Introduction
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Oiseau et Ciel — The Vampire of the d'Apchiers is the thirty-first chapter of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas.
Summary[]
It was the latter half of the sixteenth century—or so they told her.
Chloé d'Apchier looks up at her father with wide eyes. Her father tells her she mustn’t leave their Château without his permission; she says she won’t. Her father tells her to always be with an attendant and have her face hidden with a hood when going outside; she says she will. Her father tells her—no matter what, she must not let the humans outside ever find out that she’s a Vampire; she promises her father that she won’t.
Chloé was four years old when she had awoken as a Vampire. During this era, the Babel Incident had already occurred and the scars left behind on the world were just starting to fade. “That sort of thing” was common—those who survived Babel would have their existences rewritten without even knowing it. Just as young toddlers would steadily learn how to walk as they grew, some of those children would have their eyes turn red out of nowhere. It was all due to the effects of Babel, which had destabilized the World Formula, thus manifesting these odd sorts of phenomenon. Chloé’s father had lovingly stroked her cheek and assured her that she’ll be alright. He promised that he would save her and return her humanity. Chloé smiled and said, “Yes, Father.” She stopped aging at eleven years old. Publicly, Chloé was announced to have died of illness, and she continued to live as the d’Apchier family’s “hidden Vampire.” Chloé’s father would then dedicate his work to this task. He gathered information that had been first discovered by the man who caused Babel, Paracelsus, and assembled the most famed magicians and alchemists in a castle hidden deep in the mountains. There, their research on the World Formula began in full. A young Chloé would watch as her father and his researchers worked to return her humanity and quietly look away.
Her father lovingly and shakily stroked Chloé’s cheek and assured her she’d be okay, he’d return her humanity, and Chloé in tears said, “Yes… Father.” Her father lying in his deathbed died surrounded by their family, with Chloé sitting closest to him as he passed. Chloé dressed in her black mourning clothes would continue watching over the rest of her family as they were born and lived and died, all before her and all around her.
It began as the desperate wish of her father, fueled by his love for her. The next head of the family, Chloé’s brother, then promised to her that he would carry out their father’s wish in his place—that he’d make her human again. But time would pass and things would change, and little by little so would the nature of that wish. The next head of the family would speak with their researchers and laugh with excitement, realizing the power they held. If they completed their theory, neither Vampires nor even the Church would ever pose a threat to them ever again. Eventually, the wish held by those numerous generations of the d’Apchier family became to unlock the mysteries of the World Formula, to “extend their reach into that sacred territory.” And Chloé saw it all with her very own eyes. She watched over them through all the years since her Vampiric awakening. She lived alongside the d’Apchiers.
“So you’re the Chloé d’Apchier?” One day, a new and strange voice calls out to her. A figure steps out of the shadows and into the room Chloé stands in. Chloé recognizes him as the new researcher who was pointed to arrive that day, and she wonders how he knows what she is. As he continues forward and steps closer to her, her heart races with a completely new feeling. She comes to a realization and, though she doesn’t know exactly how, she can tell: he is a Vampire too—he shushes her. While holding his hand before her face, he warns that with the times being as they are, she shouldn’t say that word so easily. Chloé looks up at the man, fiery and unkempt red hair put in a braid and golden eyes, as he calls her “mademoiselle.” Then he corrects himself, that Chloé is far past the age to be called mademoiselle, and instead says “madame.” Chloé is irritated.
This man was August Ruthven, and he was present due to the research started by her father. He was the first Vampire she’d ever met aside from herself. They walk together through the Château, and Ruthven points out the interesting objects strewn about the residence that seem to resemble musical instruments. Despite being annoyed that she has to show him around the place, Chloé explains that the instruments are mechanical and play automatically. Through their research, the d’Apchiers found that interfering with the World Formula required using some sort of medium through which said Formula could be connected. Due to humans not having eyes that link them to the World of Formulas, the d’Apchiers chose their medium to be sound.
Chloé finishes her explanation by looking down at him with condescension and admonishing him for coming to the d’Apchiers but not even knowing the bare amount about their research. She tells him he has “a gross lack of study, child.” Ruthven stares at her. She then giggles with delight and asks if it was rude for her to not call him “monsieur.” Ruthven grins and pulls her into a hug with a boisterous laugh. He compliments her wit and announces the two of them to be great friends, to Chloé’s bewilderment. Ruthven continues: if a device able to rewrite the World Formula can truly be created, it will light up the world like a bonfire and show a better way. Chloé absorbs this, his words about “this world,” with intrigue and comes to a realization as she reads over her books. She’s never even given thought to the outside world before, as previously her world has only ever been the Château she lives in and the mountains of Gévaudan surrounding it. Chloé stares out the window into the landscape of Gévaudan and clenches her fist.
