First QuarterChapter Seventy-Four: Separated“Let’s go!” Ada said, urgency lacing her voice.“G-go?” Someone in their unit broke his voice. “How about them? We should hurry and get to them!”Mallory sharply turned to glare at him, feeling the rise of incredulity in her throat. It was funny how ignorant and stupid werewolves were when they hadn’t had the taste of terror from the vampires.“No,” she said sternly, clearly having no more room for discussion.“No?” The man looked at her in terror. “What do you mean, no? They’re in danger!”“We’re in danger ourselves,” Mallory said, almost gritting her teeth. “And did you forget about the captain's words? If mishaps happen, let’s run for our lives!”“But that’s cowardly!”“As cowardly as it is, that’s how we managed to preserve our race for years.” Mallory wanted to sound patient, but the pressing situation almost made her dig his brain out and ask how his heroic tendency would make him live.“B-but if we all attack together—”“We might di
First QuarterChapter Seventy-Five: Fighting Back“Oddny, Oddny!” Mallory struggled to get up, then struggled towards Oddny’s side. She kneeled, not caring if the pebbles were digging on her knees. She couldn’t feel them, anyway. Cupping her face with her hands, Mallory leaned in to hear If she was still breathing and sighed in relief when she felt the warm air coming out from her nostrils. Before she could sigh in relief, a harsh rustle made her head twist towards the source of the noise.The vampire stood slowly, his eyes staring at her without blinking. He raised his hands, showing the elongated nails. Mallory followed them, gritting her teeth. Without a second thought, she took the dagger from its sheath and pointed the sharp point towards him.“Approach us and lose your life!” Mallory threatened, hiding the trembling of her voice. She shifted, obscuring the view of Oddny’s body from his eyes.The vampire looked at the dagger, and a mocking laugh escaped from his lips. “Silly gi
First QuarterChapter Seventy-Six: Back to the Present“But that means you’ll be killing yourself!” Mallory said in alarm, remembering that their consciousness is equal to their life. The reason they were alive was simply because they had developed consciousness.Rather than responding to her directly, the plant chose to narrate a story. “I had lived for thousands of years in seclusion, never wanting to go out as I find the outside world unappealing. I do have companions with me, but they wither and die, trying to save everyone they fancy outside. I couldn’t understand why until I lived in my own company for a very long while.]The plant paused, then continued. [I used to think that living in solitude is the ultimate goal in our long life, yet as time passed, I then knew what it was to live alone…][It’s unbearable.]Mallory remained silent, not quite knowing how to respond to that. But with all her rambling, Mallory already has an idea of what she wants to say.Then she remembered th
First QuarterChapter Seventy-Seven: SearchThat led to them here.Now, aside from looking for the Luna, they were retrieving the intact corpses of their people.Trevon followed Leofric towards where he found the corpses of Mallory’s squad.Near a tree, they saw a female corpse together with a pile of ash. Trevon looked at Ada’s corpse with a complicated expression. She killed the vampire, but at what cost?Trevon and the others looked around and found more and more corpses. The atmosphere became graver as time went by, making them feel suffocated. They silently collected the corpses and loaded them into the wagons, then murmured a brief prayer.Trevon helped, his guilt eating him up from the insides. He could feel the glares behind him and knew that even without asking, they blame him. He understands. Trevon blamed himself, too.“Damn it,” a whisper broke the silence. Everyone shot an eye towards the man, yet he ignored them all. He gritted his teeth, looking at the corpse of a young
First Quarter Chapter Seventy-Eight: Meeting Mallory woke up with a start. She immediately sat up, realizing she had fallen asleep while waiting for Oddny to return. Her eyes were frantically looking for her, and it felt like a thorn was pulled out of her heart when she saw her sleeping next to the now-extinguished bonfire. She was sleeping on top of the makeshift bed and her blanket was half covering her body. Standing up, Mallory walked near her and fixed it, not wanting her to get cold. A fortunate thing was Oddny carried a bag with blankets, a knife, and flint inside. It was a great help during their stay there. She didn’t know how many hours had passed since she accidentally fell asleep, but Mallory’s stomach growled. “… I guess I have to make our breakfast now,” Mallory said to herself and was about to go when her eyes caught on something. A book, lying silently beside Oddny. Mallory looked at the book, her eyes strangely attracted to it. “… What’s that?” Just asking won’
First Quarter Chapter Seventy-Nine: Meeting (2) “They’re near.” Leofric, who was leading the search, said. Trevon heard that, and as the assistant, he ordered sternly. “Widen up the search. Don’t let your guard down! It has only been days; we don’t know if the vampires are not here anymore!” “Yes, sir!” The werewolves were fast on their feet, disappearing towards the woods. “Alpha,” Trevon walked towards Leofric's side. “Please, rest.” “No,” Leofric ignored him and then continued his search. Trevon watched his back and sighed. As expected, the son of the Alpha is as stubborn as he is. He has been searching for traces without rest, claiming he felt them near, but the day has almost passed, and they haven’t seen them yet. By now, he could see the lowered morale of the others they brought with them. Every time they move, they always see a corpse of their kin. Before they rot, they send them back first to the pack. It was a sad sight. Guilt once again ate Trevon’s heart. But not
First QuarterChapter Eighty: Going BackTheir hideout was bigger than he thought.The cave was spacious, and the ceiling was high up. Flowers were blooming on the soil even though there was no direct sunlight. There was a mound near the center and a withered, unusual flower. There were spots where flowers didn’t bloom, and they put their makeshift bed there. Not so far away was the place where they cooked.Oddny was stirring the pot when they arrived. When she saw them, she jolted up and looked at them with wide eyes, totally forgetting about the food she was cooking.“You’re here!” She said, not containing her joy.“We’re truly sorry for not arriving earlier,” Trevon responded politely. “But we don’t have time. Please, as soon as possible, pack up. We will be leaving tomorrow.”Seriousness immediately dawned on her face. Nodding her head, she listened to his words and packed up.“I’ll help.” Before anyone could stop her, Mallory had squatted down to help Oddny.Oddny merely glanced
First QuarterChapter Eighty-OneA satisfied sigh escaped from Mallory’s lips as soon as her back hit the soft mattress of her bed. It was small and thinner than she usually used in the mansion, but it was better than the makeshift bed in the cave.She stared at the ceiling for a while before curling on her side, gathering the fresh blanket in her chest. Mallory closed her eyes, wanting a quick nap. Soon, her consciousness drifted.She thought she would have another dreamless night, but instead of seeing pure darkness, she saw a lot of blood.Familiar faces—dead or alive—appeared in her mind. Blood covered their bodies, faces contorting in pain, tears streaming down their faces. They’re different persons, yet they all were screaming the same thing.“You are useless!”Mallory abruptly opened her eyes. She sat on her bed, panting hard.It was a nightmare. A terrifying one.A nightmare? Mallory bitterly smiled.The reality-induced nightmares. And the words they said were… Not entirely wr