LOGINSilence enveloped the living room. No one spoke after the journal was proven to be empty. Victoria was still standing in place, frozen, her hands still clutching the black leather-bound book so tightly that it was almost bent in half.“That’s impossible. I risked everything just for this book!”Selene looked at Victoria with disappointment. “So it’s true, you were the one who snuck into the basement last night.”Victoria glanced at Selene, then let out a soft, bitter laugh.“I just wanted to know the truth. And if that journal could really save Lucas.” Her gaze shifted to Lucas. “Why can’t I know it, too?”Lucas shook his head slowly. “That’s not the issue,” Lucas interrupted. “The issue is that you chose to betray our trust.”Victoria didn’t answer; she simply bowed her head. But deep down inside, that sense of shame was slowly turning into hatred. Veronica looked at her with disappointment.“I didn’t expect you to do this,” Veronica muttered.“Maybe I didn’t expect it either,” Victo
The drive back to the mansion felt much quieter. No one said much in the car. Their minds were already filled with the same question. If the original journal was indeed at the mansion, then where exactly was it? Lilith stared out the car window. Her fingers unconsciously fiddled with the crescent-moon pendant now hanging around her neck. “If the journal has been at the mansion all this time… why did we only realize it now?” Lilith muttered. “Because we’ve always thought of the mansion as just a place of refuge, not a destination to return to, as a home.” Lucas, who was driving, replied without taking his eyes off the road. Ingrid nodded in agreement. “Your mother deliberately made all the clues point outward. Because anyone who betrays this family will keep looking in the wrong places.” Evening was turning into night when they arrived at the mansion. Veronica was already waiting in the living room. “You’re finally home. How did it go? Did you find anything?” she asked. Lil
That morning, the sky was still shrouded in gray clouds when a black car pulled away from the mansion. Inside were only Lucas, Lilith, Ingrid, and Selene. Veronica had chosen to stay at the mansion to keep watch. Meanwhile, Victoria, as usual, offered to help Veronica take care of the mansion.“Be careful,” Veronica said before they left.Lilith nodded with a smile. “We’ll be back soon.”Lucas opened the car door for Lilith first. That small gesture made Selene clear her throat softly.“You two really have no shame left, do you...”Lilith immediately blushed, while Lucas looked completely unfazed. “I’m just acting like I always do.”Selene snorted softly. “That’s exactly the problem.”Ingrid, sitting in the front seat, merely gave them a faint smile. For a moment, the atmosphere felt light. Yet they were heading to a place that might change everything.The drive took nearly two hours. The farther they left the city behind, the narrower the roads became, lined with wild trees. Lilith g
The night after they found the black key, rain fell gently, soaking the mansion’s grounds. The library was still lit by the glow of the fireplace. On a large wooden table, the black key lay next to various parchment scrolls that Ingrid had been examining for hours. But the results were still nil. Ingrid sighed softly.“In my entire life… I’ve never seen metal like this,” Ingrid muttered.Lucas leaned against the window. “That means this object was indeed made to last for centuries.”Lilith silently studied the key. The longer she looked at it, the stronger the strange sensation in her chest grew. It was as if the key were calling to her.“Do you feel it again?” Lucas immediately noticed the change in Lilith’s expression.Lilith nodded slowly. “It’s getting stronger.”Lilith gently touched the crescent moon pendant that now always hung around her neck.“It feels… like someone is guiding me.”The room fell silent. No one thought her words were an exaggeration. Because ever since Lilith’
The next morning, Ingrid was once again standing beneath the old tree with Lucas and Lilith. In her hands, she held a few small tools, a dry brush, and a sheet of parchment covered in notes. Selene stood watching beside Ingrid. So the four of them were now gathered around the old tree.“Last night I was thinking about something,” said Ingrid as she brushed away the moss still clinging to the tree trunk.“About what?” asked Lilith.“This inscription doesn’t mention lineage. It talks about chosen blood.” Ingrid pointed to the carving, and Lucas nodded in agreement.“So that means there’s a condition we haven’t fully understood yet.”Selene sighed. “In that case, do we have to wait for the next clue to appear on its own?”“Not necessarily,” Ingrid replied, turning to Lilith. “Lilith.”“Hm?”“Are you willing to try something?”Lilith nodded without the slightest hesitation. “I’ll try anything.”Lucas immediately shot a stern glance at Ingrid. “Don’t put her in danger.”Ingrid smiled sligh
The next morning, Lilith returned to the old tree behind the mansion. For some reason, ever since Lucas had told her about the promise he’d made with her father, the place felt very different. Warmer and more familiar. Lilith gently stroked the rough tree trunk.“What exactly is Dad hiding here?” Lilith murmured softly.“Lilith?”Lucas walked over to Lilith with a light jog. Just like the past few days, Lucas seemed to have gotten used to looking for Lilith in the mansion’s backyard every day. Lilith turned and smiled at Lucas. Soon after, they were standing side by side under the old tree, enjoying the morning air that was still very fresh.“Lucas.”“Hm?”“If you could turn back time, would you still make that promise?” Lilith gazed at the sky, which was beginning to brighten.“Yes.” Lucas didn’t even need a moment to think before answering.“You answered that so quickly?”“I’ll never regret it.”Lilith smiled slightly. “Even though that promise made your life so much more complicate
Lilith and Lucas are back at the mansion now. Even so, neither of them wants to talk about what happened at the antique shop earlier. At least, that’s what they felt was the safest thing to do, according to Lucas. Now, Lilith is in her room, sitting on a chair on the balcony with her knees pulled u
Lilith stood near the bedroom window, clutching the sheer curtain tightly. It was as if that fabric were the only thing keeping her from completely breaking down right then. The night was still clearly visible outside the window, its darkness seeming to press its way into the room. Just like the fe
The darkness didn’t bother Noah. Not even once. Especially since that darkness was the only eternal companion that had been with him throughout the centuries of his lonely existence. But tonight, it felt very different. Noah felt a sense of unease that was deeply unsettling.It was as if something
Lilith woke with a gasp that tore through the silence. Her chest rose and fell too fast and too sharply, as if the air around her weren’t enough to fill her lungs. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The darkness lingered, not around her, but inside her.Her fingers curled against the shee







