First QuarterChapter Seventy: Winner of the HuntSeventh day.When the sun rose, the pack's entrance filled slowly with exhausted people carrying their worn-out bodies and dragging a load of animal carcasses. Some brought a sack worth of animals, while the others sadly only brought one small dead animal. Sadness was etched on their faces whenever they saw someone who brought bigger or more quantity than theirs, knowing fully well that they had lost and didn’t have the chance to win the competition at all.Trevon, who was standing on a platform not too far away from the entrance, observed them with the other instructors. He looked at them calmly, while nodding his head.He had expected that many would be back with nothing in their hands, but this batch of examinees was competent.The instructors behind him were equally satisfied, and they couldn't help but comment. “Good! It seems like we have promising children!”“Almost everyone caught something. That’s commendable, considering they
First QuarterChapter Seventy-One: Healing“Congratulations, Luna!” Cyril grinned widely as she entered her tent. He immediately offered a hand to get her things and giddily showed her inside. “You’ve won the hunt, and it has the biggest margin too! Who could have thought that you would find such a beast here? It must be fate!”‘Fate…’ Mallory almost laughed. ‘It probably is, but I would appreciate it if fate won’t jump-scare me next time.’“Thank you, Cyril.” She handed him the bag she had been carrying for days. “Is the water ready? I want to take a bath.”“It is, Luna,” Cyril answered without missing a beat. “I wouldn’t be able to assist you with the bath, and no one is available at the moment. Should I call for Oddny?”“No.” Mallory shook her head and walked towards the bath area, specially made just for her. “Let her rest. These three days must be hard on her. What’s for tomorrow again?”Cyril was well informed, he said methodically. "Tomorrow, everyone gets to relax and have fre
First Quarter Chapter Seventy-Two: Last Day That discovery made her sit throughout the camp. She sat next to the instructors, watching the others engage in the predetermined activities. On the twelfth day, the mock battle begins. Mallory sat in a comfortable seat with Cyril and Oddny standing behind her. Unblessed were not allowed to join the battle as they had no Blessing yet. The three of them watched as the ongoing team battle happened in front of them, marveling at the potential of others, while also laughing at someone’s mistake. “Are you enjoying yourself, Luna?” Trevon asked, slightly obstructing the view. Mallory looked up at him, not even showing a slight annoyance from his disturbance. “Yes, Trevon. It’s quite fun to watch from the sidelines.” Trevon sounds satisfied with her answer. He stepped aside to let her watch, then silence descended upon the four. They stayed there until the afternoon, just taking breaks whenever a match stopped. Mallory, of course, didn’t jus
First Quarter Chapter Seventy-Three: Attack “Hello,” Mallory greeted her group, the very one she grouped with when they were exploring the area. “I’ll be in your care.” “… Likewise.” “Hello, Luna.” Mallory almost spread her lips widely after hearing their response. It was refreshing to hear them greeting her back. Since the day it was revealed that she could heal people, everyone significantly opened up to her. “Luna,” Ada, the female instructor who guided them through the exploration, called out to her. “We will be traveling with the fourth carriage. And we will be at the left flank.” “I know,” Mallory said truthfully. “Cyril had told me.” Cyril, who was acting as if he didn't exist, was riding a horse next to her. Oddny was riding in the carriage. “… Hm.” Ada nodded her head and steered her horse to the very front of their unit. She stood there in silence, and so did they. She knew that she was counting seconds, waiting for the first unit and their unit to have a huge dista
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 QuarterChapter Ninety-Five: RevelationAn urgent meeting was held in the throne room.The elders were present, as well as the two Alphas. Their faces were grim and dark, yet it everyone noticed how pale Leofric was.“How did they know about this place?” Without waiting for anyone to talk, an elder immediately raised his doubts. “How did they break through the barrier?”Another elder mirrored his doubt. “Did they discover it by chance? Or…”He didn’t continue talking, so elder Ester said instead. “Or someone told them.”Her words were like blizzards, freezing the bloods of everyone in the room. They looked at each other suspiciously, their eyes glaring with warning.With the tension in the air so high, the servants and guards held their breaths, wanting to remain invisible all through out the meeting.Alpha Ragnarr sighed. This took their attention, and the tension eased a bit.“Let’s not set ourselves up.” Alpha Ragnarr stood up. He walked down the stairs and stopped just a cou
First QuarterChapter Ninety-Four: FireMinutes before the disappearance of the barrier…Mallory ran like her life depended on it. She never looked back, and before she knew it, the house she used to live in appeared in her eyes. She stopped moving and looked at it when she detected movement inside.Immediately, she frowned. She looked to the west and saw the moon hanging in the sky. It descended slowly, but the morning will surely come.“Is she awake?” Mallory asked herself. After thinking for a while, that was the only plausible explanation she could think of. She looked at the door and finally made up her mind to knock.Knock, knock.The movement inside the house paused, and then after that, she could see a silhouette walking to the door.Then, the door opened.Mallory met Oddny’s surprised eyes. Then, her surprise was immediately hidden. She looked at her up and down, and Mallory couldn’t hide the bags on her side. Just at first glance, one could tell that she had packed up to lea
