Dark in the Dollhouse Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Artistry

Read chapter 4 of Dark in the Dollhouse by Haspberry on NovelPedia.

"First of all, before we can speak about Artistry, you must realise that the world you see isn't as simple as it appears. From my deductions, the memories you have 'lost' aren't exactly what could be described as natural. Not only have you lost memories of various events, but also knowledge of certain information. The specificity of the lost information, makes me certain that your loss of memories wasn't just a randomly inflicted side effect of Fooling Death, but something which was purposeful." Yuliana nodded. She asked a bit hesitantly, "So what you mean to say is, my memories were forcibly erased by someone?" "Perhaps. I can't say for sure. Maybe your memory loss really was natural. Or maybe your memories weren't erased, but rather sealed or stolen. Or even, the one who tampered with your memories wasn't someone else, but you. All I can give you is a rough conjecture, I lack the information to confirm anything. “Do you get it now? There are powers out there which can defy logic; logic that stems from the generally accepted regularity of this world. Artistry is the irregularity which goes beyond this regularity. It’s a power which lets you bend reality to a certain extent.” Yuliana nodded excitedly. She was very interested in this so called Artistry. This power that she once knew about, but had somehow forgotten. "Here, I'll give you a demo." Yuliana sat straighter. She tensed up with excitement. Seeing that, Evander couldn't help but chuckle. In an instant, ten arms made of wood materialised out of thin air. The arms burgeoned in size, with the palms becoming big enough to be able to crush a person's head with a clench. Faint black threads extended from Evander's neck and connected to each of the arms. The arms flailed about and moved their fingers with great dexterity. They aligned themselves and spread out from behind the back of Evander like wings made of wood. They waved their hands and wiggled their fingers. Yuliana's jaw dropped. She nearly leapt out of her sofa with a scream before she took a shaky breath and composed herself with great difficulty. She adjusted her position, leaned forward and asked with an intense longing, "Can I do that too?" She was fully enraptured by the magical display. She wanted to be able to do something like that, no matter what the cost! Evander laughed. He said, "Of course you can. Being able to perform Artistry isn't something very difficult, but getting 'good' at using it is a whole 'nother issue." Evander sighed. He added, "But, to be honest, I don't think you are suited for this one in particular. Artistry as a whole is as vast and wide as the ocean, with each discipline—or Series as we call it—a fish in it. If we as a human are to fish in this ocean of Artistry, we are bound to catch and attract different creatures. In it, the only bait that we can offer is our selves and the fishes we attract may very well differ in size, shape, looks and danger." Evander cleared his throat. He took a breath and began explaining, "Now, Miss Yuli, you may ask, "How exactly do we use Artistry?" Well you see, Every living being has a certain amount of 'godhood' in them—if you can call it that. This 'godhood' is what we refer to as ichor. Ichor is the core energy which is used exclusively for Artistry. It is a mystical substance which is present in the bodies of every living creature." Evander let out his hand and said, "Here, give me your hand." Yuliana nodded and did so. Evander took her hand and pressed on the centre of her palm. Instantly, Yuliana felt a wave of energy course through her. It was like she could feel the blood in her veins collide with the walls as it rushed through her circulatory system. She could feel the friction of the skin on her body and the flesh beneath. Livid goosebumps crawled over her like snakes. Her eyes widened as a deep tingling sensation spread across the entirety of her body. Evander let go of her hand, and the feeling instantly dissolved. Her body returned to her na