The dawn broke crimson.
Not the gentle gold of sunrise, but the kind of red that bled across the sky - a warning written in light.
William stood at the highest balcony of the Supreme Tower, eyes narrowed against the horizon.
The air trembled faintly, thick with power. The wards etched into the building's bones hummed, each sigil flaring as if bracing for impact.
He could feel it.
Not just magic - the curse.
The pulse that tied blood and moon in an endless circle of love and ruin.
He muttered under his breath, voice rough with dread.
"The curse is awake again."
Below, the city was quiet - but he knew better. He could already sense the shift. The shadows deepened. The creatures would soon follow.
"War will come," he whispered. "Whether we're ready or not."
He turned sharply when the door opened.
Felix and Est stepped in - Felix looking unusually grim, Est clutching a cup of something that definitely wasn't coffee.
Even without words, William saw it - the way both flinched slightly, as if the air itself pressed too heavy on their lungs.
The curse had changed everything. Even the ordinary now carried weight.
Est rubbed his arms. "Is it just me or does the air feel like... alive? And angry?"
Felix's eyes glinted. "That's the curse, little human. It's awake. And if it's awake... then so is he."
William frowned. "He?"
Felix hesitated, then shook his head. "My teacher might know more. There might still be a way to undo the curse before it consumes both of them."
William folded his arms. "You're not going alone."
"I wasn't planning to," Felix replied, smiling faintly as Est raised a hand. "He's coming with me."
William's gaze snapped to Est. "Absolutely not. It's not safe outside. The creatures are multiplying by the hour - they're drawn to the curse's flare."
Est straightened, trying to match William's imposing stance. "Then send someone with us. But I'm not sitting here while Sky's fate is written without me."
William sighed - deeply, the kind that came from centuries of dealing with stubborn people. "You're all going to get me killed."
He turned to the door. "Fine. Joss and Gawin will go with you. Stay off the main routes. Felix - if you find your teacher, make sure he's not the one who woke the Mara."
Felix smirked. "If he is, you'll see fireworks from here."
"Don't test me, witch," William muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched.
He waved a hand to summon his own guard. "Billkin - you're with me. We're going hunting."
"Creature-hunting or clue-hunting?" Billkin asked, already reaching for his weapons.
"Both."
----
Meanwhile...
The Supreme's penthouse was still cloaked in silence.
Nani sat on the edge of the bed, a faint shimmer of light still tracing the healing sigils over his skin.
In his arms, Sky slept - his breathing steady, his hair tangled against Nani's chest. The Guardian's mark at his chest glowed faintly under the morning light, its pulse slow and steady.
Nani's fingers brushed through Sky's hair absently. The motion wasn't just tender - it was reverent. A man touching the one thing he thought the world had taken from him forever.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"You should've stayed away from me, Guardian."
Sky stirred, his hand tightening around Nani's robe - even in sleep, reaching for him.
Nani smiled faintly, a sadness in his eyes too deep for words.
"But I've always been selfish when it comes to you."
The sun rose higher, painting them both in gold and shadow.
For a brief, fleeting moment, it looked as if the curse had not yet remembered their names - as if the world had paused just to let them breathe.
Then, far away, something screamed.
A creature - broken, half-alive, howling under the new light.
Nani's eyes snapped open.
The day had begun.
And with it, the end of peace.
----
The room was still dim when Sky jolted awake - heartbeat drumming fast, breath sharp. The echo of screams still rang in his blood. His mark burned faintly, pulsing against his ribs like a heartbeat not his own.
He pushed the sheets aside, ignoring the ache running down his spine.
Someone was dying. He felt it. The Guardian never ignored a call like that.
He was halfway to the door when a hand caught his arm.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Nani's voice - low, commanding - sliced through the silence. He stood in the doorway, robes of dark silk half-open, the pale lines of his sigil still faintly glowing beneath his skin. His gaze held calm... but the calm that came before a storm.
"There's an attack," Sky said, pulling his arm free. "I can feel it."
"I know," Nani replied evenly. "And I'll handle it."
Sky frowned, his jaw set. "Then I'm coming with you."
"No."
That single word, sharp as a blade, made the air tense.
Sky met his gaze, defiant. "You can't keep me locked in here like some pet."
"Pet?" Nani's brow arched slightly. "You've been called worse."
"Maybe," Sky shot back, taking a step forward, "but I'm not helpless. You can't keep protecting me like-"
"Like what?" Nani's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Like I care if you live?"
The silence cracked between them.
Nani exhaled slowly, his tone softening but no less firm. "Sky, your power isn't stable yet. If the wrong eyes see you, it will undo everything I've built to keep you hidden."
"And if you die?" Sky snapped. "What happens then? Who's supposed to protect you?"
For a moment, Nani didn't answer. The words hit deeper than they should have. His gaze flickered - brief, unguarded - with something old and pained.
But then the mask returned.
"You forget what I am," he said quietly. "I've lived longer than empires."
Sky stepped closer until only inches separated them. "And still you bleed like anyone else." His tone softened, almost a whisper. "Let me stand beside you, not behind you."
The tension between them twisted - stubbornness and care, dominance and defiance colliding like storm fronts.
Finally, Nani let out a breath - part surrender, part warning.
"Fine," he said. "But you stay within my reach. You follow my lead."
Sky's lips curved, faintly, triumph hidden behind restraint. "Whatever you say, Supreme."
The title rolled off his tongue like challenge and affection in one breath.
Nani didn't reply - but the faintest smile touched his lips as he turned away, the air rippling with power as both vanished into shadow.
