CRIMSON NOCTURNE

CHAPTER 2: The Rooftop Encounter

"Yi Fei, you dark horse!" Zhao Chuang's heavy hand slammed down on Yi Fei's shoulder, making the poor guy nearly jump out of his skin.

"I... uh... actually..." Yi Fei turned to face the hulking goalkeeper, fumbling for words he didn't have. His mind was racing. *Did they see my leg? Did anyone notice how thick it got?*

Yang Yi, who was celebrating with the rest of the team nearby, noticed his friend's panic and jogged over. "Let the rookie enjoy his first goal in peace, man." He pushed Zhao Chuang away with a grin.

When they were alone, Yang Yi's smile faded. "Yi Fei, you okay? You've been spaced out since the goal."

Yi Fei looked at his best friend, a bitter taste in his mouth. "Yang Yi... that kick I made. The power. You don't think it was strange?"

"Strange? What's strange about it? You've been working hard in practice. And look at those muscles — they're not for show. Besides, that guy's face took the full force. Anyone would be dizzy after a shot like that." Yang Yi shrugged, genuinely confused.

Yi Fei's eyes widened. *They didn't notice. No one saw my leg change.*

A huge grin spread across his face. "Yeah... yeah, you're right! Haha! Don't worry about me, Yang Yi. Go shower. Go home."

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Yi Fei practically skipped out of the locker room. The feeling of scoring — the roar of the crowd, the rush — it was amazing. On his way to the school gate, at least a dozen people stopped him to pat him on the back. "Great shot!" "You crushed that guy!" "That goal was insane!"

Yi Fei soaked it up. For once, he felt like a normal seventeen-year-old who'd just done something awesome.

As he crossed the soccer field, he heard singing.

It was coming from the rooftop of the main building — a girl's voice, soft and clear, carrying through the twilight air. The melody was haunting, something old and sad.

He looked up. Against the orange sky, a silhouette sat on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the edge.

Yi Fei's werewolf eyes — sharper than any human's — picked out the details instantly. Dark hair, tied in a loose ponytail. A school uniform. The girl from earlier who'd been cheering in the stands.

*Cheng Yao?*

He shouldn't have gone up there. It was none of his business. But his feet moved before his brain could stop them.

Minutes later, he pushed open the rooftop door.

Cheng Yao was sitting exactly where he'd seen her, her back to him, still humming that melancholy tune. The breeze carried her scent — shampoo, sweat from the game, and something else. Something metallic.

Blood.

Yi Fei's instincts flared. "Cheng Yao? You okay?"

She turned. Her face was wet with tears.

"Oh... Yi Fei." She wiped her eyes quickly and forced a smile. "Congrats on the game. That was a hell of a goal."

"Forget the goal." He walked closer, stopping a few feet away. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." She turned back to face the field, where the last light was dying. "Just... thinking."

Yi Fei stood there, awkward and uncertain. He had superhuman strength. He could fight anything. But he had no idea what to do with a crying girl.

"You know," he said finally, sitting down a safe distance away, "when I was up there on the field today, with everyone watching... I was terrified."

"You? Terrified?" She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You kicked a guy's face in and scored."

"Yeah. And I was scared out of my mind the whole time." He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve. "Scared of messing up. Scared of people seeing what I don't want them to see."

Cheng Yao looked at him then, really looked. As if seeing him for the first time.

"Yi Fei..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For coming up here."

They sat in silence as the sky darkened, two teenagers carrying secrets they couldn't share. Below, the city lights flickered on, one by one.

Yi Fei didn't know what Cheng Yao was hiding.

But he knew that feeling. The weight of a secret that was slowly crushing you from the inside.

His phone buzzed. A text from Yang Yi: *Coming for dinner? Meat's on me for our goal hero!*

He smiled and typed back: *On my way.*

When he stood up, he looked at Cheng Yao one more time. "You should come too."

She shook her head. "Next time. I need a minute."

Yi Fei nodded and walked back to the door. Before stepping through, he paused.

"Hey, Cheng Yao."

"Yeah?"

"If you ever need someone to listen... I'm around."

She didn't answer. But she was smiling when he left.

* * *

He met Yang Yi and a few other teammates at a BBQ place near the school. The meat was sizzling, the beer (illegal for seventeen-year-olds, but who was counting?) was flowing, and for a few hours, Yi Fei could pretend he was just a normal guy who scored a goal, not a monster hiding in plain sight.

"So," Yang Yi said, leaning in with greasy fingers, "I saw you talking to Cheng Yao on the field after the game."

Yi Fei choked on his drink. "We... she was just... saying congrats!"

"Uh-huh." Yang Yi's grin was infuriating. "And then you went up to the rooftop?"

"How do you know that?!"

"Small school. People talk." Yang Yi shrugged. "Look, I'm just saying. She's been through some stuff lately. Be careful."

"What kind of stuff?"

Yang Yi's smile faded. "I don't know the details. But I've seen her crying in the bathroom a few times. Teachers have been calling her out of class for 'meetings.' Something's going on."

Yi Fei's jaw tightened. The metallic scent. The tears. *What the hell is happening to Cheng Yao?*

He looked down at his hands. Hands that could crush steel. Hands that turned into claws on the full moon.

*What good is all this strength if I can't protect the people I care about?*

The question gnawed at him through the rest of the meal, through the walk home, through the sleepless hours until dawn.

Outside his window, the moon was waxing.

The next full moon was twelve days away.

And Yi Fei had no idea that something far more dangerous than himself was already watching from the shadows.

**[END OF CHAPTER 2]**