A Doll's New House

She was thrown off guard again, but she didn't have the strength to hypnotize this one. "And what will you do if I don't? Have you the power to pull a soul from a body? If so, I can always cling to poor Ix's soul and maybe even break it." Even as she seemed confident, she couldn't help but think about Orianna. She may be docile now, but even with that brand she can still wake up with time, especially as she has the same power.

"You and I are going to have a few words, face to face!" Tix's red eyes started to glow, encasing the woman's view. "Stand still!" After that, she placed a hand on her chest and the other on Alice's. In a moment the three were in a white void, Alice, the enthralled Ix and Tix. "I don't need to pull you out of her body, I just have to beat you and destroy you here."

"What?! How in the hell?" Alice backed away from Tix a few paces before turning to Ix. "Ix, protect me!" She definitely wouldn't be able to get Orianna like this, especially with this one forcing a confrontation in such a manner. And if this one is here, then its unlikely that one or two others from that Sanctuary were here as well."Damnable filth! I should've taken my niece as quickly as possible!"

"Yes... My goddess..." Ix stood between Alice and Tix, sword in hand the young girl was determined to protect her mistress, or so she thought before Tix used shadows to pin the girl down, clearing the path.

"So? All that mighty speech and you are unable to defend yourself? You are pathetic, you are no goddess, you are a leech!" Tix aimed her sword at the vampire and prepared to attack.

"I am a mere fractured piece of my original self, Tix," Alice replied. "I'm sure you and your sisters would know a thing or two about that." She closed her eyes, her face strained with anger yet resignation. "Yet for whatever reason mine never had the chance all of you had. Whatever your story is, I don't care... I've lost...again for the third time. I've been awake for so long, just put me to sleep already, I think you know what I'll do if I'm spared again."

Jessica, Marie, Ix, and even her own daughter and sister. She's done so much to all of them out of her own self-interest. "Ah yes, Orianna's been hoping for her mother, yes? Perhaps it might help when I'm gone to tell her what happened." She stepped towards Tix, staring at her eyes, but not even hoping to hypnotize her. She'd branded her niece, branded Ix, and was stuck in this mental space. No way in hell could she even stall Tix for a second. "Tell her that not even family is innocent. I caused riots in the kingdom and forced our home to become run down. Several monsters, Midara, and magic users were involved, but one was heavily focused in sealing and trap magic. I don't recall his name, but I do recall his near-silver blonde hair. You could almost mistake him to be an elf... Almost like that boy Ferro. But no, it was hundreds of years ago..."

"You know what will happen when I strike you down, right?" Tix asked. "Your very existence will cease to be, not even a tiny particle of your soul will remain, the vampire known as Alice will be erase from the face of the earth. This is your last chance, Ix trusted you and this is why I'm giving you this chance but try something funny and you are done for." Tix remained alert, her sword ready to strike as she awaited for Alice's answer.

She opened her eyes and stared at Tix. "What did you say..." Was Tix actually giving her another chance? Tix, the violent, cynical one was giving her another chance. "Why? I cursed Marie, I enslaved Ix, tried to steal my niece's body! Hell, I betrayed my own sister and hurt countless people over the course of hundreds of years! Why are you of all people giving me a chance?"

"Because Ix." She replied. "If she thinks even someone like me deserves a second chance, that's why I'm offering you a last one."

"You people are too good and naive," she hissed. "Besides, in all this time without a proper body, I've not only been barely alive, but I've been awake all throughout. I can't sleep in my state and that's far more hellish than you can possibly imagine... I think... At this point I welcome death."

"So be it." And just like that with a swift strike of her blade, the fragment of Alice's soul ceased to exist. "Farewell, Alice, may you rest in peace." As Tix broke the link returning both, her and Ix, to the real world, the ashen haired girl looked at both the vampire and her sister, waiting for the reaction of both.

"W-What happened..." Ix asked but Tix didn't answer, she just waited for the other vampire to come back to her senses.

Orianna came to her senses soon after her aunt had faded away. "What... Where is my aunt...? What did she do?!" Before she could get any answers, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and her face press into a metal breastplate. "Th-Theresa?"

"I'm sorry, Orianna, I should've known better. I should've been more attentive!"

"Her time ran out." Tix finally spoke. "She said that in her current existence, she had limited time but that she enjoyed spending it with her niece." Ix looked at Tix, really surprised by her sister's decision. "She said she was proud of you." Glancing at the woman embracing Orianna, Tix gestured her to follow.

Theresa gave Orianna some space as the princess let those words sink in. "Then she's gone...? I lost her again..." Theresa sighed somberly as she simply stayed quiet, sitting next to Orianna on the bed.

"Did she say anything else before she disappeared?" Theresa asked Tix.

"She-" Ix was abruptly interrupted by Tix.

"She is... I finished her off." Tix admitted without second thoughts before glamcing at Theresa. "She mentioned a mage focused in sealing. Silver haired, elf-like ears." After her explanation, her gaze turned once more at Orianna, imagining the woman's next actions and words.

"Y-You what?" Orianna got up off her bed and marched over to her, body trembling, hands shaking. "You finished her off? Why!!" She'd blocked out the mage bit and reeled to hit Tix.

Tix didn't say anything more, she just stood in front of Orianna with a stern look on her face.

Orianna's fist hung in the air for a moment before dropping to her side. She sat herself back down at the edge of the bed. "She hypnotized me, didn't she. Even branded me too, I know it."

Ix kneeled next to Orianna and pulled the vampire into a hug. "I'm sorry, Ms.Orianna... It's my fault, I let her hypnotize me... I'm really, really sorry..."

Meanwhile Tix looked at Theresa. "Come out for a moment." She asked while walking outside of Orianna's room.

Theresa took pause and looked to Orianna for a moment before complying, leaving her godchild with Ix. "What do you wish to talk about...?"

Tix turned towards Theresa. "There is more to what Alice said but I thought it would be better if she didn't heard it." After that, Tix explained everything Alice had told her, about her past deeds and family. "I thought at least someone needed to know that."

---

"Ms.Orianna... I'm... I'm sorry... Is there something I can do for you? To make you feel a bit better?"

"More? What do you mean? What did she say?" Theresa had half a mind to ignore Alice's last words after what she's done, but it might not be wise to do so, especially when thinking of her princess.

Orianna returned her hug desperately and buried her face in her shoulder. "N-No, you didn't do anything wrong... But ca-can I just stay like this...?"

Ix nodded, holding Orianna close, giving her comfort. "Take all the time you need."

"I'm sorry." There goes another piece of her family, though this one was far more definitive. Her aunt was gone forever and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew that she was a bad person, what she'd done, whatever it was she was going to do, and what else she might have done.

But she was still family...

"No need to apologize... Ms.Orianna." The light girl started to stroke the woman's hair, trying to comfort her for her loss. "If you want, I can keep coming from time to time... I might not be your aunt but, I really enjoyed spending time with you, Ms.Orianna."

---

"What do you think she meant with the sealing mage part?" Tix asked the guardswoman.

"Th-Thank you, Ix... I'd appreciate that, I mean it."

"A mage with sealing and trap magic? I believe there was one man, but... No I don't see why it matters. Still, on the off chance, there was a magician that specialized in trapping and sealing. He was known all over for the Midara he'd snare and force their powers to be rid of using his magic. He didn't stop for a second even as some Midara would wind up dyong because they couldn't use their power to sustain their life." She grit her teeth at the memory, trying to put things together.

"From what Alice told you, it seems she caused the riots that threw our old home into chaos, and it seems that man might have been in the middle of it. And if he were to have run into my lady..."