Alistair noticed Rowan staring at the top of the clock tower, where there was nothing.
"Yo bro, what are you looking at? Come join us," Alistair called.
Rowan snapped out of it. "Hmm… yeah. I'm coming."
Aunt Maren's phone buzzed. She picked it up, murmured a few words, then hung up and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Rowan, I have to go. Office work, you know how it is," she said. "You enjoy yourself with your new friends. I'll be waiting at home."
She handed him some money. "Don't lose this."
Twenty Crowns in coins and six Marks in notes.
"Okay. Bye, Aunt," Rowan said as she walked off. He turned to the others. "So… what now? It's been a long time since I came to a fair. And I don't really like crowded places."
"That looks fun," Ophelia said, pointing at a nearby stall draped in purple cloth, held up by bamboo poles.
They walked over.
It was a shooting stall. Three chances to hit small red balloons using a toy gun.
Rowan felt a quiet excitement settle in his chest."How much for one round?" he asked.
"Six Crowns. Three tries," the bald stall owner replied.
Rowan slipped his hand into his pocket, counted out the coins, and passed them over. He picked up the gun next. It was meant to be a toy, yet its weight surprised him.
He raised it and aimed at a small red balloon.
The shot missed.
He adjusted his grip and tried again.
Another miss.
"Take a breath," Ophelia said softly from behind him. "Focus only on where you want to aim."
Rowan steadied himself, fixed his eyes on the balloon, and pulled the trigger.
The balloon burst.
A smile crossed his face. "Did you see that?"
Before Rowan could step away, Alistair leaned closer to the stall."Quick question," he said, eyeing the remaining balloons. "If I hit all three in three tries… what do I get?"
The stall owner studied him for a moment, then shrugged."That's a surprise."
Alistair's grin widened. "Say less."
He placed six more Crowns on the counter and took the gun."Move," he said to Rowan. "Let me show you how it's done."
Rowan stepped aside as Alistair took his place.
The first shot missed.
So did the second.
"Tch."
Alistair inhaled slowly and fired again.
The pellet flew wide, struck the stall owner's bald forehead, and dropped to the ground.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Rowan and Ophelia turned away, failing to hide their laughter.
The stall owner glared at Alistair, his voice low and sharp."If you weren't a paying customer," he muttered, "you wouldn't be standing here."
Ophelia burst into laughter.
"Oh? If you know so much, then you try," Alistair said, clearly irritated.
"Yeah, Ophelia. You give it a shot," Rowan said, his hands slipping into his pockets. He held out the coins. "Take these. Six Crowns."
Ophelia hesitated for a moment. Then she gripped the gun.
Three shots.
Three seconds.
Three balloons burst in quick succession.
Both Rowan's and Alistair's jaws nearly hit the ground.
"Whoa… that was smooth," Rowan said.
"Lucky," Alistair muttered, unconvinced by what he had just seen.
Even the stall owner's eyes widened. "Well done," he said. "You're the first customer today to hit all three."
Ophelia only smirked.
"Well then," the owner continued, "it's time for the surprise I mentioned."
He pulled a lever just beside him. A thin circular wooden frame rose into view, a single purple balloon fixed at its center. It began to swing rapidly from left to right.
People nearby noticed and gathered around. Cheers rippled through the small crowd.
Ophelia's eyes followed the purple blur. It was fast. Faster than before.
"And now the real challenge," the owner said. "If you hit the purple balloon, which I doubt you will, you'll get twenty Marks."
The crowd murmured.
Rowan felt a flicker of doubt. Even he wasn't sure she could pull this off.
Ophelia inhaled slowly.
Then she pulled the trigger.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke.
Rowan stared.
Alistair froze.
The owner's confidence vanished.
The purple balloon burst.
***
"Easy twenty Marks," Alistair said as they walked through the fair. "All thanks to Ophelia. Sorry I doubted you."
Rowan's gaze drifted upward.
The Ferris wheel loomed above them, its lights turning slowly against the darkening sky.
"Hey," Rowan said, pointing. "Let's go there."
Ophelia's eyes lit up, but before she could reply, Alistair's stomach growled loudly.
"…Yeah," he sighed. "You two go ahead. I need food. Also, I've never trusted giant spinning death wheels."
With that, Alistair peeled away from them and headed toward the food stalls.
Rowan and Ophelia boarded one of the Ferris wheel cars. The door closed, and with a soft jolt, it began to rise.
