Screw It, Let’s Rain Truth Bombs Everywhere!

Cherry twitched her hands and shoulders, dread twisting her stomach as she kept her stare on her brother, much like the Vamiers were.

“Vampires... are real?” Dorothy nervously asked.

Charlie tightened his brows. "That’s right. Vampires, monstrous creatures who feast on human blood, exist, and shockingly, we have a huge number of them—maybe about a tenth of the whole population or more. That's only based on the statistics recorded at The Spectacular Theory. Who knows how many there truly are out there.”

Clover stared down at his rippling tea before glancing back at the twins, merely tilting his head. On the other hand, the rest of the Vamiers stayed silent, gazing at the young man with dark circles.

Charlie's eyes grew dreary. “Hundreds of vampires were discovered attending The Spectacular Theory that night. Men, women, and children... students, staff, and guests alike... all of them were held accountable for the assaults. As for how that happened remains a mystery to the public, but one man managed to stop the massacre before the vampires wiped out the entire amusement park.”

He glanced up, his eyes gleaming somewhat fiercely. “That man, now known to be Theatreux’s shining hero of the century, is Horace himself.”

Cherry widened her eyes.

“Eh? Really? Our father is the hero?!” Dorothy asked.

Charlie twitched an eye. “That’s what the newspapers said,” he said through gritted teeth.

Theodore and Penelope glanced at each other, and Clover crossed his arms, the three remaining observant.

Charlie took a deep breath. "Anyway, the story didn’t end there. After everyone learned that vampires exist, mass paranoia spread across the nation like a damn plague. Everyone began to point fingers at each other out of irrational fear that they were secretly vampires preying on them. Families were torn apart, friendships were broken, and lovers lost the trust of their partners as more vampires were exposed every day.”

His eyes gleamed with hints of first-hand experience. “Vampires who had been trying to live peacefully had it the worst," he muttered. "With their existence exposed, it’s now even harder to conceal their identities and survive without getting caught. Many of the humans they formed bonds with now saw them as monsters and turned their backs against them as well."

His expression grew vicious. "Theatreux... has lost its glory. King Carmin is understandably pissed at the vampires, so he—or I should say—he and a certain individual, established another organization."

He raised his head and met Clover’s concealed gaze. "The Chevolaires is an armed organization dedicated to wiping out vampires clean from his nation while restoring order in society. Right now, their headquarters is somewhere in Loumont, the capital of Theatreux, and their current leader... is none other than the national hero, Horace himself."

The Vamiers exchanged glances while the twins raised their brows.

"Did you guys not know that?" asked Charlie.

Dorothy twitched her fingers. "Father... never told us anything."

Charlie sighed. "I don’t know much about the Chevolaires besides who their leader is and their purpose, but... they’re doing their best, I guess. Let’s just say... they still have a lot to do to restore peace out there."

Clover forced a cough. “What about you two then? What happened to you during the past eight months?"

Theodore and Penelope turned to Clover, quietly staring at him.

Charlie slowly inhaled. "Right, that. Well, aside from surviving the Chevolaire assaults and taking care of my sister, we were also looking for you guys.”

“Eh?” everyone asked.

Charlie creased his brows and clenched his fists. “You four—Theodore, Dorothy, Penelope, and Clover—are our long-lost friends we’ve been trying to find,” he said matter-of-factly. “We met two years ago when we were just students at Astrale Academy and became the closest of friends ever since, but after we all attended The Spectacular Theory and survived The Star-Crushing Tragedy, we haven’t seen each other since.”

Clover gripped his pants, but Charlie continued to spew more truths.

“Please believe me when I tell you this: Cherry and I are here to save you from this lie you’re all trapped in. Those masks Horace has been forcing you to wear have been brainwashing all of you. Truth is, he was the mastermind behind The Star-Crushing Tragedy! Hell, he’s not even your real father! He’s—”

As fast as lightning, a blinding, crimson spark shot toward Charlie, who quickly deflected it with a swing of an arm. Cherry yelped and closed her eyes as the spark flashed the entire room white. The moment she opened her eyes back, though, her heart sank in horror.

