[Y/N] - Your Name
[M/N] - Middle Name
[L/N] - Last Name
I
["Talking"]
["SCREAMING"]
["Whispering"]
["Thinking"]

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

Like a statue, he stood.

He wore nothing but his pants, glaring down towards the object in front of his eyes. And even though it had no eyes, it seemed to stare right back towards him. Always glaring against his eyes, and increasing the feeling inside his chest. A weird feeling which he couldn't describe, but he was certain that he didn't like it, not one bit. It felt weird, and almost as if the object in question made him feel worse for no reason at all.

And as he reached ahead, grasping the empty-eyed gas mask, he turned it around. And as it faced contrary to him, he slowly slid his face towards the object, putting it against his face. For some reason, as he did, breathing became much easier even though it wasn't connected to the oxygen canisters he was used to breathing from. Everything became cleared as his vision had seemingly-enhanced for no reason.

It felt natural.

Slowly lowering his arms as he glanced around, the muffled, husky breathing once more filled his ears. It was comforting in a way, but also weird as he was used to hearing thousands of them at the very same time, but now, the only thing he heard was himself. His chest slowly rose and fell as his arms dropped to the side of his body. Glancing around the room, the man glanced towards the weapon on the table.

Reaching towards it, his fingers carefully wrapped around the wooden handle of the shovel. Old, torn apart, and with various cracks around the handle and even the sharp, metal front which he always used as a weapon. Merely grasping against it felt familiar, as if he was caressing the locks of an old lover. Holding it against his hand made him feel like he had belonged in there, as if everything was now clear as day.

It felt comforting.

For a moment, everything once more flashed against his eyes. The empty, destroyed wastelands within the various buildings. The corpses that littered the streets and the empty, destroyed, and lifeless place all around him. The blue skies of the day turned to a dark, orange color thanks to all the smoke clouding his vision. The weapon against his arms, and the movements of his legs that never had stopped before.

As he continued to march, walking alongside his men and his seemingly-endless troops of countless people. Always ready to battle, to fight, and to kill. The city previously-inhabited by happy families, after all those years of destruction and chaos, and bitter trench warfare, was now reduced to a scorched, radioactive husk of a place composed of dust, mud, and the dry blood of everyone who once happily-lived there.

It made him feel satisfied.

Something he had experienced before.

But at the same time, something else seemed to cloud his thoughts. The vision of the blue skies and the loud sounds of cheering that muffled even the hundreds of steps, and the movement of the heavily-armored tanks behind him. Even the husky, empty breathing within his mask seemed to disappear among all the cheering and all the happy words brought towards his ears. It was confusing, it was something new.

It didn't feel natural.

The happy skies and the various smiles and claps of the people that seemed to always cheer for them. The sound of music happily-entering his ears and muffling any other sound save for the seemingly-endless happiness of the people around him. As they stood to the side, giving space for him and his troops to march ahead towards their land after the recently-finished war. A sudden change of pace from the chaos.

It was weirdly comforting.

And as he glanced to the side, he saw a happy family smiling at him. The father who stood side-to-side with the mother, who held a happy, wide-eyed girl against her arms. A young child who reached ahead towards him and his man, not intimidated or frightened by his gas mask that, for once, wasn't as empty as it used to be. Instead, reflecting the vision of that same family as the girl handed to him a beautiful rose.

It made him feel strange.

Something he hadn't experienced before.

Two different scenarios opposite to the other as he stood inside the cold, dark room. Empty as the night on the streets, while the breeze seemed to tickle and shiver what remained of his skin. Waving his hair back and forth as the boy reached ahead, taking away the mask that previously-clouded his face. The two of them shared a glance as he glanced down towards the object against his hands, watching as it glanced back.

What was his life? War.

What was his death? Peace.

What was his life? Shame.

What was his death? Atonement.

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[𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐨]
[𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 - 𝐋𝐞𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡]

Although the night had fallen, many stood.

Be them people walking in the streets, or awake in the safe comfort of their own house, men, women, and children remained with their eyes open and their wits sharp during the night. Various boats docked and left, many were still standing, stopped within the various waters of the city. Gently waving from side-to-side, the large constructs of steel towered above the people, but not above the buildings.

Buildings that, for the most part, were well-lit on the inside, clearly indicating just how many people were still around. Awaken, and aware of their surroundings for all the different reasons. Ranging from people working, or just relaxing in the comforting silence which came with the night, many still remained awake inside the various buildings. Such was also the case within a specific building belonging to the army.

Within the first floor among the various others of such a towering beauty of a building, stood a man inside a room. As a soldier, visibly lower-ranked than him stood on the open doors, saluting. The man was inside a small room which didn't seem to have much other than a fireplace, and a small table with a red-colored sofa to the side. As the man stood, having a glass cup in his hand, he heard the soldier calmly speak.

A man with a tall stature, thin waist and broad shoulders. Like his brother, he has jet-black hair, emerald eyes, and lines under his eyes. Additionally, a small mole sits under his left eye. Unlike his brother, his eyes have a lighter shade of green, and he wears his long hair in a braid tied with a blue ribbon. He wears the standup collar of his white naval uniform wide open, displaying the gold necklace around his neck.

Soldier: ["Colonel Dietfried Bougainvillea, your younger brother is here to see you"]

Dietfried: ["Hey, Gil. Have you been well?"] The man spoke, turning to glance over his shoulder towards his brother ["I see you still have that stodgy look on your face"] Glancing towards Gilbert, he watched as the younger man nodded towards the soldier, prompting him to leave ["You look just like dad"]

Gilbert: ["You haven't changed either, brother"] He continued, stepping within the room with both hands behind his back ["Father would never have approved of that hairstyle"] Glancing down towards the long-haired man, Gilbert continued as his brother smirked ["He'd probably have lopped himself with nothing but his sword"]

Dietfried: ["Huh, you're always like this... I'm glad he died"]

At the man's words, his brother's eyes seemed to widen for a moment. Those same eyes were unaware of what laid hidden behind a nearby room. Laid beneath a blanket with closed eyes, barely awakened. With her eyes gently trembling, the figure seemed to awaken, revealing beautiful, blue-colored eyes. Still, it laid motionless showing no signs of any type of resistance, not moving a single muscle as it remained in there.

Dietfried: ["Ahh~... Sorry about that. Don't look at me like this"] The man chuckled as he calmly stood up ["Say, I have a wonderful gift for you tonight, to celebrate your promotion"] He continued, giving his brother a small smile as he did so ["Listen. This is but a weapon. Use it without mercy or compassion"] Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed for a moment, the man watched ["... Open it"]

As the man reached ahead, he pulled open the doorknob to reveal a blanket-covered figure inside the room. And as the light of the room made contact with the figure, and with a single command from Dietfried, it stood up. Moving to reveal a young girl with messy, blonde-colored locks of hair that fell against her face as well as tired, but beautiful and big blue-colored eyes that expressionlessly-looked towards Gilbert.

Dietfried: ["I found her on the Northeastern front"] The man said, glancing towards the kneeling Gilbert ["Her name is..."]

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.
[マスクの後ろの兵士]
-≽ [𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤] ≼-
Chapter 2: [Never Coming Back]
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["Violet Evergarden..."]

Within the room, alongside Hodgins and Violet who had just introduced herself, four more people stood. Among them, the same woman as before which Violet saw typing, and the two girls that previously had taken a sneak-peak on her. Alongside the three of them, to the side, standing still like a statue as he glanced ahead, both hands inside his pockets, Y/N continued to look towards Violet with the same cold eyes.

His cold, cyan-colored eyes that held within them no expression were fixed against Violet's own, blue eyes. Noticing the boy to the side, the girl turned to face him, and the two once more made eye-contact with each other. They seemed to almost freeze as their eyes remained locked while also showing no sort of movements. Even the smallest of flinches, as, just like a doll and a statue, the two of them remained.

Hodgins: ["She'll be training as a trainee Auto Memoir Doll from today"] The man spoke, glancing towards the woman and the two previous girls from before ["Show her the ropes and the tricks of the trade. I'll have her intern under Dr. L/N"]

Girl: ["The blank-faced duo in front of me... They look just like a doll and a statue"] The glass-wearing girl thought, glancing towards Violet and Y/N ["Like the namesake of the job they perform. Like a mechanical doll and statue..."] The girl glanced away once Violet turned to face, gaining a small blush on her face ["Are they really alive? ... Can they feel anything?"]

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Woman: ["Uh, first off, how much do you know about an Auto Memoir Doll's job?"]

The same, long-haired woman from before asked, having her arm crossed beneath her bust as she looked towards Violet. The girl, who stood on the other side of the small table, also standing up, had both hands behind her back. She looked up towards the woman, keeping a calm, composed, and expressionless face as she always did. To the side, Y/N stood with his arms also crossed, looking at them.

Violet: ["It entails writings letters and the like as per the client's request"] Violet said, not noticing the nod Y/N gave in the background ["Colonel Hodgins- I mean, the boss told me, as did Commissar L/N- I mean, Y/N"] And so, she earned a nod from the woman.

Woman: ["Precisely"]

Violet: ["I can't say I fully understand it yet, but I should be able to carry out my missions"]

As Y/N stood to the side, he glanced over his shoulder, noticing the short-haired girl from before gritting her teeth and her eyes for a moment as she stopped typing against the machine that stood on the table in front of her. His eyes merely darted back towards Violet as his ears continued sharp as ever. It wasn't long before she stood up, looking towards Violet and the woman that wasn't very far away from her.

Girl: ["This job isn't that easy!"] She suddenly spoke up ["And what do you mean missions?!']

Y/N: ["Quiet down and focus on your work, Iris. A well-disciplined soldier should know to speak only when the head commands"] Y/N spoke back, not changing his cold and emotionless tone that always covered his face ["Ms.Evergarden is a capable soldier. I witnessed her skills first-hand during the war. I can vouch for her"]

Y/N's cold tone and just-as-icy glance made the girl pout and sit back down against her seat. Just in time, the door opened to reveal the glasses-wearing girl from before. She recoiled a bit once Y/N and Violet turned to glance towards her. At the same time, the mature woman in front of Violet spoke up, clapping her hands together as she did so. At the same time, she began to talk, calmly gaining a happy expression in her lips.

