I ran through the forest as flames lit up the night around me, desperately trying to escape the man.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I pushed forward, but in my haste, I tripped over a tree root and fell hard to the ground.

I quickly tried to get back on my feet, but before I could, a shadow loomed behind me.

He had caught up much faster than I expected.

"You can run all night, Corazelle," he said with a cold smile as he slowly approached.

Fear tightened in my chest, but I refused to give up. I scrambled to my feet and raised my hand, preparing to use my power against him.

Before I could release it, he moved with startling speed and grabbed my wrist, stopping me instantly.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The crackling fire and the rushing wind were the only sounds that filled the forest.

"It's no use. Your Blood Manipulation can't bind me with the fate of your estate, Corazelle," he said, tightening his grip around my wrist.

I stared at him with lifeless eyes before letting out a soft chuckle.

"You may be powerful now. You've devoured Zenith's Immortality, and you may even kill me here tonight." My voice remained calm despite the flames raging around us. "But remember this, Mephesto. One day, I will be the one to end your greed and your evil deeds. It may take a hundred years... or even a thousand."

I met his gaze without fear.

"And when that day comes, not even the heavens will be able to save you."

A surge of power erupted from within me.

My emerald-green eyes slowly turned crimson red, glowing like embers in the darkness. My black hair lengthened and turned pure white, flowing wildly in the scorching wind. Beneath my feet, an enormous crimson magic circle spread across the forest floor, its symbols burning brighter with every passing second.

For the first time, Mephesto's confident expression cracked.

His eyes widened.

He knew exactly what I was about to do.

Immediately, he released my wrist and staggered backward.

"What are you doing...?" he whispered.

I laughed.

Not with joy.

Not with madness.

But with absolute certainty.

Then I raised my head and delivered my final warning.

"Run if you wish, Mephesto. Cross kingdoms. Hide beyond oceans. Bury yourself beneath mountains."

The crimson light intensified.

"Because from this moment onward, every shadow will remind you of me."

The ground trembled.

"Every nightmare will carry my name."

The air itself seemed to distort around the magic circle.

"And one day, when you hear my footsteps behind you, your end will already be waiting."

A flash of scarlet light consumed the forest.

The explosion tore through the night like a second sun, sending a shockwave across the land. Trees vanished beneath the blast, and the flames were swept away by the overwhelming force.

Mephesto survived.

But only barely.

The explosion left wounds that no ordinary magic could easily heal, burning both his body and his pride. Though it failed to kill him, the pain would remain with him for years to come.

And far worse than the pain...

Was the fear.

Because for the rest of his life, he would never forget the girl who smiled in the face of death and promised to return.

Mephesto survived.

For months after the explosion, he remained hidden from the world.

The wounds carved into his body by Corazelle's final spell refused to heal completely. No matter how much stolen magic he consumed, a faint crimson mark remained across his chest like a brand. Every time he looked at it, he remembered the girl who had stood before him without fear.

The girl who should have died.

Years passed.

Then decades.

Then centuries.

Kingdoms rose and fell like waves upon the shore.

Castles crumbled into ruins. Dynasties vanished from history. Languages evolved, and the stories of Corazelle became nothing more than fragments of forgotten legends.

Yet Mephesto endured.

With Zenith's magic coursing through him, time held little power over his existence.

As centuries passed, he expanded his influence from the shadows. He no longer ruled through brute force or open conquest. Instead, he learned something far more effective.

Control.

Nobles became politicians.

Royal advisors became corporate executives.

Ancient cults became secret organizations hidden beneath legitimate institutions.

One by one, he placed loyal followers in positions of power.

Pawns.

Thousands of them.

Some knew his true identity.

Most did not.

By the time a thousand years had passed, the world had become unrecognizable.

Towering skyscrapers replaced castles.

Neon lights illuminated streets that never slept.

Cars sped across highways where horses once traveled.

People carried devices in their pockets and connected with others across the globe in an instant.

To ordinary citizens, it was an age of peace.

An age of progress.

An age of prosperity.

At least during the day.

But when night fell, another world awakened.

Deep within the shadows of the cities lurked creatures that should not have existed.

Demons stalked abandoned alleyways.

Monstrous beasts emerged from hidden rifts.

Ancient horrors wandered beneath subway tunnels and forgotten underground passages.

Most people never saw them.

The government made certain of that.

Officially, such creatures did not exist.

Unofficially, entire divisions had been created to suppress supernatural incidents before they reached the public eye.

Specialized agents hunted monsters in secret.

Entire reports were erased before sunrise.

Witnesses were silenced through fabricated explanations.

The world remained blissfully unaware.

Exactly as Mephesto intended.

