Louis de Sade is alive, just saying
(warning: contains many gory/graphic scenes, but if you’ve read/are reading vnc you already know so moving on)
So you don’t think Louis’ still alive do you? You don’t think he survived even after being decapitated? You think he’s dead dead do you? Well, you’re wrong!
Louis de Sade was decapitated by his grandfather (un)affectionately known as “Teacher”, by Noe. I mean look:
Looks pretty clear, Louis’ dead and not in the vampire dead-but-really-undead/living-dead kind of way. Hard to argue with on-page proof like this, right? Right? WRONG!
Let’s back it up a bit.
Let’s talk about Teacher for a second. Why? You’ll see. We first heard about him in chapter 2 when Noe told Vanitas why he was interested in the Book. He was asked by Teacher to find the book and ‘see for yourself’. Pretty open ended instruction that even Vanitas commented on the ‘vagueness’ of it.
Next we meet the Teacher with Noe’s backstory and Louis’ story being revealed. The Teacher is Domi and Louis’ grandfather. He ended up buying Noe from kidnappers and taking him back with him to where Louis lived and Domi visited.
What’s the first thing that Louis said to Noe when he met them? Something sweet and welcoming? NON!
These words coming from a child, especially the GRANDchild of the person in question, gives you shivers trying to think of what’s in store. It really paints a layer of terror because what exactly does Louis mean? And what exactly does Louis know or has seen that makes him so sure of what he says?
Let’s go back to Louis now. We get a glimpse of Louis’ mind when Noe gets a taste of Louis’ blood and, because of his Archiviste powers, Noe look’s into Louis’ memories/mind.
Louis had been sent by his family to his grandfather’s house because he was ‘sick’. He wasn’t told what his sickness was.
And here’s where we finally get some more insight into the Teacher from his own mouth. The only reason Louis knew what ‘sickness’ he had was because the Teacher ‘accidentally’ left the papers out where he could access them. He made sure Louis knew what was wrong with him. Was it just to see how Louis would react knowing he was ‘destined’ to die? Who knows.
But Louis lived with his grandfather long enough to know that he had ulterior plans, plans which most likely wouldn’t favour Louis and his good health in the end.
So what do we know about the Teacher besides that he’s creepy as hell? He has no lines when it comes to his experiments, not even with family.
After that conversation, Louis started acting differently. More silent, more withdrawn. He became obsessed with the idea of death, unknowingly to Noe and Domi. He would carve stake after stake. It all came to a head when Louis, Domi, and Noe’s friend, Mina, was sentenced to death, which Louis already knew.
Louis knew there was no cure. He knew what would happen to him. When Domi and Noe were in danger from the curse bearer, Mina, Louis finally met the Charlatan.
Thus, Louis finally became a curse bearer himself. The last stage of this messed up pokemon evolution.
Instead of facing decapitation which is what he’d be sentenced to, Louis begged Noe to kill him right then, right there. Instead, the Teacher showed up and, without pause, decapitated his own grandson. Pretty messed up, right?
What’s interesting is that for someone who seemed so dead set on ‘observing’ Louis, the Teacher wasted no time on going straight for the kill. Now some people might argue it was a ‘mercy killing’ or something where he didn’t draw out Louis’ death any longer because Louis would ultimately face the same death sentence had he just been captured, but I don’t think so.
From Louis’ own mouth we’ve heard that his grandfather isn’t who Noe thinks he is. We know through Louis that he’s manipulative and calculating. We know he either conducts experiments himself or observes to see what reactions occur. He basically is a twisted scientist from what we’ve heard and seen.
Now this leads me to Vanitas’ backstory reveal and why I ultimately don’t think Louis is dead. Yes, this means we’re jumping forward.
Chapter 17 is a whole lot of information. We hear more about Vanitas’ past in this chapter. We find out that Vanitas was a test subject for Moreau’s sick experiments.
Moreau used to work for the Chasseurs but then was kicked out because they discovered he was doing side experiments that went against what they stood for: creating vampires. This was all because the Doctor wanted to become a vampire himself because he believes that they are the next step for human evolution. We learn that before Vanitas was known as Vanitas, he was referred to as No. 69.