Woman: ["Oh, right. I haven't introduced you to the other Dolls yet, have I?"] Putting her hands apart, she raised a finger ["By the way, "Doll" is-"]

Violet: ["The short-form address for "Auto Memoir Doll"?"]

Woman: ["Precisely, once more. The girl from before, she's Iris, a rook who just finished her training course"] She continued, prompting the girl who spoke before to raise a hand in greetings towards Violet ["And this is Erica, she and I have been in this business for ages, but since this company wasn't founded long ago, we're basically all newcomers here"] Erica, glancing away before she pushed her glasses up, turned around to walk away ["You already know Dr. L/N, who's the vice-president of the company, and also a Doll"]

Erica: ["I don't think that's even close..."]

Woman: ["Violet"] The woman called as Violet glanced towards Erica ["How are you with a typewriter?"]

Violet: ["I never used one before..."]

Woman: ["Well, let us begin with our type-practice, then!"]

Happily nodding along, the woman walked around the table, calmly sitting down as a typewriter stood in front of her. To the sides, Y/N walked around the table, watching as Violet stood in front of it. He stood at her side, having both hands now inside his pockets as he glanced down towards Violet. The girl looked up towards him for a moment before Y/N turned around, walking towards the booth where Iris stood.

Iris: ["Tsc, and she wants to be a Doll?"]

Y/N: ["Soldier, fetch me the manual"] Y/N's sudden voice caused the girl to jump in surprise ["And if you have any issues with Ms.Evergarden, feel free to share"] And as his icy-cold cyan eyes locked against Iris' own golden ones, the girl swallowed and chuckled in nervousness ["With me... And no one else"]

Woman: ["Uhm... Feel free to take a seat"]

Violet: ["Roger"]

As the young girl's words left her mouth, she saluted, much to the confusion of everyone, save, of course, for Y/N. The Kriegsman walked around the table, standing near Violet after she had taken a seat. The black-haired woman glanced towards Y/N, who glanced back at her, noticing the small, gentle smile she had on her face while turning to look towards Violet. And as she sat at her side, she seemed surprised.

Woman: ["You should take off your gloves"]

Violet: ["... Right"]

Violet reached up her hand, and gently bit down against the soft, dark-brown leather of her glove. As she did, she removed it from her hand, allowing her prosthetic hand to be shown to everyone around. Once more, everyone except for the man who had designed, built, and installed them, seemed surprised. Taken back by the lack of any human skin, muscle, or bone against the girl's hands, the three looked in confusion.

Y/N: ["Do you require assistance, Ms.Evergarden?"] Y/N asked, leaning down towards the blonde-haired girl ["Are they loose? Or perhaps a bit too tight?"]

Violet: ["It's all right, sir"]

Y/N: ["Very well, then. Please, give it a try, Ms Violet"] Y/N said, gently taking a blank sheet of paper and placed it into the typewriter ["First, place a blank sheet of paper inside it like this, and turn the knob to wind it around"] Calmly instructing the girl, Y/N took a step backwards ["Place your index fingers on F and J, and press down on them"]

Violet: ["... Okay"]

Following the man's instructions, Violet reached ahead, putting her fingers against the typewriter's letters as he had asked. Gently, she pressed them, prompting the typewriter to start typing the letters. Her gentle touch and press prompted Y/N to glance down a bit further, narrowing his eyes. Violet also glanced down at her fingers, looking at her open palm as she did so, as if she looked for something in her hands.

Woman: ["Yes, just like that. That's the way. Next, memorize the finger placement for each letter"] The black-haired woman at her side spoke, picking a small book in her hands and putting it on the table ["Try following this manual. It's an standard edition for beginners"]

Violet, glancing down at her hands and gently closing and opening them as the woman opened the manual upon setting it on the table, glanced up towards Y/N. The man nodded his head, prompting Violet to unbutton the sleeve in her shirt, and pull it up. Revealing most of her arm where her mechanical elbow was, she calmly opened a small compartiment much like in the same way that one would open a pocket-watch.

Inserting her finger inside a small, open area, she pulled back a trigger-like surface, prompting a click to come from her arm. For a moment, Violet waved her hand up and down, twisting around the trigger. Each time she did, a click was heard as her fingers moved by themselves, and soon, her entire hand did, as she waved around her hand a bit. Closing and opening her fist for a moment, as the three around looked in shock.

For a moment, the blonde-haired girl glanced down towards the open manual on top of the table. On doing so, she began to type, at first, in a slow manner that quickly picked up speed. Much like the ever-ringing tic of a clock, except much louder and much faster. Her eyes, in a calm and collected manner, glanced around the keyboard of the typewriter, never once moving away from her ever-increasing typing speed.

Everyone had a different approach to it. Erica sweatdropped in nervousness, watching as Violet could type so easily. Iris, gritting her teeth and eyes in a mixture of surprise, anger, and confusion, also narrowed her eyes towards Violet. The mature woman at her side glanced towards Violet in a slightly-worried manner, trying to call her attention. Y/N, however, remained still, watching as Violet continued to increase.

Y/N: ["Ms.Evergarden"]

Y/N called, but to no avail as Violet continued to type. Seemingly-lost in her own world with the ever-increasing sound and speed of her typing. Glancing back and forth between Violet and the typewriter, Y/N looked towards the woman at her side. With a nervous look on her face, she glanced at Violet, which prompted Y/N to act. He stepped forward, and gently grasped against Violet's wrist, prompting her to stop.

The girl glanced up towards him in slight confusion, but didn't seem to show it either on her expression or her eyes. Instead, as she looked against Y/N's cyan-colored eyes, Violet seemed to stop, lowering her arms for a bit as she did so. Y/N, in response to that, slowly released his grip from her wrist, placing his hands behind his back. As he did so, his lips parted, and he began to speak with the icy tone he carried.

Y/N: ["Ms.Evergarden... Please, try and keep it down"]

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The ringing echoed.

As the clock had hit 12 PM, it began to ding. A loud and echoey ding that spread throughout the entire area as the clients left. All of them moved towards the door as they left the place. The receptionists groaned as they stretched, gaining a large smile on their face. Upstairs, with his arms crossed and leaning with his back against the railing on the stairs, Y/N glanced over his shoulder towards them, calmly humming.

He watched as the clients left, and the receptionists stood up to leave their work stations. Turning around with his arms now crossed on top of the railing, he continued to observe as Benedict approached the two. He couldn't hear what they had said exactly, but it was easy to deduce what had gone down. Nonetheless, he stood there, watching as the man pulled out a paper bag from the back of his body.

Benedict: ["Nerine, Lilian, let's eat together!"] The man excitedly said as he wiped some sweat from his face ["I bought noodles. There's enough for you gals, too"]

Nerine: ["... No, thanks"]

Lilian: ["And next time, don't show up at the counter all sweaty"]

As the two walked past him, not even throwing a glance towards the blonde-haired boy, the man stood still. He blinked once ,and then twice, as if he was frozen in time. In the distance, still observing all of this with his expressionless, but icy-cold cyan eyes scanning over the scene, Y/N hummed. Shrugging his arms, he walked down the stairs towards Benedict, and landed a hand against his shoulder, glancing at him.

Y/N: ["You'll scare the clients away with eyes wide like that"]

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Benedict: ["What the hell was that?!"]

The man currently sat within a small room, accompanied only by two other people. An old man who wore the same uniform as the mailmen. Although no hair was present on the top or around his head, there were plenty all around his face into a thick, white beard. The other person was none other than Y/N himself, who sat down on the sofa opposite to Benedict. Calmly, the boy chewed from within an M.R.E bag in his hands.

Unlike Benedict, who slurped his noodles by using chopsticks, Y/N ate with his hands alone. He would barely put the food inside his mouth, and would have already chewed and swallowed it all with no issues. He had the same, cold and seemingly-serious expression on his face. Strangely enough, his shoulders were raised, and his fists were somewhat armed, as if he was ready to jump into combat at any second.

Benedict: [" A man pours his sweat, blood, and tears into his work, and gets no praise?"] The blonde continued to complain as the old man and Y/N shared a quick glance ["And "don't show up"? What the hell? Why are women so calculating these days...?"] Still running his mouth, Benedict growled with eyes narrowed ["And all that perfume. I bet they're trying to reel in a couple rich guys at the counter"]

Y/N: ["Rich people know how to write. For them to be here would be pointless"]

Benedict: ["Tsc. Just forget it. I'm done working with women-"] Just as the man was about to speak, Erica and Iris entered the room ["Oh, hey! You fellas want some noodles?"]

Iris: ["No. And stop calling us fellas"]

Y/N followed the two girls with his eyes, crunching up the empty M.R.E pack and tossing it over his shoulder, not even bothering to check as it went inside the trash can. He followed them with his eyes still, watching as they went into a separate area of the room that he stood, and sat down on two small sofas within a glass table. Watching as such, he stood up and followed them, just as the old man approached.

Iris: ["Ugh... Another day of typing addresses? Both afternoons bookings personally requested either Cattleya or Y/N"] The girl complained as she walked alongside Erica. Surprisingly for her, her heel suddenly bent as she took a wrong step, causing her to squeal in surprise ["... I'm fine. It's just, you know, I come all the way to Leiden and start working as a Doll, but each and everyday, I'm either writing addresses or letters seeking information about people who went MIA"] She continued to complain as Y/N sat at her side, leaning against the sofa while Erica sat in the sofa in front of them, glancing at the paper bag in her hand ["Nothing but that crap!"]

Erica: ["... Yeah"]

Iris: ["That reminds me... Apparently that newbie was in the army, too"]

Erica: ["But... She's just a kid"] Erica thought with herself, soon narrowing her eyes ["Oh, so that's why..."] As the memories of Violet's prosthetics flashed in her mind.

