La Luna

The Awakening

One sunset, the sky turned bloody while ravens flew above it.

Lucius watched it.

Looking up as his long hair swayed in the humid air, he ground his teeth and tucked his hair behind his ear.

"It's coming," he whispered.

He took one final glance.

He looked at the darkening sky, as though something terrible was approaching.

He gently lowered his gaze and turned his back.

He left the loggia and slowly walked away.

As he walked down the hallway, darkness slowly crept in.

Lucius snapped his fingers, and the candlelight lit up the massive hall—the heart of the castle—where old, dusty frames of paintings and portraits hung on the walls.

Lucius danced gracefully.

Not because he had lost his mind, but because of loneliness, and to ease the tension eating away at him from within.

For him, it was a monster's monster.

He was afraid that the vision he had seen would come true.

He wanted to change the fate of his lineage.

In his visions, the werewolves never backed down.

Even when he tried to persuade them, no one would believe him because, to his lineage, he was just a tool.

A tool that would help them become powerful.

He swayed his hands.

Moved his feet.

Released all his burdens.

He danced through uncertainty.

Through his pain.

Lucius was startled by the distant howl of wolves.

"Bad dog!" he yelled as he left the dance hall.

He went up to his room.

It was dark.

He snapped his fingers once again, and candlelight lit up the room.

Standing by the window while the moon glowed above, he looked up at it.

It was full.

His eyes immediately turned crimson red, and his fangs sharpened like needles.

His body suddenly felt heavy.

His knees trembled, and even his hands struggled to maintain a steady grip.

He looked down and watched as his nails slowly sharpened into deadly points.

Lucius tried to compose himself and continued walking as though nothing was wrong.

But he couldn't.

Within seconds, he ran toward his cold, dark casket.

Trying to calm himself.

"I need blood," he muttered while fighting off the dark thoughts he knew he would later regret.

Fresh blood flooded his imagination, making his thirst even stronger.

His body grew hotter.

And his long black hair suddenly turned silky ash gray.

He let out a loud scream as he struggled against the temptation.

His lips trembled while cold sweat rolled down his face.

The scent of sweet tangerines lingered in the air, mixed with the metallic scent of blood.

His gaze darkened.

He bit his fingernails.

Pulled at his hair.

Covered his ears.

He tried everything to calm himself.

As he looked into the mirror, he saw himself.

Thin.

Pale.

Hungry.

His hands shook uncontrollably as he struggled while the candlelight faltered.

He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into his own wrist.

A jolt of pain shot through his body, but he forced himself to continue.

He drank his own blood, hoping it would lessen the temptation.

But it wasn't enough.

His eyes twitched.

His expression slowly twisted with frustration.

His thirst wasn't quenched.

Instead, his throat felt even drier than before.

"I need blood. Human blood," Lucius whispered, completely consumed by temptation.

He slammed his head against the wall.

Believing it would help.

But it only made things worse.

A wound opened on his forehead, and blood began to trickle down his face.

The scent drove him even closer to madness.

The little bit of sanity he still possessed slowly began to fade.

Desperate and thirsty, Lucius spread his wings.

His bat-like wings beat powerfully as he launched himself into the night sky.

He cared about nothing except satisfying his thirst.

The freezing wind tore against his body as he flew through the darkness.

Above him hung the full moon.

Below him stretched an endless forest.

"Human..." Lucius whispered as he caught sight of a figure running toward the endless woods.

His eyes sharpened.

Searching.

Hunting.

Following the sweet scent drifting through the air.

Then he saw someone.

A young man running toward a roaring waterfall.

Lucius's gaze darkened.

His mouth watered at the sight of his prey.

He extended his arms.

"Wait for it... wait for it..."

His eyes narrowed.

"Now."

In an instant, he shot forward like an arrow.

His wings beat furiously.

The young man struggled as Lucius seized him and lifted him into the air.

"Humans," Lucius whispered in a deep tone.

As if his throat had dried out everything, even his voice.

The human fought desperately, twisting and kicking in an attempt to escape.