As the ground slowly fell away, Ophelia glanced down. A chill ran through her, though she wasn't sure why.
Rowan watched the lights below for a moment before speaking.
"I still can't believe it," he said quietly. "The things I thought didn't exist this morning… are sitting right beside me."
Ophelia turned toward him. "What do you mean?"
Rowan smiled, a little awkwardly."I didn't expect to hang out with a vampire."
For a moment, she stared at him.
Then they both laughed.
"By the way, Rowan, I wanted to tell you something."
"Yeah, spit that out."
The Ferris wheel slowed near the top, the world below shrinking into a scatter of lights.
Ophelia watched them for a while before speaking.
"I've always thought distance made things clearer," she said. "When you're far enough away, you stop seeing details. People turn into shapes. Moments into memories."
Rowan glanced at her, listening.
"But up here," she continued, "I can see everything. The noise, the lights, how small it all is."She paused. "And somehow, you're the only thing that feels real."
She turned toward him then, her expression calm but careful.
"I don't usually stay in places for long," Ophelia said. "Or with people. It's easier to keep moving."
Her gaze dropped to her hands.
"But today, when you asked me to get on this ride… I didn't want it to end."
The Ferris wheel creaked softly as it began to move again.
"So if I seem… slower tonight," she added quietly, "that's why."
For a moment, Rowan didn't speak.
The Ferris wheel creaked as it began to descend, the lights below drifting back into view.
He let out a small breath."…You know," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "people don't usually say things like that to me."
Ophelia looked at him, uncertain.
Rowan met her eyes. His smile was still there, but softer now. Less playful.
"I don't really know what to say," he admitted. "But I'm… glad you did."
A faint color rose to Ophelia's cheeks.
She looked away, just slightly.
"Yeah," she said. "Me too."
***
Alistair finished his pasta, the growling in his stomach finally gone.
He wandered through the crowd, half out of curiosity, half out of boredom.
A young woman suddenly brushed past him, their shoulders colliding.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, already moving on.
Alistair paused.
Something about her pace felt wrong.
He followed her with his eyes and noticed she was trailing a man ahead of her. The man seemed unaware, walking casually, oblivious to the presence behind him.
Alistair frowned.Yeah. That's not normal.
"Hey."
Ophelia appeared at his side.
"Whoa," Alistair said, startled. "You scared me."He glanced back and spotted Rowan a short distance away, helping an old man search for his fallen stick. Then he nodded forward."I think something's off about those two."
Ophelia followed his gaze.
Her reaction was instant.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught.
Alistair noticed it immediately. "What?"
She didn't answer right away.
"As a vampire," Ophelia said slowly, "you learn to recognize certain… traces."
Her stare remained fixed on the pair.
"They're both emitting vampiric energy."
Alistair stiffened."…Both of them?"
Ophelia nodded once.
"I guess," she said quietly, "they're vampires."
The laughter, the lights, and the music of the fair continued around them.
But Alistair knew one thing for sure now.
Something was very wrong.
***
The man entered a silent alleyway.
He was tall, almost giant-like, with long, silky hair cascading down his back. His build was broad and muscular. He stood facing a blank wall, unmoving.
The woman following him stopped a few steps behind and studied him carefully.
"I felt a strong vampiric presence," he said calmly. "Normally, when two vampires pass each other, the energy fades as they move apart."He turned his head slightly."But this one didn't fade."
He glanced back at her."So I knew I was being followed. Since when?"
"Since after you slaughtered a family of six," she replied.
He sighed. "They were my food. I need human blood to grow stronger."
"Those people had children," she shouted. "Children."
He turned fully now, unimpressed."And? Vampires are meant to drink blood. Isn't that right?"
"I'm not like other vampires," she said, her voice steady but burning. "I no longer feed on humans. In my life, I learned one thing. Humans are innocent. They don't deserve to die just to satisfy our hunger."
She clenched her fists.
"So I chose a different path. I eliminate vampires who prey on innocent humans."
He chuckled softly."You speak too much."
That was enough.
"I am Ren," she snapped. "And I will eliminate you with my vampiric power."Her eyes hardened."It's called Blade. I can turn any part of my body into a weapon sharp enough to cut through steel."
He smiled.
"Alaric," he replied casually. "Not exactly a pleasure to meet you."He tilted his head. "My power is hair. I control it as I wish."
His hair began to move.
It grew rapidly, spilling across the ground, twisting and tangling into a massive fist-like shape.
Before Ren could move, it lunged toward her.