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“... Thank you for being here, Loop.” You close the scene.
“Stardust, I’m serious.” They reopen it.
“Why?”
“Stardust, you have to listen to me.”
“Play your role.”
“Stardust.”
“Play your role!”
“Stardust, please listen to me!”
“Play your blinding role!”
“Can you blinding listen to me for once, Siffrin?!” They close the scene, but only to go fully off-script.
“...What are you doing?”
“Do you want to know the real reason you feel so miserable? It’s because you’re at fault for this, Siffrin. You’re the one who trapped yourself here, you’re the one who kept yourself here. For the Universe’s sake, you requested to be chained to the blinding floor and ordered Vindicta to torture everyone out there.” They pause for a moment. “Siffrin do you understand what I’m trying to tell you here?”
You do. You have to take a moment to pause yourself. You try to think, but your mind is empty. You need their help, you know that much.
“...I... I don’t want to keep doing this. Can you... can you help me, Loop?”
“Apparently not. You’re on your own, Siffrin. You did this. I can’t help you. I can’t help anyone.” They look away briefly as they say that last part. Then, you hear something.
You turn around. Enter Vindicta.
“What are you doing in here?” You ask.
“I think... I’ve been missing some context is all. But, no matter! I’ve got it now!”
You turn around, Loop appears to be absent, where are they? There is no backstage here, this is the backstage. You feel a Vindicta’s gloved hand lift your chin, and turn it towards them.
“So tell me, Siffrin. Who was it? Who was it that did this to you? And don’t lie~”
“It was me. Because... who else?” You can barely get the words out.
“Aaaaand my favorite actor knows their lines!” They extend the ‘and’ for an awful amount of time.
“Actor?” You’re not sure what they mean. You aren’t an actor you’re the sponsor and they’re the director. How could you be an actor here? And why is Vindicta suddenly so hostile to you, that’s not what their role looks like.
“Oh, don’t play dumb. You know.” They let you go. “You know you’re not off the hook.” And then you feel something tug on your entire body, inside and out.
You’re currently in the middle of an intermission. Vindicta isn’t around, thankfully. You and the others are just sitting here. Back in Dormont. This weird version of Dormont that Vindicta has created. It’s not ideal, but you appreciate the downtime.
Suddenly you feel someone jolt. It’s Mirabelle. She’s noticed someone in the distance. That looks like... it looks like...
“Siffrin!” Mirabelle shouts in their direction. “You’re... here.”
He isn’t wearing his usual attire. The cloak looks about the same, except it’s lined with that weird shade that permeates the area. Their heels look a lot pointier, clearly giving them trouble to stand in, and their hat noticably curls backwards more and is decorated with a strangely-shaded star on its end. You notice Isabeau examining how Siffrin’s dressed too.
Mirabelle’s with him now. Oh, but gems, gems alive, they’re here, but that means... You don’t want to think about it. You just let yourself try to enjoy the sight of him. Isabeau walks over to Siffrin, too. He examines them.
“Ah... you’re... hot” he begins, then notices that the thing he’s said is, let’s say... ambiguous, “I-I mean as in warm. You’ve... got a fever.”
You know, you know what this means. You have to say something.
“They’re still craft exhausted, aren’t they?”
Both Mirabelle and Isabeau look at Siffrin. They wear worried expressions. Siffrin himself remains unresponsive.
Isabeau looks at you again. “Yes. Yes, that seems to be it. The One Whose Name Shouldn’t Be Uttered-” You interject to simply say “Vindicta.” You understand his refusal to utter their name as superstition, though, maybe there is something to it? “- yes. They probably don’t really know how to care for someone with craft exhaustion, so...”
“So now that they’re here with us, it’s our responsibility to do so.”
“Our ability to do so!”
“Both.” You concede.
Mirabelle and Isabeau pick Siffrin up and help them walk over to you and Boniface.
They sit down and now that you’re in one group, now that you’re together...
Vindicta arrives.
“Well, well, well!!!!! WELL!!!! What, just WHAT do we have here!!!!!” There is joy in their voice, like they’re constantly on the verge of laughing. This is not a good sign, which you think to yourself in spite of it being plainly obvious.
“Will you... let us have this, for a moment?” You say to them.
“Nope! Intermission over! But look! Look!!! You’ve got a newww buddy!!!! DON’T YOU?!” They get way too up close with Siffrin, you try to protect him however much you can, but... “Ohhh... Buddy, my little BUDDYYYYY! You know you’re not SAFE, you know you’re no BETTER THAN THEM. You had me fooled! Your little wish had me FOOLED. But, but!!! It’s your wish that brought me here, right? RIGHT??? So, then... I can’t read your mind, but... I know how you think and I can read how you feel. After all how can I fulfill your wish if I don’t know what you want – for the people who hurt you to get what they deserve. And now, my little actor. Tell me, answer the final question so that everyone knows exactly, tell me in front of the audience. You do know the answer, you’ve already answered right once before – who was it? Who was it that hurt you?”
They don’t respond. Oh gems, gems, gems. In the twisted horrors of Siffrin’s very apparent self-hatred, Vindicta how now fully taken up Siffrin as a target of their twisted vision of justice. What do you even do in this situation..?
“No matter.” Vindicta continues, returning to their giggly voice, “Siffrin. I need you for something.”
