Rain drowned the city in silver.

From the top floors of Aurelian Tower, the skyline of Edevane looked cold and endless beneath the storm.

Far below, hidden between older districts untouched by the city’s luxury, a man ran through a narrow alley with blood on his collar.

Victor kept looking behind him.

Again.

And again.

His breathing shook violently.

VICTOR: (gasping) please—

He clutched a leather folder tightly against his chest while stumbling through rain-soaked pavement.

Someone was following him.

He couldn’t hear footsteps.

But he felt it.

That horrible feeling crawling beneath his skin since the phone call earlier that evening.

Veil Night remembers.

Three words.

No number attached.

No sender.

Victor shoved open the back entrance of an abandoned cathedral near the river district and slammed the heavy doors shut behind him.

Darkness swallowed him instantly.

The old building smelled like dust, candle smoke, and rot.

His shaking hands fumbled for his phone flashlight.

The beam flickered across broken pews and ruined marble statues.

Empty.

No one.

VICTOR: (whispering shakily) get a grip…

He moved deeper inside the cathedral.

Then—

drip.

drip.

drip.

Victor froze.

Slowly, he lifted the flashlight.

The beam illuminated the cathedral ceiling—

—and stopped.

A body hung upside down from iron chains above the altar.

Victor screamed.

The corpse’s throat had been slit open.

Silver crescent symbols were carved across its chest.

Fresh blood dripped steadily onto the marble floor below.

Victor staggered backward in horror.

Then suddenly—

every chandelier inside the cathedral ignited at once. 🕯️

Victor spun around violently.

A woman stood near the entrance.

Black umbrella.

Long dark coat.

Face hidden beneath a veil.

Still.

Silent.

Watching him.

Victor’s breathing became frantic.

VICTOR: You—

VICTOR: (voice trembling) you’re dead…

The woman tilted her head slightly.

Something about her presence felt wrong.

Ancient.

Cold.

Victor backed away desperately.

VICTOR: (shouting shakily) I didn’t kill them!

VICTOR: I only handled the documents!

VICTOR: They told me the fire would erase everything—

The woman took one slow step forward.

Victor nearly collapsed.

VICTOR: You don’t understand—

VICTOR: they forced us—

Another step.

The cathedral lights flickered violently.

Victor’s flashlight died instantly.

Thunder exploded overhead. ⚡

Then—

silver eyes appeared beneath the veil.

Not glowing.

Reflecting.

Like moonlight on water.

Victor realized something horrifying.

She wasn’t there for answers.

She already knew everything.

The woman finally spoke.

Quiet.

Elegant.

Emotionless.

WOMAN: Eighteen years ago…

WOMAN: you buried the truth beneath this city.

Victor’s face drained of color.

VICTOR: How do you know that—

WOMAN: You erased names.

WOMAN: You burned evidence.

WOMAN: You buried survivors.

Victor hit the altar behind him.

Nowhere left to run.

VICTOR: (voice breaking) please…

VICTOR: I have money—

VICTOR: I can help you—

The woman reached slowly into her coat.

Then removed a silver crescent pendant.

Victor collapsed to his knees instantly.

WOMAN: You remember it.

WOMAN: The Moonveil crest.

Victor stared at her in horror.

VICTOR: (whispering) you were there…

The chandeliers flickered again.

For one horrifying second—

Victor saw her reflection in shattered stained glass.

Not the veiled woman.

Something else.

A monstrous shadow with silver eyes.

Then darkness swallowed the cathedral.

Victor screamed.

The sound echoed once—

—and abruptly stopped.

---

Elsewhere in Edevane… 🌃

Rain continued pouring outside apartment windows overlooking the city.

On television screens—

breaking news flooded every channel.

BODY FOUND INSIDE RIVERSIDE CATHEDRAL

Beside the headline appeared a silver crescent symbol. 🌙

Across the room,

Rhea lowered the volume slowly while staring at the screen.

