Two Lost Souls Are Better Than One

“Charlie?” Cherry called out.

Charlie opened his eyes wide and sat up with a gasp. He whipped toward her, stunned. “Ch-Cherry?!” he cried. “You’re alive?!”

Cherry tilted her head. “What do you mean by that? Am I dead? Are we dead?”

“Huh?” Charlie looked around and found themselves in a pitch-black void, entirely without light. The twins looked around and held each other’s arms, lost and confused.

“B-B-But I saw you dead! Theodore shot you in the head!”

“Theo did what?!” Cherry touched her forehead. “Really?! I feel… I…” She widened her eyes in realization when she recollected her last memories, and gradually, she turned pale as a hole began to carve itself into her forehead. “I… feel… pain…”

Blood began to pour down her face, and she hunched over and clutched her head.

“Cherry?!” Charlie grabbed her shoulders.

“Ooww! It hurts!” she cried, breathing heavily and shaking her head. “It hurts! Charlie, it-it hurts so much!”

“Hey, h-hang in there!” Charlie helplessly looked around the void. “I-I—”

“Monty, that two-faced snake!” Cherry sobbed, tears streaming away. “I’m so sorry, Charlie. I should’ve believed you. I should’ve believed Mom. I was so, so stupid. Why didn’t I realize it sooner?!”

Not knowing what else to do, Charlie hugged her tightly. “No, this isn’t your fault,” he said. “No one knew it was coming. None of us did. That bastard fooled all of us.”

Cherry bawled as she returned the embrace, her arms trembling. “It’s so cold,” she whimpered.

“I know.”

“I’m so scared.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t want to be alone.”

Charlie squeezed his arms. “Me too.”

Cherry loosened her hug and leaned away, staring with lonely eyes. “But… you have to go.”

“Huh?”

“Someone is calling for you.”

“What? Who?”

“Ch… ar… lie…”

A familiar voice faintly echoed through the darkness. He turned around, facing a bright light that gradually grew bigger.

Cherry let go of her grip, smiling painfully. “Go, Charlie.”

“Huh? Wait, no. No, I don’t want to!” He tightened his grasp on her arms. “I’m not leaving you alone!”

She shook her head, still shedding tears. “It’s okay, Charlie. I won’t go anywhere. Now go.”

“No, wait—!”

Without warning, the light swallowed him whole.

✦☆✦

Charlie opened his eyes with a gasp, sweat and tears soaking his face. He heavily panted, sat up, and scanned the room. He found himself in a bedroom, and sitting across from him was a familiar doctor wrapped in bandages.

“D-Doc…” Charlie sputtered, shock still shuffling his awareness. “Wh… where are we? Wh… what happened…”

“Calm down. We are at my house,” said Solomon. “You were unconscious for two days.”

“Two days?” Charlie rubbed his throbbing head, gradually recollecting his latest memories. He turned pale and widened his eyes. “Where’s—”

“Right next to you.”

Charlie turned to the other side of the room, spotting his sister lying on another bed beside him. Her upper head was entirely bandaged up, her skin sickly pale. In another corner, Eloi’s body also lay undisturbed, tucked neatly under a bedsheet.

“Ch-Cherry…” Charlie attempted to crawl toward his sister, only to be stopped by a strong hand gripping his shoulder.

“Your sister is alive,” said Solomon. “So relax, please.”

It was as if all the tension had finally let him go, rendering Charlie dizzy and weak. Tears of relief spilled in his eyes as he kept his gaze on his twin. He laid back down on the bed with a grimace and faced the doctor as equally injured as the twins, if not worse.

“What… what happened to you?” Charlie croaked. “What happened to everyone else?”

Solomon inhaled and gripped his pants. Carefully, he explained the story without spilling any details about Ren, and Charlie quietly listened to it all. A look of fear, confusion, and betrayal carved into his face, and he gritted his teeth as he retold the story from his perspective, shocking Solomon in the same manner.

“Horace… that knight I saw… that was him?” Charlie nervously asked. “Then… What about the others?”

He shook his head and furrowed his brows. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “After we left the scene, I spent this whole time treating you two.” He scratched his head. “I believe my children—as well as your mother—are all alive somewhere at the very least.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

He glanced down at a backpack by his desk, where a corner of a red tarot card peeked out. “Call it a hunch, I suppose. They are strong enough to be on their own.”

The silence loomed over the two as dread settled in. Charlie gripped the bed sheets as his chest bubbled with anxiety. “So… what do we do?” he nervously asked. “Horace ruined The Spectacular Theory by weaponizing our curse, so the whole kingdom is bound to find out about us soon, right?”

Charlie’s breath grew unstable, and his eyes shook with the realization that their normal lives would forever change. “If… if word comes out that we vampires exist, then… then how can we live from now on?”

With a calm and steadfast gaze, Solomon faced him. “Charlie, did your mother ever teach you Crimoire?”

“What’s that?”

“...I see. Then, let me ask you another question.” He turned in his chair and faced his desk, where a thin, rectangular case rested. “Charlie, are you afraid of dying?”

