Attend the Tale

Chapter 9

Count Bleck, with a calculated calmness, wiped his staff clean as the crowd continued to grow. Despite having the power to dispatch people using dark magic, he chose a less conspicuous approach to avoid arousing suspicion and revealing his true identity to Merlon. Customer after customer entered the shop, unaware of the fate that awaited them. Count Bleck carried out his actions quietly and efficiently. He wasn't thinking of revenge or murder, though. He was thinking only about those two children. Well, he supposed they wouldn't really be children anymore. 

Olivia and Olly...

Count Bleck often found himself daydreaming about what they'd look like. In his imagination, he envisioned them possessing a beauty reminiscent of Timpani. Fair and ethereal, with a gentle radiance. While he knew they were adopted, he held onto the hope that they would embody the same kindness, compassion, and gentleness that he cherished in Timpani. 

Maybe they liked stars. It was a shame how dark the sky was to see due to all the smoke that filled the air.

Count Bleck couldn't deny that his thoughts of the children remained a constant presence in his mind. However, he noticed a gradual shift within himself. With each passing day, as he delved deeper into the business venture with Dimentio, he felt a sense of detachment from his past pain, agony, and sorrows.

What would Timpani think of you now, Blumiere asked himself as his staff cut across a customer's throat, making blood drip down the poor, innocent person's shirt. The person never stood a chance. Their fate was sealed the second they walked inside. There wasn't even any time for them to fight or beg for their life to be spared.

She wouldn't think anything at all. She's gone, Count Bleck silently replied. It doesn't matter what she would think, how she'd react to all of this.

But if she was still here, she wouldn't be able to even look at you. She would never have wanted you to become this. She wouldn't want this for you, Blumiere urged.

She can't want anything anymore, Count Bleck repeated, hoping to drown the other voice out. Nothing matters anymore. Nothing will ever matter again as long as she's gone. Nothing but Olivia and Olly, and even then, we'll probably never see them again. Not while Merlon's still alive.

Dawn had approached as Bobby tirelessly searched the streets of Flipside and Flopside for Olivia and Olly. They were no longer trapped up in Flipside Tower, that was clear. He should know, he broke in to check three different times, the first time resulting in him being caught by authorities and having his fuse ripped from him. 

It had hurt. He wasn't sure if he ever experienced a physical pain as intense as losing a part of himself. He didn't allow himself to dwell too long on it, though. Yes, a part of him was forever missing, but he was at the risk of losing more, so there was no time to waste. 

He was going to find her. And her brother. He was determined. Merlon was dead wrong if he thought walls could hide her. He was going to find them both and steal them away. 

As Bobby strolled down Main Street in Flopside, his eyes caught sight of a thick, ominous cloud of black smoke billowing from Dimentio's pie shop. The putrid stench that filled the air was enough to make anyone feel queasy, but Bobby chose to remain silent. With a disappointed shake of his head, he pressed on, determined to continue his search despite the darkness that seemed to surround him.

"SMOKE, SMOKE, SIGN OF THE DARK, SIGN OF SPIRITS, CITY ON FIRE!" the beggar woman exclaimed, seeking refuge behind the little Bob-Omb as she suddenly clung to him in panic. Her cries grew more frantic, filled with hysteria. Her eyes held an intense, wild gaze as she directed her attention toward the pie shop, her disgust evident as she spat in its direction.