Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

Vertum stood over the two sisters as Ninya cradled Tuare in her arms, whilst sitting on her knees. His eyes traced over their forms which seemed to have metaphorically melted together. They were truly sisters. He could hear the older one's murmurs, though they were barely understandable as her voice dropped in and out. The ones that were understood though, were hardly grateful.

Why couldn't they have come sooner?

Why couldn't they have saved her before all of this?

Why did this have to happen to her?

Why couldn't it have happened to her instead...

These words, all of them were ignored by Ninya who continued to try and comfort her older sister. A young a.d.u.l.t who had dropped into hysterics, not fully understanding the weight of the words she was spewing. They were embracing one another, but it was clear Tuare wasn't right in the head.

She was traumatized and Vertum knew all too well what that did to people. It closed them off, it destroyed them on the inside, and had a chance to turn them into unrecognizable monsters.

"...You're going to be okay," Ninya uttered as she rocked back and forth, gripping her older sister's hand hard as she did so. Even though she 'ignored' these words, they still hurt.

Dyne stood over them, using somatic gestures and low tier healing spells. Due to the severity of the damage, it wasn't doing enough. It was clear they had too little to give.

"You don't see bothered by the fact your friend isn't who they were believed to be," Vertum said as he looked over the druid, now standing a few feet from both of them. The water screens wrapped around their current location collapsed into their watery surroundings.

Dyne looked to him, a brow raised and a stern look on his face. "A friend is friend, and a friend deserves understanding." The Druid nodded to the man before looking back down towards the duo.

Nodding, the man let out a sigh and knelt down beside them after taking a long single stride forward. He then reached out both of his hands over them both.

Tuare nearly tried to escape from her sister's arms at the sight of him being so close. "No!" She spurred, squirming, fear in her eyes. At least they had gotten her where she still had a sense of self.

"It's okay! He's a friend... He's a friend..." Ninya kept a friendly disposition, a caring one as she tried to reassure her panicking older sister. Yet she heard none of it, not willingly.

That was until the entire room was filled with a green hue, recoloring just about everything for a brief moment as he cast a high tier healing spell. This particular room was designed to amplify non-combat oriented magic used exclusively by members of the guild.

『Heal』

His words echoed within the tiny chamber, eerily so. As the green light and its energy flowed into the blonde in the brunette's hold, her panic nearly immediately ceased.

Tuare laid there in her sister's arms, her breathing calm and her gaze almost ghostly. She wasn't looking or staring at anyone in particular. The green hue having gone, the glow had weakened after a healing spell well above the seventh tier was spent within it.

That was until her eyes flickered to Vertum, the only being she could see. A being with draconic eyes that seemed to glow in the now dimly lit room her eyes hadn't adjusted to yet. Even as he stood up, her gaze followed him, drawn to the amethyst orbs that seemed to float in the darkness she perceived.

"Thank you Vertum-dono..." Ninya looked up to the man she owed her life to, but she still had the fear in her eyes. The fear in which he was going to take a life debt from Tuare as well.

"Lysi..." Tuare stared up at her younger sister as she tried to sit up with her sister's help.

Ninya looked down to her sister, tracing over those her blue eyes of hers. A faint smile forming over her lips as the blonde placed a hand on her cheek.

"Tha...than...nk...you..." She tried her best to smile and her best to speak softly, but even as she was healed, it was hard for her to speak.

"What kind of spell was that...?" Dyne asked as he was looking over Vertum, completely astonished by what he had just done. He had seen magic regrow limbs, cure simple individual illnesses, but never reset someone's status near completely like he had done.

It was as if Tuare had never been tortured, infected or had her very humanity violated. Despite this, the mental scars and the emotional ones were all still there.

"It was a healing spell, one by far stronger than anyone else's I've know in this world," Vertum turned his gaze to the Druid for a few seconds then back towards the girls.

"Vertum-dono..." Ninya spoke as she looked up at him again, even as her sister had thanked him. "You are not going to... Ask a life debt of my sister, are you?" It wasn't as if she'd hate him over it, but it was clear... She didn't want him to do so, her sister had already lived in servitude to another for far too long.

Vertum stared at her for a few seconds before looking to Tuare as she quietly looked up at them.

"Unless she wants to serve me, she can live in the village or in proximity to the castle. Her life is currently hers, as long as I have yours." Vertum assured with a gesture of his hand, a warning that she should not die, otherwise Tuare will be his.

Ninya smiled halfly at this and nodded, looking to her sister as she hugged her closer.

"Now, lets get her situated... Shall we?" His eyes then traveled to Dyne, "Then we'll all talk, considering everything that's gone on." He knew that the druid was now probably onto the very reason he had asked a Life Debt of Ninya, as he had already known she was a woman.

+ + +

Sibling love wasn't something he was used to seeing as it had been a very long time since he experienced it. His eyes rested on the NPC that was based off his sister who was messing with the flowers in the garden floor.

His head shook slightly as he kept his gaze forward.

Ninya's gaze shifted towards the wild giggles of someone she hadn't yet met. A brow curiously raised at the sight of a silver haired girl playing in the flowering plants.

Her choice of clothing was strange, unique, something she hadn't seen before. She couldn't quite understand the appearance of a modern take on a Witch.

"Who is that...?" She asked.

"No one," Vertum snickered quietly and kept himself from looking over towards her. If he didn't look, she wouldn't notice him, at least that was his hopes. The last thing he needed right now as for her to abstract or distract them from their current task.

"What do you mean by no one, Oniisama?" Virtually appearing out of thin air, Anna vi Amethyst appeared before them, with a playful glare centered on the one in front of her.

Blinking down at her way of address, Dyne looked to Vertum. "Is this your sister?"

"How rude..." Ninya looked at Vertum with a partially judgemental gaze, but at the same time she questioned his sister's fashion sense.

"What?" Vertum blinked a few times before looking to his little sister, finally acknowledging his sister's inquiry later than everyone else. "Uh-huh... It was joking," he playfully smirked.

Pouting up at her brother, she shook her head slightly. "It's not a very nice joke."

"It was to entertain myself," Vertum uttered a tease as he was placing a hand on the top of her head and ruffling her silvery hair. His head c.o.c.ked to the side slightly, performing an awkward smile to overturn that smirk that briefly took his lips.

"...That is cruel," Ninya breathed out as she blinked upon hearing him say this. It was however clear that she was amused, the corner of her lips were curled into a partial smile. She was entertained by Vertum's teasing, though remained humble about it.

"Just follow," Vertum lowered his hand from her head and walked around Anna.

The three didn't slow down after Vertum started moving again. Following behind him, they were talking just loud enough so that he could hear them talking amongst themselves.

It didn't actually bother him however. As if it was his real little sister, if she were to make friends with those around her, it would actually make him feel a bit better. Even if he did want to tease her most of the time whenever she was around, or avoid her. Part of him always questions why he made her, and every once and a while when he had a sense of clarity, he knew why.