Chapter 6: The Stillness Before the Hunt
Silence reigned inside the abandoned palace.
A deep… heavy silence—so dense it felt as though the very walls were pressing inward, suffocating the space, trapping the air between broken, uneven breaths.
The girl's body was leaning against him, completely still—her breathing faint, shallow, barely audible, as if she stood on the very edge of fading away.
The young man slowly lifted his head from her neck.
A thin crimson line stained the corner of his lips.
He did not wipe it away.
He merely looked at it.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as though he were savoring something beyond the blood itself… something deeper.
"…Still weak."
He murmured softly.
There was no anger in his tone, no irritation—only a bare, cold truth.
He loosened his grip and gently laid her down on the bed beside him.
Her body reacted instinctively, curling in on itself slightly, as if searching for a warmth it did not understand.
It was as though the room had grown darker.
He turned his gaze toward the cracked window at the far end of the room, where a pale light slipped through, barely visible.
He whispered, as if speaking to the wind itself: Brother… I'm waiting for you at home. Come."
Then—something changed.
Not in the air.
Nor in the sound.
But within him.
His smile froze.
That faint amusement vanished, replaced by a sharp… lethal stillness.…Ah."
He raised his head slowly.
His eyes narrowed—like those of a predator that had sensed another presence.
That sensation…His fingers trembled slightly.
The room grew colder.
Outside, the town continued its calm morning.
Students walking.
The sounds of cars.
Life moving on… unaware of what watched it from the shadows.
And at the school gate—at that very moment—the place was noisy.
Alex felt the presence.
Familiar… far more than it should have been.
He released a low breath and whispered to himself: So… you're finally here, brother.
Inside the palace—the young man tilted his head slightly, as if looking through the walls, and across the distances.
"My little brother…He murmured—dangerously.
"…You've grown."
The smile returned.
Wider this time.
"Then let's make this entertaining."
He stepped back toward the girl and gently brushed a lock of hair away from her face—an action that stood in sharp contrast to the coldness in his eyes.
"Well then… my breakfast. Let's play."
He whispered.
The girl's breathing settled instantly, her body relaxing.
The young man muttered to himself, in a voice only he could hear:But… there is another presence besides my brother in this town."
His smile halted at the thin line between pleasure and caution.
"Someone… is playing a game here.
…
At the same time—deep beneath the town, hidden far below, there existed a vast cave, stretching into a complex network, branching in all directions beneath the ground, like black veins carrying a secret that was never meant to see the light.
Inside the cave, laboratory and medical research equipment was spread everywhere.
Devices blinking.
Suspended tubes.
Screens displaying incomprehensible data.
And dozens of people moved in silence, wearing white lab coats—faces rigid, steps precise, as though they were long accustomed to working in the shadows.
At the center—stood a young man and a young woman.
Before them… the veins of a massive tree.
It was no ordinary tree.
Its roots spread through the earth and the walls, as if it had once been the heart of this place.
But now—They were dry.
Dull.
As though life itself had been drained from them, leaving nothing behind.
The young man breathed slowly, then looked at the bespectacled girl and said in a low voice:
"Well then… does this count as a failure… or a success?"
The girl adjusted her glasses with a finger and hesitated for a moment before answering: Ah… sir, it's truly complicated."
She stepped forward half a step and looked at the withered veins with a cold, analytical gaze.
"There is still a chance for it to return… but the plan must be changed."
"It is completely unsuitable for the current plan."
Then she took out a small case, inside which a golden liquid glowed faintly.
"The decision is yours."
"If you wish to give it a chance… we may be able to revive the veins."
She paused.
"Or it may fail."
She raised her eyes to meet his.
"The success rate ranges from only fifteen to forty percent."
Then she added in a calmer tone: And in any case… even if it returns, it will not be suitable for use in the primary plan."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Sir… I believe we should begin work and proceed with the contingency plan."
Then she asked: Do you wish to give it a chance… to see the light once more?"
The young man extended his hand and took the syringe without hesitation.
He stepped closer to the withered veins.
And drove the needle into one of them.
He emptied the golden liquid completely.
Nothing changed immediately.
He turned toward the girl and said coldly,Alright… gather all the equipment."
Then he added, glancing around,We're leaving this cursed town."
His eyes narrowed.
"It seems a catastrophe is about to descend upon it."
"I want everything here cleaned out."
The order was given.
Within a single hour, the cave was completely emptied.
The devices were shut down.
The equipment was removed.
And the people vanished, one after another.
And in that moment—the veins of the tree trembled.
A faint sound emerged.
Weak.
As if… a heartbeat on the verge of stopping.
Then—A dim golden light spread inside the veins.
Barely visible.
Yet it did not fade.
Instead, it grew.
Little by little… then more.
The light extended through the veins, spreading deep beneath the town.
And the sound of the pulse—was weak.
Unstable.
But it grew stronger with every passing second.
Until—Some of the town's residents…Could hear it.
Time passed slowly—heavily—over Alex… unnaturally slow, as if the hours were being drawn from his blood, drop by drop.
Classes without meaning.
Faces passing before him.
And Lili's voice beside him… distant, muffled, as though it came from another world.
And when night fell—he returned.
Returned to the abandoned palace.
The moment his feet touched its cold floor, the sensation seeped into his bones.
A sharp feeling… absolute… unmistakable.
Adrian Ashthorne.
In one of the rooms.
And he was not alone.
There was someone else… a strange breath, an unfamiliar presence.
He did not head toward the source of that sensation.
But toward the kitchen.