We learn that Vanitas wasn’t the only experiment that was part of these experiments. There were more children children who went through unimaginable pain and torture during these experiments. Moreau later mentions another child, referred to as No. 71.
Switch forward a bit and we end up at chapter 27 now. Vanitas is feverish and Jeanne has hid them both away in a small cabin. While delirious, Vanitas mumbles out what sounds like the beginning of a name. It would have been missed but Jeanne heard it despite Vanitas’ mumbling so the focus of the narrative is brought to it.
What does this prove, you ask because you still aren’t convinced? It proves that Vanitas knows someone, most likely a child going from Vanitas’ own timeline, who’s name starts with ‘Lou’. Who have we, as an audience, met that fits this so far? DING DING DING: LOUIS GODDAMN DE SADE. The only place we know of so far, as an audience, where Vanitas could have met someone, especially another CHILD, was during the time he was kept captive as an experiment for Moreau. ‘Oh that proves nothing’ you say, unconvinced. FINE! Let’s keep going!
Let’s jump forward again to chapter 46. We’re introduced to a new character. What’s interesting about this one is it’s a child. A child that Vanitas knows. Mikhail, the child, reveals that he used to be known as No. 71. What does this mean?? BACKSTORY TIME!
WAIT ACTUALLY BEFORE THAT, LET’S HAVE A QUICK LOOK AT CHAPTER 46. 5!! Why?? You’ll see!
In case 3 of Chapter 46.5 we get another mini look at Louis, Domi, and Noe before Louis was ‘killed’.
Louis had gone into the woods and Domi and Noe find a book that Louis had been reading before he went.
Domi and Noe start panicking the longer it takes to find Louis because of the story Louis was reading.
Why is this significant? FORESHADOWING METHINKS!
Okay now back to the regular timeline with chapter 47.
I could go on and on about the tragedy of Mikhail but sorry Mikhail, this ain’t about you. We’ll just do a quick run through of his story to get the basics. Mikhail was saved by the chasseurs from a vampire after seeing his mother die when he was a kid. Unfortunately for Mikhail, Moreau was still hiding out in the catacombs during this time and had Mikhail taken for his horrific experiments. Mikhail, now referred to as No. 71 (the other number Moreau mentioned to Vanitas previously), ended up meeting Vanitas, No. 69. Soon after Mikhail learned the horrors of what was going on firsthand when they started experimenting on him. Vanitas, because he’s the kind who saves someone even when he was only a child too, volunteered to be the main test subject so Mikhail wouldn’t have to go through the torture.
Now here’s where I want to draw your attention:
When Mikhail and Vanitas are settling in for the night, Mikhail spots movement on the other side of their prison. Vanitas is the one to tell us about No. 70. Another child, another experiment. We learn that No. 70's is not part of the same experiments that Vanitas and Mikhail are part of and we also learn that No. 70 is mute.
If you don’t see where I’m going with this, let me spell it out for you: Louis could very well be No. 70! So let’s talk about the mini info dump we got about No. 70 and how it would connect with Louis.
No. 70 is not part of the same experiment as Vanitas and Mikhail. Why? If No. 70 is a child and they came after Vanitas (going by the numerical order), wouldn’t they automatically be part of the blue moon kin experiments? What would the purpose be to take Mikhail if they already have two children?
If it is Louis, here’s a possible explanation why No. 70 is not viable for the blue moon kin experiments. The blood of the blue moon experiments were done on living human children. Louis automatically would be ruled out for such experiments because 1) he’s a vampire and 2) he is/was killed. We could also add in a 3) he’s a curse bearer but we don’t know enough about Moreau and any experiments on curse bearers. By this logic, Louis would not be considered a prime test subject for the blue moon kin experiments because he doesn’t fit the basic requirements.
Vanitas believes that something happened before No. 70 got taken for experiments which is why No. 70 became mute. Louis, we know for a fact, was killed by decapitation. This would of course cause serious damage to the vocal cords and neck even if, through Moreau’s experiments, Louis was revived and made whole like a twisted Humpty Dumpty. We know the experiments that Moreau conducts breaks the children apart physically before healing them so it’s not implausible to see it done for Louis even if he was dead by that point.
