JONEA“Oh, yeah, I… Nothing,” I said to Daran.I started running after him. I asked the cat when standing next to Daran and the black cat. “So where is your king?”“The one next to you,” the black cat replied.I was confused and looked to the side. Apparently, it was a snow-white cat with beautiful, thick fur perched on the fence of a stone house. The cat had odd-eyed eyes, one blue and the other yellow.“Good afternoon, lycan king and his apprentice!”“So you are the king of the cats here?”“Yes, my name is Snowy. I am a female cat, but I am their leader. You must be the red moon girl.”“My name is Jonea Rawling, you can call me Jonea.”“Okay, Jonia. I was just wondering what kind of person this stupid lycan would want to marry.”“Shut up, you ugly cat!” Daran said in annoyance.Watching their argument, I could only grin awkwardly. What did they say? Bride? Had news of me really spread to the corners of the wizarding world?“Thank goodness you’re here,” Snowy said. “I wouldn’t know w
JONEA“Jonea! Jonea!?”Someone called my name several times.“Daran?” I opened my eyes and saw him kneeling beside me.“Sorry, I’m late,” Daran said while hugging me.My body, which had been shivering, slowly started to warm up. I could feel the energy coming from Daran’s body and flowing into mine. Suddenly, I coughed and vomited a lot of water.“Can you breathe?” Daran asked.“Yes,” I answered while holding back the burning sensation in my chest.The cats approached and surrounded us.“What about the person who threw Jonea into the lake?” Daran asked the cats.“She suddenly disappeared after emitting a dazzling light. I don’t know if it was magic or not,” said the black cat.Daran was silent for a moment, then stood up straight. “I feel traces of magic energy all over this place. It seems like someone else wants to disturb us.”Daran reached out and helped me up.“I actually want you to rest, but I have a task for you, Jonea.”“For me?”“We need to do something about that soon,” Dar
DARAN CARVER“No wonder I smelled a familiar scent. It was you, L.”“It’s surprising that you still remember my name. It seems like you take good care of my twin sister.”The silver-haired young man turned to Jonea with a look that I couldn’t understand the meaning of. So he’s the silver moon man? He’s been disguised as a hybrid all this time. I didn’t think he was Jonea’s twin brother. How stupid of me. I didn’t even realize it all this time.“Is it because Jonea is your most valuable experimental material, Lycan king?” L stared at me sharply, and his voice almost trembled as if he was holding back anger.“Miller, what do you mean? Experimental material?” Jonea shouted.“Haven’t I tried to tell you several times, Jonea? To always be careful and alert to the creatures around you, including this wizard who claims to be the king of the lycans!” L, aka Miller, shouted while pointing at me. “I also reminded you that night in the warehouse to get out of there immediately!”Meanwhile, Jonea
JONEA RAWLINGWhen I woke up, I was already in Daran's arms. Daran walked carefully under the moonlight that night. The jeverics jumped around us, and the cats saw us off."Miller?" I asked in a panic."Calm down, Jonea. Don't move or you'll hurt yourself. You need to restore your energy.""But, where is Miller? What happened to him?""He's fine. Like you asked, I didn't even touch him at all. After you managed to neutralize the magic energy in the lake, you fell unconscious. At that time Miller left with the girl who came with him.""Really?" I muttered softly.There were still many things I wanted to ask Miller, but I never had the chance to talk to him. I relaxed the muscles all over my body and leaned back into Daran's chest."Daran?""Yes, Jonea, what's wrong?"“Did you just erase my memory?”Daran’s footsteps immediately stopped. He looked down to look at me from behind his mask. While I could only see Daran’s expressionless mask.“Why do you think that?” Daran asked.“When we j
JONEA RAWLINGI put the ring back in my coat pocket until the car stopped at a cemetery. Daran got out first. While I was still sitting in the car, looking once again at the velvet box containing the ring Daran gave me.A small piece of paper containing a handwritten note was apparently under the ring.[The right index finger is helpful as a pointer. PS. You still need to get ready for the ring on the left!]I smiled, reading it. Eve must have left this note without Daran’s knowledge. My cheeks became hot from holding back the shame. I no longer hesitated and immediately put the ring on my right index finger.How stupid of me! Why did I fall for Daran’s seduction? How could he give me a proposal ring? Even the way he gave this ring didn’t seem romantic at all. Of course, this ring had a different meaning. Why did I get my hopes up like this?“Jonea, get off!” Daran asked while opening the door.I was shocked and quickly got out.“Look, we’re here. That is the cemetery and on the right
OWEN RIVERSI opened my eyes and smelled the smoke from burning agarwood plants. It turned out that I was sleeping with Jonea’s feet as a pillow. I immediately sat up straight. Only then did I realize that my body was still in wolf form? Maybe because I was injured.“Are you awake?” Jonea greeted. “I’ve put up protective runes and burned magic barriers. Those strange creatures won’t come for a while.”“Where are we?” I asked.I still couldn’t return my body to human form, maybe because of the effects of the magic that was still mixed in my body.“In the forest around the cemetery,” Jonea answered, stroking my jaw. “Are you feeling better? I put some medicine on your wound. It might not help much, but it’s not bleeding anymore.”“Why are you alone here? Where’s Uncle?” I immediately became alert.“Ah, he’s on his way.”I growled and showed my annoyance to Jonea. “You shouldn’t have come here. It seems like Uncle was also fooled. Who gave you that task? Auction? I doubt they don’t know