Iris: ["Tsc, why appoint her as a Doll? She's so aloof, and I bet there's not a tactful bone in her body"] The girl continued to complain, clearly not noticing the former-Commissar who sat at her side ["There's no way she's cut for this. Man, I just wanna write something exciting!"] The girl said out loud, continuing to bite against the sandwich in her hand ["For a celebrity! Like an actress's love letter! But Cattleya and Y/N takes all of those-"]

Y/N: ["Incorrect. My letters are all letters for big-name companies and business"]

Iris suddenly screamed, tossing her sandwich upwards as she fell to the ground in surprise after jumping up thanks to the scare. Y/N, merely extending his arm to the side, grasped the sandwich just as it was about to fall. Noticing Erica's thoughtful and shiny eyes, but not deciding to speak a word about them. Glancing down, he noticed as Iris sat up on the floor, groaning as she also rubbed the side of her head in pain.

Y/N: ["Violet's a capable soldier, I've witnessed her skills first-hand, and I can vouch for her more than I could vouch for any of you in years"] The man sat up, tossing Iris her sandwich as he stuffed both of his hands inside the pockets of his coat ["If you wish to one day even come close to writing what you describe as "exciting", stop complaining. Put your words into the letters, and your thoughts into the trash"] Walking past the short-haired girl, Y/N never once glanced down at her, and stepped towards the door ["You lack in both skill and leadership. Do not complain of a well-trained soldier if you're worse than they are in any other area"]

Attracting the glance of the four people in the room, the man slowly glanced over his shoulder. Shooting a stone-cold glare towards Iris, who felt his eyes shooting right through her soul. Soon, the man turned back to face the door, and calmly pushing it open, he took a step out of the room. Stopping in there for just a moment, no one could see it, but his lips parted, and once more, his voice was heard in the place.

Y/N: ["You're not nearly as good as you make yourself to be"]

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Hodgins: ["And... How's Violet?"]

The man asked as he stood in front of a door inside a small corridor. Alongside Cattleya, the red-haired man glanced towards the two doors in the distance alongside the many other ones that stood within the place. The mature woman sighed, glancing alongside towards him to the same pair of doors that stood in the distance. Keeping her arms crossed beneath her bust, her lips parted as she calmly began to talk.

Cattleya: ["I asked her to lunch, but..."] She continued, narrowing her eyes ["She said she needed no "replenishment"] The woman continued to talk, causing Hodgins to sigh with sad eyes ["She's glued to the typewriter, practicing']

Hodgins: ["I see... So she's just like Y/N when he started. Sorry about all this"]

Just as the two continued to talk, in the distance, a door opened while Benedict walked out of it. The man stopped once he noticed Cattleya and Hodgins talking, and stood, watching in confusion. Looking up towards the red-haired man, the woman with purple eyes soon opened a small smile on her face. With a small blush spreading across her cheeks, she stepped forward towards the man with a subtle chuckle.

Cattleya: ["Then you can make it up by taking me out to dinner~..."]

Cattleya: ["Claudia~"]

Hodgins: ["Don't call me by that name!"]

Cattleya: ["I know your parents wanted a girl, but that's just cruel of them"] She continued, gently swaying the man from side-to-side with both arms around his neck ["I couldn't handle calling out a woman's name in bed~"]

To the side, Benedict watched with extremely-red cheeks, looking towards the two of them still. He seemed surprised, for obvious reasons, and peeked over the side of a pillar. He was, however, unaware that Y/N was also looking towards the scene, but strangely enough, since Y/N was just a bit taller than the man, he couldn't be towering over him as if it was some sort of cartoon. And yet, strangely enough, he was.

He hummed, taking his notepad from his pocket as he glanced down towards it, scribbling down something. Soon, he began to flip through it, he stopped not long after, tapping the end of his pen against the small block of papers, and nodded. As the two adults continued to tease each other, or rather, Cattleya continued to tease Hodgins, the black-haired boy drew breath, causing Benedict to slowly glance up.

Y/N: ["I believe this is called flirting. It is a social and sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language, by one person to another, either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, or if done playfully, for amusement"] Y/N whispered, muttering to himself so he wouldn't startle the other two much as he had already startled Benedict, who's eyes went wide, and he stopped himself in the nick of time before he could scream in fright and shock ["In the sexual manner, there are also Kinks. In human sexuality, kinkiness is the use of non-conventional sexual practices, concepts or fantasies. Including acts such as bondage, roleplay, Cock and ball torture, CBT, is a sexual activity involving application of pain or constriction to the-"]

Hodgins: ["I'm sorry, just stop that already!"] The man suddenly said, pushing away Cattleya in a gentle manner ["I can't treat you anytime soon. No pay for me this month"]

The man's words prompted Benedict's eyes to widen in surprise and shock. He thought for a moment about what the red-haired man had just said, and narrowed his previously-wide-open eyes. Glancing down in thought, he soon looked up towards Hodgins once more, clearly showing some sort of concern, confusion, and worry. Y/N, on the other hand, didn't seem to change his expression at all, and kept on talking.

Benedict: ["... No pay?"]

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The streets were still busy.

Even if Erica's calm steps were somewhat hurried, the glasses-wearing girl kept her book close to her chest. Glancing towards one of the many windows within one of the many stores, she stopped as she looked towards a doll. With fair skin and long, blonde haired with big, beautiful blue eyes. Erica stared at it for a moment, and it took her a minute to realize that a toy soldier stood at the doll's side, facing forward.

Still like a statue, the toy soldier was weirdly uncanny for what Erica assumed to be a child's toy. Saluting with his chest puffed, and head held high, the toy's eyes were somewhat empty. As if they lacked any color, it was somewhat weird to stare at. At the same time, it was fascinating to see how detailed the uniform was, especially since, noticing the limbs. The short-haired girl figured it to be an articulated type of toy.

Staring at it for a mere instant more, the girl turned around and began to walk away. Still hugging the book close to her body, she asked herself about why those two were so familiar to her. With her slow steps echoing around the busy streets with the click of her boots, she hummed in a low tone. Staring towards the setting sun in the distance, lost in her own thoughts and mind that continued to run extremely wild.

Truly, lost in her own world.

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Iris: ["I'm done writing the addresses..."]

The short-haired girl's voice prompted Cattleya to look forward, as she gave a small smile. Iris' expression somewhat sadness and doubt, as she avoided eye-contact. Facing the ground with her head down a bit as she held a stack of paper, she couldn't see, only hear, as Cattleya packed the typewriter within a small, black-colored case. As she looked towards Iris once more, the mature woman gained a small smile as she did, calmly standing up. Her lips soon parted, and she began to talk in a calm voice.

Cattleya: ["Nice work, Iris"]

Iris: ["If there isn't anything else, I'll send them over to Deliveries"]

Cattleya: ["Please, do. And you two, you should call it a day, too"] She calmly smiled as she walked past Violet and Y/N, who sat on the sofa ["Let me see here... My, you truly have improved a lot. Impressive"]

Violet: ["This weapon is what's impressive"]

Cattleya: ["Weapon"? ... Well, I guess you could say it's a weapon that let us working women fight in the wider society"] With a small chuckle, she glanced towards Violet, pushing away some of her black-colored hair behind her ear ["You can accompany L/N tomorrow, and see how he works as a Doll. I'm going on a house call now"] Calmly setting her hands together, Cattleya watched as Y/N glanced toward Violet, who looked down at her typewriter ["If a client requests it, we even visit their home or workplace to ghostwrite for them"] The woman said with a small smile as she opened the door ["Well, see ya tomorrow, then~!'] And without another word, she left.

Violet: ["... May I take one with me as well?"]

Y/N: ["Hum? You wish to take a typewriter with you back to our quarters?"] He asked, glancing towards the blonde-haired woman who nodded ["I see. You still wish to continue training during the night? Very well"]

Violet: ["Yes... And also, I..."]

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The clicking continued.

Violet, who sat at the small table within hers and Y/N's room, glanced out the window. She continued to type, not wearing her gloves and allowing her metallic fingers and hand to be on full-display. She stopped typing, and glanced to the side. There, shirtless and leaning against the wall, sitting on his bed, Y/N had a book in his hand. The room was lit only by the moonlight and a candle, so it was hard for Violet to see.

That said, she could still make out the details of the various medical books Y/N had with him on top of the bed. Unlike many would expect, he wasn't reading them, but instead, writing them as he did. He had a typewriter himself, sitting atop his crossed legs as he continued to also type. Noticing the glance of the blue-eyed girl, Y/N glanced ahead towards her, and their eyes locked once more. And like that, it stood.

Never once breaking eye-contact as they glanced and looked towards each other, Violet and Y/N didn't share a single word. Instead, they shared everything else. The damage on their bodies and their minds, as well as their lack of an understanding of the world around them. Everything for them was hurting, but they were just unaware of it all. And so, without a single word, Violet went back to calmly writing her letter.

Y/N, still staring at her for a moment, took a while to go back to writing. Just like one would admire a painting they found to be beautiful and eye-catching, Y/N's eyes were locked against Violet. The girl continued to type, and it wasn't long before so did Y/N, as he ripped away the page from the typewriter, and inserted it within the book, calmly putting it all together. Closing the book, he set it off to the side on top of a pile.

And so, they spent the night.

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Until the day came once more.

For many, it was just yet another day that had started. For some pure souls like children and animals, it was yet another beautiful day on a perfect land. The hot wind blowing, and the jagged lines across the sand. The crumbling buildings, within people's mind that never thought of tomorrow, are all that stand. Just like the buffalo, blindly following the herd, they try to justify all the things that had occurred.

Unaware of justice, unaware of what was evil, and what had occurred on the place where they stood. How much blood was shed for them to be in there, all of them thanks to soldiers dying on all sides. Soldiers who fight for justice in a forgotten place. To fulfill their duty, and then vanish without a trace. They don't need a medal for all the men they killed. For freedom is calling to all men who bend their will.

There they stood, dirty and faceless, awaiting to heed the instructions. On their own, invisible warriors, they were winds of destruction. And yet, across the barren wasteland, new life was born, and currently, it stood in the form of adults working, children playing, and animals surviving. And even inside the buildings from before, who are now thriving with life wherever they went, including a tense, and silent room.

Hodgins: ["Gilbert's address?"]

