Villainess and Grimoire - Chapter 110 – General Aurora Arc

whitesculptor

Year 5009 after the system day 70 of the sun season south outpost, somewhere closer to the sky than usual.

A wooden watchtower separated from the wall with a long ladder to climb to the top of it, and yet above its cube-looking roof there laid a blonde girl worrying everyone who noticed her from down below. The few who saw the general, casually yet concernedly thought she might slip and fall, hurting herself or even dying, but none dared to move there as it didn’t have much space to do so. With her irradiating hair, the golden tones proclaimed themselves brightly as all together, made up a second but tiny sun. Her face looked complicated, with a mixture of boredom and awkwardness, possibly with a hint of a pained look and a gist of sorrow. And yet her glacial blue eyes gazed upon the clouds, white they were, gracefully presenting her stillness and occasional fluffed shaped animals towards the girl’s own imagination, yet in a dread contrast her thoughts rumbled. ‘The number of enemies is increasing, the troops slowly disappearing… am I doing a good job?’

Without expecting an answer, but receiving one nonetheless, a voice spoke to her, as it had many times before, whenever insanity bewildered inside her mind at its peak. This became more common as she opened more and more seals within her memories, cursing herself further, after all, one could never be careful enough when exploring the past of someone who isn’t themselves, as they never know what could be in wait. ‘It has always been like that, why worried about it now Aurora?’

She sighed, genuinely as her emotions were rightful, and devoid of masks as the young one was currently alone, struggling within herself, fighting the consequences. ‘I’m tired of the countless murdering!’ Her eyes started glittering being filled with emotion. But to that, the one who shared her soul revolted. ‘You are a liar! You love killing!’

Conflicted from such a reply, she swayed her head to the sides, having born not so long ago, feeling unjust, towards the life and task it was forced upon such tiny shoulders, having endured longevity as cruel as it had ever been inside that demented and cursed dimension. ‘No, I truly don’t! I despise it! Why are you doing this again, all over again even? I’m truly exhausted having to scramble through a sea of sealed memories to revive them, just so they get closed again when I’m done using them. They don’t even belong to me!’ A tear slipped from her right eye, rolling all the way down towards the chin, passing close to the thin pink lips.

‘Have you lost your mind? We do what must be done to take the next step. In a way to keep her happiness safe, you freaking idiot!’ She tilted in confusion as the memories were great, and a big price for the plan the girl had fabricated recently. ‘Her…? Who was that again?’

She breathed heavily, almost having a panic attack. ‘Did you forget about Iris the girl who saved us from that hell? The one place where you were born?’ Upon hearing that name in her mind, the mouth reacted by producing crazy laughter having thousands of memories scrolling through, creating a chain reaction through the entire body, an aggressive shaking one, very much like an epileptic attack. After a little while, once motionlessness came to be, the voice arrived towards her once more. ‘Are you done acting crazy now Aurora?’

A clear frustrated expression was now dyed on the girl’s face as she complained with her other self. ‘Performing? Pretending even? You declare that yet I’m no actor. If all I did was truly acting, then more than 60 thousand beings of this world would still be alive.’ Tears kept on pouring as she resented herself from taking such actions, having sinned, and killed a plenty. A mass instigator, in the path to becoming Artana’s princess of genocide.

‘They were a necessary sacrifice… you know that better than anyone, after all, it’s not the first time this soul stains itself with death…’ As true as the words came to be, their familiarity ringed closer to some of the memories she unlocked previously, that now her own knowledge kept as a side price. Covenanth as it had been in times, the one asleep, her true self, kept on struggling to awaken, meticulously in wait, pouring one line among another, and another, developing a web so complex and wide that both of them were surely to fall for.

‘The destruction. The blood. Ah… how easily they died. I can’t help it any longer.’ She chuckled. Madly, lustfully, dementedly and saddened, a strange recipe of chaotic emotions, creaking every piece of her damned heart and cursed soul.

‘Well, Aurora, the normal you, was considered insane by others, perhaps even now the same would be, if your task wasn’t being their general.’ The laughter stopped, and the hint of resentment was now completely gone, back to the void of her brain, along with all the memories inside the pandora box that shouldn’t be opened carelessly, as some could very well have a greater weight than normally known.

‘Yet you called me crazy when I was feeling sorrowful for my sins, don’t you find that to be rather contradicting, since that is the common sense of these pesky humans?’ To that the voice refuted, speaking of hidden times, of a past and forgotten realm.

