7 in 3

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Coil

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After Jet, Zenith, and the Unrak couple get over seeing Crag, I explain everything that’s happened since the trip to the capital. I catch Zenith up on our adventure with the Unraks and catch everyone up on Scarlet’s trip into the townheart dungeon. Jet tells us about his exploration of the dungeon he found Zenith in, which was very different from our experience. Jet and I work together to explain the cave situation. Eventually it’s Zenith’s turn to share.

Her face is shockingly gaunt, very unlike her typical self. She hasn’t been able to eat while in a coma so it makes sense sadly. Even then, she still manages to look ferocious. Her dark brows furrow as she thinks over what to say to our ragtag group. 

“That woman, the one in the cave… she kept talking about getting home, how she hated it here.” She closes her eyes to think. “She mentioned someone she wanted to get back to, a woman.” Zenith shakes her head. “She also kept saying that ‘this world’ was horrible, its people unimportant. She treated her… underlings? She treated them awful.” Zenith is shaking a bit now, her face pale.

She jumps in surprise as Emerald puts a tendril on her shoulder, but she doesn’t pull away. The motherly Unrak pats Zenith gently on the back. Zenith’s breathing steadies and she continues.

“I - I also saw her in a dream.” Not surprising, trauma like that is bound to pop up in dreams. “But it wasn’t a simple dream,” she continues. “It’s like it was a memory, but I have no idea when it happened.” She looks up at me with a rare look of vulnerability. 

“Maybe it’s from before we woke up in the woods?” I ask my sister gently. Someone’s breath hitches and draws my attention. I look towards the noise and see it came from Jet. Right… He’s here, isn’t he? Oops! 

“Captain, pretend you didn’t hear that.” I give him a threatening glare but the man is already nodding emphatically. I turn my attention back to Zenith. She’s calmed down significantly, returning to her stoic demeanor. She’d be really pretty if she emoted more, shame. 

She seems to be finished talking, so I think it's time for me to drop my bombshell. “So, from everything that’s happened, I think it's safe to draw one conclusion.” The four of them look at me expectantly. “I think that dungeons come from another world, and that the portal in the cave connected to that world!” I smirk at them, satisfied with myself.

“Wow, did you come up with that all on your own, big brother?” Zenith’s sarcasm cuts me like a whip. I look at her and see that she’s thoroughly unimpressed. Glancing at the Captain for backup, I’m again stabbed in the heart. The knight is smiling nervously while refusing to make eye contact with me.

He coughs quietly. “Well, my Lord, it’s been the running theory for as long as I’ve been alive that dungeons came from another world. It wasn’t much of a leap to think that’s where the portal went.” His smile shifts into a sympathetic one and his eyes fill with pity.

I drop my head, defeated. I’ve been utterly crushed. A tap on my shoulder makes me look up. Emerald is patting my back gently. Man, this is embarrassing.

In my moment of shame the door swings open, causing a redheaded maid to tumble inside.

 

】〓〓〓〓【

Emma

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My blood freezes as I feel the gaze of everyone in the room bore into me. My heart beats furiously as panic threatens to take over. I just wanted — I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just —

“So, Emma, how much did you hear?” Lord Coil’s voice feels like razors against my skin. His tone is even and friendly, like it's been every time I’ve heard him speak. I don’t dare to look up, his body always has a cold, dark aura that makes my skin crawl.

“I didn’t hear anything, my Lord!” My voice comes out squeaky. Tears well in my eyes but I manage to hold them back. I hear Lord Coil let out a long sigh.

“Emma, Emma, Emma. I know that isn’t true, so why would you lie?” He sounds… amused? Is he getting off on messing with me right now!? How does this man share blood with someone as sweet as Lady Scarlet? “Or were you trying to say you would keep what you heard a secret?” Oh he’s enjoying this! If he wasn’t Count Holding’s son I’d kick him into next week. 

“Coil! Knock it off!” Lady Zenith’s voice cuts through Lord Coil’s smug aura. “Leave her alone would you?” The lord just snorts.

“I’m just playing a little bit, I’m not going to actually hurt her or anything.” He says coolly. “Look up at us, would you Emma?” After a moment’s hesitation I look up at the group.

Sitting in the plush furniture are the three people I expect to be here, Lord Coil, Lady Zenith, and Captain Jet. But sitting together on their own sofa are two strange stones that have tentacles coming out from all over. The two monsters sit next to each other and are watching me along with the humans in the room. I feel my mouth gape open at the creatures.

Lord Coil starts laughing into the back of his hand while Lady Zenith glares at him. The captain’s eyes nervously flit between the two nobles. He tries to give me a reassuring smile, but it’s not particularly convincing. 

Once Lord Coil calms down he starts talking again. “Alright Emma, I’m going to just assume you heard everything. Which means you’re now a liability.” His smile grows sinister. “So you have two choices. One, you get ‘taken care of’ and your family receives a note with some compensation. Or two, you join this little group of ours.” What? My mind blanks at his words.

“What do you mean, join your group?” The words come out of me trembling. 

Lord Coil waves around the room at everyone. “This inner circle I’ve been making.” Would it kill this man to make sense? “They’re all people who are either involved, or know the full situation… mostly.” He smiles back at the captain for a moment. Turning back to me, he continues. “So what’s your choice?” 

I stare at the noble blankly, trying to process the last twenty minutes. Because I eavesdropped, I have to either join this little club of his, or die. Right. Fine. 

I sigh loudly. “I’ll join, it’s not like I have much choice my lord.” I sound defeated.

He snorts in amusement. “Well you could just let us kill you if you want.” His eyes glint with his sick humor. Suddenly his head explodes into black mist.

