Lunar Guard

Chapter 3

The Next Day

Aria awoke to a dull, relentless throbbing in her skull, the remnants of yesterday’s vision still pressing against her mind like a lingering fever. Sleep had been fitful, offering no relief from the weight of unease that coiled in her chest.

She moved through the morning in a haze, completing her usual chores with little thought. The small house felt emptier than usual, the silence pressing in on her like a second skin. She prepared nothing elaborate—there was no one to cook for, no guests to entertain. She lived alone, and she preferred it that way.

But she couldn’t sit still.

By midday, the walls seemed to close in on her, the edges of her vision blurring with the dull ache in her head. She needed air. She needed *space.*

The mountain.

It was the one place in Raven’s Peak where she could breathe. The winding trails, the quiet rustle of leaves, the untamed wilds—it was pure, untouched by the weight of the town’s growing unease. Few people ventured there, making it all the more appealing.

Despite the constant throb in her skull, she climbed with ease, her body moving from memory. She had been here countless times, knew every foothold, every uneven patch of earth.

By the time she reached the peak, the sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the town below in rich hues of gold and crimson. She settled onto a familiar rock, the cool surface grounding her as she surveyed the world beneath her feet.

Farmers worked the fields, their plows carving deep furrows into the earth. Children played by the lake, their laughter a melody against the whisper of the wind. Smoke curled lazily from chimney tops, and the distant chime of a bell signaled the approach of evening.

It was peaceful. Idyllic.

Yet something gnawed at her, a quiet warning deep in her bones.

A chill prickled along her skin. The air felt different, thick with something she couldn’t name. The same sensation had gripped her last night, just before the vision had torn through her mind like a wildfire.

She exhaled slowly, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Ever since she was a child, she had possessed an uncanny awareness of things unseen—a sense of presence, a quiet knowing. It had won her every game of hide-and-seek, had made her *different* from the others in town.

Now, as the sun dipped below the horizon and shadows stretched long across the land, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was stirring.

And this time, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what.

Aria was halfway down the mountain when the air shifted.

A whisper of movement. A prickle at the base of her skull.

Then—silence.

She halted, breath hitching. The woods had gone unnervingly still, the usual rustling of leaves and distant chirping of crickets swallowed by an unnatural hush. A cold dread slithered through her veins.

And then they came.

Shadows burst from the treeline, figures moving too fast, too fluidly to be human. Aria barely had time to register the gleam of fangs before instinct took hold—*run.*

She bolted.

Branches tore at her dress as she stumbled down the uneven path, lungs burning, heart hammering. Footsteps—no, something worse—*something gliding*—raced behind her, impossibly fast. Her mind reeled, scrambling for logic. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening.

But then she heard it.

A rasping snarl, too guttural for any beast she knew.

Terror ignited in her chest.

She risked a glance over her shoulder and instantly regretted it.

There were *three* of them.

Their figures were elongated, wrong—limbs moving with eerie grace, glowing eyes fixed on her like a predator to prey. Their mouths curled, baring sharp, inhuman fangs.

Her foot caught on a root. She barely caught herself, palms scraping against the dirt as she staggered forward. She couldn’t outrun them. They were faster, stronger—she was as good as dead.

And then—

*Steel flashed.*

The first vampire barely had time to react before something cut through the air with terrifying precision. A blade—long, slender, impossibly fast—whistled through the dark.

The creature’s head separated cleanly from its body.

The second vampire lunged but was met with an upward s***h, the steel slicing from navel to sternum. It let out a shriek—cut short as the sword drove through its skull.

The third reeled back, hissing—but its hesitation was its undoing.

The figure moved with inhuman speed. One swift step forward, a downward arc—*and it was over.*

The bodies crumpled to the earth, motionless.

Aria, still frozen, could only stare as her savior straightened.

Tall. Lean, yet powerful. His clothing was unlike anything she had seen before—tailored, but practical, the dark fabric reinforced with leather plating. And his weapon—a long sword, its blade etched with intricate runes—still gleamed with fresh blood.

But it was his eyes that truly unsettled her.

Cold. Assessing. The gaze of a man who had seen death more times than he cared to count.

He turned to her, his expression unreadable.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was deep, controlled.

Aria swallowed hard, her pulse still thundering.

“What—” Her throat was dry. “What were those?”

The man wiped his blade with practiced ease before sheathing it at his back.

“Vampires.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if this were the most ordinary conversation in the world. Then, meeting her wide-eyed stare, he added,

“And if you don’t want to end up like them, I suggest you start talking.”

"What?!" Aria's voice trembled with disbelief, her mind still reeling from what had just happened. "Vampires? Are you out of your mind?!"

The hunter—if that was what he truly was—didn’t even spare her a glance. He merely wiped the last traces of blood from his blade, his expression unreadable.

Aria’s blood boiled at his indifference. "You can’t just walk away after saying something like that!" she snapped, stepping closer, fists clenched. "I deserve answers!"

Still, he said nothing.

Instead, he turned his back to her and walked away, moving with the same eerie calm he had displayed during the battle. Aria's heart pounded against her ribs as she watched him.

He suspected her.

The thought clawed its way into her mind, sending a fresh wave of fear through her. *He thinks I’m one of them.*

What if he turned that sword on her next? What if, without a second thought, he swung it and—

She shuddered, pushing the thought away.

He continued forward, his steps unfaltering, until he reached the cliff’s edge. The moonlight illuminated his silhouette, casting long shadows against the jagged rocks.

Then, without hesitation—

*He jumped.*

Aria gasped, running forward on instinct. She reached the edge and peered down, expecting to see his broken body on the rocks below.

But there was nothing.

No blood. No movement. Not even the faintest trace of his presence.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

The night pressed in around her, the wind howling through the trees like a whisper of unseen voices. The town below flickered with warm candlelight, oblivious to the horrors that lurked just beyond its borders.

Aria remained frozen at the cliff’s edge, staring into the darkness, her mind a whirlwind of questions.

Who was he?

What had she just witnessed?

And, more terrifying than anything—

Why did he think she was one of them?

There was no way for her to find answers. He had disappeared as swiftly as he had appeared, as though he had never existed at all.

All that remained in her mind were the lingering images of him—his ember-like eyes, burning with a cold intensity, and his dark mane, wild and untamed, cascading like a shadow.

The memory of him seemed to fade with the night, leaving only an eerie sense of emptiness in its wake.