A New Life

by Payton Cavallo

  The noblewoman laid her tea on the table. A small frown grew on her face as she clenched her hands tight. “If this is something you don’t wish to discuss, I will simply retract my question. I don’t want to get to personal-“

  “No.” Ailbe interrupted Aethel, the blonde staring at her in shock at the hint of venom in her words. Ailbe took a deep breath, before she exhaled, letting the cool air slip past her lips. “Sorry, it’s just…I’ve never told this to anyone, and it feels good to relinquish this burden from my soul.” She inhaled once again, before breathing out, seeming to push the anger out of herself.

  Her arms were crossed over her womb as she continued on, and a look of pity entered Aethel’s eyes. “It felt like something was stolen from me, that I was less of a maiden because of it.” She let out a harsh laugh. “I was an alchemist, a crafter of the flesh and chemical. Life was my plaything, yet I could conceive none of my own from my accursed womb. It had a sick sense of irony to it.”

  “Ailbe…” The blonde whispered out, a mixture of pity and fury running through her heart. She truly cursed the cretin who had hurt the woman and hoped he suffered the wrath of Miion for his crimes. She knew that she wouldn’t have made it through the troubling times in her life without someone to love, to hang on to. An anchor of sorts, to make sure her ship stayed in port.

  Craeft was her anchor.

  But Ailbe hadn’t even had that.

  “But then I remembered, I was an alchemist. So, I made life.”

  Aethel’s eyes widened at what the other woman said.

  “I can see it in your eyes, you think that it’s wrong, that maybe I’ve done something against Miion and that it’s disgusting-“

  Aethel was quick to interrupt the woman. “No.” The dark-haired woman widened her eyes at that. “I understand why you did it.” She said, her eyes locked on the pink haired child. “She seems just as human as the rest of us, even if she was made differently, and besides,” A smirk grew across the blonde’s face, “her and my son get along quite well.”

  Ailbe was silent for a moment, her eyes appraising Aethel like she was some sort of jewel, scanning her for any defects. It slightly disturbed the blonde as she was inspected, but she seemed to meet the noblewoman’s approval. A smirk played across Ailbe’s lips, one that spoke of both arrogance and a sort of shared comradery between her and the blonde.

  “I knew I could count on a woman of your tastes to be with me on this subject.” She took a sip of her tea, her hand that had been previously clenched around the handle of her cup, as if awaiting judgement from the blonde, was relaxed.

  “Alchemy has had a history of being one of the…darker forays into magic. Potions that can confound the mind or create fire that can melt diamonds,” She tilted her head slightly, “more of the chemical part of the craft than my own, but I know a trick or two with that. But the part that gets the most flak, even as it’s the most essential and used, is the flesh crafting. Whether people screech at my practice yet want perfect skin or silky hair, it matters not. We are no democracy, thankfully, and His Majesty realizes the insanity and stupidity of trying to ban alchemy. Why, we might as well just ban any medical research or chemical research and let out enemies overrun us when they do not limit themselves in such ways. While I may despise the fact that I am little more than a glorified servant to His Majesty, it certainly does have its perks.”

  Aethel nodded. The field of runes had a similar history, though nearly every field did. Conjuration, elemental, runic, alchemy, and more all had a grim history of being abused by mad men and evil people, yet society relied on them to function. She would not judge such a similar soul to her own. “Speaking of servants,” Aethel prodded, trying to distract the woman from her minor rant. “Who are those men in black that are watching over the children? Servants of yours I presume?”

  Ailbe tilted her head. “In a fashion. But more like flesh-automatons, or homunculus if you prefer the term. I call them guardians.”

  Now that Aethel really looked at them, she could spot the odd features that would expose their true inhumanity. Their unflinching gaze, their pale skin, the skin of a corpse, and their eyes…they were seen as the window to the soul, but when Aethel looked into theirs, she saw nothing.

  It was like Ailbe had said.

  A flesh-automaton.

  A living machine.

