At the Londland Home
The old wooden door was thrown open with a violent force, shattering the silence that usually blanketed the Wolf family estate deep within the lush, emerald forest. Alfred, a middle-aged man with silver-grey hair and Alicia's father, turned sharply. His eyes clouded with immediate dread as he took in the grim expressions on Edward's and Henry's faces.
"What happened?" his voice barked, hard yet laced with an undercurrent of agitation. "Why have you come in such a rush?"
Edward stood frozen, his heart hammering against his ribs, his lips parched and wordless. It was Henry who finally forced the words out.
"Alicia... she's disappeared."
The sentence struck Alfred like a lightning bolt to the chest. His eyes widened in shock. "What? Gone? Since when!? Who was the last person to be with her?"
Heavy footsteps thundered from the upper floor before the tall, imposing figure of a young man descended. His face was set in a mask of savage fury, his golden eyes glowing with a predatory light.
"What did you say?" Lone Wolf, Alicia's older brother, growled low in his throat. "My sister is missing, and you...!" He pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at Edward. "You were the last one with her, weren't you!"
Edward could find no words to offer. He cast his gaze downward, the crushing weight of guilt making it nearly impossible to breathe.
"I'll kill you!" Lone Wolf lunged with the raw strength of a wolf warrior. His fist swung directly for the young vampire's face. Thud! The sound of impact echoed—one punch, then another. Just as the final blow was about to land, Henry threw himself between them, intercepting the strike.
"Calm down!" Henry shouted, his right hand gripping Lone Wolf's wrist tightly. "Edward is grieving just as much as we are. He didn't mean for—"
"He couldn't protect her!" Lone Wolf roared, his rage vibrating through the hall. "This is my sister! Your lover! And you let her vanish!"
Edward remained motionless, making no move to defend himself or even look up. His eyes were swallowed by the shadows of his own remorse.
"Enough, Lone Wolf!" Alfred's voice rang out, cold and commanding—the authority of a father capable of stilling any storm. "Do you think venting your blame on him will help Alicia?"
Lone Wolf gnashed his teeth, his breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps. He violently wrenched his hand away from Henry and stepped back, simmering with resentment.
"How could she just disappear?" Alfred asked.
"It was Luciria's doing..." Edward's voice was faint, but it cut through the room. Everyone went still, as if the world had stopped turning for a heartbeat.
Alfred narrowed his eyes. "Luciria... who is that?"
"She is a vampire resurrected through black magic," Henry explained, his tone grim. "She serves Tyler... she is one of his most terrifying subordinates."
"She infiltrated Alice's workplace," Edward continued, his voice trembling slightly. Alfred pressed a hand to his mouth, his eyes shimmering with shock and pain. Lone Wolf stood stunned, his mind reeling at the mention of Tyler's name.
"My sister... risked herself for others again, didn't she?" Lone Wolf hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "And how could you let that happen!?"
Edward didn't answer. He simply squeezed his eyes shut and balled his fists until his nails bit into his palms.
"Enough, Lone Wolf!" Alfred repeated, fighting the tremor in his own voice. Lone Wolf exhaled sharply and turned his face away.
"What matters now is finding her," Alfred said with absolute resolve. "We will not leave my daughter in their hands for a moment longer than necessary."
"I will bring her back," Edward looked up, his eyes wavering but filled with a new, steel-like determination. "No matter what it costs, I promise."
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Lone Wolf spoke in a low, menacing rumble. "If you fail... next time, I won't stop at a single punch."
The Haller Family Basement
After delivering the news to the Wolf family, Edward returned to the Haller Manor with a broken heart. He walked aimlessly through the dark, cavernous halls before stopping at the heavy iron door of the basement. It was the only place where he felt a lingering trace of family.
He slowly pushed the door open. The damp, chilled scent of ancient stone and the dust of ages hit his senses. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the void until he stopped before a glass sarcophagus. Inside lay the motionless form of Hill Haller.
"I'm sorry..." Edward whispered, his voice sounding like a final, desperate breath. He collapsed beside the coffin, eyes clamped shut as his body shook from the suppressed emotions within. Tears fell, splashing against the cold stone floor.
"I... I couldn't protect her, Father..."
In the oppressive silence of the basement, his sobs echoed like a cry for help to another world. Suddenly, a sensation pricked at his consciousness. It wasn't a sound from the outside, but a gentle tide of thought flowing into his mind without words.
"Edward... you have not lost yet..."
His eyes snapped open. His lips parted in disbelief. "Father...?"
"Your heart is wounded because you love... hold fast to that love. it shall be our true power." Edward trembled, a spark of hope finally igniting in his eyes. But at that same moment, he felt a shift within the glass coffin. A dark, violet radiance began to pulse from within. The faint sound of cracking glass grew louder, spreading across the surface like a web.
