We rubbed our eyes, sighing in relief, finally! We were free from it's accursed spell. All of Lumiere was gathered here and celebrating! Simultaneously, decorations were being put up, a band was arranged and a welcome party being assembled for when the expeditioners returned home triumphantly.
A few hours later, in the distance, we could see the legendary Esquie flying towards us. Our hearts were in our throats, there were no ships. How many had fallen? Who had survived? Fresh on people's mind was the lumina converter, someone spread a rumour that this was what gave this expedition the edge we needed.
When we heard that, a spark of hope was lit, surely you must have survived, right?
Esquie landed gracefully, there was too much crowd to clearly see who disembarked. We waited patiently atop the stairs, we knew you would come find us. The buzz of celebration all around us, the joy infectious. Someone started clapping, then another, and another, until thunderous applause echoed throughout Lumiere. We were all beaming, then we saw Maelle coming up. You must have been right behind her right? We were peering behind her, but no one else came. The look on Maelle's face was somber. We could sense Emma next to us tense, when Maelle didn't say a word. When she kneeled down, our hearts dropped.
Trembling hands gave Guillaume your journal. He couldn't process what had happened. I put my hands on his shoulders, we mustn't sully your legacy. But it was too much, he dropped it and ran. I was left behind, my whole world crashing down. Tears were running down my face, I just didn't know it. My knees buckled, your journal resting before me. I picked it up and cradled it for warmth, yet it had none to give. Cold, rough and unfeeling. It couldn't replace your presence.
Maelle tried to comfort us, we heard of your bravery. Emma asked Adrien to follow after Guillaume, he did bring him back. The two huddled together, each looking to one another for comfort. This had become a ritual, even though we stood victorious, the grief was our price to pay. We wanted to hear more about what you had done, Maelle was sharing your adventures. It seemed only myself & Emma were listening, you would always be remembered. You had given us the chance to truly live.
Mid conversation, a heavy ominous whooshing sounds passed us by. The world shifted to grey. I felt it in my soul, the time had come. Our bodies decayed to white and red petals, with splashes of ink being left behind. Everyone's time to gommage had come. That was the last thing I remembered, in the next instant I found myself standing in Lumiere once again, on the same harbour. It was even more crowded than before, despite somehow being much much bigger. All around me were familiar faces, I could see Guillaume, Adrien, Emma & Maelle standing not too far, but her hair was all white. Had everyone been revived?
Then it clicked, surely that must include you as-well! Adrenaline pumped through my body, I weasled my way through the crowd. You had to be somewhere. It wasn't you I saw first, but Sophie, standing there laughing. Right next to her, you were standing calmly. Yet it all seemed too sirene, you didn't seem like you had come back from an expedition. I just didn't want to accept reality then. I immediately ran up to you, grabbed on your coat and cried out all my grievances. You as always, stood firmly as our pillar, patting my head, re-assuring me all was ok. I was willing to live in that fantasy. There was a part of me that felt hollow, like I was missing something. But I convinced myself, that was just a figment of my imagination. It would go away in time.
However, it didn't go away. A sense of sickness in my stomach stirred, it only ever festered over time. Until I discovered the truth. It wasn't possible for us to be revived, Aline "The Paintress" would have done so if it were possible. as we were her precious chroma reserves.
Our world was a lie, now our existence was too. I wasn't alone on this self-discovery. It had become an open secret, none after the "Crimson Blight" were the same. Alicia was playing her make belief games to avoid the bitter truth. Your painted copy, alongside the original expedition had long been warped by her twisted mind. You were like puppets, soulless and dancing to her whims. The monster we now face is not nevrons, axons or an unreachable villain. But the worst kind; powerful, broken human.
She didn't even try to hide the truth from the rest of us, we noticed copies of several people, she had forgot who she had "revived" and our memories did not line up with their behaviours. Some of us were more "revived" than others. I saw a few people that could pass as zombies, their minds were a mush of what "Lumiere" was in Maelle's mind.
Painted Verso pulled a fast one on us, he had decieved Maelle into thinking she was actually reviving us and now she wasn't open to reason. The Dessendre Family, everyone now knows that name. We stand firmly against what Maelle has done, we were better off resting in peace than being zombified and desecrated.
A resistance had formed, yet we were powerless. Anyone that defied her, was warped further and further into insanity be her. None could leave, what had become "New Lumiere". It had become our defacto home, nothing had changed. Just instead of a gommage, we had a captor. Yet she wasn't untouchable, none of the Dessandre family are, inside the canvas. She hadn't transcended immortality, just had enough of us under her control to use as a meat shield, especially our strongest.
She was growing old, the painting was corrupting her. Some amongst our ranks, entertained the possibility of it all ending. Just waiting patiently for the end to come. Others were more proactive in finding a way for this world to survive. Your motto had become our calling, "For those who come after". Yet, there was no "after", there were no children. Maelle was the only one who could paint offspring as new beings, yet they were also soulless. As time passed, more and more of Lumiere was giving in, the same people who once spat on the cultists as cowards, bent their backs to please Maelle. The majority now fell into this category. They still were aware that the guillotine was hoisted, the new gommage didn't have an expiry date.
We, on the other hand, were being hunted when found, we could only hide in plain sight. Maelle knew everyone she had painted, just her vision on us was more lax, as she didn't care all too much for us and couldn't fathom us as a threat. We still had a semblance of a conscious and a moral compass. Somehow, you & Sophie still had fight in you. Sophie was our open leader, she stood in firm opposition to Maelle, refusing to co-ordinate costumes or change her stance on children. It got on her nerves, but she played her game. By her own imaginary rules, Maelle couldn't do a thing to her. She did however take it all out on Verso. Poor Verso, he never got his wish of release. He's being paraded as a covert warning what happens to those who stand against her. There can be no sadness in our kingdom, we must always be smiling. Lune was broken, to ease Verso's suffering she had no choice but to share the burden. A son was granted as a peace offering from Maelle, which seemed effective. Sciel was trapped in her own head, with Pierre's return and Maelle's influence. Monocco could not act with Verso and the rest held captive and Esquie had no cause to fight. Great minds however, fear not adversity. If after 67 years the strongest Dessendre Family member was defeated. We could definitely triumph over the weakest, we just needed a plan of action. Upto this point, I hadn't gathered the courage to read through your journal. After all, there was a version of you right here right?
---