The door to the library and academy was well made, if a bit austere for the entrance to such a significant place. Two separate oak doors met in the middle and were bolted shut by up to three thick iron bars. The heaviness of the doors was a remnant of the building's previous function as a fortress.
Dean shook his head. Things were dire indeed if he had no choice but to analyse a door to stave off boredom. Most of his day was spent guarding the entrance, so he had precious little else to look at. Well, given the current situation, he wasn't going to complain. Boredom was preferable to fighting for one's life. He also had books to keep him occupied, though even he couldn't read all day. If he did, his eyes would start to hurt.
The greatest danger he faced was accidentally falling asleep. With Morgan gone, he was the only adult left in the library, and so only he could fulfill the duty of keeping the orphans alive. Some of the more headstrong boys, like Mark, had offered to swap with him, and even the ever-responsible Fuelle had volunteered.
He couldn't let them do it. Not while he still had energy to spare. Besides, he could always take quick naps in the middle of the day when the danger was at its lowest. Sadly, circumstances rarely allowed for restful sleep, as he would soon learn.
"Dean, Dean. Wake up. Hey!"
A loud voice and violent shaking roused Dean from his midday nap the next day. He wasn't in a deep sleep and had merely been dozing. Sleep meant the nightmares would return, so his mind was subconsciously avoiding it as much as possible. As his eyes cleared, he met the perpetually wide-eyed Yato looking down at him.
"Whu?" he mumbled.
Before Yato could reply, Dean's senses returned to him and, thinking they were under attack, bolted upright.
"What is it?" he asked.
He looked around, trying to spot the danger before it could attack him or Yato.
"Lappy and Riyu are fighting!" Yato finished.
As those words reached his ears, Dean felt his entire body deflate in an odd mixture of relief and annoyance.
"Fighting?" he repeated. "Are they hitting each other?"
Yato shook his head.
"Then let them be," Dean said, trying to sit back down.
Yato grabbed his arm as he tried to sit back down.
"Come on, you have to do something, Dean! They even made Fuelle cry!"
Dean paused his struggling for a moment and looked down at Yato with a sharp look, all.
"They made Fuelle cry?" he asked, his voice as sharp as a knife's edge.
Yato nodded vigorously.
"She tried to stop them, but then they both shouted at her to get lost."
Dean's mind produced an image of that kind girl's face, tears rolling down her cheeks as she rubbed her eyes.
"Now that's unforgivable," Dean said as he quickly got to his feet.
Evidently happy that his call for backup had been a success, Yato adopted a prideful stride as he led Dean towards the source of the commotion.
The scene of the crime was still very much active when they arrived. Both culprits were rolling around on the floor, fighting over a book as Fuelle watched from a safe distance, sniffling quietly. Dean approached the two girls who, occupied with their brawl, failed to notice his approach until he picked both up by their collars.
They immediately began squawking at him like rabid animals, but he was able to keep them at arm's length and only ended up with a few scratches on his forearms. After a moment, they lost the will to fight and reduced their hollering to small grumbles.
"Now, you two, care to explain why you felt the need to declare war in my castle?" Dean asked dryly.
"She took the book!" both girls said at practically the same time, pointing at each other.
Dean looked down towards the ground and saw a small book lying open. He wondered where they had found that. As far as he knew, the library didn't cater to children, though he wasn't an expert on the inventory.
"So you were fighting over this?"
Letting the kids down, he picked up the book before either Lappi or Riyu could get their mitts on it. Turning the book over, he saw that the title of the book was 'The Rich Witch'. Strange, there was something about the title that felt very familiar.
Don't worry about it. It's not important.
No, the book wasn't important right now. He needed to solve this dispute and get back to keeping watch.
Dean was reminded of what happened once when his father and another noble were fighting over some land in the empire's hinterlands. Something about a mineral deposit suitable for mining. Oscar had put a swift end to the clash by seizing the land as imperial property instead and then auctioning it off to the highest bidder. The area ended up in Marianne's hands of all people.
"I'll be taking this until the rightful owner can be decided," Dean announced formally, keeping the book out of the girls' reach.
"You can't do that!" Lappi cried.
