The night sky above Delhi had never looked like this before.
Aarav Mehra stood alone on the rooftop of his college's automobile engineering building, both hands tucked into the pockets of his black jacket as the cold wind brushed past him.
Above him, the moon glowed an unnatural shade of crimson.
It looked like blood.
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then his eyes moved to the unfinished sports car prototype parked behind him.
Its silver body reflected the red moonlight.
A small smile appeared on his face.
This was his dream.
Not law.
Not courtrooms.
Not criminal files and endless arguments.
Cars.
Engines.
Speed.
Machines that could outrun the wind.
"One day," he whispered, gently touching the hood, "I'll build the fastest car in the world."
"Still talking to your car again?"
A teasing voice came from behind.
Aarav turned and smiled.
Mia stood near the rooftop door, wearing a long grey coat over her college uniform. Her silver-brown hair danced in the wind.
Beside her stood her elder brother Jack, tall and broad-shouldered.
Kai leaned lazily against the doorframe with his usual smirk.
The four of them had been best friends since their first year.
At least, that was what Aarav believed.
Mia walked closer and folded her arms.
"You've been here for three hours."
Jack snorted. "He probably forgot dinner again."
Kai chuckled. "One day, your mother will sue the college for starving her son."
Aarav laughed.
"That sounds exactly like something she would do."
His mother, Meera Mehra, was one of Delhi's most respected lawyers.
His father, Rajiv Mehra, was the city's chief prosecutor.
Everyone expected Aarav to follow in their footsteps.
But he hated that future.
He loved machines.
He loved speed.
He wanted to design cars, not fight legal battles.
Mia suddenly looked up at the sky.
Her smile disappeared.
Jack and Kai also went silent.
Aarav noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
No one answered.
All three of them were staring at the red moon.
Kai's expression turned serious.
"That shouldn't be happening tonight."
Aarav frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Mia forced a smile.
"Nothing. Just looks strange."
But Aarav could tell they were hiding something.
Again.
Lately, all three had been acting strangely.
Late-night disappearances.
Secret calls.
Random injuries.
Jack once showed up with deep claw marks on his arm and called it a dog attack.
Kai once had blood on his shirt and casually said it was tomato sauce.
Even Mia had started keeping secrets.
Before Aarav could ask another question—
BOOM!
A loud explosion shook the rooftop.
Then another.
And another.
The entire building trembled.
Aarav rushed to the edge and looked down.
In the distance, near the metro line, flames rose into the air.
People were screaming.
Sirens echoed through the city.
Mia's face turned pale.
Jack cursed under his breath.
Kai's eyes flashed red for a brief second.
Aarav froze.
Red?
Did he just imagine that?
"We need to go," Mia said quickly.
The four rushed downstairs.
As they reached the college gate, students were already gathering outside.
Everyone was staring toward the metro road.
Smoke covered the sky.
Police vehicles and ambulances sped past.
Aarav's phone rang.
Mom.
He answered immediately.
"Aarav! Where are you?" Meera's worried voice came through.
"At college. What happened?"
"There's been an attack near Rajiv Chowk Metro. Your father is already there. Come home now."
His heart tightened.
"Was it a terrorist attack?"
There was a brief silence.
"No."
Her voice sounded strange.
Almost fearful.
"Just come home."
The call ended.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Mia grabbed his arm.
"We'll drop you home."
Aarav shook his head.
"No. I need to see what happened."
Kai stepped forward.
"That's not a good idea."
Before Aarav could reply, a terrified man came running down the road.
His clothes were torn.
Blood covered his neck.
"Run!" he screamed.
"Monsters! There are monsters!"
The crowd panicked.
Students began screaming and running.
Then something landed on the road with a heavy thud.
Aarav's breath stopped.
It was a creature.
Half human.
Half wolf.
Black fur covered one arm.
Its mouth was filled with sharp fangs.
Its eyes—
one red.
One silver.
Hybrid.
The creature let out a terrifying roar.
Before it could attack—
Jack moved.
Too fast.
One second, where he was beside Aarav.
The next second he stood in front of the hybrid.
His eyes turned pure gold.
Silver claws extended from his hands.
Aarav's mind went blank.
Mia's body shimmered in moonlight.
Wolf ears appeared.
Her nails sharpened.
Kai's eyes glowed crimson.
Sharp fangs appeared.
Aarav stumbled back.
No.
This couldn't be real.
The hybrid suddenly turned toward him.
Its twisted face broke into a horrifying smile.
"It's him…"
Its voice was rough and broken.
"The rare blood…"
Then it lunged.
Everything happened too fast.
Mia tried to stop it.
Jack roared.
Kai blurred forward.
But the creature was faster.
Its jaws sank into Aarav's shoulder.
Pain exploded through his body.
He screamed.
The world spun.
The hybrid staggered back in shock.
"No…"
Its face twisted in terror.
"It awakened…"
A strange black-and-silver mark briefly appeared on Aarav's chest.
Then darkness swallowed him.
Smoke still rose in the distance.
Aarav lay motionless near the roadside close to the metro entrance.
His shirt was soaked with blood.
The bite mark had turned dark purple.
His breathing was weak.
Very weak.
Footsteps suddenly stopped nearby.
Mia froze.
"Aarav!"
She ran toward him.
Jack and Kai followed.
The moment Kai saw the bite, his face turned pale.
"No…"
Jack knelt beside him.
"Hybrid bite."
Mia's voice trembled.
"That's impossible… he's still alive."
Kai clenched his fists.
"He won't be for long."
Every supernatural being knew the rule.
If a human was bitten by a hybrid, vampire, or cursed creature—
They had less than one hour to receive supernatural blood.
Otherwise, they died.
Mia looked down at Aarav's pale face.
"No."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"We're not letting him die."
Kai immediately bit his wrist.
Dark crimson blood flowed down his hand.
"My blood can stabilise him."
Mia bit her own wrist.
Bright silver-red blood dripped down.
"Wolf blood heals faster."
Jack stared at both of them.
"This could kill him."
Mia looked at Aarav's fading face.
"Doing nothing will definitely kill him."
Jack cursed and bit his own wrist, too.
Golden-red blood flowed down.
Kai lifted Aarav's head.
Mia gently opened his mouth.
Jack supported his body.
Three drops of blood fell together.
One crimson.
One silver-red one.
One is golden-red.
They touched Aarav's lips.
Then entered his mouth.
For one second—
Nothing happened.
Then Aarav's entire body jolted violently.
His chest arched upward.
Black veins spread across his neck.
A pulse of crimson, silver, and black light burst from his body.
The ground trembled.
Mia stepped back in shock.
Jack's face turned pale.
Kai stared in disbelief.
"That…"
"That shouldn't be possible."
A glowing symbol slowly appeared on Aarav's chest.
A circle made of claw marks, fangs, and moonlight.
Mia whispered,
"The Triple Blood Crest…"
Jack slowly turned toward Kai.
"No human has ever survived mixed blood."
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"He didn't survive."
"He absorbed it."
Aarav suddenly gasped.
His eyes snapped open.
For one terrifying second—
One eye glowed gold.
The other crimson.
Then both returned to normal.
Mia took a shaky breath.
"We need Elder Seraphina."
Jack nodded.
Kai lifted Aarav in his arms.
"Now."
The three disappeared into the Delhi night.
Toward the hidden district.
Toward the witch elder.
Toward the truth of what Aarav had become.