Violet: ["Yes. I wish to report to him that I've assumed a ghostwriting post"] Violet spoke, looking toward Hodgins who sat on his table ["And that I've begun my training for it alongside Former-Commissar L/N"] Glancing down as she moved her eyes away from Hodgins, Violet looked towards the ground ["The Major must still be busy. I can't see him yet, can I?"]

Hodgins: ["Y - Yeah..."]

The man glanced away from Violet, turning to look towards Y/N who stood on the side of the door. His arms crossed as he glanced towards the man, and nodded at him with his ice-cold eyes piercing through whatever they looked at, Y/N soon glanced back towards Violet. Clearly nervous, although this flew over Violet's head, Hodgins gave her a small smile, and put on his most convincing act and most-real tone of voice.

Hodgins: ["Got it. I'll send this out for you"] The man said, causing Violet to look at him in slight surprise ["So, how's your training? Going well?"]

Violet: ["It is. No problem..."]

Hodgins looked towards Violet in slight surprise. No emotion, no feeling, nothing was present in her face. It wasn't like Y/N, who thanks to the pattern of his burnt flesh, looked serious and that he was ready to decapitate the first Heretic who spoke against his Emperor. Instead, Violet's complexion was beyond just empty, as if she was, truly, a living doll right next to a statue brought from within nightmares.

She didn't seem real.

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Man: ["As you know, I'm having a hard time getting through each day as it comes"]

A man with short, spiky, dark-brown hair spoke as he sat in front of Iris. To the side of her, Y/N stood with his arms crossed, looking down towards the Doll. The man, who also wore round glasses, glanced away and gritted the hat in his hand with slight nervousness. Seeing this, Iris offered him a sympathetic smile with her eyes closed, and began to type against the Typewriter that was placed directly at her table.

Iris: ["As you're aware, I require more founds-"]

Violet: ["You spelled that wrong"]

Y/N, glancing back and forth between the man, Violet, and Iris, hummed. Noticing how the short-haired girl was typing the man's letter before Violet pointed out her mistake. The golden-eyed girl glanced towards the doll-like Soldier at her side, gritting her teeth with an expression of slight anger and quite clear annoyance. The man, seemingly oblivious and unable to read the mood of the room, continued to speak.

Man: ["Also mention that I'll repay it at two clore per month"]

Iris: ["Each two months, I'll-"]

Y/N: ["At two clore a month, it'd take about 120 Years to repay the sum in full"] Y/N suddenly spoke, glancing back towards the man with a cold glare ["Neither you, or your lover, would live that long to repay such a large bill"]

Violet glanced up towards Y/N with a nod of confirmation. Iris squealed in surprise, having her golden-colored eyes slowly move up to meet his face. The man in front of the two was also surprised for clear and reasonable reasons. Although seemingly angry at the boy's comments, he was hushed without another word merely by Y/N glaring down towards him with his ice-cold, cyan-colored eyes and ragged skin.

But this was just the beginning.

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Woman: ["He's normally a very good boy. But he does lose his temper at times.."]

Choking on her own words, as well as wiping away the ever-flowing tears with a small tissue in her hand, she cried. Sitting in front of Erica who, just like Iris, had Violet at her side, sitting down, with Y/N standing near the other two, arms crossed and glaring down at the scene, was a mature woman. She wore a red dress and had long, black hair tied into a bum. She was seemingly rich, an indication by her pearl necklace.

Erica: ["We apologize for the harm your dear child suffered"]

Woman: ["Did I not raise him right?!"]

Erica: ["We promise to discipline him more firmly"]

Woman: ["Where?!"] Her sudden squeal made Erica jump ["Where did I go wrong?!"]

Erica: ["Hum... H - Hey..."]

Y/N, glancing down at the woman, seemed to narrow his eyes for a moment. And as Erica squealed a bit in surprise thanks to the woman's sudden crying, she also squealed louder by Y/N's actions. The man, who had stepped ahead, leaned over Erica, towering over him to glare down against the woman. His eyes that seemed always serious and ready to jump to a fight sent a shiver through her spine in fear.

Y/N: ["Cease your crying at once. You are stalling the work"]

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Man: ["What is this trash?! "I know this is a selfish request"?!"]

Just like before in the previous moment, Erica stood between Violet and Y/N. The boy was up, but this time, he seemed readier. Shooting a glance down at Violet who merely glanced back at him with a short and discrete nod. The man in front of the two glared towards Erica, cramping the newly-written paper in his hands with clear anger. The short-haired girl, clearly frightened and nervous, squealed a bit in slight surprise.

Man: ["What do you mean selfish?!"]

Erica: ["I'm..."] She gently squeezed her hands ["... I'm sorry"]

Man: ["And "I have no excuse for the delay?!"] The man continued to scream, glaring down at her ["Why are you making it sound like it was my fault?! Who do you think you are?!"]

Cramping the paper in his hand, he tossed it ahead, prompting Erica to raise her arms in defense, just as Y/N grasped the ball of paper before it could make contact with her. His swift movement seemed almost impossible, as if he had suddenly extended his arm all the way in less than an instant, and caught the paper ball within his open hand. Calmly, tossing it to the side and into a trashcan, he heard as Violet spoke.

Violet: ["She's Erica"]

Man: ["Guh... I wasn't asking for her name!"] He screamed once more, banging his fist on the desk ["I don't like this letter. I ain't paying for it"]

Y/N: ["Withholding payment for a service because you are unsatisfied is against the law"] Y/N calmly comments, walking around the table, still with both hands on his back ["What is it that you don't like, and why? We need a clear and precise explanation"]

Man: ["Ugh... Tsc! Out of my way, freak-"]

Just as the man reached forward, Y/N suddenly grasped his wrist, and pulled him down. Even though the movement was subtle, almost as if it didn't even happen, the man was brought forward at a sudden speed as if someone had pushed him. With that happening, Violet acted. Grasping his arm, and tossing it over her body before she brought him around, smashing him chest-first into the table with his arm restrained.

Violet: ["Please be prompt-"]

Y/N: ["-Or face termination"]

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Hodgins sighed with a small, nervous smile.

Currently in the room, sitting at the same sofa in which Violet practiced on the day before, was Hodgins. On the other side of the small table in front of him was Violet, who stood between Erica and Y/N. With his arms crossed, the red-haired man gave a small, nervous chuckle that had escaped his lips, previously hidden beneath a sweatdrop. Almost as if he was scolding himself for something he knew would occur.

Hodgins: ["I've... Received a few complaints from customers"]

Violet: ["Was there a problem, sir?"]

Hodgins: ["Well, uh..."] His tone suddenly changed to one of worry ["Are you two alright?"]

Violet: ["There are no issues with my health"]

Y/N: ["I'm a trained Doctor. I could diagnose myself there was an issue"]

Hodgins: ["No, no. I mean, how are you two doing in Doll work?"] He asked once more, glancing towards Violet one more time ["Is everything already? Has there been any problems so far?"]

Violet: ["I am devoting myself to my training"]

Y/N: ["I remain firm on my belief that I was best as security"]

Hodgins: ["O - Oh... Hum... I - Is that so...?"]

Erica: ["If I may... We have more bookings for the day"] She said, suddenly gaining the attention of the other three ["The Chamber of Commerce and Industry's roster needs to be prepared, but I'll work on it with the two"]

Violet and Y/N turned to glance towards Erica before they looked at each other one more time. An instant later, Y/N slowly turned to glance towards Hodgins, who became clearly more nervous beneath Y/N's watchuful, ice-cold, hawk-like eyes. And so, once more, it wasn't long before the red-haired, former-general found himself kicked out. Out of his own room. On his own business. On his own building.

Krieg soldiers are just raised differently.
Literally.

Erica: ["Type out the company name, address, and industry sector"]

Violet: ["Roger that"]

As the blonde sat on the seat that Iris previously sat on, she began typing. Like before, her hands weren't covered by her gloves, allowing her mechanical arms to be seen in broad daylight. Y/N, standing to the side, observed as he looked down at Violet's work, standing unmoving from his spot. Like a doll and a statue, the two of them stood in there, not sharing a single word as Erica observed the two of them.

Erica: ["Hey... What did the two of you chose this line of work?"]

Y/N glanced down at Erica as Violet looked up at her. Their eyes met, and Erica remained quiet and motionless as well as expressionless, almost as if she was some sort of weird, twisted fusion between Y/N and Violet. The boy, suddenly glancing down, could only watch as the various memories of such a fateful day replayed in his mind. Glancing down at the floor as his two eyes, for a moment, had become closed.

That same day...

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Standing there, he realized.

Y/N slowly and calmly looked upwards, glancing up towards the magnificent building made out of gold that loomed over him. The countless statues of glorious men in armor wielding them with just-as-large weapons. All of them different from the other, standing guard on both sides of a massive staircase that led him up directly to an equally-behemoth pair of golden doors with decorations of angels and archangels.

The slow-beating heart of the land he came from, a sacred land of power and majesty that has become legend for most people. The breathtaking architecture of its soaring buildings strike awe into the hearts of the millions of supplicants below. Forbidding statues of angels and the man he had known as Primarchs lloom down from their eyries, their sightless stare driving out all thoughts of heresy with utterly barren soil.

Iits atmosphere in the area behind him was nothing more than a fog of industrial pollution. Massive, labyrinthine edifices of state sprawl across the vast majority of the surface. Not wearing once more his gas mask which stood beneath his feet, broken, the boy glanced down at the paper he held within his hand. Looking at it without a purpose, just as his life now was, as he continued to read the letter over and over.

Y/N: ["Honorable Discharge...?"]

Y/N stood, glancing down at the piece of paper with a blank face. His scars still wrapped, making him look like some sort of mummy. He had long forgotten how long he stood there, trying to think about what to do now. What was his life if not war? What was his death if not peace? What was anything if not the eternal servitude and the endless purging of the Heretics in the name of the God-Emperor? He didn't know.