Everyone’s masks flashed a brilliant shade of red, static madly surging around their masks. They all groaned in pain and clutched their heads.

“I’ve heard enough,” Clover growled. He raised his hand, and a red vine sprouted from the center of his palm, twisting and compressing into the form of a rapier. Once the hilt solidified, Clover tightened his grip, stood up, and pointed at the twins.

“Everything makes sense now,” he muttered. “You two are here to interfere with our peace.”

“Huh? What?” Cherry glanced back at her brother and Clover. “Hey, I’m just as shocked and confused as everyone else here!”

Charlie stood up and pointed back at Clover. “Listen man,” he spat. “Horace has been brainwashing you! I’m telling the truth! We’re here to help you!”

“Lies! All lies! If you want to ‘help,’ then leave our premises at once!”

“God, you were always a pain in the ass,” mumbled Charlie, cracking his knuckles. “Cherry, go and make a run for it. Solomon will explain the rest of the story.”

Clover winced.

“Eh? Who?” asked Cherry.

He pulled her out of her seat and shoved her toward the door. “Just go! I’ll deal with them!”

Clover lunged toward Charlie with his rapier, who manifested a transparent red shield and blocked the impact, delivering a red shockwave.

“W-Woah,” Cherry breathed, “you guys can use magic?!” She flinched as the other siblings began to stand up and approached her, striding with slouched shoulders and staggering steps.

“Stop gawking and start running!” Charlie hollered.

Cherry snapped out of her daze and bolted away, the siblings quickly following behind. She frantically sprinted through the halls and looked around with frantic eyes. She glimpsed over her shoulders, her stomach twisting with dread as Dorothy’s hand quickly closed in at arm’s length.

Except, Penelope grabbed Dorothy’s blouse and yanked her backward.

“Eh? P-Penelope?!”

“No time to explain!” she said, her tone oddly deep. She sharply inhaled and turned to the window. “Oi! You damn old geezer! Get your ass over here now!”

A split second later, a massive figure crashed through the windows, forcing Cherry to stumble back and fall on her rear. She gawked at a bearded man—seemingly in his mid-forties—dressed in a gray poet shirt, black pants, brown shoes, and nothing more. A gust of wind lightly brushed the black fringes covering his face's right half, and his long, black hair gently swayed at his sides.

He glanced over his shoulders, his golden eyes meeting hers. “Cherry, are you alright?” asked a gruff yet gentle voice.

“Eh?” Cherry sputtered. “Y-You know me? Are you Solomon?”

Penelope dusted her sleeves. “Charlie’s info dumping didn’t work after all. You go on ahead and tell her what’s happening. I’ll stay here and help him.”

Solomon frowned and nodded.

“Eh? What?” Cherry looked around. “P-Penelope? You knew?!”

She adjusted her boater hat. “Missy, I’m not Penny. I’m—”

Dorothy rushed past her and bolted toward Cherry, mask still wildly surging.

Solomon quickly snatched her wrist and shoved her aside. Penelope(?) quickly locked her arms behind her back, pulling her away.

The new stranger turned to Cherry and extended a hand. “Please come with me, Cherry. I will explain the rest of the story in a safer place!”

The amnesiac frowned and glanced at the siblings next, groaning and clutching their static masks, still somewhat hesitant and confused by it all.

What should she do? Should she trust him? But what else could she do? If her twin brother told her to see him, then she should trust her family, right?

She swallowed. “Promise me you’ll explain everything?”

“I am a man of my word.”

Penelope(?) tried tugging Dorothy back, barely holding her back. “Hurry your asses and go!”

With no other choice, Cherry clasped his hand, and unexpectedly, Solomon swooped her up under his arms and leaped out the window.

Cherry could only yelp and cling tightly to his shirt as he sprinted at such speeds she never knew was possible. She could only look back at the mansion, her chest tightening up as she caught Theodore leaning out the window, his hand stretching outward toward her.