RHEA: okay that’s definitely serial killer behavior.

Near the window,

Vespera closed her laptop calmly.

VESPERA: …that’s unsettling.

Rhea looked back at her immediately.

RHEA: unsettling??

RHEA: someone literally hung a body inside a cathedral.

Vespera picked up her coat from the chair nearby.

VESPERA: yes.

VESPERA: which feels unnecessarily theatrical.

Rhea narrowed her eyes slightly.

RHEA: your definition of unsettling concerns me.

For the briefest second—

Vespera almost smiled.

Almost.

Then her phone lit up.

UNKNOWN NUMBER.

Her expression stilled.

The message contained only three words.

VEIL NIGHT REMEMBERS. 🌙

Morning settled heavily over Edevane.

By sunrise, the cathedral murder had already become the biggest story in the country.

Outside Aurelian Tower,

reporters crowded behind barricades while black security vehicles lined the entrance roads.

Inside the tower—

everything remained perfectly controlled.

At least on the surface.

---

The private dining hall overlooking the city remained silent except for the sound of porcelain against silver.

At the head of the table sat Leonard Aurelian.

Chairman of Aurelian Group.

One of the most powerful men in Edevane.

Beside him,

Evelyn Aurelian stirred her coffee gracefully.

Across from them sat Silas Aurelian.

Future heir of the Aurelian empire.

---

LEONARD: The board is concerned.

SILAS: A man was murdered.

LEONARD: Which is exactly why appearances matter now.

EVELYN: The engagement ceremony cannot

be delayed.

SILAS: (leaning back coldly) unbelievable.

LEONARD: Public stability is important for this family.

SILAS: Is that what we’re calling it?

---

Silas glanced toward the rain-covered skyline beyond the windows.

News channels continued replaying footage from Riverside Cathedral.

A silver crescent symbol flashed repeatedly across the screens.

And for some reason—

that symbol bothered him more than the murder itself.

---

NEWS REPORTER: Victor Hale, senior legal advisor for several elite corporations, was found dead late last night inside Riverside Cathedral.

NEWS REPORTER: Authorities have not identified the meaning behind the crescent symbol discovered at the scene.

---

Elsewhere in the city… 🌃

Ashford Manor had become complete chaos.

Stylists rushed through marble hallways carrying garment bags while assistants argued over flower arrangements and seating charts for the upcoming engagement ceremony.

At the center of it all stood Vespera Ashford.

Adopted daughter of the influential Ashford family.

Elegant.

Reserved.

Always difficult to read.

---

Beside her stood Rhea Arden.

Recently hired as both Vespera’s personal assistant and private security escort after the engagement announcement.

Sharp-tongued.

Observant.

Clearly uncomfortable around elite society.

---

CAMILLE (Designer) : Miss Ashford, silver embroidery or black crystal detailing?

VESPERA: The silver.

CAMILLE: Excellent choice.

RHEA: (holding several folders while scanning the hallway) rich people really make weddings look terrifying.

VESPERA: You’ll survive.

RHEA: debatable.

---

Even while speaking casually,

Rhea’s attention constantly moved around the room.

Watching exits.

Watching people.

Like she trusted nobody completely.

---

Moments later… ☁️

Black vehicles stopped outside Ashford Manor.

Aurelian security.

The atmosphere inside shifted immediately.

Staff straightened nervously as the front doors opened.

And then—

Silas stepped inside.

Dark coat.

Rain-soaked gloves.

Cold expression.

His attention stopped only when he saw

Vespera standing near the staircase.

Elegant silver dress.

Calm as ever.

For several seconds—

neither of them spoke.

Two people preparing to marry each other.

Not for love.

Not even for trust.

Simply because their families decided it made sense.

---

SILAS: I didn’t realize wedding preparation involved this much suffering.

VESPERA: You should see the seating chart discussions.

SILAS: Worse than murder investigations?