From the highest floor of a towering skyscraper overlooking the city, Mephesto stood before a wall of glass.

The lights of the metropolis stretched endlessly beneath him.

A beautiful illusion.

His illusion.

A knock echoed through the room.

One of his subordinates entered and lowered his head respectfully.

"Lord Mephesto."

"What is it?"

The man hesitated.

"There has been another report."

Mephesto's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

The subordinate swallowed.

"A teenage girl has awakened an unusual ability."

Silence filled the room.

The air itself seemed heavier.

For a brief moment, Mephesto felt something he had not experienced in centuries.

A distant memory.

Crimson eyes.

White hair.

A smile in the face of death.

Slowly, he turned toward the city below.

Outside, thousands of people walked the streets without knowing what watched them from the darkness.

Without knowing what was about to return.

The crimson scar across his chest suddenly burned.

For the first time in a thousand years...

Mephesto felt afraid.

"Find the girl."

The order spread across the world within hours.

Mephesto's followers moved immediately.

Hidden organizations embedded within governments activated dormant networks. Information brokers searched through records. Corporate executives used surveillance systems to monitor unusual activity. Even creatures of the night received the command.

Demons prowled through the shadows.

Beasts roamed abandoned districts.

Ancient creatures whispered through forgotten tunnels beneath the cities.

They all searched for the same target.

The unusual teenage girl.

Yet despite the immense resources at Mephesto's disposal, the search produced little.

Every lead ended in failure.

Every clue vanished.

Every witness seemed to forget important details.

It was as though fate itself was protecting the girl.

Then, three years after the search began, one of Mephesto's pawns finally succeeded.

A field operative stationed in a coastal city reported a sighting.

A teenage girl.

Dark hair.

Unusual green eyes.

An unexplained surge of magical energy.

The report reached Mephesto within minutes.

For the first time in years, hope stirred among his followers.

The operative continued tracking the child for several days.

Then the reports suddenly stopped.

No distress signal.

No emergency transmission.

Nothing.

The operative simply vanished.

When investigators searched the area, they found no body, no evidence, and no trace of what had happened.

It was as if the pawn had never existed.

The disappearance unsettled even Mephesto's most loyal servants.

Someone—or something—was protecting the girl.

Years continued to pass.

The modern world marched forward.

Technology advanced.

Cities expanded.

New generations were born.

Meanwhile, the hidden war beneath the surface never ended.

Government agencies continued their secret hunts against supernatural threats.

Independent organizations fought to protect civilians from demons and beasts.

Many of these groups had no idea they were also opposing Mephesto's influence.

Others knew exactly who he was.

And they watched carefully.

Waiting.

Seven years after the search had begun, Mephesto stood once more before the enormous windows of his tower.

The city below glittered beneath the night sky.

Yet his expression remained cold.

Seven years.

Seven years of searching.

Seven years of failures.

The child remained beyond his reach.

A subordinate cautiously entered the room.

"Lord Mephesto."

He did not turn around.

"Report."

The subordinate swallowed nervously.

"We still have no confirmed location."

Silence followed.

The scar upon Mephesto's chest throbbed faintly beneath his clothing.

After a thousand years, the mark had never disappeared.

And recently, it had begun hurting more often.

As though responding to something.

Or someone.

For a moment, a memory surfaced.

Crimson eyes.

White hair.

A promise spoken amid flames.

Mephesto clenched his fist.

"No."

The word escaped his lips like a whisper.

The subordinate looked confused.

"My lord?"

Mephesto slowly turned toward him.

His golden eyes were colder than ice.

"Double the search."

"Every city. Every district. Every school."

The subordinate bowed immediately.

"At once, my lord."

As the man hurried from the room, Mephesto looked out at the countless lights stretching across the horizon.

Somewhere among those millions of people, the child was growing older.

Growing stronger.

And with each passing year, the unease within him only deepened.

For the first time in a thousand years, Mephesto found himself wondering a question he never thought he would ask.

What if Corazelle had truly kept her promise?

Miles away from Mephesto's tower, hidden beneath the heart of the city, a dimly lit room glowed with countless green screens.

Rows of monitors covered the walls.

Streams of data raced across the displays. Security feeds, encrypted communications, satellite imagery, financial records, and surveillance networks flowed through the room like rivers of light.

At the center sat a young women

She leaned back casually in her chair, one leg crossed over the other as her fingers danced across a keyboard. A cup of cola rested beside her desk, and she lazily sipped from the straw while watching dozens of screens at once.

Green numbers reflected across her face.

Her emerald eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.

On one monitor, a man in a black suit stepped out of a vehicle and began scanning a crowded street.

One of Mephesto's pawns.

Again.

