Petrichor (2024)

Petrichor — The Thread That Reels in the Past is the fiftieth chapter of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas.

Summary[]

Mikhail hates pain, he hates cold. The torturous experiments he was forced through, the abuse his mother rained on him. He likes everything gentle and warm. The time he spent with his older brother and “father” as a family, the most joyful days of his life. He wants the three of them to stay together forever—a thought he repeats endlessly as the memory of the three of them slowly and surely warps in his mind.

“If it’s to make that happen… do you suppose you’ll be forgiven no matter what you do?”

Vanitas has arrived. He and Mikhail stare each other down, the latter smiling with satisfaction and the former’s eyes dark as the night. Mikhail releases his hold on Noé, who drops to the ground lifelessly. The music of the still spinning carousel plays as the background of the two siblings’ long-awaited reunion. Vanitas asks what Mikhail did to Noé, which Mikhail teases him for being worried. He answers that, as Noé knew nothing of their circ*mstances, he made Noé drink his own blood to have proper context for when he drinks Vanitas’s blood. Vanitas takes in his words, then he comes to a realization. Vanitas addresses Mikhail, who insists to be called “Misha,” and makes a guess—Mikhail remembers none of it. What had happened to the two of them on “that day” and why he killed the Vampire of the Blue Moon, “Luna.” Embarrassed, Mikhail stays silent. Vanitas quietly says, “I see.”

Mikhail pouts petulantly, but then smiles brightly as he declares that that’s not the only reason he’s there, he also came to pick Vanitas up. Vanitas stares at him with wide eyes. Both himself and Vanitas thought Mikhail was dead, with Mikhail himself having only hazy memories of what happened aside from the sensations of pain and cold, and the loss of his left arm. But he had been saved by someone—someone who told him that there’s a way to bring the Vampire of the Blue Moon back to life. Vanitas’s eyes fill with horror. Mikhail rejoices that they’ll be able to all be together again, and tells Vanitas to forget his “silly revenge” and come with Mikhail.

A gunshot rings out through the fairgrounds. Noé is still lying stunned and in shock on the ground. Mikhail’s mechanical dog had shielded him from the bullet, while Mikhail mockingly comments on the novel sight of Vanitas with a gun. Vanitas, more agitated and angered than he’s ever been, snaps at Mikhail. The idea of bringing the Vampire of the Blue Moon back to life enrages him so intensely—he’s been working to erase their existence all this time, and the idea of all that going to waste has him repeatedly shooting his gun. As for Mikhail, despite the rain of bullets upon him, he seems nothing but satisfied. Noé jumps in between them to stop Vanitas, recalling Mikhail’s threat, and explains that if anything happens to Mikhail, Dominique, still posed above on the ferris wheel, will drop. Vanitas looks up to her figure impassively.

From behind, Mikhail reminds Noé of what he asked for and gives him a time limit of fifteen minutes to drink Vanitas’s blood and view his memories for him. He also warns against trying to sneak to where Dominique is to save her, as she will jump if he goes anywhere near the ferris wheel. Noé goes white with panic. Vanitas orders Noé out of the way so he can deal with Mikhail, but Noé can’t abide because Dominique is being held hostage with Mikhail’s Book of Vanitas. Vanitas brushes this off as nothing to do with him. Noé is stricken by this, unable to refute it. He lunges forwards and desperately pleads Vanitas to tell him directly what happened in his past. Vanitas’s eyes widen. He knows it’s a self-centered request, but he doesn't want to do what Mikhail ordered him to. So he pleads Vanitas to just tell him—

Vanitas shoots at Noé. Noé who was starting to step towards Vanitas stops, the bullets that land at his feet keeping him from advancing any further. Vanitas coldly tells Noé off, that he has the wrong idea, that the two of them had worked together only for convenience’s sake. They’re strangers. Noé goes still. If one of them stops being useful to the other, simply cut him off. Noé remembers them laughing together joyously. If one gets in the other’s way, kill him. Noé remembers the smile Vanitas gave him while encouraging him to fight. They mean nothing else to each other and they know it. Noé yells at Vanitas, interrupting him. Vanitas goes silent and Mikhail is enraptured by the drama. Noé says none of that matters, because he can’t lose Dominique—especially when he’s already failed to protect Louis. Vanitas is confused, not recognizing Louis’s name. Mikhail to speaks up: Louis was Dominique’s older brother, who became a curse-bearer and was thus beheaded right in front of Noé and Dominique. Vanitas and Noé turn to him in shock. Mikhail explains that for the entire time, Dominique cried about how she wished she was the one to become a curse-bearer, that Noé would be happier if Louis lived instead.

Noé is in shock. He thinks back to his childhood—particularly, after Dominique had cut her hair in an attempt to imitate Louis. Noé had asked if Dominique was ever going to grow her hair back out again, clarifying that while he thinks her short haircut looks good on her, Dominique with long hair feels more like herself, which Noé also likes. Dominique had grasped at her then short hair with a distraught expression and asked if Noé really wouldn’t mind that. Noé in the present starts to tear up at this memory, finally realizing the depth of the pain Dominique had felt from that point up until now. Vanitas sharply interjects that all this is pointless, and they should commiserate on their own without getting him involved. He reminds Noé that if he tries to drink his blood, he’ll kill him so he should get out of his sight. Unless he wants Vanitas to deal with Dominique likewise so that Noé "will be free too." Vanitas mocks that Noé would no longer have to deal with "that nagging female" bothering him anymore.

Noé attacks Vanitas, fangs bared and aiming for his neck.

Vanitas looks at him. His wide eyes on those incoming fangs. A voice from his memories speaks up: referring to him by his real name rather than “Vanitas,” they tell him—never let anyone take his memories no matter what.

Blood splatters out into the night sky. Mikhail stares in surprise. Noé stumbles backwards and blood spills at his feet. Mikhail smiles in absolute delight. Noé is clutching at his face. He stares at his hand in surprise, stained with his own blood which drips from his injured right eye. Noé looks up. Vanitas has his smoking gun pointed at him, breathing heavily. Noé and Vanitas glare at each other. The sky above rumbles with oncoming thunder, clouds begin to collect, and rain steadily starts to fall around them as they stand off. Then Noé lunges for Vanitas.

Their collision is so violent that the resulting explosion can be felt all the way from up where Dominique stands atop the ferris wheel. She looks down with no emotion. Noé and Vanitas fight, the ensuing brawl between them wrecking the buildings and attractions of the amusem*nt park surrounding them. As they do, Mikhail laughs with pleasure and goads the two of them on. He snaps his fingers, making the fairgrounds light up and come to life and says, “Fight as if you're exorcizing a nightmare from this kingdom of dreams… and try to kill each other for dear life!”

Vanitas mutters to himself that if anyone tries to take his memories, he must kill them. No matter who they are, without fail, he must kill them—kill Noé. Vanitas injects himself with a dose of the Chasseurs’ serum and commands himself to “kill that vampire.”

Characters[]

(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.

Terms[]

Gallery[]

Coming soon!

Trivia[]

• Petrichor is a smell that accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

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