From Don to Dusk, We Prepare for Hell

Theodore wouldn’t stop spilling dozens of scenarios and strategies for the residents, much to their amazement and concern. It sure was relieving to have a strategist, but Cherry started to question his sanity halfway through. His siblings told her that this was how he usually was, so she decided to trust them.

Besides, seeing him so excited talking about military strategies with a passion felt somewhat endearing. It was one of the few times Theodore ever expressed his interests so openly, so Cherry smiled and nodded along, even if he sounded insane.

It took quite a while for Theodore to share everything in his plans, especially when Ren stole all the papers in the mansion. By the time he finished repeating his strategies, everyone probably understood what Cherry had gone through during her amnesia: a massive, melting headache.

“Well, all you need to know is that Monty’s lackeys will definitely show up in those trees out there,” said Theodore, pointing at the forest through the window. “And since the cards show our deaths happening late at night, learning to make light and shields is our number one priority.”

The youths, besides Eloi, raised their hands and manifested small orbs of light.

“Seems like we all got it,” said Charlie. He turned to Dorothy, staring mildly in awe. “I’m impressed you managed to pull it off so quickly too.”

Dorothy shyly combed through her hair. “I guess gardening for eight months straight counts as enough exercise.”

“You were always strong, Dorothy,” said Solomon. “If I were to guess, out of you, Penelope, and Theodore, you’ve fulfilled the three requirements of Crimoire awakening, so that’s probably how you’ve had more ease with Crimoire than your other two siblings in training.”

“Makes sense,” said Theodore, sighing. “She doesn’t need all that training anyway.”

“Everyone is open for improvement, including her,” said Clover. “You just need much more training because you’re weak, Theodore.”

“Wow, thanks for the honesty.”

“No problem.”

Solomon chuckled and shook his head. “All of you have your strengths and weaknesses, therefore, not everyone will make use of the same abilities. After all, you and Penelope don’t need to make any light to navigate through the dark.”

“Even so, I strongly urge all of you to learn how to make a shield,” said Horace. “No one can stop a lethal attack with their bare hands.”

Cherry swallowed and rubbed her forehead as a brief flashback of her supposed death crossed her mind. “Certainly,” she mumbled.

Charlie curiously glanced in her direction. He raised a hand toward her forehead, his thumb pressing on the back of his index finger. The moment he flicked his finger, Cherry quickly formed a small, circular shield and bounced his hand away.

“Ho… not bad,” said Charlie, smirking.

“Ugh, Solomon’s a really good trainer,” said Cherry, shuddering. “Now I see how you survived so well this whole time.”

Charlie sighed and nodded. “It wasn’t fun, let me tell you.”

Cherry patted her brother’s back with sympathy as the two observed the others testing their shields.

Theodore rubbed his chin, staring at his own geometric shield. “Say, Dad? How can we make a shield stronger?”

“By pouring an immense amount of focus and precision,” said Solomon. “Usually, you’d need to have the mentality that you could die if you fail on it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

“Not really. That question is just out of curiosity.” He shrugged it off and folded his arms. “Anyway, until Ren comes back, we should…”

He stopped and turned to the windows, followed by everyone else.

The middle-aged eavesdropper had the tip of his foot ready to kick the window glass through, only to freeze himself once he caught everyone’s gazes. Ren stretched an awkward grin, carefully slid the window open, and floated in. “Ahem! I’m back, everyone!” he sang.

“Were you about to crash through the window?” asked Horace, squinting.

“Ehe. Still fighting my force of habit.”

Horace sighed and shook his head.

“But that matters not! I’m back with the goods, baby!” Ren whipped out a suitcase and dropped it to the floor. Once it hit the carpet, it snapped open, and a flourish of colorful clothes spilled out.

“Woah!” said Theodore and Cherry in unison. They and the others gathered around, peering at the colorful fabric in awe.

“How did you prepare them so soon?” asked Dorothy.

“Actually, I’ve already made these clothes a while ago.”

“...You already have these planned?” asked Charlie, raising a brow.

“That reminds me… how big is your house to store everyone’s stuff?” asked Cherry.

Their father waved off their questions and said, “Don’t worry about that. Anyway! Go ahead and try ‘em on! Actually, I might as well make it easier for all of you. Everyone, hold still!”

With a snap of his fingers, clothes flew out of the suitcase and dispersed, each set of clothes flying toward one of the youths. They all raised their arms and blocked their faces, only to get enshrouded in red ribbons entirely.

Solomon and Horace widened their eyes in awe as the waves vanished moments later, revealing the youngsters in new, fresh attires.

Everyone’s prior color schemes and fashion patterns remained the same aside from a few changes. Penelope, in particular, no longer wore a cumbersome gown but wore a pair of slim pants and a long, ruffled coat resembling a half-dress. She even wore a long scarf colored the same as a certain someone’s pair of eyes, snuggling around her neck for comfort purposes. Dorothy still had her short dress, but this time, a hidden opening at the front of her skirt allowed far more breathing space for her legs to move around.

Theodore and Clover now had slightly shorter coats, but with bigger pockets—along with extra hidden ones—that could carry more tools and weapons. Meanwhile, Eloi wore a slim suit perfect for swift agility and close-range combat.

“Woah, everyone looks amazing!” said Cherry in awe.

“Not bad,” said Eloi, whistling. “Not bad at all…” He turned to Penelope, stared at her purple scarf, and blushed in realization.

Penelope giggled and patted his back. “You look amazing too,” she whispered.

