A Distant Past [5]

The amount of short time he spent with Charlotte had been the most peaceful days Chae Eun-woo could remember.

Though he knew her warmth was only a facade, Vanitas had been genuine.

He had grown fond of Charlotte. She reminded him of the little sister he once had.

He imagined that, if things had been different, this was how he might have spent time with his own sister.

Vanitas chose to stay for that exact reason.

Could he somehow possibly salvage a relationship with a little sister he barely knew?

"What am I supposed to do now…..?" Charlotte genuinely asked.

For Charlotte, resolving to end her own Brother's life felt like it would be the end of hers as well.

Vanitas nodded firmly and stood up. He pulled the drawer and took out all of the previous Vanitas's diaries.

"For now, read this."

Vanitas kept a close eye on a diary.

Charlotte began reading, finding the contents all too familiar.

'I'm sorry....'

That was all he could say.

Naturally, the events that occurred led to the game's storyline.

From what he could gather, the previous Vanitas had been highly secretive. He wouldn't conduct his research in plain view.

And being accused of plagiarism? That was impossible without proof or material resembling his thesis.

In other words, no one would have noticed his actions behind the scenes.

However, there was one variable—an anomaly the previous Vanitas never took into account.

His little sister, Charlotte.

She hadn't appeared in the game's narrative. When he was exposed, there was no Sister to plead his innocence.

In other words, every piece of evidence against him was likely Charlotte's doing.

She, being the one closest to him, was the only one who could have leaked everything.

Naturally, now that he had gotten Charlotte on his side….

———「Act One—Treated」———

◆ Objective: Prevent the upcoming allegations and avoid losing your teaching profession at all cost.

「Rewards Obtained:」

◆ Understanding: +10%

◆ Spectacles of the Player's Archive

————————————

It was treated, not completed. Meaning, he hadn't avoided the variable just yet. Nonetheless, the system rewarded him.

Therefore, the understanding reward was halved.

It was added to his stigmata.

———「Stigmata」———

「Spectacles of the Player's Archive」

◆ When worn, they create a private overlay of information, allowing the user to access details on spells, creatures, items, and lore he once encountered in the game.

————————————

"...This."

It was exactly what he needed.

'What was the point of all that studying!?'

Vanitas immediately activated the stigmata. A pair of black–framed glasses materialized in his hand.

Donning it, he turned towards Charlotte, who was reading the diaries, and scanned.

———「Name: Charlotte Astrea」———

◆ Age: 18

◆ Stigmata: Breath of the Spirits

◆ Essence Discovered:

—Aether: Intermediate

—Pyro: Intermediate

—Aqua: Beginner

—Gaia: Beginner

————————————

Naturally, her information had been updated.

"..."

Satisfied, Vanitas focused on Charlotte.

"..."

Her shoulders were trembling, unable to hold back the steady flow of tears as she continuously read the diaries.

Vanitas, reading the mood, gave her some privacy, saying, "I'll be on the balcony if you need me," before leaving the room.

He scanned his surroundings first, noting the terrified expressions of the servants watching him.

"I'll be talking to each and every one of you tomorrow," he muttered. The servants quickly ran away.

He made his way to the balcony, resting his arms on the railing.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale glow over the estate.

It was a full moon.

The stillness of the hour—likely around 3:00 A.M—only heightened the sense of solitude.

It had been quite a week.

Probably the longest week he ever had.

It was exhausting.

The reality of how close he was to death, had just washed over him, causing him to draw a deep breath.

"Haaa..."

Yet at the same time, Chae Eun–woo felt like it was the most he had actually felt alive.

All those days stuck in his room, waiting for days just to pass until his inevitable death.

Chae Eun–woo who had given up after everything came crumbling down. His reputation, his career, his connections.

"Hahaha."

He couldn't help but chuckle. The absurdity of his current situation was almost laughable.

He wondered whether the God's were giving him a second chance, or cursing him even further.

Regardless, he didn't want to let the opportunity slip by.

He didn't want to regret anything.

"What's so funny?"

"Ah?"

Before he realized it, Charlotte appeared right beside him, similarly leaning on the railing.

She didn't look back at him. Silence filled the surroundings for a good minute as the cold breeze brushed past his skin.

Eventually, Charlotte broke the silence, "I understand now."

"Do you?"

"My brother is despicable."

"..."

Wasn't quite what he was expecting. Nevertheless, he could only nod his head.

"I still can't bring myself to forgive him. But I understand why he ended up that way. Still, I can never forget the trauma he left me with."

"I see."

"Hey." Charlotte turned towards him, and continued. "You really aren't him, right?"

"No, I barely have any idea who you are either."