Corazelle let out a quiet sigh.

"Poor you," she muttered before taking another sip of her drink. "Why don't you just surrender already?"

The man continued searching, completely unaware that his every movement was being monitored.

Not just by cameras.

By her.

As night fell over the city, a shadow darted across the rooftops.

It leaped effortlessly from building to building, moving faster than the eye could follow. Streetlights flashed beneath it while neon signs painted the darkness in shifting colors.

When the figure finally reached its destination, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Below, in a narrow alleyway hidden from the busy streets, the man in the black suit from earlier stood speaking with a vampire.

"You will find her at all costs," the man said coldly. "Or Lord Mephesto will eliminate your entire group."

The vampire merely scoffed.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?" he replied. "I'm far more afraid of the woman you've been searching for all these years."

The man narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

The vampire glanced toward the dark sky above.

"I think the girl your lord has been hunting no longer exists."

Silence settled between them.

The vampire's expression grew serious.

"She's not a girl anymore."

The man's gaze hardened.

"What's your point?"

A faint smile crossed the vampire's face.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Ray."

He turned as if to leave.

Then laughter echoed through the alley.

Soft.

Calm.

Yet somehow it sent a chill down both of their spines.

The two men immediately went on alert.

They scanned every corner of the alley.

Every rooftop.

Every shadow.

The laughter came again.

This time from above.

Slowly, they looked up.

There, sitting on the edge of a second-story building, was a young woman.

One leg rested casually over the other.

Long black hair flowed gracefully in the wind.

Her emerald-green eyes glowed softly in the darkness, standing out against the city's lights.

She rested her cheek against one hand while the other lay atop her crossed leg.

Her posture was relaxed.

Comfortable.

As though she were simply watching a performance.

There was no smile on her face now.

Only a cold, unreadable expression.

The alley grew silent.

Even the vampire's face had gone pale.

Ray felt his throat tighten.

No.

"It couldn't be."

For years he had chased rumors.

For years he had followed clues that always disappeared.

Yet the moment he saw those glowing emerald eyes...

He knew.

The woman tilted her head slightly.

Her gaze settled upon Ray.

Then upon the vampire.

And finally back to Ray.

A quiet chuckle escaped her lips.

"Seven years."

Her voice was calm.

Almost conversational.

"Seven years of searching."

Ray instinctively took a step backward.

The woman slowly rose to her feet.

The wind carried her hair behind her like a dark veil.

"And after all that time..."

Her glowing eyes narrowed.

"...this is the best Mephesto could send?"

The alley's temperature suddenly dropped.

Neither man noticed that the shadows around them had begun moving on their own.

The vampire immediately lowered his head.

Not out of loyalty.

Out of fear.

A fear earned through stories whispered among demons and monsters alike.

Stories of a woman whose name had become a warning.

Ray's heart pounded.

For the first time, he understood why Mephesto had spent seven years trying to find her.

And why so many had vanished while searching.

Because the moment she chose to stop hiding...

She was terrifying.

Ray remained still as he looked up at Corazelle.

She sat on the edge of the rooftop beneath the night sky, casually swinging her legs as if she were simply enjoying the evening breeze.

"Now, now, don't mind me," Corazelle said with a playful smile. "Keep talking. I won't mind. Though I am listening."

Silence followed.

Ray said nothing.

The vampire lowered his head slightly. The moment his eyes met Corazelle's, a chill ran down his spine. Every instinct within him screamed that the woman above was dangerous.

Still, vampires were not known for backing down easily.

The vampire clicked his tongue and let out a sharp call.

A moment later, countless bats emerged from the darkness.

They poured into the alley from every direction, filling the night with the sound of beating wings. The swarm circled overhead before descending one after another.

As they touched the ground, their forms twisted and stretched.

Bats became people.

Men and women with pale skin, crimson eyes, and predatory smiles appeared around the alleyway.

More and more arrived until every exit was blocked.

Ray slowly glanced around.

The alley was completely surrounded.

Dozens of vampires stood on rooftops, fire escapes, and the ground itself, watching him like hungry wolves surrounding prey.

The leader smirked.

"Now the odds seem much more reasonable."

Above them, Corazelle rested her cheek on her palm.

"Oh?"

The single word made several vampires tense.

She looked around at the gathering crowd before smiling brightly.

"My, my."

Corazelle's emerald-green eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight.

"I just wanted to say something to Mephesto after a thousand years of parting ways."

Her gaze sharpened.

A wide smile spread across her face, though there was something unsettling behind it.

"I just want him to know something."

She puffed her cheeks for a brief moment before turning toward Ray.

"Ray~"

Ray instinctively looked up.

