Yeonjun wasn't the kind of guy to panic.
Even when teachers turned into gargoyles or the cafeteria exploded with cursed soup, he'd just casually sip blood tea like, "Cool. Tuesday."
But right now?
He looked like a vampire possessed.
My necklace dangled from his hand, warm and glowing — proof I was still in there. Somewhere. Buried under that twisted smile and bloodlust my doppelgänger was flaunting like it was her part-time job.
He pressed the charm to his lips, eyes flashing a deep violet.
"I'm coming for you, Amelia."
Meanwhile, in the Dark Side of Town
Doppel-you strutted into the abandoned East Wing of Nightshade Academy, aka "the zone no one with a brain enters unless they're cursed, crazy, or both."
Shadow-beasts knelt before her. Gargoyle heads turned. Even the portrait of Headmaster Deathfang raised an eyebrow.
"I like the throne," she purred, plopping down on the skull-carved seat like she'd been born to rule. "Might keep it."
And then, she closed her eyes… and whispered into my soul.
"You feel that, Amelia? He's coming. Your little blood boy."
I screamed inside her. Kicked. Pushed. Bit.
But she just smiled and pulled out a dagger — one laced with moonshade poison, something deadly to vampires and vessels alike.
"Let's see what Yeonjun does when he has to choose: you… or his own life."
Outside: Enter Yeonjun, Mad and Magical
Yeonjun stormed through the gates of the East Wing like a bat out of hell. Literally. His eyes were glowing, jacket flaring, and I swear the wind whispered, "He's about to wreck sht."*
The shadows lunged. He snapped his fingers.
Poof. Ash.
Demon vines crawled. He hissed one ancient word.
Slice. Gone.
By the time he reached the throne room, he wasn't just Yeonjun the vampire.
He was Yeonjun the Crimson Hunter — the boy who'd once burned down an entire blood temple because they tried to mess with someone he loved.
And now?
He was here for me.
The Showdown
"Let. Her. Go."
His voice shook the walls.
Doppel-me rose, amused. "You love her?" she teased. "Cute. Do you even know what that means?"
Yeonjun didn't answer. He just walked forward, eyes locked on mine — not her face, not the lips, but the real me hidden beneath.
He knew.
"Amelia," he whispered, reaching out. "I know you're still in there. You're strong. You're you. Please fight."
For a split second, I did.
The mirror cracked.
Doppel-me staggered, clutching her chest.
Yeonjun saw his opening.
He lunged.
She threw the dagger. He caught it — blade-first — and dropped it to the floor, blood dripping from his palm.
That's when I broke free.
Mirror, Mirror — Shattered
I gasped, finally in control again.
My knees buckled. Yeonjun caught me.
"Easy," he whispered. "You're safe now."
But behind us, the doppelgänger hissed — her form unraveling like smoke, screaming as the mirror burst into a thousand shards.
"I'll be back," she snarled. "You're mine. We're not done."
And then, silence.
I collapsed against Yeonjun's chest, shaking. He held me tighter, his heartbeat fast and furious.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No," I whispered. "But I'm better with you."
He smiled. "Told you I'd find you."
Later That Night…
Back in the dorms, Yeonjun sat beside me on the bed, his hand still bandaged, our fingers gently touching.
"You were… amazing," he murmured.
"You got stabbed," I said, pointing at his hand.
"Worth it," he said softly. "You're worth it."
And then — like we were both thinking the same thing for once — we leaned in.
No doppelgänger.
No spells.
No cursed school watching.
Just a kiss.
Soft. Real. A promise.