The Vampire's Bride

"I'm Aldo."

After a few seconds of silence, Mallory opened her mouth. Her voice came as soft as a whisper, "H-How?"

The man looked puzzled, maintaining an expressionless face, "How? What how?"

It was then that Mallory got a good look on his whole body. He grew taller than the last time she saw him. Even his voice changed.

Suddenly, Mallory smelled something rusty and strong. She quickly covered her mouth as her eyes flashed red. 'T-This is blood!'

That's when she noticed that apart from his back, Aldo was covered in blood. Most of it was found on his mouth.

Mallory's eyes widened in horror. "Y-You d-drank blood?"

Aldo touched his cheek and looked at the finger-soaked blood. He looked at Mallory and replied, "Yes."

"N-No..." He broke their promise... He broke their promise that he made.

Mallory couldn't believe that the man before her was Aldo. After all, she saw his dead body. She felt no breathings from him. She saw him being burned down. She saw everything... even the cause of his death.

Aldo stared at the woman who was trembling. The next thing he said broke Mallory's heart into pieces.

"Um... Who are you?"

"Y-You don't know me?" Mallory asked.

Aldo shook his head.

Mallory was perplexed. It looked like Aldo lost his memories. But in the first place, was he really Aldo?

"You—–"

"Mallory!"

"Don't move!"

She looked up to see an agitated Leo. "M-Master Orpheus?"

Leo glared at Mallory. "Where the hell have you gone?! I told you to stay by my side didn't I?!"

Mallory was scared at the anger on Leo's face and was about to answer when she heard a voice.

"Ma...llory...?"

Mallory's eyes shined with hope as she turned to Aldo. "Yes! It's me!"

She was hoping that he'd remember. She wanted to grab on any chances that he was just lying that he had forgotten about her.

Seeing the woman happy, Leo growled. Just who was the man she was happily looking at?!

"M...Mallo...ry..." Aldo kept on repeating her name. It sounded familiar yet he never heard of it. Just what is going on?

"H-Hey?" Mallory was worried when Aldo became a broken record; repeating only her name.

"Mallory..." Mallory, Mallory, Mallory... Who is Mallory? Someone I knew?

'I promise, little one, that I'll accompany you.'

Suddenly, Aldo felt his head aching. He struggled to stand as he placed a hand on his forehead. It was happening again... the same scene kept replaying in his mind. The scene where he promised someone. Someone he cannot remember.

What did he even promise?

"A-Aldo? Are you okay?"

"Aldo?" Leo was surprised. The man drenched in blood was Aldo? Then he was the killer?

Mallory could roughly guess what Leo was thinking as he pulled her with him as they took a few steps backward. Mallory, however, stopped him.

"Master Orpheus, please wait for a moment."

"B-But—"

"Please." Mallory's voice came out soft yet firm. Leo had no choice but to follow. Maybe Mallory still likes him... He knew he cannot force to open an enclosed heart — one that was not even available at the moment.

Aldo raised his head up to look at the girl named Mallory. Could she be the one that kept showing up in my dreams?

Seeing Aldo just staring back at her, Mallory walked towards him and reached out a hand to help him stand properly. "You okay? Don't force yourself to remember. Anyway, I have a question to ask yo—– A-A-A-Aldo?"

Aldo suddenly pulled Mallory closer to him and hugged her. He immediately hurried his head on her neck, inhaling her scent. It was so comforting. It was as if he was back to where he belonged.

"A-Aldo?!" Mallory was panicking and tried to get away from his grip but the more she struggled, the more Aldo did not let her go.

"Let me stay like this." Hearing Aldo's soft and gentle voice, Mallory gave up. She started patting his head lightly. Aldo's attitude when he's weak never changed. Although his eyes stayed emotionless, Mallory knew for sure that he was really Aldo. But this was a huge difference from the younger version of him.

Was he a new Aldo? Or was this who he really was?

"You smell nice." Aldo's breath tickled Mallory as he spoke. He tried to bury his head deeper and hugged her tighter. Their bodies were literally touching each other.

The hug was too tight that Mallory felt like she was being crushed. "A-Aldo..!"

T-This is bad... th-the blood...

"Hey!" The next second, Mallory was saved from the crushing hug. "Stop it."

Aldo looked at his hands before realizing that Mallory was pulled by another man. He stared emotionless at the pair of eyes that seemed angry.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm her partner," Leo replied without a pause.

"Partner...?" Something flash in Aldo's eyes. When Mallory was trying to figure it out, it was already gone.

Aldo opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He looked at Leo for a while before speaking, "A p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you. I'll be leaving now."

He turned to Mallory and his gaze seemed to hide another emotion. "M-Ma..." he paused as if he had a hard time saying her name. "M-Mallory... see you again."

Aldo turned around and started walking. Leo felt something was wrong with the way he looked at her. He couldn't help but think that someone annoying came in their lives –— Someone as annoying as a rival.

Seeing that he was leaving, Mallory felt sad and desperate as she called him, "Aldo—!"

When will be the next time we'll meet if he leaves now? What if... there's no next time? What if he completely disappear from the world?

Aldo stopped but did not look back. "Yes, Mallory?" He really liked how her name rolled on his tongue and wanted to keep on saying it over and over again.

Mallory hesitated to ask. Although she could not go near him because Leo was holding her arm tightly, she still needed to ask and see his face to know if he was lying. "Are you... drinking blood?"

"Yes."

"T-Then..." Mallory stopped. So he did really broke their promise. Looking at his cold back, Mallory felt like she needed to continue. "Then... are you the vampire killer?"

Please say no... please say no... please!

"...Yes."

"!!!" D-D*mn! She got a killer to admit! This girl has guts! I wish I have a recorder at this moment!

Hearing his answer, Mallory knew it was over. She knew that he had gone... gone to the bad side. "I-I see. So you're the one who spread the rumors of vampires existing? Didn't we agree not to?" Tears were threatening to fall as she spoke.

Aldo turned his upper body to look at her tearful eyes. He suddenly had the urge to wipe them and comfort her but he stopped. Why did he even want to do that? Who was she even?

"... No, I did not. That's your last question for today. See you again, Mallory."

A flashing light blinded Mallory and Leo and when they opened their eyes, Aldo was gone. Leo gently grabbed Mallory's shoulder and teleported back home.

Mallory felt like everything was a dream. Aldo was alive... he never died. He was alive yet he drank blood. He was alive yet he was on the bad side. He was alive and... he killed ten innocent humans.

Mallory felt like laughing. She had no choice. How could she save him when he acted like he never cared for anything and everything he did?

Could she even save him?

"Aldo..." Mallory whispered and let her tears fall.

Why have you come back?