The old wooden door creaked open, and a gust of wind rushed in, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and distant rain. Jihu, Fang, and Raven stepped inside, weary from their six-month journey back to the earth. The familiar sights of their shared home should have been a comfort, but the air crackled with an unspoken tension. Standing just inside were three figures: Ri, Ash, and Shu.
Everyone froze. Six months. Six months since…everything.
Ri's face bloomed with a hesitant smile. Relief washed over her, but a confusing flutter stirred within her chest. So much had changed, and she didn't know where they all stood now.
Jihu's heart leaped at the sight of Ri. He wanted, needed, to talk to her, to bridge the gap that had formed. But the weight of the present moment chained him in place. The past cast a long, dark shadow.
Fang and Ash exchanged a guarded look, their eyes flicking towards Raven. The memory of Raven's attack on Shu still lingered, a bitter taste in their mouths. How could they just…pretend it never happened? How could they even speak to him? Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable.
Then, Shu spoke, her voice a barely audible whisper. "I… I'm going home. You can come later." Her eyes, wide with fear, darted to Raven. Her small frame trembled visibly.
Raven watched Shu, his face a stoic mask. But beneath the surface, a searing pain erupted in his chest. He had caused this. He had broken something precious, something innocent. Shame and self-loathing washed over him. He wanted to reach out, to apologize, to take back the horror he had inflicted. But the words caught in his throat, choked by the knowledge that his actions had irrevocably changed their relationship.
He knew now, with a chilling certainty, that their paths were diverging. The chasm between them was too wide, too deep. He was a creature of the night, a predator. She was a human, vulnerable and innocent. He shouldn't have crossed that line. He wouldn't cross it again. He met Shu's terrified gaze for a brief, agonizing moment, then turned and walked further into the house, a silent, defeated figure.
Leaving the strained atmosphere behind, Raven retreated to the familiar comfort of their shared living room. Soon after, Jihu and Fang joined him, the unspoken tension still clinging to them like a shroud. After a few awkward attempts at small talk, they finally settled on a shared purpose: their mission.
"Alright, let's talk trolls and Minotaurs," Jihu said, trying to inject some much-needed practicality into the situation.
The conversation turned to the information they had gathered over the past months. Fang spread out a map covered in cryptic symbols. "The Minotaurs, they're almost always solitary. Driven mad by their own nature, confined to labyrinths of their own making." He traced a finger across the parchment. "Theseus slew the last recorded one centuries ago, but legends persist of isolated pockets."
"And the trolls?" Jihu asked, leaning forward. "They organize, they raid. They're a bigger threat to the villages near the mountains."
Raven, who had been silent until now, spoke, his voice a low rumble. "Powerful magic. Shapeshifting. They're not just brutes."
"Exactly," Fang agreed. "They have been using this so called magic from the shadowlands"
"Vampire, nine tale Fox and fairy thought that human was the selfish species so humans are the reason for the destroying world, how you are so sure that it's trolls and Minotaurs?" Jihu asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Because we were wrong," Raven replied, his voice heavy with regret. "The humans aren't the root of this evil. Someone or something is manipulating both these species and humans, stoking the flames of chaos. We have been blinded by our prejudices."
They discussed potential locations where the trolls and Minotaurs might be gathering, pinpointing areas marked by increased raids and strange magical disturbances. They poured over ancient texts, searching for clues, for weaknesses, for anything that could give them an edge.
The work helped to distract them, to push aside the personal turmoil that threatened to consume them. At least for a while. The road ahead was long and dangerous, and they knew they had to face the monsters of the world together. The first step was to find out their location.
Their immediate plan to find the trolls' hideout and the Minotaurs lair. They decided that they would start by investigating the mountains on one side of the valley, and then they would head toward the centre of the mountain to search for trolls' and the labyrinths to find Minotaurs.
The sight of Raven, Jihu, and Fang unpacking boxes next door sent a cold wave of dread through Shu. It wasn't just the memory of Raven's accidental collision, sending her sprawling into the table. It was something deeper, a primal understanding that whispered, they are not like us. They moved with a strength, a speed, a certain otherness no human possessed.
She burst back into the house, heart hammering. Ri and Ash arrived shortly after, their sunny dispositions immediately grating against Shu's mounting terror.
"They're back," she choked out, gesturing wildly towards the window. "Raven, Jihu, and Fang. They're our new neighbours. We have to leave."
Ri, ever the pragmatist, chuckled. "Shu, what's the big deal? They're just boys. They didn't do anything wrong before."
"No, you don't understand!" Shu's voice rose. "It's not safe. People who live here… they'll go somewhere else. We need to pack, we need to go far away!"
Ash, usually quick to pick up on Shu's emotions, seemed equally dismissive. "Shu, calm down. Why are you so scared? They seemed nice enough before."
Shu felt a desperate anger rising within her. How could they be so blind? Didn't they feel it, the air thickening, the sense of something lurking just beneath the surface of normalcy?
"I don't want to live here!" she screamed. "If you're not coming with me, I'll leave alone!"
Panic flashed in Ri's eyes. He knew Shu. This wasn't just paranoia; this was a deep-seated fear gripping her. He reached for her hand. "Okay, okay, we will. Just… not right now. We'll move after a few days. Let's just stay here for a little while first."
Shu reluctantly conceded, the fear still a cold stone in her stomach.
A few days later, she ran into Raven on the street. He looked hesitant, apologetic. Overcoming his own guilt, he approached her. "Shu, I… I wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't realize I made you so uncomfortable before. I didn't mean to."
The words were like a trigger. The dam of fear within Shu burst. She clapped her hands over her face, sobbing uncontrollably. "Leave me alone! Please, just go away from me!"
Raven, his face etched with anguish, recoiled. He turned and fled, the sound of her sobs echoing in his ears.
Shu, once she was sure he was gone, stumbled home, locking the door behind her with trembling hands.
Back at the house, Raven was a whirlwind of self-loathing. He slammed his fist against the wall, a primal roar escaping his lips. "How could I? How could I be so careless? I've ruined her. I've scared her to death!"
Jihu found him pacing, a storm of dark energy radiating from him. "Raven, what's wrong? What happened?"
Raven couldn't meet his eyes. He looked down, shame washing over him. "I… I did a terrible thing. My hatred… it ruined a girl's life. I should never have been born."
Jihu stepped forward, placing a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Hey, look at me. This isn't the time for this. We have to focus. The trolls and Minotaurs… we need to find out what they're planning. We don't have time for this self-pity."
He continued, his voice firm but compassionate, "After everything is resolved, then you and I can talk to Shu and Ri about the misunderstanding. Don't blame yourself, it's the circumstances. You can't give up now, Raven. You're the future Vampire King! How can you let this consume you?"
Seeing Raven's despairing look, Jihu added, "If you don't believe me, I'll talk to Ri when we get back from the mountains. Okay? So, pull yourself together. This isn't you."
Raven, Fang, and Jihu spent the rest of the day packing, the air thick with unspoken tension. Raven remained withdrawn, his face a mask of guilt.