Chapter Text
It still paces the halls sometimes. Housemaidens huddle in fear under their bedsheets, whispering stories about the darkless saviour's doppelganger. They say it mutters while it paces, cries when it's alone, slashes at them with long claws if they try to stray near it.
Mirabelle's not afraid, however. To her, that's just Siffrin—or rather, the Sadness left behind. She knows it spawned when Siffrin was sick, lonely and looking for his family; it must be the same way. Even if her only proof was from her first encounter with it.
It was a week into her pilgramage planning, two days after her family finally went their separate ways. Isabeau moved to a neighbouring town to start a career under a tailor, Bonnie went back home to Bambouche to pick up school again, Odile regretfully went back to Ka Bue "just for a year" and Siffrin was Change knows where. Having stayed by Mirabelle the longest, they had finally gotten the itch to travel again and set off for Poteria. Despite promises to stay in touch and keep each other in their thoughts, Mirabelle felt as lonely as she had been when her journey had first started.
She'd been walking back to her dorm after one of many "keep myself busy to stop from thinking" chores when she heard it: shuffling footsteps, hoarse breathing and the unmistakable keening of a Sadness. Most of the House's Sadnesses these days are tiny little things, barely an annoyance; but this one sounded big.
Braced to run, Mirabelle crept towards the door the Sadness was hiding behind and slowly pushed it open to find…Siffrin. A lightless Siffrin, crouched on the ground, long claws tanged in their hair as he rocked back and forth. It looked nearly identical to the ghost versions of her friend she'd seen the day he stormed the house alone.
"Siffrin?" She whispered.
The Sadness jolted like she'd struck it. It stared up at her, the spiral in its pupil turning at a dizzying speed. The Sadness had no visible mouth, yet it growled anyway; bristling like a feral cat as it slowly got to its feet.
"Um." Mirabelle clasped her hands together. The Sadness was smaller than she expected, but it was unnerving being eye level with one—especially one that was the spitting image of her friend. "Hello?"
The Sadness stared at her. Right, it split from Siffrin, so it's probably going to be a lot like him. She has to do all the talking.
"I heard you from the hall," she said, tentively taking a step towards it. "Can I help you at all? Are you hurting?"
"Alone."
Mirabelle flinched when the Sadness spoke. It seemed to get emboldened by this, taking a shuffling step towards her.
"Accept the fact that you'll always be alone!"
She cringed. Of course that's the first thing this creature associates her with.
"I'm not alone," she said firmly. "I have a family."
"Where are they?" The creature whispered. "I wish I was home."
"Siffrin…"
Mirabelle reached out towards it—then backpedaled with a gasp when it swung at her, long black claws catching her sleeve and enough skin to leave a darkless line down to her palm.
"Leave me!" It snarled. "Leave! It's your family special!!"
"Siffrin—"
The Sadness swung again, inches from her neck. Mirabelle stumbled out of the room to avoid its attack, pulling the door shut with her. The Sadness whined when it couldn't see her anymore and shuffled away from the door, repeating "alone" until it had walked out of earshot.
It still paces the halls sometimes, calling for the friends it doesn't trust. Other housemaidens tell stories about it in a whisper, afraid to name it out of fear of getting its attention. Mirabelle's not afraid, however.
It's harmless…So long as you leave it alone.