First Time | By : smutville Category: +S through Z > Shadow Hearts Views: 3040 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Shadow Hearts, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
She knew that the night was far from over though it was
already late and she’s tired from her recent ordeal.
But, knowing him as she did, Alice was well aware that Yuri won’t be
satisfied until he had given her a piece of his mind.
Longingly, she stole a glance at her bed, at the inviting,
fluffy pillow and warm blanket, and wished she could just curl up and
sleep…but, Yuri would be here soon and she sent a silent prayer that his anger
has somewhat lessened.
Alice
bit her lip as she stared unseeingly at her open wardrobe, the blue eyes hazy
with worry as she glanced at the clothes neatly hung. Without bothering with
selection, Alice
pulled out the first thing she could reach, shrugging as she realized it was
the white and blue outfit she wore that night on the train.
Maybe this will soften
him up. The thought occurred to her suddenly, giving her a small ray of
hope. Perhaps her appearance might distract him from his foul mood. Yuri has
always favored this dress, the one she had worn that night they first met.
I’ve never seen him
this mad before. Alice
thought as she unbuttoned the fitted top. Not
even when he found out about Zhuzhen’s involvement
with his father. There was a disconcerting air of violence about him,
barely leashed, shimmering just beneath the surface. He looks like a man on the
breaking edge and…she’s quite frightened of him.
I did what I have to
do…Alice
bit her lip as slipped on her dress, silky locks of silvery hair clouded her
vision as she bent her head to button her top. Distractedly, Alice tucked the unbound locks behind her
ear, then slipped on her skirt. I just
can’t leave a restless, wandering soul like that…not when I can do something to
help.
Only she has discerned that Ewan
was already dead. Alice
sensed it, the moment she stepped inside Gismot’s bar
and saw him standing there, murmuring to himself, she knew that Ewan was a restless ghost who hasn’t moved on.
Yuri wasn’t interested to help the man. “Look, I know you
want to help him, honey…but if our friend Albert isn’t stopped soon, us helping that man won’t do any good.” He had reasoned to
her, and though Alice
can see where he’s coming from, she just couldn’t turn her back on another
needy soul.
I was given this gift
for a reason…Perhaps Yuri wouldn’t understand, but it goes against her
nature to deny another person help when she’s fully capable of giving it. And Alice just couldn’t let Ewan suffer any more, he’s been
tormented long enough already.
If only Margarete and Keith were here, they would have accompanied
me. But the blonde spy had returned with Keith to Blue
Castle, and Halley had stayed in London with his mother.
Zhuzhen wasn’t too keen on Alice’s idea of
investigating Ewan’s case, but seeing the determined
look on her face, the adept knew just how stubborn she can be, and reluctantly
agreed to accompany her. The old man also knew that if he were to run to Yuri
and tell him about Alice’s
madcap of a plan, she’ll leave on her own without them.
And so, the two of them set off in the
middle of the night, while Yuri lay slumbering in his room at the inn. Night
was the ideal time to investigate poltergeists, as this was also the hour when
most supernatural activities occur more frequently.
The house Ewan mentioned was
situated not far from Prague’s
outskirts, it was also easy to locate as it was the only house built in a
remote area, the nearest neighbor some half a mile away.
She had no more than taken a few steps near the old house
that Alice
immediately sensed that they were facing something more sinister than their
previous investigations. There was something about the house and its grounds
that gave her gooseflesh.
The garden, or what used to be one, has been left untended
for what seemed like ages, the trees were bare, completely lifeless, the ground
barren except for skeletal framework of twigs and sticks of what could have
been bushes when they still lived.
The house itself fared no better.
“There’s no one here.” Zhuzhen
said, “This house was allowed to rot and decay over the years of disuse! It’s
not even habitable, why would Ewan want to free this
house from ghosts? They’ll only come back again as long as this house remains
unoccupied.” The old man grumbled as he tugged on his beard. “Let’s go back Alice, this is just a waste of time.”
