Rite to Ruin [Private]

Spending the time she had wanted to spend traveling about gave her time to reflect on things in her life. Be it the mother she detested, the impositions given to her and forced to carry on in life, the darker, more withdrawn phase of her life had mattered now in present day. However, it never stopped one from dwelling on their past when the time was long and short of it was activities to fill it. Her mind often went adrift in times of free thought for an excessive amount of time. To that, she'd often find herself making things move along quicker. Be it leaving enjoyable places for happier trails or forcing herself to interact with strangers in order to let her mind become occupied with other things besides her own past. It wasn't a hard issue to tend to, thankfully.

Peace Village was one of those places where Aristotle had felt a little more than comfortable. It almost was made to feel like a second home. Much to her delight even, there were others within that knew how to hand sign, which only made her feel much more normal. having mainly ever communicated through Napedian Sign Language and the more common Fiore Sign Language made communication much more fun for everyone involved. She could see just why it was called Peace Village. If it weren't for her wanting to continue exploring the rest of the country of Fiore, she would have probably planted her feet down in the village here and set up shop, so to speak. Besides, she wasn't sure if they could help with her current predicament and that had become her mission within this place.

A strange box had been given to her that she had been told was passed down through her family for generations. Not one single person with no amount of might or power, neither deft or force could open this box or even make the lid budge. Tools could not pry its components loose and magic did nothing to it either no matter the form used on it. Ari's mother obsessed over this box almost as much as she had in making sure Aristotle knew her lineage of magic and asserting herself to the summons within its capabilities. After she was arrested and placed with the Napedian prison, she had made habit to ask about the box every time she managed to speak to Aristotle. Though much to her expectations, the daughter cared not for it. However, when she left Napedia to hide within the borders of Fiore did she receive the box to take with her. Should someone else with their family or someone else come looking for it, it was best she take it and find answers to this mystery.

When the disturbance hit the village, some were immediately confused. Meanwhile, the deaf woman knew nothing about it. She had been enjoying herself with a nice, delicious lunch when someone grabbed her attention. The panic in their face got her to reach into the bookbag she had with her and pulled out an odd looking device. Shaped like a cat ear like hairband, the summoner slipped it onto her head and then put the earbud applications into her ears. After a moment, it began to react and the sounds of screaming, panicking cries, and destruction was now apparent. "Go hide, get as many childrens as you can. Now, rapidement!" Motioning to them, she got up and made her way out of the building, watching many creatures ravaging the village.

Abyssal matter would appear along her left side, sculpting itself into the shape of a trident. Taking a formal battle stance towards the creatures, she would stare them down with the intent to stall until the villagers could escape. "Viles bêtes, en garde!"

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It was harder for her to ignore her surroundings. The mangled and ravaged corpses that hung around the streets were enough to churn her stomach. Even as the blonde woman looked on at blood thirsty creatures, they all stopped their actions in order to look right towards her. The sinking feeling of regret had started to overcome her little by little. Even now they squashed the mages and even armed civilians that tried to defend their village with little to no effort. If they couldn't do anything to them, what did she think she had in her to do it? Some creepy, ancient, dark magic? One she never wanted? It didn't matter in the moment right now. She was going to put it to a good use and that would be to try and save as many people as she could.

Her concentration had been broken multiple times by the sound of frantic screaming and this ominous feeling. Something that seemed to pierce her to the core. It was beyond the sensation of being watched, it was like being read from the inside-out. A very unearthly and different feeling, however she felt it to be something she'd felt before. Was it something to do with her ancestry? Was it one of those instances where you feel the memory of a past life within your own in form of deja vu? Whatever it was had begun to drive her mind off of the fierce creatures near her. Aristotle had begun to feel her mind moving away from the focus of the fight to bring her mind to the brink of the reality before her when in the blink of an eye, it stopped.

Was she just lost in thought too long? The creatures all stopped moving and the few that were found and around were just nearby Ari as she attempted to defend them from the invanding monsters. But, it changed when a beamingly positive voice cheered from the other side of the mob. Making way for them stood a seemingly normal looking girl, but again that feeling hit. Who was she? Just looking at her began to make her breathing heavier. A sense of fear oozed from the stranger in a sense that was absorbed like a sponge within the deaf mage. Though she could pick up her voice, the girl couldn't stop looking with an expression of horror. Her hands were shaking, both of fear and frustration.

But the girl paused for a moment, meeting Aristotle's and remaining quiet. That feeling alone paralyzed her. Even so much so that breathing felt impossible. There's no way this girl was some associate of her mothers either. This all had to be a coincidence, right? "Just what kind of game are you playing? These are peoples lives you're playing with!" Ari finally snapped back, breaking the hurdle of fear imposed on her by the mere sight of this woman.