And they and Siffrin both disappear. But you know, you know this isn’t like before. Siffrin is going to... You can’t bear the thought of it. You and the others brace yourselves for what Vindicta might have planned for you too any time now.
Another intermission. You’ve long lost count, though maybe someone else is keeping it, perhaps Mirabelle. You collect yourself, your thoughts. Siffrin. Right, that’s something that happened last time. Siffrin is back and he desparately needs your help. You should talk to them. Thankfully all five of you are still in a group.
“Siffrin.” They look up at you. There’s something deeply concerning in their expression. How neutral it is, almost as if they are fully absent from their own body. It’s unpleasant to see.
“Siffrin, can you please talk to us? We want to help you.”
“Do you normally do that?” They respond. You notice the others’ concerned expressions. But you have to keep pushing, you need to get through to him somehow.
“Siffrin, please. There’s nothing that concerns me more than a friend of mine being... like this and telling me nothing.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“That I’m worried for you and that it’s very apparent you need our help.”
“...You do normally do that, yeah.” They look they’ve realized something and their face now drops a bit. It almost recontextualizes the previous expression as... curious? It’s hard to put a name to anything his face does at this point. You hear Isabeau.
“Sif, we’re here for you. All of us. Please, just talk to us. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry.”
Oh? You need to ask.
“For what?”
“I’m sorry, I did all of this, I trapped you all in a timeloop, I made Vindicta torture you, I did this, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”
“Sif...” Isabeau tries to interrupt him.
“I made you all suffer, I keep making you all suffer, I force you to stay with me, you shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t have you, you...”
“Sif!”
“You...” They trail off.
“Sif, you’re incoherent.” You somehow didn’t expect him to say that in this situation. It’s apt, but...
“... I’m sorry.”
You decide to stop them both. You put your hand on Siffrin’s forehead.
“Okay, well, first of all, Siffrin, we need to get you some rest. You have severe craft burnout if I’m not mistaken and it does not seem to have gotten better.”
You all take him to the clocktower and into bed. It’s best that they spend the intermissions getting as best a rest as they can. On the way, you all make some light conversation. Nothing particularly worth remembering, it’s just a nice habit to keep yourselves from completely losing your minds.
You enter the clocktower, lead Siffrin up the stairs, the poor kid’s on all fours going up those, they are barely on their feet and the heels, that Vindicta gave them, definitely aren’t helping. One you’re up, you help them into bed. As he gets in he also knocks the heels off his feet.
“How do you feel?” Isabeau asks him.
“... mmmh.” ...is the best way to describe the noise that they make in response.
“Comfy? Want more blankets?”
They make a similar noise again. Isabeau turns to you.
“I think he’s still shaking a bit too much. And you checked, right? Their fever is really bad, isn’t it?”
“...Maybe... maybe another blanket wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“These are kinda thin anyway... I will grab another.”
He does so and brings it to Siffrin.
“Better now, Sif?”
They don’t make a noise this time, but their face looks almost content. He’s also shivering a lot less now. Isabeau interjects once more.
“Actually... I noticed when they first arrived... their cloak is crafted to heat-regulate, I think. It might be cancelling out some of the heat, the blankets are giving. Should we take off the cloak and do just the blankets?”
That actually seems really smart. You approach Siffrin.
“May we take the cloak off you for this? You should be warmer that way. We’ll keep it right beside you, here, so it’s not going anywhere.” You point to a part of the bed frame, you could hang the cloak over. After a long pause, Siffrin concedes and gives his cloak to Isabeau, who puts it precisely where you pointed earlier.
“Are you feeling warmer, Sif?”
They nod. Well, that’s a success, then.
You all spend the rest of the intermission in the clocktower, with Siffrin, mostly in silence.
Said silence is eventually broken and, to your surprise, it’s by Siffrin.
“I just wanted to say, that I’m sorry.”
“For... um, for what, Siffrin? I don’t understand.” Mirabelle inquires.
“...I wished for this, you know. I wished for Vindicta to... to do all this to you. And to myself, I guess.”
Ah. So Vindicta wasn’t bluffing. By technicality it really was on Siffrin’s request.
“Well... um. It was probably in the heat of emotions, right? Loop said something about a timeloop and how you were in a really bad state, so... so you probably didn’t mean it, whatever you wished for...”
“Especially since it’s hurting you too now, and, really, seems to have been hurting you.” You add.
They don’t respond. You continue.
“Well, it’s no matter. You’re here wish us now and the most important thing is that you recover from your illness. Once you feel a little better, the five of us can go back to looking for ways to get rid of Vindicta.”
They... you think that’s a nod, after which they turn around in their sheets, then, rather quickly, appear to fall asleep. You can’t help but notice how adorable Siffrin looks when sleeping.
Vindicta has brought you out of your sleep yet again. Back into the house. Usually, when they do this, they simulate the snack breaks. During those, you get to just sit, letting Vindicta’s fake versions of your family members talk around you. You hear your name mentioned awfully often, when that happens, but you don’t really focus on what exactly they say. It’s nice to just sit and let people talk.
This time’s a little different. Now that you can actually stand up on your feet, you’re walking through the house’s twisting hallways isntead. The layout is unfamiliar and seems to go on forever.
You have those fake versions of your family with you still, and you’re leading them. Their skin and hair are dark like Vindicta’s. Only eyes are visible on their faces. They’re all wearing what are almost their usual outfits, except the shades are inverted and everything is just a bit off, misremembered.
