"Find her… the Moon Child."
—————————————
The gates stood taller than anything Elina had ever seen before.
Not just tall—
Intimidating.
Ancient iron, darkened by time and weather, twisted into intricate patterns that looked less like decoration and more like symbols—symbols that did not belong to the modern world. Vines crawled along the edges, not dead, not alive either… as if they existed in a state between both.
Elina stood still before it, her fingers tightening slightly around the card in her hand.
The same card.
The one he had given her.
Her eyes lifted slowly, taking in the vast structure beyond the gates. The university did not resemble any place she had known in the city. It was larger… far larger. Buildings stretched into the distance, their architecture old—almost royal—with towering pillars, long corridors, and windows that reflected light in a strange, dim way.
It felt wrong.
Not unsafe—
But not right either.
"…Why would he call me here…?" she murmured softly to herself.
A university.
Of all places.
Not a private office. Not a café. Not somewhere hidden.
Here.
A place full of people.
And yet—
Something inside her whispered that this place was not meant for "people" like her.
Still, she inhaled slowly.
And pushed the gate.
The moment it opened—
Everything changed.
It wasn't loud.
There was no sudden noise.
But the atmosphere shifted.
Every step she took inside felt heavier than the last, as though the air itself had thickened around her.
Then—
She noticed.
People.
Students.
Walking.
Talking.
Laughing.
But slowly—
One by one—
They stopped.
Their movements slowed.
Their voices faded.
And then—
Their eyes turned toward her.
All at once.
Elina's breath caught.
It wasn't normal staring.
Some looked at her with amusement—smirking as though they had already figured her out.
Some observed her quietly, their gazes sharp, calculating… as if they were reading through her, layer by layer.
And some—
Her heart skipped—
Some were staring at her in a way that made her skin crawl.
Drooling.
Actually drooling.
Their eyes darkened, focused, almost… hungry.
Her instincts screamed.
Run.
But her feet didn't move.
I came here for a reason… she reminded herself, forcing her breath to steady.
Before she could take another step—
A group approached her.
Three boys.
Confident.
Too confident.
One stepped forward, his eyes scanning her from head to toe with open curiosity.
"Why are you here, little human?"
The words hit her strangely.
Little… human?
Her brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering through her expression.
"…What kind of question is that?" she replied, trying to sound normal despite the tension building inside her. "I came here to meet someone."
The boy tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
"Someone?" he repeated. "And who would that be?"
Elina held up the card.
"…Mr. Lucien," she said. "He gave me this and told me to come."
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
The smirk disappeared.
The group exchanged glances.
Even the surrounding students seemed to freeze again—this time not out of curiosity, but something closer to… fear.
The boy in front of her straightened slightly.
His tone changed.
"Watch your words," he said, his voice lower now. "You don't say his name like that."
Elina blinked.
"…Why?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You should call him lord," he said slowly. "Or King."
Her confusion deepened.
"King…?" she repeated, almost under her breath.
Before anyone could answer—
The temperature dropped.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
A coldness slipped into the air, sharp and suffocating, pressing against her skin.
Then—
A presence.
Behind her.
Elina felt it before she saw it.
Her body stiffened slightly, her breath catching as something—no, someone—stood too close.
Too close.
A shadow stretched over her from behind.
And then—
A voice.
"Good morning, Your Majesty ."
The boys in front of her bowed their heads immediately.
Elina turned.
Slowly.
And there he was.
Lucien.
Standing just behind her, close enough that she could feel the faint chill radiating from him.
His expression was calm.
Cold.
Unreadable.
But his eyes—
Were watching everything.
"…Oh," Elina breathed softly, relief and nervousness mixing together. "Hi… Lucien. I needed to talk to you."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Follow me."
It wasn't a suggestion.
It was a command.
And strangely—
She obeyed.
As he turned, his gaze swept across the students—sharp, warning, absolute.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Elina followed him through long corridors, her footsteps echoing softly against marble floors. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until even the distant noise of students disappeared completely.