JONEA“As you said, there is a strange man who is threatening us,” Arabel said. “He even took one of L’s hands as collateral.”“No wonder,” Daran muttered.“Please, do something for him!” Arabel pleaded, kneeling at Daran’s feet.“What’s in it for me?”“He already has a chimera running around,” Arabel continued. “The corpse over there and his wounds were all caused by his chimera.”“You mean Owen was injured?” Daran looked at Owen and me alternately. “Is that true?” Then I nodded in agreement.“I got a mission to get the black dog guarding the tomb, but it seems the black dog is your friend.”“He’s my nephew!” Daran said.“Well, you’ve indirectly involved yourself with the guard dog. So, the girl’s life could be in danger.”“Okay, I don’t mind! I’ll help you.”“Huh?” Arabel was shocked and confused.“Why are you so surprised?” Daran asked casually.“Oh, no, I just didn’t expect you to agree so quickly.”“Everything happened before my eyes, even involving my family. If I just let it be
JONEABefore I could reach Aland, Daran had already jumped and charged at the shadow dragon still on Aland’s back. I was so shocked to see the terrifying sight. Daran almost hit Aland if the dragon hadn’t protected him.“Daran!” I shouted desperately.Daran turned so brutal. He opened his jaws wide, filled with sharp, large fangs, to tear Aland’s dragon apart.The dragon was torn apart by Daran’s sharp fangs. When I was about to approach, black blood splashed right on the tip of my shoe. It was the dragon’s blood. I thought it was just a magical creature and wouldn’t have any effect, like the shadow wolves that often attacked me. However, this dragon was bleeding black blood as dark as the night. It was like a living creature.Aland’s previously calm face suddenly turned cold and hard. Even so, he didn’t do anything.Was Aland enduring pain? Impossible! Was the dragon connected to him? My thoughts and feelings became very chaotic.“Even though I made it with great difficulty. The mate
JONEAI was sitting in what felt like endless darkness. No sound except the echo of my own breath, no movement except the shadow of myself fading on a pitch-black floor like cracked glass. I knew it was just a dream, but it felt so real, like a trap I couldn’t escape.Suddenly, a voice broke the silence—cold and familiar.“Jonea,” it called, echoing through the void. “I know you can hear me.”Luke Draken.My body tensed, but I couldn’t see him. Just his voice, flowing with power and certainty.“Surely you’re starting to understand the dragon blood flowing in your veins,” he continued. “You can’t deny it, Jonea. Our bodies were bound long before the red moon rose.”In the dream, I touched my own body. My hand brushed against something that shouldn’t be there—hard, sharp scales covering half of me. I gasped, choking on a sob. What had happened to me?Luke chuckled softly, mocking. “I will live inside you forever,” he said, his voice drawing closer, as if whispering directly into my ear.
JONEAIt seemed like Luke noticed something off about my body. He grinned widely and tossed Hunter to the ground like a rag doll. Then, in a swift move, he picked me up and laid me down on the marble altar.Why? What’s happening to me? My chest felt tight, my whole body burning. I was so thirsty—desperately craving someone’s touch, someone to soothe me.Without realizing it, I started moaning and gasping at the same time. Luke gently lowered me onto the altar, then climbed over me with a calculated ease.“Union,” he whispered. “You’re breaking the seal. And when the crimson moon reaches its peak, your pure blood will be mine!”I couldn’t control my body or my thoughts anymore. Pain surged through me as I let out a scream. My eyes flew open, my head tilting back to stare at the dome’s opening. The full crimson moon stared back.“Ahhh!” I cried out as sharp fangs pushed out of my mouth, piercing my lips.Luke leaned closer, his eyes glowing bright red—the eyes of a dragon. He kissed me,
HUNTERI turned around to see one of the shadow creatures loyal to me in this secret mission. Its black eyes glinted under the moonlight."The werewolf forces are ready," it said shortly.I nodded. "Make sure no one knows the plan until the very last moment."The creature bowed and disappeared into the shadows.My thoughts drifted back to when everything began to fall apart.We used to be an unbeatable group—Beast Four. Me, Aland, Edison, and Elmar. Together, we protected the Sapphire Blue with strength and unbreakable friendship. But the Red Dragons destroyed everything.One by one, my friends fell. Edison and Elmar vanished into the darkness of the shadow world. Jonea, broken and battered, chose to hide. Aland—he was captured by Luke Draken. Back then, I didn’t understand why Luke targeted Aland specifically, my closest and most different friend.I remember that night vividly. Aland was locked in the dragon’s prison, his body covered in wounds. I knew he hated me for joining the Red
