I was half-asleep while doing changes in this chapter. Mistakes might be found but you can still mention them! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them.
Chapter 20: A Mother's Tale
Date: December 23th 2027, 9:30 PM
Place: Wright Anything Agency, Office
In some utter panic and sadness, Athena could feel the bullets sweating all around her shaken body while she was speaking to Mr. Wright over the phone. "Oh no! So Clay too!?" she yelled out, horrified.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," her mentor expressed over the phone. "And Mr. Terran's gone too. Apparently, he couldn't bear to see his son reborn into one of them."
A frown and a small tear appeared on the junior lawyer as she learned of the father's gloomy fate. "Poor Mr. Terran," she began. "He must have felt awful about all of this, with all the stress of the cancelled launch and mainly losing his remaining family... First, his late wife, and now his son…"
"It's true, but enough of this. We need to get at the bottom of this fast. I'm going to need a lift from Simon. I can't really drag a weak Clay around the city, I'd look like the suspicious one…"
"All right, thanks for letting us know. I'll give Simon a call to get you back here."
While Athena called her prosecutor friend, another discussion took place in the owner's bedroom. Leaning against the head of the bed, Trucy was glaring at nothing in particular, her thoughts trying to get rid of everything: the poor teen just wished to be alone. Of course, Thalassa couldn't bear to see her own daughter in such depressing state, but the mother had chosen to come back in the world of living, and maternal duty called her.
"Trucy, please, I… want to take a good look on you!" Thalassa begged, her eyes half-closed, her lids trying to contain her tears.
Trucy feigned on listening to her and she simply buried her head further between her knees like an unwilling kid. "Will you, at least, let me tell you the reason why I… didn't come back for you and your brother?"
Finally, the teen girl slowly raised her eyes to her mother and she gave away a weak nod. Thalassa warmly smiled at her. "I still remember… that day, twelve years ago. Uncle Valant, your father and I left you for another one of these hunting sessions. We trusted Apollo's skill as a big brother to take care of you while we were gone for few hours."
"Unfortunately, that hunting session didn't go so well."
A morbid curiosity took over Trucy. In reality, she wished to learn about that fateful, unexpected event that had literally ruined her family. Her ears were now more willing to hear the reasons for her mother's disappearance.
"There was a vampire raid. They were about ten of them. Ten vampires against three hunters was a lost cause, and they were armed."
"Your father, Zak, was the first to fall. I'll spare you the details, but oh, how I cried when I saw him being devoured by half of them. They went after him first because he was the strongest of the three of us."
In a childish fashion, Trucy hoped her father was still alive and well, just like her mother, even if he was reborn as a vampire. Unfortunately, she vaguely remembered when Apollo had told her only her father's inert body was found on the crime scene. Even if she was already used to the idea of her father never coming back, she felt like sulking about how destiny was not very fair to her.
"Uncle Valant, he had been shot in the chest and was left for dead."
"As for myself, one of them started devouring me, and, like your uncle, I was… left for dead. Soon after, the vampires were gone, leaving us in our pool of blood."
"However, Uncle Valant and I survived, like a miracle. I… could feel the dark changes inside me, and… I was unable to stop them. I thought of… killing myself, but I couldn't somehow…"
"…because I thought of my two children."
The young girl froze. Their mother never stopped to love them, after all. From the look of it, never the woman had been telling lies during her story so far. Of course Thalassa wouldn't; she was the one who gifted her two children her genetic gift to see through lies. Trucy's heart felt like melting over her mother's little tale and she wasn't sure if she had to hate her or pity her for abandoning them in their fate anymore.
"I asked… Valant to do the deed of killing me instead, but… he couldn't either. As you probably know, killing a human in the process of becoming a vampire is legal. Valant was a pretentious man and sometimes people found him to be the annoying one of our trio, but he would never hurt his little magician family, even for a good cause..."
"Shameful for my doom and for the death of your father, Valant had decided to exile himself from the world. I have no idea where he had gone, or even if he's still alive to this day, but I bear no ill toward the man. It was not his fault."
"And as for I… I could not live with my children anymore. I became a vampire, and I was afraid that… one day or another, I'd devour you both, or worse, bring you to the darkness with me… Because I admit that was one of the first thoughts that came to me when the hunger kicked in…"
So that was the real reason behind her mother's disappearance. Yet, Trucy was unable to imagine her being the mindless, evil vampire like the one who took off with her brother. Looking back on the older woman, all she could see were pure and gentle eyes: not even an inch of darkness was visible in them.
