Chapter 1: Night in Valenfort

"Valenfort was a city that never truly slept, it only bled quietly beneath its lights."

The night wind swept through the skyscrapers, the neon sign of Club Morin lights flickered over rain-soaked streets, painting crimson reflections on puddles that smelled faintly of iron.

Valenfort, the city that never sleeps, hid itself beneath the noise of car horns, nightclub music, and the lost souls wandering in the dark.

But beneath that glittering facade, Valenfort was still a wound that never healed.

Evelyn Cross tightened her grip on the silver dagger at her belt, her gaze tracing the city’s veins of light below. The moonlight reflected in her silver gray eyes cold, emotionless, and sharp with vigilance.

Through her earpiece came the familiar voice of the commander from the Hunters’ Headquarters:

 “Evelyn, blood energy traces detected in the eastern district. High contamination level. The victim was found completely drained.”

Evelyn cocked her weapon, her voice low and steady.

“Copy that. I’ll handle it.”

Beneath her feet, Valenfort glittered like a maze of lights. Here, humans and vampires lived side by side two worlds coexisting in deceit: one wearing human faces, the other hiding fangs behind smiles.

---

Devereux District, eastern Valenfort once a neighborhood where the human elite and vampires coexisted in fragile peace.

But tonight, the air reeked of blood.

Evelyn stepped into a dark alley. The metallic tang was thick in the air. She drew a silver dagger from her belt, its blade engraved with the Hunters’ insignia: a cross entwined with a drop of blood.

A body slumped against the wall, pale skin, two puncture marks on the neck. No signs of struggle. No footprints. Only a single black rose was pinned to the victim’s chest.

Evelyn frowned.

“The mark of... the Blood Cult.”

The Hunters had eradicated that cult years ago, a fanatic vampire sect that worshipped the so-called “King of Blood,” believed to be nothing more than legend.

But a black rose couldn’t be a coincidence.

She lifted her sensor watch and crimson energy traces spiraled across the screen like smoke.

Her eyes sharpened as a shadow darted across the rooftops.

Evelyn moved instantly, swift, precise.

Her boots pounded against the metal roofs as the wind cut across her skin.

She drew her silver pistol and fired.

Three bullets tore through the night.

The sound of metal clashing echoed as the figure had dodged them.

A deep chuckle rolled through the darkness, carried by the wind.

“A hunter? I thought your kind was extinct.”

Evelyn’s reply was cold as steel.

“And vampires should’ve vanished with the old myths.”

The shadow landed before her tall, cloaked in black, eyes glowing red like smoldering rubies.

He was no ordinary Turned the power radiating from him was suffocating.

Evelyn realized it instantly.

“Pureblood…” she hissed, tightening her grip on the dagger.

He smiled.

“Clever girl. But you shouldn’t be here alone, little hunter.”

She didn’t answer.

The only sound was steel slicing through air as she lunged.

They clashed blindingly fast. Sparks burst as silver met claw.

He was monstrously strong, every blow cracked the concrete beneath them. Evelyn evaded most strikes, but a slash tore her shoulder blood seeped through her suit.

“Your blood… it’s different,” he murmured, eyes flickering with intrigue.

Evelyn gritted her teeth and drove her blade into his chest but instead of falling, he caught her wrist. His gaze softened, no longer that of an enemy but of someone searching for something long lost.

“Do you know… whose eyes those are?” he whispered.

Evelyn shoved him back, ripping the dagger free as blood splattered across the roof.

“Shut up!”

He chuckled faintly, blood trailing down his lips, yet his expression remained calm almost serene.

“Valenfort is awakening… Evelyn Cross.”

She froze. He knew her name?

Before she could react, he vanished into black smoke leaving behind a single black rose falling at her feet.

Evelyn picked it up. The petals were stained with blood.

She stared at it, a strange unease rising in her chest, the feeling that tonight wasn’t just another hunt.

It was the beginning of something ancient, darker than she could imagine… and tied to her fate.

---

A sharp beep sounded in her earpiece the commander’s urgent voice cut through.

“Evelyn, report! Where are you? Energy levels just spiked, we’ve detected a Pureblood signature!”

Evelyn inhaled deeply, her eyes fixed on the darkness consuming the city.

 “I met him.”

“Who?”

“A Pureblood… and he knows who I am.”

Silence filled the line, the kind that made the whole of Valenfort seem to hold its breath.

Then the commander’s voice returned, low and grave.

 “Fall back. If it’s him… you can’t fight him.”

Evelyn tightened her grip on the dagger.

"The Blood King?”

She didn’t wait for a reply.

Only the wind remained and the gleam of silver under the moonlight.

In the heart of Valenfort, an ancient secret had awakened.

Somewhere between light and shadow, a pair of deep crimson eyes opened and the one believed to be dead… had returned.