"That's an abuse of auth-authori-auhrooty!" Riyu echoed, giving him a look that would kill a lesser man.
"Those who don't have the strength to fight back should not waste their time with complaints," Dean argued.
Dean recalled one ever-present rule among children. And that was the rule of rock, paper, scissors. The game that decided all arguments and an apt replacement to the bidding war Oscar had decided on.
"Now, the first person to use this will be decided by rock, paper, scissors."
The two girls looked up at them and then, without missing a moment, immediately started the countdown. They knew the drill well.
"Scissors!" cried Riyu.
"Rock!" cried Lappi.
"The winner is decided." Dean announced, handing the small booklet to Lappi. "Though you are to give Riyu a turn in thirty minutes, you understand? I'll come and make sure you have."
Surprisingly, both girls agreed without question. Again, the rules of that game were absolute and wouldn't be questioned no matter what. It was nice to see some traditions living on well after he'd outgrown them. He glanced over at Lappi, who was now happily looking at the pictures.
The little mouse had delayed showing her hand by a split second, giving her the advantage. She would be a dangerous one when she grew up. Of course, he didn't call her out on it. Using every little advantage to turn the odds in your favor was a valuable skill, and it would be foolish to punish her for it. He'd employed the same strategy against Matin and the others countless times after all.
"By the way, where'd you find this book?" he asked them.
"The strange lady gave it us!" Riyu answered.
She'd left Lappi to her reading and had joined Fuelle and Yato. Fuelle was no longer crying, and Dean likely had Yato to thank for that. The boy had been busy comforting the girl while Dean was dealing with the book problem. Dean would have to remember to reward the boy later on for being a good team player.
"Strange lady?" Dean asked, caught off-guard by the girl's answer.
Did she mean Marianne or Layota before she died? No, they were well known to the children at this stage. They would have called them by name.
"You were meant to keep that a secret!" Lappi called out from where she was reading, her face twisted in disapproval. Riyu stuck her tongue out at her friend, apparently still not on good terms with her.
Dean immediately got down on his knees and looked Riyu in the eyes.
"Can you tell me more about this lady?" Dean asked, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible.
It was ineffective as Riyu's eyes sharpened, and a pout appeared on her lips. The girl had a habit of becoming extremely stubborn the moment she sensed she might be in trouble and often went silent in those cases.
"Please," Dean asked quietly.
Riyu sniffed and looked away, but after a moment, she reluctantly spoke.
"I saw her last night when everyone was asleep. I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and saw her sitting on a table."
Dean bit back the urge to admonish the girl. He had told them repeatedly not to wander off on their own. He needed to remain in her good graces if he wanted to get information out of her, so he kept the soft smile on his face.
"What did she look like?" Dean asked. He did his best to sound interested rather than troubled, hoping that would make the girl more eager to share. He couldn't let her know how he was really feeling about all this.
Riyu looked down at her shoes.
"I don't know. She had a hood and cloak so I couldn't see her face, but she had long black hair. I thought she was a ghost, but she said not to be afraid, and she gave me a candy so I-"
Riyu's speaking sped up as she tried to get all the information out at once. Dean waited patiently for her to finish. Better for her to be distracted by her own spiel than to notice the fear that was likely evident in his expression. The hooded woman, Tatiana. He had been just about to dismiss Riyu's claims as a fib, but she just had to go and describe the woman he had seen in the cathedral. The same woman who had taunted him about Addi and had captured Cait and Joan.
"She asked me if I liked reading. Then gave me the book," Riyu finished, looking rather sullen.
Hey, do you like books?
A memory of someone speaking those very words took from within his mind along with the image of a well-kept garden. For a moment he felt dizzy, but the feeling didn't last long. He dismissed the memory from his mind in an attempt to focus on the matter at hand.
Riyu looked up at him with doubtful eyes, clearly on guard and expecting a lecture. Instead, Dean forced a smile on his face and patted her on the head.
"Well done," he said with a smile.
The girl shook her head to get his hand off, glared at him, and stuck her tongue out before running off to talk to Lappi.
Dean watched her leave, a knot of nerves assaulting his stomach. Could that woman be in here somewhere? The building was large enough. Not only did it house the library above ground, but the academy had many lecture halls and classrooms on the ground floor and underground. A monster would find it difficult to sneak around, but a lone woman wouldn't have such issues.
