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“Foolish boy… we want the same thing—”
“Yeah. Not quite,” Rev Vennett replied.
He was done with the Void Entity. It was time to end the chaos he had started—right here, right now.
Opening the Necronomicon, he spoke one last time.
“I want some of that life I’m missing.”
A cry—raw, furious—ripped through the air as the source of evil was sealed within the book.
The Necronomicon hit the floor with a heavy thud—
—at the same moment Rev did.
He tried to stand.
His legs trembled, barely holding him upright as the power drained from his body.
Then everything hurt.
His brows furrowed. Teeth clenched. He tried to ignore it.
He couldn’t.
The hole in his chest burned—scorching from the inside out.
He took one step.
His knees buckled.
And he collapsed.
“NOOO!!!” Sera Phim’s voice tore through the haze.
Footsteps followed—muffled, frantic.
“Move, MOVE!!!”
“Oh my god—”
“REV!!!”
With what little strength remained, he forced his eyes open.
The world was blurred, but the faces were familiar.
Bella Donna. Mark Dracula.
They looked like ghosts.
It was strange—Mark without his annoyingly cheerful smile, Bella stripped of her usual pride.
Warm hands cupped his cheek, lifting his head.
His gray eyes—heavy, dim—met Bella’s pink and blue gaze, tight with fear.
“Rev, please… no,” she whispered. “Don’t do this…”
A weak cough escaped him.
“Am…”
His voice was slow. Thin.
“Am I… human?”
They froze.
Bella’s breath caught. Tears welled in her eyes.
She hesitated.
Then—
“The most human,” she said softly. “By far.”
The same words he had once told her.
Funny.
What he had been chasing had been there all along.
He didn’t need the Necronomicon.
He didn’t need to lift a curse.
All he had needed was one night...
…Being human.
Regrets?
Of course he had them.
But to die as a human—
That was enough.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Good… That’s good…”
The light faded from his gray eyes.
And he was gone.
When Sera reached him, she already knew.
Too late.
Her eyes widened.
“No… come back,” she whispered. “You can’t leave. You were supposed to stay!”
“Sera,” Mark said quietly, voice breaking. “He’s—”
“No.”
Rev shouldn’t die.
He couldn’t die.
That was why she had become his guardian angel.
So why now?
Why him?
And why couldn’t she protect him—when that was the one thing she was meant to do?
She had failed countless times before, and it wasn't fair for her to fail again at this given opportunity.
It's not fair.
“It’s not fair…” she sobbed, clutching his arm.
Bella’s breath hitched.
Once.
Twice.
Then the sound tore out of her—a broken cry.
Mark clenched his fists, throat tight.
Just when they were finally getting along—
This.
He knelt beside Rev’s lifeless body, gripping his arm.
Usually, this was where the yelling started—followed by Rev smacking him on the head for being dramatic.
But nothing came.
“Quit joking, man. It’s not funny,” Mark said, forcing a smile.
“Bella’s already crying because of you, and Sera still has things to say. This prank’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?”
No response.
“Come on, Rev.” His voice slowed, losing its confidence. “You’re immortal, right? A—and you’ll revive soon, and we’ll go back to partying. We can just pretend nothing happened, ‘c—cause I’m sure the Headmistress can do something about this.”
Still nothing.
Tears burned at the corners of his eyes. “Rev—”
A soft hand rested on his shoulder.
He looked up.
Bella was shaking her head, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
Something twisted painfully in his chest. He looked back at Rev.
“Who’ll be my roommate if you’re gone, man?” His voice cracked. “I—I still have so many things I wanted to do with you. W—with my BFF.”
He pulled Rev into a desperate hug, clinging to him like that alone could bring him back.
“Don’t do this to me, Rev…” he begged. “We need you here. I need you here.”
Nothing.
No breath.
No movement.
No voice.
The realization settled over them.
Over their class.
Rev Vennett was gone.
Truly, finally gone.
Three years later...
It was just another day at KADE.
Well—just another day, if it weren’t graduation day for a handful of students.
Deviants. Exiles.
Those who had proven they could integrate into human society—and excel within it.
The list was short, still—
—it includes them.
Bella Donna.
Mark Dracula.
Sera Phim.
Bella stood at the top of her class. The Headmistress awarded her the title of KADE’s Valedictorian, an honor given to only a few since the academy’s establishment.
Mark followed closely behind, ranking third overall. Even so, he achieved the highest score in Professor Lovecraft’s class—clear, undeniable proof that he was truly rehabilitated.
Sera barely graduated.
Her scores hovered just above the minimum requirements, fragile and uncertain.