  She shivered as she watched them gaze back at her, their cold dead eyes staring at her for a mere moment before they returned to the two children. “They are the prototypes you know, for my daughter.” Aethel’s eyes widened, thoughts of how that could be possible, those large brutes being the blueprint for that cute little girl. “I know she may not look it, but my daughter is as close to biologically perfect as I could make her. I could afford nothing less than that for my heir.”

  Aethel tilted her head in confusion. The little girl looked normal, at least from the distance she could see her, and she acted normal. One well known fact about homunculus was that they were soulless, little more than lifeless bodies unless given a purpose. Even the military rarely used them, so for her to be acting like a normal child was…strange at the very least. “They were the prototype for her?” Her tone was tinged with confusion. “But…shouldn’t she be a lifeless husk?”

  “I said she was as close to perfect as I could make her, and I spared no expenses when I made her.” Aethel held back a shiver as she heard the tone of Ailbe’s voice. It was a combination of love and a strange scientific curiosity. “The soul was a bit tricky, but I believed I managed to mimic one close enough.”

  “A…false soul?” Aethel asked, her green eyes wide as she looked at the young girl.

  “To be fair, I didn’t create it per say. She had one when I “birthed” her, but it was tiny, and running completely on instinct. Once I fused her with the homunculus, it seemed to grow on its own and form a mimicry of a normal humans.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s less her soul that concerns me then her biology. She is made of my flesh but managed to defeat the genetic curse that afflicted my family for generations within moments of her birth.”

  “Wait, you gave birth? I thought you said you couldn’t conceive?” Aethel asked, a sense of curiosity filling her mind. She knew the woman had declared herself to be practically sterile, yet used the wording of “birth”, which meant she must have some hand in it. Yet, she doubted it was so simple as merely adding her flesh to a homunculus. Ailbe seemed to aim for the skies when she practiced her alchemy.

  “Tell me, do you know what a teratoma is?” Aethel shook her head. “I thought not. They are considered cancerous growths, tumors, but they contain parts of the human body. Hair, teeth, eyes, even veins and muscles. One day, I found myself growing weary and faint, feeling sickly, and, I noticed a bulge in my ovaries. Lough and behold, once I removed it through the help of a healer, I had found a strange head like tumor. It had strange pink hair, big round eyes, teeth, and even a developed vascular system. I was heartbroken at first. I was so close to conceiving life from my accursed womb, and yet was left only with a deformed tumor, a baby born of malignant cells gone wrong. I had tried several times before you know, but all my births were stillborn.”

  Ailbe’s eyes were watery, as the woman tried to hold back her tears. Aethel would have tried to comfort the woman, if she had not been so entranced by the woman’s story, a bit of curiosity filling her mind. “But that’s when I realized those cells were still alive. Just because they were outside of my body meant nothing, they were still my flesh. So, I created a baby homunculus and fused the two together.” The smile was serene on the woman’s face. “And that was how Mona was born. Of course, I played around a bit with her genetics, but the fusion of the tumor cells with the fully functional cells of a homunculus was fascinating enough on its own. In fact, why don’t I show you?”

  “Should we really interrupt them? They seem to be having so much fun.” Aethel said. Craeft was clearly having the time of his life, finally having found a friend to play with, and
she was hesitant to break that in any way.

  “I insist.” Ailbe seemed to completely ignore the other woman’s words as she whistled. The two robed figures snatched the silver ball out of the air, before they walked the two children back to their parents.

  “Hey mom! She’s my new friend!” Craeft said as he held onto the hand of Mona. The pink haired girl was shy as she waved back at the blonde woman, a bit scared as the intensity of Aethel’s gaze.

  “H-hello. Your son is really nice.” The girl said. Her voice was normal, Aethel noticed, and while she was bit on the pale side, it wasn’t too out of the ordinary for someone of her stature in society. She was an heiress, and should be kept from the harsh elements.

  But her eyes.

  They were a sickening yellow, the iris having grown to cover the entirety of her eyes, the pupil the only thing that stood out against the putrid yellow. Everything else seemed normal about her, barring the pink hair of course, but the eyes gave away the inhumanity of her origin.

