A night, filled with stars, they shine brighter than ever before. My back pressed against the cold wall of our house. It's a full moon today, the breeze of the cold December biting my skin like a cruel mistress. Tonight is beautiful. The ring on my finger is growing colder as the minutes tick by.
The door to our house opens, and a woman as stunning as the night exists.
"Galbert, honey, what are you doing?" my wife asks, pulling her blouse tighter.
"A-admiring t-the stars", my voice comes in waves of stutter. I try controlling it, but to no avail.
She sighs, her striking blue eyes practically glowing in the darkness. Her brunette hair was tied into a neat bun. She walks a couple of steps and sits next to me. Her head rests on my shoulder.
"You will get a cold, you know?"
A small giggle escapes through my sealed lips. Then my hand presses against my face. I haven't shaved for a while. The stubble on my face gnawing at my skin.
How can someone like her love me? With my stuttering, my inability to have children? This is the question I've been unable to find an answer to. But it seems there's no reason to keep thinking about it.
"L-lets go i-inside, I-I d-dont want you to b-be c-cold, Catherine."
She nods and takes my hand in hers. The warmth of her skin is a parallel to my cold hand.
We rise from our porch and walk inside.
Our house is nothing fancy, but it's enough for us. Catherine stretches lazily, then looks at me.
"Let's go to bed; today's been a long day."
I nod in response
We enter our bedroom. She lies first on the bed, then I join her. My arms close around her waist, and she does the same. We hold eachother close.
I miss working at the orphanage. After Aureth's fall, the kingdom remained in ruin. The people who claimed the power now tore it down. Catherine and I were left without a job for a while. She now works at a library, and I work from job to job. But that doesn't matter; what matters is that the kids who were there were left without a home to call their own.
As I remain deep in thought, I don't realise she fell asleep. I smile, and I kiss her forehead. Then I join her in slumber.
The next day, I find myself wandering the streets of Maze City with a shopping list that has already been crossed out. Maze City, despite its name, is not really a maze in the traditional sense. The weird architectural design made the city feel like a maze. Hence the name. The town is just northeast of Graven Keep.
I bring the shopping list closer to my face and study it to see if I missed something. But I can't focus on it. Something catches my eye, and I turn my head.
A huge building that serves as the city's theatre comes into my view. But that's not the thing that caught my attention. Two white masks, one happy and the other that sheds its tears. Next to them, a black and red hat and a suit. They seem to be from the theatre, left here to rot on the cold pavement.
"T-they look f-fine. I-I will t-take them."
I put them in the bag that Catherine gave me for groceries, which is already filled with them.
"Mister... Can you spare some food for us?"
I turn my head back towards the sound. In front of me, I find three children dressed in rags, two girls and a boy. They don't seem older than ten.
"Y-yeah, want y-you guys w-want to e-eat?"
"Anything", the little boy tells me pleadingly.
"F-follow me", I turn around, and I begin to walk back towards my house. I glance back, and they follow me silently.
I know what I'm doing could be seen as dangerous, leading children to my house. But I don't have bad intentions, I will ask Catherine to cook them something with the groceries.
After a bit of walking, we arrive in front of my house. I open the door and scan the living room, searching for Catherine.
"C-catherine, come here."
A few steps are heard from the kitchen, and she arrives to greet me.
"Welcome back, honey..." She sees the children, and something in her changes. She walks over to them and squats in front of them.
"Who are you, these cute little peaches?"
"We are hungry, ma'am, please"
Catherine stands back up, walks over to me, and takes my bag, then she turns back to the children.
"I will make you the best dinner I can. Take a seat at the table while we go and cook."
The children nod and take a seat at the dinner table. We walk to the kitchen.
"They seem so frail..." I nod in response, and she opens the bag and sees the suit and masks. Catherine picks up the joyful mask.
"What do you have these?"
"F-found it n-near the theatre. T-they look u-useful."