"Tell Mephesto everything I said, okay~?"

Slowly, Corazelle rose to her feet atop the rooftop.

The night wind stirred her hair as she spread her arms wide, as though embracing the entire sky.

"Tell Mephesto..."

Her voice echoed across the alley.

"...that the real war begins."

The moon hung behind her like a silver crown.

She tilted her head upward and giggled softly.

"Him versus me."

Then she lowered her gaze back to Ray.

"And his pawns versus my pawns."

For a brief second, her smile faded.

A strange gentleness appeared in her eyes.

"Don't make it hurt, okay?"

Her words sounded less like a wish and more like a command.

Then—

Five presences emerged from the darkness behind her.

No one saw them arrive.

One moment the rooftop was empty.

The next, five figures stood silently at Corazelle's back.

Each wore a mask.

Each carried an aura that made even the veteran vampires freeze.

Orange.

Yellow.

Indigo.

Violet.

Green.

Five colors.

Five masks.

Five silent warriors.

The vampire leader's expression immediately changed.

His instincts screamed danger.

"Kill them!" he roared.

The alley exploded into motion.

Vampires lunged from every direction.

Some leaped from rooftops.

Others rushed across the ground with supernatural speed.

Yet the masked figures moved first.

The Orange Mask vanished.

A shockwave erupted through the center of the vampire formation.

Several vampires were hurled through walls before they even realized they had been struck.

The Yellow Mask raised a hand.

Golden light flashed.

The nearest vampires found themselves bound by glowing chains that appeared from nowhere, pinning them against the surrounding buildings.

The Indigo Mask stepped forward.

The shadows beneath the vampires twisted and rose like living creatures.

Screams echoed as dark tendrils dragged dozens of them into the darkness.

The Violet Mask merely pointed.

A wave of violet energy swept across the alley.

The attacking vampires froze in place as if their bodies had forgotten how to move.

And then—

The Green Mask moved.

Unlike the others, there was no explosion.

No flashy power.

Just a single step.

A vampire appeared behind the Green Mask with claws extended.

The next instant, he collapsed.

Then another.

And another.

Each fell before anyone could understand what had happened.

The battle became a massacre.

Ray stood in stunned silence.

Around him, powerful vampires who moments ago had surrounded the alley with confidence were being overwhelmed.

The vampire leader staggered backward.

"W-What are these monsters...?"

Above them all, Corazelle simply watched.

Her smile remained unchanged.

The moonlight reflected in her emerald eyes.

"See?" she said softly.

"I told you."

Her gaze drifted beyond the city, as if she were looking at someone far away.

Someone who wasn't there.

"Tell Mephesto..."

The smile on her face widened.

"...I'm finally coming for him."

The moment Ray gathered enough courage, he teleported away from the alley.

The chaos vanished in an instant.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a quiet, deserted street far from the battle.

Silence surrounded him.

Ray let out a slow breath.

For a brief moment, he thought he had escaped.

Then he froze.

Someone was standing in front of him.

Corazelle.

She had appeared without a sound.

Yet something about her was different.

Her dark hair had become pure white, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Her emerald eyes had changed into a deep crimson.

The sight was unsettling—not because she looked threatening, but because she looked completely calm.

As though she had expected him to arrive there all along.

Ray instinctively stepped back.

Corazelle tilted her head curiously.

"hmm?"

She raised her right hand.

A crimson glow gathered around her palm, swirling like mist before taking shape.

Moments later, it formed into an elegant crimson scythe made of pure energy.

The weapon shimmered softly beneath the moonlight.

Corazelle rested it lightly against her shoulder.

Then she smiled.

"Oh, don't worry."

Her tone was almost reassuring.

"I won't harm you."

Ray remained silent.

"I still need you to deliver my message to Mephesto."

She looked up at the moon for a moment before returning her gaze to him.

A playful smile appeared on her face.

"Tell him exactly what I said."

The night breeze passed between them.

Corazelle's crimson eyes seemed to shine brighter.

"And tell him..."

Her smile widened slightly.

"...that I'm looking forward to our next meeting."

For the first time, Ray understood something important.

No matter how far he teleported, Corazelle could find him whenever she wished.

And somehow, that realization was more frightening than the battle he had left behind.

Corazelle slowly raised her crimson scythe.

The curved blade shimmered beneath the pale moonlight, casting a blood-red glow across the deserted street.

Ray froze.

Every muscle in his body locked in place as fear gripped his heart.

The pressure radiating from her presence was overwhelming. Even breathing felt difficult.

Then the scythe moved.

His eyes snapped shut.

He braced himself for the strike.

For pain.

For death.

But neither came.

A cold breeze drifted past him.

