humiliates, it’s exactly like my past as a human, only 1000 times worse.
Unlike me, Evelyn was tortured and hurt as if just by existing she was a failure, this is unfair, why did this have to happen?
"...Dolls..." I murmur, seeing my hands and arms, which have joints like a doll, showing that I have evolved, my ability is no longer limited to creating small puppets.
Now I can create living marionettes identical to real living beings, I can change the future I have and survive, and above all, I can prove to everyone that we are not failures.
"I’m sorry...sorry for stealing your place, Evelyn...and thank you, thank you for this chance" I say to her and to myself, I’m sorry for stealing the life that was hers, but I’m grateful to her for giving me this new chance, not just a new life, but a chance to be better than I was in my past life.
"I’m going to fulfill your 8th birthday wish, Evelyn, I’m going to show everyone that we are amazing" I say, kissing the palm of my hand that is still dirty with my blood.
I’m also sitting in a pool of blood, but it doesn’t matter, Evelyn showed me the truth, a truth I ignored, this is no longer the game that had a social filter to seem more peaceful.
This is my world now, a world where even maids break a child’s arm for a simple coin while psychologically torturing her, making her wish she had never existed.
"Evelyn...I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity, thank you very much, and I hope you hear this wherever you are, you are not useless, you are the strongest girl I know and now I see that."