Yep, We Are Screwed

Now that Ren unapologetically showed their future deaths, everyone practically lost their appetites. Nevertheless, they forced themselves to finish their dinner for the sake of nourishment, cleaned themselves up, and regrouped back in the living room, where Cherry volunteered to ignite the hearth once more. Ren finally explained his side of the story, from his interrogation to his unexpected encounter with Obsidian in the forest and getting saved by Dorothy and Clover, forcing them to flee to the mansion.

“I can’t believe it,” Cherry muttered, her voice shaking. “Mister Ortrone… is dead? That can't be true...”

“But these injuries are,” Ren mumbled, rubbing his stomach. “He really is dead.”

Cherry swallowed and furrowed her brows. She raised her legs onto her seat and hugged her knees. “Damn him, that Monty…”

Charlie took her hand and squeezed it, and she squeezed back. Everyone shared a moment of silence—as it was the only thing they could do in this situation.

“This Obsidian… is a ‘Primordial Eclipse,’ you say?” asked Solomon, scratching his scruffy chin. “I’ve never heard of that either.”

“Oh, I do,” said Theodore.

Everyone whipped toward him and shot their brows up.

“I once read a really old storybook mentioning them in the library. I could’ve brought it here if someone didn’t empty it.”

Ren awkwardly cleared his throat. “Can’t you just tell us then?”

“Sure.” He twirled his finger around and crossed his legs. “To summarize, the book recorded a legend barely anyone knows about—a legend talking about how the Primordial Eclipses were the first group of vampires to ever exist in this world. Apparently, they were originally human corpses that were given life, only to be cursed to feed the blood of the living, and should they ever stop, they die again. And here’s the crazy part—they can also transform other humans into vampires, and those transformed vampires supposedly gave way to the generation of vampires of today.”

Everyone shared another round of shocked gazes.

“What kind of books have you been reading?” asked Cherry.

Theodore shrugged. “Any book I could get my hands on. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was insanely bored during these months, y’know.”

“If that legend is true, then the Primordial Eclipses started it all?” Ren turned to Solomon, who mirrored his shocked gaze.

“Theodore, did that book ever mention how they came to be?” asked Horace.

“Yeah. Dragon blood.”

“I… beg your pardon? Dragon blood?”

Theodore shrugged again. “Apparently, the legend says that dragons were giant, magical reptiles that used to roam around the world until they went extinct in a war against humans. The legend info-dumped that information as it described a fight where a dragon died right on top of a human graveyard, and as it decomposed, the corpses buried there absorbed the dragon’s blood—along with its hatred against humanity—and came back to life, cursed to prey on their fellow kind.”

“That… sounds absolutely absurd,” said Clover.

“Right? I thought it was just an ancient storybook about long-forgotten folktales,” said Theodore.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either,” said Charlie. “There’s no way dragons were real.”

“Right, even if they did exist, historians should’ve found fossilized evidence by now,” said Dorothy.

“But that Obsidian guy did proclaim himself as one,” murmured Ren, scratching his head. “Say, did that book describe what the Primordial Eclipses were like?”

“Let’s see… If I remember correctly, the legend said that they’re practically immortal and crazy powerful from absorbing all that dragon blood,” said Theodore. “But they do get weak when exposed to sunlight.”

Ren twitched an eye. “That Obsidian guy sounds legit then.”

“Great, we’re up against some ancient corpse who absorbed some overpowered lizard blood,” said Charlie. “That totally sounds realistic.”

“Bold words when magic literally exists,” said Eloi.

“And only vampires can use it,” said Cherry. “That means, our ancestors had to stem from something supernaturally crazy, right? If the legends that recorded magical dragons were true, then that could explain where our powers came from.”

Penelope nodded in agreement with her.

“But if those corpses received reptilian blood, then their weakness contradicts it,” said Charlie. “Reptiles practically rely on sunlight to regulate their body temperatures. Why would corpses be weak against it?”

“Buddy, they aren’t your typical lizards crawling in a bush,” said Theodore. “They’re magical. They could have decided to curse the Primordial Eclipses to burn under the sunlight for all we know.”

“Ugh, I hate that you have a point…”

Solomon frowned. “Speaking of weaknesses, I still fail to pinpoint the direct source of our curse,” he said. “Did the book ever mention anything about alcohol?”

“None at all,” said Theodore.

Solomon sighed and slumped his shoulders. “So close and yet so far,” he mumbled.

Horace glanced toward the ticking grandfather clock, frowning. “I understand all of your frustrations, but I do believe we have far more urgent priorities than finding the truth of your vampire origins,” he said.

“Ugh, right. The prophecy,” said Ren. “Technically, our deaths can easily be avoided if I just teleport us away.”

