Eternal Eclipse

Chapter 1

Those blood-red eyes stared intently at me from the darkness of the night. I swallowed hard, and without realizing it, I was frozen, unable to move my feet to leave. My eyes couldn't even tear my gaze away from those red eyes. Our gazes met, and in an instant, those red eyes were in front of me, mere centimeters from my face. I widened my eyes, staring at the blood-red eyes right in front of me. But the shock only lasted for a moment, as a hand covered my eyes, leaving only darkness and a tingling pain in the crook of my neck before I lost consciousness completely.

I slowly opened my heavy eyes, feeling incredibly weak, as if my energy had been completely drained from my body. My head was so dizzy that my vision blurred as I stared at the scene before me. I couldn't remember what had happened and remained silent, observing my surroundings until I realized I was in a completely unfamiliar place.

The sound of the door opening startled me, and I immediately turned toward the source of the sound. The monolid-eyed man's gaze was cold, staring directly at me as soon as he entered the room. I immediately got up and was about to ask about my unknown whereabouts, but the man already asked a question that didn't need an answer, "Are you awake?"

His soft voice was a stark contrast to his cold gaze; his gentle way of speaking made me confused. I didn't know if he was a bad person or a good person. Memories of the events before I lost consciousness began to surface in my mind, as the man before me walked toward me. The blood-red eyes that clearly appeared in my memory sent shivers down my spine, and I immediately, unconsciously, stared into the man's eyes. His dark eyes were distinctly different from the blood-red ones I'd seen before, and this made me feel relieved that at least the man before me wasn't someone that I'd met before.

"Where am I?" I asked quietly, sitting facing the man in front of me.

"It's in my apartment. I found you passed out on the street nearby last night," the man replied, his voice soft and his face warm, unlike a moment ago. Perhaps his cold gaze from before was just my imagination, because now he truly seemed like a very kind, warm, and gentle person.

"Oh, thank you for helping me. Hmm, what's your name?" I got off the soft, white-sheeted bed and sat on the edge of the bed facing the man standing in front of me.

"Eli Abraham, what's your name? And do you remember what happened to you last night?" he asked softly, sounding a little worried.

"Hmm, I'm Orion Conall. I don't remember much of what happened last night. I was a little drunk, and all I remember is that someone suddenly approached me, but I don't remember their face or what happened after that," I replied, occasionally recalling the events of the previous night.

"It's just a small thing, don't worry. You just met some drunk people. If you feel better, come with me to breakfast and then I'll take you home," he said, still gentle, but his tone had changed slightly.

His facial expression was a little hard to read, but I could see a hint of relief on his face, but I wasn't sure, so I pushed those thoughts aside. I nodded and immediately stood up to follow Eli. He was kind enough to take me home with him and let me rest in his apartment after helping me last night. Now, he was also inviting me to breakfast and would take me home as well.

I followed him out of the room and realized that this wasn't his apartment but a luxury hotel room. I realized this because of the decor, which I now realized was indeed a hotel-like, and the large windows that offered a view of the city in the morning. I felt strange, and suspicion arose. I stared at his broad back and for a moment, I thought of something.

The dark brown eyes of the man in front of me suddenly turned to look at me which made me froze for a moment, I was shocked by his sharp gaze but I tried to calm down and think again why he lied by saying this was his apartment when it was clearly a luxury hotel room in the middle of the city. His eyes which were higher than my head seemed to fall right into my eyes and as if He understood what I was thinking.

“This is my apartment, or rather, a hotel room that I've turned into my personal residence. You don't need to worry, I'm not a bad person,” he said calmly, then led me to the dining table.

Isn't it true that when someone says they're not a bad person, they mean the exact opposite? And why was he using a luxury hotel room as an apartment? Was he so rich that he rented a luxury hotel room year-round? I grew increasingly worried that this handsome man in front of me was indeed someone with malicious intentions.

“Huh, it seems you're still suspicious of me. Sit down, quickly. I'm busy,” the man said, immediately sitting down in his chair curtly, as if fed up with pretending to be kind and gentle with me.

I gasped and immediately stepped back, unable to believe what I just heard. It was as if the man in front of me was now commanding me, refusing to be polite anymore. And what was worse was how his aura had changed from a cold but gentle person to a completely untouchable, cold, and cruel aura. Now I was convinced that this man named Eli was not a good person, and it was hard for me to imagine what he was planning. Besides, what really happened to me last night? Why did I end up with this man and even I was taken to this hotel?

"Huh, sit down. Eat first, and then I'll tell you what happened last night," he said coldly, immediately making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

The sensation I felt last night seemed to return as I saw the cold aura emanating from this man before me. I tried to act normal, but I still found it difficult to fight goosebumps. I had experienced something similar before, waking up suddenly in a strange place, but I had never woken up with such a handsome young man in front of me, not to mention the gentle manner he had shown me.