"Father... don't—!"
"I have decided... my son needs me, and my duty to this world is not yet finished."
CRACK! The glass shattered as if struck by a magical shockwave. Hill's body slowly rose from the coffin amidst a swirling mist of black vapor. Dark veins etched themselves across his pale skin. He opened his eyes, revealing deep crimson orbs that had been dormant for years—his physical form surging with restored power after years of slumber within the glass.
"My son... you shall not walk alone."
Edward stood and threw his arms around Hill, clinging to him as if he had hungered for his father's embrace for a lifetime. Hill looked down at his son with eyes that were both tender and formidable, a complex blend of sorrow and love reflecting in those crimson depths.
"You look older than the last time I saw you," Hill's deep, soft voice cut through the silence. "But in your eyes... you are still that child who used to hide behind my cloak when you had nightmares."
Edward couldn't hold back his tears; his entire frame shook. "I... I failed... Father, I let her vanish right before my eyes! I didn't even have the strength to protect the one I love!"
Hill knelt before him, gripping his son's shoulders firmly. "No one can protect everything forever, Edward. You are human in spirit, not yet a full vampire."
"But I don't want it to be too late..." Edward looked up, eyes swimming with blood-red tears.
Hill gave a faint, knowing smile. "That is the very reason I have awakened. I once swore to sleep so that the darkness within me would not consume you. But today—you are fighting alone. I... will not allow that to happen again." Hill's other hand reached up to touch his son's forehead gently, a strange warmth radiating from his hand that should not have existed in a vampire.
"We will bring her back... together." Edward closed his eyes tight, feeling a new sense of faith taking root.
Hill rose to his full height, his back as straight and unyielding as a stone wall. His footsteps rang out with authority as he walked toward the shelves of ancient family grimoires.
"What are you going to do, Father?" Edward asked softly.
Hill pulled a heavy, weathered tome from the shelf, flipping the pages with precision. He spoke slowly: "We begin by tracing the path of darkness that took her... We will hunt the demon named Luciria before she can consume Alicia's life entirely."
"I want to inherit the full vampire lineage," Edward interjected. "I want to end this once and for all."
"After we save Alice, I will give it to you, my son."
The Severed Connection
Inside the dim bedroom, the meager light from a flickering torch did little to banish the biting chill. The atmosphere was as suffocating as the state of Edward's mind. He sat huddled in a corner of the room, gaunt and hollow-cheeked, having barely moved since his father left to gather more information.
"Alice... where are you..." the whisper barely escaped his lips.
Edward furrowed his brow and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force open his psychic gates. He sent out a weak, instinctive pulse of energy, praying that some shred of their bond still remained.
Silence. Not even an echo.
He tried again, and then again. His psychic power felt like it was being sucked into an endless abyss. Only shadows... shadows of something that wasn't Alice. Faint, blurred images, eyes filled with terror, and a wordless plea for help... then everything went black. Edward lurched upward, gasping for air as if he were drowning, his body drenched in cold sweat.
"She... she isn't answering... why won't she answer me...?" His voice was a jagged rasp of confusion and agony. He collapsed back to the floor, exhausted. His heart felt as though it were being crushed by the fear that grew deeper with every passing second.
He hadn't eaten in hours—hadn't slept at all. His eyes were sunken, and his heartbeat had slowed to a crawl. Just then, the door was thrown open. Light spilled in from the hallway as Henry marched in, his expression a mix of frustration and deep concern.
"How long do you plan on staying like this!" Henry barked, his voice thick with worry. "Do you think Alice wants you to torture yourself this way!?"
Edward didn't answer. He stared at the floor, his face a blank mask. Henry walked over and hauled him up by the arm.
"I know you love her... but you'll never reach her if you die right here!" Edward snapped his head away, refusing to make eye contact.
"You've been trying to reach her, haven't you? And what? You heard nothing? That means—she's still there! She's still fighting and waiting for you! Don't let her waiting be for nothing!"
The words pierced through Edward's despair. He shut his eyes tight, his nails digging into his skin.
"...I'm afraid," Edward confessed in a broken whisper. "I'm afraid I'll be too late..."
Henry's voice softened. He stepped back and spoke with solemn gravity. "I'm afraid too... we all are. But we will never give up, because we are the ones she trusts most." He gripped Edward's shoulder firmly. "Stand up. Eat something. Take a breath and find your strength so you can protect her the way you truly want to... instead of sitting here waiting for her to be gone forever."
Tears rolled silently down Edward's cheeks. He nodded slowly in understanding and allowed Henry to help him up from the floor.