Yet anyone who knew her could tell—she had changed the most.
Since that incident, she had learned how to express her emotions. Her opinions. She was still figuring out what she wanted in life, but for the first time, she was actually trying.
The three of them graduated.
Released from the chains KADE had placed upon them.
Free.
And yet—
There was a hole inside each of them.
One that no achievement, no title, no scroll could ever fill.
Bella strolled through the hallways of KADE, her steps steady as she made her way toward a familiar place. The graduation ceremony had just ended, and she’d been itching to be there the moment it did.
Despite how much time had passed, her heart was still latched onto one person.
His rage. His stubborn determination to be human.
Everything about him still lingered.
He was... annoying, to say the least.
From the moment she first met him, she knew he was trouble. Being paired together as lab partners had been nothing short of chaotic, and she’d been certain she’d never involve herself with him again.
But he had been the first to truly see her.
To tell her that she was—in fact—the most human, by far.
And so, even if she could choose to forget him, she wouldn’t.
Because without him, she wouldn’t be graduating today.
“Miss Donna.”
She stopped and turned toward the voice.
Professor Lovecraft stood a short distance away. His gray eyes were gentle as they rested on her.
“Visiting him?” he asked.
She hesitated—then nodded.
A small smile touched his lips. He gave a quiet glance of understanding and stepped aside, letting her pass.
After a few more minutes of walking, Bella arrived at the academy’s cemetery—where the students who had passed now rested.
She paused.
Had the cemetery been placed there on purpose?
As if the Headmistress had always known students would die?
Bella huffed softly and shook the thought away.
Well, it was a school full of monsters.
“…Ah,” she murmured. “There you are.”
She made a beeline toward the grave and sat down beside it.
“Hey… Rev,” she began softly. “I hope you’re doing well. Wherever you are.”
She took a breath before continuing.
“I’m graduating today. It… definitely wasn’t easy, but I somehow pulled through and survived.”
A small, shaky chuckle slipped out. “So—props to me, I guess.”
Her eyes drifted to the gravestone, tracing the carved letters.
“Mark and Sera are graduating too,” she went on. “After this, we’ll probably go our separate ways. Maybe we’ll meet up every few months or something…”
She hesitated.
She cleared her throat. “I—if they want to. I’m not gonna force them or anything.”
Silence answered her.
It always did.
This wasn’t her first visit.
She had been here countless times already.
And nothing ever changed.
Her fingers curled, nails digging into the cold, firm soil.
“I…” Her voice wavered.
“I wish I had known you better, Rev. I wanted to know what you liked. What you hated—”
She lifted a hand, hastily wiping at her eyes. “—though you probably hated everything, didn’t you?”
A breath caught in her throat.
She couldn’t hold it anymore.
“I’m sorry,” Bella whispered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t understand you. That I couldn’t see how much you were hurting.”
Her shoulders trembled.
"Maybe, if I had known you better—" Her voice broke completely.
“If I had just tried harder—if I had stayed—”
She pressed her palm against the gravestone, as if hoping for warmth.
“I don’t know if things would’ve changed,” she admitted. “But I would’ve liked to try.”
"I'm sorry..." She whispered.
Just then, she felt something press against her back—arms wrapping around her in a gentle embrace.
“It’s not your fault, Bella.”
Her eyes widened as she turned around.
“S—Sera? How did you—”
“Divine sight,” Sera replied with a shrug. “Also—Mark’s here.”
“Hello!” Mark’s voice chimed in. “Miss Valedictorian.”
Bella looked up.
Mark was standing a few steps away, wearing that same familiar, cheerful smile—softened now, but still unmistakably his.
She quickly composed herself, clearing her throat. “U-Um… what are you doing here?”
“Visiting our friend, silly,” Mark said with a quiet laugh. “You’re not the only one who misses him.”
Heat crept up Bella’s face. She averted her gaze, lips pressing together.
“W—well…” she muttered. “That makes sense.”
Sera’s hold tightened just a little, startling Bella.
“Sera?”
“You’re still blaming yourself?” Sera asked gently.
Bella was taken aback. After a moment, she nodded.
“Always, Sera. Always.”
She swallowed.
“Maybe if I hadn’t blamed him for what happened… maybe he’d still be here. If only—”
“You’re not in the wrong, Bella.”
Mark’s voice cut through her words.
“W—what?” Bella looked up, confused.
“If you say that, then the same goes for both of us,” he said, his voice slow but steady. “I should’ve tried harder to stop him. But I didn’t. I just stood there—no words came out.”
Mark looked down, fists clenched.
