When Eva opened the heavy double doors of the manor, the first thing that caught her eye was the absolute chaos in the main hall. Books, leather-bound folios, and yellowed research papers were scattered across the floor, cascading down the steps like a paper waterfall. She took a few cautious steps inside, her boots crunching lightly against the stray pages.
Scanning the titles, her breath hitched. They were all dense research papers and ancient texts detailing the esoteric, regenerative attributes of vampire blood.
Following the trail of opened manuscripts upstairs, she found Emerald sitting amidst the clutter, completely immersed in an ancient volume.
"Oh, you came back," Emerald said without looking up, offering a faint wave of his hand while keeping his eyes glued to the text.
"What are you looking for, exactly?" Eva questioned, her voice echoing in the quiet room.
"Nothing. Just some midday curiosity, that's all."
Eva maintained her silence for a long, heavy moment, watching the hurried way he turned the pages. Finally, she asked a direct, piercing question. "Who are you trying to save, Emerald?"
Emerald paused for a fraction of a second, his fingers freezing on the parchment before he forced himself to continue flipping through the text.
"Oh, so you want to keep it all to yourself, huh?" Eva's tone sharpened, frustrated by his non-reaction. "What in the world happened while I was away? Come on, Emerald, you can't just do this to me. I'm entrusted with a profound task to keep you out of harm's way, and you're not telling me what you're getting your hands into! How am I supposed to do anything if I don't know what you're going to do?"
"I want a cure. A cure for cancer... is it possible?" Emerald broke his silence, setting the book down.
Eva's expression softened, replaced by a guarded stillness. "So that's what this is about. Sorry, I don't know about that."
Emerald looked up, his eyes locking onto hers. "You're lying."
"What about you?" Eva countered immediately, her arms crossing over her chest. "What would you say you're doing to me?"
"What?"
"Lying. If you have something you need to say, you've got to be specific about it."
Emerald ran a hand over his face, taking a long moment to gather his thoughts and weigh his next words carefully. "Is it okay for me to tell someone about the vampire business?"
Eva said nothing, keeping her thoughts strictly behind her eyes.
"I know about the King's guards doing mercenary work in order to keep chaos at bay," Emerald continued, his voice laced with growing conviction. "But is it okay to subject the Kingdom and its people to live under total subjugation and fear?"
Eva blinked, genuine shock flashing across her features. She looked completely pulled into the web of dangerous truths Emerald was spinning.
Seeing her reaction, Emerald let out a soft, hollow laugh. "Oh, you didn't know anything about it either, did you? You see, Eva... everyone lies. We just hope the lies don't destroy the things we entrust to ourselves as righteous."
Eva looked down at the paper-strewn floor, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I want to tell you a story about my brother, and something he brought up a long time ago... but I guess it's not the right time to do so."
"I guess it is," Emerald interjected smoothly. "I have a friend. We've met before—his name is Isak." He took a small, sharp breath before pressing on. "Isak has a sister named Lenya. She's battling cancer, and he asked me if Eva is a vampire. What am I supposed to say? 'Yes, Eva is a vampire,' or 'No, she's just an ordinary, rich, spoiled girl'? What do you think is the most beneficial for your King and his little secrets?"
Eva's eyes wandered back over the scattered ancient texts. The weight of his words began to sink in, and an unmistakable look of guilt settled over her face.
"You're right," Eva said quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "Saving a friend comes with top priority... but aren't you being the villain in this? You should stick to what you were taught, and I think that's better."
Emerald frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You assert justice by helping your friend with a secret you're supposed to keep—endangering the stability of masses of people all around the globe, and risking our kind's survival in the process. So, what's the difference between you and the King?"
Emerald went completely quiet, his mind zoning out. Eva's words hit him like a physical blow, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
Before walking out of the room, Eva leaned down, picked up a thin leather notebook from a stack, and set it on the desk in front of him.
"These are research works from a couple of decades back," she murmured softly. "They learned that most human bodily ailments can be fixed with vampire blood... but no one knows if it works with cancer."
For the first time all day, a tiny spark of hope flickered in Emerald's chest, even as the heavy weight of doubt continued to loom over him.
Later that afternoon, Emerald sat on the same wooden bench near the hospital park, waiting. As expected, Isak appeared from the main entrance, looking exhausted. He sat down beside Emerald, taking a moment to adjust his jacket and rest his elbows on his knees.
They sat in comfortable silence before Emerald broke the quiet. "How's she doing?"
"Hanging in there," Isak sighed, staring at his shoes. "Hoping for the best."
"Why don't you come see her?" Isak suggested, glancing over.
Emerald stared off into the distance, his tone reflective and heavy. "Thinking back, my life has been too much of a gift. I was raised in a good family, met Eva, and now I'm married to her—I have everything I could ever ask for. But still, I'm worried about myself. The innocent little boy I was a few years back feels like he is dying. I once swore that I would be a righteous person for the people who need me, but look at me now... I'm far from there, and I can't turn back. I've got too much guilt in these eyes, Isak. I don't want to corrupt a warrior like her just by glancing at her."
Emerald looked Isak dead in the eyes as he spoke, watching the last glimpses of hope fade behind them, though the pool of tears held in Isak's eyes remained unspilled.
Reaching into his coat, Emerald pulled out the bound notes Eva had handed him and passed them over. "I came here to give you this."
Isak accepted the papers, opening the cover and immediately becoming immersed in the intricate medical diagrams and handwritten notes.
"I asked for help, but you got me more than that," Isak said, his voice thick with emotion as he looked up. "I don't know how I can ever repay this, Emerald."
"You're right and wrong at the same time," Emerald replied quietly.
Isak gave him a puzzled look.
"Eva isn't a vampire," Emerald lied smoothly, his face an unreadable mask. "But her family had ties with some researchers from the past, and that's how I got these papers. I don't know if it's helpful, but the doctors from a couple of decades back were able to cure certain blood diseases. Cancer is modern, though. The notes also state there's extreme risk in experimenting... so think things through, buddy."
Isak stood up, adjusting his coat over his shoulders. A warm, grateful smile broke across his face, and he let out a soft chuckle. "Guess the 'bench of lies' isn't a thing anymore, huh?"
Emerald watched as Isak turned and walked back toward the hospital entrance. Once his friend was out of sight, Emerald looked down at the old wood between his knees, tracing the faint, carved letters etched deep into the bench's surface:
The Bench of Lies
"To be continued"