The Mansion's Peace Finally Crumbles

As fragments of white scattered around his feet, the three locked their gazes at a pair of emerald eyes, his pupils glowing pure red and his expression distraught. The only other maskless individual dropped his jaw.

"Holy shit,” said Eloi, not moving a muscle. "What the hell?"

"C-Clover?" Dorothy stepped forward. "Your mask broke? Just like that?"

"Your face," Eloi stammered, "It's telling me... that it was you... this whole time?"

“Eh? What?” Charlie glanced at them and back at Clover. “Wait, you’re behind all this?!”

“I should've left for the capital sooner after all,” Clover growled, veins swelling at his jaw. “Charlie, you and your sister shouldn't be here. If it weren’t for you all, we would’ve continued living with only peace in our minds.”

“So you knew about us this whole time?!” Charlie asked. “Wh-What’s going on here? Why are you doing this?"

“I should be the one asking you that! How the hell did you two survive The Star-Crushing Tragedy?! I thought you all died!”

“Because your bloody dad saved our asses!”

“Why the hell didn’t you explain things with Horace then?! Why bother with us?!”

“As if we got a chance to!”

Clover scowled and brandished another blade, and more red puddles rippled behind his back, forming more blades that levitated in place. He pointed his blade at the twins, the swords behind him following his target.

Charlie slid in front of the two and extended an arm, quickly enveloping the three in a transparent red dome.

Clover clicked his tongue.

“Snap out of it, Clover!” Dorothy desperately shouted. “Why are you doing this?! Surely it’s because Horace forced you to, right?! He doesn’t have to know that this is all happening! We can all stop him together!”

Clover lowered his head, his expression calm but utterly broken, sad, and hopeless.

“It’s true, right?!”

“No,” Eloi verified. “His face says he planned it all since the start.”

Dorothy sputtered her words, the betrayal now hitting her. “Th-Then why?”

Clover gritted his teeth. “It’s so that you can all forget your tragedies and live like normal humans. It’s as simple as that!”

“What?”

“You think I wanted to do all of this? I’m doing this for everyone’s sake!” He pointed back at his siblings. “Each one of you caused a tragedy so great you all lost your bloody minds! And I..." He stared down at his quivering hands. “I... too..."

He clenched his fists. "I still remember all of your guilty, traumatized, and hopeless faces. I still remember when you all had your meltdowns. Only I can undo all the pain we all went through!"

Dorothy twitched her fingers, clutching her head.

“Hey man, you got me wrapped up in your mess, you know!” Eloi spat.

“Right, then there’s you, Eloi! What the hell are you doing inside my sister?! Why didn’t you say anything all those months?!”

“Urgh…” They scratched their head. “Right, uh, your mother wanted to keep it a secret from everyone until I got my body back, and I thought, uh, you’d snitch me to Horace. My bad.”

“...Are you kidding me? Our mother told you to stay quiet?”

“Yep.”

“...I don’t even know if I should yell at you or apologize.”

“Speaking of an apology—what about your freaking dad?!” Charlie angrily asked. “Do you realize how miserable you made him after all these months? He’s been risking his life trying to save you all for crying out loud!”

Clover snorted. “Him? Forget it,” he said. “He deserves all of that suffering.”

Everyone flinched and turned to him.

“Solomon,” he hissed, his words stained with venom. “That man is the source of all our problems, and it all began the moment he gave birth to us.” He glared down at his trembling palms, his eyes gleaming with pure rage. “Because of him, because of his vampire genes, we were born as monsters. Because of him, we grew up differently than everyone else.”

He inhaled. “Because of him, we didn’t get to live normal lives!” he hollered furiously. “It’s all his fault. All of it!”

Charlie's veins gradually swelled, fury clouding his thoughts. “You think you and your siblings had it rough? Try being a pure vampire,” he spat. “At least you hybrids don’t have to drink human blood all the time when they already run in your veins!”

Clover pointed at the twins. “You shut it. Us vampires, regardless of being pure or half-blooded, are still equally cursed!”

“Says the guy who keeps showing off his blood magic,” said Eloi.