Seconds ticked by in complete silence.

One.

Two.

Three.

Nothing happened.

Ray cautiously opened his eyes.

The words caught in his throat.

Corazelle was gone.

The empty street stretched before him, silent and still.

There was no sign of her white hair.

No trace of her crimson eyes.

No crimson scythe.

Nothing.

It was as though she had never been there at all.

Only the lingering chill in the air remained, serving as proof that the encounter had been real.

Ray's gaze darted from one side of the street to the other.

Nothing.

No movement.

No presence.

No Corazelle.

His heart continued to pound against his chest.

Without wasting another second, he raised his hand and activated his teleportation spell.

Space distorted around him.

The world blurred.

In an instant, his figure vanished from the deserted street.

A moment later, Ray reappeared atop the building overlooking the battlefield.

The cold night wind greeted him as he steadied himself.

His eyes immediately swept across the area.

He searched for the remaining vampires.

For the masked figures.

For any sign of Corazelle.

Yet the sight before him made him fall silent.

The battlefield he had left behind was no longer the same.

But something felt wrong.

Ray slowly narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the alley below.

There were no bodies.

No signs of the vampires who had filled the streets only moments ago.

No blood stained the pavement.

No scorch marks scarred the walls.

No broken concrete.

No shattered windows.

Nothing.

The alley was spotless.

It was as if the battle had never happened.

As if dozens of vampires had never gathered there.

As if the masked figures had never appeared.

As if Corazelle herself had never set foot in the area.

The only thing that remained was the quiet stillness of the night.

Ray's heartbeat quickened.

That was impossible.

He had witnessed everything with his own eyes.

The vampires.

The battle.

The overwhelming power of the five masked figures.

Yet now there wasn't a single trace left behind.

Not even a drop of evidence.

A cold sensation crept down his spine.

For the first time, he wondered whether he had truly escaped from Corazelle's grasp—or whether he was still exactly where she wanted him to be.

The thought sent a shiver through him.

Standing alone atop the building, Ray stared into the empty alley below.

The silence felt heavier than any battlefield.

And somehow, that frightened him far more than the vampires ever had.

An hour later...

The top floor of GlobalTech Agencies was unusually quiet.

The floor was restricted—accessible only to six individuals.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the dazzling city skyline. Countless lights sparkled below like stars scattered across the earth.

Standing before the glass was a woman.

Her long white hair flowed down her back as she casually held a dark orange orb in one hand.

Corazelle.

She stared at the city in silence.

Then the elevator doors opened.

Five masked figures entered.

Without even turning around, Corazelle spoke.

"You're late."

The annoyance in her voice was immediate.

The five figures stopped.

Silence.

Then the Orange Mask stepped forward and pointed at her dramatically.

"HUH!? You're blaming us!?"

His voice echoed through the room.

"You're the one who disappeared and left us dealing with an entire army of vampires, Corazelle!"

Corazelle finally turned around.

"Ohh~"

A mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"Don't tell me you were scared, Kenzo?"

"WHO WAS SCARED!?"

Kenzo immediately exploded.

"I was strategically retreating multiple times!"

"That's called running away."

"IT'S NOT!"

"It is."

"IT ISN'T!"

"It is."

"IT ISN'T!"

"Children."

Aizah pinched the bridge of her nose.

Even through her mask, everyone could feel her disappointment.

"Can the two of you stop arguing for five minutes?"

"No."

"No."

The two answered simultaneously.

Aizah looked ready to throw someone out of the window.

Beside her, Pilina giggled.

"Honestly, it was pretty funny."

"Which part?" Kendrick asked.

"The part where Kenzo screamed."

"I DID NOT SCREAM!"

Pilina immediately mimicked him.

"AAAH! IT'S COMING THIS WAY!"

"I DON'T SOUND LIKE THAT!"

"You absolutely do."

"I DON'T!"

"You do."

Kenzo looked ready to cry from frustration.

Meanwhile, another voice joined the conversation.

"Personally, I think he screamed louder."

Everyone turned toward the Indigo Mask.

"DANTE!"

Kenzo pointed accusingly.

"You're my brother! You're supposed to support me!"

Dante shrugged.

"Sorry. The truth comes first."

"TRAITOR!"

Kendrick sighed.

At thirty years old, he often felt like a father managing five chaotic children.

"Can we please focus?"

"No."

The group answered together.

Kendrick's eye twitched.

Corazelle burst out laughing.

For a moment, the room was filled with complete chaos.

Then Corazelle snapped her fingers.

"Alright, masks off."

The room gradually settled down.

One by one, the five removed their masks.

The Orange Mask came off first.

Revealing a young man with messy orange-brown hair and expressive eyes.