Toward the refrigerator.
He reached out and opened the door.
—
White light spilled out suddenly… revealing the inside.
Blood bags.
Dozens of them.
Red, dark, piled without order, pressed together like lifeless bodies.
There was no food.
Nothing else.
Only blood.
He took one bag.
Tore it open.
And raised it to his mouth.
The warm liquid slid down his throat, its metallic taste spreading as his body responded instantly… with lethal relief.
He did not stop.
Not until the very last drop.
And when he finished—the remaining blood flowed as a thin red line across the cold floor,then the empty bag fell beside his feet with a soft sound.
He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
The blood smeared across his mouth.
The color grew darker… heavier… gleaming, as if alive, mercilessly reflecting the refrigerator's light across his face.
In the silence of the palace—he breathed slowly.
The hunger had calmed… but the red gleam remained in his eyes.
And at last, he closed the refrigerator door.
Then—Alex stepped into the cold corridor, his eyes fixed on the room at the end of the hallway.
Each step was met with the sound of slow breathing… calm… confident.
Then—A long shadow appeared at the threshold of the room, before a man with a heavy presence stepped forward…
Adrian Ashthorne.
Adrian smiled a small smile—half amusement… half madness.
"Welcome, Alex… you ran for quite a while this time."
Alex stood firm, the dried blood on his fingers reflecting the corridor's dim light, and said: Adrian… I didn't expect you to find me.
How did you know I was here?"
Adrian laughed softly and moved closer.
"My little brother…You know I can find you even if you hide behind the very light of the sun itself."
His gaze suddenly dropped to Alex's hand—the one where blood was still gleaming on the surface.
"I see you've been busy.
Alex said in a calm tone,It was just a blood bag."
Adrian raised an eyebrow with amusement.
"Hm… anyway, my little brother… it seems some stray wolves have been wandering in your territory."
Then he added coldly,And it also seems you've started enjoying life here…"
"With that beautiful girl."
Alex froze slightly, but Adrian continued without waiting for a response.
"Do you know what that means?"
"It's impossible for there to be love between a vampire and a human."
"A predator does not love its prey."
"She is bait… and that will never change."
He stepped closer, until his voice seemed to brush against the walls.
"But don't forget, Alex… you are my little brother… always."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Then Alex said coldly,You won't stay here long… will you?"
Adrian leaned toward him, a terrifying smile stretching across his lips.
"I'll stay… until I make sure you haven't forgotten what we are."
Then he turned away, heading toward the living room, leaving behind the scent of blood and night.
And before disappearing, he did not forget to say: Anyway, my little brother… I still have a beautiful prey I'm not done with yet."
"Would you like to join me?"
"Adrian… we must not violate the treaty."
"Is she ordinary… or one of the hunters?"
Adrian stopped—then burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahaha… my little brother, the game has begun."
"Good luck… to you."
"In falling in love with your bait."
His laughter faded through the palace, like a curse awakening with the night.
After Adrian's laughter vanished into the corridors of the palace… silence returned.
A heavy silence… filled with the scent of blood,
and the remnants of memories Alex did not wish to face.
He stood in the middle of the hallway, his bloodstained hand still resting at his side, the empty bag lying at his feet.
But something else was moving within him—something beyond hunger… beyond fear… beyond darkness.
Something that felt like… danger.
Alex slowly turned his head toward the door Adrian had exited through.
He followed the echo of his footsteps until it vanished completely.
Then he breathed.
Once.
Deep, heavy… as if his chest were trying to decide: fight? run? or hide?
Then he looked at his bloodstained hand.
He raised it into the air… and stared at the red color as it began to dry.
It did not bother him.
But Adrian's presence here—That bothered him deeply.
He whispered softly, barely audible:…Why now?"
He walked toward the sink, turned on the water, and let it flow over his hand like cold rain.
The blood dissolved gradually, twisting across his skin before slipping into the basin as a thin, weakened red thread.
But the scent… remained.
As if reminding him of what had happened… and of what was yet to come.
Alex raised his head toward the mirror.
His reflection stared back at him—outwardly calm… yet behind his eyes there was something sharp, fast-moving… something close to fear, close to anger, and closest of all to protection.
Protection from whom?
It was a question he did not try to flee from.
Lili.
He thought of the moment he met her.
The flicker of confusion in her eyes… the slight stutter in her voice that almost failed her… and that strange feeling he had not known for many long years:
Warmth.
Something a vampire had no right to feel.
Something Adrian would never allow him to have.
Alex shut off the water.
He gripped the edge of the sink with both hands until it trembled slightly.
Then he said in a low voice—steady… yet sharp as a blade:
"I won't allow you, Adrian."
He lifted his eyes to the mirror once more, and a new look formed on his face—a look of someone who had made a final decision.
"I won't allow you… to come near her."
He stepped away from the sink, moved toward the old window, and pushed it open slowly.
Night air rushed into the room… cold… heavy… bitter on the tongue.
Welcome to the return of danger.
Alex closed his eyes for a single second.
As if the darkness itself were breathing its soul into him, he murmured in a low voice, tinged with ancient bitterness: We are the children of the Black Moon Witch… we are the Originals, brother."
His lips trembled as he continued, as though his confession awakened a hidden curse between them: Brother… you are the one who wanted this."
The words themselves cast a heavy shadow over the room, as though blood and fate had finally clasped hands.
Then—He vanished into the shadows.
Not an escape.
But the beginning of a battle… where the heart is a weapon, blood is the price, and night is the only judge.