Fate/Eva Frankenstein

"That which doesn't kill us... sometimes leaves bruises that never go away."

— Mark Lawrence

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Chapter 12: Return - Part 1

Chamonix, Switzerland - 1836

Pov. Third person.

Eva adjusted the straps of the lacquered wooden case, making sure the heavy mace—the Bridal Chest—was securely fastened inside.

She was dressed for travel: a black cloak draped over her shoulders, thick gloves, new boots. Everything about her spoke of someone leaving.

But her expression... spoke of someone who's having second thoughts.

In the inn's entrance hall, a nervous murmur filled the air. It wasn't usual for someone "like her" to leave. Not like this. Not so soon.

At her feet, little Lilia clung tightly to her leg.

"Please, Blanche... don't abandon us..." the little girl pleaded, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes so wide they could barely contain their fear.

Eva sighed softly, bending down to stroke her hair with careful fingers.

"I told you I'll be back in a few days, little one..." she murmured with a warm but tight smile. "It'll just be a visit, nothing more."

But the girl shook her head, clenching her fists even tighter against her leg.

This was hug number… what? Fifth? Sixth? That she'd received in the last hour.

And it's not over yet...

With a sigh and a resigned smile, she closed her bedroom door—girl still on her leg—and went downstairs.

Only to find a large crowd of neighbors waiting for her.

I knew it, she thought, somewhat tensely. Still, she pushed past them and toward the door.

"Don't forget to use the mint throat balm!" the old apothecary shouted, waving a handkerchief at her.

"And if you see wolves on the road, scream. Don't fight. S-C-R-E-A-M!" insisted another, a red-cheeked young man who barely knew her.

"Attack the undersides! It works every time!" said Mr. Meyer, repeatedly swinging his fist downwards...toward a slightly fragile area.

Then his wife, Celine, approached, probably to scold him-

"No, attack the eyes, they're more sensitive!" she shouted, receiving a supportive nod from her husband.

...forget it.

Eva sighed. Not with annoyance, but with a curious mixture of warmth and embarrassment.

"I'll be back," she repeated for the third time. "It'll only be a few days..."

But her words seemed lost in the air. Around her, hands offered sweets, gloves, and charms against bad luck.

A little girl handed her a withered flower wrapped in thread, as if it were a sacred talisman.

Eva accepted it silently. She smiled.

"How things have changed..." she thought.

She remembered how years ago her mere presence had been enough to close doors, provoke hurried prayers, or muttered insults.

And now... now they treated her like a daughter going off to war.

It was then that Madame Louise crossed the room with a determined stride, gently pushing Lilia aside. The woman, strong and always composed, seemed on the verge of collapse.

"Let her go, darling..." she whispered in a deep voice. Then he turned to Eva. "If we don't let her go now… maybe she won't dare come back."

Her eyes shone with a contained moisture. She wasn't crying. But every line of her face spoke for her.

And then, without warning, she hugged her.

A tight, protective hug, like that of a mother giving away a part of herself.

Eva, surprised, took a few seconds to return the gesture. But she did. She closed her eyes, rested her forehead on the woman's shoulder, and let the moment last as long as necessary. No more, no less.

"You grew up so quickly..." Louise murmured, barely audible. "Take care, Blanche. And if something... if something happens..."

What am I, your daughter? she thought, amused, but for some reason, her eyes feeling slightly moist.

"I promise to come back, really," she said one last time, now with her hood up.

"You better," the woman replied, pretending to wipe dust off her apron. But her voice trembled.

She received her last "small gifts" when she reached the door: a small bottle of balm, a bag of sweet nuts, a scarf clumsily knitted by Lilia.

It was somewhat coarse and rough...but beautiful.

She immediately tied it around her neck.

Eva accepted them all silently, with measured gratitude. No fancy words.

Just nods and that smile that barely touched the edges of her face.

At the door, she turned around one last time. The cold air caressed her face.

"Thank you for... everything. I promise I won't be long."

She said nothing more.

And with that, she started walking down the snowy path, her silhouette gradually receding into the morning mist.