"But I was really fortunate that little Machi caught me in time before I fell alone into the abyss of the nightmare. I had refused to eat anything for the first days of being reborn, but Machi taught me that I had to eat to keep my sanity. The best way of doing so was hunting for animals instead and never feeling the hunger again. After all, when we were humans, we all ate animals, don't we? So it wasn't that bad at all!"
A sad laugh escaped from the mother's lips with her not too funny fact, but it slightly lightened the mood in the room. Even Trucy gave a little grin on the comment. "Though… Poor Eros… he was a vegetarian because he loved animals and he wouldn't even hurt a fly…" Thalassa murmured to herself. Trucy winced at the name.
"Eros Justice, Polly's daddy…" Trucy whispered along her mother, her head sinking in a little melancholy. How she missed her brother.
"It was probably harder on him, I think…" Thalassa wretchedly expressed to her daughter. "He had lost his family, he was probably alone in his fate and I doubt he met someone like Machi to help him. If he had been with us from the very beginning, even reborn, I'm sure he would have been the best father a child could have."
"The old Eros loved Apollo so much, even when his existence was kinda… accidental… I understand why his father would use the most twisted methods to get him back in his life…"
However, Trucy was shaking her fists with anger when the compassion from her mother for the foolish vampire was visibly obvious. "Mom," the girl started lowly, and her tone took up some vigor as she carried on. "You can't let that Eros guy do that to Polly! Now, he's just using my brother for his own sake!"
Thalassa felt like her life was crumbling in front of her, with only Trucy remaining by her side. As the regrets invaded her soul, the mother gently approached her daughter to give her a long hug with a small kiss on her forehead. The magician jolted on the act with a quiver that followed in her spine.
Trucy now remembered the so-called lucky charm her mother would use before every hunting sessions: the kiss on the forehead.
"Trucy, you and Apollo were my lucky charms, and you still are," the mother gently revealed.
"But… I must accept the fact that Apollo is now part of the darkness, and… there's nothing we can do about it. Even I, his mother, have nothing in my resource to help him. I can always… take control of him all the time, but I cannot bear to see my own son as an empty shell…"
Whenever she heard about the mind controlling power of the parent vampires, Trucy's veins tense at the thought of losing her will to move or think of her own. She was scared of that power, and Thalassa could see it well. This prompted a divine smile to her daughter. "Don't worry, my dear child," Thalassa softly declared. "I'll never do that to you."
At the very instant, another sudden and blunt voice came to them from behind, interrupting their beloved family moment. "You know, there's still hope for your son."
The Gramarye girls turned to the voice and discovered a spying Ema from the room door. For few seconds, Thalassa's eyes shined with a little faith. "H-Hope?" the mother expressed.
Of course! Why didn't Trucy tell her mother about it before? All the recent events made her forget about everything.
Metis's researches, the hope for vampires!
Date: December 23th 2027, 9:42 PM
Place: ?
A cold, yet gentle breeze whistled across his warm cheeks. He gradually opened his eyes, listening to the melodic wind of a soothing lullaby he recognized from his childhood, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, thinking of his dearest mother. How he missed her.
"M-Mom…" he quietly called, burrowing himself deeper into the arms of the one who held him warmly in their arms, still in his half-awakened state.
However, the smile on his face vanished as soon as he realized the one holding him was a male figure, the one who'd call himself his own loving father. Suddenly, the affection he felt for his mother's lullaby turned into a slight fear. When the vampire father noticed the boy's glare when it crossed his, his lips curled up in a kind and gentle way.
"Hey, how are you doing, Pollo?" Eros mildly asked while he released Apollo from his arms.
Confused, Apollo blinked and turned his eyes around, examining the surrounding. Where were they exactly? It looked like the city where he lived, but something was off about it.
Wait, he realized he was standing on the top of a high building, safe from the views. Acknowledging that he was above more than fifteen floors, he suddenly backed away, falling awkwardly on his butt, not even daring to look to the streets below. Several deep breaths came in and out from his mouth from the fear of heights that definitely wouldn't go away no matter what, even after being reborn into something else.
"Huh, what's the matter? Are you feeling well?" Eros dumbly questioned.
The question caused Apollo to feel a little silly about himself to the point he let out a small shy chuckle. "Hum, actually, I'm afraid of heights…" the boy responded.
