"The night had only just begun—
but the war had already chosen its sides."
—————————————————
The world moving on with time… as it always did.
Each soul, lost within its own quiet struggle, searching—desperately or unknowingly—for a place to belong.
A name.
An identity.
A purpose.
And yet—
Unseen by human eyes…
Creatures far older than mankind walked among them.
Hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Legends whispered in fear—never believed, yet never truly exist.
---
It was a cold evening.
Rain fell without mercy.
The sky roared with distant thunder, clouds churning like something alive, something restless. Lightning tore through the darkness in sudden flashes—violent, blinding—illuminating the world for mere seconds before casting it back into shadow.
The air felt… wrong.
Not just stormy.
But uneasy.
As though the sky itself was not angry—
But afraid.
---
Elina walked along the quiet street, her umbrella shielding her from the relentless rain.
Her arms were filled with books, held close against her chest as though they were something precious—something safe.
Her world had always been simple.
Silent.
Wrapped in pages of stories and distant dreams.
She preferred it that way.
---
But tonight…
Something felt different.
---
Near a small café, its warm lights glowing faintly through the rain—
She saw him.
---
A figure stood beneath the open sky.
Unmoving.
Unbothered.
As though the storm did not exist for him.
---
Tall.
Far too tall.
His broad shoulders stood firm against the falling rain, his dark form outlined sharply whenever lightning struck across the sky. Water soaked through his clothes, clinging to him—yet he made no attempt to move.
No attempt to seek shelter.
---
He simply stood there.
Looking up.
Watching the sky.
---
Elina slowed.
Then stopped.
Her breath caught quietly in her throat.
She had never seen him before.
She was certain of that.
And yet—
Something inside her stirred.
A strange, unfamiliar pull.
As though a distant memory—forgotten long ago—had suddenly brushed against her soul.
---
Her fingers tightened slightly around the handle of her umbrella.
"…why…?" she murmured under her breath.
Why did she feel this way?
Why did it feel like she knew him?
---
Her feet moved.
Before her thoughts could stop them.
Slowly… uncertainly…
She stepped toward him.
Closer.
Closer.
Until she stood beside him—
And without a word—
She lifted her umbrella above his head.
---
The rain no longer touched him.
---
(Lucien in his thoughts 💭)
I had come to the human world days ago.
After centuries—
The first Blood Moon had risen once more.
And with it… something had shifted.
Something unseen.
Unspoken.
I came for answers.
For observation.
For truth.
---
I had intended nothing more than to enter the café.
A place run quietly by my kind.
A place of safety.
Of control.
---
But I stopped.
Mid-step.
---
Something was wrong.
---
The sky felt… different.
Not angry.
Not chaotic.
But disturbed.
As though something inevitable had begun—
And the world had yet to understand it.
---
Before I could pursue the thought further—
A presence interrupted me.
---
Soft.
Close.
Unfamiliar.
---
I turned.
---
A girl stood beside me.
Small.
Delicate.
No more than five feet and a little above.
Her black hair clung slightly to her face from the damp air, her eyes wide—soft like a deer caught in a moment of quiet uncertainty.
---
And then—
I smelled it.
---
Blood.
---
Not just blood.
But something sweeter.
Richer.
Alive.
---
My breath stilled.
---
For a moment—
I forgot to look away.
---
Five hundred years.
Five centuries of existence.
Of control.
Of indifference.
Not once—
Not once—
Had I looked at a human like this.
---
Yet now—
I could not stop.
---
What is this…?
---
A strange urge rose within me.
Sharp.
Unfamiliar.
Dangerous.
---
To pull her closer.
To feel the warmth of her pulse beneath my fingertips.
To taste—
---
I clenched my jaw.
Enough.
---
This was absurd.
She was human.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
---
And yet—
My gaze refused to leave her.
---
(Elina in her thoughts 💭)
Why am I still standing here…?
Her heart beat unevenly.
Too fast.
Too loud.
She could hear the rain.
The thunder.
But beneath it all—
There was him.
---
Should I say something…?
Should I leave…?
---
Before she could decide—
He spoke.
---
"What… are you doing?"
His voice was low.
Deep.
Smooth in a way that felt almost dangerous.
"…holding an umbrella over me, girl?"
---
Elina froze for a second.
Then—
"I… I thought you were getting soaked…" she said softly, her voice betraying her nervousness.
She hesitated.
Then added quickly—
"I'm… Elina."
---
A faint smirk touched his lips.
He adjusted the umbrella slightly, ensuring it covered them both.
"I see."
His eyes lingered on her just a moment too long.
"Hello… little girl."
"I am Lucien."
---
Elina's brows furrowed slightly.
"I'm not little," she said, a small pout forming on her lips. "I'm twenty-three."
---
For a brief moment—
Silence.
