Aaron Xian laughed.
But it didn't sound like laughter.
It sounded like something breaking.
"…after loving you for so long…"
His voice came out hoarse, fragile, like it might collapse any second.
"…this is what I get?"
His back slid slowly down the cold stone wall, leaving a faint trail of blood behind him. His fingers trembled, clutching at nothing, as if trying to hold onto a life that had already slipped away.
"I knew… I knew it wasn't right…"
His breathing hitched.
"In a time where no one believes in arranged marriages anymore… I still forced it."
A tear rolled down quietly.
"I begged the Emperor…"
"…as compensation…"
His chest tightened painfully.
"For losing everything in the Gigan War…"
"My mother…"
"My father…"
"My brother…"
Each word felt heavier than the last.
"…everyone…"
Silence wrapped around him.
"And the only person left…"
His lips curved into a faint, shattered smile.
"…the only one I loved…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…was you, Lusian Kiren."
But Lusian never turned back.
Not once.
Not even at the sound of his name.
To him—
Aaron was nothing more than a mistake forced into his life.
A chain.
A burden.
A life he never chose.
"I knew you didn't love me…"
Aaron whispered, his voice trembling as darkness slowly crept into his vision.
"But I never thought…"
"…you would hate me enough to not even look at me."
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Cruel.
Two… three servants stepped in, their expressions filled with open disgust, as if they were looking at something beneath them.
Aaron was already weak.
But what came next—
Destroyed him completely.
"That servant of yours…"
One of them sneered.
"…Vivan, right?"
Aaron's breath stopped.
"…what… did you say…?"
Another servant smirked.
"He tried to cook for you."
"How bold."
A pause.
Then casually—
"So we killed him."
Everything inside Aaron collapsed.
"…no…"
"Beaten," the servant added, almost bored, "slowly… until he stopped moving."
"Right in front of us."
That was it.
The last person who stayed.
The last warmth he had.
Gone.
"This… is hell…"
Aaron's voice shattered, barely holding together.
"I shouldn't have loved you…"
"I shouldn't have married you…"
His vision blurred.
Darkness swallowing everything.
"Mother… Father… Brother…"
His voice softened into something almost nonexistent.
"I lost this life…"
"…please forgive me…"
"…take me with you…"
And then—
He closed his eyes.
Everything went black.
"YOUNG MASTER AARON!"
The voice tore through the darkness like lightning.
"Why did you fall?! Your throat is bleeding!"
Aaron's eyes snapped open.
Air rushed violently into his lungs.
"…what…?"
The world—
Was bright.
Alive.
"Young master! Why are you practicing sword when you're not even good at it?!"
Aaron froze.
That voice—
"…Vivan…?"
The servant blinked, confused but very much alive.
"Of course it's me, young master."
Alive.
Smiling.
Breathing.
Aaron's vision blurred again—but this time, not from death.
From overwhelming relief.
"…this… can't be…"
"AARON!"
His elder brother stormed in, grabbing his ear without hesitation.
"Why are you practicing sword again?!"
Aaron didn't resist.
Didn't speak.
Didn't think.
He just broke.
Tears spilled out uncontrollably as he grabbed his brother tightly.
"…you're alive…"
"…you're all alive…"
And in that moment—
He knew.
This wasn't a dream.
"I've… come back…"
That night, Aaron sat alone, staring into the darkness.
But this time—
He wasn't empty.
He was clear.
"This time…"
His voice was steady.
"I will change everything."
His family would live.
Their fate would change.
And Lusian Kiren—
Aaron's gaze hardened.
"I will never love you again."
Days passed.
Peaceful.
Unchanged.
Forty-five days.
No war.
No loss.
No tragedy.
For the first time—
Aaron felt safe.
Then came the journey.
Two chariots.
Twenty soldiers.
The road stretching endlessly into the horizon.
By midnight—
They stopped beneath towering banyan trees.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Half-asleep, drifting between thoughts and dreams—
Aaron walked.
Slowly.
Unaware.
Until—
He stopped.
Silence.
"…hello?"
No answer.
The full moon hung above, its pale light spilling over his white robes, making him stand out against the darkness.
"…anyone there?"
Nothing.
Then—
A hand.
Cold.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Gripping his wrist.
Aaron froze.
"…who is it?"
He turned—
But saw nothing.
Even under the moonlight—
There was no one.
His fingers slowly reached out, touching the hand holding him.
Large.
Rough.
Dangerously strong.
Then—
A breath.
Cold.
Unsteady.
Brushing against his lips.
And before he could react—
He was pulled closer.
Lips crashed onto his.
Not hesitant.
Not careful.
Desperate.
It wasn't just a kiss.
It felt like hunger.
Like someone who had found something they couldn't let go of.
Aaron's mind went blank.
A soft sound escaped him as his body lost strength instantly, his knees trembling as if they could no longer hold him.
"…who… are you…?"
No answer.
Only the faint pressure of teeth grazing his lip—
Followed by warmth.
A strange warmth that spread slowly through his body, unfamiliar and intoxicating, making his thoughts blur.
He tried to push away.
Tried to think.
But his body—
Was no longer listening.
Time stretched.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe seconds.
He couldn't tell anymore.
Then suddenly—
He was released.
Aaron staggered back, barely able to stand.
"…wait—!"
But before he could move—
The presence returned.
Closer.
Slower.
This time—
The touch changed.
The lips met his again.
But softer.
Lingering.
Not less dangerous—
Just deeper.
Aaron's breath hitched.
His fingers trembled as they instinctively clutched at the other person's clothing, not even realizing what he was doing anymore.
"…stop…"
He whispered weakly.
But the voice didn't come out strong enough to mean it.
The lips moved.
Slowly.
From his lips—
To the side of his neck.
Aaron froze completely.
For a split second—
He saw it.
Fangs.
Sharp.
Unnatural.
His heart stopped.
"…what… are you—"
But before the thought could finish—
The presence pulled back.
And returned again—
To his lips.
This time—
Gentler.
But somehow—
Even more consuming.
The world around him disappeared.
All he could feel—
Was the pressure of those lips.
The warmth spreading through him.
The way his strength completely gave out as his body leaned forward unconsciously.
His mind went blank.
Not fear.
Not resistance.
Just sensation.
Overwhelming.
Confusing.
Unavoidable.
Then suddenly—
He pushed forward with the last bit of strength he had left.
Something fell.
A faint metallic sound hitting the ground.
"…who are you?!"
Silence.
Gone.
Completely.
As if it never existed.
Aaron stood there, breath uneven, his body still trembling from what just happened.
The forest was quiet again.
"…was it… a dream…?"
"YOUNG MASTER!"
Vivan ran toward him, slightly out of breath.
"I'm so sorry! I fell asleep!"
Aaron grabbed him immediately.
"…did you see anyone?"
Vivan shook his head.
"No… only you…"
Aaron slowly turned.
The moonlight was bright.
Clear.
Sharp enough to see everything.
Then why—
Why couldn't he see him?
"…what… was that…"
But no answer came.
Only the lingering warmth on his lips.
The faint ache where teeth had grazed him.
The memory of a presence—
Cold.
Dangerous.
And strangely—
Unforgettable.
And somewhere—
Hidden within the darkness—
Someone had already begun to crave him.