  It was strange, seeing something that was so human, yet just the slightest bit off. But, overall, she seemed like a normal girl. She knew that most citizens would balk and gag at the lengths that Ailbe went to ensure an heir, but Aethel couldn’t help but be fascinated. Sure, she knew that it was slightly repulsive, using a tumor as a way to create life, but Aethel knew that Runic Crafters created life all the time, yet instead of it being made of flesh and bone, theirs was made of metal and stone.

  “Mona. Come here,” Ailbe said in a calm voice that left no room for discussion. Aethel noticed that the girl was hesitant, and saw a slight bit of fear in her eyes. Why was she so terrified, Aethel thought as she watched the girl let go of her son’s hand and walk up to the woman. “Good, now show Aethel the hand trick.”

  “M-mother, please don’t make me do-“

  “Do it.” The demanding tone shocked Aethel slightly. She knew that as a mother, she had to be strict, but the girl seemed clearly uncomfortable from the demand, yet her mother didn’t seem to care. Aethel saw Ailbe’s amulet glove spark for a moment, and so did the child as she cringed in fear. It sent a few warning bells ringing in Aethel’s head, making her question the relationship Ailbe had with her daughter.

  ‘But perhaps I’m just reading too much into things.’ Aethel thought as she looked at Mona.

  Mona was silent as she held up a dainty hand before it rippled and crackled, bones and muscles moved and rapidly reformed till her arm ended as a sort of fleshy tentacle. The blonde woman noticed that the girl seemed to try to hide, not wanting to be the center of attention. She doubted this was the first time the noblewoman had touted this girl in front of people, possibly to show off her abilities and alchemical skill.

  Regardless, Aethel thought it to be impressive. Shocking, and a little disturbing from the crackling of bone and flesh that was made to form the tentacle, but impressive nonetheless. The girl seemed to notice the look in her eyes, one of acceptance, and slowly came out of her shell, no longer trying to hide the tentacle behind her other dainty arm.

  “Fascinating isn’t it? Her origins allowed her body to constantly produce stem cells and transport them via a pseudo-vascular system. She has the ability to be able to form entirely new veins, muscles, bones, and organs, depending on the situation she finds herself in. Her magic is the code her body uses to initiate the transformations, allowing her to pull off many forms. Perfection made flesh.” Ailbe said, her eyes locked onto her daughter.

  “Indeed.” Aethel stood up and walked over to the girl, her tall form towering over the young pinkette. The young girl looked up at the woman, and Aethel kneeled down to the girl’s level. “Your name is Mona, right?”

  “Y-yeah.” Aethel thought it adorable how shy the little girl was.

  “My name is Aethel Proudhill.” She stretched her hand out, and the girl shook it. Or rather, she wrapped her tentacle around it before she blushed in embarrassment and changed it back into a hand, before she tried again. “I find you to be quite the adorable little thing.”

  “Y-you do?” She asked. The bit of desperation in her voice caused Aethel to glance Ailbe’s way. The child seemed desperate for any affection, and if there was one thing the blonde was good for, it was showering her own child with love. She could always extend it to one more.

  “Of course. That, and you and my son seem to get along just fine. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him be that happy.” She said. The little girl turned to her side and spotted the small blonde boy as he gave her a wide smile.

  Craeft seemed to have not thought less of her due to her transformative abilities. “Do you like playing with him? I mean, a nice girl like you probably has a lot of friends and wouldn’t want to be stuck with a yucky boy like him.” Craeft look offended, but the young girl giggled.

  “He’s not yucky ma’am. He’s funny.” She replied, her yellow eyes lit up with delight. “Besides,” The smile turned into a frown as she looked down at the ground, “I don’t really have many friends. Mom says-“ She stopped herself, “I just don’t have many friends.”

  “Well, why don’t we fix that?” Aethel smiled. “Whenever you want, you can come over to my home, and if I’m there, you can play with Craeft. I’ll even teach you some rune crafting. Would you like that?”