“You shut up too, Eloi. I'm only using this power for the greater good!” His eyes turned deadly cold, and the twins shuddered. "After all, as a Chevolaire, I have a duty to prevent tragedies from spreading.” He raised his blade toward Charlie, the swords behind him following suit. "If my power can help with that, then so be it."

“Hey, hey, hey!” Charlie molded another sword. “Can’t we continue talking it out?!”

“Clover, just stop this, please!” Dorothy sobbed. “I don’t want this! I don’t want to see anyone hurt! I can tell that you don't want to hurt them either! You remembered them this whole time, right?! Don't you remember that they’re our friends?!” Dorothy cried.

Clover squeezed his handle. “You shut it,” he growled. “You think I’m the bad guy here? I’m the one who’s trying to protect your sanities!” He lowered his blade and glared at the twins. “But fine. For the last time, leave this mansion and never come back.”

“If you want us to piss off, tell that to your dad,” said Charlie.

“I don't want to see them go either!” shouted Dorothy.

“I… technically can’t go anywhere anyway,” said Eloi, scratching his head, briefly glancing at the bushes. “But enough yapping! Get your ass over here, Solomon!”

Clover turned pale and turned to the bushes next.

The shrubs rustled, and a large silhouette leaped high into the air, his massive figure blocking the sun before somersaulting and landing with a resounding thud, the ground cracking beneath him.

Solomon exhaled and straightened his back, his golden eyes shining brilliantly as a star. He laid Theodore and Eloi’s body aside and approached the scene.

“Hell yeah!” Eloi snapped his fingers. “Now that’s what I call an epic entrance!”

Dorothy gripped her wrist, eyeing her real father in astonishment. “Y-You’re… F-Father? Our real father?”

Solomon tossed a sad smile and said, “I’m relieved to see you well, my ray of sunshine.”

“F-Father…”

Everyone else stayed silent. Meanwhile, Cherry heavily panted and gasped for breath as she arrived last, clutching her quivering knees. “My god,” she croaked, “Solomon, you run so freaking fast. Hey guys, how’s it… eh? C-Clover? What happened to your mask?!”

Solomon knitted his brows at the traitor. “Clover, I’ve heard everything. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked, his tone sad but gentle as the breeze. “I thought you were neutral about being a hybrid as well as everyone else.”

He squeezed his fists, his gaze growing with realization. “Could it be? After that accident nine months ago, when your mother—”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Clover shrieked, his voice shaking uncontrollably. He pointed at him with a shaky arm. “That accident happened because of you!”

He quivered his lips, tears welling in his eyes. “If... if Mom had chosen Horace instead, we would’ve been a perfectly normal human family,” he whimpered in a broken, miserable voice. “We... we wouldn’t have to worry about hurting each other..."

Solomon lowered his head, his face calm yet filled with as much pain and grief as Clover’s.

“Biologically speaking, that would mean none of you guys would exist if that’s the case,” Charlie said bluntly.

“Who cares if we wouldn’t exist,” he weakly croaked. “Mother... our mother didn’t deserve us monsters.”

“Take that back!” Dorothy cried, clenching her fists. “You don’t mean that!”

Clover slid a palm across his face, his glowing emerald eyes glaring between his fingers. “I do,” he hissed. “Pure and half-blood alike, we’re all cursed to spread despair wherever we tread.”

The twins exchanged glances.

“So that’s why I’m siding with Horace,” Clover mumbled, stepping back. “Only he shares the same feelings I have.”

“Son,” Solomon said tenderly, taking a step forward. “Please, just listen to me—”

“I’ll listen to you when we’re both in hell!” he cried. “I don’t want to hear anything from you! I... I will never forgive you..."

The father paused in his tracks. With an understanding gaze, he drooped his head and said nothing more.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Charlie spoke up. “Working with that bastard and killing our fellow vampires won’t solve your problems.”

“You don’t understand,” Clover muttered, grasping his head and baring his fangs. “You don’t understand a damn thing about me.”

“Yes, we do?! We’re vampires!”

“What? Have you killed someone before too, Charlie?” he scoffed.

“I… erm…” Charlie scratched his head, and while he looked away, a crimson blade swooped by, causing him to tumble backward. “Oi?!”

“I’m telling you all right now,” Clover growled, massive red puddles rippling behind his back and molding more blades. “Leave! Us! Alone!”