The next morning, inside the hidden assembly room beneath the Haller Manor
A long wooden table stood in the center, surrounded by familiar faces—Hill, Ethan, Henry, Uncle Alfred, and Lone Wolf. They sat in a heavy, suffocating silence. Edward stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"She's still there… Alice is alive. Her power is fighting against that darkness… I felt it last night."
Uncle Alfred's eyes widened, his hands trembling as he gripped his glass. "Are you certain? I dream of my daughter every night… but I've never been able to sense her."
Edward nodded, his voice unwavering. "I cannot say exactly where she is, but she managed to send a signal for a fleeting moment. It means she is still fighting; she still has the will to live. But something powerful is suppressing her—and it's no ordinary spell."
Lone Wolf, Alice's brother, ground his teeth and slammed his fist onto the table. "Then we can't wait! We have to go find her now!"
However, Hill raised a hand to stop him. "Impatience will only lead to failure. Tyler is no ordinary foe. We must unite all our strength… and plan this with absolute precision."
Edward continued firmly, "We will combine the powers of both lineages—Vampire and Werewolf—to bring her back before Tyler gets what he desires."
Henry, standing beside Edward, crossed his arms with a faint smirk. "And we won't let our young master go in alone."
Ethan, who had remained silent, whispered softly, "I will search for Alice's dream… She once told me that if she ever disappeared, I should look toward Lake Istanbul."
Alfred looked up instantly, his expression shifting. "That is where Alice's mother spent the final days of her life… a place imbued with ancient lunar power."
Everyone exchanged looks. Suddenly, their first destination was clear.
The Legend of the Moon Bloodline
The room fell silent once more before Alfred's heavy breathing broke the quiet. He stroked his silver beard pensively before speaking in a low, solemn tone.
"I never thought I would have to speak of this again…" His eyes scanned those gathered around the table. "Alice's blood… it isn't just ordinary werewolf blood. It is a lineage descended from the Progenitors of the Moon."
The room went deathly still. Edward looked on intently as Alfred continued.
"Ancient legends say that if the blood of the Lunar Lineage is merged with the Power of the Night—during a total solar eclipse, when the sun devours the moon—it will open the gateway to immortality."
Henry frowned. "A solar eclipse? Aren't those rare?"
Alfred nodded. "Yes… but the next one occurs in just a few days."
The realization hit them like a physical blow.
"That is why Tyler is moving so fast," Alfred said. "He intends to use Alice's blood—my daughter's blood—in a sacrificial ritual amidst the shadows of the moon and sun. He wants to turn himself into something… that can never die, and can never be defeated."
Edward clenched his fist, his eyes glowing a fierce red. "We will not let him have it… no matter the cost!"
Lone Wolf stood to his full height, his muscles tensed with rage. "He will not touch a single drop of my sister's blood."
Hill, leaning against the wall, watched them with a serious gaze. "We must hurry. Find their lair before that day arrives and shatter the ritual before it begins."
Edward nodded, his eyes blazing with resolve. "The time has come. It's time to bring Alice back and face the demon we once allowed to live."
The Strategy
Hill pointed to a specific area on the map—the dense northern forest bordering Lake Istanbul.
"Here… The Night Sepulcher. It is the site of an ancient altar used by the progenitor vampires."
Alfred studied the map, murmuring, "I've heard of it… The Black Monolith. It is etched with forbidden incantations used for life-force sacrifice."
Edward leaned back, his eyes a brooding crimson. "Alice… she will be there for the ritual. That spot aligns perfectly with the moon's zenith."
"Time is short," Henry added. "The total eclipse happens in three days."
Lone Wolf hammered the table while Ethan calculated the exact timing of the celestial event. "They're ready, so we must be ready too! We're going to bring Alice back… and burn that filthy ritual to the ground!"
Hill looked at the group. "We will divide into three teams: Strike, Intercept, and Rescue."
He mapped out the plan rapidly. "Ethan, you and your men will lead the front-line assault. Shatter the stone ring protecting the altar. Alfred and I will intercept the Shadow Bats to prevent them from regrouping. And the final group—Edward, Henry, and Lone Wolf—you must infiltrate the inner circle and get Alice out before her blood touches the stone."
Edward looked up, his voice resolute. "I will be the one to find her."
The Final Sacrifice
Three nights before the rescue.
Candlelight flickered in the darkness, the faint scent of incense clinging to the air. Edward stood before an open stone sarcophagus. Hill stood amidst the moonlight streaming through the window. Edward clenched his fists, meeting his father's gaze with absolute determination.
"Father… I am asking you. I must become a complete vampire. I need more power. If I don't have enough, I will never be able to bring her back."
Hill stared at his son for a long time. His eyes were filled with worry, pain, and a secret he had kept for centuries.
"You understand, don't you?" Hill asked in a low voice. "There is no turning back from this path. Once you drink from me and harmonize the power within your body to become a full vampire, your fate will be shackled to the night forever."
Edward did not blink. His dark, blood-colored eyes reflected the image of the woman he loved. "Alice is in the darkness. I don't care if I have to live in the shadows for the rest of my life. If I have the power to bring her back… I'm willing to trade everything."
Hill walked forward slowly and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Are you casting aside your human heart… for that love?"
"I'm not casting it aside," Edward replied firmly. "I am using it as the fuel for my fight—for her."
The Transformation
Hill stood in the center of a ritual circle. He made a deep cut on his wrist, and thick, dark-red blood dripped into a jeweled silver chalice atop a stone pedestal.
The liquid inside seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Edward knelt before his father, his face grim but his eyes burning with the fire of a man ready to risk it all.
"This blood… it is a curse and destiny intertwined. If you drink—you can never be human again."
"I know… and I have chosen."
Hill handed him the chalice. Edward took it, his hands trembling slightly before he pressed it to his lips and swallowed every drop without hesitation.
The moment the liquid hit his throat, the candles flared wildly. A roar shook the air. The veins beneath Edward's skin began to glow with a dark crimson light. He collapsed to the floor, his body contorting in agony.
"AARRGGHHHH!!!"
His scream vibrated through the stone walls. The veins in his neck, hands, and around his eyes bulged, some rupturing until blood seeped through. His body convulsed as if it were about to explode from within. A merciless power flooded his system. Visions of shadows, screams, and the breath of ancient demons dormant in the blood awoke… clawing for his soul.
"Come back… Edward… become the shadow… consume her…" the darkness whispered.
Edward gritted his teeth. "Alice… I will never be a monster… I will be… her shield!"
He roared, his willpower surging to repel the darkness. A gale swept through the basement. His eyes glowed a piercing blood-red as his heart beat faster and faster. And in that second, his blood transformed—from a dull red to a radiant, glowing ruby.
The tremors stopped. He rose slowly, an aura of terrifying majesty radiating from him.
"Pure blood merged with human will…" Hill whispered. "You are the balance between the vampire and the full light."
Edward looked at his hands. His slender fingers, once cold, were now different—as if a faint flame flickered within his veins.
"I am ready… Alice… I'm coming to get you back… no matter what I have to face."