Chapter Text
"Benson..." Klein spoke haltingly, his throat still burning but better than last night. Benson held Klein's hand to his cheek, his cold fingertips touching his older brother's warm palm.
"If you can't answer, blink. Once is yes, twice is no. Are you okay? Are you in pain?"
Klein blinked in response to Benson.Yes,Yes. Benson's eyes widened with concern. Klein knew this wasn't the first time he'd vomited or even coughed up blood. It had only happened in four years. Before that, when he was a child, it had happened a couple of times. Of course, the whole house would be in chaos.
"Klein," Benson's eyes softened, almost pleading.
"You can always talk to me about anything, no matter how small."
He meant the dream I had? Hmm, that's right. If something dangerous happens, I can't handle it all myself. But... I don't want Benson and Melissa to worry.
After receiving confirmation from his brother, Klein nodded.
"I understand...thank you..." Klein's throat was so dry he wanted to cough, but he had no strength.
"...Where's Leonard?" He looked around and asked.
"Lady Amanises sent him to bed. Otherwise, he'd be watching over you all day and night without rest."
"Is that so..." Klein smiled, then his eyes widened. Wait, what did he say?!
"Lady..." He looked at Benson with a startled expression.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lady Amanisis visited you last night. She hasn't left yet. Do you want to see her? I can go call her." Benson made to get up.
"No don't..." He grabbed his brother's shirt like they used to do as children. I'd only talked for a short time, but I was already exhausted. I was so sleepy.
Benson stroked Klein's head, humming a lullaby softly.
A clicking sound and the rustling of paper echoed through the room. Klein's vision was blurry from just waking up, but the woman busy with the strange machine noticed him and, from somewhere, placed a cloth over his eyes.
"Go back to sleep. Dr. Emlyn said you need a lot of rest to recover quickly."
"Melissa?" he asked, his throat not as hoarse as before.
"Yes, I just finished class and came to keep you company. Sigh. I think we should find someone to help Dr. Emlyn; he looks like he's not getting enough rest."
"I agree, but he seems to prefer being alone."
"I asked Benson, and he said the same thing. Are you starting to move your hands?"
Klein slowly removed the handkerchief. He thought that at his current state, he could probably manage to sit up if he pushed himself a little.
Of course, he wasn't going to risk it.
She took the handkerchief from Klein, checked his temperature briefly, and, like a mother, urged him to lie down.
Klein readily accepted her advice and drifted off to sleep.
Klein opened his eyes. The room was empty; there was no one there. The moonlight cast a reddish glow. He heard heavy, passionate breathing. What were they doing?
Klein got out of bed and cautiously walked along the wall, step by step.
Until he reached the door. He opened it, and the sight that greeted him made him freeze.
The hallway was filled with countless branches, each growing longer and longer as if alive. Bright red flowers bloomed around the branches, emitting a strangely intoxicating fragrance mixed with the pungent smell of lust.
A little blood trickled from Klein's nose.
Many servants were having sex with the branches and flowers, merrily. If there was no space on the branches, they would have sex with the maids nearby.
The atmosphere was filled with lust. Flowers suddenly bloomed from the genitals and vaginas of the young men and women having sex there.
Branches and flowers crept towards those around them, flowing from their bodies like babies emerging from their mothers' wombs.
The crimson moonlight streaming from the windows illuminated the hallway, turning the surroundings into a deep red.
As if sensing Klein's presence, the flowers turned towards him like sunflowers turning to the sun. They bloomed and closed, speaking in unison with the servants who turned to face him.
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
"I want to have children with you."
Klein shuddered and tried to escape, but branches grabbed his legs, causing him to stumble. The flowers continued to open and close, and some branches encroached. But before it could reach Klein, a deep, resonant voice boomed,
"Purify."
Then, in Klein's vision, a blinding light flashed, creating a shattered, glass-like crack.
Crash!
Gasp!
Klein took a deep breath. The reality before him became clear, and Klein realized what had just happened was a dream.
He closed his eyes, trembling, bracing for the impact, knowing the dream had been intense. But unexpectedly, nothing happened.
He slowly opened his eyes. His nose was still bleeding, and he was in the exact same places he'd been in the dream. Leonard had run over and picked him up.
"How did you get here? Were you sleepwalking? You suddenly disappeared and then collapsed here! I was so scared!"
"I don't know..."
From this angle, Leonard's face looked unusually red... Klein noticed and realized it wasn't just Leonard's face that was red but the surroundings. He turned to look out the window.
The moon shone with a crimson red light.
Amanises bit her lip until it bled. She watched the moon change from red back to a pale white.
"It seems 'Her' is indeed targeting Klein," she said, gazing into the empty air.
A tall, blond-haired man with dark roots appeared from a chair, as if he had been there all along.
"Hmm, I understand. That child's power is very similar to 'he'."
"Your wife?"
The man smiled.
"I think...perhaps...that child is the key."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Grisha, I helped you because we are old friends, and the result of this action is Klein's safety."
She paused before continuing.
"But don't forget, if one day you harm Klein for your own purposes, from that day forward, we will be enemies."
The atmosphere in the room was gloomy and cold. They sat silently, sizing each other up.
"I know...he wouldn't like it," he said, then vanished as if he had never existed.
Amanises sighed deeply and rose.
She walked through the pale hallway. She went to his bedroom, which wasn't as large as hers but not small considering the size of the mansion.
She entered the room to comfort the little cat, who was trembling and teary-eyed from a nightmare.
Leonard sat by the bedside, watching Klein. Seeing her, he could barely contain his joy. If he had ears, they would have twitched; if he had a tail, it would have wagged.
"Ah, don't be afraid. Nightmares are natural. I'm here."
She spoke simple words but hummed a lullaby, creating a warm and safe atmosphere.
Klein slowly drifted off to sleep, following her melody. This time, he didn't dream of anything.
Sheets of paper were tumbled across the room.
A man amidst the piles of papers jotted something down.
His golden eyes swept around.
Experiment Log #1
Experiment Log #2
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Experiment Log #520
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Experiment Log #1314
Independent variable: Klein Moretti
Dependent variable: ...
Controlled variable: ...
He hadn't finished writing when he looked up, staring blankly at his necklace for a long time.
The ring hanging from his chest.
The same style as the one on his left ring finger.
A ring waiting to be worn by someone for over 50 years.