The reply caused the father to release a sympathetic laugh. "You'll get used to it," Eros declared. "Give it some times; you're still new into this… business."
When the tension from the silly fear dissipated in the air, Eros used the time to sit down beside Apollo. How funny, side by side, they both looked like they could be some sort of brothers, having similar hair, same eyes and same body type. Eros was still slightly smaller, but not by that much.
In reality, Apollo didn't find the moment alone with the fatherly boy that pleasant. He still resented him for what he had done, but he was terrified the father will use his… odd power to take his will away from him. To this, Eros merely gave a friendly pat on his son's back as a sign that he didn't have to be worried about anything. "So, tell me, Apollo," the boy began with a smile. "How do you like the new changes?"
However, and with slight revulsion, Apollo couldn't lie about it; he really did enjoy these new powers and senses, and he was more than grateful to get a taste of human blood. Thinking of the next feast soothed his mind and he was eagerly anticipating the next hunting session, a real thrilling hunt for food. The thought about it made him scrumptiously lick his lips and his new fangs. "I love them," Apollo admitted, and this time, he smirked on his words.
Obviously, the answer satisfied the other young man. It seemed the transformation on his son went successfully through and through, including the mind changes. "That's good to hear. We'll go hunt for more humans soon, I promise," the father said.
Hearing the word "humans" prompted Apollo to remember more than he needed to. To him, his human life was already a thing of the past, but one particular concern refused to budge from his memories no matter how hard he wished to let it go. After all, that one used to be his most cherished treasure, and even now, he still thought of her as one.
Trucy, his little sister.
"I was so close to get Trucy…" Apollo growled, his fists shaking with anger.
When he heard the name, Eros faintly shuddered. He wasn't too keen on meeting this famous stepdaughter of his, especially being the daughter of a man he didn't really like back in his old life. Yet, if his son was so devoted to her, she must not be too similar to Shadi at the very least, that old jerk! How Thalassa had chosen that man for her second husband was a complete mystery to him.
Nevertheless, as a father, Eros had the duty to make his child happy.
"Listen to me, son," Eros started, laying a hand on Apollo's shoulder. "We'll get your little sister Trucy with us no matter what, and I'll help you with everything."
A sudden realization hit the young father and he frowned at the thought. "But things are going to get harder if your mother hangs around. She's your parent too, and she can… take away your willpower."
A grief went through Apollo when he listened to Eros speaking about his dear mother like she was a hindrance. He had missed her so much during all these past years, and the thought of seeing her as a simple obstacle to his goal disgusted him.
Because of the obvious tension from the son, Eros went for another question that would jolt the young boy into some kind of shock. "Say, Apollo, how do you… see me in your… family?"
A silence from the confused son welcomed the young father, and somehow, a slight frustration appeared on the latter. "You… don't want to answer?" Eros asked, nearly to the point of insanity, giving a light fear on the other one.
Apollo finally answered, almost fearing of what may come from what he was going to say. "I-I'm sorry, Eros, I can't… see you as my father…"
To this, Apollo firmly clenched his fingers while straightly positioning his fists on the ground, slightly shaking them, biting his lips and closing his eyes. He was waiting for the young man to take over his mind out of frustration once again, just like when he first met him on that significant day. He was virtually ready for this.
However, to his astonishment and joy, he could still control himself. He frenetically looked at his fingers before he moved them freely and he quickly blinked few times repeatedly. In the final, he turned his sight to the other one and he felt relieved when all he could see on the father's face was an expression of kindness with a half-smile on his lips. "Apollo, I don't blame you," Eros gently revealed.
Despite all that wall of sympathy the young man expressed, Apollo clearly saw the unexpected tension from him while he gripped onto his tightening bracelet around his wrist. Was Eros lying when he mentioned he didn't blame him?
Eros's smile widened at the sight of his son's little move. "So you got her power too…" the father told him, a nostalgia emerging from his emotions. "Guess I can't lie with my words and my feelings to you," he continued before he let out a small laugh to himself.
"Mom…" Apollo felt like repeating. The thought of his mother couldn't suddenly go away.
"Thalassa, she's the one to blame!" Eros furiously accused with a snarl. "She's the one who… took you away…"
Apollo was unable to say more. He didn't wish to continue this conversation. To his fortune, Eros seemed to have noticed it. "I'm going to check on Clay," Apollo spurted out suddenly as he stood up, wanting to change the subject. "He'll probably need help to bring his father with us."
