It began, as many such ceremonies do, with a history lesson. “Since the beginning of history, humanity has been divided. On the one side, there is the Light, the pure people of the world who want nothing more than the opportunity to live out their fates without interference. On the other, an all-consuming Darkness of fears, lusts, and greed that seeks to overpower the Light and bend it to its will. And for many years, the Dark did overpower the Light, for the people of the Light have no defense from the Dark. And so, the world fell out of balance, and continues to fall out of balance to this very day, plunging deeper and deeper into the chaotic Darkness.
“But there is hope for the people of the Light, for in between the Light and the Dark, there is Noir.”
Althena looked at the two Maidens standing before her, one in eager anticipation, the other with obvious apprehension. As I expected, she thought to herself. But she closed this line of thought immediately. It didn’t matter whether or not her prediction about their emotional state was correct — the ceremony had begun, and not even she could stop it.
She addressed her next speech to the Maidens: “You are the daughters of Cain; you were born to kill, and raised to murder. You are the Grey: pieces of the Darkness who exist to serve the Light. You are Noir: the medium through which the Darkness shall consume itself.
“Step forth, Chloe Wilde.”
Chloe nearly jumped to the spot directly in front of her mother figure. Soon…
“Chloe, from the day you were brought to the Manor, all of your time has been spent honing your instincts, so that your aim might be true, and your skills sharp; you have been sheltered from the Darkness, so that your judgment would not be clouded and warped by the sins of others. The restraint on your upbringing will allow you to be unrestrained in your actions, to see any situation with an outsider’s clarity. In your hands, your knives are among the deadliest weapons in the world.” Althena looked up from Chloe’s face. “Who is this Maiden’s witness?”
“I am,” Marennes said from behind the young assassin.
“Will you vouch for Chloe’s ability and character?”
“I will.”
“Do you believe her fit to carry out her role as a part of the True Noir?”
“This I believe.”
She then turned her attention back to Chloe. “Chloe, destiny has called you to be a Maiden of Noir. Will you accept?”
Chloe smiled broadly, and nearly chirped out her answer: “I will.”
Althena stepped toward the young woman, lightly clasped Chloe’s face, and kissed her on the forehead. “May God have mercy on your soul,” she intoned before directing the wine-haired assassin to a spot off to her left side.
“Step forth, Kirika Yuumura.” As she moved to the assigned place, Kirika was noticeably less enthusiastic than Chloe had been.
“Kirika, like Chloe, you were brought to the Manor at an early age and trained to use your talents in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Yet while you were sheltered from the Darkness, that experience was washed away, and you were given a chance to observe the world with new eyes. You are fearless in your actions, yet your experience has tempered this fearlessness with prudence. In your hands, your gun is among the deadliest weapons in the world. Who is this Maiden’s witness?” As Althena recited this speech to the Japanese girl, Jeanette silently opened the door to the secret chamber and walked inside.
“I am,” replied Borne.
“Will you vouch for Kirika’s ability and character?”
“I will.”
“Do you believe her fit to carry out her role as a part of the True Noir?”
“This I believe.”
“Kirika, destiny has called you to be a Maiden of Noir. Will you accept?”
Unlike Chloe, Kirika was silent for several seconds. Ever since Mireille had thrown her father’s pocket watch to her, Kirika had been thinking about the day she’d killed her friend’s parents — specifically, Odette Bouquet’s last words: “Love can kill, but hatred never saves.” It certainly made a lot more sense than what Althena said, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Odette had been right: if her experience outside of the Manor had taught her anything, it was that much of reality didn’t make sense. Kirika glanced over at Chloe and immediately regretted doing so: her friend was looking at her hopefully, waiting for her to agree so that her dream — Althena’s dream — could be fulfilled. If only Mireille were here….
Just then, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye — Jeanette had returned (Jeanette had been gone?), and with her was a figure draped in a dark, heavy cloak. Ordinarily, Kirika would have simply noted this, and moved on, but something about the cloaked figure caught her attention. Though this person was obviously trying to remain as silent as possible, Kirika could tell from the light rustling that she — it had to be a she — was walking with a slight limp. She couldn’t turn her head to get a closer look (at least not without alerting the room’s other occupants to this new person’s presence, but maybe, possibly, could it be… Mireille?
Yes, it had to be Mireille. At least, she hoped it was Mireille. Noting that all of the room’s attention was still on her, Kirika reached her decision. If she made the wrong choice, surely Mireille would be merciful and kill her, as she’d initially promised months ago. “I… I will.”
There were several sighs of relief as Kirika finally agreed to play her role. As she had done with Chloe, Althena stepped forward and kissed the younger woman on the forehead. “May God have mercy on your soul.” She moved Kirika to a spot on her right, and with a smile on her face, she resumed. “Let no one break the binds that have been forged here today.” Chloe nodded and closed her eyes… it was finally finished — she and Kirika were now the True Noir, and the specter of the Corsican had been exorcised once and for all.
Meanwhile, Althena recited another version of the Noir poem — still in German, for some reason.
“Noir, das is der Name eines alten Schicksal.
Zwei Mädchen die den Tod beherrschen.
Ihre schwarzen Roben dienen als Schilde um die säugenden Kinder vor der Dunkelheit zu schützen.”
This done, Althena returned to French once again. “The Maidens are strong, but they shall require guidance — a Hand to guide and protect them as they face the Darkness. Many may try, but in the end, only one person is fit to serve them, to lead them.”
Althena paused and took a deep breath — the odds were quite likely that what she would say next would cause a disruption of some sort. “Step forth, Mireille Bouquet.”
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(Posted Wed, 18 Oct 2006 05:38)
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