She nods, then I start chopping vegetables for dinner. While Catherine starts to make the dough for an apple pie.
After some time, the kids come to check on us. They taste the apple pie filling and approve happily of it. Another hour or so passes with some small talk between Catherine and me, while the kids talk at the table. Then we are finished.
Catherine and I leave the kitchen with 5 plates and a pie plate.
"Here you go, kids, seasoned meat with vegetables and a hot apple pie, made with love." She smiles brightly at them. Their faces light up; by the looks of it...This is one of the best meals they ever had.
Catherine sets up the table, and we start to eat.
"W-we never g-got your name."
"I'm Adam."
He is the boy with brown hair, blue eyes and a missing tooth.
He looks like Catherine.
"I'm Ella"
She is the girl with green eyes and long blond hair.
She looks like me.
"I'm Emylia"
She is the girl with green eyes and short brown hair.
She looks like us.
"What wonderful names you three have. I'm Catherine, and this man is Galbert, my husband."
We keep talking, laughter, actual laughter fills the rooms of the house.
After we finish eating, Adam and Emylia start fighting with pillows while Ella tries to break the fight between the two of them. Then the two of them stop fighting each other and switch their target to Ella. She gets mad and picks up a pillow. Then the three of them start fighting eachother. Catherine tries to tell them to be careful, but that only makes her the target. She starts running through the living room with the three of them behind her. Catherine tries to act scared, but she can't help but laugh alongside them.
I don't want this to end.
The next day, Catherine has an idea, while the kids eat breakfast, we should surprise them. I have no clue what she is talking about, but I agree.
While Adam, Ella and Emylia were eating their eggs and bacon. We sneak into the bedroom.
"Come, be quick, the kids are almost finished with breakfast"
"I-im trying", I say while jumping through the bedroom in a single leg so my leg can enter clown pants. After a while, I managed to succeed. Next is the shirt, which slides more smoothly.
"Which one do you want?" Catherine tells me while holding the two masks.
I take the grieving mask, and I put it on. Catherine puts on the joyous mask, and we go to the living room. We sneak up behind them, and Catherine starts laughing; the kids turn their heads to look at her.
"Muahaha, you three peaches will get to experience a show fit only for the kings."
The kids look bewildered at her.
"Behold, the personal Buffon of Aureth has come to entertain you. Hit the show, fool."
The kids turn towards me, and for a few seconds, I remain frozen.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
Then my body starts to move on its own, and I start doing a silly dance. A bit after I start, I randomly fall on the ground.
The kids start laughing, which only fuels me to continue. After a while, I'm beat, the kids and Catherine are almost on the ground laughing from how bizarre the whole thing was. But it was pleasant, no, it was pure happiness for a family that formed under abnormal circumstances.
Then the next day, the buffoon act was put into practice. Then again and again, it became a ritual. One would think that this family was formed when the kids entered the house, I believe that too, somewhat. But I think we actually became a family when the masks were put on our faces. We became part of the act, but this act was something that defined this family.
Far off in the capital, a recruit bursts into the office.
"Sire! We have a lead on the Cult of the Goddess!"
The captain turns to the man.
"Are you sure? Where did you get the information from?"
"I'm very sure, the neighbours of the cultist think for certain that the cult kidnaps children and brainwashes them!"
"I see, we must act at once. Reward the neighbours handsomely for their contribution to the church."
The following day, Cathrine and Gablert perform for the children. The house is, as always, filled with laughter until the door bursts open.
"Capture the cultist and protect the children!" The captain shouts to his man, and the guards flood the house.
Catherine turns towards the guards and shouts back. Her mask is almost slipping.
"What is this? Leave this house, we are not cultists, we are a fami-" Before she can finish, she is pushed to the floor and restrained by one of the guards.
"C-Catherine!" Before I realise what happens, I'm also on the floor.
What is going on? We are not cultists....
Before my train of thought can finish, I hear Adam crying as he is lifted off the floor by one of the guards.
