Fate/Eva Frankenstein

"The greatest happinesses are the most fleeting."

—Memories of Frankenstein Mansion.

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Chapter 9: The mace and the hammer, the bread and the clock.

My best dreams are, ironically, from those days.

When they were with me.

When I...was ignorant of what would happen.

When I blindly believed...that they would be with me forever.

But...

In the end...

...reality and fate...are always cruel to me.

__________________________________________

Five years ago.

Frankenstein Mansion, Switzerland.

Pov. Third person.

Lea leaned back, narrowly avoiding the mace. She twisted her body and tried to slam her hammer into Eva's unprotected side.

But Eva reacted and used her mace to block. The impact knocked her back, but she didn't fall; She stood firm and quickly copied the stance, launching herself into the attack.

Lea nodded subtly, approving of her behavior, and also launched herself into the attack.

Their weapons—the large warhammer and the heavy mace—clashed against each other as they traded blows in rapid succession.

The sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the clearing, mingling with their labored breathing.

After one last clash, they both stepped back and created distance, gauging their opponent with their eyes.

"You're getting better," Lea said with a faint smile. "But remember, strength isn't everything."

Eva looked at her, her chest pounding.

"So... what is it?"

"The mind," Lea replied, lowering her hammer. "And knowing when to strike... and when to wait."

A cool breeze stirred the grass beneath their feet as they both prepared to continue.

"Mind, huh? Something like... this?!"

Bridal Chest opened, releasing sparks and lightning that crackled through the air. Eva smiled, swinging the mace hard and striking the ground.

A bolt of lightning shot out of the mace and headed straight for Lea.

She saw it coming and gave a subtle smile.

Bending her knees, she charged toward Eva, straight in the direction of the attack, taking her opponent by surprise.

The lightning was about to hit her, but Lea jumped to the side, rolled fluidly, and got back to her feet in a single movement.

Wasting no time, she launched a direct attack at Eva, dodging the lightning.

"What?!" Eva exclaimed, surprised, but quickly raised her guard.

Lea began to spin around like a top, becoming like a mini tornado with the momentum of the movement.

Then, with a quick throw, she threw her hammer directly at Eva.

She blinked in surprise and with a jump, dodged the weapon—now a surprise projectile—that flew toward her.

The hammer slammed into the ground a few feet away, leaving a smoking crater where it had struck.

Eva sighed, turned her head, and looked for Lea, taking advantage of the fact that she had lost sight of her opponent.

But she didn't see her.

Confused, she began to look around the training ground, trying to find her.

Then...

"Gandr."

The whisper reached her ear, accompanied by a light impact on her side.

Eva reacted instantly, spinning to attack... but something stopped her.

Suddenly, she dropped Bridal Chest and brought a hand to her mouth.

With the other, she clutched her stomach as it began to make strange and disturbing noises.

She looked at Lea in horror.

Lea stared back with a slightly wicked smile, a spark of malice dancing in her eyes.

Finally, Eva fell to her knees.

"¡Buagh!"

Without hesitation, she began to vomit.

"Gandr," Lea explained in a professorial tone, still sporting that sadistic smile. She put on her small, round glasses to enhance the effect. "A simple curse originating in Scandinavia that reduces the target's physical health. It can induce effects such as fever, diarrhea... or vomiting, to name a few."

Lea let out a stifled giggle.

"The best if you want to disarm an opponent without magic resistance... without pain. Well, a lot of pain, hehe."

"You... are a... ugh, ¡buagh! "Eva tried to speak, but vomited again.

"A great teacher? Yes, I am."

She said without shame or embarrassment as she watched her student spill the contents of her stomach.

Yeah, that made this a good day for the homunculus.

__________________________________________

Minutes later. Inside the mansion.

Lea and Eva were in the kitchen while Emma easily dispelled the Gandr's effect on Eva.

"Don't you think you overdid it a bit?" Emma looked at Lea reproachfully.

She shrugged with a simple "meh."

"I'm a firm believer in learning by doing. At some point, Eva might face a similar curse... I'm just giving her prior experience for that moment. Nothing more," she said, closing her eyes and raising her chin, as if she'd done something great.

"Is that because she complained about the taste of your cookies yesterday, right?" Emma said, her face expressionless.

"...Um, for your information, I'm just a diligent teacher trying to make sure her student is ready for anything this cruel and unforgiving world throws at her," Lea said in a firm voice. "And I still maintain that my cookies didn't taste like coal; Eva's palate is simply too inexperienced to properly capture the flavor."

"They were literally black and hard! Like coal!" Eva complained after thanking Emma for dispelling the curse, glaring at Lea.