Kenzo Lancaster.

Twenty years old.

Childish.

Argumentative.

A little cowardly.

Unfortunately dangerous enough that nobody could actually ignore him.

"Finally," Kenzo grumbled.

"I can breathe again."

Next came the Yellow Mask.

Aizah Avandra.

Twenty-one years old.

Her sharp golden eyes immediately scanned everyone in the room.

Elegant and mature on the surface.

Terrifyingly sharp-tongued underneath.

She could verbally destroy a person's confidence faster than any weapon.

The Indigo Mask followed.

Dante Lancaster.

Kenzo's older brother by exactly one year.

The resemblance was obvious.

The same troublesome grin.

The same chaotic energy.

The difference was that Dante was significantly more dangerous and somehow even worse at making responsible decisions.

Kenzo pointed at him.

"He's the favorite child."

"We have the same parents."

"Exactly."

Nobody understood what that meant.

The Violet Mask came off next.

Kendrick Mendez.

Thirty years old.

The oldest among them.

His gentle smile made him appear approachable.

Unfortunately, everyone in the room knew that smile usually appeared moments before someone regretted their life choices.

He was the closest thing the group had to a responsible adult.

Which was deeply concerning.

Finally, the Green Mask disappeared.

Pilina Ester.

Twenty years old.

Bright.

Cheerful.

Always smiling.

Always energetic.

And somehow one of the most dangerous members of the team.

At last, all eyes turned toward the woman standing before the window.

Corazelle.

Their leader.

The person who had gathered them together.

Not because they were the strongest.

Not because they were the most talented.

But because each of them possessed something she valued more.

Determination.

The determination to stand against Mephesto.

The determination to see the end of a war that had lasted far too long.

Corazelle looked at her team.

Then smiled.

"Well then."

The five immediately became nervous.

That smile never led to anything good.

"What now?" Kendrick asked cautiously.

Corazelle's smile widened.

"I have a request."

The room fell silent.

Dante slowly looked at Kendrick.

Kendrick slowly looked at Aizah.

Aizah looked at Pilina.

Pilina looked at Kenzo.

Kenzo looked absolutely horrified.

"Why do I suddenly feel like we're in danger?"

Shin stared at the city lights from the balcony of his apartment.

The night was quiet.

Too quiet.

A cold breeze brushed against his white hair as he rested his arms on the railing.

Normally, he would have appreciated the peace.

Tonight, however, he couldn't shake the strange feeling in his chest.

As if something long forgotten had begun moving again.

His purple eyes narrowed.

For immortals, instincts were rarely wrong.

Especially instincts forged over centuries.

"...Something's coming."

The words escaped his lips almost unconsciously.

The city below continued its usual rhythm.

Cars moved through the streets.

Buildings glowed with life.

People laughed, argued, worked, and dreamed.

Completely unaware.

Shin closed his eyes.

For a brief moment, memories surfaced.

A field of flowers.

A crimson sunset.

A girl laughing.

Then darkness.

A war.

A promise.

And finally—

Emerald eyes.

His eyes snapped open.

Silence.

The memory vanished before he could grasp it.

"...Corazelle."

The name felt unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

Like an old wound that had never truly healed.

Shin frowned.

He had not spoken that name in a very long time.

A thousand years.

Perhaps longer.

Immortality had a cruel habit of blurring time.

Yet tonight, he remembered.

Not clearly.

Just enough to know that her return would change everything.

A faint ripple spreads through the air.

The Authority of Eternity reacted on its own.

Golden runes briefly appeared around his wrist before disappearing again.

A warning.

Something capable of shaking the world had awakened.

Shin let out a long sigh.

"Troublesome."

He turned away from the balcony.

If Corazelle had truly returned...

Then the peace of the last thousand years was about to end.

And knowing her—

She was probably smiling right now.

That thought alone gave him a headache.

_____

Aurelius Shin Zenith Novarion.

The name carried weight.

Throughout the modern world, countless people knew him by a simpler title.

The Hero of Light.

A protector.

A symbol of hope.

The immortal hero who had stood against countless threats throughout history.

Yet very few knew the truth.

Aurelius Shin Zenith Novarion was not merely immortal.

He was reborn.

Just like Corazelle.

Two years before her reincarnation, Shin had awakened memories of his previous life.

His memories.

His powers.

His regrets.

Everything had returned.

Even after a thousand years, the Authority of Eternity still flowed through his veins.

The same immortal power.

The same burden.

The same loneliness.

Yet among all the memories he had recovered, one person remained clearer than the rest.

Corazelle.

The woman who had once been called a villainess.

The woman's history had misunderstood.

The woman he had never truly forgotten.