"We can help look around for you."
Dean was slightly startled and looked down to find Yato and Fuelle looking up at him.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Fuelle asked. "About the woman Riyu met."
Dean couldn't help but laugh, earning him confused looks from the two children. Their ability to sense emotions never ceased to amaze him. That went doubly so for the two before him and Joan. Sometimes, he felt like they were looking after him more than he was them.
"Fine, but stay together and stay where I can see you. We'll have a look around together."
He was hesitant to bring them along, but knowing Yato, he would likely convince Fuelle to sneak after him. Better he had them where he could see them. Besides, they deserved a little responsibility now and then. It helped keep their spirits up, and he knew Yato at least would see it as a reward.
Despite the extra help, Dean couldn't find any trace of Tatiana anywhere. Not on the rooftop, the library, or the classrooms below. The place was empty.
Feeling exhausted, Dean dismissed the two children and found some time to rest in the study area. It would be dark soon, and he'd have to take watch once again. The fear of falling into a deep sleep was becoming more and more pronounced, the exhaustion verging on painful.
The third night was even worse than the previous two. Sleep reared its ugly head multiple times, and he had to stand up to prevent himself from nodding off on multiple occasions. He could not afford to fall asleep and leave the children undefended.
Then he heard something. It started off as something akin to growls in the distance, followed by some yelps. Were the monsters fighting each other or something? Eventually, the noise subsided, and Dean allowed his muscles to relax. The relief was short-lived however, as a dull sound echoed from the ground floor. This was followed by a louder banging sound.
Something was knocking against the door. Blinking multiple times to clear his eyes, Dean raised his lythment towards the door and stood stock still. The banging sounds continued for a while before whatever was on the other side eventually gave up.
"Goddess above," Dean muttered to himself as he sighed with relief.
He pinched his nose and realised that his hand was shaking.
"Dean? What was that?"
Dean turned to find Mark standing there, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Nothing, kid, just some wind," Dean replied.
"I'm not some dumb kid, you know. You need to work on your fibs!" Mark said evenly.
Dean sighed.
"Wanna keep watch with me for a bit?"
That did wonders for the boy's mood. He nodded happily and took up a standing position close to Dean, imitating a trained soldier impressively well for an eight-year-old. Of course, being eight years old, he wasn't able to stay still or quiet for long.
"Can I have a big weapon too?"
"What kind of monsters have you fought? I want to fight one."
"Will a monster be coming soon?"
Dean took the questions as patiently as he could, doing his best to make the boy think he was being helpful. However, Dean wondered if this was a bad idea, as Mark seemed to have an endless supply of questions.
As it turned out, having Mark with him ended up saving everyone's lives. Somehow or other, Dean fell asleep a short while later, and if Mark hadn't woken him up, he might not have been ready in time, as the creature that had attacked Layota, slipped into the entrance hall.
Having just woken up, Dean had no time to wonder how the creature had gotten in. Thankfully, he had been sleeping lightly over the last few nights, so it didn't take him long to get a grasp of the situation.
"Mark, wake the others and take them to the servants' staircase!" Dean shouted, readying his lythment.
"But I want to-"
"Do it now!" Dean barked, not having the time to negotiate.
Either from understanding that the situation didn't call for misguided heroics or from simple fear, Mark nodded and ran back towards the bookshelves.
Dean turned to face the creature. Unlike last time, when it had seemed calm and had even managed to speak, now it was panting heavily and shook with agitated fury.
"Come here for a nighttime snack? Hate to disappoint, but the place's closed."
He hoped that his moronic quip would get the creature talking and stall for time, but it simply snarled at him and leapt into a dash. Well, at least it served to boost Dean's confidence a little. Luckily, the creature had to turn and climb a bunch of stairs before it could reach him, so naturally he had plenty of time to take the initiative.
Not only could his ice-type lythment fire off shards of razor-sharp ice, but it could also be used to spread a cone of icy air at short range. Aiming down, Dean covered the steps in a layer of ice before switching back to shooting icicles.