As he stood there, Y/N's eyes shifted up once a shadow covered him, blocking away the sun from basking against the small areas of his skin that weren't destroyed. Looking up, much taller than anyone or even two of himself, Y/N saw a man standing, glaring at him. He was extremely tall, surpassing 3 Meters (11 Foot), and continued to look down at the boy. At that moment, unaware to Y/N, something would awake.

The man's eyes glared down at Y/N as if a monster eyed its victim struggling against its teeth. Teeth that, Y/N noticed to be way sharper than any human tooth he had ever seen before. His face was nothing but a corpse-white nightmare with half the bones of his face exposed in a bloodless grimace while his eyes were a soulless, depthless black. As if Y/N were staring into the endless void of the ever-expanding seas.

As if he stared into the eyes of an apex predator

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Y/N: ["I..."]

???: ["Oh? Nobody home?"]

A sudden voice was heard echoing through the room, prompting Y/N's lips to be shut, and his eyes to dart towards the voice. Hearing the bearer of the young girl's voice enter the room, Erica was quick to move. Putting on her glasses, she stepped outside the small booth in which Violet and Y/N stood. Glancing down at Violet for a moment, Y/N also worked, following Erica, but not leaving the booth, and instead, staying in it.

Erica: ["Welcome, ma'am"] Erica said, hurrying to meet the young woman ["Are you looking for a Ghostwriter?"]

Girl: ["... Why else would I be here?"]

Erica: ["Uhm... P - Pardon me, ma'am"] With a nervous smile, Erica bowed down, as well as pinching the sides of her dress, and raising it a bit in a polite manner ["If it pleases you, we would be honored to write anything you request. The Auto Memoir Doll service-"]

Girl: ["Is the doll named Cattleya Baudelaire here?"] She asked, glancing around as she walked by Erica ["I'd heard she was the best one for the job. Oh well"]

As she walked past Erica without landing an ear or a single glance, the girl missed Erica's lips and eyes moving down in sadness. The young woman in question seemed to be of high class, evident by her expensive-looking dress, and her very well-kept, long hair that was orange in color, and fell in a trance over her shoulder with two bangs on the sides. She also had wine-colored eyes, and wore a pearl necklace.

As she walked past Erica, Y/N still stood inside the small booth. Leaning against it, watching as the woman walked past with both arms crossed. His eyes followed her just like Violet, who calmly stood up. It wasn't long before the young woman sat against the sofa, crossing a leg over the other and putting a hand against the other, interlocking her fingers. She gained a small blush as well as a calm and gentle smile.

Girl: ["Someone asked me out, you see? He's a man who founded an automobile company"] She spoke, gently leaning forward, glancing away from Erica in a gentle manner ["Saying the age of personal vehicles was upon us"]

Erica: ["I... I see"]

Girl: ["But I'm not that easy. I don't want him to think I'm a loose woman"] She said, looking up towards Erica once more as she gently glanced away after ["Well, he's not that special, and I don't have feelings for him"] Wrapping her finger around the right lock of hair on the side of her head, she smiled still ["But I may consider it if he shows that he truly loves me"]

Y/N: ["... That's stupid"]

Girl: ["I want to send a refined, romantic letter"] She continued, soon glancing towards Erica once more ["Write it for me"]

Erica: ["I, uh..."]

For a moment, the short-haired girl stood there, pushing her glasses up as they gently fell a bit thanks to her sudden movement. It wasn't long before the memories of the man throwing the paper towards her replayed. In an instant, everything flooded her mind just as she was about to give her answer. Before she could do so, however, the young woman in front of her turned to the side, looking at the young girl in there.

Girl: ["Oh? Will you be the one to write it for me?"]

Violet: ["Roger"]

Erica squealed in surprise, turning to face Violet who saluted as she spoke. Clearly surprised, the short-haired girl's eyes widened and her mouth went agape. Noticing the expressionless look on Violet's face, as well as her ever-gentle, doll-like glance. Her glasses gently stumbled down, falling thanks to the sudden movement as she continued to glance towards Violet, who stood motionless, much like the Kriegsman.

This wouldn't end well, and she knew it.

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The day flew by.

The ever-ringing clicks of the typewriters echoing across the entire building. Be it from Erica, Iris, Violet, Y/N or Cattleya, they all continued their daily work. It wouldn't be long until the night fell, bringing with it the chilly winds of the ever-present moon in the skies. The people hurried away into the safety and comfort of their homes as did Y/N and Violet towards their single room inside the top of the postal company.

Much as they did, the flowers on the garden outside closed down upon basking during the sun hours. It wouldn't be long, however, before they once more had opened to face the ever-glowing star of light in the distance. Looking up towards it as the sun came to bask once more, sending down such sunshines. A calm morning once more arose inside the CH Postal Company's building, another day of work.

That wouldn't be calm for long.

With hurried steps of her clicking heels and gritting teeth alongside narrowed eyes, the woman moved ahead. Up the stairs, and pushing past the ever-glaring eyes of concern and confusion that both workers and clients gave her, she approached the large doors into the distance. Reeling her arms back for a moment, she shot them forward, pushing open the doors, which brought all eyes to face her once more.

Girl: ["What's with that letter?!"]

Cattleya: ["E - Eh... Ma'am please, calm down!"] The woman said in confusion, trying to calm the woman in front of her ["Iris, please go and get her some tea!"]

Iris: ["R - Right away!"]

The girl rushed away to get what she was asked to gain. In one of the booths, Y/N glanced down at Violet before he looked towards where the girl's voice came from. Nodding towards the girl, he watched as Violet stood up, and walked out of the booth. Cattleya, gently instructing the woman to calm down, watched as Violet stood, keeping both hands behind her back while glancing down towards the woman.

Violet: ["I wrote it according to your request"]

Girl: ["Like hell you did! He got angry and sent it back to me!"] She growled, banging her hands on the table before she stood up, picking the letter Violet wrote ["Who's your superior here?! Why don't they read out what you wrote for us-?!"]

Before the woman could continue, she jumped in surprise once a hand suddenly snatched the paper from her hands. Glancing up, she met Y/N's predatory eyes glaring down at her. Their color, even though beautiful and captivating, made him look even scarier thanks to how narrowed they were. Scared and jumping back in shock at the boy's sudden appearance, she glanced up at him, shocked by his appearance.

As if he was some sort of ancient predator of the seas who would drag down his victims to the bottoms of the seas and drown them, his stone-cold eyes made her freeze in fear. His ragged, purple-colored and burnt skin made him even scarier than he already was. Strangely enough, his eyes made the girl feel as if she was choking on the endless waves that crashed down against her in the ever-flowing, harsh seas.

The coldness and endless depth in them made the woman recoil. Everyone glanced towards Y/N, who still looked towards her. Moving his eyes down, he scanned the piece of paper in his hand as he hummed. Silent still, the man's eyes continued to scan what Violet had written for a moment. It wasn't long before his lips parted and began to move as he started to speak, reading what was written in Violet's letter.

Y/N: ["I read your letter, but I currently feel nothing for you. Also, you're lacking in affection and sincerity"] Y/N calmly reads, prompting surprised glances from Iris, Cattleya and ERica ["Keep in mind that I happen to be a complex and dignified woman"] Violet looked up at him, having no complex emotion, or any sort of reaction ["Try again once you've acquired enough funds and presents" ... I can't see where's the issue"]

Cattleya: ["I - I'm terribly sorry, ma'am"] Cattleya said, soon glancing up towards Violet ["That was a bit too straightforward"]

Girl: ["... I wanted to be with him, but if I accepted right away, he'd think I was too easy"] The woman spoke in a low whisper, glancing down towards the wooden floor ["Doesn't every woman want to make her man pursue her? I loved him too, you know?!"]

Y/N glanced down at the woman alongside everyone else. Calmly, the man raised an eyebrow down at her, as if questioning her actions. As she proceeded to cry, putting her hands in front of her face, the man glanced back towards Violet, who stood there, glancing just as confused as he was. The woman with tears in her already-shut eyes still kept her palms in her face, bawling her eyes out in sadness and hopelessness.

Y/N: ["How was she supposed to know that?"]

Y/N asked, suddenly breaking the silence which only Erica, Cattleya and Iris found awkward. Crunching up the paper into a ball, he tossed it over his shoulder, once more returning to his predatory-like, cold and icy glare. The boy remained utterly immovable, a vast, silent presence whose pronouncements are always final. The woman, ceasing most of her crying, glanced up towards him with achy, red eyes.

Y/N: ["When you first came in here, you explicitly told Violet that you had no feelings for him"] Y/N, glaring down against her, narrowed his eyes in a sudden change from coldness to disgust ["And suddenly you're crying out because you actually had feelings for him? If that's the case, why didn't you say so?"] Groaning as he glanced down towards the woman, Y/N glanced away ["You wanted to seem as if you were a hard-to-get woman? "All women want their men to chase after them"? He wasn't even your man to begin with"] Scoffing, Y/N stuffed both his pockets with his hands, glaring down at her still.

Cattleya: ["Um... Y/N, I think you-"]

Y/N: ["Soldier or not, I am Violet's superior. I won't tolerate a single person shaming my unit for something that clearly wasn't their fault"] Pointing down towards the woman, Y/N's eyes glared towards her as he growled in annoyance ["You could've done many other things to play "hard to get", and yet, you dare shame other for your own mistakes?"] Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the man clenched his fist and glared down at her ["You are a disgrace to the God-Emperor! Out of my sight before I slice you to pieces!"]

Y/N pointed directly towards the door, watching as the woman panicked. Feeling the mixture of adrenaline and fear rushing through her body, she stood up and ran away. Dashing through the door after pushing it open and running down the stairs. Y/N, who had followed her with his eyes growled, huffing in slight anger and annoyance. It wasn't long before he felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced down to see Cattleya.

Cattleya: ["We... We need to talk"]

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The scenery was completely different.

Now inside a small cafe in the middle of the city sat Cattleya alongside Y/N and Violet. The place was small and modest, being a two-story building with various flowers, bushes and vines all around it. As well as a beautiful garden with all different colors and shapes of flowers, which wasn't an unusual sight within this city. Various, if not all, buildings and houses had beautiful nature surrounding it with gardens.

Guess where the name "Evergarden" comes from.