  “I’d love to!” She shouted in excitement, before a glance from her mother made her seem to shrink in on herself, a little embarrassed by her outburst. “I-I’d mean, I’d really enjoy that ma’am.”

  A small chuckle escaped the blonde’s lips. “And I’d love to have you over. Now run along. I’m sure Craeft is just aching to play with you some more.” The blonde boy was practically vibrating in place, his sheer excitement emanating through the air around him.

  “Y-yes ma’am.” She said, a small smile on her face as she practically dragged Craeft back to the field so they could continue their game. The dark robed figures followed and once they were gone, Aethel returned to her seat.

  “Did you like it? Her abilities I mean? They are quite fascinating, and I just wish the rest of us could experience what that was like, being able to transform into anything with the flick of a wrist, in a manner of speaking.” Ailbe said. Aethel didn’t speak as she simply watched the kids play. “Aethel?”

  “It’s…nothing.” The blonde replied. She didn’t want to tell the woman about how she felt about her daughter. Clearly, the young girl was scared of her mother, but it would be rude to discuss that when she was a guest in the noblewoman’s estate. “And yes, her abilities were quite impressive. But about Mona, would you mind if she came over? I’m sure Craeft would enjoy it, and she seems lonely.”

  Ailbe’s face pursed up. “It’s just…I don’t want her meeting the wrong sort of people and getting strange ideas in her head. But you are right. Perhaps allowing her to grow more with a woman I can trust would be beneficial to her development. Speaking about things that are beneficial to your development, I really need to recompense you for Mr. Leas lax hunting skills.” She whistled again, and one of the dark robed figures left, before it returned several minutes later with a young woman.

  She was short, with short brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. She wore a brown dress that went down to her knees and covered her arms, along with a strange beaded necklace around her neck. Aethel thought she was simply plain, but she could see the intelligence in those eyes.

  And she did not feel comfortable under their gaze.

  “This is Ms. Lianza Lane.”

  “The daughter of the man I replaced?” Aethel asked, and she could practically hear the woman grit her teeth.

  “Yes, that daughter.” Lianza replied, anger coloring her words.

  “Oh, be quiet you.” Ailbe said, “You owed me a large amount of money, just as your father did. And unlike him, you have no proficiency in the field of rune crafting. So, to help work off your debt, you will be helping take care of Ms. Proudhill till she fully recovers.” She held up her hand as Aethel looked as if she was about to protes
t the decision. “And, not to worry Ms. Proudhill. I will be paying for her food and care so it will cost you nothing. I realize you are in poor financial circumstances, and it would be horrid of me to hurt you by burdening you further.”

  “What?! You can’t make me do that when I-“

  “Either do it or I’ll find a far more useful way to help pay off your debts, and I’m sure you wouldn’t like that.” The brunette seemed to shiver before she admitted defeat. “Good. You’ll be going home with Ms. Proudhill tonight. Am I clear?”

  Aethel could hear the woman’s teeth grind together, her jaw clenched as she replied. “Crystal.”

  The day soon turned to evening, and after a tearful goodbye between Craeft and Mona, the two blondes left with their new guest in tow.

  Aethel had a feeling she would regret taking Lianza with her.

  Chapter Seven

  “You aren’t still on about that whole werewolf deal are you?”

  “Are you still stuck on that? We’ve had this conversation before and I’m sick of having to repeat myself with you.” Aethel asked as she clenched the chisel in her hand, sorely tempted to throw it at the shorter woman. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ailbe had sent Lianza as a gift, and she was not the kind of person to do hurt someone just because they offended her, she would have.

  Over the past few weeks, she really believed she should have trusted her instincts and fought harder to have Mrs. Alcott keep the young brunette, as shortly after they arrived at her home, the girl had the audacity to start ordering her around.

  She did not like the fact that she had a servant, as she viewed it as distasteful, and a small insult, though she was sure the noblewoman hadn’t meant that when she gave Lianza to her. Aethel was strong, and knew she could take care of herself.