The creature could only reach the fourth step before it lost its footing on the icy surface. Dean fired ice shards in quick succession at the creature, one of which nicked its arm, causing it to lose its footing entirely and slide down to the ground floor.
"Even something as ugly as you looks funny like this," Dean said, laughing much more boisterously than he usually did.
He felt a rush of excitement as he stood there, looking down at the creature as it got to its feet. It looked even more furious than it had been before, wiping the smile from Dean's face. It was hard to imagine this thing being anything else but a void-spawned demon.
"Are you really Matin?" Dean asked.
The creature snarled once again, and Dean saw two separate rows of sharp teeth.
"He suffers because you!" it barked back at him.
"So you're not really him then? But then-"
Dean wondered why it seemed so concerned for his friend, but put the thought on hold as it turned to the left and began making its way down the gap between the staircase and the wall. Feeling apprehensive, Dean readied his weapon.
Then, the creature leapt into the air, grabbing the side of the stairs before leaping off it and grabbing the top of a tall door frame on the other side. It was climbing up the side of the stairs and avoiding the sheet of ice.
"Smart bastard," Dean cursed as he shot off an ice shard, walking towards the climbing creature to get a better shot.
It was using the two opposite walls to climb, and if Dean didn't hurry and do something about it, it would reach the first floor, and Dean would lose his height advantage.
Running as fast as he could, Dean tried to get close to the place where the creature was likely to reach the top. All the while the creature leapt from wall to wall, using its claws to punch holes in the wall to use as grips.
Dean fired one or two shots but missed as the creature continued to move. All of this happened in a few seconds, and just as the creature's hand reached for the first floor, Dean appeared above it, pointing his weapon down and changing the setting to icy wind.
"You're not getting to those kids," he snapped as he pulled down on the trigger, sending a blast of super-cold air into the creature's face as it looked up at him.
The creature lost its grip and fell to the floor with a crash, clawing at its half-frozen face as it did. Dean fired more ice shards that pierced its gut and leg. He then leaned against the railing and shouted down at the creature.
"Now, are you gonna tell me why you're doing all this, or am I gonna have to stick one of these ice shards through that round skull of yours?"
The creature couldn't reply immediately as it was busy smashing the ice shards from its mouth and eyes, taking lumps of its own flesh with them as it did so.
Once its mouth was relatively free, the creature let out a furious roar at Dean who responded by firing warning shots to each side of its face. In these freezing conditions, he basically had infinite charges and could fire with impunity.
The creature let out a curse, and then finally opened its mouth to speak.
"Fool. Master… never frustrated… never angry, do you know why?"
"Hmm?" Dean asked, surprised by the sudden question. "I'm sure that just like everyone, he-"
Dean trailed off as he scanned his memory for a time when Matin had gotten properly angry. Sure, he got tired and run-down from time to time, but now that he thought of it, he had never seen his friend lose his temper outright. If anything, Dean had always thought that he was too forgiving and soft.
"What's that got to do with you going around slaughtering people?"
A low grumbling noise escaped from the creature's throat that might have been a laugh.
"Stress, anger. Needs to go… somewhere."
Stress? Sure, Matin probably dealt with a lot of stress given his position. But Dean was sure he had some way of relaxing. Dean even took him out every once in a while to have fun. He did whatever he could to make sure Matin never overworked himself. Feeling a spike of frustration, he fired off another ice shard.
"Stop beating around the bush. Speak plainly, why are you doing this?"
"I am an… outlet. Things he keeps bottled up. Breaking things… feels good, breaking people is best."
The creature's voice grew more mocking as it spoke, and a huge smile appeared on its grotesque face.
Dean considered its words for a moment. Could it be speaking the truth? Well, that didn't change the fact that the creature had to go down. He readied his weapon and trained its sights on the creature's face. It seemed to be rather sturdy, considering it was still standing with a massive ice shard in its gut, but one going through the eye was probably a different story entirely.
"Kill me and master dies," The creature warned.
Dean's finger froze. Again with that statement.
"Prove it." Dean replied. He should just kill it. Why the hell was he hesitating?
Then, the creature's face, contorted. Red hair sprouted from its bald skull, and its spherical head warped in on itself, becoming more human-like. Slowly, the creature's face became horrifyingly familiar.
