Horace’s Star-Crushing Tragedy

“Helloooo?” a mocking voice cooed, snapping his fingers.

Cherry groaned and wearily opened her eyes, her head spinning.

Kneeling before her was Monty Starman, smiling enthusiastically.

Except, his stone-cold eyes didn’t match such a smile.

“Ah, there we go.” He stood up and faced his sole audience. “See? I told you she’s fine. Are you satisfied now, Horace?”

“Huh? Wha...?” Cherry’s chest grew numb. Every breath she drew strained her lungs, and it took a few seconds to register the ropes tightly binding her in a chair. With a disoriented vision, she looked around.

She and Monty were on a wide stage—under a single spotlight—in a grand, empty auditorium housing thousands of velvet red chairs and massive curtains with golden ropes. A sea of glitter twinkled mid-air, scattering across the vast space and floating still as if the frigid temperature of the theater froze them in time.

Even though the darkness practically consumed the other side of the room, Cherry could still meet her teacher’s horrified gaze in one of the seats, his body also tied up.

Was this place... the famous Galactic Stage?

...Why? Why would her first visit... end up like this?

Cherry swayed her throbbing head, still hopelessly groggy.

Monty raised her chin and inched closer, peering at her trance-like state. “For a vampire, you sure are pretty weak,” he murmured. “Even Horace woke up sooner than you.”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Horace bellowed furiously. “I swear to god I’ll tear down your amusement park if you do anything to her!”

Monty let go, facing him again. “Isn’t that why you’re here to begin with, Horace? Or should I say... Brother? Haha, it’s been a while since I’ve called you that.”

Horace scrunched his face. “Don’t ever call me that again. We may be blood-related, but not once were we ever a ‘family.’”

The Overseer slanted his head. “But after all these years, we still meet again, nevertheless.”

“But you’ve changed. Just how did a twisted man like you become so obsessed with a random girl?”

Monty blinked. “What? Obsessed with her? This brat? Pfft—hahaha!” He hunched over and clutched his stomach, wheezing. “Oh, no, no, no. You all severely mistaken me. I was never in love with Cherry.”

"...Huh? Then why did you stalk her all this time?”

He snickered while rubbing his earpiece. “You know how talkative she can be about the people in her life, right? She’s like a walking goldmine of information. I have to thank her—I’ve learned so much these past two years!”

Horace groaned in visible disgust. “Just say it clearly. What are you truly after?”

Monty smiled, wearing a face so innocent that an outsider wouldn’t ever suspect him.

“I only want her mother. That’s all,” the Overseer simply said.

Horace blinked. “Excuse me?”

Monty cupped his blushing cheeks. “Did you know? Fiona Elthean used to work at a circus. When I tried to run away from our parents during our trip to a circus, she found me and gave me the hope to endure it all.”

A split second later, his expression turned deadly cold. “But ever since she disappeared, my hope has turned into resolve. While my men searched for her throughout Theatreux, I’ve worked hard to be the perfect Overseer so that everyone—even Fiona—knows my name.”

He slowly inhaled. “Two decades. It took two decades to finally find her. At that point, I became the nation's most popular man besides King Carmin himself.”

The Overseer pressed a palm on his face, his eyes glaring between his fingers. “To think that even after all this time, she’s still loyal to that man,” he hissed. “And he just has to be the most untouchable figure in all of Theatreux. I can’t ever kill him, nor can he kill me. At least... not yet. Not with this job of mine. Not when this kingdom is so peaceful.”

He dangled his arms to his sides, staring blankly at his brother. "Say, Horace, you said that if something happens to her, you'd tear down this place, correct?"

"Precisely. So you better—"

"Perfect!" Monty pulled out a gun and pressed the muzzle onto Cherry’s forehead. "Let's rain hell in this amusement park together!”

"...Huh?" Horace frantically thrashed around. "No! No, stop!"

A door at a far distance slammed open. Barging in was a woman with dark red hair tied in a bun, huffing and panting. She widened her brown eyes in terror the moment she spotted the stage.

