Deciding that the doll could wait, Kayasa Morax begins the operation. She sits on the edge of the bed, places one palm on Lolita's forehead and the other on Ayano's, recites a certain spell, and both girls sink into a state of semi-sleep. Ayano begins to experience someone else's life.
A girl who looked about six years old stood beside a large portrait, from which the piercing eyes of a richly dressed and noble-looking man stared into her tiny body. The neat features of his face and luxurious hair revealed him as a person of aristocratic origin, while the expression full of understanding belonged to someone intelligent and well-educated.
— This is your great-grandfather Cadmium, my little one. He was a great man! We must all strive to achieve his immense charisma and intellect!
— Great? — The girl asked back, not fully understanding the meaning embedded in her father's words. The eyes of the painting looking at her made her feel uneasy; she sensed something eerie and sinister in them.
— Yes, great. If only you knew what balls he organized—solemn, grandiose! Modern festive evenings lack the strictness of etiquette and aristocratic sense of aesthetics; they are no match for the creations of our ancestor! — Gazing at the portrait of his grandfather, the aristocrat became lost in a dreamy reverie. — He was an outstanding mage, alchemist, scholar! A true pillar of the empire's scientific and cultural society...
Years later, the girl would also learn that her great-grandfather was a Necromancer specializing in corpse explosion and subjugation. In this way, he kept his servants under full control and possessed sufficient combat power not only to protect himself if necessary but also to represent a serious threat as a combat unit on the battlefield. But for now, the little girl's father decided to remain silent about these professional peculiarities.
— Moreover, he was the closest ally of Emperor Tiaria! The true ruler of our country... — For some reason, while pronouncing the last phrase, the man preferred to lower his tone, even though he was within the halls of his own Haven. — Despite the difference in rank, they fought like brothers against the criminal regime of the false Empress Sonata and her sycophant Twice, and despite all the villainies and intrigues directed against them, they managed to restore historical justice! Oh gods, oh demons, if only it weren't for those cursed rebels, our empire would not be shattered into numerous fragments! By this day, the whole world would belong to us, and we, representatives of noble families, would stand at the summit of a whole, unified world! It would have been a Dragon Utopia, a paradise on earth!
Such speeches from her father were not uncommon in their family, while her mother sometimes simply nodded along with her spouse, not taking his words seriously and believing it necessary to leave the family history in the past. Over the years, the girl herself developed a completely different point of view, whether in opposition to her father or due to some other internal impulses of her heart and mind.
Since time immemorial and up until the beginning of the era of "fragments," her family had ruled one of the counties of Laithia, but she felt no pride in this part of her family history. The aristocrats of those times treated commoners cruelly and exploited them in every way, which served as one of the reasons for the colossal civil war. She did not recognize Tiaria, whom her father praised so highly, as a worthy monarch. His reign brought nothing to this country and its millions of inhabitants but suffering. Tyranny, war, poverty, famine, the invasion of demonic spawn—how could she be proud of this? In her eyes, someone like Larian Twice, a man who worked tirelessly for the benefit of every citizen of the empire, was a far greater man than "legitimate ruler Tiaria" and "great great-grandfather Cadmium." Nevertheless, fearing her father's insane wrath, she never mentioned these thoughts aloud.
Spring arrived. For the young, beautiful, intelligent girl, full of ambition and almost an adult, it was time to leave the family nest. Having received an acceptance letter and a military academy uniform, she slung the legendary imperial sword—a family heirloom—over her back and stepped onto the threshold of the academy, ready to begin her studies and live a completely different life. Oh, what interesting teachers and lectures awaited her! Classmates, perhaps friends, or even a soulmate with whom she would share the rest of her life! Regardless of their future relationships, the girl was sincerely happy about new fateful acquaintances and prayed that the time spent in this academy would be joyful and educational for each of them.
The preliminary vote to choose a class representative ended with her in second place, and she was immensely glad of this, although she tried not to show emotion. This meant that she had made a good impression on her classmates and they trusted her. But besides the joyful events, there were less cheerful ones. Her main competitor in these elections, also an aristocrat, was like her father, but compared to him, he was a far better master of words and was capable of wounding her very essence with his speeches. But even this would soon be forgotten against the backdrop of numerous future events.
She moved into the academy dormitory; met her curator, for whom she quickly began to feel very warm feelings—in her eyes, he was a very worthy, sincere, and attentive person, as well as a competent teacher and master of his profession, a wonderful role model; failed the magic test; learned about her meridians—air, water, and water; naturally signed up for close-quarters combat classes—after all, she had practiced the art of the sword since childhood; received the lowest score on the first combat training test—a sense of shame and disgrace forced her to grit her teeth and put even more effort into training than before. Lost the actual election for class representative—it was disappointing (though she tried to appear as if she didn't care), but no matter, it only meant that she had something to strive for... One event followed another; it was the most turbulent period of her life.
Spring came to an end and summer arrived, beginning with an event that changed the further course of history—the second of the imperial brothers, following the example of the elder, abdicated the throne, this time in favor of the younger sister. At the time, the girl could not even imagine how this event would affect her life and the lives of all her loved ones and friends. During this period, she developed respect and even love for her aristocrat classmate. Contrary to first impressions, he was noble and wise beyond his years, and it was with his help that she managed to accept her own family history as a part of herself that there was no need to be ashamed of. If only he hadn't had to leave the academy... Perhaps her life would have turned out quite differently.
From that moment, her life raced headlong down a slope. Her beloved curator left her life, and so did her close aristocrat friend, and in their place came Rinze. Rinze, Rinze, Rinze—the young empress seemed to eclipse all other events in the life of the country as a whole and their small military academy in particular. "A person born to rule others," magazines wrote, alongside the beginning of widespread militarization, the suppression of the free press, and petty laws such as the ban on girls wearing trousers. In place of the warm and bittersweet memories of past months came an uncertainty that pierced the depths of her soul.
As a true aristocrat and patriot, the girl took the expectations of the new monarch completely seriously and tried in every way to meet them. She tried to be fashionable, she tried to be stylish, she tried to be cute. And when the hour came to defend the motherland and go to war—without hesitation, she set off with her classmates and fellow students, close friends, and teachers who were like parents.
And on June 10, a little more than a year after enrolling in the military academy, she died during another military operation. Not knowing why, not knowing for what purpose, but at least she managed to see her close friend in her final minutes.
At this moment Ayano wakes up, but given the green aura of the victim, it was obvious that this was not yet the end of the story.
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Ple-Sen