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She walked slowly along the snowy path.

Behind her, Chamonix grew smaller and smaller, fading into the cold mist of dawn.

She moved forward with a firm step... albeit with an occasional stumble and a dull ache in her back that wouldn't go away.

She sighed in annoyance.

"Tch... that fight really tore me apart."

It was the first time I'd been so hurt in a long time.

No…

No, that wasn't true.

A nostalgic glint crossed her eyes, followed by a crooked, almost mocking smile.

"Bullshit. There was once a time when I ended up much worse."

But REALLY worse.

She raised an eyebrow, vaguely remembering the scene.

Pain. A lot. And Lea smirked.

"And to think I complained so much about Ra'el..." she muttered bitterly, shrugging. "At least he warned me before he smashed you against a wall!"

And then, through gritted teeth:

"Benedict too. Damned 'fair deal' gentleman. He never kicked me in the face."

A dry laugh escaped her.

"I should be thanking you..." she whispered with a mixture of resignation and mockery. "Thanks for making me miss the blows of a homunculus maiden."

Then, with the echo of sarcasm still in her mind…

She remembered.

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Five years ago

Switzerland - 1831

The sky was barely breaking over the old Frankenstein mansion.

A faint mist crept over the damp field that served as the practice ground.

Dewdrops still pearled the leaves of the trees, and the air had that clean chill that only exists just before dawn.

Eva was already there.

Her bare feet dug into the soft earth as she swung her arms and rolled her shoulders, warming her body with slow movements. To one side, the Bridal Chest case remained closed.

The routine was clear. They always started the same way.

Lea would appear from behind, hammer in hand, upright, immaculate.

She would give a brief bow, and then, without warning, the first blow would fall with pinpoint force. That was her way of opening every session: without ceremony. Without words.

But this morning... no.

Eva looked up.

Lea was there, yes.

Planted a few meters in front of her, perfectly upright.

But... when she saw her, she blinked.

"Lea... what are you wearing?"

She frowned, unsure if what he saw was real or a misperception caused by the dim light of dawn.

The homunculus moved forward calmly, but she was wearing... something. Was it armor? No... too light. A combat uniform? Maybe.

But if anything, it was the strangest thing she'd ever seen. Loose in some places, open in others, with almost no visible protection. And revealing.

More so than any training clothes should be.

Lea stopped a few feet from her. She said nothing. But her cheeks, usually so neutral, were... flushed?

Eva tilted her head.

"Lea...?"

The homunculus blinked, as if coming back from a strange thought.

"I can't believe this was all that was left," she thought bitterly. "Why did Master Victor have a Mystic Code like this in the first place...?"

Part of her wanted to take off her uniform. The other... knew she didn't have time.

That ancient mystical code, meant to cushion the damage from physical overload, was her only option if she wanted to train without falling apart in the process.

It wouldn't stop the deterioration, but it would slow it down. And until she found a better solution...

"No matter," she said finally, returning to her usual posture. Cold, functional. Although her tone was gentler.

Eva still looked at her with a mixture of confusion and something resembling amusement.

"Are you sure you don't want us to go get a cloak first?"

Lea didn't respond. She just assumed a guard position. And the training began.

Eva drew her mace and stood guard. Without taking her eyes off her opponent, ready to react to his move.

But... did she remain motionless?

The mist caressed her white hair, and her expression... was different.

Relaxed.

Calm.

Almost serene.

"...Isn't she moving?" Eva thought, frowning.

It wasn't fear. It wasn't doubt. There was something off about her posture.

Something... restrained, as if her entire body were hiding an intention that Eva still didn't understand.

And then Eva noticed another detail.

"Where is your hammer?" she asked, not hiding her bewilderment. Her gaze scanned Lea's empty arms.

The homunculus didn't blink.

"I won't use it today," she said calmly, staring into Eva's with a stillness that seemed deliberate. "And you won't be using the Bridal Chest this time either."

"What?" Eva's eyes widened in surprise. She took a step forward, not understanding. "Why?"

Lea didn't respond immediately. She just narrowed her eyes, as if carefully weighing each word before blurting it out.