“Wait.” Alice
said as the old man turned to leave. “This place yearns for cleansing…the
spirits have been trapped here for too long…there’s an aura of bitterness all
around the house…can’t you feel it?”
“Yes. But what good will it do?
Anyone would think twice before inhabiting this place. See? Even the indigent
stayed away.”
But Alice
was no longer listening, she had pushed the door open
and stepped inside the house. Cursing beneath his breath, Zhuzhen
was left with no other choice but to follow her.
It was dark inside, without electricity to light their way.
It took a moment for their eyes to acclimatize to the gloom, the moon rays from
the large window, the only source of light. The interior fared only a bit
better than the outside. The first thing she saw through the dim atmosphere was
a single staircase leading to the second floor. The foyer had antique, dusty
furniture, and an old painting must have fallen off its hook, leaving only a
lightened area on the wall as the only sign that it had hung there before.
“Don’t go anywhere before I get this lantern to work.” Zhuzhen said, though he knew that Alice had more sense than to grope in the
dark.
Though the lantern helped them see their way, there were
areas the light couldn’t reach, casting shadows that made the place all the
more eerie.
An old grandfather clock stood near the foot of the stairs,
its pendulum unmoving, the clock face too dusty to see
the hour it stopped working.
“I wonder how long it was since anyone’s been here.” Alice said to Zhuzhen who was surveying the place through his monocle.
“Too long, even this house has probably forgotten.”
Alice
thought the words sounded sad, but said nothing. Cautiously, they examined the place,
the floor beneath them protested with creaky, scratchy sounds with every step,
making Alice
worry if it would be able to sustain her weight. Indeed, some boards have
either collapsed or are missing.
“Alice!
Are you all right?” Zhuzhen asked in concern as Alice fell down on her
knees.
“Oh! Sorry about that, I was just—Eeeek!” Alice
gasped as the clock suddenly chimed, startling the wits out of her for a
moment. Apparently it had just struck midnight.
“I just stepped on something and it’s too dark to see what
it is.” Alice explained
shakily, slightly embarrassed as she showed him what appears to be a crank for
the clock.
Zhuzhen shook his head, though he
was just as startled as she was. “That’s strange, I would
have sworn that clock stopped working ages ago.” He eyed the large device, its
pendulum still unmoving, and merely shrugged. “Well then, shall we continue?”
They decided to leave the second floor for later and headed
on towards the door across the old clock. It led them to a great room, with a
fireplace on the side.
“What kind of creature is that?” Zhuzhen
said as he pointed at the animal trophy above the fireplace. “A
deer?”
“A-antelope, probably from eastern
Europe.” Alice
said, shuddering as she looked at the stuffed head. She gasped as the staring
eyes glowed red, while the hair at back of her neck stood on end.
“Something is coming.” Alice
warned. Zhuzhen nodded, swinging his staff, battle
ready as they conditioned themselves to meet the ‘inhabitants’ of the house
From one of the darkened corners of the great room, a shape
condensed, slowly approaching the two.
Alice
sent a silent prayer for protection and prepared herself for their first
battle.
Afterwards…
“She…she was burned alive.” Alice panted as the ghost of a girl vanished,
whose screams still bore the pain she suffered before her death. Alice shuddered, wondering
if she’ll ever forget the grotesque appearance of the girl,
her skin burned away, the muscles on her face falling apart.
“She’ll be back.” Zhuzhen said, as
he too sat down to rest. Alice
couldn’t agree more, she knew that as long as the ‘strongman’ remains, the
spirits will continue to haunt the house in an endless cycle, bound to this
place, forever reliving the agony they had while they still lived.
“I wonder what’s in there.” Alice said as she stood up, brushing the dust
off her skirt. Zhuzhen looked at the direction she
pointed, at the tall, arched windows at the other side of the room. The door
was left open, and he can see dead branches showing through the window panes.