You make your way into a larger room. It looks like the beginning of a floor. There’s tears around and you’re not seeing any hair across the walls so it must be floor 2. You know where you are. As always you turn left to head to the library. You find... another copy of the same room you were just in, except this time it’s all a bit rearranged. The ceiling is slanted in a weird, nonsensical way. Like, downwards just a bit and then oriented about 20 degrees off the exit door. Well, the ‘exit door’, you know you likely can’t open it. There’s also a giant hole farther back into the room. It’s probably a good moment to turn back, you wouldn’t want to fall in.
You trip over your heels, but manage to stay on your feet. You hear some chatter and giggles behind you. As you get yourself back up, one of these ‘family members’, one pretending to be Bonnie, runs up to you and pushes you, directly into a tear. It doesn’t freeze you, just gets you wet. You lie there for a while. You hear laughter. You try not to pay attention to it.
You look up at the ceiling. You see all sorts of strange patterns in how the planks decorating it are arranged. You feel like it could collapse at any moment. You close your eye... You think you hit your head when you fell into that tear. It hurts. You nearly doze off, but...
You feel something pulling on you. When you open your eye, you’re back on your feet, dry again and in a different part of the house. There’s a sign nearby. It’s written in... that language, your language.
“It’s not break time.”
You know, you know, you know. But you wish it could be.
You walk around in the hallways for a few more minutes, occasionally stopping to just... stare at the strange... objects dotted around the place. Then suddenly you’re pulled out and directly back into bed. Your family doesn’t seem to be around. You let yourself fall asleep. They said you needed rest.
You are finally allowed to return to Dormont. First thing, you all run to the clocktower, which your old body doesn’t take kindly to, you kind of wish that the rest would slow down, but oh well. Siffrin is right there, in bed, just as you left them. Already asleep, too. You all sit with him, trying not to disturb him.
It appears to fail as they immediately wake up and notice you, regardless of how quiet you try to be. Well, perhaps except Boniface, who in spite of your request has stomped up the stairs very loudly.
“You’re back.” He says calmly.
“How long have you been here, Sif?” Isabeau asks them.
“I-unno... I’ve been asleep for a while I think.”
“Well... it’s good you’re getting sleep, Sif.” He almost sounds like he’s about to say something, but then simply finishes.
But... they’ve been here for ‘a while’?
“Siffrin, can you explain what you mean by ‘a while’ here?” You ask him.
“Oh, well, it’s funny, actually... umm, I was in the house. Like a messed up version of the house, all like weird winding hallways and yeah... uhh...” They trail off.
“And you came back at some point, earlier than us...” Mirabelle asks.
“Uh. Yeah... yeah. I was uh. I was there. And uh...”
“Something was ‘funny’ about how you came back..?” You say to try to remind him what he was talking about.
“Yeah. It was cause uh... I was in that house and I was kinda wishing to like uh... go back. Or uh I mean. Take a break. And just as I was thinking that, I came back.” They laugh a little as they finish saying this. They wished to take a break, huh?
“So you were wishing you would come back here and then you did?” You continue to ask.
“Yeh... I think I whispered it to myself a few times, too... I mean you know.”
You decide to let it go for now. Isabeau checks Siffrin’s forehead.
“Well, you should go back to getting your rest, Sif. You’re better, but you’re still definitely warm.”
They readjust themself under the blankets, then close their eye and rather quickly, once again, appear to fall asleep. Gems, he is still really unwell. It’s not a good sign to fall asleep this quickly. But you keep thinking...
“Isabeau, Mirabelle.”
“Uh. Yes, M’dame?” He responds.
“Yes... Madame?” She responds, too.
“What do we know about Wish Craft?”
“Well uh...” Isabeau begins explaining, “The One Whose Name Shouldn’t Be Uttered mentioned it once. And, then Siffrin... mentioned wishing for a break just now and getting it sooner than us. And... uh... Loop I think explained the ritual to perform it once, but...” But no one remembers it anymore, you could have asked again, but last you checked at the favor tree, they haven’t been there since Siffrin appeared.
“So... are you suggesting we try to find out more about Wish Craft?” He asks you.
“I... do have a suspicion that it might help us. That’s all. It’s a lead if nothing else.”
As you say this, you notice Siffrin, not asleep, looking at you.
“There’s a bunch of books about Wish Craft in the house, but... you can’t read them, they’re in my language.”
“In... your language?” You inquire.
“The one that gives you a mad headache when you look at it, yeah.”
“...Is that.” You notice Siffrin’s expression shift. They look... afraid. “Oh. I won’t push it... But, if we find any books in that language, should we bring them to you? It could help us get out of this situation.”
He pauses for a very long amount of time.
“Yes.”
Then closes his eye.
You decide to let him rest. You spend the rest of this intermission outside the bedroom, chatting for a while, before resting yourselves.
You and Mirabelle are searching around in the house. Isabeau is back at the clocktower, with Siffrin and Boniface. You’re in the library looking for books, written in Siffrin’s language. Siffrin mentioned there’s a switch somewhere, opening an entrance to some kind of secret library. You’re looking for it now, while Mirabelle’s searching the bookshelves.
“Oh, I found something.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“It’s somebody’s diary. There’s an entry here from when the island disappeared.”