Dorothy also briefly inspected her new dress and turned to the twins, only to tilt her head. “Oh? Aren’t those your regular clothes?”

The twins frowned at their father, who cleared his throat. “I didn’t have enough time to prepare any clothes suited for combat for you two,” said Ren, chuckling. “Heh, sorry.”

“Talk about disappointing,” Charlie mumbled. “Well, whatever. These clothes are still comfortable, I guess.”

Cherry shrugged it off and nodded. She turned to the Vamier siblings and Eloi, carefully analyzing the design of their clothes and stroking her chin. “Huh, these clothes look like military uniforms.”

Solomon and Horace tossed a glance at Ren, who shushed them.

“Tell me about it,” said Clover, gawking at his gilded sleeves. “Ren, I thought we were preparing for a fight, not a ball. Aren’t these… a little too fancy?”

“Of course, you’re the one who’d complain,” said Theodore, twirling and striking a flashy pose. “I’d rather fight in style, mind you!”

“E-Exactly!” said Ren, dodging Clover’s question. “These clothes are meant for you to move around more comfortably! You can’t do that under heavyass armor, you know! Well, maybe except for your father.”

Solomon blinked. “Pardon?”

Ren grinned and snapped his fingers, enveloping the doctor himself. When the ribbons dispersed briefly later, everyone, including Solomon himself, dropped their jaws as he stood with a full, shining suit of armor with an indigo cape swirling behind its back.

“Thought you’d never see it again, did you?” Ren teased. “Jokes on you, I’ve kept it with me after all this time.”

“I…” Solomon inhaled and scratched his head. “Ren, you truly are full of surprises…”

Ren stretched his mischievous grin and snickered. “I’m not done yet,” he said, snapping his fingers.

Everyone flinched when something flew toward their faces. They blinked and pulled out their colorful masks, inspecting them with awe. Ren claimed that they were more than ordinary masks, but before he could elaborate, everyone’s attention quickly drew toward the weapons suddenly appearing in their hands next.

Clover, Eloi, and Charlie found themselves brandishing swords. While Charlie had a classic longsword, Eloi’s was a taller, wider, and heavier type of sword—a greatsword. Meanwhile, Clover gazed down at a fancy rapier that, for once, wasn’t entirely made of blood but made of steel. He and the boys compared their swords in awe, only to bulge their eyes at Dorothy’s massive halberd.

Cherry blinked down at her bow with no arrows in sight. A sudden idea popped into her mind, realizing that she could simply make arrows out of Crimoire, and a rush of excitement swept through her out of anticipation. She turned to Penelope, gaping her eyes at a sniper rifle in her hands. The mechanic’s eyes glowed as she trailed her fingers around its design. She didn’t say a word, nor did she have to.

Cherry turned to Theodore and caught his blank stare. She widened her eyes once more as she looked down at his dual, gilded pistols in his hands along with a new set of earplugs.

Guns, huh? The few times he had ever pulled the trigger weren’t fond memories.

“Wow,” Theodore murmured. “I can’t tell if you’re serious with me.”

Ren shrugged. “Think of this as a second chance, kid. Guns suit you.”

“Hah, I see.” He wore the new set of earplugs and twirled the pistols around his fingers, whistling. “Damn, they feel smooth. Not bad!”

The sight of him overcoming his regrets and playing with the pistols like toys oddly soothed Cherry, and she couldn’t help but smile in relief. She giggled and elbowed him. “Looks like we’re team rangers,” she said, showing off her bow.

Penelope slightly frowned with concern. “But... these weapons can kill someone if we’re not careful,” she murmured.

Everyone else turned to her and back at the older adults in the room, remaining silent as the room’s atmosphere grew heavy.

Solomon stared down at his old, thick lance in his hands, coated with red rust. “Indeed,” he muttered. “These weapons can take lives…”

Horace frowned as he surveyed the youngsters and their equipment. "I must confess, I'm still against letting you brats join us on the battlefield."

"Yeah, sure, then let's all simply pack up and go back to our normal lives," said Theodore. "Oh wait, we can't."

The three elders twitched and exchanged defeated, humiliated glances, one that etched their shame for failing to protect the peaceful lives of the next generation. None of them ever knew the proper way to raise children, as none of them even had a normal childhood, but as their embarrassment continued to fester...

"Isn't it obvious that we want to help?" asked Cherry. "We're family, aren't we?"

"Who cares about the risks?" asked Charlie. "I'd rather not see any of us die."

The elders blinked.

Clover snorted and folded his arms. "Most of us have already stained our hands anyway, but it wasn't like we've killed out of our own volition. I'm sure we know what we're getting ourselves into."

Penelope hesitantly nodded as she gripped onto her rifle.

Dorothy copied her sister and squeezed on her halberd. “He's right,” she said. “We'll be more than careful from now on.” She glimpsed at Theodore’s deadpan stare. “Er, most of us, at least…”

Theodore snorted and twirled his guns. “Even if we kill someone again, we're more than ready to face those consequences.”

"Hey man, you're not thinking of killing anyone, are you?" asked Eloi.

"Why, of course, not..."

"Oh, I thought—"

"I'll just make all those assholes beg for death."

"...Yep, I figured." Eloi shuddered.

"Language!" said Horace.

Theodore playfully stuck his tongue out in response.

Ren smirked. “Spoken like true adults,” he said, clapping his hands. “Good! I think we’re all prepared now!”

Solomon briefly glanced at the grandfather clock. “Then, what should we do next?” he asked.

Everyone turned to the young strategist, waiting in anticipation.

Theodore simply shrugged. “I say, we should all go to bed.”