Eros's grin came back with chuckle. "Yeah, let's go!" he exclaimed, all eager to accompany him into some father and son's activity.
Date: December 23th 2027, 9:51 PM
Place: Terran Family's Home, Entrance
Phoenix was unsure what he'll have to do with the whole event. He was inside the home of his employee's friend, where laid the body of a man who took away his own life. It was where a son newly turned into a vampire was found clutching against himself in a type of grief from witnessing the suicide of his own father. Then the son had to devour a part of him. And not only that, but he had to learn despite all that his own lawyer protégé was now part of the creatures of darkness, hanging around somewhere without really knowing where he had gone. On the top of that, the one who fled with his pupil was his long lost father! The hunter sure had smoother days in his past life.
Of course he was going to be the main suspect in this suicide that might be seen as a murder. However, he was used to these types of accusations, and every time, he managed to claim his rightful innocent verdict. He couldn't call the police now, especially with a half-awakened vampire at his feet who used to be such a kind young man; the police will kill him on the spot. He was glad it was dark outside, with no moon above when clouds covered everything. That way, no passing human beings might possibly see him while he now stood like a creeping stalker in front of the Terran's house, with a restrained down Clay hidden from the public view at the entrance door.
The eerie silence of the moment felt scary thanks to the cold season which caused all surrounding insects and animals to stay quiet in their natural world, all busy in their dreaming state. Phoenix could even clearly hear the small repetitive breathings from the space boy. Whenever his stare crossed his, there was a short furious growl from the former astronaut's chords.
Poor kid, he thought. Clay had just missed the goal of his life, falling so far down below. Right now, he could have been a famous space pilot, walking over the moon, collecting samples for the future of the planet. But no, he was left on the dirty ground, giving a menacing glare to his captor like a miserable, brutal animal. His dreams were totally forgotten from the newly reborn spawn of darkness. His aspirations were now replaced by a ferocious hunger for human blood that would constantly control his new instincts and moves.
Phoenix looked back on his cellphone for another time. It had been few minutes since the call with Athena, and he felt like waiting for an eternity. From what he heard, Simon was a moderated fast driver, so it shouldn't take long for him to get here. Trying to avoid any random glance from the vampire, he decided to take his time to ponder how to explain the police what happened.
"Think, Phoenix, think!" he spoke to himself. "I guess I'll just tell Simon to bring Clay to the lab, and I'll stay here and call the police. Hopefully, the preliminary investigation will really lead to a suicide. If not, I guess I'll have to defend myself in court, again…"
He could clearly see him from the top of this tree.
Over there, his best friend Clay laid inert, slowly breathing, fighting his unnatural slumber at the feet of this human hunter, his former mentor. As he allowed the anger to flow through himself, Apollo let out a savage growl to unleash his furious state of mind. The instinct provoked him to prepare a leap on the hunter to devour him and save his dear friend, even making him forget about his fear of heights from where he stood. However, a hand firmly set on his shoulder to stop him.
"Apollo, don't go," Eros told him, giving him a confident smile.
"Why not?!" Apollo frantically replied. "That human's going to do something to Clay! I can't just watch him getting away with it!"
"I'll go," Eros revealed, more self-assured than ever, and Apollo finally let himself quiet down. "You're still a rookie and I've been on this side much longer. That human below is a hunter and I bet a pretty clever one. I'm going to save Clay and I'll let you feast on the man, and we're all going to be happy."
The comment gave a sentimental feeling to the new vampire. Looking back on the hunter reminded himself of all the good moments they shared in his past life. "I… know that hunter," Apollo wistfully admitted. "He was my law mentor, kinda… Mr. Wright."
Eros gave his son a perplexed look before he chuckled. "Oh yes, I forgot you were a lawyer," the father let out, almost scornfully. "But I guess it's a thing of the past, right?"
Spotting the deeper melancholy hitting the son whenever the discussion of the mentor came in, Eros decided to drop the bomb with another vengeful comment. "Didn't you tell me that Mr. Wright was the one to blame for the execution of your former old mentor and savior, that Mr. Kristoph Gavin?"
The anger came back to Apollo upon hearing this, causing him to let out another growl, making him grind his teeth like an enraged wolf. "Mr. Wright used you, he's using your sister Trucy, and now he's going to use Clay."
"Mr. Wright…" Apollo heatedly grunted.
"Wish me luck!" Eros exclaimed, preparing to jump from the top of the tree.
