Chapter 6: Mother’s Prophecy
1083 Words
"No way! How could this be happening?!"
Dracula's shout rattled the room, but he quickly pulled himself together, pushing his panic aside. When he spoke again, his tone was much calmer.
"I'm really sorry you're going through this, Elena. It's all my fault..."
"You *know* what's going on with me?!" Elena's eyes sparkled with hope.
"It's because of the prophecy."
"Prophecy?"
"Yeah. Your mom's prophecy." Dracula let out a heavy sigh. "When she took you away from the castle, she predicted this: *On the day of my daughter Elena's coming-of-age ceremony, she will be blessed by one hundred guests, awakening the strongest vampire bloodline. And thus, the most powerful vampire will be born.*"
Elena blinked in surprise. Her mom had planned a lot more than she ever realized.
"But prophecies can be tricky," Dracula said with a serious look. "The rules *have* to be followed exactly. If the prophecy says you need blessings from one hundred guests, then it *has* to be one hundred—no more, no less. If those rules get broken..." He glanced at her frog-like hand. "...the prophecy turns into a curse. And now, that curse is showing up in you."
**[Your SAN -1]**
"Then can't we just invite one more guest to make it an even hundred?" Elena asked hopefully.
"It's not that easy." Dracula shook his head. "The list of those one hundred guests was set the day your mom took you away. Every name on that list was picked because they would *really* bless your coming-of-age moment. You need *exactly* one hundred *genuine* blessings. Even if just one wish isn't sincere—or if there's even one person missing—it'll still twist the prophecy into something disastrous."
With a heavy sigh, he pulled Elena into a hug and gently stroked her silver hair.
"But don't worry, Elena. I'm going to break this curse for you. I'll find the missing guest who can give you that last blessing needed for a full hundred. It might weaken what your mother wanted for you... but at least it'll stop the curse from hurting you right now."
When he let go, his face looked pained as he added, "I'm sorry I can only offer an imperfect ceremony like this; I hope you won't hold it against me."
"It's okay, Father."
Elena felt touched—but even in this sweet moment, Mary's seventh warning echoed in her mind:
**"Don't trust your dad. He might kill you."**
Her brow knitted together.
*Great, who the heck am I supposed to believe?!*
For her own safety, she knew she couldn't put all her faith in Dracula.
"So... can *I* bring someone?" she asked.
Dracula paused for a moment, then his face lit up. "Absolutely! Yes, yes! This is *your* ceremony—you can invite whoever you want. If it's your choice, the power you unlock won't be affected at all!"
But then he got serious again. "*But*—you have to be *totally sure* that this person will give you their *real* blessing. Otherwise, the curse won't go away."
Elena nodded with determination. "Got it."
"Good, good." Some of the tension eased from Dracula's shoulders. "With both of us looking for answers, our chances get way better."
But who could Elena actually trust to give her a genuine blessing?
Her eyes landed on Nini.
A flicker of hope sparked—her bloodbound servant had to bless her, right?
"Nope. Not her."
Dracula jumped in before she could say anything else.
"Why not?"
"Because she's not just *one* person."
"What do you mean?" Elena frowned as she looked at Nini—and the stuffed bear hugged tightly in her arms.
"*Tibbers is Nini's best friend! Nini never leaves Tibbers!*" the little maid huffed indignantly.
"They're bound together but aren't exactly separate beings," Dracula explained. "In terms of prophecy, she's neither one person nor two."
"Fine then... how about Aunt Mary? You know, Bloody Mary?"
"She's already one of the hundred guests—so am I."
Elena: (ヾﾉ꒪ཫ꒪)
*Ugh!*
Looks like her only shot *was* her dad after all.
"One more thing," Dracula said. "Only Mary and I are on the guest list from inside the castle. So before midnight, you can invite *anyone else* here that you trust. If it works out, their name will show up on the blank name card in the hall."
As he talked, his body twisted weirdly and turned into a giant bat.
"I'll check outside the castle. If a name pops up on that card, it means *I* found our guest first."
With that, the big bat spread its wings and disappeared into the night.
Elena watched him leave—but one thought lingered unspoken because she had no proof:
*This is Stepmom's fault.*
Mary had warned her: *"She'll try to stop you from becoming a vampire."* Messing with the guest list was just perfect for that plan.
As Elena and Nini stepped back into the hall, those frog croaks came back—louder now and way more annoying.
An itchy, slimy feeling crawled up her back. The curse was spreading fast.
"Nini, wanna play hide-and-seek?"
"*Yes yes! Nini loves hide-and-seek!*" The little maid clapped with excitement.
"...Actually, never mind."
"*WAAAH!*" Nini's cry of betrayal drowned out those frogs—for a moment.
**[Nini's Favorability -10]**
But the curse didn't let up.
*I have to fix this right now.*
But *who* in this castle could she actually trust?
After thinking for a bit, only one name popped into her head.
*Alucard.*
Her *brother*.
Back in the banquet hall, Elena checked out the name cards on each table. Finally, she spotted it—the empty seat.
*Seventh table. Seventh chair.*
A blank card was just sitting there, waiting for her.
She moved on but paused again at the third corridor painting. Something about it felt like it had answers.
The plaque underneath said: **"The Cunning Goblin."**
"Hey, Goblin," she muttered. "It's just us now. You can talk."
The painting stayed quiet.
She turned to Nini. "She's my bloodbound. You can spill whatever you want."
Still nothing from the painting.
"If you don't answer me, I swear I'll burn you!"
Silence hung in the air.
Elena took a deep breath and narrowed her crimson eyes.
"Your lie is busted!"
No response at all.
"Still playing pretend? You're not the *'Cunning'* Goblin—you're really just the *'Lying'* Goblin. Look at that nose! In this world, only liars have noses like that!"
The painting—
Stayed perfectly still.
- Writer