“Must lead outside.” He murmured,
following Alice who was already walking towards that direction.
The area wasn’t as big as he’d imagined, just large enough
for a small garden and…and a fountain. Both were quite surprised to find it was
still working. Just like the front of the house, this back garden too, was
desolate, no plant or tree survived the long years of neglect.
“What is it?” Zhuzhen asked,
puzzled as he watched Alice
fold the sleeve on her right arm.
“There’s something at the bottom. Help me.” She said,
clasping the old man’s arm, as a precaution should she lose her balance, it
would be a very cold dunk in the water indeed if she fell.
“Can you do it?” Zhuzhen asked
after a moment, as Alice
continued groping beneath the water.
“A-almost there…Aha!” Alice crowed triumphantly
as her fingers touched something other than slimy algae. They found a key, a
bit rusty but probably still useable.
“Maybe we can use this upstairs. Shall we proceed there
now?”
They found what appears to be the library on the second
floor. Books were strewn about on the floor in disarray and a slide projector
was set beside the couch. Alice
gazed out at the window and saw the fountain below,
she couldn’t approach the window too closely for a desk was blocking the way.
An open journal lay on top of the desk. Alice looked at the opened page and tried to
read the words written. It appeared to be written by a child, the penmanship
still clumsy.
…Lillith kindly spoke to me. Perhaps this will ease my loneliness somewhat.Nice meeting you, Lillith!
They didn’t find any use for the key upstairs and decided to
explore the house and its grounds further.
Finally, the investigation led the pair of exorcists below
the shed that was built beside the main house. Curiously Alice approached the door at the bottom of
the stairs and turned the wheel that served as the door’s handle. The door opened
to reveal a room. Both were startled to see a wooden horse rocking in the
center, a doll sitting on its saddle. But beyond the eerie rocking motion of
the horse, nothing else happened.
“Looks like a girl’s bedroom.” Zhuzhen said,
cautiously peeking at the toys on the floor. The room was furnished with a bed,
a luxurious one from the look of it, though someone has ripped the sheets and
there was a hole on the pillow.
Alice
felt chills course through her skin as she saw the teddy bear with its cut
stomach, and the stuffing spilling out. There were wet, strewn papers on the
floor too, drawings from the look of it, all of them blood curdling.
“Look at this.” Zhuzhen pointed
against the wall, where the wallpaper or paint has worn off. The walls were
riddled with the words, “HELP ME!” written in blood red, making Alice wince. Somehow she
was fairly certain that Ewan had written those words.
Alice
sensed great evil in the room, but she could not pinpoint its source, and there
was nothing much they can do unless the entity decides to reveal itself.
“Let’s check the main house once more.” Alice said to Zhuzhen,
as she reached for the door. Maybe if they return later, they’ll—
“Hey, where ya goin’?” A voice behind them said.
Her heart jumped at the spooky, child-like voice, but Alice quickly controlled herself.
“Wh-who’s there?!”
“Ahha ha ha… Over here. Don’t you see me?”
But there was no one else in the room besides her and Zhuzhen except for, “a doll?!” The doll she has seen on the slide projector, the very same one who now sat on the rocking horse.
“Heehee! Don’t be so scared. You’re my new friend, right? In place of Lillith? C’mon. Let’s play!”
“Is Lillith the girl on the slide? …So that means, you’re Laura.” And the childish writing we saw near the projector has been written by this doll!
“Yes. Lillith died. Ewan only comes home once in awhile.”
A sudden, strong evil aura began to emit from the doll, it was getting stronger by the second. Zhuzhen and Alice braced themselves as ‘Laura’ finally revealed its true form.
Shivers ran down Alice’s spine as the voice changed too, becoming more unearthly, as though spoken by a unified legion of voices. “Come on, play with me!‘Till death!”
The monster before them was indeed a legion, or at least a mass of countless amputated limbs and flesh. A more developed body, with child- like proportions, stood out from the appalling, spherical mass.