Their relationship had always been complicated.

In every era, they stood on opposite sides.

Hero and villain.

Light and shadow.

Order and chaos.

The world saw them as enemies.

The world always saw them as enemies.

But Shin knew better.

Because he alone had witnessed what lay beneath her actions.

While heroes fought to save people before them, Corazelle fought for outcomes decades away.

While heroes protected the present, she sacrificed the present for the future.

Her methods were cruel.

Her decisions are ruthless.

Her hands stained with choices others could never make.

Many hated her.

Many feared her.

Many cursed her name.

And yet...

Time had proven her right.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Every disaster she caused had prevented something worse.

Every law she broke had stopped a greater tragedy.

Every enemy she eliminated had been a threat hidden from the world's eyes.

She committed wrongdoings.

But always for the right reasons.

And often for the right results.

Unfortunately, people realized that it was far too late.

By the time they understood the truth...

Corazelle was already gone.

The records left behind.

The secrets uncovered.

The sacrifices revealed.

One by one, the world learned what she had done.

And with every truth revealed, public opinion changed.

The villainess became a martyr.

The monster became a protector.

The enemy became a hero.

Eventually, history granted her a new title.

A title that replaced every insult once thrown at her.

The Scarlet Savior.

A woman willing to bear hatred if it meant protecting others.

A woman willing to become history's villain if it meant securing peace.

A woman who accepted being misunderstood.

Because someone had to.

Shin remembered the day that title was officially recognized.

The celebrations.

The monuments.

The speeches.

The tears.

The regrets.

Entire nations mourned someone they had once condemned.

And Shin...

Shin could only laugh bitterly.

Because it was exactly what Corazelle would have expected.

She had known from the beginning.

She had always known.

People would only understand after she was gone.

That was the cruelest part.

Not that she was hated.

But she never tried to defend herself.

She simply carried the burden alone.

Even now, after all this time, Shin still couldn't understand how someone could endure that.

His fingers tightened slightly.

Outside the window, the city lights shimmered beneath the night sky.

Somewhere out there, Corazelle had returned.

Alive.

Breathing.

Walking beneath the same sky as him once more.

A thousand years.

A thousand years of waiting.

A thousand years of wondering.

A thousand years of carrying memories no one else shared.

And now...

She was back.

A faint smile appeared on Shin's face.

For the first time in centuries, the immortal hero felt something he thought he had lost long ago.

Hope.

Not because the world was safe.

Not because peace was guaranteed.

But because after a thousand years...

The person he had been searching for had finally returned.

Shin rubbed his forehead.

The headache wasn't from danger.

It was from memories.

Danger, he could handle.

Ancient monsters, world-ending threats, forgotten gods—he had faced them all.

Corazelle, however, was different.

She was the kind of person who could start an argument, win the argument, lose the argument, and somehow convince everyone else it was their fault.

The fact that she had returned after a thousand years was not comforting.

Not in the slightest.

A knock suddenly came from his apartment door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Three precise knocks.

Shin immediately recognized the pattern.

"...Come in."

The door opened.

A young woman entered carrying a stack of documents.

Her black hair was tied neatly behind her head, and her glasses gave her the appearance of a strict secretary.

"Lord Shin."

"I told you not to call me that."

"Noted, Lord Shin."

"..."

She didn't even try.

The woman walked forward and placed the documents on the table.

"There have been unusual reports throughout the city."

Shin raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of reports?"

She opened the folder.

"Disappearing vampire clans."

"...Disappearing?"

"Yes."

"No battles?"

"No."

"No witnesses?"

"None."

"No remains?"

"Nothing."

Shin's expression became serious.

That wasn't normal.

Even powerful organizations left traces behind.

Yet these reports suggested entire groups had simply vanished.

The woman adjusted her glasses.

"There is more."

Of course there was.

There was always more.

"Go on."

"A witness reported seeing five masked individuals shortly before one of the disappearances."

Shin froze.

Five.

His instincts immediately screamed.

The same instincts that had kept him alive for over a thousand years.

"Describe them."

The woman flipped to another page.

"Orange. Yellow. Indigo. Violet. Green."

Silence.

A long silence.

"...You're joking."

"I'm not."

Shin slowly sank into his chair.

Five masked followers.

Corazelle's return.

Missing vampire clans.

The pieces fit together far too well.

He suddenly felt very tired.

The woman frowned.

"Should I be concerned?"

"Very."

"How concerned?"

Shin stared at the ceiling.

"On a scale of one to ten?"

"Yes."

"Twenty."

The woman immediately stiffened.

"Twenty!?"

"Possibly thirty."

"THIRTY!?"

Shin nodded calmly.

