Irene froze.
Her eyes fixed on something,
Was it just her imagination…
or was the dark room faintly glowing red?
No, two red eyes, staring straight at her.
Cold. Unblinking.
Piercing into her soul as if judging every piece of her existence.
A wild animal?
How did it get in here?
There shouldn't be any beasts near the village, not this close.
Irene's breath hitched.
She couldn't see its shape clearly, only the outline of something crouched low in the shadows. But she knew, without a doubt, that it was looking at her.
Watching her.
Studying her.
Waiting for something.
Her instincts screamed at her.
One wrong move and it would jump.
Irene slowly, carefully took a single step back.
But the moment her heel touched the wooden floor,
the faintest tap
the figure lunged.
Irene's eyes widened.
Too fast.
Too close.
Too late.
All she could do was throw up her arms in front of her face, shielding herself hopelessly for the impact as the red eyes rushed toward her.
The figure slammed into her, sending Irene crashing onto the floor.
Her flower basket shattered.
Colorful petals burst into the air, scattering like tiny fragments of a broken rainbow.
In a single heartbeat, the violent scene twisted into something strangely beautiful,
a blooming moment caught inside pure terror.
The blossoms spun and drifted around them, but even with all their colors,
their light seemed muted…
as if the darkness of the room had swallowed every hue,
letting only their faint shadows remain.
The impact was loud, violent enough to shatter the quiet of the woods.
Even the birds outside seemed to sense it; their wings beat against the sky as they fled.
But strangely… the force didn't feel as heavy as she expected.
Not the weight of a beast.
Wait
Not a wild animal…
You're…
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
A small figure was on top of her, gripping both her arms with an iron strength no child should have. Sharp nails dug deep into her thin skin, tearing through it. Hot blood spilled down her forearms.
Irene gasped, pain flaring.
With brute force, force that did not match the child's small body,
her arms were shoved apart, pinned harshly onto the floor.
Bam!
Both of her hands were slammed down beside her head.
The child's grip locked them in place, fingers tightening, nails biting deeper, as if trying to anchor her to the ground.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't fight back.
And those red eyes were still staring at her, wide and wild, hovering so close she could feel his breath.
Irene was scared
She had never feared death before.
Not once.
Not even knowing her own fate… that she could starve long before her frail body failed. Death was simply something that would come for her eventually.
But this…
this was different.
Not like this.
The sight hovering over her was terrifying.
Eyes glowing as red as blood.
Teeth sharp like a wild beast.
A small, thin face twisted with hunger and something feral.
Hot breath brushed against her cheek, too close, too real.
The child's breath, warm, shaky, uneven, ghosted across her skin like a warning.
Irene's body trembled.
She struggled
twisting, pushing, kicking
violently shaking in desperation to break free.
But it was useless.
It felt as though heavy chains were wrapped around her limbs, pinning her to the floor.
Was she really that weak…?
Or was the child simply…
unnaturally strong?
No matter how hard she fought, his grip didn't loosen.
If anything, it only grew tighter.
But something was off.
Irene couldn't name it
her mind was far too frightened to think clearly
but something about the child's behavior wasn't… right.
He hadn't attacked her.
Not fully.
He hadn't torn into her, even though the hunger was written all over his face.
The child's mouth was shut tight, sharp teeth pressed together as if he were desperately holding himself back. His jaw trembled, restraining something violent inside him.
Irene lay frozen beneath him, stunned by the sight.
Slowly… very slowly…
the figure's breathing began to change.
The wild, ragged exhales turned softer.
Calmer.
Almost steady.
The red glow in his eyes flickered, just slightly.
And then…
his grip loosened.
First a little.
Then more.
He carefully lifted her hands from the floor, her wrists aching from the pressure, and raised them higher.
Up past her head.
Then toward his own mouth.
Irene's heart clenched.
She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the worst.
She wasn't in any position to fight.
Not pinned like this.
Not with her strength.
It was unexpected.
It was gentle.
It was… warm.
Irene flinched at first, confused. The pain in her arms was still there, her skin torn from the earlier scratches, blood trailing down her wrists.
But instead of teeth,
she felt something soft brush against her skin.
The child was… licking her blood.
Slow, careful motions.
Almost timid.
As if afraid he would hurt her again.
With every touch, his trembling eased.
His breathing steadied.
The wildness in him faded, little by little, like fog lifting from a mirror.
Irene finally dared to look.
A young boy.
Striking, his features clear and refined in a way only nobles possessed.
His skin was smooth, unblemished, almost too perfect for a child who looked as though he had crawled out of the shadows.
Even in the dim light, he had an undeniable presence.
And his eyes…
A single tear slipped from one, falling quietly onto her arm.
They were no longer the bright, feral red from before.
They had darkened, softened into a deep, scarlet shade.
The boy's expression had calmed completely now.
He released her left arm, letting it fall gently beside her head. Now, he looked straight at her, not as prey, but as if truly seeing her.
Their gazes met.
In the quiet of the woods, with dust drifting slowly in the single ray of sunlight piercing through the broken roof, the moment felt oddly still.
Irene saw her reflection in his scarlet eyes.
Irene was crying too.
They both froze for a moment.
Only now did the realization of the situation hit them
what had just happened,
what they were doing,
how close they were.
Irene was the first to move.
Regaining a bit of control, she pushed the boy away with all the strength she had and scrambled backward, scooting across the floor until her back hit the broken wall.
Even knowing he wasn't a wild animal
even seeing that he was calmer now
Irene was still terrified.
Who wouldn't be?
The child had lunged at her,
pinned her down,
injured her arms,
and… drank her blood.
Her breath shook.
Her hands trembled as she slowly backed away, never taking her eyes off him for even a second.
She watched him carefully
as if at any moment he might leap again.
And this time,
she would be ready to run.
…
But the boy didn't seem to have any intention of attacking again.
He simply sat there on the floor, his arms planted behind him to support his weight. His posture was tense at first, almost cautious, but not aggressive.
His eyes…
those deep scarlet eyes
slowly lifted.
From the floor…
to her feet…
to her dirt-stained clothing…
and finally back to her face.
He was studying her now.
Not like prey anymore.
More like he was seeing her for the first time,
truly seeing the person in front of him.
How many times had their gazes met now?
Irene's hand finally found the door behind her. With a shaky push,
creak
Sunlight burst into the shack, flooding the darkness and sweeping away the shadows that had hidden him.
And with that light,
she could finally see him clearly.
The boy's appearance came into focus:
his fine clothing, torn at the edges but still unmistakably expensive;
his dark hair, messy and sticking to his forehead;
and the blood smeared around his mouth, like smudged crimson lipstick hastily wiped away.
This child…
he really did have a beautiful face
clear skin, delicate features, sharp eyes softened by confusion.
A noble?
No… that couldn't be.
Nobles don't appear in broken shacks in the woods.
They don't crawl through dark rooms and attack strangers.
Wait
Shouldn't she be worrying about something much more important right now?
The door was open.
She had put distance between them.
The sunlight was behind her.
She could run.
She could escape the shack.
She could get far, far away from him.
Because even if he looked calmer now
even if he looked human
Irene was still afraid..