He stopped before a large door.
Opened it.
Entered.
She followed.
The room was vast.
Too vast for an office.
Dark wood. Tall shelves. Shadows stretching into corners where light barely touched.
It felt less like a workspace—
And more like a throne room disguised as one.
The door closed behind her.
The sound echoed.
Loud.
Final.
"Sit."
His voice came again.
Firm.
Controlled.
She felt it.
That pressure.
Not physical—
But something that wrapped around her thoughts, urging obedience.
She hesitated for only a second.
Then sat.
Lucien did not sit.
He walked.
Slow.
Measured.
Circling her like he was studying something… or someone.
"Speak."
The word fell sharply into the silence.
Elina swallowed lightly.
"…I found something," she said, pulling the book from her bag, her fingers slightly unsteady. "In the oldest section of our library."
Lucien leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, his gaze fixed on her.
"So?"
"…It's not normal," she continued. "It opens on its own. Closes on its own. It was old before… now it looks new."
His smirk deepened slightly.
"So what?"
She inhaled.
"It knew my name," she said quietly. "And it answered your question."
His eyes sharpened.
"…Continue."
Elina met his gaze.
"…Vampires," she said. "Immortal. Drink blood."
Silence.
Then—
A darker smile.
"Go on."
"…It told me to find you," she finished.
Lucien's smirk faded slowly.
Replaced by something more serious.
"Then show me."
Elina placed the book on the table.
"I tried opening it before. It didn't work."
She touched it again.
Nothing.
Then after he came closer—
The air shifted.
The book lifted.
Floating.
Light began to seep from its edges, faint at first, then stronger—filling the room with an unnatural glow.
Lucien straightened.
Watching.
Carefully.
The pages flipped on their own.
Fast.
Then—
Stopped.
Words formed.
Slowly.
As if being written in real time.
"Soon, souls will find each other."
"Four souls, bound beyond fate."
"Protect the one… or all will fall."
Lucien's expression changed.
Completely.
The smirk vanished.
His eyes darkened.
"…What does that mean?" he muttered under his breath.
The pages moved again.
Faster now.
More urgently.
Then—
Another line appeared.
"Find her… the Moon Child."
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Lucien stepped forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
The moment the words appeared—
Everything inside the room changed.
The air, which had already felt heavy, now seemed to thicken further, pressing against the walls, the floor, even against Elina's chest as though the very space itself had become aware of what had just been revealed.
"Find her… the Moon Child."
The glowing letters hovered on the page for a fraction longer—
Then—
The light flickered.
Not softly.
Violently.
Like something resisting being seen.
Lucien moved.
It was not a step.
It was a shift—fast enough that Elina barely registered it until he was no longer leaning against the wall but standing beside the table, his presence suddenly overwhelming the space.
His hand came down against the table—not striking, but firm enough that the wood beneath it gave a low, sharp sound.
"Who?"
His voice was no longer calm.
It was lower.
Rougher.
Stripped of the composed arrogance he had worn until now.
His crimson eyes burned into the book, as if he could force it to answer through sheer will alone.
"Who is the Moon Child?" he demanded again, slower this time—but far more dangerous.
The room responded.
The faint glow around the book trembled, as though the magic itself hesitated under his gaze.
Elina felt it.
That pressure.
It wasn't directed at her—but it still reached her.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously at her sides, her breath catching slightly as she watched him.
This… was not the man from the café.
This was something else entirely.
Something older.
Something she did not understand.
The book did not answer.
The silence stretched.
Lucien's jaw tightened, a faint muscle ticking along his cheek—a small, controlled sign of something far more volatile beneath the surface.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
Something flickered across his expression.
Not anger.
Not fully.
But something closer to… fear.
Not fear of danger—
But fear of uncertainty.
"Speak," he said again, quieter now—but sharper, as if the softness itself held more threat than his raised voice.
The book remained still.