“Ah...”
“This is... actually, awful. You can’t even remember it, say its name, or anything. Everything about it and its culture had just been completely erased.” She puts the notebook back on its shelf. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be from there. Your own home and family just... forgotten!”
“...Your own roots torn away from you. I’ve felt something similar, but... gems, this is worse than I imagined.”
“Madame, Siffrin’s from there, isn’t he? They said that language, that we can’t read, it’s theirs...” She thinks very hard about this. Ah... the language that gives you a headache, not too unlike the one, you’re getting now, trying to remember the island’s name.
“That language must be the island’s language. It would be a reason why we can’t read it.”
“Do you... do you think this is why Siffrin struggles so much with their memory?”
“It is... possible, that when the island disappeared from everyone’s memory, somebody from there would be left with some more permanent defects. I also suspect Siffrin’s tendency to forget words could be due to something similar. For instance, I’m bilingual in Ka Buan and Vaugardian, or, those are the language I’m best versed in anyway, and I often find myself in the situation, where I forget a word in one language but still remember it in the other.”
“And... If one of those languages is just gone...”
“...Then that’s just a word I wouldn’t remember at all, yes.”
“Oh no...” She looks. Unusually sad about something.
“What is it?”
“I never knew it was... because of that. We’ve all been so rude to him, teasing him about forgetting simple words and having poor memory...” Ah... You had no way of knowing, but... that is quite rude of you. To make fun of something this far out of their control. Something this closely linked to an event so tragic, too. You can’t help, but feel ashamed of yourself.
“We’re going to apologize, when we get back. For now let’s keep searching. The best thing we can do now is actually do what we came here for, right?”
“Yes... That’s a good idea.”
You continue carefully searching the walls, while Mirabelle keeps searching around the bookshelves. Ah. There is something.
“Mirabelle, I think, I found it.”
“Oh?”
“There’s a switch.” She walks over to you.
“Where...” She looks intently at the wall for a lengthy moment. “Oh! I see it! This is really well hidden, how did you find it, Madame?”
“Mirabelle... I didn’t the first six or so times, did you not see me circle the entire area multiple times, looking like an idiot?”
“Well... right. Still, impressive!”
“Well, would you like to do the honors, then?” You move aside to give her room to press the switch.
She stares at the wall again for a moment... did she lose sight of the switch? Ah, seems, she’s found it again.
“Yes! With pleasure!” She does look very pleased.
She presses the switch, revealing an entrance to the secret library.
“Wah!!!!!!!” Even though she’s the one who pressed the switch, it still catches her off guard. “I can’t believe it. It’s real. This was just here the whole time and I never knew about it!”
“Well... let’s go in, then. We might find some more juicy stuff in the secret library, right?” You remark, somewhat jokingly.
“Hehe... yes.” She puts on a serious face, then you both walk in.
There’s a short corridor, which leads to a small room. There’s some bookshelves around along with some other miscellaneous things. You and Mirabelle start looking through all the books. You start from the left and Mirabelle starts from the right.
“Oh, Madame, I found a book about shields.”
“Oh?”
“It talks about the carrot method, explains it all very clearly.”
“Hmm... do you think this is where Siffrin learned about the shield skill and the carrot method from?”
“Maybe! It might have been important for beating the king. But, huh... it’s really this simple...”
“Did something click?”
“Yes!” She seems very happy about this. A shield skill... that does seem quite helpful. You smile at her. She smiles back brightly.
The two of you keep searching... You find something. It’s a book, with a tree on its cover. You try to read the title, but it just gives you a headache... You were going to do something with it... ah, you were looking for books precisely like this one, to bring to Siffrin. Well, that’s it, then!
“Mirabelle, I found it.” You turn to her while massaging your forehead.
“Oh?”
“Maybe don’t try it, but I found a book that gives me a headache when attempting to read its title.”
“That must be a book from the island, then, right?!” She shouts excitedly.
“That seems most likely. We should bring it to Siffrin.”
“Okay!!! Yes!” You can see her eyes sparkle. It makes you happy to see her this happy.
On your way back you continue to make light conversation as usual. But... you want to mention this.
“Mirabelle, when I tried to read that book’s title, I think it might have done something.” You turn to her.
“Huh? What do you mean? Other than the headache..?” You hear uncertainty in her voice.
“It is difficult to remember, but I think, for a moment after I did read it I... forgot what I was even doing. I picked the book up and then I nearly... well, just forgot why I did so.”
You look at her. She looks almost a bit scared, but tries to keep her composure. You decide to continue.
“Well, what I’m trying to get at is... for our own safety it’s perhaps best we try not to focus on this text too much. But, I’m concerned... can Siffrin...”
“He said he could read it. So I trust he’ll be okay.” Mirabelle interrupts you.
“Let’s hope so.”
You keep walking. Soon enough, you make it to the clocktower.
You make your way inside and up the stairs. Siffrin is asleep.
“Isabeau, Boniface. Can you two come downstairs. We need to talk to you about something.”
“Oh? Uhh. Yes, we’ll be there.” He says in response. Boniface doesn’t say anything, they just look confused and follow behind Isabeau.
All four of you head down the stairs. Then you and Mirabelle explain what you figured out.
“Well, to begin... Mirabelle found a diary entry from when the island first disappeared. And we kind of realized that the effect that the language, Siffrin’s language, has on our minds is similar to the effects that trying to recall the island’s language has.” You explain, then Mirabelle picks up after you.
