Several days later, strange things began to happen within the grounds of the school—things that almost no one noticed. Students from different classes started disappearing one by one, as if they had been swallowed by the world itself. No traces were left behind. Not even a cry for help.
Their classmates assumed they might have taken sick leave or gone home for family matters. No one imagined that darkness was silently creeping closer.
…
One evening, a junior high school girl walked quietly along the silent corridor of the administration building. She stopped in front of the office of the school owner—Tyler.
The heavy, luxurious wooden door stood tall like a wall separating the world of truth from the dark secrets hidden behind it.
She took a deep breath twice before knocking softly, hesitantly.
Knock… knock… knock…
Inside the room, it was dim. The only light came from a vintage desk lamp that cast a faint orange glow like the flame of a fireplace.
Tyler sat in the shadows behind a dark brown leather desk. His faint crimson eyes fixed on the door like a predator waiting for its prey to step willingly into its den.
A crooked smile appeared on his lips, and his cold voice broke the silence.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened. The girl raised her hands politely in greeting and stepped inside with innocent trust.
"Excuse me… I wanted to ask for some advice."
She failed to notice that the air in the room had grown unnaturally cold. The musty scent of old wood mixed with the faint fragrance of dried rose petals—as if trying to mask the metallic smell of blood hidden beneath the floor.
Tyler stared at her with eyes that were no longer human.
"Have a seat," he said politely, strangely calm.
"Well… I came to ask about a scholarship."
"A scholarship, you say…"
Tyler shifted slightly. His hand rested on the desk as if he were forcing himself to restrain his own instincts.
"What a coincidence. I'm currently reviewing additional names for this year. What's your name?"
"My name is Pim."
She bowed again in gratitude.
The light from the lamp cast a soft shadow along her neck. Beneath her smooth skin, the faint pulse of her veins moved gently.
Tyler swallowed hard. His hand tightened on the desk.
"You have a beautiful neck…"
Pim frowned slightly and touched the back of her neck in confusion.
"Um… is there something on my neck?"
The girl looked at the school owner—Tyler.
Thick shadows clung to every corner of the room. The deep red curtains were tightly drawn shut. A faint smell of death lingered in the air as though it had become part of the room itself.
The soft lamp light reflected on the old wooden desk, revealing countless scratches. Some looked like claw marks carved in frenzy. Others were so deep it seemed as if something had struggled desperately upon that surface.
Pim, an innocent girl, sat upright across from a beast disguised as a man.
She had no idea that the chair she occupied would become the place of her end.
"Sweet blood… must come from fear before death…"
Tyler's voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried a chilling coldness that made Pim's skin crawl.
She glanced around the room as a suffocating feeling crept over her—as if invisible hands were slowly tightening around her throat.
"Um… what did you say?"
But before she could ask again, Tyler's face suddenly changed.
His calm expression drained of color. Dark veins bulged beneath his skin. His eyes flared crimson with hunger.
He lunged across the desk with inhuman speed.
Pim barely had time to move.
A sharp scream pierced the room—but it was cut short in an instant as Tyler clamped a hand over her mouth. His black claws slashed across her throat, sending blood streaming down.
He stared into her eyes—eyes filled with terror, fear, and a silent plea.
"Please don't hurt me… I'm scared…"
His smile twisted grotesquely, no trace of humanity remaining.
"I want blood… filled with the flavor of panic… despair… and the sound of a heart breaking."
Then he bit down violently.
Savage. Brutal.
His sharp fangs sank deep into the girl's delicate neck. A faint cracking sound echoed as bone gave way before blood burst across the desk.
Pim thrashed wildly. Her limbs twitched helplessly.
Her eyes slowly dimmed.
Life drained away.
The sound of blood being consumed echoed through the room, bouncing off the thick walls like a dreadful hymn rising from hell.
When the girl's body finally went limp, Tyler slowly withdrew his fangs.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining his expensive suit like some grotesque decoration.
He stared coldly at the corpse before him.
Then he calmly took a black handkerchief and wiped the blood from his lips with refined elegance—completely at odds with what he had just done.
He stood and walked toward one side of the wall.
Pressing a hidden mechanism, a secret compartment opened beneath the wooden floor.
Inside lay bones, student uniforms, and cold scraps of flesh.
Without hesitation, he shoved Pim's body inside before closing the compartment again.
One by one, the lights dimmed.
Until only darkness remained…
…and the faint echo of Tyler's laughter lingering in the room.
…
Lunch Break – School Cafeteria
At noon, the school cafeteria buzzed with life.
The clatter of utensils against trays, the laughter and chatter of students mixed with the smell of food drifting through the air—hot mushroom cream soup, chicken cream spaghetti, and the aroma of fresh coffee from the toast corner.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary school.
Alice walked in carrying a tray with Edward. Together they returned to their usual table beside the large glass window overlooking the courtyard.
Henry was already sitting there.
His face was pale as paper. The sunlight filtering through the thin curtains made him look as if he might dissolve into the air at any moment.
"Henry, are you okay?" Edward asked as he sat down, concern clear in his voice.
Henry gave a small nod. His lips were dry like someone recovering from illness.
"The sunlight is too strong… the medicine helps a little, but not enough. I'll go rest for a while. Call me if anything happens."
