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 Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:56 am
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----------------------------------------xxH A U N T E DxxD O L L ------โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
THE PAST: LAND OF IRON YEAR ????
"Ugh, how many of these are we supposed to make?" An air of warmth spread from the interior of the kitchen that the voice would ask to his compatriots, the owner being a young male in his thirties or so as his hands would be molding the earth on the table in front of him. Scattered across the surface were small earthen statues measuring roughly a few inches tall at most. These crudely made statues were taking over what remaining free space there was on the desk at the time. Another man, looking a full decade younger with dark hair, would sit by a nearby table with his tools at the ready
"More than enough to keep us busy for the next cycle, Daichi." he retorted with a voice full of annoyance. The boy rolled his eyes back at his retainer with a frown. "The more you keep asking, the longer this is going to take." He lowered himself to a basket full of wet and cooked stone to then use the remaining strength present in his body to then hoist the bundle of rocks onto the table with a thud. Across the tabletop, chunks of rock and earth were emptied on top of. Daichi raised one to his eye level as if to inspect it for grading.
"I honestly have no idea where you could get such stone before. You'd only find such samples that have been untouched higher in the mountains alone. Where could you have-" Daichi noticed something odd. Streaks of a blackened substance ran across the surface of each stone he held. But the only way you could have gotten...These areโฆ"
He stammered as the revelation came to him. His fingers dropped the stone onto the growing pile below him while the younger male wouldn't look up from his work, completely unphased by his handiwork. The servant looked towards him in horror.
"You got these rocks from-"
"The many stonesmiths who sell their wares to any wanting customer." Kenta replied almost without any emotion at all. Completely robotic in nature.
"From your own family." Daichi continued in a disgusted tone. "Have you no shame?! I'd expect this thing from those barbaric ninja but from the royal bloodline itself...
"You know the rules about what your parents have said. If they so much as see anybody inside of the resting place for your clanโฆ"
A moment of silence rang between the two before the servant would look almost offended at the formerโs lack of urgency. โMaster Kenta, I implore you, think of the consequences for what youโre about to do! If your parents were to discover where these are fromโฆโ Kenta got up from his seat and grabbed Daichi at the neck, forcing him against the wall with a silent fury in his eyes. โThey wonโt discover where these are from, now will they?โ he asked, his grip tightening. Daichiโs squirms grew more frantic as his hands tried ever so desperately to pry his masterโs hand from his neck. โBecause thatโs why youโre going to keep this between us. You will keep our secret wonโt you, old friend?โ A string came from Kentaโs wrist, thickening into a mass of string like material, brushing against the boyโs chest. โIโd hate to have to tear out such a loyal heart." The servant shuddered in fear, closing his eyes tightly before nodding what little he could of his head. "I won't tell anybody! Pl-Please!"
His feet hit the ground, Daichi gasping for air while Kenta walked back to the table. He picked up a smooth rock and held it to the light with an unamused look on his face. "I will be remembered for curing the incurable. No matter the cost." He sat back down and went to work on his dolls while Daichi stood up and grabbed his throat while Kenta would then quietly get back to work.
โ OOC NOTES [x]
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:59 am
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----------------------------------------xxH A U N T E DxxD O L L ------โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Months later, the stone dolls would be small, hidden underneath a special compartment in the kitchen while Kenta would exhaust the supply before getting some himself from their clan's resting place. This string of thefts eluded palace attention as he only made sure to do so during the breaks when the post overlooking the area was unattended for roughly twenty minutes by patrols would arrive. The heir would become a recluse as the days dwindled on. His work was endless as he was still not only a fourth of the way done. The small dolls took a considerable amount of time to finish for somebody so new like him, and even with Daichi's help, it was a long process. "Damn it." Kenta swore to himself, taking another mouthful of juice while he'd fix an imperfection made in mistake.
The door to his quarters was opened as he threw the dolls underneath his desk and opened the book underneath to a random pave. A young set of feet walked inside, belonging to his mother, carrying the bundle of joy in her arms. The baby girl, Rei, was the newest addition to the family although pale and somewhat quiet. Their mother was attentive to her needs as ever. "I was hoping that I'd find you here." She said, showing the baby to Kenta, who looked so happy to see her older brother once again. That smile was as charming as ever, with the late teen unable to help but allow his sister to grab his finger with her smaller hands. "I see she's been doing better." He commented while standing up so that they could have a much better talk. His mother would nod in agreement while rocking Rei back and forth. "The doctors say that she should make a full recovery by the end of the season. But I came to ask if you'd like to step away from your studies and take a walk with us. Even the wisest of scholars stepped outside their room every one and a while."
Kenta smirked, looking back at the desk and the stone figures he was carving before then nodding in agreement. "Certainly. I'd love to." He'd smile, turning to clean up his desk. The rest of this could wait as he took a small break to enjoy some time off. This work was rather time consuming and it would take quite a bit for him to finish. But Kenta would take however long. He wiped the residue from his desk and closed the book, soon then following his mother out.