"Your mastery of your Bridal Chest has improved by leaps and bounds since we started," she offered a subtle compliment before glancing at her fiercely. "Yet that has been your only progress."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Eva asked, confused. Bridal Chest was leaning on the ground beside her.

"Maybe it was my negligence, but it seems to me... you've gotten too used to relying on your mace," she said as she took out her small, round glasses and put them on. "That's why today we'll have... our first unarmed training session."

Silence.

A small gust passed between them, bringing an uneasy air to the field.

The homunculus stood erect...waiting.

Eva...clapped her hands politely.

Lea nodded, satisfied, and continued speaking:

"Today will primarily be to measure your unarmed skill level. Once I've established your foundation, we'll begin more specific training tomorrow, is that clear?"

Eva nodded, frowning.

She stood on guard, fists raised, waiting for an attack. But the tension didn't come from outside, but from within. There was something uncomfortable about that emptiness between her fingers.

Without Bridal Chest, she felt... unarmed.

Vulnerable.

Lea moved forward without further warning. Her steps were fluid, silent, as if she were walking on water. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of her.

Eva tried to respond with a direct blow, using the momentum of her legs.

Lea dodged it.

A minimal movement. Simple.

Eva attacked again. A low sweep. An uppercut.

They all missed.

Lea's body seemed to glide like a phantom between each attempt. And then, a sharp impact. Her foot struck Eva's abdomen with precise force. Not brutal... but surgical.

Eva was thrown backward, rolling on the ground.

"Ghk!" She spat saliva as she tried to get up, but her muscles didn't respond with the expected coordination.

"Breathe," Lea said, still calm. "You're not thinking. Relax your mind and use your body."

Eva snarled, furious with herself. She forced herself to her feet. She charged at Lea again, this time with more rage than technique.

The homunculus didn't retreat. She simply pivoted on one foot, grabbed Eva's arm in midair, and knocked her back with a roll of her shoulder.

"Thud!"

The earth rumbled.

Eva stood there, panting, her arms outstretched, her gaze fixed on the white dawn sky.

Silence.

Then Leah knelt beside her, her face serene but not indifferent.

"This confirms my thoughts," she said, without raising her voice. "You've leaned too hard on her."

A pause.

"You've neglected your body, Eve. Your balance. Your center. And that... makes you weak."

Eve gritted her teeth. Not out of pride. Because of the truth of those words.

Leah sat up and held out her hand.

"From today," she said, her gaze steady, "we will train without weapons. Until your body is as steady as your will."

Eve looked at the outstretched hand... and then at her own fingers, trembling and dirty from the fall.

For a moment, she felt like turning away and burying her face in the ground. But instead, she took Leah's hand.

Awkwardly.

Shamefully.

And resolutely.

"Again," she said in a pained voice as she turned around and stood up.

Lea nodded. "Good spirit, I taught you well," she said with slight pride as she resumed her previous position.

Eva launched herself at Lea with determination, launching into a powerful, direct punch.

Lea, with almost ethereal agility, swayed slightly to the side, dodging the attack with a grace that seemed too effortless to be human.

Without missing a beat, she counterattacked with a swift and accurate foot sweep…

The movement was so unexpected that Eva lost her balance, felt her feet slip out of control, and fell heavily to the ground.

She didn't even have time to recover.

"Gak! Ahak!"

A foot slammed hard into her stomach, crushing her air and breath.

From the ground, Eva gritted her teeth in pain and frustration, staring at Lea with a mixture of rage and pain.

She swung her arms and struck the ground hard, raising a dense cloud of dust that briefly floated around her.

Lea squinted, shaking an arm to clear the haze so she could see clearly.

Eva took advantage of that moment to compose herself and attempt a counterattack.

Then, with precision and speed, she saw Eva rise into the air, preparing a flying kick.

I've got her, Eva thought with a confident smile, feeling that this time she would land a sure blow—until she noticed the same confident expression on Lea's impassive face.

With an elegant, fluid movement, Lea caught Eva's foot in midair, as if it were a natural extension of her own body.