First QuarterChapter Ninety-Three: Broken Barrier[Mallory!][Wake up!][Pst!]The blessed souls who she talked to earlier to wake her up before the sun rose yelled loudly in her ears. Their voices successfully woke her up.Mallory forced herself to get up. She could feel her body throbbing painfully. She did no strenuous activity, yet she felt like she exercised for a long time before sleeping. But there’s no way one could exercise their heart.Out of everything on her, her heart felt the most painful.Mallory decided to ignore that and forced herself to not think of a certain person.“What time is it?” Mallory asked, her voice slightly hoarse.[Two hours before sunrise.][Quickly, hurry!]Hearing that, Mallory dragged her body out of her bed. She looked below and saw the bag she packed. Mallory took it and then changed into more comfortable clothes. She slipped in h
First Quarter Chapter Ninety-Two: Broken “The Luna?” A glint flashed in his eyes before it settled down. “Why?” Leofric pursed his lips. Why? Why indeed? A small smile unconsciously surfaced on his lips. “… She finally let me see her.” He could feel his eyes on him, but Leofric didn’t withdraw his smile. After staring for a while, Alpha Leofric nodded his head. “Very well. Then, I will find someone for you.” Delight crossed his eyes, before bowing his head. “Thank you very much.” “It’s nothing.” Alpha Ragnarr laughed. “Then go. I’m sure you have a lot to prepare.” - Two hours before the ceremony starts. The moon was slowly rising in the sky. The sky itself was dark, and if not for the stars loitered on it, one would think they were staring at an endless void. The pack was lively. No one rested, as they went back and forth in preparation for the ceremony. Far from the lively celebration, Mallory walked through the dense forest. Her mind kept the direction in her mind, and
First Quarter Chapter 91: Full Moon “—It’s necessary!” The first voice was Harper’s. As usual, her voice was calm and collected, the exact opposite of her twin. “I don’t understand!” Even though their voices were deliberately suppressed, Mallory still heard it thanks to her enhanced hearing. “Why must I hide while you—” Mallory then entered their sensing range. They collectively looked at her, one shocked while the other had unfathomable eyes. Look is not the right word. Containing her shock, Mallory stared intently at Hazen. Her eyes were covered with a blindfold. She only knew that Hazen had turned to her in shock as her mouth gaped open. ‘This might be her punishment before getting freed.’ Mallory concluded; her heart can’t help but feel pity. ‘To not be able to see until says so.’ Her eyes are okay under that blindfold, but she can’t take it off until she controls her blessings. It was a great countermeasure. Her blessing is destructive, after all. She looked at the twins
First Quarter: Chapter Ninety: She's Back Somewhere in the middle of the forest. Night had come, and the moon was hanging high in the sky. Thick clouds glided smoothly into the sky, and the cold wind slowly pushed it forward. Inside a cave, Oddny was kneeling on the stony ground, the pebbles digging into her flesh. “Hmm, did you figure out where they put them?” General Mabel looked at her and a small grin couldn’t be suppressed from her face. “No,” Oddny answered curtly. Disappointment dawned on the general’s face. She sighed, and the sigh echoed throughout the cave. This caused the other vampires to shake on their knees. Even if they were not the subject of her disappointment, their hair still couldn’t help but stand up. “It’s been days.” She said, her eyes looking all over her body, and stopping on her neck. Oddny bowed her head even more. “… I apologize, I find them soon.” General Mabel swatted her hand, placing a palm over her forehead. “No matter. I am in no hurry. Go
First QuarterChapter Eighty-Nine: Mysteriously DisappearingA knock interrupted their conversation. Both turned their heads and looked at the wooden door. It creaked open, and a head peeked out of it. “Is physician Manon here?”“Here!” Manon stood up. “What is it?”The door opened wide, and a man and a boy entered. The boy was clutching his hand, his face showing complicated emotions.“What happened?” Manon asked, then took the boy’s hand. “You broke your hand?”“Yes, he was playing with the others earlier, but he had a bad fall.” The older man, who looked like the boy’s brother, explained. He then sighed. “I don’t know what to do with this kid. He has been causing trouble these past few days.”Manon chuckled. “It’s normal. Sit down—ah!”Manon looked at Mallory and spoke. “It seems l
First QuarterChapter Eight-Eight: Physician Manon “I—”“Hush it, I’m not listening.” True to her stubborn nature, she swatted her away like a fly. Then she took a medicine leaf out of her box and applied it on the arm. Then she covered it with the cloth. “If I see you injured again, I will lock you up in the basement. Try me.”“Okay, I’ll try my best to be careful.” Mallory lied smoothly.But she’s no match for a person who had lived for a hundred years earlier than her. Elder Ester gave her a look and shook her head. “Look, I know that you are eager to develop your capabilities more, but you have to take care of yourself not to get overboard… You might not like the outcome if you do.”“…” Mallory was touched, but that’s the whole reason she wants to develop further.Vampires.She knew that they had been very aggressive in the past few days. And that only fueled her desire to learn and develop even more. The treatment continued, and then Mallory asked a question she’d been itching
First QuarterChapter Eight-Seven: Elder EsterA few days later…“In this month, we already had four casualties. We made the guards stop patrolling individually outside the border and tightened the security inside the barrier.” A man clad in his guard uniform reported with a grim face. “After that, no deaths have been reported.”“Damn it, they’re playing with us for sure!” An elder couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table, breaking it. It wasn’t just him who displayed their anger. The other elders couldn’t hide their emotions as well.“They’ve killed a lot already,” one said weakly. “But we haven’t seen even one vampire at all.”"They’re looking for our pack,” someone said with confidence. “And they somehow knew that it’s near here.”“But we don’t have to worry about them discovering it.” Another one chimed in, looking at the person sitting on the throne. “The Alpha’s blessing will protect us all.”In their heart, they collectively agreed. Hundreds of years had passed, and the Al