MILLERNever in my life did I think I’d witness something like this—a scene straight out of a legend. Standing before me were humans from the shadow hunter ranks, werewolves, lycans, dragons, and even jeverics, creatures that had been at odds for as long as anyone could remember. And yet, here they were, side by side, united by a single purpose: finding Jonea before it was too late.The sky was gloomy that day, heavy gray clouds mirroring the tension hanging over us. From the hilltop, I watched the valley below where thousands of figures had gathered, awaiting final orders before the search began.“All of this… it’s for Jonea,” I murmured to myself.Arabel stood beside me, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd with her usual vigilance. “They understand what’s at stake, Miller,” she said firmly, her voice calm but resolute. “If Jonea falls into the wrong hands, it’s not just her life that’s at risk. The whole world is.”I nodded, swallowing the fear creeping into my chest.On the human sid
DARANI’m losing my mind. There’s no other way to describe how I feel right now. My entire body feels like it’s on fire—an intense mix of anxiety and rage. I’ve been searching for Jonea for days, but there’s no trace of her.I’ve scoured every corner of this island, plunged into shadow realms, and even crossed the borders of the Blue Sapphire lands. It’s like she’s been erased from existence, like the wind leaving a faint trail only to vanish without a trace.“Jonea!” I shout, breaking the silence of the night.But only my own echo answers me.Frustrated, I press on, crossing boundaries I’m not supposed to. I find myself at the edge of the Dragon Valley, the gateway to the Land of the Blue Dragons. This is my last shot. If she’s not here, I don’t know where else to look.I’m furious.“JONEA!” I roar again, my voice echoing off the steep cliffs. My rage is so intense that the plants around me wither and die, drained by the destructive energy radiating from my body.But it’s not Jonea w
JONEAI froze, my heart pounding erratically as Luke’s words sank in.“The last time we met was at a graveyard, right?” he asked, a faint smirk playing on his lips, making my blood boil. “More accurately, I saw you. You knew I was there, but you chose to ignore me.”My eyes widened. A graveyard? I racked my brain, trying to make sense of his words. Only one graveyard stood out in my memory—the one where my parents were buried. The day I stood at the edge of a fresh grave, feeling the world crumble beneath my feet. The day I auctioned off my freedom for something far worse.“So,” I murmured, almost in disbelief, “you were there? Watching me?”Luke’s smirk widened. His face was calm, but his eyes hinted at something much darker.“You looked so fragile that day,” he said, stepping closer. “Just a little girl who’d lost everything. It was… entertaining to watch.”Rage bubbled in my chest, but my body refused to move, as if his presence alone was a chain binding me in place.He reached out
JONEAI stared out the hospital room window from my bed for what felt like the hundredth time. The white blanket covering me felt unbearably heavy—not because of its weight, but because of what lay beneath it. Black, cold, hardened scales covered parts of my body. It felt like I was trapped in an unending nightmare.This was the first time I had absorbed magical energy, and I never imagined the consequences would be this severe. My body, my mind, even my heart—all felt different. Yet, in a strange way, I didn’t regret it. The baby dragons had been saved. They were just like me—alone and scared, facing a ruthless world.Miller stopped by yesterday and explained everything. It turns out Aland brought me here, to this special hospital for hunters. Daran and Aland had a heated argument over where I should be treated. Aland insisted I stay under his watch, while Daran wanted to take me back. In the end, Miller mediated, and this hospital became the compromise.According to Miller, Aland wa
DARANI ran as fast as I could, my body trembling from both exhaustion and panic. The wet sand of the beach made every step heavier, but I didn’t care. In front of me, the dark ocean stretched endlessly. Waves crashed hard, as if reminding me that I was racing against time. Jonea was out there somewhere, and I couldn’t let her slip away.“Jonea!” I screamed with all my strength, my voice hoarse. But only the wind and waves responded.My body nearly lost balance when my foot suddenly hit a rock. I almost fell, but a strong hand steadied me.“Uncle, are you okay?” Owen’s voice was full of concern. He grabbed my arm, steadying me. “You’ve used up too much energy earlier. You need to rest.”“Let go of me!” I shoved his hand away. “I need to save Jonea!”“You won’t save her if you pass out here,” Owen said firmly but gently. “Calm down, Uncle. We’ll look for her together.”But I didn’t have time for his reasoning. Adrenaline pushed me forward even though my body was nearly at its limit. My
JONEAOwen stepped forward, his body morphing into a massive, intimidating lycan form. “I’ll try to hold them off. You guys figure out how to break their spell.”Without waiting for a reply, Owen lunged at the first beast, determined to stop it before it could cause more destruction. Meanwhile, Arabel and Miller began chanting spells, attempting to trace the dark magic controlling the dragonlings.I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. But when I saw the second dragonling start to move, I knew I couldn’t just stand there. Hesitantly, I approached it. “Hey, you don’t have to do this. We’re here to help you,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t sure it could hear me.The first beast fought back viciously against Owen. Their battle left the hall in even worse ruins. Eve, who was usually composed and cold, finally unsheathed her sword. “I’ll back Owen up. Protect Jonea,” she told Daran before leaping into the fray.I tried to get closer to the second dragonling, but an invisible force held m