"Oh ho! Aaahhh!" Eva cried, surprised and bewildered, as Lea spun her like a top, the centrifugal force completely knocking her off balance.

"You missed," Lea whispered calmly, before throwing Eva against a nearby tree.

The impact was sharp and resounding. The tree, old and sturdy, split in two with a crunch that resonated throughout the field.

Eva stood there, stunned, feeling the echo of the blow vibrate in her bones.

The homunculus took a few steps and stopped close enough for Eva to hear her clearly.

"Do you want me to go a little easier next time?" Lea said with feigned sweetness, laced with false concern.

Eva reacted instantly. Her pupils dilated, and with a quick, unsteady movement, she stood up.

It was a trap! The same empty promise she'd made him last week.

Only to later prove to her, with a beating that left her immobile for days, that she should never trust her opponent.

No, never again. Never.

Never trust an enemy, much less Lea.

"Good," Lea said, her face neutral, her expression returning to its usual impassiveness. "You learned your lesson that time. Now, let's continue."

"O-okay..." Eva murmured, relieved that she hadn't made a mistake.

But this time she didn't launch into the attack. She stood in place, breathing calmly, her guard up.

Her eyes moved around the practice field, assessing the terrain, looking for something—anything—that might offer her a minimal advantage.

A few seconds passed. Maybe a minute.

And then... she saw them.

Two stones near her feet. Not too big, but solid enough to use.

Her eyes narrowed. Just a little.

"I see you've already thought of a plan," Lea said, raising her voice slightly from her position. Her brow, though barely perceptible, had furrowed. "But your future opponents won't be as patient as I am. You have to move faster. In real combat, every moment counts. Understood?"

"Yes!" Eva replied firmly.

"Good. The wait is over."

And without further warning, Lea launched herself at her.

Eva barely had time to react.

But this time, she succeeded.

She narrowly dodged the first blow, feeling the air whistle past her cheek.

Then her body moved on instinct, and she managed to block the next attack with both forearms.

For an instant, a spark of joy ignited within her.

She had done it!

But it was short-lived.

The third blow was brutal. A clean impact, straight to her side, knocking the wind out of her with a single blow. She couldn't even gasp.

And then...

Crack!

A hook came up from below and caught her square in the jaw.

Her vision filled with white sparks.

...

When it finally cleared, the cloudy dawn sky unfolded above her.

She was panting heavily.

Her chest rose and fell at an erratic pace, while every fiber of her body burned with a dull, stabbing pain.

And yet... Lea was there, standing, unfazed.

Exactly the same as at the beginning.

Serene. Relentless.

Eva frowned. Wasn't this supposed to be just an assessment to gauge her current condition? Was so much punishment really necessary? So much pain?

The question floated through her mind for only a few seconds before the answer came naturally.

Of course it was.

It was Lea.

And this... this was just a normal day with her.

With effort, clumsily, supporting herself first on an arm, then on a knee, Eva slowly sat up.

A shaky sigh escaped her lips. She was ready to try again.

Or so she thought.

Whoosh!

Thud!

A second later, her body was flying through the air again.

She landed hard, kicking up a small cloud of dust, while a stabbing pain spread from her face.

A clear mark remained on her cheek. The indelible imprint of a precisely planted foot.

"You took too long!" Leah shouted energetically, still at the same distance as before.

Eva groaned from the ground.

God... how she hated his teaching method.

And, at the same time...

She couldn't deny it.

It was working.

With a low grunt, she used both arms to propel herself upward. This time, she didn't just sit up: she threw herself forcefully to the side, rolling on the damp earth. The movement was clumsy, but effective.

She ended up on one knee, panting, her hair wildly covering her face...

And she saw her opponent with one leg extended right where her head had been just a second ago.

Lea's foot descended at that instant, slicing through the air without hitting its target.

For the first time in the entire training, Eva had avoided a blow without receiving one in return.

She looked up.

Lea was watching her from above, a strange smile on her lips.

Pride?

Sadism?

Eva didn't want to know which.

She decided not to think about it too much.

Instead, she looked at the ground. There they were.

