I speedran this right before midnight over here... I rlly wanted to draw sovana one last time this year so sorry for the mistakes :'')
thank you everyone for all the support this year :D I am really overjoyed and surprised at how many wonderful and talented people I have been able to interact with on here ! thank you all for sticking around to see the last art of 2025 and soon my first art of 2026, hopefully :'D
especially to all my wonderful friends and fellow artists and writers in the milkshake mansion community !! have sovana with her hair down as a treat !!
anyway, I'm going to go celebrate with my family for a bit. see you all next year!
sorry for disappearing I was very busy fighting art and still somehow have not finished all my references. I found out that art is not my only skill. I'm good at other things... like time management (LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER)
my first art fight yay!
Sovana is the only one not yet on my art fight but I'm... going to fix that... soon...
*There's a gift and a letter on top of the fireplace... It's a handcrafted mushroom house carved from wood. The writer who gifted this to you mentioned that it's the closest thing to a magic item that he could obtain... even though it doesn't have the slightest hint of magic in it..*
"What... Is this? I'm... a little caught off guard. I don't have anything prepared for you. When it came to creative things and giving gifts... Those were the things that Mei's good at. I'm hopeless at anything that isn't magic. I... Truly have nothing to offer you. So, maybe we can just play another game of chess. Is that okay?"
— "Make friends," he said, "Warm-blooded, still-breathing friends," he specified. Sovana either didn't hear or completely ignored that last past.
Or: The story of how they met
This short story(?) contains brief, non graphic descriptions of a dead body, and speculations from Sovana regarding how Mei could've died. No blood or anything, but I'm mentioning it just to be safe !!
Usually, they would conduct their rituals late at night, when the world was asleep. The gentle moonlight coating everything in a light silver sheen. This time, however, it was the middle of summer — the sun high in the sky. Sovana stood bathed in golden sunlight harshly shining upon the dead body in front of her.
"You'll do," They said, "You'll do very nicely."
The body was well preserved, perhaps even through the use of magic. Sovana could sense some faint seals that might've disappeared over time, yet... It still lingered.
It was only the slightest bit cumbersome to her, however, since the magical tampering made it nearly impossible for them to determine how long it had been deceased.
No matter, all Sovana had to do was convince Augustus something — someone could tolerate her presence. That would be sure to get their mentor off their ass.
This one's brain didn't seem to be missing any parts, which was already a fantastic start.
Words loop and twist within the magic circle she draws, which nearly glows gold in the harsh sunlight. Just preparing for the ritual took way more time than they would've liked.
Still, those familiar words leave Sovana's mouth like second nature.
The glow of their magic is not as bright as it would have been in the dead of night. Their magic wraps around the bandaged body in front of them. A weak glow meant to bring a stranger from hundreds of years ago back to life.
Then, Sovana hears it. The familiar sound of bones cracking into place, magic reconstructing each broken part of the body. Putting it back together. Old, rotten flesh remade anew.
The words written in the same ancient text from the magic circle coil around the body like bandages. The twitch of a finger.
Sovana hovers over the waking dead, eyes unblinking, "Hello. What ever unfinished business you have — whoever it is you want to protect or avenge — I'll handle it,"
Emerald green eyes glint, colors upon colors shifting hues — like morning dew on blades of glass — wide and glossy and nearly glowing.
The undead coughs, neck cracking as it moves. Pale limbs moving, almost unsure, "...What—?"
"We're going to be friends from now on."
As the ancient writing dissipates from the undead's bandages and skin, it lifts up its head. There, it was pale and sickly canvas, eyes down turned and hazy. Sovana had to run through the entire ritual in her head again, just to make sure it was actually awake and she didn't fail miserably.
"Who are you?"
Emerald eyes meet ruby. Two angry red voids that felt endless. They looked out of place, far too bright, far too alive, far, far too red all throughout. A lifeless expression with the liveliest eyes.
There is an ache in Sovana's chest.
"I'm your new friend. I won't bite, unless you try to harm me in exchange for a beating heart and blood flow,"
The undead looks alarmed for a second, "What—?"
Sovana cuts in, "I can't do that for you even if I wanted to. You are now undead. Congratulations."
"I—"
"Don't freak out, it's very troublesome for me and I'm not good at comforting... Anyone. So, what's your name?"
"I... I do not know."
Memory issues. Not unheard of, but, it's a little troubling. Sovana did everything perfectly, so it's strange that the undead is having problems. No matter...
"I'll give you a new one, then. Just come with me."
The undead rises, stumbling just a bit... Strangely cooperative, the scholar notes. They'll investigate later. For now, they need to make it home before sundown.
"Take my hand."
———
"Did you listen to a word I said?"
Her mentor did not even greet her hello. What a troublesome guy, really. Sovana sighs,
"Yes. You told me to make a friend—"
"Preferably alive, really—"
"You didn't specify that."
Augustus stares at her incredulously, taking a deep breath which he then huffs out, "That's the thing, I did specify it. Do you see the problem here?"
"No, not really—"
"Gods, Sovana, where did you even find this one?" He points at the undead that he'd immediately clothed with the standard Colegio uniform once he'd seen It's weathered clothes and bandages.
"Marina—"
"Oh, of course it was that woman—"
"Let me finish, will you?" Augustus raises an eyebrow, but urges them to continue, "She asked for my help in clearing a dungeon, and we came across a curious burial. The body was interesting so I took it out and now I have a new friend. Right?"
When Sovana turns to the undead, it goes still as though it had forgotten it existed within this room. Hesitantly, it nods.
"See?"