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Just how insane was this strange woman? the way she had commanded these creatures showed her capabilities were far beyond Aristotles. Not to mention that with the way the girl seemed to take such delight in the way the other villagers had acted brought some form of a sadistic delight to the golden eyed attacker. When she had answered Ari's question with the impression that she was practically an idiot for her not knowing why she had decided to do something like it, she laughed like this were all a game to her. Well, frankly it was a game to this person. But what was the purpose of it? Whatever it was, she seemed to take a little extra delight out of see the way Aristotle was reacting to it all.

The suspicion seemed to be either boasting arrogance or that it was something more like she was aiming for her to be a larger part of her game. However, when the strange, yet antique like gun appeared in her hand, the summoner wanted to stop her. Instead, the beasts she controlled had restrained each and every survivor before she came to approach the group left. She had begun to lay out the rules of this little game they were going to be playing and the way she had done it made her think that she was looking for something... or someone. Granted, the Napedian was not the only guest staying within the village and with several being among the group that was held down by these beasts currently.

As this 'host' as she called herself continued to march along the line of captives, she had paused before a little girl and declared her to be the first for this little game. Opening her mouth, ready to say that the girl had nothing to do with this, it seemed her own mother had survived the onslaught before being grouped with the others. She screamed out trying to defend her daughter and it... it didn't go over well at all. Moving from the little girl, a feeling of relief came over the blonde for a moment until she saw what was coming next. The woman didn't seem to take kindly to the simple motherly act and in a fit of rage cracked her in the head with the butt of her gun. What happened next was among the most traumatic, heinous thing she ever witnessed. The sounds alone made her regret ever putting in the device necessary to hear, The way the bones cracked and smashed.

And yet... she couldn't look away. The fear paralyzed her and the look on her face during it showed. She had been dead silent through it all, unable to find a word or even the first thought of what she was to do in a situation like this. Her attention didn't leave the mangled corpse until she caught the movement of the woman from the corner of her eye. When her head turned to face her, Aristotle looked down to the bloodied end of the gun, dripping blood slowly. A faint glow began to shine through the backpack on her back. The strange sensation of magic from it had caught the blonde's attention, but not taking her away from her gaze on the bloodied gun under her chin. "What- ...What do you want from us?" She managed to sputter out, finally looking up into the woman's mismatched gaze.

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The way her expression changed once again was more terrifying than having watched her bash that poor woman’s skull in. The cold way she asked her if she was being serious had come to bring a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach from it. What was she after? She never once said what it was, but she’d albeit torn the village apart looking for it. Why would she not want it mentioned? Suddenly, the woman snapped. Screaming at the blonde, she couldn’t help but smirk hearing the question. Well, technically yes, Aristotle was deaf and if not for the pair of mechanical like cat ears on her head, she would surely be forced to say it for sure. Instead, she straightened her expression out before being thrown to the ground by the beasts. ”W-Wait, am I about to be next!?” She wondered to herself as the gravity of her question seemed to be the force of her own death at this rate.

The enraged woman gripped up Ari by the hair with such force that it caused her to scream out in pain. And just like that, she was let go and dropped to the ground wheee she continued to lay. Unable to get up despite her own attempts, the application of the woman’s magic seemed to only brighten the glow of the item in her bag. One in which the deranged host had begun to dig through until she pulled it out. The Napedian woman tried to pick her head up enough to see the item in which she was talking about, only to see that it was the box she’d come to Fiore with! Why was that box so important to her? Nobody in her family ever knew what was in the box, but she was willing to destroy entire villages, murder countless lives... and for what!? A box she couldn’t open!? Even as the thoughts raced in her head about it, she seems inclined to have known it wouldn’t be opened by anyone. Then why go after it if you couldn’t open it either?

That was when the words came from her mouth... the key... was Aristotle? Why her? A box that was in her family for generation after generation, unable to be opened by any of them either was now suddenly placed on her hands? ”Menteuse! That box is impossible to open!! Vat makes you think I am this key you need!?” She yelled back, so riled up in a conundrum of emotions so much so that she hadn’t noticed her accent had come, the minstrelois tongue slipping in simply out of distress. ”If that’s all you want, take it and leave this place! Otherwise, foutre Le camp.”

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Menteuse - Liar
Foutre Le camp - f*ck off

The way that this woman had reacted drew an angry gaze. Gritting her teeth from the way she had begun to act when it shifted in the blink of an eye from a small fit of maniacal laughter into lashing out. With a sudden and swift crack of her foot across Aristotle’s face face no emotional cry. Her body could not move even from that, only her head rocking back and forth from the impact and pure momentum of the kick. A few droplets of blood landed nearby and the blonde even coughed a little before spitting out some onto the woman’s dress, though she honestly didn’t intend to do so. Simply lashing out against her like this wasn’t above something she expected at this point. If anything, it showed just how much of a lunatic this “host” truly was. She began to bring her ancestors into the mix of things. For whatever reason that may have been, it seemed odd to her that she be making a comparison like that to her, but here she was.