The two stones she had noticed earlier.

She had calculated correctly. She gritted her teeth, measuring the distance between her and Lea. It wasn't much.

She nodded to herself.

She could do this.

She clenched her right fist tightly, and with a roar, slammed it against the ground.

Crack!

Boom!

A dense cloud of dust instantly rose, enveloping her completely.

"That trick again?" Lea snorted, shaking her head. "Be more original!"

She bent her knees slightly and launched herself forward, plowing through the mist with determination.

But then... her eyes opened slightly wider.

A chill ran down her spine.

Something wasn't right.

"Whoosh!"

Purely on instinct, she tilted her body to the side.

A rock shot out of the cloud, slicing right through the space where her face had been seconds before.

"A rock?"

"Whoosh!"

Another.

This time from the left.

Lea barely managed to lean toward the center of the field, and the second rock whistled inches from her eye, slicing violently through the air.

"Raaahhh!"

A roar suddenly erupted ahead.

Lea looked up.

Eva emerged like a bullet from the mist, launching herself with all her weight. Her legs sparked with greenish electricity, and her right fist was retracted, charged, ready.

She was fast. Faster than before.

And for the first time in that entire dawn...

...she looked dangerous.

But...

—...she's still easy to dodge, Lea thought with disappointment, as she watched the attack approaching, almost in slow motion.

Eva was fast, yes. Direct, determined.

But still not fast enough.

Lea sighed internally. It was a good try. An ingenious plan, yes, but something like this would never work against—

A shiver ran down her neck.

Something different. Something... up above.

Instinctively, she looked up.

A shadow crossed the gray sky.

A stone.

Another stone.

—...Another...? —she muttered to herself a flash of bewilderment crossing her eyes.

When...?

At what point had she thrown it?

Eva had only seen two. She had followed the movement of her eyes, confirmed it. And Lea, trusting, had accepted that information without question.

"No, that's it..." she thought, incredulous. "I went by what she saw. I never confirmed it with my own eyes."

Eva had fooled her. With a simple blind spot.

And now...

With that angle of fall...

"...If I dodge backward, it'll hit me."

The stone was descending in a straight line. Right on the trajectory it would use to retreat.

She was trapped.

Lea smiled faintly. Barely a curve to her lips.

"Well played..." she whispered.

And then...

THUD!

Eva's right fist connected squarely with her face.

A clean, dry hit, accompanied by a fleeting spark of green energy.

For the first time in the entire training...

Lea took a step back.

Behind her, the stone hit the ground with a dull thud, sinking into a small crater.

Eva froze, her arms shaking.

"I... I hit her..." she thought, stunned. "I hit her!"

A smile, small and bright, spread across her lips. It had worked. The whole plan, the strategy, the deception... everything!

She had managed to hit her.

But then...

A firm hand closed around her fist.

The contact was icy, as if reality had suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder.

Eva's skin prickled.

Lea, with almost theatrical slowness, removed her fist from her face. Her gaze remained fixed on her, but... now something was different.

She was smiling.

And it wasn't her typical kind or indulgent smile.

It was a wide, toothy smile. Savage.

A predatory expression Eva had never seen on her face.

For the first time in a long time… she felt afraid.

A cold sweat ran down her back.

"Oh no..." she murmured, her lips trembling. "I... I gave up-"

She didn't manage to finish the sentence.

There was no room for pleas, no room for excuses.

What followed were a blur of minutes.

Blows she couldn't see, movements her body couldn't anticipate, pain that kept her from thinking clearly.

Later, when she tried to remember, she would only have disjointed images: her body rising, spinning, hitting the ground. Muffled thuds. The metallic taste on her tongue.

And a single phrase crossing her mind, over and over again:

"Never, ever, make Lea angry."

Thus ended the training.

With Eva... face down in the ground.

Defeated.

But, somewhere in her aching chest... proud.

And even though her body ached more than ever...

...she knew these were the days she cherished the most.

But, she didn't know how short-lived they would be.

End of Chapter 12

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I hope you like it. Reviews and comments are always welcome.