"Then that practically makes us strangers."

"Seems to be the case."

Silence lingered once more. Another breeze swept past, blowing Charlotte's hair, her bangs falling across her face.

Fixing her hair, Charlotte asked, "Then, what should I call you?"

Vanitas pondered, rubbing his chin.

Eventually, he said, "Call me Oppa."

"..."

Charlotte froze, momentarily stunned as she blinked her eyes.

"Pftt…. Oppa, what kind of name is that?"

"..."

"Who in their right mind would name their child Oppa? Haha~"

"..."

Seeing her amusement, Vanitas' eyes widened.

For just a moment, he imagined his own sister might have grown up to look just like Charlotte.

For some reason, his chest felt tight.

Vanitas shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Really, what's your real name?"

"It's Chae Eun–woo."

"Chei—Chah…. Uhn—Woh? How do you pronounce that?"

"Just call me Vanitas."

"Got it—Pftt…."

"..."

The conversation shifted eventually.

"You'll need my help, right?"

"Yes."

"Then it's a deal. I'll fill you in on the details about Vanitas, and you help me restore my Family's honor." She held her hand, gesturing for a handshake.

"Honor?"

"Maybe you don't know, but in my great-great-grandfather's time, the Astrea Family was once a Duke Family."

"Is that so?"

He knew, of course.

He'd read a brief history of the Astrea predecessors, though the records gave no reason for their fall to Viscount.

Vanitas stood still for a moment, watching Charlotte's hand.

It wasn't a bad proposal.

There were blanks he needed to fill, certain memories and traits of the previous Vanitas that he couldn't grasp, no matter what he did to try and trigger them.

That being said.

"Deal, but—"

He had another condition in mind.

"—Clear it up with the servants, please."

***

For the following days, Charlotte had given him a crash course of Vanitas Astrea.

She still had doubts about him. And sometimes, Charlotte would be visibly shaken by his presence.

After all, trauma doesn't fade overnight.

Yet, Charlotte seemed determined to confront hers and move forward.

Eventually, Vanitas finally gained the confidence to go outside their estate.

Charlotte took him sight–seeing, and Vanitas couldn't help but feel mesmerized, seeing the same scenery on a screen come to life.

'Exactly just like the game.'

He knew the city on the back of his hand more than Seoul itself.

Eventually, on a certain day, Vanitas ventured outside without Charlotte.

"Stop here."

He signaled to the driver, Evan. Since Charlotte had addressed matters with the servants, they no longer questioned the situation.

Though they couldn't hide their confusion over the siblings' sudden reconciliation.

"Wait for me."

In any case, Vanitas stepped out of the car and walked around the area.

There was a place he needed to go.

A memory that triggered for a while now.

Vanitas went to a land owned by the Astrea's.

However, this land was under his name.

Vanitas entered the building. From what he could tell, it was Vanitas's old research lab.

"..."

The place where he conducted all his practices regarding dark magic.

Dust clung to every surface as tables lined the walls, cluttered with faded notes, vials of dried potions, and remnants of charred spell components.

Scattered across the floor were papers with incomplete magic circles written on them.

"...."

He recalled Charlotte's crash course session.

—My Brother isn't normal.

No, he was insane.

And he knew there were lingering personalities corrupting him, slowly corroding his mind.

The longer he remained in this body, the more they twisted his reactions, attempting to influence him from within.

Vanitas rummaged through the place, finding any pieces of information he could find.

But there was nothing noteworthy.

Then, he took out something from his pocket.

"..."

It was a torn piece of paper from the diary.

It spoke about his illness.

After pondering about it for weeks, it was the right decision not to let Charlotte read this key–detail.

"She doesn't need to know."

That he was slowly dying. Because if she did, she would only blame herself for being ignorant.

Her resolve to kill him, to eliminate both her brother and the entity inside of him, would ultimately lead to Charlotte taking her own life in the future.

If she hated her brother, that was fine. He wasn't him, and Charlotte knew that too.

To direct all the negative feelings toward a sole person who wasn't even here anymore, seemed like a better outcome than distribution, living a life full of regret and ignorance.

Flick—!

With a quick snap of his fingers, flames ignited the paper, and he released it, watching as it drifted upward.

The flames spread, catching on the brittle pages of notes and parchment scattered around the room.

Fire crawled along the shelves, engulfing each twisted experiment.

The scent of burning paper and scorched herbs filled the air.

Orange and red danced across the walls as the fire devoured the room, burning ever so brightly.

Vanitas stepped back, watching the inferno grow. A ringing sound echoed in his ear soon followed.

"Ah..."

Something trickled down his nose.

He looked at his hand.

"..."

It was red.