Her body was still wracked with fear from what was to come to. ”What... what are you talking about?” She questioned, trying to look up to her. Suddenly, her body began to move on its own almost. Getting up onto her feet, she was showing a look of fear on her face from how her body was reacting of someone else’s accord aside from her own. That didn’t seem to be all. The multi eye colored woman had vanished from sight suddenly. Then, her voice carried in a whisper as though the wind carried it from afar just into her ear. The way she made it sound had made her think that she was truly going to have to kill Aristotle in order to get what she wanted. Her heart was racing from the moment that voice touched her ear, trying to look around only to find she had no control.

Her eyes followed the insane woman as began to pace around the surviving group, ranting and raving about how they stole something from her and the way she reacted. In a seething like rage, the woman turned her gun onto a random villager and fired it into their chest. ”Stop this! Y-You have me, just let them go!” She cried out, watching as their body was dragged off and begun to be feasted upon just like all the rest. ”What kind of deal could they have made that would make anyone do something like this!? I demand you tell me!” She shouted, the look in her eyes showing that she not only was afraid of what was to come, but that her ignorance of the whole situation was apparent. But it wasn’t long after that, that Ari watched the other woman approach her and take her by the hand with extreme force. Then, the feeling of a sharp blade drug across her blade. She winced and her body tensed up from the sensation, however past experiences showed she didn’t really wasn’t as inexperienced in this type of pain than she’d let on to believe.

Once the knife finished running along her palm, the pressure over her body felt lifted from her. She dropped to her knees, her other hand held in her now injured hand. Even if this woman got what she wanted, who was to say she would end up living anyway? What would stop her from killing anyone else? But she wondered what this woman’s plan was. Using some of the blood on the box as though that were the key seemed to be what she thought. The box was not a stranger to having blood on it in some fashion. Her mother was obsessed with the box enough to try it several times. But, the box began to glow. In a strange fashion, she had watched it act like so, but the box’s glow would soon fade. Then the thought hit her. Maybe she had to be the one to open it. This could be used to her advantage. ”Make me a deal. I will open this box, but you let the others live. Otherwise you may as well kill me now and I’m sure you’ll never get it.”

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What was she going on about? Seeming to be extremely amused by Aristotle’s questioning of her family’s past decisions was something that had made her rather strange. But she didn’t move, continuing to ramble on while Aristotle had begun to focus on trying to stop the bleeding in her hand. Still, every word reached her ears and it made her regret doing it. To keep herself from using this thing anymore if she had to put up with such an insufferable pain in the ass. The blonde silently listened on as she continued to ramble about how her ancestors had essentially put this all into motion. But what did she know of her last family? Even her mother didn’t tell her much from it outside of that the seal of her magic was passed down for generations at the cost of potentially costing them their lives for not doing so. The way she was twisting it had her beginning to think this to have been much more selfishly motivated than anything, but if they were anything like her mother... maybe she was right.

The one thing that stuck out to her was that somehow her family got a last word in on her, which meant whatever was in that box she carried had been something that important to her. What it could have been was beyond her, however Aristotle decided if today was the day she died, she may as well try and fight doing so. Getting up off of her knees, she still clutched her bleeding hand and looked at the box that was now just cracked open. While the host had seemed to be extremely adamant about not trusting a single word Ari had said, she had not made a single word now. Something about the contents of this box was a compelling thought that she’d not seen to be anything shy of a long stemmed curiosity. What drove her mother and possibly her other family members so insane as to try and figure out what was inside this box? And more so what would drive someone to need to murder entire town populations to achieve the task?

As the deranged woman opened the box, it had flashed a bright light, causing the blonde to wince from the surprising flash of light. If Mythica would reach for the contents, a harsh spark of lightning would prevent the attempted taking. However, the object would rise up from the box, revealing it to be what would appear to be the shape of a piece of a clock. In a flash, it shot its way toward the Napedian. A piercing, brutally painful feeling struck her left eye suddenly. A horrid shrieking sound echoed from her mouth and into the air before falling to the ground. With her uninjured hand now forcefully gripped over her eye, a light emanated from within it. The pain quickly died down, her breath shuddering from the reeling pain just a moment ago. Moving her hand away, a similar looking glowing eye much like Mythica’s own had shown up in her gaze and after a few seconds dimmed out to show her former eye color.

Whatever it was in that box had now infused itself within her eye. But what it was or did, she still had no ideas.

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