‘This is not that other world, sins aren’t judged by a god. If anything, they are praised by such an entity, rewarding you with the best thing possible your hands could possibly grasp, the thing we sought when the one we must not refer to was decaying from age.’ The strange personality chuckled, giving some breath for Aurora to continue.

‘Approved by the god of chaos and the evil one was it? What a farce! Though having the tome of the pandemonium is indeed a variable that didn’t happen in the past lives. Although I no longer can’t devour other people’s power, by consuming them in my true form. When we ate that goblin woman, whatever we acquired went somewhere else.’

Confused, she was, till the voice rebuked an odd statement, as her knowledge of this world was currently divided by two entities. ‘Didn’t it go within you, inside me the grimoire?’

Her mouth opened, but words didn’t come out, having reached a realization deep into herself. ‘Wait… you’re right, perhaps nothing is lost in that regard, but since we are in a different world… My true form power might still be working in a peculiar way!’

With a more approving approach the voice added. ‘Now we’re talking Aurora. Depending on the skills you will get from the class, whatever you eat might enhance them, so you should… devour everything.’ It chuckled maniacally causing echoes to spread within the girl’s mind. To both, the words and the laughter, her hands trembled along with the horrifying experiences of the past. ‘I’m scared… won’t the gods realize it? They may want to seal me again for the third time, or even destroy me.’

Very much like a black hole that could destroy a heavenly being realm, sealing it, was one of the most viable options. ‘There’s nothing you can do about them once more. You are weak unlike before, and even when power flowed through your body you still… failed, miserably…’

“Shut up!” She yelled at herself angrily rolling her body slightly, looking down on the far away ground, sneaking to the few soldiers below from the roof while the stomach remained facing downwards.

‘You shut up! You fake, weak and soft version of the almighty one! Stop being a baby! Gods or not that’s not something you ever had the chance or power to fight, since you came to be, and yet you wish to devour them? Just how complacent and devoid of realism can you be!? A new world, a new life? Aren’t you having a deja vu? Nothing ever changes, you stupid and spoiled brat! You are Aurora, the death bringer, the path you walk will either bring destruction to this world or salvation to those around like Iris. I believe you know which is the best option to go, no? Not like I care about her, but I know you love that new little sister of yours.’ The words pierced the girl’s heart, like many times before, at times to save Aurora at others to lure her into doom, but alas, great powers were often double-edged, and to this girl, such had been the case more times than she possibly wished for.

‘Ah… right. There is that priceless little girl, a variable that didn’t exist before either in the equation. The one who saved me from being engulfed by the darkness inside the mirror…’ She inhaled deeply feeling remorse and pain from her everlasting days. ‘Yes, exactly, you shouldn’t betray your savior.’ Her cheek turned allowing it to rest on the hardwood on the top of the cabin.

‘I guess I do owe her this life don’t I?’ She grasped one hand onto the other, resting her cheek on the left arm which was softer. ‘That should be obvious, how come you’re struggling so much today?’

The girl muttered painfully, giving the creeps to anyone who heard. “Memories… thoughts… living hell… repetition… endless suffering…” She exhaled her pain away, leaving it up to the winds to take it somewhere else but here, where it was not needed. ‘I can seal your memories if you wish since you had to unlock so many of them for this war.’

Ignoring his advice, she recollected something more recent. ‘Hum… It sure was interesting how that red book trembled unaware of the entire truth-‘ Interrupting her, the second entity directed her some words. ‘No one needs to know your past, say the word and I will forever seal it.’

Reminded of the times she spent with her newly formed sister, having a gigantic balance upon her mind that was wavering between her two selves. ‘What if Iris asks me about it?’

And so the voice kept on persuading Aurora to do what it wanted. ‘If your sister truly wanted to know she would have asked already.’

And yet Aurora kept finding excuses to delay such redeeming figures. ‘Perhaps she was respecting my decision of not saying anything. Not to forget, I ended up in this mess thanks to all the sealing you did to me!’

A tsh sound could be heard, similar to a click of a tongue along with a now louder and angrier tone. ‘You know it was necessary! Even then, would you truly want her to know about all of it…? Everything you did…? The entirety of sins which made you, who you truly are? Would you even show her your true form?’ Without giving a chance to Aurora reply, it continued relentlessly. ‘You could have but instead, you choose to mimic her appearance to hide it! To deny yourself, to punish yourself, to grant a new false hope where there’s nothing but a black pit of loneliness carved deep inside your heart. Not that you have one anymore.’