“You damn psychopath!” she shrieked. “Leave my daughter out of this!”

Now recognizing a familiar voice, Cherry opened her eyes. “Mom?” she croaked, tears streaming down her face.

Monty lowered his gun, widening his deranged eyes and reddening his blush. “Aahh, Fiona!" he squealed in delight. "You're finally here! Oh, Fiona, you’ve arrived just in time! Did you hear everything loud and clear?”

“I... I should’ve known you would be behind all this,” Fiona hissed, grasping her head. “Do you seriously think you'd win me when I know you’re killing my family?! Are you crazy?!”

Monty stretched his grin, his gaze fixated on her and her alone. “Of course I am. I’ve always been crazy for you.”

She contorted her face and shuddered. “I... will never return your feelings. Get that fact drilled into your perverted skull!”

He snorted with a weary gaze. “I already did.”

"...What?”

“Ever since our last talk, I already knew that you won’t ever love me back. At least... not normally. I just wanted you to understand that I already tried being a good person for you, so don’t blame me now that we’re in this predicament.”

He raised his gun back up at Cherry. “I’m too far gone to give up on you, Fiona. I won't stop chasing after you. Not until one of us dies.”

Fiona scrunched her face, disgusted. “Then so be it.”

"Huh?"

She raised an arm and snapped her fingers.

A gunshot made everyone wince.

A bullet pierced through Fiona’s head, and her body collapsed.

Monty twitched and gaped his eyes, staring down at her bleeding head.

“M-Madam?” Horace weakly called out.

“Mom?!” Cherry screamed, sobbing and squirming around. “No! Please! What’s going on?! This can’t be happening!”

Monty raised his head in the direction of the gunshot, followed by the other witnesses.

Stepping closer with his muzzle aiming at Monty next was an adolescent young man with short black hair and scarlet eyes, a gold-crowned brooch gleaming on his red vest.

“You should’ve faced me head-on instead of leaving me with a poison debuff, you damn coward,” the young man spat, his voice weak and raspy. He scratched at a faint purple line on his throat, his gaze still drowsy. He coughed and stained his sleeve with tainted blood.

“Huh? Wha?” Cherry whimpered, tears blurring her vision. “Who? Wh-Why...?”

Monty blinked, staring vacantly for a long minute before stretching a demented grin. He snickered under his breath before gradually guffawing out loud.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” Monty exhaled and patted his chest, stretching a menacing grin and tapping his earpiece. “It’s just that... you are more predictable than I thought.”

He blinked. “Eh?”

“By the way, that poison was meant for something else.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Monty filled up his lungs and raised his voice. “You monster!” he shrieked in the loudest voice possible, his words echoing across the walls. “It was you all along?! How could you have deceived us?! Why would you kill Cherry’s mother?! You cruel savage!”

“What the hell are you spouting all of a sudden?”

Moments later, a pair of doors slammed open, and the four turned to the far end of the auditorium.

“R-Ren?” another voice called out in the darkness.

The teenager stepped back, meeting a pair of glowing, golden eyes in the shadows.

“Solo... mon?” Horace gaped his eyes.

“Ren? Did I hear that right? You’ve tricked us?” Solomon called out, stumbling forward. He looked down at Fiona’s body, his face turning pale. “What have you done? To your own partner?”

Ren gawked at him and back at Monty, distraught. He lowered his weapon and clicked his tongue. “Oh my god, Solomon. Listen, just stay out of my—”

Solomon stomped forward and lunged at him with eyes blazing with fury, fully drawing back his fist. Ren raised his forearms, taking the full blow and getting launched across the room.

Ren slammed against a wall with a grunt, cracking it. He stumbled around and hoarsely coughed out blood with traces of purple. He barely had enough time to catch his breath before Solomon swung another fist.

Ren ducked and slid away, the wall crashing behind him. As the opening revealed the stony back alleyway, a blast of air and amber sun rays welcomed themselves in.