"Leave daddy and mommy alone!"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS, UNHAND MY SON, RIGHT NOW!" Catherine screams at them. She manages to free herself and starts running towards Adam. But before she can get to him, a sword is thrust through her abdomen, then pulled back. Her abdomen starts to drip and drip with blood. Her body falls to the floor with a thud right in front of me. Catherine's gaze falls on my face for one last time.
"K-keep them safe..." The life is sucked out of her eyes; she is not the woman I loved anymore. Catherine is only a corpse on the floor.
"Mommy-"
I can't even register from whoever that voice came from before something hits my head.
Then blackness.
When my eyes open again, all I see is greyness. I feel the grieving mask on my face, the clothes itch my skin.
I'm in a cell
"Did you know why people worship the Goddess of Hell?" I overhear a guard talk
"No, why?" the other one responds.
"Because it is said that her sword, the one with the weird eye on it. Can grant a wish."
"Nah, you gotta be shitting me. No chance."
"I'm telling you the truth."
The guards keep talking for a while, then they enter.
"Come on, fool, we are moving you to the Colosseum. At least you can entertain the people there." I see the guard raise his fist, ready to punch me.
Then blackness.
I awake in another cell, this one more filthy.
Catherine? Adam? Emylia? Ella? Where are you four? What happened?
Then the memories of what happened start to flood my mind
Catherine's dead, the kids were taken away, and I'm imprisoned.
I don't even notice it, but behind this fool's mask, my tears fall like a river.
Why did this had to happen? We were happy, we were a family... we... could've. If I were stronger, I could've saved them.
Days, then months pass, and I remain trapped in this cell with only my thoughts and the last moments of our happiness.
One of the guards comes to my cell.
"Wrists"
I walk up to the bars, and I put my wrists through the holes. He locks them tight, then he enters the cell, and he begins to push me out.
"Make sure to put on a good show, fool. Your weapons are inside the arena. But you are probably not going to use them since your opponent is dangerous." The man begins to cackle as he opens the door, and he pushes me inside the arena.
I see "my" daggers on the ground, and I pick them up in a single hand.
How do I hold them? I'm not a fighter. How can I even try to kill someone?
I raise my vision, and I see my opponent. A woman with blond short hair and blue eyes.
"In the left corner, we have Eve, the cursed child, one of the most wanted criminals in our history. How did we capture her? We didn't; Eve came here like she owned the place." The announcer tells the crowd. Some people even started laughing.
"In the right corner, we have Galbert the clown—the former enigmatic leader of Hell's party. Former, because his taste in fashion is quite horrendous. Enough of the small talk, let the fight begin."
"Great, my first opponent is a clown." The woman looks at me while scoffing.
Then I see it, in her hand, a sword with an eye. My eyes widen beneath the mask.
The sword, the one that the guard talked about. I can bring them back. I can do it, I just have to kill her, then maybe... maybe we can be a family again.
"Y-you have s-something that's not y-yours." My voice raspy and quiet.
"Oh, you mean Nightfall? Well, guess what? It's mine; your precious Goddess of Hell didn't need it anymore. And I'm the next best thing."
My body begins to jerk from side to side because I haven't made much effort since I was in that cell. Then I start to break into a run. I close the distance. I don't even realise that I start to laugh. I raise my daggers to strike her.
Come on, COME ON. I WILL TAKE HER SWOR-
Suddenly, I'm flung across the arena, my left leg broken.
W-what happened? Come on, I have to get back up.
I manage to raise myself a bit on my right leg; my daggers are somewhere around here.
But then I stop trying to get back up.
My wedding ring! Where is it?
I began to scan the arena, but I can't find it. I don't even realise when my opponent got behind me. I turn to look at her, and she is with her sword above her head.
"May you find rest in your Goddess's embrace."
My shoulders fall slump in defeat because I know that I lost.
Behind the mask, my gaze is not even on her face. But instead on the sky
There are no stars in the sky.
Then blackness.