VESPERA: surprisingly close.

SILAS: (almost smirking) impressive.

VESPERA: Thank you.

---

Across the hallway,

Rhea quietly organized documents while continuing to monitor the room carefully.

Professional.

Detached.

Nothing about her suggested closeness with

Vespera beyond work responsibilities.

Then—

her phone vibrated suddenly.

Rhea glanced downward briefly.

UNKNOWN NUMBER.

Her expression shifted for the smallest second.

Enough for Silas to notice.

---

UNKNOWN: VEIL NIGHT REMEMBERS.

---

Rhea locked her phone immediately.

Too late.

Silas had already seen the reflection of the message in the mirror behind her.

The storm over Edevane worsened by evening.

Black luxury cars lined the entrance of Aurelian Tower while reporters crowded behind security barricades below.

Tonight’s engagement dinner had become more than a celebration.

It was damage control.

And everyone attending knew it.

---

Inside the grand ballroom—

crystal chandeliers glowed above polished marble floors while live music echoed softly through the hall.

Elite families filled the room dressed in silver, black, and gold.

Every conversation eventually returned to the same subject:

Victor Hale.

The cathedral murder.

The silver crescent symbol.

---

Near the entrance stood Vespera.

Elegant black dress.

Silver jewelry.

Perfectly composed beneath the attention surrounding her.

Beside her,

Rhea quietly checked schedules from a digital tablet while scanning the ballroom carefully.

Still working.

Even here.

---

RHEA: rich people really enjoy pretending they’re not terrified.

VESPERA: It’s considered polite.

RHEA: someone literally got murdered yesterday.

VESPERA: and yet the champagne survived.

RHEA: unbelievable.

---

Across the ballroom—

Silas entered beside several board executives.

Almost immediately,

the atmosphere shifted.

Conversations lowered.

People moved aside instinctively.

---

Following behind him was Adrian Aurelian.

Silas’s cousin.

Director of Aurelian Security operations.

Relaxed as always.

Looking far too entertained for a murder investigation.

---

ADRIAN: You look thrilled to be here.

SILAS: I considered setting the ballroom on fire.

ADRIAN: emotionally or literally?

SILAS: undecided.

ADRIAN: good. keeps things interesting.

---

Near the center of the ballroom,

Silas’s attention found Vespera almost immediately.

And strangely—

she seemed calmer than everyone else in the room.

Not emotionless.

Just steady.

Like chaos didn’t affect her the same way it affected other people.

---

Few Moments later… 🌙

Leonard stepped onto the ballroom stage.

Instant silence followed.

---

LEONARD: Thank you all for attending tonight despite recent events.

LEONARD: The Aurelian family values strength during difficult times.

LEONARD: And tonight marks the future partnership between the Aurelian and Ashford families.

---

Soft applause filled the ballroom.

Cameras flashed instantly as Silas and Vespera were guided toward the center stage together.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Perfect for the public.

Completely artificial in private.

---

As photographers surrounded them,

Silas leaned slightly closer without looking at her.

SILAS: Smile.

VESPERA: I am smiling.

SILAS: You look mildly dangerous.

VESPERA: That’s my pleasant expression.

---

For the first time that night—

Silas laughed softly.

Real this time.

Very brief.

But enough to surprise both of them.

---

Across the ballroom,

Rhea noticed it immediately.

Her expression hardened slightly.

Protective.

Careful.

Then she looked away before anyone noticed.

---

And above the ballroom—

someone watched silently from the shadows of the second floor.

The upper level remained dark compared to the bright ballroom below,

hidden behind black marble pillars and glass railings overlooking the entire hall.

From there,

every guest could be seen clearly.

Every smile.

Every lie.

Every nervous glance exchanged beneath the chandeliers.

The figure never moved forward into the light.

Only stood silently with one hand resting against the railing while the engagement celebration continued below.

Then—

a silver crescent pendant reflected briefly beneath the dim lights.