"I just put black icing on them."

"Hard!"

"It was a hard icing."

"You filled the kitchen with smoke!"

"Magic smoke to enhance the flavor."

"You can't just accept it!"

"No... I mean, there's nothing to accept... just that my cookies were delicious."

Emma watched them with an amused smile as she gently shook her head. But then she started coughing.

At first it was a soft, almost muffled sound, but soon the cough grew stronger into a deep cough that echoed through the kitchen, attracting the immediate attention of Eva and Lea.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Eva asked with concern, taking a step toward her.

Lea, for some reason, remained silent. She just stared at her, without moving, with an expression that was hard to read.

"Cough... I'm fine, I-I just choked on something, that's all," Emma replied with a forced smile, discreetly hiding her right hand behind her back.

"Okay...?" Eva said doubtfully, still looking at her out of the corner of her eye. A bad feeling was beginning to form in her stomach.

"The first sign..."

At that moment, Lea intervened.

"Eva, don't you want us to teach you how to make garlic bread today?" Lea intervened suddenly, her tone solemn, her chest puffing out with pride. "As an absolute master at making it, I could instruct you... if you want."

"No, thank you," Eva replied, narrowing her eyes at Lea. "I don't like the way you make your garlic bread."

Lea twitched. Her right eyebrow twitched slightly.

With slow, clearly visible movements, she took up the handle of her hammer again.

"Ohhh... So students these days still haven't learned to respect their teachers, huh?" she said with a smile that made Eva shiver in her seat. "It's still early. Shall we go for a few more rounds?"

"N-NO, MA'AM!" Eva exclaimed with an exaggerated (and stiff) bow. "PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR GREAT WAY OF MAKING GARLIC BREAD!"

"Good. That's what I wanted to see," Lea nodded, satisfied, as she turned back to the mortar. Watch me carefully, because tomorrow I'll give you a test: for every garlic bread you make that doesn't convince me... one hour of daily training will be added.

"Y-yes, I'll try hard!" Eva said stiffly, quickly following her.

Emma looked at them for a moment longer. She smiled... but that smile turned sad when they both turned their backs on her. She looked down at her hand, the same one she had hidden.

On her palm... there were small drops of blood. Small but noticeable.

"...The time is coming, huh...?"

She slowly closed her fingers, making a trembling fist. She closed her eyes, holding back the pain.

She knew this day would come. She always knew it. But now that it felt so close...

She looked at Eva sadly.

"Please... let me make a few more memories with her. Just a little longer..."

She shook her head gently and patted her cheeks a few times. She found her smile, took a deep breath, and walked after them.

"Leave it, I'll help you with that."

__________________________________________

The kitchen smelled of melted butter and toasted spices.

Eva watched Lea's movements closely, as she confidently held a knife while precisely chopping garlic cloves on a wooden board.

"First, mix butter with chopped garlic, a little parsley, and salt. Nothing complicated," Lea said, her tone more relaxed than during training.

"And the bread?" Eva asked, leaning forward a little to get a better look.

"We use a baguette, or a firm, day-old bread. We cut it in half and spread the mixture on it. Then we wrap it in foil and put it in the oven for a few minutes. If you want it crispy on the outside, open it at the end and let it bake for a little longer."

Eva nodded, focused.

But then something unexpected happened.

As she held the rolling pin to crush the garlic cloves, Lea's right hand tensed unnaturally.

A tremor ran through her arm, and without warning, the rolling pin slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor with a thud.

Eva immediately turned to her.

"Lea?" she asked, worried.

But Lea didn't react to her call immediately.

The maid looked at her stiff hand, as if she didn't recognize it for a moment. But then she hid it behind her back with a smooth movement, forcing a smile.

"Just a slip. The handle was a little greasy. It's nothing," she said, feigning casualness.

Eva frowned, still unsure.

"The second one..."

But before she could question her further, Emma quickly approached and placed a slice of bread in front of her face.

"Your turn, Chef Eva!" she said in a cheerful, if somewhat forced, voice. "Let's see if you can spread it better than you can dodge hammer blows."

Eva looked at her in confusion, but couldn't help but laugh a little at the comment.

Even so, she cast one last glance at Lea.

The maid had already bent down to pick up the rolling pin, and as she stood up, she exchanged a fleeting glance with Emma.

A silent message, fraught with tension, passed between them.

Emma held her gaze for only a second… and then smiled again as if nothing had happened.

"Come on, hurry up. If it turns out good, maybe you can convince Lea to add it to the mansion's official menu."

"Does that mean I'm a better cook than her?" Eva asked with a small smile.