“And we realized, that that was probably what was causing Siffrin to forget a lot of words, maybe they would’ve remembered them, just in the other language and that maybe the reason his memory is so bad is because of the island being forgotten... and this whole time we’ve been teasing them about it, I feel so bad!”
They both pause for a moment. Isabeau speaks up first.
“So, Siffrin is from that island? That no one can say the name of anymore? That no one remembers anything about?” Ah. He had to clarify that. You weren’t exactly the clearest in your explanation, were you.
“Correct,” you say.
“Wait!! So Frin doesn’t remember anything because their home country disappeared?!”
“Please try not to be rude about it. I doubt it’s a pleasant subject for him at all.” You lecture.
“Ok. I won’t. But...” Boniface looks bummed out. Mirabelle picks up again.
“Well, anyway... We wanted to apologize to Siffrin. For teasing them this whole time. We never knew and now I feel bad and...”
“Well, sure, but...” Isabeau seems apprehensive. “This is... kind of a personal subject for them, right? It’s... probably not the best of us to just... talk about this behind his back and then... I wouldn’t do it. We can talk to them about it and ask and maybe then apologize for teasing them, but... what we’re doing now is even more rude, really.”
He’s... he’s right. You haven’t even thought about this way, but he’s completely correct. It is good that someone can be the voice of reason and for once it doesn’t have to be you, you figure. You sigh.
“Let’s give him this book, then. And maybe we can-” Something interrupts you.
“You all just never change, huh?” You hear that gleeful voice behind you. “Talking behind your oh so beloved friend’s back, huh?”
“What do you want here? We’ve still got plenty of time left in this intermission.”
“So you do~ according to the usual schedule anyway. What’s this book you’re holding, huh?” Vindicta forcefully takes the book from you. “Oooooh hope that wasn’t important~ let’s see...”
They look into the book, then they appear to... almost zone out? They hold their head in pain. It appears even Vindicta is affected by the cursed language.
“What is this? Is it... Why do you have this useless thing?!” They throw the book back in your direction.
“Did you call me for something?” They appear to have forgotten what they were even here for. Well that’s your theory confirmed.
“You were just leaving us for our intermission, that’s all.” You lie, hoping they don’t catch on. They glare at you for a moment before disappearing. That worked! “Let’s give the book to Siffrin now.”
The rest nod. Boniface still seems confused, but they appear to more or less understand what’s going on, so you try not to worry about them too much. You pick the book up off the floor and head upstairs.
Siffrin’s somehow still asleep. Isabeau wakes him up.
“Hey. Sif. We got one of those books we can’t read.”
“Huh... oh, cool. Where’s this one from?” He looks over the book, perhaps trying to see if he can recognize it.
“It’s from the secret library.” You answer.
“Oh yeah.” They take it from you and start flipping through.
“It’s about Wish Craft rituals... because, uh, you need a ritual to perform Wish Craft.”
You know this, but you don’t know the rituals. You let Siffrin keep going.
“So... uh, this is the most relevant one. It’s for wishing with a favor tree.”
“Favor trees can grant wishes?!” Isabeau jumps.
“Yes... and you do so, by...” They go on to explain the whole ritual, it’s surprisingly complicated. Way more so, than what Vaugardians usually do to get favors. “...then put the leaf back down and if you did it right and put enough belief in it, the wish will be granted. Uh this is the ritual I used to uh...” They hesitate. This seems to be an uncomfortable subject. Ah is it about the timeloop? The first wish, from back when everyone was asking the tree for favors. He must’ve accidentally performed Wish Craft and...
“I wished to keep you all with me. To never let you leave me. Which trapped you all in time with me so you could never go anywhere.” To your surprise, he just tells you this... But that doesn’t seem right.
“You... wanted to stay with us? You couldn’t have wanted to be trapped in a timeloop.” You push and try to do so gently.
“Yeah... And uh. There’s another ritual.” You listen. “If there’s another person with you... you can use a sadness or animal for it too, but it might be harder... you can hold their hands, then together, say your wish at the same time, three times, or however many, like before... and then you have to hug for a couple seconds and continue really focusing on your wish. And if you can do that... then that can also perform Wish Craft. It’s harder with animals and sadnesses, cause they can’t speak, but if you’re really close to the being you’re doing it with, like a beloved pet, uh, then it might still work. That’s the ritual I used to summon Vindicta.” He hides in his hat. You’ve pushed him too hard, but... this is useful information, isn’t it? You know what their wishes were, you know how to wish...
“Siffrin, I’m sorry if I’m pushing you too hard, but there’s just one thing I need to ask.”
“...Yeah?”
“...Both of the wishes are fulfilled aren’t they?”
They appear shocked, surprised, but... you keep going.
“So... Maybe, you could wish for these existing wishes – the timeloop and Vindicta – to be reversed?”
He sits up in his bed, then thinks for a moment.
“If I can go to the favor tree, wait is Loop still there?”
“Loop hasn’t been around since you appeared.” Isabeau answers.
“Ok. Uh... I could... maybe...” They seem very hesitant. “I could perhaps try to ‘unwish’ these things?”
“Do you want me to help you walk over to the favor tree?” He asks them.