But even amidst the confusion of what had just happened, and the Author's break of the fourth wall, Y/N sat motionless. People walked left and right as the glorious rays of sunshine continued to tower over the place and the entire town. Basking the bushes, trees, people and animals in its ever-flowing rays of warm light. The place was smaller on the inside, counting with just two small rooms with four tables each.

Waiter: ["What will you three have?"]

Violet: ["Water, warm or otherwise, will provide ample hydration..."]

Cattleya: ["Bring us three Floral Teas, please"]

Waiter: ["Certainly, ma'am"]

With the silence once more reigning across the room, Y/N turned to glance towards Cattleya. The woman, long used to his cold stares and expressionless gazes, merely gave him and Violet a sweet smile. It's true that, while Y/N is higher-ranked in the company than Cattleya, she is still older than he is. Her life experience, while not nearly as adventurous and traumatic, certainly outweighs his in many aspects.

Cattleya: ["We shouldn't have let you take up that job right off the bat"] The woman comments, having a calm and understanding voice ["You are good at writing the letters, but not exactly good at writing the feelings"]

Violet: ["I don't understand"] The girl spoke, surprising Cattleya a bit ["I wrote the letter that best reflected the client's wishes"]

Cattleya: ["Words, just like coins, have two sides"] The woman comment after a brief little moment of silence ["What's spoken isn't necessarily all there is to it"] She continued, soon glancing out the window as she stared into the outside ["It's a human weakness. We tend to test others to reaffirm our worth... How contrary, right?"]

Y/N: ["A soldier's worth is determined by how good they are. Isn't that all there is to it?"] Y/N suddenly spoke, glancing once more towards Cattleya ["The one who works the hardest, the one who's the strongest and the one who purged more heretics"] Y/N continued, soon crossing his arms, and narrowing is eyes ["What good is a Soldier if they don't know their own worth? What good is someone who can't understand their own position?"]

Cattleya: ["Heh... Not everything is a war. Just as not everyone is a soldier"]

Y/N: ["Wrong. One must abandon reason, and know only war"]

Cattleya: ["But even war has its reasons, silly"] She gave a small giggle, soon moving her eyes away ["For example, why do you think those fought in it?"]

The woman said, giving him a gentle smile as she gently interlocked her fingers, resting her chin against it. Tilting her head a bit, still with that sweet and caring smile, Cattleya calmly glanced towards the side, prompting Y/N to follow her gaze. There, he saw quite an unusual scene, albeit he paid no mind to how uncommon such a gaze was. Violet, also following their eyes, had her looks also set in the couple not far.

On one side of the table was a young man who looked like he was in his mid 20's. His raven-black hair had a small tint of purple in it, but his most catching feature were his small scars. One against his cheek, gently grazing it, something that Y/N could easily see was a small wound from a grazing bullet. The other one was just above his lip, something that Violet could easily identify as a wound caused by a bladed weapon.

However, alongside that, his medium, flowing hair, also fell against his face, covering the eyepatch against his right eye. His left eye, who remained open, had a deep, and bright purple. With him, the man carried an MG-42 strapped over his shoulder, and wore a dark-green uniform. In front of him sat a young woman, who seemed to be around the same age as the man in front of her. However, the man was much taller.

The difference was beyond just noticeable, as the man was much taller than the short, blonde girl. She had bright, and wide blue-colored eyes that had a lighter tone than Violet's. Much like the man, she wore a dark-green uniform of the military style, and carried a gun that rested at her side. Her blonde hair was long, flowing, seeming to reach past her back, and into the back side of her waist, if not a bit longer than that.

The two talked with each other as they held cups of coffee in their hands. The man, who had an empty plate, glanced down at the girl who had a plate filled with all sorts of sweets, but mostly chocolates. Y/N couldn't make out what they were talking about, but they shared a quick, and sweet laugh with each other. Seemingly talking about sweet nothings with each other. Strangely, like Y/N, the two of them seemed tense.

Cattleya: ["Don't you see? They're not all that older than the two of you, and yet, they've also fought in the war"] She comments, looking at them with a gentle and calm smile before glancing back towards Y/N ["They had their reasons to apply to the military. And now I ask... What reason, or rather, choice you two had?"]

Y/N: ["The only reason to fight is the purge of heretics in the name of the Emperor. While his enemies still draw breath, peace does not exist"] Y/N spoke, holding his head high, still glancing towards Cattleya with his unshaken and icy-cold gaze ["There is no time to plan, there is no space to think. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only war"] His voice continued firm and strong as he spoke with clear authority in his tone ["To refuse war is to admit defeat. To admit defeat is to blaspheme against the Emperor"]

Cattleya: ["And yet... Look at what all that servitude served you"]

Unlike Y/N, Violet remained quiet. As if she had no answer to Cattleya's previous question, and instead, chose to glance down at the table. She remained motionless, as if she was some sort of hyper-realistic doll. Looking down at the wooden table still, Violet was, quite clearly, lost in her thoughts, trying to find any type of answer to what Cattleya had asked her just now. Y/N, however, remained unshaken with firm answers.

Y/N: ["My body is made to serve. I do not care about my wounds or scars, I have no need to camouflage myself. Camouflage is the color of fear, and I have no need to hide from my foes"] The boy continued, still holding his head high in pure pride and patriotism. His voice was firm as a mountain, towering as one, too, and just as strong and resistant as the highest mountain to ever exist ["I have no fear of death. My colors I wear openly, proclaim louder than any words. I embrace my death without regret, as I have embraced my life without fear. I am proud to live - I am proud to die"]

Cattleya: ["And so, what now? You are no longer a Commissar for the Death Korps of Krieg, neither are you part of that man's forces"] She continues, showing no signs of backing down either. Just like before, Violet continued quiet ["What else can you do now that the only thing that gave your life reason is no longer within grasp?"]

Y/N: ["Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life"]

Cattleya: ["And yet, is your death worth more than what you could achieve within life?"] Cattleya asked, gently standing up as she continued with a calm and sweet smile ["Nothing worthwhile is done without challenge. Best to overcome it before plans are enacted."]

She gave a small giggle, and gently reached forward. Touching against the boy's head, she messed his hair a bit, the same with Violet, who looked up towards her. Y/N, now with his more-messy-than-usual hair also looked towards Cattleya, who calmly smiled towards the two of them. Showing a gentle and caring gaze like that of a mother towards her children as she also gave out a small and gentle little chuckle.

Cattleya: ["So, our own words are humanity's weakest point. But what is the strongest weapon that we have? What is the strongest weapon of mankind?"] The woman once more asked, gently leaning forward with her ever-gentle gaze continuing to spread just as her lips widened with an ever-increasing smile of care ["Is it the Death Korps of Krieg? No! The tank? The machine-gun? The fist? Not at all!"] The woman sat down, lowering her head and closing her eyes for a bit.

["Courage and courage alone stands above them all"]

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"I think that I'll visit the addressee and apologize to him later"

The voice of the woman continued to echo inside Violet's mind as the girl walked. Once more on the busy streets during the daylight hours inside the city, she continued to calmly and gently step ahead. Her hands in front of her body as she reflected against Cattleya's own words, and the conversation she had not long ago. At her side also stood the Kriegsman, who walked while looking down at the floor.

A complete 180 of his previous self who spoke with confidence, certainty and a tone of authority like the Commissar he once was. Now, however, his head was down, and his gaze moved from side-to-side. His eyes, still narrowed, but unlike before, they didn't give out a sense of righteousness and coldness, but rather, lost. As if they scanned the area around like they were trying to focus on everything but one thing.

It wasn't long before they found their focus moving towards something else. This time around it was Violet, who reached up, grasping the area of her own chest as if she was holding the brooch that Y/N had gifted her. He glanced towards his eyes, noticing how, much like his, they were no longer widened, but rather, softened and somewhat dropped in a tone of slight sadness. It brought upon Y/N a weird feeling. He disliked it.

It wasn't long before Y/N glanced down at his own hand that was shoved inside his pocket. Removing it from there, he brought it up, gently reaching ahead and resting his palm against Violet's head. The girl slowly looked up at him, and Y/N felt his hand moving on its own, gently running his fingers across her blonde locks. Violet, dropping her head once more, gently closed her eyes. And stood there.

Gently nuzzling her head up against his hand, her eyes once more opened as she slowly brought them up towards Y/N to look up towards the boy. He looked down at her, and the two of them remained like that. They felt something arising within their chests, but chose not to speak with words, but with actions. Dropping his hand, Y/N allowed it once more to return to his pocket like a snake slithering towards its home.

As they went back to walking, something within them also seemed to soften up. That strange feeling as if someone grabbed their chests with force. The sensation of something was wrong, but they didn't know what. While it wasn't gone, it was certainly a lot less constricting and painful, and it allowed their gazes to become slightly-more confident and their heads to, at least, look ahead instead of down.

Calmly, the two of them turned around, watching as a familiar face approached in a motorized bike. Stopping near them with the heels of his boots gently clicking against the ground, the blonde-haired man glanced towards them. Noticing how, even if they were somewhat expressionless, the two former-soldiers still held with them a semblance of sadness and slight lack of will. It felt weird for him to see such a scene.

Benedict: ["Yo, what's up! You two walking by yourselves?"] The man greeted, stopping near the two, gaining a nod to his question ["Hmmm... You both look out of sorts. You eating properly?"]

Violet: ["... There is no problem with our nutrition intake"]

Benedict: ["You messed up at work, then?"]

The man asked, glancing towards the two of them. Violet, still not looking towards him, narrowed her eyes down a bit. Y/N also glared towards Benedict, as if to blame him for taking away the progress of making both Violet's and his own feelings return to what they previously were. Nonetheless, his glares and ominous gazes weren't as cold, and his face wasn't as angered. So Benedict merely glanced away with a hum.

Benedict: ["Why don't you just come back to deliveries?"]

