Solomon's Heartache

“...If it wasn’t for this drink, I think my head might’ve exploded by now,” said Cherry as she gaped her eyes at the bearded, worn man before her.

Solomon coughed as he sat back down, narrowing his eyes at the other untouched mug on the table. “I’m glad I served it then,” he muttered.

“You’re... the real father? Then, who’s—”

“Horace,” he growled, gritting his teeth and baring his fangs. “That back-stabbing bastard… That man whom I used to call my best friend... stole my identity.”

His golden gaze grew hostile. “That wretched scum... has been using those masks not only to wipe my children’s memories but alter them to believe that he is their father instead!” Solomon coughed and wheezed as he trembled in place, his veins swelling on his neck and jawline.

He looked down at his quivering palms. “And if that wasn’t enough, he caused The Star-Crushing Tragedy and framed me for it, so now, I’m forced to hide while everyone’s hunting me down!” He curled his hands into a fist. “So... so not only did my kids completely forget about me, but the whole nation thinks I’m the devil himself! That bloody bastard ruined my life!”

Cherry’s stomach brewed with nausea as the truth finally dawned on her. “Then, all those freaky flashes the siblings had with their masks… and all those unusual interruptions… Those masks… were brainwashing your kids? And he caused the tragedy?! Why? Why would he do that? Why would he commit something so terrible?”

Solomon swallowed. “To this day, I have yet to find the full answers from him, but as far as I’m aware, well…” He curled his fists, hesitating to speak. “I’ve always known he had feelings for my late wife, so…”

“Oh, I’m so sorry…”

“Ah, it’s alright, Cherry.”

She stroked her chin, “Then, lots of drama happened is what I’m getting at.”

Solomon took a deep breath. “Pretty much.”

She covered her mouth and widened her sparkly gaze. “Like romantic drama? Can you tell me more?”

Solomon's frown slowly transitioned into a small grin, and he softly chuckled. “You're still as curious as ever, Cherry. You haven’t changed at all,” he said softly. “But I prefer we explain the trivial matters for another time. I believe you have more important questions for me, yes?”

Cherry nodded. “What happened to me?” she asked. “Do you know why I have amnesia?”

Solomon took a slow, deep breath and stood up, approaching the amnesiac. With a finger, he ever so gently tapped her forehead.

Something hot immediately stung Cherry’s skull. She doubled over and cried in pain, clutching her head.

“There is your answer,” he muttered. “You had experienced a life-threatening brain injury eight months ago, and you’re still not fully recovered. I deeply apologize, Cherry. I was the one who sealed up your memories in order to speed up your healing process. At the very least, I can block the pain for you—that is why you’ve felt nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Oooww…” She rubbed her head. “Ugh, why did you wake me up while I was still healing then?”

“Because… we’re running out of time. A spy of ours recently informed us of Horace’s situation, so I decided to give up chasing after him and focus on saving my children instead. The reason we didn’t act sooner was because I believed Horace would leave them alone while I pursued him, but… the spy learned that my kids are possibly in danger.”

“Danger? How?”

“I… don’t know.” He hunched over and scratched his head. “The spy warned us that one of my children could be killed, but he never explained how or when. All he said is that we should prioritize my children before Horace.”

“Who the heck is your spy anyway?”

He bit his lip. “For safety reasons, I did not learn his name nor saw his face. In other words, he was an anonymous helper.”

She raised her brows. “Strangers have been helping you? Even when you were convicted?”

He shrugged. “He did tell me that he was one of my patients, so I suppose he didn’t believe the newspapers.”

“Oh, I see...” She stroked her chin. “Then, why did you guys ditch me out there after I woke up by myself yesterday?”

“Ah, please forgive us for that. Days prior, we’ve been strategizing on how to effectively break free of my children’s brainwashes, and Eloi suggested that your existence could help trigger some memories, so we thought if we let you wander to the house, they could remember you—and if not, your genuine amnesia could, at the very least, prevent unnecessary suspicion.”

She blinked, spending a moment processing the answers. “Pardon? Who’s Eloi?”

Solomon glanced at the corner of the cabin concealed by a white curtain. He strode toward it and drew it back.

There, lying peacefully, was a man with bronze skin, a long, golden braid, and a silvery left arm, his left eye bandaged up.

“Eloi… is our friend who has a relationship with Penelope. He’s also trapped inside that mansion with my children,” Solomon muttered.

Cherry approached the body with raised brows. “Eloi’s a friend? He’s also trapped in there? What do you mean? He’s right here, isn’t he?”

“Physically, yes. Consciously, his mind is trapped inside Penelope.”

“His mind is trapped inside Penelope?!” Cherry repeated, gaping her eyes. No wonder her attitude suddenly switched overnight! That was Eloi earlier! “How did that even happen?!”