---
Then—
Lucien laughed.
---
A real laugh.
Deep.
Unrestrained.
---
It startled even him.
---
Five hundred years…
And this—
This was the first time he had smiled.
At a human.
---
His gaze softened—only slightly.
"Very well," he said, his tone laced with amusement. "My mistake .. lady!"
---
Elina turned her face slightly, still pouting, though a faint blush colored her cheeks.
---
Lucien studied her.
Carefully.
Curiously.
Like a predator observing something… unexpectedly fascinating.
---
"Tell me," he said after a moment, "would you care to have coffee with me?"
A pause.
"My treat."
"As gratitude… for your kindness."
---
Elina blinked.
"I… no, I don't think—"
---
But before she could finish—
He gently took her wrist.
Firm.
Unquestioning.
And led her inside.
---
As though her answer had never mattered.
---
The café was warm.
Quiet.
A stark contrast to the storm outside.
---
They sat.
Coffee was placed before them very soon.
---
Lucien watched her.
Unblinking.
---
"So," he said, his voice softer now, almost curious, "tell me about yourself ...lady !!!." while controlling laughing.
---
Elina hesitated.
"I… I work at a library," she said quietly. "I just finished college."
She paused.
"And… I write."
---
Lucien's lips curved slightly.
"A writer…"
"How interesting."
---
"And you?" she asked, looking up at him.
---
He held her gaze.
A faint smirk returning.
"I am… someone you would not believe."
A pause.
"But if you must know…"
"I can be a researcher. A scientist. A professor."
---
Elina blinked.
"All of that…?"
---
Lucien only nodded.
---
Some truths…
Were not meant for human ears.
---
His gaze drifted to the books she carried.
"What do you read?"
---
"Stories… adventures…" she replied softly. "I like… imagining things."
---
Lucien leaned back slightly.
Then said—
"Tell me… have you ever heard of creatures… that drink blood… and never die?"
---
Elina smiled faintly.
"Do they exist…?"
A small pause.
"Or is that just your imagination, Mr. Scientist?"
---
Lucien's smirk deepened.
A flicker of something dangerous passed through his eyes.
"That," he said quietly, "is for you to discover, author."
He reached inside his coat and placed a card in front of him, which had his university address written on it.
"If you fail to find your answer…you have to do what I will ask you to do and"
His voice lowered slightly ...with smirk.
"I will give it to you. Deal ?"
---
He stood.
"Until then… goodnight, lady Elina." laughed
---
And just like that—
He left.
---
But he did not go far.
---
From the shadows.
From the silence.
From the unseen spaces between light—
He followed.
---
All the way to her home.
---
And when she stepped inside—
He remained.
Watching.
Lingering.
Like something the night itself refused to let go.
---
Because now—
He was no longer merely curious.
---
He was… drawn.
Drawn to her.
---
—Elsewhere, Beneath the Same Storm—
The rain did not fall gently upon all lands.
In the depths of the Dark Forest—
It struck like fury.
Like a warning.
Like something ancient awakening.
---
The Witch stood amidst the storm.
Her frail form unmoving… yet the air around her trembled with something violent. Lightning split the sky above, illuminating her hollow face—twisted, no longer calm, no longer patient.
Her eyes burned.
Not with control.
But with rage.
---
"It cannot be…" she hissed, her voice cracking through the storm like a curse.
"No… no… NOT AGAIN!"
The wind howled louder, as if echoing her fury.
"How could you return…?" she spat, her fingers curling into claws. "How could you be reborn without my knowing?!"
Her breath grew uneven.
For the first time—
The Witch was not in control.
---
"Where are you?!" she screamed into the darkness. "Where are you hiding?!"
Lightning flashed—
Her shadow stretched unnaturally across the forest floor.
"You were never meant to cross my path again…" her voice dropped, trembling with something deeper than anger.
Something close to fear.
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
---
Then—
The forest responded.
---
The trees shuddered.
The wind shifted.
And for a fleeting moment—
It felt as though the very soul of nature had awakened.
---
A presence.
Ancient.
Unseen.
Yet undeniable.
---
Not hers.
---
The Witch stilled.
Her breath caught.
Her eyes narrowed slowly.
---
A whisper moved through the storm—
Not heard.
But felt.
---
You are not the only one who plays this game…
---
The rain softened for a moment—
Only for a moment.
---
She will come.
---
The Witch's expression darkened.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
---
She will come…
---
The wind rose again—
Colder now.
Sharper.
---
To protect what is hers.
---
A pause.
Then—
The final echo lingered through the forest like a prophecy.
---
She will come… to save her daughter.
---
Lightning struck—
Blinding.
Violent.
---
And in that brief flash—
The Witch smiled in furious.
---
But this time—
There was no patience in it.
No calm.
---
Only upcoming war.