When Darkness Chooses Its Queen
Raven rushed into the room where Yoon stood, his steps uneven, his breathing shallow. He paced back and forth , his hands clenching as though holding back something dangerous.
Yoon watched him quietly at first, sensing the storm before the words came.
Then Raven stopped.
The shock on his face was impossible to miss.
"Yoon," he said, his voice low but trembling, "Jina is with the Wizard of Gwi."
Yoon's brows furrowed as she tried to place the name. Her lips parted slightly as memory struck her like lightning.
"The Wizard of Gwi…" she whispered. "That ancient sorcerer?
Raven nodded slowly.
Before she could fully process it, he continued, his voice tight with restrained anger.
"Jina thought she was going there to recover her powers. She believed they would return naturally." But that was a lie."
Yoon's chest tightened. "What do you mean?"
"They didn't restore her power," Raven said. "They transformed her."
Silence fell heavily between them.
"…Into what?" Yoon asked, already fearing the answer.
Raven looked away for a moment, then met her eyes again.
"They turned her into an Alpha Vampire."
Yoon staggered backward as if struck.
"Oh no…" she gasped. "That's impossible. Alpha Vampires are born, not made."
"Not by ordinary means," Raven replied. "But the Wizard of Gwi doesn't follow ordinary laws."
I guess the school has hand in this
Yoon's hands trembled. "Then… how do we help her?"
Raven resumed pacing, running a hand through his hair.
"The traces are faint," he said. "But I can still follow them. The problem is—" He stopped abruptly. "I can't defeat her."
Yoon looked at him sharply.
"She's stronger than me now," Raven continued. "Stronger than she's ever been. The only way to save her is to capture her quietly, before her transformation fully settles."
Yoon shook her head. "Capture her? Raven, once she sees you, she won't recognize you. Her sight will twist reality. She'll see you as an enemy."
"I know," Raven said.
"She cannot return here," he added firmly. "If she does, she will see innocent people as prey. And that is exactly what the school wants."
Yoon's eyes widened. "They want her to hunt?"
"Yes," Raven said coldly. "Since they couldn't kill her, they decided to use her."
We need to capture her and keep her somewhere hidden
Till we know how to transform her back to who she was.
He glanced at the time.
"She'll be back in three days."
Yoon inhaled sharply. "Three days?"
"We leave today," Raven said. "We hide close to the ancient home. When the sun sets, we enter."
Yoon grabbed his arm. "Raven—what about you? You just said you can't win against her."
Raven stood still, his back facing her.
"Jina is still alive inside that body," he said quietly. "She hasn't tasted blood yet. Once she does… that's when we lose her completely."
Yoon swallowed hard.
"That place is heavily guarded," Raven continued. "Old magic. Creatures. Shadows."
"I can trace shadows," Yoon interrupted. "Leave that to me."
Raven nodded. "Then we move before dawn."
Yoon hesitated. "Aren't you afraid?"
Raven didn't turn around.
"I still need to save her," he said. Then he walked away.
Yoon stood there for a long moment before following.
Unseen from behind a stone pillar, Minho stepped out of hiding.
His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
He lifted his phone, watching the gate Raven and Yoon disappeared through, then pressed it to his ear.
And followed.
Night fell.
Darkness spread like ink across the sky.
Black birds gathered, hopping restlessly on rooftops and branches, their cries sharp and unsettling, as if announcing something unnatural.
Far away, I woke up with a strange hunger twisting inside me.
My body felt heavier… stronger.
It wasn't pain—it was awakening.
I sat up slowly, breathing deeply, my senses sharper than before. Every sound echoed loudly. Every shadow seemed alive.
My eyes moved around the hut, searching for something I couldn't name.
Then I saw it.
The bowl.
The red liquid inside shimmered faintly.
I stood, drawn to it without understanding why. My hand hovered over the bowl as a craving surged so violently that my knees weakened.
I lifted it carefully and smelled it.
The scent made my breath hitch.
Warm. Metallic.
I pulled it away instinctively, my heart pounding.
Then, without thinking, I brought it back.
The liquid touched my lips.
The taste was not what my body need but the color is what my body needs.
Heat exploded inside me, racing through my veins like fire. My vision blurred as power flooded every part of me.
I gasped.
And collapsed.
Darkness swallowed me whole.