Violet: ["... Deliveries won't do. For neither of us"]

Benedict: ["Hum. I don't know why the obsession with the Doll work, but it would be better if you two just dropped it"] The boy sighed, narrowing his eyes a bit as he also obtained a strange aura of sadness on his voice and eyes ["I should think about it, too. Hodgins was complaining about no pay this month"] He said before he began to move, slightly pushing his bike a bit to once more return to work, but still speaking ["Our company might be in deep-water trouble"]

As he began to move away, Y/N once more glanced down at his own, open palm. His eyes narrowing for a moment, the man returned to glance at Violet. This time around, however, she didn't share a gaze, and the two didn't find themselves locked in some sort of trance while lost in each other's eyes. Instead, Y/N was the only one to look down at her. Noticing this, he once more glanced towards the floor, and his hands.

They didn't speak during their entire walk.

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For many, a blessing. For them, nothing.

As the droplets of water began, slow at first, but soon blasting down towards the ground like miniature-sized versions of mortar shots, the rain came upon the entire city. The plants who once basked in the sunlight, could now get what they also needed while beneath these blessings from upon the heavens. People hurried inside, or others merely used umbrellas or anything they could, really, to protect themselves.

But not Y/N or Violet. Instead, the two of them merely continued to walk while under the rain. That is, however, until the man had grasped his coat, and pulled it up. Since the rain, thanks to the small breeze, was hitting down from the back, the man calmly raised his trenchcoat to protect the back of Violet's body. While it left the area below her knees unprotected, it still was enough to cover most of her body from the rain.

She glanced up, expecting Y/N to look down at her, but as the tables had turned, this didn't happen. Instead, the man looked ahead with a lost-in-thought gaze, as if he was trying to think about something, or rather, anything, that wasn't the guilt of doubt arising within his chest. Noticing this, Violet went back to staring down, and having her emotionless, but still somewhat sad and lost, tone within her face and her eyes.

And as she looked out the window while inside the company, Erica noticed the figure of the two approaching in the distance. Her eyes widening for a moment, she dashed down the stairs, stopping once she was outside, looking towards the two young Dolls. She felt the rain also drenching her in its wet and cold embrace, but didn't seem to mind as her eyes remained on Violet and Y/N, who looked up towards her calmly.

Violet: ["... May I ask you a question?"]

Eris: ["Eh?"]

Violet: ["Am I not suited to being an Auto Memoir Doll?"]

The three of them remained quiet. But unlike Violet, Erica had nothing or no one to shield her from the rain. Instead, she continued to look toward Violet, who had Y/N, quite literally, covering her back. The man, however, didn't seem to pay attention to their words and questions, merely lost within his own word and his never-ending gaze of thought. Instead, he remained there, still like a statue and some sort of toy/doll.

Erica: ["You could say the same about me..."]

Violet: ["I'm not asking about you"]

And Y/N, even though he was there, it seemed as if he was but a husk of a doll or mannequin that stood completely lost and still. His body may have been there, but his spirit, long gone, and his mind, that seemed to be restrained ever since he came to be, weren't with it. Though Violet truly meant no harm or rudeness in the question, evident by her face that, once more, was expressionless, Erica was still taken back.

Erica: ["... Then no, you're not. Why did you want to do this in the first place?"]

Violet: ["... I want to know what "I love you" means..."]

Violet, gently raising her hand, grasped her own chest where the brooch gifted by Y/N would be just like she had done before. This time around, however, the rain started to slow down, and Y/N's eyes slowly moved down towards Violet. The girl, gently also looking up to meet his gaze, met his looks. Cyan met blue as Erica still looked towards the two in surprise, having a gentle tone of surprise and shock on her face.

Erica: ["... That's it?"]

Violet: ["That's it. I'm aware that it is an expression of a particular emotion"] Violet calmly spoke, glancing towards Erica one more time ["But I don't know what that feeling is, and I don't understand why the Major suddenly said it to us..."] Slowly, Violet lowered her hand, allowing it to once more fall by the side of her body ["And I want to know why. Even though I'm not suited to this work..."]

The clouds of rain began to part, revealing within themselves the sunlight. At the same time, however, the droplets of water remained falling. Y/N's and Violet's already soaked clothes became warmer just like their skin once the sun had fallen against them. Golden rays of the glorious sunshine sending down such glorious bright-gold rays of its ever-present light that would continue to reign for billions of years more.

It wouldn't be long until the clouds had washed over Y/N and Violet, allowing the boy to gently drop his trenchcoat, no longer needing to shield Violet from the rain. The girl, looking up alongside Y/N made Erica's eyes widen and a blush spread across her cheeks. Their gazes, completely different from the other, were, at the same time, equal. To the point where they both seemed just like a doll and a statue with life.

Violet: ["I want to continue with it..."]

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Erica: ["We have towels in the dressing room. And-"]

Their steps were slow, calm, and graceful like the breeze. As the glasses-wearing lass was speaking, however, the three of them heard a familiar voice speak up. However, they stopped just as the voice continued. Y/N, with his still-cold and somewhat-down gaze moved his head upwards once he heard the voice complaining. His eyes narrowing for a moment, she walked past Iris and Erica, approaching the two doors.

Erica's eyes also widened in surprise, but it was mostly because of shock and the fear of Y/N and his now-serious walk. His ever-cold gaze once more hardened as he walked with clear intent of violence. As if a shark stalked its prey from the scent of its blood, Y/N continued to approach the door with slow steps. His hands opening and his fingers moving as if they were claws, or pieces of some sort of chainsaws.

Ready to rip and tear.

Iris: ["Either way, I don't think Violet could be a doll"] The girl continued, glancing down towards Hodgins ["We're a new company, but Cattleya is crazy popular, and Y/N is great at writing business and serious letters"] She continued, watching as the man continued to stare down towards the ground in seriousness ["We can't afford to tank our reputation when things are starting to look up. You should let her go..."]

Hodgins: ["... No. Give her some more-"]

Just as the man was about to continue opening, the two doors opened with violence, shooting open. The two turned in surprise to see Y/N standing there, lowering his arms that were suspended mid-air. The drops of water still dropped from his body, moving from almost all areas of his clothes, and including down the various, destroyed and disfigured wrinkles that adorned the entire area within his body.

Hodgins: ["Y/N? Violet? Erica?"] The man, with clear worry, narrowed his eyes ["What happened to you three?"]

Erica: ["I... I don't think there's any reason to fire her. Violet, she..."] She suddenly spoke up, stepping inside the room, prompting a gaze of surprise from Violet ["Her typing is precise and quick, so she can handle basic tasks like writing addresses and preparing rosters"] She continued, earning herself a glance from Y/N who looked down at her with his still-cold and calm eyes ["She'll eventually learn more things, and one day she'll be capable of ghostwriting letters"] Erica swiftly bowed down, closing her eyes before pushing her glasses up a bit ["So please, don't fire her"]

In the room, everyone stood quiet for a moment. Y/N, still unshaken and unmoving with a quiet and cold glare, glanced down towards Erica, narrowing his eyes for a moment. Violet still seemed surprised, much like Iris, and Hodgins. Erica remained bowing down, and the silence, for a moment, reigned in the room as the girl stood in that same position. That is, until the familiar voice of the blonde Doll suddenly spoke.

Violet: ["... That's contrary"] Her sudden voice made Erica's eyes open and prompted her to look up ["You said yourself I wasn't suited for this mission"] She continued, and soon looked down towards Erica ["You're being contrary"]

For a moment, the short-haired girl stood, frozen as if she had turned into a statue. Her eyes, for an instant, widened and seemed to almost glow as she looked up towards Violet, as she was still bowing. Glancing away from the girl, her eyes slowly went back to normal, almost as if they were closing. Still glowing like before, her eyes slowly closed as she remained bowing down, turning around to face the floor again.

Erica: ["If anything, I'm the one who's not suited to being an Auto Memoir Doll..."]

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Erica: ["That's why I spoke on her behalf..."]

The gentle drops of the water dripped down, falling against the small puddles across the nighty streets. The lamp posts along with the dead leaves decorated the empty and quiet streets. Most places were closed, and very few people walked across the sidewalks, barely paying attention to each other. Among them, Erica walked past that same shop from before, watching as the doll and the toy soldier remained on display.

Erica: ["The instrument that would later become the typewriter was invented by Professor Orland, a leader in the field of letterpress painting"] Lost among her own thoughts, she stopped by the window of the shop again, still clutching the book against her chest ["He made it for his author wife Molly after she went blind and became unable to write, but he called it an "Auto Memoir Doll"] Once more, the girl calmly removed her glasses, staring towards the doll on top of the typewriter still ["The term that now symbolizes the ghostwriting business..."]

And so, she opened a small smile.

Her gaze shifted from the Doll up to the toy soldier, who, once more, remained with his chest held high, and his weapon ready by his side. The Doll sat by him, standing side-to-side with the soldier as her long, flowing blonde hair reached down against her back. Turning to the other side, Erica stopped once her eyes met a small collection of books standing by the side, and seeing as such, made her smile widen.

Erica: ["Meeting those two brought it all back to me. The dream that I nearly forgot"] Glancing down at the book she previously-held against her chest, she smiles ["And the feelings that had been buried deep inside of me..."] A warm gaze and blush spreading across her cheeks, she again glanced towards the Doll and the Soldier ["Just like how Mrs. Orland's novel touched my heart"]

Erica jumped a bit once the lights within the small shop were suddenly turned off. Her eyes widening for a second, she turned forward to face a man she figured was the owner. The tall, muscular build of the man, paired with his medium hair that was tied in a man bun alongside his thick beard spoke of his age. Age that Erica could easily tell carried more experience than her's thanks to his strong tone and deep voice.

Man: ["I'm closing up the shop. That okay?"]

Erica: ["O - Oh sure..."]

For a moment, Erica stood there, glancing as the man went back inside and locked the door behind him. Her smile slowly seemed to widen as did her eyes. For a moment, she turned around once more, standing still in place. Her lips once more stretching to form a warm and sweet smile, the girl raised her head. Gaining with her a smile which held within itself a mixture of happiness, satisfaction, and determination.

Erica: ["I pray that, one day, I too..."]

