The Invite

"Oops" I stepped over a sheet of paper and stood there quietly, wondering what I should do next. Finally, I was home. I sat down on the couch, thinking about my life and reviewing my day. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it and rolled my eyes. It was my useless boyfriend calling again—the same man who had left me for some British girl twelve years ago. I was too tired to deal with him. Instead, I stood up, went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and got myself cleaned up. After that, I decided to grab a few things from the freezer. Since it was the weekend, I planned on having a nice movie night. Then I remembered something. I needed to get my laptop and send a message to the general manager regarding the final report and payroll for the month of May. After a while, I rested quietly on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. --- When I woke up, it was already morning. I made myself a cup of coffee, sat down, opened my system, and checked my schedule for the next week. Then a notification appeared. I glanced at it quickly and frowned. It was from a family relative. A family relative? That made no sense. I had no brothers, no sisters, no mother, no father. I was completely alone. So who was this supposed "cousin"? Curious, I opened the message. He wanted me to meet him at a restaurant twelve kilometers from my house. I immediately became interested. Maybe he really was family. Maybe he knew something about my past. --- I arrived at exactly 10:00 a.m. I waited. And waited. And waited. Five hours later, he finally showed up. I stared at him in disbelief. The first thing he told me was that he had come from a place called Navigas. What kind of strange name was that? Was it even a real place? --- After our conversation, he drove me home so I could pack. I quickly gathered a few belongings before following him back to the car. Then we drove. And drove. And drove. Ten hours passed. I was exhausted. Where exactly was this Navigas? Eventually, we arrived at an airport. Three hours later, we landed somewhere that didn't feel like Earth anymore. It felt like another dimension. I stepped out and looked around. Everything felt different. The air. The atmosphere. Even the sky. Before I could process it all, a Rolls-Royce arrived to pick us up. The vehicle carried us through an enormous estate. Everything was spotless. I saw distant houses, elegant buildings, and incredible infrastructure. People clearly lived here, but something about them seemed different. Even the way they dressed felt unusual. Then we arrived at the largest estate on a hill. I couldn't believe my eyes. A massive Gothic mansion stood before me. It looked like something from the age of witches and wizards. "What the hell is this?" I muttered. "It's the twenty-first century." My cousin laughed. "Don't worry. This is normal here." Normal? There was absolutely nothing normal about this place. --- A butler approached and politely offered to carry my luggage. I handed him my bags and followed him inside. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior. As I climbed the grand staircase, I noticed someone standing in the distance. A man. A very attractive man. For a moment, I wondered if he was even real. I quickly looked away and continued toward my room. Dinner would be served at 8:00 p.m., according to the staff. That sounded fine to me. --- Later that evening, I came downstairs. The same man was there. Before I could react, he reached out and gently took my hand. "What's your name?" he asked. "Zilla." A smile appeared on his face. "Zilla is a beautiful name." His voice was calm. Smooth. Dangerously smooth. "Tell me about yourself," he continued. "I want to know more about you." I stared at him. His physique was ridiculous. Perfect. I found myself curious. Too curious. Apparently, he noticed. "You're a pervert," he said with a chuckle. I nearly choked. "Excuse me?" He laughed. Then his eyes fell on my necklace. His expression changed. "This necklace is very ancient." His fingers brushed against it. "Where did you get it?" I crossed my arms. "None of your business." Then I walked away. --- I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. Around midnight, I woke up unexpectedly. The mansion felt different. The halls glowed with blue, black, and violet lights woven together into beautiful patterns. The entire place looked futuristic. Yet strangely ancient at the same time. A red glow stretched across the avenue outside. My heart pounded. What was happening? I thought I saw figures moving in the darkness. Dark garments. Black hair. Sharp claws. Fangs. I didn't wait to investigate. I grabbed my nightgown and ran back to my room, locking the door immediately. Then I pretended nothing had happened. --- The next morning, someone pounded on my door. I groaned and dragged myself out of bed. A maid stood outside. She informed me that someone wished to meet me. She handed me a beautiful gown. Royal blue with elegant purple patterns. It instantly caught my attention. After dressing, I followed her downstairs. The moment I entered the room, I froze. It was him. The same man. The one I had seen the previous night. He stood there like a Greek god. His jawline was perfect. His posture flawless. Everything about him seemed unreal. Then his eyes landed on my necklace. Again. "The second one..." he murmured. I frowned. "The second one of what?" --- Suddenly, fear crawled down my spine. I rushed upstairs. Packed my things. Then ran back down. Only to stop dead in my tracks. The front door was gone. Gone. In its place stood a massive brick wall. "What is going on?" I turned around. He was standing there. How had he gotten there so fast? Before I could react, he shoved me gently against the wall. His warm breath brushed against my skin. My heart raced. Then his eyes began to glow green. Bright green. Unnatural green. "You are the lineage of the Dionverx Family," he said quietly. "The Sixth Family." I stared at him. "What?" "You belong to the first bloodline. The bloodline that possesses the power of the Extreme Universe." I couldn't move. I couldn't think. "No." I shook my head. "That's impossible." "I'm just a woman." My voice trembled. "I'm twenty-seven years old. I go to work. I have payroll reports waiting for me. I don't know anything about this." He stepped closer. His finger touched my lips. For a moment, my mind betrayed me. He looked like a god. And my attention drifted to his chest. His abs. His ridiculous, perfect physique. I reached out. Just once. Out of pure curiosity. The moment I touched him, darkness swallowed my vision. And I blacked out.