Solomon pursed his lips. “He, too, experienced a life-or-death situation. I had no choice but to transfer his consciousness to Penelope before his body shut down. I’ve been treating his body along with you ever since.”

“Oh… him too?” She mirrored his expression. “What happened to him?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that topic is too sensitive for me to talk about, but you should be able to remember after you’ve recovered anyway.”

Cherry rubbed her throbbing forehead and nodded. “Fair enough. I think I’ve learned enough answers now. So, when can I remember everything again?”

“Well, if you sleep and drink blood plentifully, then I would say about three days or so,” said the doctor.

“Three days…” She rubbed her head. “Say, do my memories gradually return while I sleep?”

“What? Like a dream?”

“Yeah.”

“No? You shouldn’t be dreaming of anything.”

“Really? But I did last night.”

“Eh?” The doctor leaned closer and pressed a finger on her temple, this time without any pain. “How could that be? What did you dream about?”

“Uh, I think it was during my first day at Astrale Academy, during Monty Starman’s performance.”

Solomon twitched a brow. “Strange… Could this mean you’re already close to a complete recovery? What did the pain a moment ago feel like?”

“Well, it felt like a needle poking in my head.”

Solomon stroked his chin. “Goodness, maybe you can recover soon after all…”

“Really?”

He nodded. “For now, we’ll see how this day goes.”

“...Alright. What the heck happened to me anyway? Did someone break my skull with a hammer or something?”

“No, but, I suggest learning the vague details for now. I fear the truth could cause too much trauma for you to handle.”

Cherry sighed and nodded. “Fine by me. Then, what was up with Charlie’s sudden appearance today? Why didn’t he… well, join me yesterday?”

Solomon gazed at the fireplace. “Throughout the past eight months, Eloi told us that no matter how much he tried to explain everything, those masks would always erase them all. Therefore, if words won’t work, then perhaps your presence could trigger at least something, but… here we are instead. If your appearance didn’t make a difference, then the plan would be to go all out today.”

“And you guys sure did.” Cherry frowned. “But why me?” she asked. “Why use me to help them trigger their memories?”

He softly smiled. “Because it was you who brought us together, after all.”

Cherry raised her brows, and a faint warmth crept through her cheeks. She shyly swayed her shoulders and looked away. “Geez, I don’t think I did that much…”

“Haha, no need to be so humble.”

She cleared her throat. “A-Anyway, if Eloi’s explanations didn’t work out, why would Charlie bother to do the same?”

“It couldn’t hurt to try it again for one more time. Besides, it saves us the convenience of explaining more things to you.”

“...Oh.” She took a deep breath and planted her hands on her hips. “Seriously, you guys really are in a mess, huh?”

“Haha, indeed we are.”

Cherry folded her arms and nodded. “I… guess that’s all the questions I have now. Thanks a lot for telling me all that.”

“My pleasure.” Solomon went back to his couch and slumped. “But, thank you as well, Cherry,” he croaked. “You—as well as Charlie and Eloi—are all I have left. That’s all I wish to say. Hah, look at me. To depend on you youngsters for help... pathetic, aren’t I?”

“Oh, don’t say that! You’re not the only one who has issues here. I still don’t remember anything about myself!” She crossed her arms as well. “I... may not remember you guys either, but if you see me as a teammate, then I’m entrusting you all with answers too!”

Solomon's small smile gradually returned. “I suppose we’re all in this pitiful predicament together then, huh?”

She nodded and grunted in agreement.

“Then that concludes my brief explanation of our situation,” he said as he stood up. He turned around and gazed out toward the starless sky. “This brings us to our main mission now: Restore everyone’s memories, and free everyone from Horace’s control.”

“Pretty straightforward,” said Cherry, nodding. “So, what’s the plan now? Clover practically kicked us out.”

Solomon leaned forward and stroked his chin. “Our next move depends on whether or not Charlie and Eloi can successfully subdue their brainwashes,” he murmured.

“I see…” Cherry rubbed her chin and paced around, deeply pondering to herself.

Learning all this sure caused a headache, but should she really be that upset? She got as many answers as a king’s feast—and incredibly sooner than expected. More surprisingly, she took this in more calmly than expected as if she should’ve already known this deep down.

Cherry paused as realization dawned on her.

No wonder she trusted everyone so easily. Even if her memories were sealed up, she casually went with the flow because she already held them all so incredibly close to her heart.

If her heart had been guiding her this whole time, then she should continue to trust it.

The amnesiac tapped her foot. “Say, did Eloi’s body get fixed yet?”

“Yes,” he said. “Thanks to our spy, we’ve implanted some prosthetics for him. All that’s left is bringing his consciousness back, but as you can see, he’s still trapped in that house.”

Cherry squinted. “Theo did mention that he experienced some déjà vu from me, so maybe if we bring Eloi’s body back to their house, they could remember more,” she said.

Solomon briefly raised his brows in astonishment and nodded. “Alright, let us go.”