Let’s connect it back to the fairytale that Louis had been reading before. A fairy and a child became friends and soon everyone, even the child’s horrible family, forgot about him despite the search parties they set up. The boy was always right there, despite the number of times everyone walked by him, they never noticed him.
How does this foreshadow Louis being No. 70? The fairy in this case would either be Moreau or the Teacher (who I’ll come back to), but instead of Louis willingly following the fairy, he gets taken (or given away). This means that the entire time Domi and Noe thought Louis was dead, he’d been right there all along, alive but wishing he wasn’t (remember Louis’ obsession with death through the method of carving stakes? Yeah I wish I didn’t either). The mini chapter with the fairytale had a happy ending with Domi and Noe reuniting with Louis. This could possibly be hinting at a possible (tragic?) reunion with Domi, Noe, and Louis if he is actually No. 70.
Let’s jump forward again! Here’s chapter 50!
Mikhail wants to know why Vanitas killed Luna, the OG Vampire of the Blue Moon. He tells Vanitas that the one who saved him, revealed that there’s a way to bring Luna back from the dead.
So does that mean anyone can be brought back from the dead? And if so, has it already been done? There’s another question to be asked but I’ll get to it in a moment.
During the heated argument between Vanitas and Noe, Noe is panicked and shouts out that he can’t lose Domi. Not like he lost Louis already.
Why is this significant? The focus very clearly focuses on Noe and how Mikhail eggs him on by bringing up Domi and her feelings of never being enough to get at Noe. But there are 2 small panels I’d like to bring attention to:
1) The panel where Vanitas first hears Noe say Louis (the white one)
2) And the panel of Vanitas right after he founds out who Louis was to Noe and Domi and how Louis died. (the grey one)
The first panel is just him reacting to hearing Louis name. Is this reaction because he’s just never heard it? OR is it because he has heard it before? It can be argued that the second panel is about Vanitas being shocked over such a cruel death of Noe’s friend BUT it looks more like Vanitas has been struck by a realization. What if that realization is that No. 70 and Louis are one and the same? It could potentially explain the look Vanitas has in that second panel.
Now to chapter 54.5! The big reveal at the end! So much happened!!!! OMG!
NOE’S TEACHER/DOMI’S GRANDFATHER FINALLY MAKES AN APPEARANCE!! Why is this significant, you ask? For so many reasons!
He deliberately waited and let Mikhail go as far as he could to ‘observe’ what would happen next. Who did he do this with before? That’s right! Louis! He observed Louis while he lived all the way up until the moment died. And the scene where he killed Louis, what happened? He thought he wouldn’t make it in time to save Noe or stop Louis. HOWEVER, what if he wasn’t actually just in the nick of time? What if he deliberately waited to see what would happen with Louis, like he did with Mikhail? What if he wanted to see what Noe would do? Would Noe actually kill Louis like Noe asked? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!
But that’s not why his entrance in this chapter had me screaming! Here’s what’s important!
IT’S CONFIRMED THAT THE TEACHER HAS A CONNECTION WITH MIKHAIL!! Mikhail, who was part of Moreau’s experiments. Experiments which showcased No. 70 who was rendered mute from something from their past.
In chapter 55 it’s confirmed that the Teacher was the one who told Mikhail there was a way to bring the dead back.
So the question is, why is the Teacher telling Mikhail that there’s a way to bring the dead back? Why is he so sure? Has he himself seen it and if he has, WHO? Who is the only person we’ve seen killed that has a connection to the Teacher? If you’ve been reading this train wreck of a post up to here, you definitely know what my answer is.
Basically what have I been yelling about from day one: Louis’ still freaking alive people!! I rest my case @ disbelievers.
If I forgot to come back to a point that I mentioned I would, feel free to yell at me! Politely. Yell at me politely!
If you disagree, that’s cool! I won’t tolerate any hate or rudeness though.