"Don't answer that if you want to stay alive," Emma murmured.

Lea, without looking at them, returned to her task with a neutral expression, although her eyes clouded for a moment, fixed on her hand.

"...I shouldn't be failing already. Not so soon."

But she said nothing. She just pursed her lips and returned to guiding her apprentice...

...and beloved family.

__________________________________________

A while later, the warm aroma of toasted bread and garlic filled the kitchen.

On the table sat three plates with their respective portions.

On the left, Lea's bread: crisp, golden with surgical precision, the melted butter penetrating every crevice of the crumb.

In the center, Emma's: more rustic, but perfectly balanced, with a fresh aroma and an even color.

And on the right...

"...What is...that?" Lea said, squinting at Eva's bread.

The slice was partially burnt on one side, with the melted garlic butter unevenly spread and the bread barely cut symmetrically.

Some of the glaze had run off, and a bit of parsley hung listlessly over the edge, as if the slice itself had lost its will.

Eva looked down, biting her lip.

Emma stifled a chuckle.

"At least it smells good," she tried to comfort her. But her laughter didn't help much.

Lea approached slowly, without saying a word. She leaned down next to Eva and, with a satisfied smile, whispered in her ear:

"Exam tomorrow~ I hope you improve your bread by then."

Eva gritted her teeth.

"…Yes, ma'am," she murmured, her voice tense, as she felt a chill run down her spine.

She knew what awaited her if she didn't make it. Lea sat up, elegantly took her slice, and took a small bite.

"Mm… acceptable," she pronounced in a neutral tone, as if judging a work of art.

Emma was already eating with gusto, oblivious (or not so much) to the tension.

Eva, for her part, looked at her bread... and then looked at Lea. A defiant sparkle shone in her eyes.

"…Tomorrow I'll make you eat your words with my bread," she murmured.

"Did you say something?" Lea asked, turning slightly.

"Nothing! Just… I'm going to do my best!" "Eva said quickly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

Lea narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but nodded.

Eva sighed and slumped back in her chair.

As she resignedly chewed her misshapen loaf, she thought bitterly:

"...It can't be that hard to make garlic bread... right?"

__________________________________________

That night.

After a moment more of conversation, Emma and Lea escorted Eva to her bedroom door.

"Get some rest," Emma said sweetly, stroking her shoulder before releasing her.

"Tomorrow begins your punishment for blaspheming garlic bread," Lea added with a quietly menacing smile.

You haven't even tasted my bread yet, so don't declare me a loser before my time!" she screamed in her mind, but didn't say it out loud.

Outwardly, Eva just pursed her lips, powerless to argue. She waved goodbye and gently closed the door.

The room was dim, lit only by the oil lamp on the desk.

Eva slowly removed the dress she had worn during the day, letting it fall over the nearest chair.

Turning back to the mirror, she paused.

She examined herself carefully. In silence.

Long burgundy pink hair, tied in a high ponytail that fell down her back.

Unequal eyes: one light green, the other pale blue. Brights.

Gold metallic inlays furrowed her forehead and part of her head. They were subtle details, but impossible to ignore.

She leaned slightly toward the mirror, examining her torso, her arms, her stomach.

Nothing.

Not a scar. Not a burn. Not a single mark to recount the hell she'd endured in the workshop.

No trace of the patches, the dirty bandages, or the brutality with which she herself had stitched her body after the desperate reconstruction. As if it had all been a bad dream.

Just pale, smooth skin. Perfect.

Too perfect.

"...I still don't understand how I didn't have a single mark after returning to the mansion," she murmured to herself, touching her side with her fingertips.

She remembered being broken. Literally. And yet... there she was.

Whole.

Emma and Lea had removed the bandages as soon as she recovered. They'd expected something horrible, but instead they found a clean body, as if restored to its prime. They couldn't explain it.

And neither could she.

"What exactly am I...?" she whispered.

An artificial human, according to Lea and Emma.

Eve, the mother of the new Adam... according to Victor.

And to herself... just a monster.

Her fingers brushed over the golden lines on her head, her eyes still fixed on her reflection.

"Which one is right...?" she murmured, almost voiceless.

The reflection, naturally, didn't respond.

It just stared back, serene, empty. Almost human. But not quite.

Eva shook her head, as if trying to shake off her thoughts. She sighed in resignation.

"No more complicated thoughts for today... just dreams... about bread," she murmured, her voice trailing off bitterly at the end. "...I hope tomorrow will be better."

She carefully put on the nightgown Lea and Emma had given her—a simple one, made of soft fabric—and got under the covers.

The warmth of the bed instantly enveloped her.