"Please, don't… kill me, Dean," Matin said.
Dean nearly dropped his gun. The horror of seeing his friend's half formed face on the grotesque body was almost enough to take all the willpower from him. It appeared uncanny, a crime against nature in every conceivable way.
Taking advantage of his temporary lapse in concentration, the creature bolted away, its head returning to how it had been as it went. Dean fired his weapon reflexively but missed by a wide margin. It seemed the creature had gotten in through the doorway that led to the underground classrooms.
Dean didn't consider investigating how it got in, however. He slowly walked back to his chair and plopped himself down on it, his mind in a complete mess. That horrible sight of his friend's face all twisted like that made him sick to his stomach.
Matin was the one killing people, after all. Either that, or the creature was messing with him. No, the more he thought about the creature's words, the more it made sense. No wonder Marianne had been so desperate for Matin to pass. If this sort of thing happened every time Matin got lost in negative emotions, then avoiding those situations altogether seemed like a wise choice.
Just what was he to do now? Kill Matin or spend the foreseeable future standing guard while depriving himself of sleep.
Dean stayed sitting until Mark eventually came out to check on him. Assuring the kid that everything was alright, Dean sent him and the others back to bed and resumed his never-ending vigil.
The next night proved to be even more of a trial. Foul creatures such as ghouls and goatmen began trickling out from that door to the underground classrooms.
"Why now?" Dean growled as he once again began shooting. The icy surface he had made of the stairs was very effective, and no creature was smart enough to replicate what Matin had done. However, the creatures didn't stop wandering in. Minute after minute, hour after hour.
Dean could no longer afford to fall asleep. Now and then, his body would switch off because of exhaustion, only to be roused awake, either by one of the children or an invading monster.
He persisted like that until the fifth day after Layota's death. Unable to remain conciousness any longer, he fell into a deep sleep.
In what may have been a dream, Tatiana appeared before him.
"You've failed again, Dean," she said, her voice an odd mixture of pity and mockery.
"No, I… I just have to wake up. I only need a five-minute rest-"
Tatiana shook her head.
"Try as you might, you can't protect them on your own all winter. Anyone who could aid you has either died or betrayed your expectations. There is no longer a way forward for you and those children. There never was, really."
Perhaps his emotions were amplified in the dream, but Dean had to swallow deeply to prevent himself from breaking out into sobs.
"W-what should I have done differently?" he begged, his voice breaking apart.
Tatiana looked down at him, a small smile appearing on her red lips.
"Nothing, dear Dean. Your role has always been that of a hero who can save no one. You can't manage any more than that. The fate of those children has long since been decided."
Dean hung his head in silence. He tried not to think about what was happening as he slept. Was he being torn apart? Had at least some children managed to escape down the servants's stairs? Either way, they wouldn't get far. They'd be hunted in the blizzard one by one, or they would succumb to the freezing cold.
"Now awaken and see the results of your selfless, lonely heroism," Tatiana said with a smile.
The haze covering his mind slowly dissipated, and his mind once again awoke to reality. The first thing that came to his mind was relief. He was still alive, and all was quiet in the library. Surely that meant that all was well, and that he had simply nodded off for a moment. It was still bright outside. Last he checked, it was early evening, so he couldn't have been out for that long. Then, memories of a dream came to him. A dream where a hooded woman had announced his failure.
With a growing sense of unease, Dean got up from his chair and went to check on the children. As he walked, the quietness changed from a feeling of tranquility to one of anxiety. His pace quickened as he reached the study area where they had gathered.
There was nobody there. There were signs, of course. Scattered books, toys, and bedding material were still scattered about as if the children had been there mere moments ago. Dean walked around for a while, calling their names with no response.
"The servants' stairs," he said, reminding himself of the warning he had given them.
The hidden stairs, located discreetly amongst the numerous bookshelves, well away from the main staircase. He had told the children to escape in that direction should the worst-case scenario come to be.
Dean took off at a run towards the stairs, cutting across a multitude of bookshelves before the small space came into view. A small stone archway without a door leading into the stairwell.
And next to the arch was a small body lying against the cold stone.