I look over to Lady Zenith whose fist is glowing slightly. “Like I’d let you touch her, you jerk.” Lord Coil’s head miraculously reforms from the smokey strands floating around his shoulders. “Scarlet would kill you after I ripped you apart.” Lady Scarlet? Why— why would she care what he does to me?

Lord Coil’s head slowly weaves itself back together, totally unharmed. His snide smile from earlier is gone, replaced by an unamused frown. “Was that absolutely necessary Zenith?” The lord’s voice is irritated, which causes my heart to lighten slightly.

“Yes.” Lady Zenith says instantly. Lord Coil sighs in response.

“Fine. Emma, come sit with us.” He motions to the empty space next to him. I just stare, does he want me to sit on the floor? “Oh right! Sorry about that.” 

With a snap of his fingers the shadows under his armchair spread out into the space and quickly form a vaguely chair-shaped blob. I just decide to give up on understanding anything anymore and sit down in the inky seat. I look around the room again, examining each of the others.

Lady Zenith sits across from me on a sofa, she has her legs up so that she’s taking the entire thing. She looks relaxed in a light green nightgown. I wonder why she’s not dressed.

I look over at Captain Jet, someone who I’ve seen before many times but never talked to. The massive man is squeezed into an armchair he easily dwarves. He’s wearing the typical uniform of a captain knight and has a smile on his face. I’ve never seen him not smiling actually. 

The lord who’s been tormenting me for a while now is perched in an armchair as well. Unlike Jet though he fits into it comfortably. His clothes are unnerving, almost ethereal and have a menacing aura. The outfit look like typical noble wear, besides being only shades of black and white. He’s seemingly recovered from his earlier head explosion and has a smirk on his face.

The last two in the room are the strangest of the group. The two stoney monsters are lying on a sofa together. Their rock bodies are leaning against each other. They each have a single limb that's holding the other’s. The two of them have made no noises the entire time I’ve been inside the room.

“Those are the Unrak ambassadors. The one with the green limb is Sea, and the one with the blue limb is Emerald.” Coil helpfully explains. The Unraks pulse blue and green respectively as they’re introduced. “They’re people, Emma, so treat them as such.” I peel my eyes from the duo to look at Lord Coil, whose tone had become strange.

He looks at me with an intense stare. His eyes reflect how serious he’s being right now. Why is he so protective of these two? I nod slowly at him. He seems satisfied with that and stops drilling me full of holes. 

“So, how much are we going to tell her, Coil?” Lady Zenith asks him. He shrugs.

“I guess everything, we can explain the details that the captain doesn’t know too.” He shoots a glance at said captain before looking at me again. “After this, whenever she’s next available, I’m going to have my sister write up a binding contract to keep you two quiet.” 

Captain Jet just nods at the Lord’s insane words. “I’m assuming you mean Lady Pim?” Lord Coil grunts in affirmation.

“Alright, I’ll explain some things now.”

 

【〓〓〓〓】

 

Lord Coil told me a lot, and caused me to realize why he’d make me sign a magic contract. He told me about how he and the Count’s other children woke up in the wilderness with no memories. How they weren’t the Count’s biological children, and how he adopted them. He spoke of their powerful blessings and strange races. Lady Zenith spoke of how she shares a soul with Lord Nadir, how the two of them are actually one person.

Captain Jet didn’t react to any of this, so he must’ve known this much. Lord Coil continues, telling me what’s happened since the Count found him. About meeting the Unraks, how their carriage had been destroyed, how Lord Wight caused a disaster. He told me about Lady Scarlet’s exploration of the dungeon that appeared in the townheart, and how Lady Pim watched a woman from another world die. 

By the time the Lord stops speaking my head is swimming in confusing information. So much of what I understood has been shattered, and so many new things have been added. I clutch my head gently, like I’m trying to hold it on my shoulders. Lord Coil looks at me with strangely kind eyes, which clashes with his ominous aura.

“A lot to take in, huh?” He says with a chuckle. A loud smack comes from his head as Lady Zenith smacks him again.

“This is why you’ll always be single, Coil.” Her words are filled with venom. She looks at me with a friendly expression that makes my heart flutter. “It’s alright if this is all a bit much Emma, take your time dig—” Her words are cut off by the sound of the door opening.

“Oh… why are you all here?” A monotone voice drones from the doorway. Sir Porter stands in the entrance, holding a rectangular box. His eyes quickly flit between each person in the room. “Lord Coil! You’re back!” He makes his way into the room, placing the box on a nearby table. “I couldn’t find Lady Luna for hours so I gave up trying to find her and came to play some games with the Unraks. I haven’t gotten to since my promotion.” As the knight speaks the two creatures wave at him excitedly.

Lord Coil’s eyes are riveted on the knight, his expression an evil smile. “Long time no see, my knight.” His tone is odd while he speaks to the knight. “You know the Unraks?” The mellow knight nods while taking a position behind Lord Coil’s seat. 

“Wait, who is this? Coil?” Lady Zenith asks her shorter sibling.

“This is our personal knight! Captain Jet suckered— promoted him into the job.” Coil smirks.

“Why don’t I get one?” Lady Zenith asked, annoyed. She shoots a glare at the Captain, who is suddenly interested in the ceiling. 

“Ask Capt—” Lord Coil doesn’t finish his sentence as I fall to the ground, landing hard on my rear. I look up to see what happened and drop my jaw. Sitting where Lord Coil had just been is a totally naked Lady Scarlet. She looks around, bleary eyed, as if just waking up. 

“Is it morning already?”