Unmoving.
Unresponsive.
Then—
With a sudden, decisive motion—
It shut.
The sound echoed through the room.
Final.
Absolute.
And just like that—
The light vanished.
The air dropped back into stillness.
But not peace.
No—
This silence was heavier.
More suffocating.
Lucien did not move.
Not immediately.
He stood there, staring at the closed book, his eyes unreadable now—but the stillness of his body felt wrong.
Too controlled.
Like something inside him had been forced back into place.
Elina swallowed.
The dryness in her throat made the small movement feel louder than it should.
"…We can figure it out," she said softly.
Her voice felt small in the room.
Careful.
Gentle.
As if speaking too loudly might break something fragile—or provoke something dangerous.
"We just need time. If the book opened once, it might open again. Maybe there's a pattern, or—"
"Get out."
The words cut through her sentence.
Sharp.
Clean.
But it wasn't just what he said—
It was how he said it.
Lucien did not raise his voice.
He did not turn toward her immediately.
But the temperature in the room dropped again, a coldness slipping into the space so suddenly that Elina felt it against her skin, like invisible fingers brushing across her arms.
Then—
He turned.
Slowly.
His eyes met hers.
And this time—
There was nothing warm in them.
No smirk.
No amusement.
No curiosity.
Just distance.
Cold.
Absolute.
"I said," he repeated, his voice quieter now—but heavier, each word carrying a weight that pressed directly against her chest, "get out of my sight."
The difference was clear.
The first time had been a command.
This time—
It was dismissal.
Elina froze.
Her thoughts stumbled over each other, trying to catch up with what had just happened.
"What…?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Her brows drew together slightly, confusion clouding her expression.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked, her voice softer now, uncertain—not defensive, not angry… just trying to understand.
Lucien's gaze did not soften.
If anything—
It hardened further.
"You've said enough," he replied.
His tone was controlled again—but colder than before.
The kind of cold that didn't lash out…
But pushed everything away.
"Leave."
No explanation.
No justification.
No space left for questions.
Elina felt it then.
Not just confusion—
But something else.
A small, quiet sting.
Not because of his words alone…
But because just moments ago, he had been listening.
Watching.
Engaged.
And now—
It was as if she had been erased from his attention completely.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.
She wanted to ask again.
Wanted to understand.
But something in his expression stopped her.
Not fear—
But a clear, unspoken boundary.
She was no longer welcome in this moment.
"…Okay," she said quietly.
Not arguing.
Not resisting.
She turned.
Each step toward the door felt heavier than the last—not because he was stopping her…
But because he wasn't.
Because he had already decided she didn't matter in this conversation anymore.
The door opened.
Closed behind her.
And the moment she stepped outside—
The pressure vanished.
Elina inhaled sharply, her lungs finally filling properly, as though she had been holding her breath the entire time without realizing it.
She didn't stop walking.
Didn't look back immediately.
But her thoughts—
They didn't leave that room.
Moon Child…
Why did that affect him so much…?
And why… did he push me away…?
Her grip tightened slightly around her bag.
Something told her—
That wasn't anger.
That was something else.
Something he didn't want her to see.
Something he didn't want anyone to see.
And somehow—
That made everything even more dangerous.
A group approached her.
Different.
Calmer.
One girl stepped forward.
"Hey," she said quietly. "I don't know why you came here… but listen carefully."
Elina looked at her.
"This place isn't for humans," the girl continued. "And the one you came to meet…"
She paused.
"…He's not what you think."
Elina stayed silent.
"Stay away," the girl finished. "From this place… and from him."
Then they left.
Just like that.
Elina stood there alone.
Her gaze slowly lifted—
Back toward the university.
Something inside her told her—
This was only the beginning.
—————————————————
Above the towering structure—
Hidden behind stone and shadow—
A pair of crimson eyes watched her leave.
Unblinking.
Calculating.
"…Moon Child…"
A slow whisper.
"So it has begun."