“Uh... umm...” he looks off to the side briefly. They are really hesitant about this. You suppose if the wishes have caused this much trouble, making another one would be... a lot to ask. “Yeah. Let’s go.” His voice sounds strained as he says this.
You’re with Siffrin. You’ve just left the clocktower. They’re using you as a crutch. It feels nice, but... but that’s not important. You’re walking together to the favor tree so Siffrin can attempt to use a wish against The One Whose Name Shouldn’t Be Uttered. You could tell that they’re extremely apprehensive about the idea. You figure it must be because after what their previous wishes did, the idea of wishing again seems... well, ‘scary’ would be an understatement.
You’re up to the river.
“Okay Sif, uhh... how about you get on my shoulders and I carry you across?” You don’t want him jumping over this. You know he’s really not in the state to.
They nod, so you move down, let them climb on and then stand back up. You hold his back, so he doesn’t fall. Then, get into the river. It’s wet... obviously. Your pants are completely soaked. But that is not a concern right now. You make your way to the other side, it’s not very wide luckily, then let Sif climb back off.
The two of you make the rest of your way across Dormont and to the favor tree. You do this wordlessly, but... it’s nice just walking together like this. You enjoy spending time with Siffrin even if it’s... like this. You wish... you wish to spend more time with him once They are gone.
You’re at the tree now.
“Alright, can you do this, Sif?”
They nod. “I know what I want and I know I want it. I can do this.” They breathe in and out, very slowly.
You nod seriously. “Well, I’m gonna go meet up with everyone to distract The One Whose Name Shouldn’t Be Uttered, so they don’t come here harassing you."
They nod back, with equal seriousness. You conceal your giggle and leave him be.
As you walk back, you see the others before the river.
“So, he’s on it, right?” Odile asks you.
“Well... yes. We should distract Them now.”
Everyone stands in silence for a moment. You break it.
“Ohhhh Vindicta~~~!!!!!” You shout up into the sky, as loud as you can, while maintaining a sing-songy voice.
They show up right away.
“Yeeeeeeeeeeees~? What is it my dearest actors~?”
“We just...” Mirabelle says, “wanted to talk to you about just how incredible of a showrunner-”
“Director~” Vindicta interrupts.
“Uh, yes, we just wanted to use this time to praise you!” She finishes. Stroking Their ego. That’s smart.
“Yes. Your plays are just so incredible. I’m sure the entire audience loves them.” You say.
“Is this sarcasm?” Vindicta interrupts you. Ahhhhhh... You hear M’dame Odile.
“No, we’re serious. You’re really good at this, Vindicta.”
“Hmm... see that’s funny because I haven’t really been feeling it as of recent. Almost makes me wonder why you’d switch up your tone so suddenly, almost as if you were trying to...” You’ve noticed that the ‘plays’ have gotten more... stagnant, since Siffrin showed up. Vindicta pauses then carefully looks over the four of you. “Where’s Siffrin?” Oh no. How do you turn this around?
“W-W-We’re not trying to do anything!! We’re just- We’re just really happy being your actors is all!!” Mirabelle shouts. Vindicta is having none of it.
“I think... I’m gonna go check up on him.” Ohhh Oh no, what do you do, what do you even do?!
“We think you’re shit at this!” M’dame shouts up at them. You hear yourself and everyone else gasp out of instinct. “I mean isn’t it plain obvious, that we only wanted to get your attention just to get more material to make fun of you and of how gullible you are?!”
“A- Eh?” Vindicta is struggling for words. “You- YOU CAN’T SWEAR IN THE THEATER!”
“Shitting try me!” Holy... go M’dame you suppose! “Oh come on, with an ego this easy to hurt, how can you be anything, seriously.”
You see Mirabelle walk up next to M’dame Odile. “Oh come on Vindicta, you even got so annoyed with me when I used a slightly wrong word for you. You’re so butthurt over such simple things!”
“Stop that-” Vindicta is clearly getting upset. It’s working. Bonnie runs up there too. Ahh Bonbon, maybe this isn’t-
“You’re just such a crab!!! Torturing people just because they hurt your feelings?! And then whining about how you’re so sad and stuff??? YOU CRAB!!! NOTHING BAD EVEN HAPPENED TO YOU!!!!” You hear Bonnie’s voice grow shaky. But... it’s working, Vindicta’s attention is fully on you and Siffrin is free to make their wish!
You decide to say something too.
“And I mean, really, Vindicta, you think we’re even scared of you? ‘The One Whose Name Shouldn’t Be Uttered’ oh come on~~ Obviously that was just a way to make fun of you. Your ‘torture’ isn’t even bad!” You know you’re lying, but it doesn’t matter. You make that gesture where you put your finger under your eye to simulate a tear. For good measure.
Vindicta stares at you, almost blankly. You notice Isabeau’s gesture. This was your idea, to distract Vindicta by annoying them, but... Gems, this might not have been the greatest plan for right now.
Out of nowhere, they let out an ungodly scream. You see the sky fill with Vindicta’s shade, then it fills your entire vision, you try to see through it and you can only barely perceive Vindicta’s body contorting, changing. It becomes more and more difficult to see. Then the shade begins to shift, growing more vibrant, but also... just different. It moves through all these varieties, previously unfamiliar to you, until it seems to reach a conclusion and... Simply fade. You can see clearly again. The sky and the world is full of all these varieties. Vindicta, is right there in front of you all, you try to get in front of Boniface to protect them. Vindicta continues to scream as if they were a demon from the lowest layers of the most punishing faith’s hell. Their form has expanded and grown several new limbs. You cannot bear the sight, but then, unexpectedly, Vindicta’s scream seems to wind down and you see all those varieties of those new shades flash into your eyes rapidly in reverse order, then... stop again.
