In the middle of the windy, chilly, and cold night, Anny slept peacefully in her room.
The silence of the night wrapped around her like a blanket, broken only by the faint whisper of the wind outside. The moon hung low in the sky, its pale light barely slipping through the edges of her curtains.
For a while, everything remained still.
Then suddenly—
The curtains flew apart.
They moved violently, swaying left and right as though something unseen had forced its way into the room. The calm night shifted into something restless, something unnatural. The wind that entered was colder than it should have been, carrying with it a presence that did not belong.
At the same moment, the pendant resting gently against Anny's neck began to glow.
At first, it was faint.
Then it grew brighter.
And brighter.
Until the entire room was bathed in a soft silver light.
The glow spread across the walls, reflecting off every surface, turning the darkness into something almost unreal. The air felt heavy, charged, as though something was trying to awaken.
Anny stirred slightly in her sleep.
Her brows twitched.
Her fingers shifted against the bedsheet.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though she might wake up—might open her eyes and witness everything happening around her.
But just as quickly as it began—
Everything stopped.
The curtains fell still.
The wind vanished.
The silver glow disappeared.
The room returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
Moments later, Anny opened her eyes.
She blinked slowly, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the ceiling. A strange feeling lingered in her chest, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Maybe I just imagined it…" she murmured softly.
She pushed herself up, her movements slow and drowsy, and made her way to the bathroom. The cold tiles sent a slight chill through her feet, but she barely noticed.
After a few minutes, she returned to her bed.
Without another thought, she lay down again, pulling the blanket over herself.
And just like that—
She fell back asleep peacefully, like a baby.
---
(Hours before)
The night had not always been so calm.
Hours earlier, while Anny slept just as peacefully, the pendant on her neck had reacted for the very first time.
It glowed.
Not as brightly as before, but enough to disturb the stillness of the room.
Far away, beyond the mortal realm, in a place untouched by time, another pendant responded.
The silver-haired prince's pendant.
It shone.
The moment it did, his eyes snapped open.
He had been seated quietly, his posture relaxed, his expression unreadable as always. But the instant the light appeared, something within him shifted.
Alertness.
Awareness.
Something was wrong.
His fingers moved to the pendant resting against his chest. It was warm—far warmer than it had ever been before.
"…Strange," he murmured.
His gaze darkened slightly.
Without hesitation, he tapped the pendant lightly, closing his eyes as he did.
The air around him shifted.
The space bent.
And in the next moment—
He was gone.
---
He reappeared in Anny's room.
Silent.
Unseen.
The faint moonlight cast shadows across the walls, but something else lingered in the air—a presence far heavier than anything the mortal world could contain.
The silver-haired prince stood still.
Observing.
His eyes moved slowly across the room until they stopped.
Someone was already there.
A man.
He stood near the far corner, partially concealed by the darkness, yet his presence was impossible to ignore.
Long silver hair fell loosely over his shoulders, catching the faint light in the room. His figure was tall, unmoving, and surrounded by an aura so heavy it felt suffocating.
But what stood out the most—
Was the scar.
A long, jagged scar stretched from one eye toward his ear, distorting the calmness of his face and giving him a terrifying edge. It was not just a mark of injury—it was a mark of something far deeper. Something violent.
Something ancient.
The silver-haired prince stared at him blankly.
No fear.
No hesitation.
But his body had already reacted.
The air around him grew tense, his aura subtly shifting, responding instinctively to the presence before him.
Hatred.
It seeped from the man's very being, pouring into the room like poison. It was thick, suffocating, and overwhelming—enough to crush a normal person instantly.
But the prince stood unmoved.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them stretched, heavy and dangerous.
Then—
The silver-haired prince's lips parted slightly.
And in a low, controlled voice, he whispered a single name.
"…Ezerus."
The name lingered in the air.
And the reaction was immediate.
The corner of Ezerus's lips curved upward into a slow, deliberate smile.
His red eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, burning with something unreadable—something far beyond simple emotion.
Amusement.
Recognition.
Perhaps even anticipation.
He did not step forward.
He did not attack.
He simply watched.
As if he had already seen everything that was going to happen.
As if this moment was only the beginning of something much larger.
The silver-haired prince's gaze hardened slightly, his grip tightening almost imperceptibly.
But before anything else could happen—
Ezerus moved.
Or rather—
He disappeared.
Like a shadow slipping away from light.
One moment he was there—
And the next, he was gone.
No sound.
No trace.
Nothing.
The room fell silent once again.
The silver-haired prince remained where he stood, his expression unchanged, but his thoughts anything but calm.
"…So it's begun," he murmured quietly.
His eyes drifted toward Anny.
She was still asleep.
Peaceful.
Unaware.
As if none of it concerned her.
Yet everything—
Everything revolved around her.
After a moment, the prince closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
He vanished.
---
Back in the present, Anny slept on, undisturbed.
The night passed quietly, as though nothing had happened.
But somewhere beyond the reach of the mortal world—
Something had awakened.
And this time—
It would not go back to sleep.
Ezerus is back🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