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1. The Betrayal of the Evernight
Yulia Dracula stood on the ancient spire of the tower, the last tendril of moonlight consumed by the gray of the east. The air was thick with centuries of dust, the decay of pine wood, and a scent she deeply detested: the metallic tang of a blood sacrifice.
"I will not marry that old relic," she whispered to the heavy, iron-studded oak door behind her.
To escape the political marriage arranged by her family—a decrepit vampire Count who controlled vast ancient financial networks—Yulia chose to betray the Evernight. Clutched in her hand was a venerable family heirloom: a pocket watch engraved with cryptic runes. It was not only proof of her lineage and a stabilizer for her power but also the symbol of her definitive break from the clan.
Her cloak was thick, dark purple velvet, billowing in the wind. She wore it in accordance with the family’s most ancient "combat ritual"—she was convinced that in the Human World, only the heaviest, most complicated attire could convey aristocratic authority and resolve.
"They say the Human World is a 'magical void,' filled with 'noisy boxes' and 'glowing illusion screens,'" Yulia muttered, taking a deep breath. There was none of the cold, earthen night air she was accustomed to, only a dry scent of tar and rust that stung her nostrils.
She activated the heirloom. A powerful magical hum resonated from the watch—her final attempt to disrupt the ancient spell matrix of the castle.
"Farewell, decaying glory."
Yulia leaped, briefly unfurling her wings, only to swiftly retract them. She had to land awkwardly, like a human, onto a massive canvas-covered cargo carriage she had chosen—the only way to maintain a low profile and evade the family guards' pursuit.
- Writer
