LOGINThe place they arrived at was a towering building that resembled an ancient church. Its walls were almost entirely black, not because they had been painted that way, but because countless years had stained the stone until its original color had long since disappeared. Cracks stretched across the aged surface while vines clung stubbornly to the walls, making the entire structure appear older than anything Jane had ever seen. The building rose so impossibly high that no matter how much she tilted her head upward, she still couldn't make out its highest point. It simply disappeared into the sky above. Looking at its overwhelming height, Jane couldn't help thinking that if anyone were unfortunate enough to fall from the very top, there would be no hope of surviving. Death would be the only possible outcome."What is your business here?"The deep voice startled her enough to make her jump.A massive man had suddenly stepped in front of the entrance without her even noticing his approach. H
Thankfully, she did survive.Jane didn't know how she had managed it, but somehow she had escaped death once again. Looking back, she realized how unbelievably fortunate she had been. Had she been even a little slower, had she hesitated for only a second longer, perhaps she wouldn't even be standing here having this conversation. Unlike the countless close calls she had experienced before, this one felt different. Those previous accidents had always seemed unfortunate, strange, almost as though misfortune itself followed wherever she went. This time, however, there had been undeniable malice behind it.Someone hadn't simply wished for her to disappear.Someone had genuinely wanted her dead.The realization immediately sent a chill crawling down her spine. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, trying to suppress the uneasy feeling building inside her chest. She had spent so much time worrying about the vampires living inside this mansion that she had never once considered
In the end, there was no defense she could make for her escape. Whether a strange creature had accidentally helped her or whether she hadn't originally intended for things to unfold that way no longer mattered. The truth remained the same. From the very beginning, she had already made up her mind to leave the mansion. Last night's incident had merely given her the opportunity she had been waiting for, a stroke of luck that had arrived just as suddenly as it disappeared. No matter how she tried to explain it, she had taken that chance without hesitation.Resigning herself to her fate, Jane slowly lifted her head from the floor before meeting Victor's eyes with a surprisingly calm expression. "So... what is your punishment?"Victor blinked, almost caught off guard by how quickly she had accepted the situation. "You're giving up?""I can't run away, I can't fight against you, and I can't disobey you," she replied matter-of-factly. "I don't think I have any other choice but to give up."I
Seeing blood instead of tears flowing from a vampire's eyes left Jane in shock. She had always wondered whether a vampire could ever cry. Ever since learning of their existence, they had always seemed like creatures incapable of shedding tears, as though sadness never manifested the same way it did for humans. Yet somehow, it seemed they could cry after all. Not with ordinary tears though, but with thick crimson blood that slowly streaked down their cheeks. Somehow, the sight looked even more heartbreaking than actual tears, making it difficult for her to look away.Stacey was sobbing, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably as blood continued to roll down her pale face. Clearly, her mental state hadn't been good from the very beginning, and hearing Victor's relentless words that continued pushing her closer and closer to the edge had finally broken the last remaining strength she had been desperately holding onto. Whatever resolve she once possessed had completely crumbled, leaving be
Something seemed to have snapped inside Morningstar. Despite always being a man who wore a smile regardless of danger or insult, this time he genuinely looked as though he had reached his limit. What his subordinate had said had gone too far. The man hadn't merely tried to force him into making a decision. He had questioned him, challenged him, and openly implied that he was weak. Evangeline couldn't tell which offense had angered Morningstar more, but whatever it was, it had clearly struck a nerve.For a brief moment, Morningstar simply stood there staring at the man on the ground. Then he slowly raised a hand toward him. Almost immediately, something akin to a sphere of black energy began gathering above his palm. Darkness swirled and compressed together, twisting into a mass so dense that even Evangeline could feel the pressure radiating from it. The atmosphere inside the cave became heavier. The shadows around them seemed darker. Morningstar was going to bring that same hand down
Jane felt as though her entire body was drowning in a pitch-black sea. Her limbs all felt unbearably heavy as she sank deeper and deeper beneath the endless darkness, unable to see anything around her or feel anything other than the immense pressure pulling her further into a place that held nothing but emptiness and loneliness. There was no light above her, no ground beneath her feet, only an endless abyss that welcomed her without a single sound. She should have been struggling. She should have been desperately trying to swim back toward the surface, yet strangely enough, her body refused to move.She should be scared of drowning somewhere she didn't know and yet, why was it that everything felt right? It was as if she had finally found a place where she didn't have to force herself to survive anymore. No one was chasing her. No one was hurting her. No one expected anything from her. The darkness wrapped around her body like a blanket and for the first time in what felt like forever
As the game of card started, Jane gritted her teeth and looked on her left and right before turning her gaze toward Victor who was smiling lightly, placing the cards higher for her to see and choose from. The dim light above reflected faintly against the cards on his fingers while his expression re
"As long as you are taken off from that position," Annie said while slowly drawling the end of her words, "then that position will fall back to my hand."Jane stared at her for a few seconds before quietly sighing. At this point, she truly did not understand what Annie wanted her to say. Every answe
Once the children had finished every last bit of food on their plates, Jane slowly rose from the bed she had briefly sat on while waiting for them to eat. The small cottage had grown warmer from the firewood still crackling softly in the kitchen, carrying with it the lingering scent of butter, herbs
Jane jumped down from the tall tree. She had bet her way on running away or staying. At first, she didn't want to believe there was anything close to sportsmanship in Victor but staying there on the tree where he could already guess her location was the same as suicide. In that desperate moment, sh