The woman had worked for him for years.

She had seen him face dragons without blinking.

She had watched him challenge powerful beings with a smile.

Never had she seen him react like this.

"Who exactly is Corazelle?"

Shin fell silent.

For a moment, he looked toward the city beyond the window.

The lights glittered beneath the night sky.

Far away, somewhere in that endless sea of buildings, a woman with white hair was undoubtedly causing problems.

Again.

Finally, he answered.

"An old friend."

The woman waited.

"And?"

"That's it."

"...That's it?"

"That's it."

The woman narrowed her eyes.

She knew he was hiding something.

Unfortunately, she also knew he wouldn't elaborate.

Shin stood up and grabbed his coat.

The movement caught her by surprise.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes."

"Where are you going?"

He walked toward the door.

"To stop a war before it starts."

The woman sighed.

That sounded exactly like something a legendary immortal hero would say.

Then Shin added,

"And to make sure Corazelle doesn't accidentally blow up half the city."

The heroic atmosphere immediately disappeared.

The woman blinked.

"Accidentally?"

"Trust me."

Shin opened the door.

"That's the part I'm worried about."

And with those ominous words, the immortal hero stepped into the night.

The elevator doors opened.

Shin stepped into the underground parking area, his hands tucked into his coat pockets.

The concrete structure was quiet.

Too quiet.

A faint dark-purple glow briefly flickered around his wrist before fading away.

His Authority of Eternity had reacted.

Someone was nearby.

"..."

Shin sighed.

The presence didn't feel hostile.

If anything, it felt familiar.

Very familiar.

Then a voice echoed throughout the parking area.

"Found you."

Shin immediately groaned.

"No."

A crackling sound filled the air.

Yellow lightning danced across one of the support pillars before gathering into a human shape.

The electricity dispersed.

Revealing a young man with bright yellow hair and blue eyes.

Noemi Celeste Everleigh.

Shin's childhood friend.

Unfortunately.

"Why do you sound disappointed?" Noemi asked.

"Because you're here."

"Wow."

Noemi placed a hand over his chest.

"I'm hurt."

"Good."

"I'm telling everyone you bullied me."

"You are twenty-six years old."

"And emotionally fragile."

"You're a disaster."

Noemi grinned.

"Yet you still keep me around."

"I've tried not to."

The grin somehow widened.

The crackling yellow electricity around Noemi's fingertips brightened.

Unlike Shin's calm and controlled presence, Noemi's energy was constantly active.

Like a storm refusing to settle.

His bright personality didn't help.

"Anyway."

Noemi folded his arms.

"I heard something interesting."

Shin immediately knew where this was going.

"No."

"I haven't even said anything yet."

"You don't need to."

"You always ruin my dramatic entrances."

"You don't have dramatic entrances."

"I literally arrived as lightning."

"Like you always do."

Noemi clicked his tongue.

No one appreciated his art.

No one.

Then his expression became serious.

A rare sight.

"There are rumors."

Shin stopped walking.

"What kind of rumors?"

"Missing vampire clans."

The atmosphere changed.

Noemi continued.

"Entire groups disappear overnight."

"No bodies."

"No evidence."

"No survivors."

Shin remained silent.

Those reports matched the information he had received earlier.

"The strange part," Noemi continued, "is the witness reports."

Shin narrowed his eyes.

"Witnesses?"

"A few."

"What did they see?"

Noemi's usual smile disappeared.

"Five masked figures."

Silence.

Yellow lightning crackled around his arm.

"Orange."

"Yellow."

"Indigo."

"Violet."

"Green."

The names hung heavily in the air.

Shin's dark-purple eyes narrowed.

His instincts immediately reacted.

The Authority of Eternity stirred.

Dark-purple runes briefly appeared around him before vanishing.

Noemi noticed.

That alone was enough to make him concerned.

Shin rarely reacted to anything.

"Do those colors mean something?"

Noemi asked.

Shin looked toward the city skyline visible beyond the parking exit.

Thousands of lights stretched into the distance.

Somewhere out there.

Something had begun moving.

Something old.

Something dangerous.

And for some reason, his instincts kept warning him that this was only the beginning.

"...I don't know."

It wasn't entirely a lie.

The colors themselves meant nothing to him.

But the feeling they left behind...

That feeling was familiar.

Uncomfortably familiar.

Noemi frowned.

"You're hiding something."

"I always hide something."

"Fair."

The two stood in silence.

Far away, thunder echoed across the night sky.

Neither of them knew it yet.

But at that very moment, on the top floor of GlobalTech Agencies, a white-haired woman named Corazelle was already setting pieces into motion.

And the game she intended to play would soon pull the entire world into its grasp.