“And I should be the one bearing the guilt,” Sera added quietly. “Not you. I was his guardian angel… and yet—”
Her gaze dropped.
“I failed to keep him safe. That was my one job.”
“W—why are you telling me this?” Bella asked, her voice breaking. “No matter who’s at fault, Rev’s gone. There’s no—”
“Exactly.”
Bella froze.
Mark sat down beside them, close... but careful.
“No matter what we say, Bella, ” he continued, “no amount of what-ifs or maybes is going to bring Rev back.”
He exhaled slowly. “It’s pointless to keep hurting ourselves over things that could’ve been.”
Bella stared at the ground.
“…Then?” she whispered, looking up.
Mark met her gaze and placed his hand on hers.
“Then we stop carrying it alone.”
Sera nodded. "We'll remember him, not as a tragedy nor a mistake."
She took Bella's other hand into hers. "But as Rev Vennett, the person that changed us. Besides..."
The two of them gently lifted Bella’s hands—a silent reassurance.
“You’re not alone in this,” Sera said with a soft smile.
“We’re still here, aren’t we?” Mark added, grinning.
Bella froze.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
Then her chest tightened—not with guilt, not with regret—but with something warmer.
Something steady.
She looked at the two of them.
And for the first time since he was gone, Bella realized...
... She didn’t have to carry the weight by herself.
She pulled them both closer, wrapping her arms around them.
“Thank you,” she whispered, tears brimming. “Thank you.”
Sera glanced at Mark.
He only smiled.
She shook her head softly, tears slipping free.
They returned the embrace, holding on as if letting go would hurt too much.
No one spoke.
They didn’t need to.
Silence settled between them—gentle, heavy, and shared.
“Ready to go back, Bella?” Mark asked.
“Just…” She reached into her coat and pulled out her grimoire. “One last thing.”
She opened the book, eyes closing. With a steady voice, she spoke.
“Floresce.”
Magic stirred.
From the soil atop Rev’s grave, green shoots pushed through the earth—slow at first, then surging upward. Leaves unfurled, vines curling gently around the headstone.
Flowers bloomed among them.
Deadly nightshades, dark and quiet.
Red roses, vivid and bright.
And soft, pale blossoms that shimmered faintly—angel’s tears.
Bella exhaled and closed the grimoire. “There,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice. “That’ll keep him company while we’re gone.”
Mark leaned closer, tilting his head as he scratched his cheek.
“That’s…” he paused. “…a very odd combination of flowers, Bella.”
Heat rushed to her face.
“S—shut up!” she snapped. "You just have no taste!”
“I think it matches us,” Sera said gently.
Bella huffed, rolling her eyes.“See, Mark? Even Sera gets it.”
Mark pouted. "What did I do to deserve this…”
“Students.”
The three of them turned toward the voice.
“Ah—Professor Lovecraft!” Mark beamed. “Visiting Rev too?”
“Perhaps,” he replied with a small smile. “Students… or should I say, alumni.”
He inclined his head. “Congratulations on your graduation.”
All three nodded in gratitude before stepping aside, giving the professor space as he approached the grave.
“We’ll take our leave, Professor,” Bella said, offering him a polite smile.
He returned it, watching them go with a quiet, knowing look.
As they walked away—
“Hey,” Bella said, glancing back, “how about we meet here? At KADE.”
"Like, annually?” Mark asked.
“Yeah! I—I mean, if you two want to—”
“Sure,” Sera said without hesitation.
Mark grinned. “If Sera’s agreeing, then what choice do I have?”
“Shut up, Mark.”
“Huh?”
Behind them, Professor Lovecraft watched, a gentle smile settling onto his tired face.
“Youth,” he murmured. “May you find your place in human society.”
“Now…” Lovecraft said, glancing back at the grave, now blooming with flowers.
“How about you, Rev Vennett?”
A decade later…
Bella stared into the distance, her chin resting on her hands as her elbows leaned against the table.
“You okay?”
She turned to her left. Sera was watching her, concern gentle rather than sharp.
A smile formed on Bella’s face.
“Better. It’s all thanks to you and Mark.”
“Well,” Sera said lightly, “that’s what friends are for, right?”
Bella tilted her head. “Did Mark teach you that?”
Sera paused. “…How did you know?”
A laugh escaped Bella. “Speaking of Mark—where is he?”
“He said he wanted to see Lovecraft again. Probably catching up.”
“I see…” Bella nodded.
“And you? What have you been up to?”
“Being human, I guess.” Sera shrugged.
“Ever since I tasted Rev’s burger, I started wondering—what other delicacies do humans have that I don’t know about?