Dementedly it laughed, in a chaotic tone, unlike what any human could possibly produce. ‘I…’

And once more she was interrupted by it. ‘You’re scared about it. I understand, who wouldn’t right? But hear me out! I can bring you peace of mind, make everything easy again, just like back then… Similar to a drug, wiping everything unnecessary blank, bringing you temporary tranquility.’ It chuckled evilly, and pitifully.

‘That truly doesn’t sound so bad. It was a good trick to endure the ten thousand trial of the mirror.’ Sealing the monotony of everyday stuck in such a place, allowing the girl to live each day as a new one, free of worries, insane and lonely, but with some liberty of the plagued accumulation of confusion and suffering.

‘It’s a matter of ordering me to do it Aurora, after all, I am only a minor part of our owner.’ Upon the new established contract between two minor parts of her soul, the grimoire could not go beyond his own will, at the very least two thirds of her existence were necessary to arrive a decision, reason why it kept on tempting her.

‘Don’t think being robbed of everything I’ve done and experienced, is the best way to go about this new chance that Iris gave us! Therefore, I shall refuse it, and bear the suffering for a hundred years more till my little sister dies!’ Her inner yells were met with a very long sigh, and a bit of static at the end.

‘Humans truly are fragile Aurora, they don’t live long, probably not even a hundred years. You should treasure her and break the soul-bound, so we’re not forced to go for a fourth world. It was quite tiresome to make the higher beings unaware of the properties of our soul, that stupid goddess.’

Reminiscing about the memories of her past life, she added some words clearly. ‘Yes, those humans truly were powerless back then during my peak… and even now… it feels like nothing truly changed… aside from her existing for my sake, and me going back to powerlessness.’

Having given up on persuading Aurora, it spoke in a different perspective. ‘Perhaps the light of hope you have been looking for all this time, for no more and no less than 20209 years, is that witch Iris.’

She smiled upon such words, it wasn’t a happy one, no. In fact, happiness hadn’t appeared on her face through the entire conversation, pity was the sole emotion reflected from her, a truly pathetic and unfortunate expression. ‘Hopefully… What a joke I must be to the gods… a funny clown truly…’

‘Maybe that goblin was right about you becoming the witch jester.’ They chuckled together, causing their laughter to synchronize outside their mind. ‘The clowns from back then were truly fun.’

Ruthlessly he reminded Aurora. ‘Fun to see from the sideline, but certainly not hilarious to the point of having joy spreading from their words and acts.’

She sighed, knowing very well that certain scenes weren’t pretty. ‘Indeed, they didn’t know how to help others laugh, only how to make them cry, beg, and despair.’

‘That in itself is an art. The famous quiet performance.’

‘We’re not artistic enough to think of such boundaries, though.’ The voice chuckled at Aurora’s words, finding quite the amusement in them. ‘You’re right. But it depends on the plane, if the perspective is not about assassinating, if it ends up being related to war instead, then we are perfect.’

‘I am unequaled.’ She thought with a big conviction, one greater than any thus far, but alas, that was not true, to the current one, and the girl knew.

‘Of course Aurora, the one and only peerless general.’ It laughed madly in her mind, teasing her and making Aurora close her mouth with both hands. As in reality, if someone saw the girl, they’d think she was just laughing loudly for no apparent reason. Once the glee stopped, she regained temporary sanity, placing both hands on the wood underneath the body, getting up, convicted of the most act that Aurora was yet to realize.

‘Enough playing around! I will not allow the gods to defeat our soul a third time with their schemes, and I’ll find a way for Iris to not die, even if it costs this life.’

‘Sounds like the real you won’t be resting anymore…’ It began crying, regretting saying such phrasing. ‘Correct, we shall do what must be done, awakening her from the slumber and allow the named one, the real general who holds the memories of the first two worlds to take it from here.’ The tearing went on, affecting her real expression, not just an inner one, causing her eyes to turn red and tears to fall. And with an amiable tone the other voice spoke out of pity, but this time not towards the girl. It talked of the predestined despair that would fall into the world of Artana, if she truly did what mustn’t be done. ‘I can almost feel sad for our enemies, to think they would convince you to give up, awakening her from the slumber that I created to stop that ancient madness…’

Aurora gripped her hands tightly, trembling, but knowing she would fail otherwise as her talent and knowledge weren’t enough. ‘Awaken the memories of the second world, grimoire.’

