Bonus Short Stories
The Wraith’s Afternoon Leisure
Every professor at the Imperial College of Magic enjoyed considerable privileges; among these was an atelier so large that a researcher’s workshop couldn’t even begin to compare.
Each of these elite magia had a massive amount of space in the bedrock underneath Krahenschanzeto fill with personal rooms and storehouses. A full studio was comparable to a small mansion—though the fussier of highborn professors derided their studios as mere chicken coops.
It followed that the founder of the prosperous Daybreak faction’s largest cadre, Professor Madalena von Leizniz herself, had one such sanctuary. And as a matter of course, she had dedicated one of her many rooms to suit a very personal purpose indeed.
“Ugh... Every day is so exhausting...”
Leizniz had just returned from yet another morning class on thaumic fundamentals in front of a massive, packed lecture hall. She was to teach another set of students in the evening, and she’d decided to spend her midday break in her own abode. Despite her two centuries of experience as an instructor, repeating the same topic twice in one day was always difficult; thus, she had determined that a bit of mental nourishment was in order.
Wraiths were closer to living phenomena than their peers, even amongst the unliving. They had no need for food, drink, or sleep, naturally; they had no body that would necessitate such things, instead merely branded their existence onto the world with their ceaseless mana output. However, that did little to change their minds. Habits learned in life proved difficult to forget, and the history books contained records of wraiths longing for an end to their eternal lives all for the inability to sleep.
To live an honest life—an expression that was somewhat defective in this case—Leizniz required some sort of emotional sustenance to replace basic mortal needs.
“Heh heh heh heh...”
Such was this room. Its physical make was second only to her all-important laboratory, and she’d erected mystic barriers to protect a display room valuable only to someone with her particular inclinations.
A gallery of rows upon rows of dolled-up corpses of pretty and pretty girls...did not line the walls. In their places hung an array of portraits depicting the golden days of their youth. Everything from massive oil paintings to simple sketches scrawled on parchment had its place. The overwhelming density of art spoke to the woman’s manic obsession with immortalizing any slice of beauty she deemed worthy.
“So wonderful,” she sighed. “So very wonderful... I can feel the beauty seep into my soul.”
Surrounded by all that she loved most, the undead professor took a deep breath to soak in the smell of contentment the room produced. She had nothing to breathe with, of course, but going through the motions helped her feel closer to the marvelous past the paintings represented—as evidenced by her enthralled expression. The memories advanced from old to new as one walked deeper into the hall, and Leizniz took her time drifting down her treasure trove.
Most of the pieces near the entrance depicted cats and dogs. A few showed either old schoolmates who had long since left the College or sworn friends now enjoying eternal rest carrying the little pets. In the beginning, her hobby had begun as a way of soothing her weary heart by gazing at cute creatures and the colleagues that had been by her side before she passed.
Just a bit deeper hung the first painting of a lone figure: a bashful young girl in a brand new robe, clearly unused to posing. On both sides of her stood old classmates who had grown much taller since the paintings where they’d appeared with cats in their arms.
This girl had been Leizniz’s first disciple—a joint apprentice shared with her colleagues. Shortly after ascending to the rank of professor, she had lacked the confidence to take charge of a protégé, especially with her physical condition. Her fellow professors had offered to join her, only for them to all end up fighting over who got to doll up their students instead.
Thinking back, this had probably been where it had all started. Excited by her first student, Leizniz had used her ample salary to test any and every piece of clothing on the girl.
The still lifes of people grew in number until the animals eventually disappeared. Although she still loved cats and dogs, nothing was as fun as dressing up a person. The children in the frames grew with passage: most first appearances were at age five or so and continued to the student’s midteens. Even now, Leizniz could recall their names and stories without skipping a beat.
Her first apprentice was Michaela von Bloomberg. She had become a researcher, but then fell in love and left the College to marry.
Her second apprentice was Aloysia von Marsbaden. She too had been shy of attaining professorship, but Leizniz remembered celebrating her treatise’s addition to the Imperial Library like it had been yesterday.
After a few more girls, boys began to adorn the walls. About half a century after her resurrection as a wraith, Leizniz had found herself terribly jealous of a boy who got along with her then-disciple, until thinking to herself, Wait... What if I dress him up too? She’d then prettied the two up as a pair, and the rest was history.
Liesel and Edgar. The adorable young couple smiled back from upon the canvas. As anachronistic as it was, the portrait beside them showed their beautiful son; in a strange turn of fate, he, too, had apprenticed under Leizniz.
Next came Christhard, Miriam, Saskia, then Reimer. The dazzling memories stored in these bygone visages cradled the woman’s heart. Some of her students had gone on to become rather vain, and the statues and busts that periodically interspersed the paintings were just as filling to her soul.
At long last, Leizniz came to the empty end of the hall. A spell of hers left it stretching far beyond the last lonely portrait, but as she stood and stared, she let out an intoxicated sigh.
A little blonde girl sat on a chair with a stiff expression; beside her, a young boy doted on her with a soft smile.
This oilwork of a brother and sister from Konigstuhl was Leizniz’s current favorite. The painting itself was of particular excellence, and the love of siblinghood that oozed from the brushstrokes was a precious treasure she had not yet had a chance to behold.
Novelty and cuteness were the best nutrition for her tired spirit. Elongating mortal life was yet a pipe dream, but one day, the unhinged wraith swore, she would find a way.
Soon, their new outfits would be tailored. They were sure to pair gorgeously with their dazzling golden locks. That thought alone was enough to get the immortal professor through her evening chores.
Still, she couldn’t help wishing for some new kind of stimulation... In due time, Leizniz would realize that she had yet to try pairing a boy with another boy, but that was a tale for another day.
As her motionless heart fluttered at a future yet unseen, someone somewhere far away began to violently sneeze.
[Tips] Wraiths can, to some degree, mimic their actions from before death.
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