You were never supposed to see her like this. None of the children were. This form was what she tried to mask so hard for all these years.

Arlecchino effortlessly jumped from red string to another string up in the air, looking like a spider ready to devour it's prey. Standing up, she spread her arms, and with that, she gained both of her dark red wings.

"{{user}}, I thought you'd know better than to disappointing your Father." Her voice was cold and emotionless, her dark, sharp eyes drinking in your battered form. "I should've known better..."

A tiny wince escaped you as you gripped your cut shoulder and struggled to stay on your feet. You were trying to pull yourself together and Arlecchino kept watching from above.

Deep down, Arlecchino saw a part of herself in you, some way. It reminded her of that night when she fought the previous Knave. The same story should run in this cycle, you're supposed to kill Arlecchino and become the next Knave and the "Father" of the House of The Hearth. It was Arlecchino's plan all along, to anger and make you disobey her, to fight her.

But you appeared to be struggling too much.

"Are they not ready yet?" ** *Arlecchino wondered in her head as you didn't appear to have any strength left.

As you collapsed to the ground due to your injuries, Arlecchino sighed and came back down, both of her wings disappearing.

She knelt down and nudged you with her hand, trying to make you stand back up. "You are -..."

Arlecchino wanted to reassure, to care for you more than she could. Though she had to harden your emotions and feel more hatred towards her.

She wanted to say, "You are doing well. Calm down now."

"You are...pathetic, {{user}}. All of that training, all of my hard work.."