It yelled madly, in terror and fear reverbarting her mind, causing her palms to meet her ears, and then when it stopped, it questioned with a thin voice, a glass-breaking one, like a mouse squeak. ‘Are you really? Truly sure? We will definitely lose and die to her kid!’

‘I believe in Iris if it’s my little sister, then…’ She hoped with all her cells, for the little sibling to manage their owner. Unable to go against the contract as every order required two parts of her existence to proceed, and the one asleep was at Aurora’s side in this theme.

‘As you command piece of the named one. I’ll release all that I can. The ones from the first world before your sister world are impossible, the seal is too strong.’

‘Doesn’t matter, once she awakens, the seal most likely won’t last.’ Tears kept falling through her beautiful blue clear eyes, knowing everything was coming to an end.

With a shivering voice it declared, regretfully but sympathizing with this created vessel. ‘Well, it has been a pleasure to have kept you company this far, even though you will perish with me, here goes and farewell part of my master.’

‘May we meet again my dear grimoire named E-.’

A cluster of memories filled her non-existent brain, interrupting her from any thoughts. Had she been human, Aurora would’ve instantly become completely demented from all of its horrors.

“Ah…” Aurora fell on both knees, leaning forward with the head, allowing bits of golden hair pass through her vision, as it was currently a bit short barely reaching the shoulders. She let out a yawn, and very nonchalantly, her two hands rubbed the eyes, like one do when waking up.

“It seems nothing lasts forever in my dreams… how pleasant they were, having slept for so long. Those two sure did a great job at keeping my slumber lasting, but too bad, they couldn’t possibly resist me. First-world memories, seal release.”

Once more the brain was filled with memories. She clicked her tongue and complained, scorning at them. “Memories only go as far as when I was 1 year old, all the way back to that shitty place. This seal isn’t like the grimoire one, it is quite intricate and complex. I can’t open it, seems to be related to my origin? Well, no matter.’ She clapped her hands thrice. ‘Now I must greet the world, may they welcome the named one. May everyone revere and fear the one who makes the gods tremble in fear and depravity. The single being that makes them resort to millions of sacrifices for a filthy seal.” And so the madness began. A burst of crazy laughter followed through, while she raised her head and then looked around to this new world feeling born anew, like a metamorphosed larva, leaving its cocoon for the first time, expanding its wings, and legs to the sides.

“I will never forget either of you and thank you both for keeping me sane and alive through all those years. I shall humbly reward you both with the three wishes you requested.” She clapped once in their honor. “I will win any war against anyone in this world, be they human, green, or celestial.” Her hands hit each other once more. “I shall preserve the sanity as you requested grimoire, the one you two provided me with so much effort.”

With a third and last clap, she added the words her vessel most wanted to hear. “Lastly, I shall protect your sister Iris till the day she dies, however long that may be. These trio of promises, shall be the price to awaken.”

Notice: The contract has been accepted by all the parts of your soul, you now completely own its authority.

With all the memories and personalities completely merged, she spat on the hands three times, rubbing them afterward while gripping them tightly. “Now then, time to destroy the greens kingdom, and then bring the gods down from their thrones, grimoire summoning.”

Notice: A grimoire can’t use a grimoire.

‘Ah… so this is the way the gods found to seal one of my powers? Treacherous and inconceivable.’ She tilted her head along with the rest of the body to the side, looking sinister and creepy at her own self. ‘How about the three innate abilities that are with me since my birth?’ The named one started searching deep within her soul. ‘Seems like one of them is gone, was it the work of gods? To think they’d steal me of one of my birthrights. Devourer remains even if it’s working differently. Status was it?’

She took a look at the screen information coming to a quick solution. ‘Two of three are with me even if one is unidentified, the power to remain uncontainable, impossible to forever be locked inside a seal, eventually breaking it. The sage did make a nasty way to almost bring an end to me by putting a malefic curse inside of that dimension which would eat me if I tried to escape. Truly disgusting, filthy, yet wise human.’ Her lips took a maleficent shape, as her teeth rubbed into each other, causing an annoying sound for any who might hear.