“For god’s sake, stop screwing things up!" Ren hollered, grasping his throat. “Fiona’s prophecy is going to start at this rate!”

“Enough spouting nonsense,” Solomon growled. “You’ve killed someone’s mother. Who’s truly screwing around here?”

“She’s..." Ren paused and heavily groaned, facepalming. “Ugh, forget it!” He stretched a hand toward Fiona, shooting streaks of red that wrapped and compressed her body. He clenched his fist, and her body vanished.

He shifted his arm toward Cherry next, a red swirl weaving around her, yet before it could compress her next, Solomon bashed him across his face. He staggered backward and cursed under his breath. “Won’t you even let me rescue my own kid?!”

“Then explain to me why you’ve killed Fiona,” Solomon growled. “How can I trust you now that you’ve hurt your own family?”

Ren clicked his tongue and hovered in the air, flying toward the hole. “If you want a fight so badly, then fine! Let’s take this elsewhere!”

Before he fled, he threw his gun toward Horace and swung an arm, shooting out three crescent streaks of red and slicing Cherry’s and Horace’s ropes and chairs. Monty dodged the third, mischievously waving farewell to him.

Solomon charged his way out next, entirely focused on Ren.

Cherry remained on her knees. Tears filled with a tempest of emotions streamed down her cheeks, and all she could do was clutch her head and cry to herself. This all had to be a horrible nightmare. This had to be...

Yet, the nails digging into her head told her otherwise.

Horace hastily stood up, picked up Ren’s gun, and fired. Monty dodged, the bullet grazing his cheek. He fired back, and Horace ducked, sliding behind a chair next to him.

Monty darted his eyes to Cherry next, stretching a wicked grin. He snapped his fingers, and all the auditorium’s lights shut off, the gaping hole allowing the only source of light in.

In this pitch-black void, the floating glitter illuminated more intensely than before, shining like real stars just beyond an arm's reach. Except, no one at that moment bothered to admire the sight.

Horace peeked over his chair. “What games are you—”

Monty answered with his gun. Horace grunted in pain and collapsed with a thud.

A pair of footsteps approached Cherry, and she could only squeak in confusion as a hand aggressively snatched her arm, yanked her up, and cupped her mouth.

Monty pulled out his earpiece and held it close to her ear.

“Status update,” the earpiece buzzed. “Three young adults are now approaching the Galactic Stage. Facial recognition scanners have identified them to be: Charlie Elthean, Theodore Vamier, and Penelope Vamier. Metal sensors also indicate that Theodore Vamier possesses a concealed firearm.”

He reattached the device to his ear. “Did you hear that, Little Star? Sounds like we’ll be having some new guests soon. Isn’t that exciting?” he whispered behind her ear. “Let’s perform our final act for them, shall we?”

Somewhere at a distance, Horace’s groans echoed. “Monty, I swear to god—”

Monty fired in his direction again, yet the bullet struck something solid. He clicked his tongue and pressed the muzzle onto Cherry’s head. “If you don’t shut the hell up, I’ll shoot your dear pupil next,” he warned.

Horace gritted his teeth, clutching his wound.

Still numb, lightheaded, and confused, Cherry responded with tears streaming down the hand cupping her mouth while gazing at the fabricated stars.

Ah, it happened again—fate played another cruel trick.

What a fool she was, thinking she could pursue her dreams.

There was no point screaming and cursing at the stars. There was no point questioning why any of this was happening.

After all, they'd never answer no matter how loudly she’d cry.

As quiet as fate itself, the auditorium remained at a standstill, and each second felt like an eternity.

Charlie, where are you? Cherry choked a sob. I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared. Charlie, where are you? I’m so sorry. Please. Please, I’m so, so scared. Charlie…

Eventually, a pair of doors slammed open at a distance, welcoming three new pairs of footsteps.

“Wooaah, no wonder this place is called the Galactic Stage,” said Theodore, whistling. “This feels like we're walking directly into the night sky!”

