She jolted awake, panting and drenched in sweat. Each breath came sharp, uneven, as though she had been drowning in her own dreams.
Her eyes scanned the room, heart still racing.
The chamber was cloaked in darkness, save for a thin strand of moonlight barely managing to slip through the thick window drapes. The air was cold, heavy with a silence that clung to her skin.
She sat up slowly, her expression troubled, still haunted by what she had seen.
"Another nightmare?" a voice asked, emerging from the shadows — smooth, low, and unreadable.
She turned toward it without flinching. "Yeah," she replied. "But just like before... I couldn't make out who or what it was."
A pair of glowing crimson eyes blinked into existence, floating in the dark as the silhouette behind them stepped into the moonlight.
"What was he like?"
She furrowed her brows, trying to recall the fading fragments of her dream.
"He felt... divine. Radiant. But at the same time, I sensed overwhelming darkness. He was in the sky, glowing with light and shadow both. He wielded two blades — one of pure lightning... and the other, pure darkness."
"Is that all?"
"There was neither good nor evil in him," she said, her voice quieting. "Just... raw power. Anytime I tried to get closer, something yanked me awake. Like my body knew if I got any closer, I'd die."
"If you're dreaming about him this often... it means we're running out of time," the figure said. "Whatever that being is — it doesn't bode well for us."
"I have to retrieve the orbs. All five." A twisted smirk curved her lips. "I know Lilith and Elijah will fail to bring Elias in, but that's fine. It's all part of the plan. Reuniting them is necessary. Bond is beautiful... but it's also a powerful weapon." Her eyes narrowed with cruel delight. "Elias will eventually have to choose between siblings and duty."
The silhouette's tone shifted, cautious now. "That's one thing. But what about Lenore? Their father has become a noble. He could be a problem."
She stood slowly, letting her long, silky black hair sweep the cold marble floor. Her voice dropped to a whisper laced with certainty.
"He's only just awakened. He won't be a problem for long. What I saw in the future... is absolute."
She moved toward the window, flinging it open. The moon stared down, full and silver, illuminating her sinister smile.
"Nothing will stop the re-awakening. Not once I have Elias. And not once I have all five orbs."
She laughed — a slow, echoing sound — as the cool wind stirred her hair, whispering through the night like an omen.
The sun rose bright and warm over the Silverwoods' residence. Golden beams of sunlight painted everything in gentle brilliance, casting long, soft shadows across the property.
The house was still under reconstruction after the devastating clash between two nobles had torn through its structure. The family had fed the neighbors a story about fending off a group of armed thieves — though it hardly explained the shattered walls, and splintered stone.
Max stood outside covered in dirt, shirt sleeves rolled up, overseeing the repairs with his usual composed authority when a sleek black Mercedes Jeep pulled up silently in front of the estate. Its windows were tinted pitch-black, and its license plate read only one word in bold: HAUNT.
Max tensed slightly, watching as several figures emerged. They wore clean black suits, gloves, and distinctive hats — and every one of them wore a white mask with different expressions on it.
The lead figure tilted his head at Max, grinning beneath his porcelain smile.
"Quite the mess, huh?" he said casually. "Those thugs that raided your place must've been on something fierce to tear through walls this thick."
Max didn't respond. He was used to strangers pretending to believe the cover story. But these men... weren't pretending.
The masked man crouched to examine a section of wall that Max had patched expertly, brushing his gloved fingers over faint claw marks.
"Or perhaps... something else was at play?" he said quietly.
Max's eyes narrowed. His voice dropped low, steady, and sharp.
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?"
The masked man straightened, tipping his hat just enough to let the sunlight glint off his smiley mask.
"My name is Dylan. We're hunters," he said.