"That sounds reasonable, but... what do you think, Cherry?" asked Theodore.

Cherry blinked. "What? Me? Erm..." She furrowed her brows, leaned forward on her seat, and stroked her chin. "I think... that's only a temporary solution. I'm almost certain Monty would still chase after us until he makes sure we’re dead under his feet. Even if we run away now, the prophecy will likely show our deaths in a different location, so you shouldn't send us away, Ren. Monty must've predicted that you would try to fight him alone, which will give him the perfect opportunity to easily kill you with Mister Ortrone’s train."

Ren scrunched his face with shattered pride.

"Boy, am I glad you're on our side, Missy," murmured Eloi, shuddering.

"Huh? But that's just what I think...?"

"Give yourself some more credit," said Theodore. "You, out of everyone here, know the most about Monty. I'd rather trust the obsessed fangirl than my own judgment."

"Hey! I'm not his fan anymore!"

"Hehe, I know, I know."

“In other words,” Clover muttered, “as long as Monty has that train that can go anywhere, fleeing will be out of the option. Plus, if we flee back into the capital, god only knows how much collateral damage he could leave...”

“But how can he still use the train?” asked Dorothy. “The engine is gone, right? There’s no way he can use it without one.”

“Unless,” Penelope murmured, “he doesn’t need one.”

“What do you mean?” asked Eloi.

“Engines are just energy converters,” she said. “For something to run, it must have a device that can convert fuel into energy, but if Crimoire can be absorbed into any object, then there is no need for an engine. You only need a lot of Crimoire to direct the energy it needs to move.”

“Well, shit,” said Ren. “That Obsidian guy sure has a lot of Crimoire—or whatever kind of dragon magic his blood has. I should’ve just destroyed the train entirely.”

“Ren, I don’t dare to demand anything from you, but please mind your language,” said Horace.

“Eat my ass.”

Solomon forced a cough, Theodore and Eloi snickered, and the twins gave their father judgemental stares.

Horace sighed and shook his head. “Anyhow, I understand the need to stop the train, but what I’m concerned about is can we stop it with our current strength?”

“Hell no,” said Ren, pacing around. “I’ve seen it firsthand—that train can obliterate villages and fortresses in seconds. What makes you think that we can stop it?" 

"The train may be powerful," said Solomon, "but if you've managed to destroy its engine, it may not be as indestructible as we think. If Fantario and Grimhilde join us, then I'm almost certain we can stop it.”

“But I don’t think Headmaster Fantario would be willing to help,” said Clover. “He’s already busy enough sheltering the students at his academy.”

“And Grimhilde wouldn’t give a damn,” said Ren. “Even if the world burns, he’s not moving away from his pottery shop. Besides, those two are no longer obligated to help me.”

“What about Mom?” asked Cherry, rubbing her neck. “She somehow used her cards to save us eight months ago, didn’t she?”

Ren stroked his chin. “She told me that ability was a last resort that she barely managed to pull off out of sheer dumb luck and desperation. She didn’t realize how much that ability exhausted her, so she ended up unconscious for days.”

“I see,” Solomon murmured. “Considering that they also weren’t enough to save you two, it’s far too risky to rely on her ability again. She already did more than enough to warn us about the incoming danger.”

“Sounds like our problem stays stuck to only us,” said Theodore, shrugging.

Solomon and Horace turned to Ren, who glued his eyes on the ticking grandfather clock.

“So there’s no outside help nor running away,” said Dorothy. “In other words…”

“...We're going to have to fight a train. A literal train,” said Charlie in disbelief. “And it happens to be a former weapon of war that used to wipe armies.”

"Oh, god." Eloi groaned and clasped his head. "How the hell did we end up in this situation?"

Ren shrugged. "Destiny can be cruel," he said. "You'll get used to it."

Eloi slumped his shoulders, but he gradually calmed down when Penelope patted his back.

"So, Cherry," said Theodore, "how soon do you think Monty will show up?"

Everyone faced the lady in question.

Cherry gripped her skirt and swallowed. "I think... he'll arrive tonight," she concluded.

"S-Seriously?" asked Clover.

"I mean, Monty always hates wasting time. More than half of his shows start minutes earlier than scheduled, and he usually never tells his audience what he has in store for us. His announcements and greetings are always brief, and he'd just perform right away and—"

"Okay, okay, we get it!" said Charlie. "You know him! We believe you!"

Ren groaned and facepalmed. "Fine. So be it. But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you guys fight without any gear.” He stepped toward a window and opened it. “I’ll be back later. All of you should save your stamina and start strategizing in the meantime.”

With that said, he vanished into a red mist, leaving the others with anxious glances.

Theodore stretched a confident grin and leaned forward, resting his chin on his intertwined hands. “Alright, let's get started.”