In the profound darkness of the subterranean cavern, Tyler's breathing remained steady. Though his consciousness drifted amidst a void of malice, the swirling black mana surrounding him acted as a tether, nourishing his fractured life. Encircling the stone dais were nameless, grotesque silhouettes, their voices rising in a rhythmic, shadowy drone like a profane litany. From the cavern floor, plumes of ashen-gray energy spiraled upward like funeral smoke.
Amidst them stood a figure of chilling elegance.
Luceria—the pure-blooded vampire maiden, resurrected by Tyler's dark arts. Her flowing silver hair shimmered with a crimson glint; her skin was as pale as sunless snow, and her glowing violet eyes held a haunting depth. She traced a finger through the air, and a wave of frost rippled outward, cracking the cavern walls in long, jagged fissures.
"Greetings, Master…" she whispered, circling the dais where Tyler lay. "I heard your vengeful cry even from the depths of the dark dimension. I have returned… to restore everything."
Beside her stood a man in a black leather duster, his demeanor stoic and his pitch-black eyes devoid of emotion. This was Daren, Tyler's loyal right hand for over a century. Though he spoke no words, a single glance from Daren conveyed a blood-oath to annihilate anyone standing in his master's path.
"Prepare everything, Luceria," Daren commanded in a low rasp.
"When you awaken, Master… the blood of traitors shall be spilled to ignite the fires of retribution." Luceria laughed softly, her slender fingers stroking the ley lines of magic draped across Tyler's body. "I shall be your sword and your shadow… to hunt for you."
Dark power erupted from the cavern walls. There, at the very roots of the earth, death was being held in the embrace of an endless vendetta.
Istanbul City Center – After Hours
The towering glass monolith of the office building still flickered with dim lights from a few floors. Alice sat at her desk, sighing as she tucked documents into a drawer. In the evening hush of the office, thoughts of a certain someone crept in unbidden. The soft click of heels approached, and the door swung open.
"Still here, Alice?"
The woman spoke with a friendly smile. Her jet-black, shoulder-length hair fell in gentle waves. Though her new employee uniform was modest, Luceria possessed an exotic allure, as if she had stepped out of a world that shouldn't exist alongside ordinary humans. Alice returned a polite smile.
"You can just call me Alice. Luceria, right? You just joined the Project Development department?"
Luceria gave a small shrug. "Yes. Actually, I've admired you for a long time… I heard how brilliant you are, so I wanted to learn from the best." Alice chuckled softly, but then her eyes caught the circular black pendant hanging from Luceria's neck—an ancient sigil of the vampire clans.
"That pendant…" Alice murmured, the design hauntingly familiar.
Luceria quickly touched it, laughing it off. "An heirloom. I wear it because it keeps me calm… sometimes when I'm stressed, it makes me feel 'protected.'" Her words were cryptic, and the look in her eyes failed to explain exactly what kind of protection she meant.
Later that night, Luceria offered to walk to the elevator with Alice. Standing side-by-side under the sterile white light of the glass lift, Luceria spoke softly.
"Alice, have you ever felt like the people we love… might have sides we never truly know?"
Alice stiffened, her heart giving a strange hollow thud. "Why do you ask that?"
Luceria glanced at her, her intent veiled. "Just… sometimes people hide secrets so deep that we can never truly understand them. Like someone who vanishes into the night, only to return with bloodstained traces in their heart and sad eyes they never explain."
Alice's eyes widened. "You know Edward?"
"Oh?" Luceria feigned surprise and let out a sigh. "How clumsy of me. Did I let his name slip?"
Before Alice could press further, the elevator chimed at the ground floor. Luceria leaned in, whispering into her ear with a chilling tone: "Watch your heart carefully… those who dwell in the shadows rarely walk beside us."
With that, she stepped away as if nothing had happened, leaving Alice standing in a daze, her heart racing with confusion. Behind that smile, Luceria's plan was in motion: baiting Alice with secrets, eroding her trust in Edward, and leading her straight into Tyler's trap.
The Balcony of an Old Town Bar – Night
The Istanbul air was biting at the start of winter. Leaves crunched under the wind, and the silent shadows of the ancient capital whispered memories buried deep in the soul. At a window seat in a quiet cafe, far from the city's bustle, Alice sat alone. The amber glow of a chandelier cast faint shadows across her face.
She looked the same… yet her eyes lacked the spark Edward remembered. His footsteps were as light as a phantom's, but his heart hammered uncontrollably.
"Alice…"
She looked up. Her gaze was flat—no excitement, no joy. She gave a small nod, as if they had seen each other only yesterday rather than years ago. "It's been a long time."
"Yes." Her reply was short and icy.
Edward stood frozen. The longing he had carried for years felt as though it had been doused in freezing water. He fought to keep the disappointment from his face. "I thought of you… every night of training, every night I had to fight to survive. The thought of you kept me alive."
"But I never heard from you," Alice said, her lips tightening. "Not a message, not a sign. You vanished as if 'us' never existed." Her eyes flickered with a brief flash of pain before she looked away. "Because maybe… there is no 'us' anymore."
Those words pierced Edward deeper than any silver dagger. He instinctively took a step back. "Why, Alice? You've changed."
She gave a thin, cold smile. "Maybe we just grew up. I understand the reality now. You are… whatever you are, something I can no longer reach."
Edward stared at her, realizing there was something lurking behind her words. It wasn't just time that had changed her. The dark shadow in Alice's heart, Luceria's whispers, the suspicion seeping in—it had turned the woman who used to run into his arms into a stranger sitting in the cold.
"Is someone behind this? Behind what you're saying?"
Alice didn't answer. She avoided his gaze and stood up. "Goodbye… Edward."
She walked away, leaving him standing in the cold wind with questions but no answers. Yet, behind the veil of a glass curtain, a pair of blood-red eyes watched. Luceria stood inside, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Love…" she mused. "It is most hideous when it is distorted."
Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting mottled patterns on the gravel path. The air grew even colder as Alice walked briskly away from the cafe, her shoulders trembling—whether from the chill or the turmoil within, she didn't know. Footsteps echoed behind her. She caught her breath for a moment before a familiar voice called out softly.
"Alice… wait. Please."
She stopped, but didn't turn around. Edward approached, his shadow stretching beside hers in the moonlight. He appeared calm, but he was reeling inside.
"Are you angry with me? Or is it because I was gone too long?"
Alice remained silent.
"You never contacted me back. You didn't even answer my messages. No goodbye. Nothing."
She spun around, her eyes flashing. "Did you ever say goodbye to me?! Did you ever think of my heart when you disappeared like that?" Her voice shook, tears welling up despite her resolve. "I felt like I was dying inside, Edward. You were my everything, and then… you were just gone, like you never existed."
Edward stood stunned, struck by a truth he had never dared to face. "I… I had to go. I had to train, to protect—"
"But you never came back! You never sent word! You never even let me know you were still alive!" Tears streamed down her cheeks, her face flushed with a mix of rage and sorrow.
"Is there someone else?" Edward's voice dropped to a whisper.
"It isn't about someone new," she snapped. "It's about the person from the past… who left me with nothing but questions every single night."
Edward looked at her. The pain in her eyes was real, but there was something else—something wrong. He took a step forward, but Alice recoiled instantly.
"Don't come near me. Don't look at me like that ever again."
"You're hiding something… I can feel it," he said, his voice soft but intense.
Alice bit her lip, her eyes wavering, before she turned her back and hurried away once more. Edward didn't follow. He watched her retreating figure, her back shaking in the moonlight, his heart heavy with a single question.
"Alice… what has happened to you?"