โ OOC NOTES [x]
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:04 am
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----------------------------------------xxH A U N T E DxxD O L L ------โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
"You're beyond hope. Not even demons would go so far as to act as you have!" His mother's hand swung across his cheek, guards holding Kenta with arms crossed behind his back. Behind them was a partially made doll, it's creation being interrupted by the sudden intrusion. Kenta cursed under his breath. Number 997. It was almost done before he could have saved his sister from death. His mother looked at his room.
"Mother, please!" Kenta began. "I can explain! Let me-" A baton struck his knees, forcing the boy to his knees in pain. "Save your breath while you still can. Daichi told us everything we needed to know about your little "project" here. To think that we spoke ill of that grave robber, only to find out that they were eating at our table!" The woman flared up but exhaled, placing a hand on her chest to calm herself. After a moment, she glared at her son.
"If you wish to defile the dead, then I see no reason why such rites should be shown to you." She said, motioning for the guards to pick him up. Kenta felt his arms being raised and forced upwards. "For your crimes against our family and your actions that risk our family's honor, you are condemned to death at sunrise. There will be no honors at your execution, no rites during your burial and no resting place near our boundaries. You will die as you are now: nameless and forgotten."
Kenta's heart ached with his mother's judgement, knowing that he had truly and utterly failed. Even if he did convince them that the prior thefts were not his own, it was he who had been caught digging up Rei's grave. Tears began to well in his eyes at this failure, only to have his chin grasped by his mother and held up to meet her gaze.
"My dear son, I pray that whatever fate awaits you will be enlightening enough for you. I cannot let this dishonor go unpunished. May the kami above grant you mercy one day."
He was dragged out as his mother stayed put, looking at his notes and dolls. She pursed her lips but would soon be joined by Daichi, as the door opened for guards to shove him inside and close the door. The woman swung over and smiled at the servant, despite the latter appearing sullen.
"I know it was hard." She began, swallowing a mouthful of reluctance while moving towards him. "Telling me of my son's plans. The very person you grew and bonded with. What you've done I cannot forgive, but I can allow you to live with your mistake." The paper and unfinished doll was placed in his hands, the woman glaring down at him.
"You will carry out this wish for Kenta. Finish what he started, but the final gravestones will be of the grave of his own. Once you are done, you will make this demon and with the help of our sealers, contain it for our own purposes. For your efforts of protecting our family, I can only offer you a faint protection. Should our secret become known, I will be forced to usher you forward as the creator. Am I understood?"
Daichi nodded as the noblewoman would do the same. The guards opened the door for her as she stepped through after Daichi. She paused while on the way back to her room, as if to look to the stars above. "I pray I have made the right decision. But why does my heart ache so?"
โ OOC NOTES [x]
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:16 am
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----------------------------------------xxH A U N T E DxxD O L L ------โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Several months after the execution of Kenta, Daichi had gathered the one thousand stone dolls inside of the kitchen as a bubbling cauldron would rest to his right. One by one, he filled a tray with a number of dolls before sliding them into the boiling water. Each one sunk into the water abyss until hitting the bottom with a soft "thunk". His thoughts went to the late Master and his fate, while wondering if what he did was the right thing to do. There was no way of telling what he had in mind for the doll, or even if such a request that he wished to be done could even happen. Raising the dead was unlike any other medium, with many stories and tales ending in the raised being comatose at best, or turned into a host body for a malevolent spirits at worst.
Still, maybe he hoped a little bit of Kenta would be inside of the doll? That way he could find some solace in his creation being brought to life?
Once the many dolls were drowned in the cauldron, Daichi would begin to stir. He could feel the stones scraping across the bottom with the instrument used to stir, but continued to do so. All seemed well with the stirring no matter how much he did so. It was a lengthy process, one that would take hours to complete. Around and around did his arms travel.
After a few hours, the cauldron would begin to emit a violet smoke. Faint whispers could be heard from the cauldron. They begun quiet at first but would soon grow louder, into a boiling pot of screaming souls. The cauldron rumbled with a foul energy as Daichi felt the evil spirits summoning from what mixture he had cooking. Still, he continued to stir for the fourth hour now.
Upon the eighth hour, it was ready. The servant would dip into the waters below and search for a moment. A large thud was felt as he would soon pick the object inside the pot up with the instrument and gently raise it to the surface. It took a moment but eventually, a medium sized doll the size of a child would meet his gaze. It lacked any features, a smooth surface and head looking back at him before it was thrown onto the floor. Upon fitting the surface, it would slowly raise itself to two feet. Daichi looked down at the doll would utter its first words.
"What is it you desire?"
โ OOC NOTES [x]
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