----
Deep within the forest north of the city, four figures trudged along a dirt path lined with ancient trees and an unreasonable number of mosquitoes.
Felix swatted at one. "I swear these bugs are demon-spawn. Why is every powerful witch always hiding in the middle of nowhere?"
Est ducked under a branch, huffing. "Maybe because they don't want to be found by loudmouth apprentices."
"Harsh," Felix said. "But fair."
Behind them, Joss and Gawin moved in perfect formation - silent, alert, their eyes scanning the shadows.
Joss's stance radiated command; Gawin's presence was steadier, sharp focus honed through centuries of protection work.
"Relax," Felix called over his shoulder. "If anything attacks us, I'll just feed it a bad potion. Works every time."
Gawin muttered, "That's exactly what worries me."
Est grinned, catching the tone between the two vampires. "You know, for a security chief and his second, you two have remarkable chemistry."
Joss's head turned slowly. "Excuse me?"
Felix smirked. "Don't pretend you didn't notice, Joss. The way you look at him like you're ready to scold or kiss him - it's basically the same expression."
Gawin sighed. "Witch, do you ever stop talking?"
"Not unless I'm paid," Felix quipped.
Est added cheerfully, "Or distracted by something shiny."
"Like you?" Felix teased back.
"Exactly."
Joss pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering, "Remind me why we didn't leave them at the lab."
"Because," Gawin replied, dry as old wine, "William would kill us."
"Correct," Felix said brightly. "And speaking of death - if we don't find my teacher soon, we might actually die of mosquito bites."
As if summoned by complaint, a voice drifted through the trees - high, theatrical, and mildly offended.
"If you're going to insult my forest, at least do it with respect!"
Felix froze mid-step. "Oh no. He heard me."
The trees parted, revealing a man in bright silk pajamas, messy hair like a storm cloud, holding a teapot that glowed faintly green.
PP grinned wide, eyes twinkling. "Felix, my favorite disaster! You brought guests! And vampires - how exotic. Do they bite?"
Gawin deadpanned, "Not if you stop talking."
PP gasped, delighted. "Oh, he's snarky. I like him."
Felix groaned. "Everyone likes him. It's infuriating."
Est leaned toward Joss, whispering, "You might have competition."
Joss gave him a flat look. "Not helping, Est."
PP clapped his hands together, unbothered. "Well! Come along, children of chaos! I was just brewing tea that may or may not explode. Perfect time for guests!"
Felix sighed. "Every time I visit, I lose years off my life."
"Good thing you're aging well," Est teased.
The group followed PP deeper into the eccentric witch's lair - the air thick with the scent of herbs, starlight, and the faint promise of disaster.
----
Inside PP's home, the air shimmered with magic - the kind that hummed in your bones and made the hairs on your neck stand.
Shelves sagged under bottles of glowing liquid, dried herbs, and jars filled with things better left unmentioned. The table in the center was cluttered with scrolls and crumbs from what looked like three different meals.
PP poured tea into mismatched cups and beamed proudly.
"There! Tea of clarity. Helps you see through illusions, liars, and bad lovers."
Felix raised an eyebrow. "So... like therapy in a cup?"
"Exactly," PP said cheerfully. "Except this one might kill you if you're not pure of heart."
Est froze mid-sip. "You're kidding, right?"
PP smiled. "Of course, darling. Probably."
Joss exhaled slowly. "Why are we here again?"
Felix rubbed his temple. "Because I need his help. There's something wrong with the venom. It reacts to Sky's light like it knows him."
PP's grin faltered. He leaned over the table, eyes flickering gold for a heartbeat - the humor gone. "Knows him... or calls to him?"
The room seemed to dim at his words. Even the candles flickered, uneasy.
Felix frowned. "What do you mean?"
PP's voice dropped, soft and deliberate. "The venom carries memory. It's not born - it's reawakened. Someone tore open the old seal and called back what should have stayed buried."
"Who?" Est asked quietly.
"That," PP said, tracing a sigil in the air with one slender finger, "is the question every fool should be afraid to ask."
He looked at Joss, then Gawin - his smile returned, faint, crooked. "You feel it too, don't you? The pull toward the Supreme's court. The darkness gathering at his walls."
Felix's expression hardened. "You're saying someone wants to awaken the Mara?"
PP nodded slowly. "Not for power. Not for war." He turned, his gaze going distant. "But for something far more human."
"What could be more dangerous than power?" Est whispered.
PP's eyes glowed faintly, the gold swirling like trapped light.
"Love," he said simply. "The kind that's refused for centuries."
Silence. Even the forest outside seemed to still.
Felix exchanged a look with Joss - uneasy, knowing. "So what do we do?"
PP's lips curved into a cryptic smile. "Find the one whose heart beats for vengeance disguised as devotion. Before he finds him."
Before anyone could question, a gust of wind swept through the windows, scattering scrolls across the floor. One unrolled at Felix's feet - a faded sketch of two figures entwined in firelight:
The Prince of Blood and The Guardian of the Moon.
The edges of the parchment burned - curling into ash before anyone could touch it.
Felix whispered, "Someone's already made their move."
PP straightened, his expression unreadable. "Then let the game begin."
----
Far away, in the city below, the moonlight fractured over glass towers - and somewhere within those shadows, a figure watched the skyline with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"If I cannot have you as my equal, Kieran...
I will have you as my ruin."
The wind carried the faintest echo of laughter - soft, elegant, and cruel.
And the curse began to stir.