It took a while, but it seemed the sedative had finally led the vampire to drift in and out from the reality surrounding him. His eyes were either half or fully closed, and the growls had momentarily stopped, thankfully. Phoenix hated to hear them, especially from this kid.
Patience was usually one of his best virtues, but tonight, Phoenix sensed something watching him from afar. He couldn't put his hands on what exactly, but he kept looking around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Well, except for the boy on the ground.
Suddenly, a tension came from that boy who abruptly glared toward the sky above, his eyes opened wide like something had drawn his unexpected interest. Quickly, Phoenix didn't take the time to think about why Clay was acting that way: he immediately took out his pistol and shot above his head to find a shadow flying toward him like the wind. The hunter gracefully ducked the shadow that came to him and shot another time, but he kept missing his fast target.
As the shadow ran back into the bushes, hiding from the view, a loud, sarcastic laugh escaped the spawn's mouth, somehow annoying the hunter. "My, my, Clay, this is not how you hide the presence of a buddy from a lone hunter!" the voice cried out with a disdain tone, and Phoenix shuddered at it.
"Apollo!?" Phoenix hollered to the voice, recognizing it as being his.
The small instant of inattention from the hunter gave enough time for the vampire to leap on his prey from the darkness, but Phoenix managed to grab the smaller body and brutally shoved it to the ground, straight under a light pole. This caused the vampire to let out a painful roar as he hit the concrete. Now Phoenix could clearly see the face of his attacker.
Wait, it was not Apollo, but hell, the young vampire really looked like him.
So it must be him, the father.
When Phoenix prepared to shoot once more, unfortunately there was not enough time to confidently grip on his pistol. The vampire immediately made his forceful bounce on him and tossed the gun away. Phoenix fell on his back and watched the creature letting escape a sharp hiss before he went for his neck.
That was the end for him too…
… Until he heard a gunshot with a blood splatter from a newly opened wound on the vampire's chest.
The creature painfully barked on the ground, clenching on the bullet that went through him with blood pouring out of his wound. Even in the spur of the adrenaline rush, Phoenix sighed of relief when he got up, watching the vampire still crouching on the ground who was unable to raise back on his feet. He looked around to see a new car parked away from few dozen meters afar and another familiar hunter stood beside it, a gun pointed toward their direction.
The prosecutor Simon Blackquill had finally arrived.
Simon rushed to the scene, still watching all the surrounding in case of an eventual attack, his gun ready to take on another of these creatures. Phoenix had never been so thankful to see the young man approaching him. By chance, Simon also had a pair of handcuffs ready and immediately jumped on the injured vampire to put these around his wrists. "I can't thank you enough, Simon!" Phoenix expressed, the pressure now gone from his face before he glared at the now calming but growling vampire.
"No need," Simon let know. "We're in dire need of test subjects, after all. I guess two might be enough for tonight."
Upon hearing his shooter's comment, the vampire slightly panicked. "T-Test subjects!?" the perplexed dark spawn blurted out, fearfully glaring at the prosecutor. Simon's eyes went wide when he took a more careful look on his captive's face.
"Is that Justice-dono?!" Simon asked with stupor.
"No, it's the other one," Phoenix replied. "Well, technically, he's also Mr. Justice… Athena must have told you about what happened to the two kids. That one's the old man." It felt so strange calling that vampire "old man" when Phoenix himself appeared to be twice his age.
Despite his agonizing injury, a smirk appeared on the young vampire's face while he listened to the two humans. In a kind of odd, twisted satisfaction, he was glad these two humans were acquaintances of his two new protégés. After all, the shock they'll go through when they'll see his son will probably render them speechless. While the two humans discussed of their shenanigans, his attention focused back on the one high on the trees.
He called out for him without even letting out a word.
Just like a swift lightning bolt, a shadow precipitously leapt close to the wounded vampire, swiftly grabbing him in his arms, giving no time for either Simon or Phoenix to ready their weapons. When both humans were finally able to glance at the shadow, they froze.
Apollo was there, clutching his bleeding old man against him. He quickly stared back at the two humans with those hollow, lifeless eyes, like an empty ghost shell. On the young father's face, a grin was coated on his lips.
It only took few very short seconds before Apollo and the other one disappeared once again in the dark night, too fast for the humans to ready their gun and to follow them.
Just as the vampire father predicted, the two hunters were left speechless.
Finally, the forgotten new vampire on the ground was left into a sweet slumber, abandoned by his two night friends. At least, the humans might be able to save one of the two reborn ones.