But Lucius was far stronger.

Lucius tightened his grip.

His nails dug into the man's skin.

Lucius opened his mouth wide, ready to bite.

Then suddenly—

The young man screamed.

A scream filled with pain.

At the same moment, Lucius felt something strange.

The body in his arms became unbearably hot.

As though it were burning from the inside.

Trying to ignore it, Lucius sank his fangs into the man's neck while they were still flying.

The moment blood touched his tongue—

Pain exploded inside his mouth.

"It burns," Lucius gasped.

The sensation spread throughout his entire body.

Like fire racing through his veins.

Both of them cried out in agony.

Their bodies twisted from the unbearable pain.

Burning.

That was the only word that could describe it.

As though they had both been thrown into a sea of flames.

Lucius struggled to remain airborne.

His wings trembled violently.

Determined not to let go, he tightened his grip and forced himself to continue.

But it wasn't enough.

Moments later, they crashed.

Their bodies rolled across stone and cold grass.

Lucius tried to stand.

Tried to move.

But he couldn't.

He could barely lift his head.

Barely move his arms.

The impact had drained every ounce of strength from his body.

Then darkness swallowed them both.

"I need blood..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm thirsty..."

And then everything went black.

For the first time in a long time, Lucius fell asleep.

A genuine sleep.

Under the full moon, in a cold field of grass.

He slept.

The cold breeze gently brushed against his skin.

His soft black hair danced in the wind.

He could hear the distant howls of werewolves and the songs of night owls.

It sounded like a lullaby.

A sweet lullaby.

One meant for a weary body and an exhausted heart.

The wind seemed to protect him.

Hours later, Lucius slowly opened his eyes.

A pounding headache greeted him.

His entire body ached.

When he finally sat up, he realized he was alone.

His prey was gone.

He opened his large bat-like wings and ascended into the night sky.

As twilight began to fade, Lucius slowly returned to his abandoned castle.

Old.

Weary.

Silent.

A castle that had stood for centuries.

A castle that had witnessed countless stories.

He pushed open the heavy door.

Dust and rust greeted him.

Lucius sat beside the window and watched the moon slowly disappear beyond the horizon.

He sighed.

Then another vision emerged.

A crimson-red moon dominated the sky.

Werewolves transformed and howled.

Vampires spread their wings and hunted for prey.

Chaos erupted everywhere, but humanity suffered the most.

Weak.

Naive.

Gullible.

For the two races, it was a celebration; but for humanity, it was the dawn of torment.

The inception of terror.

Of dread.

And of mystery.

A loud bang echoed throughout the castle.

Lucius looked down through the window.

He saw humans—no, werewolves.

Five werewolf pups playing.

Laughing.

Running.

While the cold breeze gently touched their hair.

It was a wonderful sight for Lucius.

It brought warmth and comfort to his cold, lonely heart.

One pup ran too fast and lost his footing near the edge of a steep slope.

The other three pups howled, and a fine young woman came running.

In a flash of speed—so fast that the grass and greenery trailed behind him—

He grabbed the young wolf cub from the edge of the precipice and held him tightly against her chest.

From afar, Lucius silently witnessed the scene, finding a strange comfort in his heart.

Under the blazing noon sun, their eyes locked.

For the second time, Lucius's heart beat.

Fast, yet warm.

Lucius vanished into thin air while clutching his chest.

He didn't know what was happening, but he knew there was something special about him.

So he did what he did best—

Hiding in the shadows.

The giggles and footsteps near his castle slowly began to fade.

No more laughter.

No more stomping.

At that moment, Lucius felt a sigh of relief escape his lips.

He stepped out of the darkness.

As he walked and looked outside, he sensed someone inside his home.

He stopped for a moment and focused on every corner of the castle.

Bang!

A loud sound came from downstairs.

Lucius had been right.

He slipped back into the shadows as he made his way down.

He moved through the dark corridors, driven to investigate the noise and discover who had the audacity to enter his lair.

When he arrived, the only things he found were the open door and a scent that was slowly fading away.