The moon towered above the city, taking the place where the sun once was. And instead of sending down such a golden-bright light, it shoots down its white, clear rays. Sure, reflected from within the sun they may have been, but it was still nowhere near as towering or beautiful to glance yet. Still, as the clock struck midnight, the moon towered behind it, and Erica once more returned to walking with a smile.

Erica: ["Will be capable to write letters that can move people's hearts"]

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Cattleya: ["All done~! What do you think?"]

With a small and gentle smile, once more like that of a mother, Cattleya released her small and gentle grip from within Violet's hair. Stepping back, side-by-side with Hodgisn and Y/N, she watched as the red-haired man nodded with a large smirk. Y/N, staring towards Violet, would have blushed, if it wasn't for the fact that his cheeks were completely burnt to the point of no return. Still, his eyes were slightly widened.

His cyan-colored eyes gently trembled as they also shook, trembling and glowing as he watched Violet gently brush some of her hair behind her ear. Blinking once and then twice, Y/N continued to look towards her, his eyes never once moving. And so, it wasn't long before their eyes met, and Violet stood, also looking towards him. While she was calm and emotionless, Y/N was somewhat surprised, and also a tad flustered.

Y/N: ["Ms.Evergarden, you... You look great"]

Y/N said, looking at Violet as he gently approached her. The two stood right in front of each other, and thanks to their difference in height, Y/N had to look down at Violet, as she looked up towards him. To the side, Cattleya and Hodgins shot each other a glance as they looked towards each other with a large smile. Behind them, Erica and Iris also watched as the previous was somewhat surprised, and the latter, serious.

Y/N: ["But... There's one thing missing"]

Violet: ["I'm currently equipped with all my garments"]

Y/N: ["Not all of them, I fear"] Y/N said, gently picking up Violet's hand ["I'm sorry that it took so long... "]

Stepping back, he put both hands behind his back, watching as Violet gently stared towards the box. Glancing up towards Y/N, the girl earned herself a nod, prompting her other hand to gently reach forward. Grasping the top of the small box, she opened it, and inside, she saw the gem-like brooch. Her blue eyes instantly widened a bit, as she looked down towards it in surprise and slight shock at what she had seen.

Violet: ["This is... This is the brooch that you bought me!"]

Y/N: ["I found it for sale on the black market. Somebody must've stolen it from your belongings"] Y/N calmly spoke, gently stepping ahead and picking up the brooch in his hand ["I managed to take it after... A bit of convincing from my part. Here... Let me put it on you"]

Y/N said as he gently reached forward, still looking down towards Violet. Calmly, still holding the small gem within his hand, he used its back side to hook around the silk around Violet's white ribbon-tie. Gently, he also reached ahead, and calmly brushed away some stray strands of hair from Violet's face. The two gently stood there, staring at each other, as Y/N calmly still held his hand while he calmly cupped Violet's cheek.

He was surprised both by how she seemed to glow, and also at her shining attire. An attire which consists of a white ribbon-tie dress with a Prussian blue jacket. She also wears a white, pleated silk skirt. She also wears brown gloves, and heeled, long leather boots which are of a deep brown. Her hair was styled in two French braids which she subsequently wraps on themselves and that are tied with two red ribbons.

Violet: ["... Y/N ..."]

The two stood in there, locked their eyes as they continued to change the same glance. Erica's eyes for a moment shined in surprise as she could see the resemblance, once more, between the Doll and the Toy Soldier from before. A small smile slowly spread across her face as the two doll-like people stood. Y/N gently held Violet's face, and their eyes locked as she looked up towards the former soldier.

Cattleya: ["Oh, I know~!"] She suddenly spoke up, stepping ahead ["Violet, would you like to join a Doll-Training course?"] Cattleya put her hands together, gaining Violet's attention as Y/N stepped to the side ["They have intensive ones for newcomers. Iris and Y/N went through one, too"]

Iris: ["The teachers were crazy-strict, though..."]

Cattleya: ["I'm sure that it would help~!"]

Violet for a moment stopped. She looked down at the brooch that was tied around the ribbon-tie on her neck. She soon reached upwards, touching it and gently cupping it within her hand. Slowly, she also looked up towards Y/N, who offered her a gentle gaze. His icy-cold eyes were strangely warm as they stood half-lidded. Still showing no expression on his face, Y/N gave Violet a small, little nod as the girl looked at him.

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Cattleya: ["Ah, so that's where your pay for this month would've gone to, hum~?"]

Once more amidst the darkness of the room and the night, two people stood. Instead of Violet and Y/N confined to their small room, it was Cattleya and Hodgins, who stood alone inside a bar. Sitting in the stools by the counter, their only company was a lone, and quiet bartender who stood by the side, polishing the glasses. A young man with short, curly black hair, wearing round glasses who seemed to be in his early 20's.

Hodgins: ["Yeah... But Y/N managed to get it back after he took the brooch"] The man said, calmly sipping from his whiskey glass ["Thankfully I wasn't there to watch. With him, things never get pretty... Even less after that man"]

Cattleya: ["Oya~? There is something worse than a Kriegsman?"] The woman asked, also sipping from her margarita glass ["I suppose it's someone you at least heard of, them? Who was it?"]

Hodgins: ["As you know after the truth came out, no soldier of Krieg has a paternal figure. This was the man who adopted Y/N after the war"] Sighing as he dropped his shot glass, Hodgins lowered his head, prompting Cattleya to give her a worried glance ["He was beyond just a monster. He was like... A predator. He was the most brutal thing I've ever laid my eyes on"] Once more taking a long sip from his drink, as if to fog the brutal and blood memories from his mind, Hodgins continued ["He was the one who taught Y/N how to fight like he did, tsc... The bastard even gave the boy some new weapons"]

Cattleya: ["Well, well, dear. You're making me curious~... Who is such a figure?"]

Glancing down, Hodgins' eyes narrowed with worry.

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The ground shook with his steps.

As the gigantic, towering figure of the man approached the even-larger doors by the end of the corridor, he could hear the same noise as usual. Heavy breathing, grunting, and growls of slight pain, annoyance, and exhaustion. Followed by it came a powering scream of pure rage and extreme bloodlust, prompting the man to hum in satisfaction at what he heard. And without a moment of hesitation, he opened them.

Inside, he saw the young boy standing. The room was a large, dark place with various targets and dummy-like mannequins around. Within it, the large, towering walls had countless marks of scratches and damage. Within it, right in the middle, all around with the targets and mannequins chopped to pieces or stabbed, was Y/N. He wore nothing but a black, tight shirt, with equally-dark pants, welding various weapons.

Such weapons were the same, but in a total of eight. Long, thin, and extremely-sharp blades that sprouted from within thin, red-colored handles. Handles which Y/N grasped within his fingers, narrowing his eyes. As if they were large claws sprouting from within his hands as the sword-like bladed weapons remained in its sharp, towering, and intimidating position. Like the sharp claws of a dangerous monster.

Y/N: ["... Father"]

The boy greeted, slowly lowering his arms and stopping inside the room. The man in the door stopped walking, allowing the clanking of his large, towering, armor to finally stop. The man's armor in question was a gigantic, behemoth of a figure which could easily be as tall as Y/N's twice size. Nonetheless, the man crossed his arms, stopping as he glanced down towards the boy, prompting the young man to turn around.

A pattern of Tactical Dreadnought Armor that has been heavily modified to suit his stature. Dozens of brass bonding studs gleam atop slab-plates of grey ceramite, layered over blocks of plasteel reinforced with rods of adamantium .A skull, the bone yellowing and ancient, dangles from a chain at the giant's waist, its eye sockets as dead and soulless as the black lenses of the monster's own boar-snouted helm.

Y/N: ["It's been a few weeks... May I help you with something?"]

???: ["..."]

Y/N: ["Yes, sir. I'm aware of what I lack when it comes to my skills"]

???: ["... Humph"]

Y/N: ["I've improved much more in these past few weeks..."]

The man's armor was equipped with heavy gauntlet-like devices of uncertain origin combining barbed power blades and an inner maw fitted with underbite mechanized chainblades that make use of adamantium teeth. These gauntlets' pattern and manufacture are unknown. How the man acquired these weapons is a matter of conjecture. However, it is whispered within the soldiers a matter of conjecture

However, it is whispered within the soldiers that this pair of ancien that this pair of ancient claws once belonged to an ancient, exiled warrior. The carnage they could unleash had to be seen to be believed. The entire suit of ancient battleplate throbs with the vast power necessary to keep its thick servo bundles active, and the very air in this monster's own presence feels alive with the potency of the supreme predator.

Once more, he is utterly immovable, a vast, silent presence whose pronouncements are always final. In battle, it was a special privilege for his fellow brothers to witness the elemental destruction unleashed when the master of the God-Emperor's most gruesome and horrifying soldiers was called upon to render bloody judgment upon the enemy. The man in question was almost like a gigantic, dangerous predator.

???: ["... Good. I suppose you are ready to join me and your Brothers"] The man spoke, raising both of his hands ["Come. Your training ends here. From now on, you are also one of us"] Slowly, he grasped the helmet he wore, pulling it away from his face ["... Do you, Y/N L/N, accept your role in this? Do you promise to follow your brothers into the zone of war, and conduct them to glory, no matter the ferocity or ingenuity of the foe?"]

Y/N: ["On this matter, and by this weapon, I swear"]

???: ["Do you swear to crush the insurgents of the Heretics who we shall burn, despite all they might throw at you?"] The man removed the helmet he wore, allowing Y/N to get a good view at his black, depthless irises and sclears ["Do you pledge to do honor to the your Brothers, to me, but most importantly, to The Emperor?""]

Y/N: ["On this matter, and by my own life, I swear"]

???: ["Then, it shall be done. From now on, you no longer stalk the waters of Krieg"] The man, putting the helmet by his side, glared down at the boy ["From this day forward, you shall follow me and your brothers. I command you..."]

["By the authority given to me..."]

[𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐬]
[𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫-𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐝]
[𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐞: 𝐓𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬]

Tyberos: ["You too, shall stain the waters with the blood of Heretics..."]

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

[Published in - 04/17/22]
[Word Count - 16.666]

Out of curiosity, favorite Chapter of Space Marines? Mine are the Carcharodons.