One day she catches Ruthven eating a meal while studying some books, and asks him what he meant by “times being what they are.” Ruthven asks her if she genuinely doesn’t know a thing about what happens outside these walls, and Chloé goes silent with embarrassment. Ruthven answers: a terrible war. Endless violence is being waged between Vampires and humans, specifically the Church who deem Vampires to be heretics deserving of death. Vampire hunts in which countless are massacred take place everywhere, as do inquisitions where both Vampires and humans are tortured and killed just for seeming “suspicious.” At these stories, Chloé grows pale with horror, not only at their grotesque nature but that she never even knew all of that was happening. Ruthven smiles kindly and says her family must not have wanted to worry her. The Château they’re in has a power hindering recognition, making it unlikely that any outsider such as those from the Church will catch wind. But just as Ruthven did, it’s possible to hear word of the place from others and come in through that method, so he advises her to be careful. Chloé stares him down and says, in other words, she needs to be careful of him. Ruthven pauses to look up at her, and says “absolutely” as he’s the most suspicious one present. Chloé snaps that she’s serious. She asks him why he wants to be involved in the d’Apchiers’ research, if he wants to use it as a weapon in the war, or if he wants to report their family for the forbidden research. Which side is he on—
“Are you a friend of the Vampires? Or do you side with the humans?!”
Ruthven answers that he’s neither.
“Chloé… I like Vampires. And, in the same way, I like Humans.”
Because of that, all he wants is to end the conflict between the two. Nothing more.
Chloé stares at him with awe. For some reason, she didn’t know why, she felt a deep envy towards him. Time passed, and Ruthven would go on to spend several months at the Château d’Apchier devoting himself to their research. Only to one day disappear, out of nowhere and without another word. He came back half a year later. His return was just as abrupt as his arrival, Ruthven popping up from the castle walls and frightening Chloé. He would come to check on the progress of the d’Apchiers’ research, tell Chloé tales about the outside world, then vanish all over again. This would happen over and over many times, until Chloé came to look forward to her Vampire friend’s visits. She would look out the window of the Château and watch the snow fall outside while wondering about Ruthven.
One day, Ruthven comes to visit Chloé and ask a favor of her. Along comes a little girl with golden eyes and pale hair pulled back into a braid. She introduces herself as Jeanne, a student of Ruthven’s, and boisterously thanks Chloé for taking care of her. Chloé marvels at how energetic the little Vampire is, and Ruthven as he patted young Jeanne’s head says he wishes to attend an assembly with her parents. Thus, he’ll have to leave her with Chloé, as that is the safest option. Chloé grows worried that the conflict outside has accelerated to such a degree. Ruthven reassures her; while it is indeed dangerous out in the world at that time, what he meant was that no average Vampire could handle Jeanne. Ruthven thanks her once again. Chloé is confused.
Later, Chloé finds herself chasing Jeanne down the corridors of the Château at full speed, yelling frantically that the girl needs to get back to her studying. Jeanne never once listens; she runs down the halls while shrieking with excitement, twists herself out of the way every time Chloé comes even close to catching her, and leaps up several flights of stairs at once through their chase. Chloé has to take a breather, amazed at how agile the girl is, while Jeanne jumps in the air several times her own height. Jeanne then looks out the window and notices something that peaks her interest. Chloé after catching her breath says they need to return to the schoolroom, only to turn and find Jeanne gone. She looks out the window and there Jeanne is, running right out of the Château. Chloé pales in absolute terror. She runs out after Jeanne while clad in a black cloak to cover her face and says with growing dread that she can’t go outside. Jeanne doesn’t sense Chloé’s fear however, only telling her that she found a terrific place from the window. She smiles brightly, radiantly, and tells Chloé to come with her. Chloé stares at her. Jeanne starts running into the forest. Chloé follows right behind her.
“You mustn’t leave this castle without my permission.”
Chloé runs at full speed through the forest.
“When you go outside, always hide your face with a hood.”
Chloé’s hood flies off her head, the wind rushing into her face and leaving her flushed.
Chloé stops in a clearing and calls to Jeanne, asking where she is. Jeanne leaps up from her hiding place in the bushes and jumps out at Chloé. She tackles herself right into Chloé, whose cloak flies off. The two of them land on the ground together.
Chloé stares up into the world. The ground against her back, the light of the sun beaming on her face, the flower petals fluttering in the wind, the grass and the trees and the leaves and the mountains and the skies around her. The world that she is living in.
Chloé looks at it all.
Jeanne is rolling around beside her, giddy and childish and joyful laughter accompanying her as the both of them, together, lay upon a bed of blooming flowers. It was the first of so many things for Chloé. The first time she’d rebelled her father’s instructions, the first time her heart beat so loudly, the first time she felt the earth and the wind and the flowers upon her form, enveloping her in their warmth. All of it, all so new to her. Chloé looks into the bright blue sky and she starts to cry.
“Funny, isn’t it? I thought… quite seriously, mind you… that if I was going to die, I’d like it to be now.”
Characters[]
- Chloé d'Apchier*
- Chloé d'Apchier's Father*
- Paracelsus (Mentioned only)
- August Ruthven*
- Jeanne*
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- Oiseau et Ciel is literally translated as "bird and sky" from French.
[]
v - e - t | The Case Study of Vanitas Chapters |
---|---|
Parisian Excursion Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 |
Bal Masqué Arc | 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
Hunters of the Dark Arc | 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 |
The Beast of Gévaudan Arc | 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 34.5 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 38.5 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 |
Amusement Park Arc | 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 54.5 • 55 • 55.5 • 56 |
Miel Incident Arc | 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 61.5 • 62 • 62.5 • 63 |
Intermissions | 15.5 • 46.5 • 51.5 • 60.5 |
Volumes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 |
Omake | Romance is a✰LOVE MISSION |
Other | Vanitashu no Karute • Author's Notes |