Vindicta is no longer screaming. They look right at you, then with their several new arms, grab each of you and pull you into-
Somewhere dark. You can’t quite see, until you notice a spotlight illuminating you, from above.
Out of instinct you look up. You see a silhouetted figure, far up over you. They stand on top of a balcony, looking down at you as if they were judging. They look... like... you... you notice there’s something under the spotlight it’s a rock made of some type of crystal which is falling directly onto-
Your head hurts a bit. You’ve been sitting under the favor tree, procrastinating making the wish. You saw all those weird shades flashing across the world, you know, you know something’s wrong, but... You breathe in and out, and start searching, you need to pick your favorite leaf for the ritual, but your mind betrays you it-
You’re in a strange looking, dimly lit hallway. In front of you, you see a mirror. It’s reflecting you incorrectly. You look smaller. To its right you see another mirror. You approach it. It reflects you differently, this time making you look bigger. Suddenly a million sources of light illuminate the entire space showing you a whole series of these mirrors all lined up and all shaped differently and your legs betray you pushing you forward and you don’t want to go there but you have no choice you try to fight it and you can’t quite figure out why but the sight is gut-wrenching to you and you can’t even look away you have to keep going you have to-
You keep doing that blinding breathing exercise, it’s not helping it’s- you finally gather up the courage to make that blinding wish. You need a leaf. Why is your brain betraying you? You need a leaf that you like but you have trouble picking- why is this the blinding difficult part. You need to stop to breathe again-
You can’t breathe, bits of food keep falling into your mouth getting stuck deep in your neck, you want to cough but can’t it’s- you don’t know how deep it goes but you’re stuck in a pile of them you can’t swim out you fe e l you rse lf f a ll ing asle ep b u t yo u don’ t w ant t o wher e ‘s Za where ‘s Di le and Bel le and is Fr i n o k a y ?
You found it. You just have to wish and it will all be over. You think it, you think it clearly. You just want-
You want it to be over but it doesn’t stop. A hundred knives puncturing your body, while you’re crushed under the weight of a giant statue of the Change God. You can’t help but beg, your eyes hurt from crying. Why did you do this, why did you say this, what could you have done to Change this awful outcome?! You can barely hear the sound of a statue laughing before you as i t f a d e s
Normality. That’s all you need. You say it, thrice, no... thrice more, as many times as your lips permit before they start to hurt you say it you SCREAM it into the leaf, you-
You keep winding back however many times, as that same gem-like stone keeps falling onto you, shattering your skull – it feels numb now. But, you suddenly feel a hand grab you and pull you out fast and against a wall. All you see is Vindicta’s contorted form holding onto you and the other three, screaming at you all.
“DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?! THIS IS MY PURPOSE! AND YOU ARE ALL STANDING AGAINST ME, AND AGAINST HIM! YOU ARE HEARTLESS, YOU-”
-finally breathe into the leaf then close it and set it down. Then keep breathing, just focus on your breathing, that’s all that’s important now. Your family will be okay because you did it.
Suddenly Vindicta lets go of all of you. You fall, then look around you. Boniface looks like they’re barely alive, Isabeau looks like he’s in constant shock, Mirabelle’s face is full of tears. You can’t even imagine what your own face looks like. In these couple seconds you only hear Vindicta sounding... choked.
“Wait-” You hear them say as you turn to look at them again. They look terrified in a way you’ve never seen of them. And right before your eyes, they vanish.
You’re... back at the shop. You don’t see any weird shades around. You look over to where the shopkeeper should be... they’re there. They look normal. They aren’t paying much attention to you, mostly staying at the entrance. It takes you a second to collect your thoughts. Was... any of that real? It had to be, you felt it you really felt it, but... What a surreal experience to say you’ve had. Trapped in some kind of torture dimension by an evil version of your friend. Then... then you annoy that evil being to distract them from your actual friend who’s performing a forgotten kind of craft to save you all.... but it backfires and gets you tormented even worse, though luckily only for a short amount of time... Gems. You exit the store.
Mirabelle runs over to you, tears running down her face.
“Madame!!!” She shouts in your direction before slamming directly into you and embracing. You never consented to this you... you hug her back.
You realize... Boniface. You let go off Mirabelle and move forward, looking around to see if you can spot them. You can. You see them walking over to you. Oh gems, gems, they’re okay. Mirabelle sees them too.
“Bonnie!” She runs over to hug them. “Bonnie are you okay? Oh Change...”
They nod and lean in to hug her. You notice Isabeau running over from the other direction. You need collect your thoughts some more. This appears to be... some specific time. You were buying supplies, Mirabelle was near the library, Boniface was over by the field and Isabeau was by the favor tree. You also notice everyone’s wearing their usual clothes. There’s no weird shades to be found anywhere, either. After all that... what a relief. But... you clearly must have gone back in time somewhat, so then, where was Siffrin at this time? You... don’t really remember, or maybe you never quite knew?
“Bonbon!!! Mira!!! M’dame!!! Are you all okay??!” You hear Isabeau shout as he runs over.