“So I traveled the world, seeing what humanity has to offer an angel like me.”
“You’re…” Bella hesitated. “Not looking for someone new to protect?”
Sera fell silent.
Bella winced. “On second thought, you don’t have to answer that. That was—”
“I already have one.”
“O—oh. Really?” Bella blinked. “Who?”
“Both you and Mark,” Sera said with a smile. “I’ve been protecting the two of you.”
Heat crept up Bella’s cheeks. She looked away. “I—I’m flattered. Really.”
Sera chuckled softly. “What about you, Bella?”
“Me?”
“What have you been up to?”
Bella straightened, considering.
“…Necromancy.”
“Oh. Necromancy.”
A beat.
“…Wait, what?” Sera’s eyes widened as she snapped her head toward Bella.
“I can explain.”
“I’m listening.”
Bella took a deep breath, steadying herself.
“I know you and Mark have told me countless times that I don’t have to shoulder this…” She hesitated. “…this guilt. Alone. Still—”
She looked up at Sera. “I miss him, Sera. A lot.”
Sera pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yeah. That sounds like Rev.”
“W—what do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Sera said, raising an eyebrow. “Who else would drive themselves into necromancy just to get what they want?”
Bella blinked. “…Rev.”
“Exactly.”
Silence settled between them.
“Did you…” Sera asked carefully. “Did you find anything? At all?”
Bella let out a low sigh. “I've studied grimoires. Looked into spells. Even… sacrificial rituals.”
She shook her head. “And yet—I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Why?”
“It’s like…” Bella searched for the words. “A part of me is still convinced he isn’t dead. That he’s out there somewhere. Somehow.”
“…But we all saw his body buried, Bella.”
“I know.” She forced a small smile. “It’s just wishful thinking.”
She looked back at Sera. “Besides—bringing someone back to life is like dragging them out of rest and forcing them to live again.”
She let out a soft, breathless chuckle. “I wouldn’t want to do that to Rev.”
A pause.
“…Do you think he went to hell—”
“No.” Sera cut in flatly. “No way.”
Bella laughed quietly.
“If he had,” Sera continued, “I would’ve known. I know who ends up in hell or heaven. That kind of thing isn’t even a secret among angels—even lower ones like me.”
“Really?” Bella asked softly. “So Rev really did go to heaven—somehow.”
“Not exactly.” Sera shook her head. “Last time I checked, his name wasn’t on any of the lists—”
She froze.
“Sera?”
“…His name wasn’t on any of the lists.”
She slowly turned to Bella, shock etched into her face.
Bella stared back, the pieces clicking together far too quickly, her mouth falling open.
“Does that mean—”
“Sera! Bella!”
Both of them whipped toward the voice.
It was Mark—disheveled, breathless, clearly in a hurry, like he’d run the whole way there.
“…Mark?” The word barely left Bella’s mouth.
“What’s wrong?” Sera demanded.
Mark swallowed hard before answering.
“You two need to see this.”
For just a moment—
Both Bella’s and Sera’s hearts stopped.
The three of them ran.
They really ran.
As if time itself were chasing them. As if arriving even a second too late would mean losing this chance—
This hope.
Something that hadn’t burned in a long time.
Something that was supposed to die when Rev Vennett did.
But it hadn’t.
Its embers glowed—slow, steady—waiting.
Waiting for the moment they could ignite again.
And today was that day.
The day those embers—small, fragile—burst into flame and rose from the ashes like a phoenix.
Bella’s mind raced, stitching together endless apologies. Words she had saved for a moment she never thought would come. A moment she never believed she’d be allowed to have.
Sera wasn’t one to pray.
But just this once, she did—hoping her intuition was right, hoping she could see him again.
Mark, usually the most cheerful of the three, was silent. He didn’t want to hope too much.
But he didn’t want to stop hoping either.
They stopped in front of Miss Baba Yaga’s laboratory.
For a moment, none of them moved.
No one wanted to be the first to face the truth.
Bella raised her hand.
Slowly.
Hesitant.
Then she opened the door.
And inside—
“And lastly, frogspawn. Damn, making this potion sure brings back memories.”
A pause.
“Right, guys?”
Every word Bella had prepared shattered. She clamped her hands over her mouth, breath caught in her throat.
Sera—usually so composed—stood frozen, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, unable to move.
Mark, despite years of forcing himself to stay strong, clenched his teeth as tears burned behind his eyes.
Because what stood before them was nothing short of a miracle.
An impossibility...
... Made possible.
The figure smiled softly, then whispered,
“I’m here now.”