Mark's eyes stared blankly ahead as if still on watch. His face untouched, though his body had been severely damaged. Dean's mouth quivered. He took a deep breath to call out to the boy and ask if he was alright, but stopped himself. Grabbing hold of a bookshelf to steady himself, he screamed. Well, he tried to scream, but no sound escaped his lips.
He could picture it in his mind: Mark, with a heavy sense of duty and responsibility, rushing the other children ahead as he stayed behind to watch their backs. The kid had always had a weird fascination with heroes.
"Dammed fool of a child," Dean spat through gritted teeth as he stumbled over to him.
Gently, he placed his hands over Mark's face and closed his eyes before continuing on.
Yato and Fuelle were next. Both had fallen within the stairwell itself. Yato was holding what seemed to be a small kitchen knife. Where had he gotten that thing? He lay on top of Fuelle, covering her. Though it had done little good in the end.
Dean was smashing his fist against the stone wall, his knuckles growing bloody. Again and again he asked himself;
"Why did I fall asleep?"
More bodies were scattered along the stairwell as he descended. When he got to the ground floor, he found Moke. The boy was lying face down on the ground, and Dean hadn't the courage to turn him over.
By this stage, Dean was simply walking forward, his mind devoid of all conscious thought. The bodies of the children might as well have been piles of clothing as he gazed at them with a blank expression. His mind was shutting down to prevent complete destruction, though perhaps it was already too late for that.
Once or twice, he fell to his knees and vomited the contents of his stomach before moving on. The door to the small room that served as storage was wide open, and inside, Dean found the rest of the children. The smell was awful enough that he had to turn his face away for a moment, but there was something strange that caught his eye.
One child remained alive. Kneeling over a pair of bodies with black hair falling freely down her back was none other than Joan.
The two bodies belonged to Lappi and Riyu. They had just been arguing a few days before, and now they were holding each other's hands.
Joan calmly placed a white sheet over them, covering their faces.
"J-Joan?" Dean asked, his voice trembling.
Joan calmly turned towards him and nodded her head.
"Good day to you, Dean. Have you been well?"
Her calm, self-assured tone. Same as always, as if the world hadn't just collapsed around them. The scene called to mind the time he had found her in the orphanage.
"Joan, how are you… are you alright? You were captured and I-. How did you get away?" he asked, his voice barely under his control.
Joan returned to what she was doing.
"The Goddess is almost done with her work, and it wasn't like she was holding me against my will. When she told me what happened here, I asked her if I could return and help prepare them for the next life, and she said it was fine."
There was no hint of sadness in her voice. She spoke as if she were discussing her job for the day.
"Joan, they're all dead. I-I'm so sorry," Dean sobbed, falling to his knees.
He heard Joan stand up and approach him. She reached her hand down, stroking the top of his head.
"Don't worry, they've already moved on to a better life. There's no reason to be sad."
"No reason to be sad?" Dean echoed, laughing bitterly.
He should have been angry and disgusted with Joan. She had always been a strange child, utterly uncaring for the death of loved ones. Any sane person would call her a demon child and avoid her. Yet at this moment, Dean almost appreciated the stability she showed. He clung to it like a drowning man would a tree branch hanging over the water.
"You're insane," he laughed.
If Joan was offended, she gave no sign. Eventually, Dean decided to help her as they backtracked, covering the bodies of all the orphans as they went. Joan, while working clinically, stopped for a moment before each child, making the circular sign of prayer with her hands. Dean could only hope that she was mourning them in her own way. Once they had finished, Dean made his way back towards the servants' entrance. Surprisingly, Joan followed without a word. Well, it wasn't like either of them had anywhere else to go.
He intended to go out and kill as many creatures as possible. Perhaps he would try to look for Matin too. Was he looking for him to kill him or save him? He supposed he would have to decide once he found his friend. He simply needed to relieve some stress. That was all. Maybe he could find a bottle of whiskey along the way? That would be nice.
The thought of protecting Joan never even crossed his mind.
He didn't tell Joan of his intentions. She simply followed wordlessly behind. Normally, he wouldn't take a child with him on such a suicidal journey, but Dean had a gut-feeling that Joan wouldn't die no matter what happened.
Weapon in hand, Dean stepped out into the frozen wastes of what was once Mount Moore Academy.