His voice was as soft as a whisper.
Then his body slowly began to fade—like mist touched by sunlight.
From head to toe, he vanished.
All that remained was a faint layer of frost forming along the rim of his coffee cup.
"Hey!? Henry was sitting right here!"
Billy, a classmate who had just walked in, stared in shock. His eyes widened as he rubbed them, unable to believe what he had seen.
Edward froze for a moment before forcing a smile.
"Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you. The light reflects weirdly in here."
Billy looked at him suspiciously.
"But I saw him. He was right there."
"I didn't see anyone except Edward," another friend said while glancing around the table.
Edward lowered his gaze slightly, his hand tightening as if trying to suppress his unease.
Meanwhile, as Alice and Edward ate their lunch amid the noisy cafeteria, they overheard whispers from a group of first-year girls at a nearby table.
They were talking about their missing friend—Pim.
"Did she really disappear?"
"Yes… after the second class. No one can contact her."
Edward paused mid-bite.
Alice set her glass of milk down and stood up immediately, walking straight toward the girls.
"Your friend disappeared?" she asked seriously.
One of the girls nodded, her voice trembling.
"She said she was going to ask about a scholarship before second period… but she never came back. Her phone's been off ever since."
Alice frowned.
"Who did she go to?"
"The school owner's office."
Alice turned to look at Edward.
They understood each other instantly without speaking.
Edward's eyes hardened slightly.
Alice reached into her inner pocket and pulled out several small cloth pouches. She handed them to the girl and her friends.
"Take these. Keep them with you at all times."
The girls opened the pouches in confusion.
Inside were dried garlic and strong-smelling herbs.
"If something strange happens—if you smell something unusual or suddenly feel cold—crush the pouch as hard as you can and run to a teacher or leave the building immediately. Understand?"
Some of the girls went pale.
Others stared wide-eyed.
"Is it… to protect us from vampires?" one girl whispered.
Alice only gave a faint smile—not comforting, but more like a silent warning.
Then she turned back to the table.
Edward stood up immediately.
"They've started again…"
…
Evening – The Londlan Family Mansion
After school, Edward, Alice, and Henry arrived at the Londlan Mansion—the ancient home of a pure-blood vampire family standing on a high hill surrounded by dense forest.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
The air was cold, like the breath of the dead.
When they pushed open the large doors and stepped into the hall, the old wood creaked loudly in the silence.
Stone walls and a Victorian crystal chandelier cast warm orange light from the high ceiling.
Their shadows stretched long across the cold stone floor.
Uncle Alfred sat in a leather chair beside the fireplace, wearing a faded velvet robe. Wrinkles lined his face from years of suffering that never faded.
Yet his eyes remained sharp—like someone who had once hunted blood.
"At last… you have arrived," he said without turning.
Henry stepped forward and handed him a letter bearing Ethan's blood-red seal.
Alfred read it silently.
Then he spoke in a hoarse voice filled with rage.
"The time has finally come… the time to cleanse our pain… with his blood."
Edward stood still for a moment.
"Have you met Tyler before, Uncle?"
Alfred turned.
His gaze had become cold as ice.
"He's not merely a demon. He's a monster who took everything from me."
He looked at a portrait above the fireplace.
It was a painting of a woman in a silver silk dress. Her gentle eyes resembled moonlight, and her smile was so warm it could brighten the darkest night.
"She is Irene… my wife."
His voice trembled.
"She was human… but brilliant, brave, and possessed a heart greater than any of ours."
Alice stood silently, her lips tightening as she stared at the image of her mother.
"That night… Tyler came to me as a friend. He offered an alliance against the hunters. I was a fool… I trusted him… I invited him into my home."
His voice grew heavier.
"I spoke with him for only a few minutes. When I returned upstairs… Irene was gone."
"All that remained was the smell of blood… and her final whisper carried by the wind."
"…Help me…"
Alfred lowered his head, teeth clenched.
"Her body was never found. Some say he drained her dry. Others say he cursed her to become a shadow bound to him forever."
He looked at Edward with burning eyes.
"I swore to her soul… I would never let him take anyone again."
Silence filled the hall.
The firelight reflected on a silver dagger resting on the table—the very blade he had once intended to use that night.
"We will avenge her… and my parents as well," Edward said quietly.
"If I must give up my humanity… to protect everyone… then I will."
His voice was calm but firm.
Alice turned to him, her eyes trembling with emotion.
"But you might never be the same again…"
Edward stepped closer, offering a faint smile despite the sadness in his eyes.
"As long as you're still here… no matter how long it takes… I'll wait for you."
It was not just a promise.
It was a bond deeper than any oath.
A bond between life and soul.
Alice laughed through her tears.
"Don't expect me to be reborn ten times just for you."
Henry chuckled softly as he placed the letter onto the oak table covered with maps and journals.
He knew moments of laughter like this would not last long.
Darkness was coming.
Their laughter echoed through the vast hall of the Londlan Mansion, rising toward the high ceilings and Roman pillars.
But within Edward's heart lingered the shadow of doubt.
He knew the path ahead would change him forever.
And no one could guarantee that what he would become…
would still be him.
He closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And picked up a blade from the table.
A final smile before the storm.
"No matter what happens… I will destroy him."