But she didn't sleep.

She stayed there, lying there, staring up at the dark ceiling.

She remembered Emma's sudden cough in the kitchen... and the moment Lea dropped the rolling pin.

Small gestures. Simple things. But... too out of place to be missed.

Even though they said they were accidents, she knew better: None of them made mistakes when they did something. Ever. They were too good at their jobs for that.

"...It's nothing... right?" she whispered into the air, without waiting for a reply.

Her voice faded into the darkness.

Silence was the only answer.

"If I had known the happiness I enjoyed so much was fading, would I have done anything differently?"

__________________________________________

Victor's office, night.

Most of the light came from the luminous patterns that ran through Emma's body, gently pulsing on her skin as she stood next to Lea.

Lea had her hand firmly placed on her own stomach, her lips tense.

As the energy flow dissipated, the circuits slowly disappeared.

Emma looked down, still feeling the echo of the activation.

"…How bad is it?"

Lea didn't respond immediately. She stared straight ahead, her face dull.

"…The deterioration is just beginning to reach that stage," she said finally, quietly. "So it's not that bad… yet."

Pause.

"But we both know that from this point… it'll only get worse."

Emma swallowed. She avoided her eyes.

"How long... are you giving us until..." He didn't finish the sentence.

Lea looked down, a bitter grimace on her face.

"A few months, maybe... Me less, if I keep up my training sessions with Eva," she added, frustrated. She brought her hand to her forehead and rubbed it hard. "Damn Victor Frankenstein for making us like this..."

"Cursing Master Victor won't change anything..." Emma whispered, clenching her fists. Her voice was low, trembling. "How will we tell little Eva?"

Silence fell, thick, uncomfortable. Only the slight creaking of the armchair interrupted the stillness.

Until Lea spoke. Her eyes were hidden by her bangs.

"No. We won't tell him."

"Lea..."

"We'll find a way, okay?!" She raised her voice suddenly, with unusual intensity. Emma blinked, surprised. "We have Master Victor's entire workshop downstairs. There has to be something. Something to buy us more time!"

"But..."

"I ALREADY SAID IT!" she suddenly shouted. The echo of her voice hung in the air for a few seconds. Emma closed her mouth with a click, nodding silently.

Lea covered her face with an arm and slumped carelessly into Victor's chair. Her shoulders were shaking.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured. "Just... don't tell him anything. I'll... find something... I promise."

"We won't have to say goodbye."

Emma hesitated for a moment. Then she turned around.

"...Okay. I'll leave it up to you," she said softly as she walked to the door, giving her space.

Before she crossed the threshold, her voice sounded again, barely a whisper:

"But you know... the more time passes... the sooner she'll notice, right?"

"..."

Emma said no more. She left the office, gently closing the door.

Lea was left alone.

"...Shit."

The word escaped her lips like a sigh.

Tears began to fall silently, glistening faintly in the dim light.

She would find something.

She had to.

Some resource, some vestige of magic, a forgotten scheme, a solution.

They wouldn't leave little Eva alone.

Never.

Not like this.

...

"Or would anything have changed?"

The mansion seemed to slowly fade away, along with that world of dreams and memories that surrounded it.

Like a fading whisper, everything blurred.

She, like a silent ghost, had been watching everything from a distance: that version of herself from five years ago, sharing laughter, fears, and hope with Emma and Lea.

A lucid dream. Or at least that's how it felt.

This was one of the memories she enjoyed most... but also one of the most painful.

It was the one that marked the final beginning. The end of Eva in Frankenstein Mansion.

"...and... the beginning of Blanche, the baker, I suppose," she whispered as she blurred and appeared in the kitchen.

Eva looked at the freshly baked breads, still warm.

"You know?" "Eva said with a wistful smile. "I think in the end... I did enjoy being a baker. Although... I think it was just..."

She said as she took a piece of garlic bread and took a bite.

Yes, even in her dreams she didn't like the taste, but...

"...Lea liked this bread, didn't she?" she whispered to herself.

And in that simple, warm thought, Eva found a small refuge of hope.

Because, despite everything, there was something that would never change.

Her bond with them. With her family.

She wanted to take another bite of the bread, but it dispersed into particles of light. The same thing happened to the rest of the kitchen.

Eva just looked at this, not surprised, but sad.

This land of dreams and memories was fading away completely.

It collapsed like a huge puzzle coming apart.

And Eva finally woke up.

Back to reality.

But with the echo of those voices, those smells, and that bond that would never die.

End of Chapter 9

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Chapter of memories. In the next one, we return to the Chamonix storyline. Goodbye. Sorry again for the delay yesterday.