“Wh-What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer.”

“Erm… y-yes? Why?”

“Good.” Solomon snapped the case open and pulled out a large, intricate scabbard. “If you fear death, then you have greater chances of surviving than those who don’t. Not only that, your chances of survival increase exponentially when you fully understand why you’re afraid of it.”

Charlie gawked at him, confused. “Wh-Why are you telling me that all of a sudden?”

Solomon steadily stood up and walked toward the door. “Get up and meet me at the courtyard,” he said sternly. “We don’t have much time.”

“What do you mean?”

Solomon made his exit, leaving Charlie alone with a pile of questions. Hesitantly, he slid off the bed, grimacing as a series of painful burns blazed all over his skin. With shaky hands, he pulled up his shirt, revealing his body entirely wrapped in bandages.

He held his breath and faced his sister, Eloi, and back at the door. He straightened his back, and with wobbly steps, left the room.

✦☆✦

It took a while for Charlie to arrive at the courtyard, surrounded by lush greenery and marble decorations. When he did, Solomon turned around and faced him, scabbard at hand. He tossed a newspaper roll, which Charlie snatched and unrolled. His heart sank with fear and dread as soon as he started reading.

"Shocking News! The Culprit Behind The Tragedy Unveiled!

After two days of cleaning up the catastrophe and discovering the existing horrors lurking throughout Theatreux, Horace—the unexpected hero who stopped the recent massacre now dubbed as The Star-Crushing Tragedy—has finally stepped forward to explain his story. It is revealed that his former Lord, Doctor Solomon Vamier, was responsible for stimulating the vampires to reveal their true colors and mercilessly slaughter each other like rabid animals.

Further information has yet to be told, but Horace assures that he and his newly established organization, titled the Chevolaires, will continue to grow and pursue the doctor, purging all vampires along the way in the name of peace and justice…"

Charlie looked up and gaped at Solomon, shaking the newspaper. He reread it, barely processing the printed words before him. “Wh… what is this?” he stammered. “Is this some sick, twisted joke?!”

Solomon forced a defeated smile. “I assume that my clinic has already been raided by these ‘Chevolaires,’ and it will be a matter of time until they discover my residence,” he said. He wearily chuckled as he glanced down at his calloused palms. “I wonder if Horace didn’t chase after me just yet because he knows I’d fall into despair the moment I read the news, relishing it before he decides to confront me again.”

He faced the young man before him. “But as for you, I will give you a choice. You may stay and train under me or go into hiding.”

“Hide where?”

“I have an old cabin in the forest on the outskirts. You can look after Cherry and Eloi while you’re there.”

Charlie twitched his fingers, conflicted. Of course, he wanted to stay by his sister’s side, but…

“What about you?”

He glanced at the sky. “I’ll chase after Horace, find my kids, and find your mother for you.”

“All on your own?”

He didn’t say anything.

Charlie frowned. “You know, even if I choose to hide, it’s not like I can talk to my sister and Eloi. You and I would be alone, and I don’t want that. Cherry always told me that two heads are better than one, so let me stay with you. You don’t want to be alone either, right?”

Solomon chuckled. “Decades ago, I would’ve confidently said I could handle it, but now…” He sighed and scratched his head. “Maybe I am getting old.”

He faced him with a stern gaze. “I have to warn you though. You may face even greater hardships that are far more treacherous than you’ve ever experienced. You may have to fight against the law enforcement, the Chevolaires, or even Horace himself, and you’ve already seen how powerful he became.”

Charlie clenched his trembling hands. With that serious face and tone, who wouldn’t be nervous? “I mean… y-you can train me, right? If we vampires are being hunted down, then I’ll have to learn self-defense anyway. Plus, you know how studious I can be.”

Solomon observed his determined, gleaming gaze and narrowed his eyes. “Young man, the battlefield is far different than a classroom.”

The boy flinched. For a moment, Solomon didn’t look like the friendly doctor he had always known him to be.

For a moment, he looked like an experienced, cold-hearted warrior.

The rookie couldn’t help but reverently straighten his back and freeze on the spot. He shook with anxiety, but his eyes stubbornly gleamed.

Solomon rubbed his chin as he analyzed such an expression. “That look tells me that no matter how much I warn you, your decision will not sway in the slightest, am I correct?”

Charlie nodded.

“Hmph. Let’s test it then.”

Solomon tossed the gilded scabbard over to Charlie, who clumsily caught it with surprise. It weighed more than it looked, and the young man couldn’t help but trail his fingers across the golden decoration in awe.

“Try unsheathing the sword.”

“Huh? A-Are we training now?”

He only responded with a glare.

With shaky hands, the boy gripped the hilt and pulled. He kept tugging, his hands tightly squeezing on the sheath and grip. “Uh, I think it’s stuck. I can’t pull it out.”

He looked up for some guidance, only to meet face-to-face with his trainer as he launched a bone-cracking blow to his abdomen and sent him flying across the courtyard and crashing into a wall.