Alice felt her stomach turn at the sight. There were flailing limbs protruding from the ball, moving as if with life of its own, still struggling weakly to be free…
“Here it comes.” Zhuzhen warned as
he took on a battle pose.
Shuddering, Alice
opened her book and prepared to cast a spell—
An abrupt knocking on the door,
broke through her trance. With a start, Alice
looked at the direction of the sound. She has been so immersed in her memories
of that abominable place that she’d forgotten that she’s back at the inn, back
in her room, freshly bathed, safe and warm
“Alice?
I’m coming in.” The voice behind the door said and without waiting for her
answer, Yuri pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Yuri walked over to where she sat on the bed, a brush on her
hand. With gleaming, amber eyes, he took in her appearance, whistling
appreciatively as he studied her legs, bereft of white stockings for the first
time. “Hmmm…nice!” He murmured beneath his breath, her
legs were more beautiful than he’d ever imagined, sleek and long and delicately
shaped, with pink, dimpled knees. But, the pleased smile left him as he saw her
face.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
Alice touched her head self consciously, she had been
braiding her hair, only one side done when Yuri came, and decided to undo it
completely, letting her hair fall freely down her shoulders.
“You okay?” He asked, cocking his head to one side.
“Y-yes…I’m fine.” Rather than meet his eyes, Alice looked down at his
feet, wondering if he’s still angry with her. He doesn’t sound like it, and
he’s acting as though he had not lashed out at her on their way back here from Ewan’s house.
Silence stood between them.
“This…feels kinda awkward.” Yuri
said as he shrugged off his trench coat. He was cold after his bath, but now
the warmth was almost too much.
Unable to find a place to hang his coat, he dumped it on the
bed, just beside Alice,
the buckles made a metallic clink! sound, but after that, everything was silent once again.
Alice
risked a glance at him, though still avoiding meeting his eyes. His hair was
wet, nearly plastered to his scalp, droplets of water trickled from stray
locks, to be absorbed by the neck of his shirt.
Yuri opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out.
C’mon boy, you can do it! He hadn’t
mean to talk to her that way, he was just overcame with fear, with anger at the
thought of losing her, that he had…well, he told her exactly what he thought of
her going off without him.
Anger stirred within him again at the memory of that
horrible moment, he’d come almost too late, too late to save her from that
monster at the cursed place. But along with the anger, came an emotion that was
akin to despair…If I have lost you…if
you’ve been killed…The mere thought was too much to bear, a hiss escaped
him as Yuri fought to control the tide of emotions that swelled within him.
“You’re still angry with me?” Alice asked tentatively as she rose from the
bed.
Yuri looked at her, and she caught a glimpse of the despair
he felt, making her even more contrite. She had never spared a moment to think
how her actions would affect him, she had been worried about Ewan’s soul that...
“My God! I could have lost you! You
could have been hurt worse…or killed!” Suddenly he grasped her arms, just above
the elbows.
“But you came to save me…I’m fine…” She sensed the urgency
beneath his hands, his grasp almost painful, the
anguish underlying his words.
“Don’t ever disobey me like that again, you hear?”
“I won’t…I promise…”
She gasped as he pulled her into his arms, and then sighed
as she rubbed her cheek against the hard wall of his chest. His heart throbbed
beneath her skin, strong and frantic, telling her how
much he was still affected.
“I’m sorry I went off without you, I—“
“Damned right you should be sorry! I had in mind to pull you
over my knees and paddle that butt - so hard you won’t be able to sit for a
week!” He threatened.
“Yuri, don’t.” Alice
chided, she felt guilty enough as it is. It wasn’t just her own life she’d
risked tonight, but Zhuzhen and Yuri’s too.
Yuri sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. “Just…don’t
go anywhere without me again, you hear?”
Alice
nodded her head, snuggling closer to him. His warmth was addicting, his
presence so reassuring…
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