Their mentor's ear twitches. Augustus mutters what sounds like a string of curses and whys under his breath, before composing himself. He turns to the undead, bowing his head just slightly,
"My lady, if you'd like to lay your head back to rest, I can help you get away from this—" the scholar squawks in protest as their mentor points at them, "And you will not be disturbed any longer."
Sovana expected that her annoying mentor would be against this. The undead were not their friends, after all. They were weapons, at best. Tools of the trade.
Yet somehow, for some reason, the scholar did not know what she would do if the undead was suddenly returned to that lonely sarcophagus. Sealed away in a dungeon, without ever learning their name.
A few beats of agonizing silence pass before the undead answers, "No."
Augustus raises an eyebrow, but backs down, "...If you're sure. Though, I do wonder why you'd willingly stay with that," he points at his student again. Sovana flips him off.
"Because... We are friends now." The undead states plainly.
Augustus glares at Sovana, wondering what they did to accomplish this. His student's expression is contemplative for a moment. They shrug, and he sighs.
"I will keep an eye on you, Sovana. The lady is not to loiter or wander too far without either of us accompanying her. And, she is to stay in the Towers at night. Is that understood?"
"...Fine." She says, hopping over to the undead, "Let's go, I'll show you where you'll be staying."
Just as the undead gets up to take Sovana's hand once more, Augustus speaks up, "One moment, my lady. I didn't catch your name."
Before the undead even gets the chance to speak, his student announces, "That's to be decided!"
In a flash of light, they were gone.
"Now, then..." Augustus turns around to face the doorway, "What manner of mental sorcery have you been teaching my student, Sojourner?"
———
The soft glow of the moon. A large garden stretches out before them. Thick, green and blue shrubbery and foliage spread all around, framing a lone lake. The moonlight casts its light upon the water, rippling when Sovana steps on the very edge of it.
"What is this place? Where is this?"
"It's basically a space that only I — and whoever I touch — can enter. And... it's nowhere, really."
Sovana conjures up a cloth to place upon the rocks and pebbles around the lake itself to separate water from land. They take a seat, and stew in silence. The undead says,
"That man... Was he your father?"
Faking a gag, the scholar groans, "Gross. Don't say such awful things. No, he's just my mentor."
The word mentor seemed to burn in their mouth like acid. The undead doesn't seem to take notice.
"Ah, I see. I was thinking that... He let us go rather easily."
"Don't be fooled by him," Sovana grits out, which earns them a questioning look, "He is respectful by nature, a gentleman. But, he's not very trusting. I brought you here so he won't stalk us. There's always a catch with that man."
"...You were looking out for me?"
The scholar had no response for a while, until they suddenly skip a rock across the lake, "I don't even know who you are, or your name, or anything about you. I have no reason to look out for you."
"Are we not friends?"
Sovana pauses before she can throw another rock, then the words flow like water, "I did say that. That's my bad."
A smile, "Besides, I do not know who I am or what my name is, either."
"Stop making good points," Sovana looks away, eyes scanning over the foliage instead of looking at her, "it's pissing me off."
"My apologies, that was not my intention."
"You're being awfully calm about this."
"Your presence is calming."
"Augustus says my presence is headache-inducing, so one of you must be lying," Sovana brings her knees to her chest, resting her chin.
"Augustus... That's his name."
"Mine is Sovana."
"I know, your mentor said it with such conviction," the undead giggles. Instead of feeling annoyed, Sovana finds themself wanting to hear more of that sound.
"As for my own name..."
"Mei," The scholar muses, lifting their head up, "That will be your name."
"Mei... " she tests her new name on her tongue, "Mei, I like it."
"You didn't have a tombstone, only inscriptions and seals and wards all over your final resting place," The scholar grumbles out, "I could decipher only a few words. Mei being one of them."
Mei written with the character for young girl, sister. She was someone's sister. Someone's daughter. Sovana selfishly brought this woman back to life for her own gain.
The scholar purges the thought. Any family that Mei had would have long since passed. It didn't seem like they cared about her too much, anyway. Yet, there was something else that was nagging at the back of her head.
Sovana notices Mei's smile, restrained and a little shaky, "I wonder what kind of person I was, what sort of things I did and the life I lived. And how I died—"
She is cut off by Sovana, who says, rather sharply, "There is no way of knowing now."
"It troubles me that I cannot remember."
It didn't seem that way to Sovana. Mei's posture was straight and narrow, not too unlike her personality. Would she falter even a little if Sovana told her the state in which they found her body? The scholar doubted it.
Perhaps the scholar is wrong. Which — by the way — never happens. It is the slim, tiny, off chance that they are that bothers them. She wants to say, I could tell you died a cruel death. I could tell that you were feared, or not understood. I could tell that those eyes of yours — those bone chilling, deep red eyes — scared people.
Sovana has already formulated some sort of story in their head.
That's why you were chained up, even in eternal rest. That's why instead of a tombstone with a name, they wrote monster.
"Sovana? Are you alright?"
”Do you have any more questions? I'm tired.”
“Why did you bring me back to life?”
“...Because—”
Excuses slip away from them. Because you were feared, and you'd probably make a good weapon— Because I could easily ‘make friends’ with you— Because I just wanted Augustus off my ass. Once more, the scholar bites their tongue. Something they rarely ever do, but seem to be doing over and over recently.
And once again, she had another thought. About how Mei, with her gentle tone of voice and neutral expression — long delicate white hair, and delicate features — could never have done anything to make people fear her except... Exist. How this was no longer just another undead to Sovana. How this was no monster, but a human.
lazy doodle? sketch?? of the student and teacher :) they're more alike than they think
also I find it funny how plain sovana looks right next to augustus but that's for a reason !! they're still a very new student, while augustus is already very high ranking and he's been there for very very long :D like... VERY long.