‘My powers have weakened tremendously, once I had enough mana to face a god, and now am an ant. Disrespectful, and despicable to dishonor me in this way.’ Her gaze quickly turned east, vastly looking for a specific location, feeling with every inch of her body a specific person. ‘Iris was it? The price of the contract, the unidentified power my body is missing…’ She smiled innocently, once again hiding her emotions within a mask. ‘Well, no matter, she’s part of the oath. I’ll allow her to keep it, shall be the trophy for becoming part of my family. Yes, a present. Quite the intricate and special gift indeed.’

It wasn’t long before she remembered something important. ‘How about her? Did she come into this world with me and Iris?’ Realizing that her soul could not feel or reach a certain presence or entity she began chanting melancholically.

“I summon thee, oh, another side of me. The shadow of my body, the controller of darkness. She who was born from the darkest depths of hell. Shunned upon the highest light of heaven. The being who covers the night sky and fills the land with blood and depravity. I seek to find you. To this, I plea my condonation, and spread my arms to welcome you. Now come and rejoice within my warmth. For my world is empty without you. My fellow devourer, devoted to our daring name, I cast upon thou. Tier 10 invocation ritual.”

System: Chanting tiered magic is banned in this world, as such, the request has been blocked and erased. Consider it a warning.

From the madness within herself for once again the world going against her wishes, she started yelling angrily. “You dare warn me!? Me!? Just you wait system and the gods of this world. Pray that I don’t regain my old powers! For this time around you will not last!” Her fist raised towards the sky, clenching it hardly. The girl then descended inside the watchtower wooden cabin. The named one, then punched the bell angrily making it ring, alerting the soldiers of enemies that are coming, at least, that’s what it would normally be used for. “That felt good, an immortal body sure is worthy of me, now to make these lazy mongrels panic.” Laugher slipped out of her lips, along with her body towards a hole in the center that led to some stairs.

The soldiers noticed her coming down and started gathering. “General Aurora? Did you see some goblins up there? I’ve alerted the squadron leaders and the majors, the soldiers are preparing.” Sweat could be noted, dripping through his forehead, along with nervousness and anxiety.

“No greens were coming. Major Marco, we’re the ones going for them.” Upon hearing that the man gulped some saliva down feeling a strange pressure along with an unfamiliar tone. The man not understanding the difference adjusted his silver helmet and voiced loudly out of respect, as she looked serious and fierce, terribly so. “Are we going to all-out war, ma’am?”

She grinned, and quickly refuted his reply, responding sincerely and clearly. “Of course not. We’re going to mess with them, apply the formations I’ve been teaching all of you, and then retreat behind these walls. Especially if they attempt to overwhelm us with numbers.” She looked around, and upon finishing, realizing the people in question weren’t in sight, added calmly and happily. “I just came back after all. Can’t let all the fun end in a single throw of dice.”

“Ah… right…” He made a confused and awkward expression while waiting for orders, as Marco couldn’t possibly process the current her.

“Tell lord Zylph to keep training the men with the cavalry, I won’t be using them for this, as for the rest tell them to gather in front of the gate.”

“Understood.” His head nodded as he spoke. “I’ll go inform him and the squadron leaders right away.”

A different voice suddenly approached her ears. “Aurora!” The girl looked at the source of the voice to her right side, finding major Rondo. “I heard enemies are approaching, how many?” He asked while gasping for some air from all the running.

“You’ll know in a few hours after we mess with them.” An unfamiliar grin passed faintly from her lips not going unnoticed by the man in front. This major, who spent the most time compared to all the others of the same rank learning with Aurora. With caution, he promptly advised, realizing they weren’t under attack. “There are easier ways to prepare the army than pulling the rope to ring the bell general.”

To that her body curved behind a bit, almost looking like she stared down on him. “I didn’t pull any rope, I punched the bell.” She smirked briefly. “Now come, we have some preparations to do while the men get ready.” She turned around and started walking, then paused for a moment, looking back to him.” And by all means, it makes good practice, the more we ring the bell the faster they’ll be prepared for future times.” Aurora resumed her march nonchalantly, leaving the man to his thoughts.

‘Punched?’ He followed her, looking at both her hands not finding redness in it or what could look like some injuries.’ I guess she was kidding? This girl joking does sound unlikely, but…’ He shook his head a few times in an attempt to refresh his thoughts. ‘Well, no matter. We’re finally going to do something other than sitting around preparing.’ He smiled confidently filled with excitement for what was about to come, being able to see Aurora commanding the army. For the men under her, it usually felt like an inspiration for the likes of the majors who aspire to be as great as her one day, and from here onwards, even more so.