“We’re not here to sightsee, damn it!” Charlie hissed. “More importantly, why is there a giant hole over there? What the hell happened here?”

“Tsk, this place is way too dark to see anything. E—er, Sis, can you take it from here?”

Eloi gasped and wheezed with a dry voice. “Ugh, you two run too fast,” Penelope’s voice answered, collapsing to their knees. “Give... give me a minute to breathe..."

“There’s no time!” Charlie whispered. “Theodore, just use your ears!”

“I was going to do that anyway.” Something clicked where Theodore stood.

Horace weakly croaked, “No, no don’t—”

“Hey!” Monty called out. “Who’s out there? How did you get past my security?!”

“He's here alright.” Theodore whipped his gun in the direction of his voice. “It sounds like he didn’t prepare for us, but... I could’ve sworn I heard Horace. Are there other people here?”

Eloi remained on the floor, still out of breath. "Too much glitter... to see..."

“Guards!” Monty yelled. “Seize the intruders!”

"Oh, shit." Theodore tensed up, tightening his grip. "Ugh, screw it!"

A gunshot echoed in the darkness.

A moment later, a thud interrupted the silence.

“Did... did I do it?” Theodore asked.

The one who could see in the dark quivered their voice. “Monty... h-he... that bastard got us.”

“Huh?”

“Pfft, hahaha.”

Theodore flinched.

“Hahaha... Ahahahahahahahaha!”

Monty’s heinous laughter flooded the auditorium. He clapped his hands once, and a spotlight flickered on.

Theodore’s gun slipped from his fingers, Eloi covered their mouth and turned pale, and Charlie’s eyes darkened, his mind growing numb.

Lying motionless before Monty’s feet was someone they’d been searching for.

Her head bled as vibrantly red as the curtains, a puddle expanding and soaking her sprawled hair. Cold tears streamed down the side of her face, her eyes no longer twinkling with life.

Monty extended his arms high into the air before deeply bowing to the audience.

Charlie picked up Theodore’s gun, aimed at the Overseer, and fired. The bullet pierced Monty’s head, but before he collapsed, his body exploded into colorful confetti, disappearing and leaving behind his glittering hat and cape.

Not giving a damn to ponder his magic trick, Charlie bolted to the stage and kneeled before his sister. With quivering hands, he held her in his arms, her blood staining his sleeves. He gently shook her, sputtering broken words.

“Cherry?” Charlie whimpered, squeezing his grip. “Hey, Cherry, where did you come from? Sis? Why were you with Monty? Come on. Hey. Wake up. This isn’t funny. Get up. You can stop pretending now. Hey. You've improved your acting skills since last time. Did you want to hear that? Come on. Please. Get up. Hey, why does this red paint feel so warm? Why does it smell so funny? Why does that hole look so real? Is this some new cosmetic trick? Hey, Cherry? Please, please say something..."

His sister’s glassy eyes failed to meet his watery gaze.

Charlie’s breathing grew unstable, tears pouring away. “Cherry... Please... Please don’t leave me..."

As the curtains fell, so did reality hitting all four witnesses.

Charlie finally screamed, his agonized cries drowning out every other sound in the auditorium.

Eloi remained wholly still, still processing it all, and Theodore fell to his knees, his brain entirely ceasing.

Horace trembled his eyes, his shoulder still bleeding out as he watched in the shadows. With a face torn with despair, he pulled out his crimson pocket watch and depressed on its crown, the hands of time wildly spinning and clicking.

Moments later, dozens of ravens’ screeches echoed through the gaping hole followed by a series of explosions. What sounded like light rain briefly sprinkled before screams erupted from the public.

...Her name was Cherry Elthean, a twenty-year-old art student.

She had a dream of being on stage. Inspired by Monty Starman, she dreamed of being a star just like him.

Instead, she died at The Spectacular Theory, causing Horace’s Star-Crushing Tragedy.