“Yes... well... we’re alive and safe, so, while definitely not in a good state, I suppose ‘okay’ works.” You remark.
“Okay, good... hahhhhh... Where Sif?”
Mirabelle hears the question and freezes in response.
“I’m trying to figure that out. We went back in time. Mirabelle was by the library, Boniface at the field, I was buying supplies and you were at the tree. Do any of you know where Siffrin was at this time?” You explain to go over what you know.
“I think... I remember checking up... or wanting to check up on them at a field... beyond that bridge, south of Dormont... They were taking a nap there! I remember now!” She points in the direction. You remember this too, just barely. It’s been so long.
“Well, that should be the first place we look, then, right?” You suggest. Everyone nods and you all head in that direction... walking... up to the bridge... then, over the bridge... and at the meadow... there he is.
“Sif!” You hear Isabeau yell. He runs over to Siffrin. They are inert, seemingly asleep, not waking up, gems- “He’s breathing!” Oh thank goodness. You hear Mirabelle sigh in relief too.
Isabeau continues. “Okay. So... first thing we should probably bring Sif to the clocktower.”
“Then what?” You push a little. “Look in the distance. At the house. It’s all still... We haven’t defeated the King yet.”
“I know this, M’dame, but we’ll get to that. We need to get Siffrin some rest now. He seems... even more craft exhausted than before.” Gems, that’s not good. You nod.
Isabeau and Mirabelle pick Siffrin up. He barely opens his eye.
“C’mon, Sif, we just gotta get you to bed, it’s okay, we’re all safe now.”
And they close their eye again.
They help Siffrin walk all the way over to the broken bridge, before the clocktower. They stop.
“Okay... what now. I don’t know if I’ll be able to carry Sif across this time. Selfishly, I think I’m somewhat exhausted as well.” Isabeau explains. It’s probably due to Vindicta’s final ‘showdown’. Then, what could you do...
“We could temporarily rebuild the bridge. Collect the planks from the water, place them across, then let Siffrin walk over with someone light, so we don’t put too much weight onto it.” You suggest.
Isabeau and Mirabelle help Siffrin sit down. Then, Isabeau and you walk over to the river to try and fish out the planks from the broken bridge.
You manage to get one, he places it over where the bridge used to be. You get another...
“Boniface, would you like to help?” You suggest. You want to try to cheer the poor kid up. They nod and run over. You hand them a plank which they place down next to the first one with Isabeau.
You repeat a similar process two more times. You all deem four enough.
“Okay. So. We don’t want this to collapse, especially not while Siffrin’s on it... so... I think... maybe if I walk over it with Siffrin..?” Mirabelle suggests hesitantly.
“Good idea.” You say.
Her and Isabeau help Siffrin up, then Isabeau lets them go, after which Mirabelle helps Siffrin make their way over the bridge. It goes smoothly. You, Mirabelle and Isabeau breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Bonnie goes over the bridge while you and Isabeau jump over, just to be safe.
The rest of the way goes smoothly. Isabeau and Mirabelle help Siffrin get to the clocktower, then up the stairs, then into bed.
“Okay, Sif. I think like before it would probably be smart for you to take off your cloak so you can be warmer.” Isabeau says to Siffrin. They don’t say anything, just nod. Isabeau takes the cloak off him and puts it on the bed frame, just like before. You’ve done it. Vindicta has been defeated and Siffrin is safe and sound. You all are.
It’s late. You hear people eating... around you... you’re still in bed, though. You sit up. You notice there’s a little table set up in front of you, with some food. You hear a familiar voice, you’re really happy to hear that voice.
“Heh, knew the smell’d wake you up.” He says with that kind smile. You try to hide your face, but... you’re wearing neither your cloak, nor hat; that’s not an option. He gestures at the food left in front of you. “Try eating some, they’re still warm. Bonbon cooked these really well!”
You look closer at your plate now that your eye’s adjusted and is less blurry. It’s... stars, it can’t be, it’s malanga fritters! ...Did they do this... just for you? You almost feel a bit bad, but... it would be more rude not to eat them... You dig in. It takes a bit longer to get through than you thought... you must still be tired. You hear him again.
“Well, anyway, Sif... We’ll all be going to sleep ourselves, soon, but before we do, I wanted to ask you one more thing... uh... You know, that... we’re going to the house tomorrow and, well, you know it better than we do, so... if you’re able, would you want to come with us?” He asks.
“You probably wouldn’t be in the lead, though.” Odile interjects.
“Yeah... you wouldn’t... depending on how your legs are you might need to get a piggyback ride from me, hehe.” You don’t know why but the thought is really pleasant for you... You simply nod.
“Alright, tomorrow, then, Sif. We’ll see how you’re feeling. And after that, if you do come with us to the house, we’re coming straight back here and you’re staying in bed until you feel better.” He says. You nod again. You want to ask.
“Did you check if loop is back?” ...You’re met with the most terrifying silence.
“No... We checked, they’re not there.” Odile answers. Stars...
You lay back down on your pillow... then slowly... let your eye close itself.
“Good night, Sif, I love you, Sif-” Isabeau says, it sounds like his face has done something funny after that last bit, but you don’t pay much attention to that.
“Love you too, Isa...” You let yourself blurt out in the last moment before you fall back into your slumber.