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Chapter Text

Jisung rushed to the door before locking all the locks; he could hear them gathering in the distance. He let his back lean against the door, praying in a low voice to a god who had surely already disowned him. His nails clawed at his arms in an anxious scratching, the only way he could keep calm. He was so hungry, his stomach was screaming with hunger to the point of sending waves of stomach acid up his throat, as if signaling that he had to feed as soon as possible.

Jisung could swear to anyone who would listen that he had never intended to be dangerous, nor to represent a danger to anyone, but he was so hungry. His hunger was exhausting, draining, gnawing, devouring his soul as much as the urges that begged him to feed were devouring the rest of his humanity; he was convinced of this. He had decided to go out only in the hope of getting some fresh air, getting out of his house, which consisted of just one dusty, dilapidated room, and enjoying the cool breeze of this starry night. However, as he made his way along little-traveled paths at night, towards the large fields of wheat, barley and rye that fed the majority of living creatures in the vicinity, his feet led him towards the heart of the village, where only the local pub remained awake during the dark night. It was a smell that had brought him there, a delicious aroma that reminded him of the sarmales his mother used to prepare for him at Christmas and Easter, one of the few times they feasted together. The last time he'd ever feast. Jisung understood what had attracted him when he found himself face to face with the girl who was picking up pieces of glass from a bottle broken by drunkards. She was holding her finger, the gash deep and blood running down her index finger. As Jisung approached, making almost no noise, obsessed by the teenager's delicate red blood, there was a strange scream. Jisung woke up, noticed the frightened girl on the ground, her eyes wide, the men half-drunk, red and oozing, and his itchy canines stinging against his lower lip.

His belly gurgled noisily again, and he glanced around the room; all that remained were the desiccated corpses of rats abandoned on the floor, no living thing seemed to roam the walls of this little cottage. Jisung curled up, tucking his head between his knees and fighting back the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. He could hear the angry footsteps of approaching villagers, waving pitchforks and torches. This was the end for him, they were bound to catch him, subject him to who knows what kind of torture inflicted on vampires until he died, in violence and pain, before burying him far from the cemetery with a stone in his mouth. He won't even be able to rest with his family, what an unfortunate end.

He thought he was dreaming when he heard a knock on the back door of the house, then heard his best friend's hurried voice, "Jisung, open up! Quick!" Jisung wanted to cry, this was far from the right moment for the human to come, he could be in danger too, if they caught him along with him, God knows what torments he was going to suffer!!!

Jisung went to the door, "Felix, no" he sobbed, "You must go, if they catch you-".

A loud noise and furious shouts were heard against the main door, Jisung gasped, and Felix pounded in his turn, "Jisung open up or I'll break this door down! There's no way I'm leaving you alone!" Jisung cried, but finally opened the door.

Felix immediately grabbed him by the wrist and ran, not even taking the time to look back. They followed the narrow alley out of the village and headed for the hill outside, where at the top stood a little house, where Felix lived.

In no time at all, they arrived at the door of the house, which Felix promptly opened and shoved Jisung in, before closing the door behind him. Jisung didn't have time to recover before Felix threw him a linen bag, "Take everything you need, and hurry."

"But Felix-" proteste Jisung.

"Jisung, there's no time, we've got to go and fast!" The freckled blond rushed to fill his own bag with glass flasks, dried herbs, and provisions.

Jisung then hurried off, packing everything that seemed important, rope, knives, a blanket, and other survival tools. "Felix-... Where are we going to go?" Jisung asked, not very confident.

"I don't know, but get away from here before the others find us, they must already be on their way." Felix urged him, the blond picked up his bow and quiver of arrows before turning to the young vampire, "Got everything?"

Jisung nodded, head down. Felix picked up a thick, dark cloth resting on a chair, and draped it over Jisung's shoulders. "It will protect you from the sun".

Jisung hugged him close, touched by his best friend's thoughtfulness, "Thank you..." Felix took his hand in his again. He was about to open the door when Jisung pulled him hard towards it, stopping him. "Careful, they're close!" he whispered. Felix nodded silently, and with an air of conviction, he led Jisung to the back door.

"Jisung, we'll have to run in 3..." His hand rested on the door handle.

"Felix wait-" Jisung tried to resonate with him, getting out was one thing, but to go where? The villagers were already surrounding them, they could hear them.

"2.." Felix ignored him completely, gently turned the handle.

"1..." Felix pushed the door open gently, taking one last look at Jisung. The vampire returned his gaze, nodding again.

Felix pushed the door open with his foot, with enough force to almost unhinge it, "This way!" They began to run, speeding down the hill as the villagers' shouts could be heard.

"They're getting away!!!" "The monster is escaping!" They all shouted, enraged and determined to have Jisung's head.

Jisung held back his tears; everyone he'd ever known had abandoned him, except Felix. He had to say goodbye to the life of misery he'd always known for a life even more uncertain. The end of a life, the end of his human life.

"Felix, where are we going?" Jisung asked, his voice filled with tears.

"To the forbidden forest! There, no one will dare follow us, and we'll advise!"

Jisung had no time to protest, and deep down he knew he had no other choice. It wasn't long before they reached the bottom of the hill, where some villagers were waiting, waving flaming torches. Felix pulled on Jisung's arm, they found an opening in the encirclement and continued towards the forest.

Felix's house was on a hill on the edge of the forbidden forest, and it took them only a few minutes of sprinting before they reached the edge of the forest, darting between the dark trees.

They kept going until they heard no more noise behind them, and dropped to the ground, only their breathing audible in the dark night.

Jisung wanted to cry, tears stung his eyes and his throat tightened with the anguish of the unknown, the dark night, and the place he'd always been scared of. Felix took his hand, squeezing it tighter, his warm palm against his icy one, he could feel the pulse of his heart in his veins, he couldn't forget what he had become.

"What do we do now?" Jisung asked in a trembling voice,

Felix thought for a moment, before turning a little more towards him. "You know the legend of the vampire living on the other side of the forbidden forest? The one about Dracula?"

Jisung nodded into the darkness of the night, "Yes, one of the stories we're told to scare us when we're little?" Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't so false, he thought briefly.

"We should go and look for him." Said Felix, sounding serious. "The vampire, him, he might be able to help you learn some useful stuff."

Jisung thought about it for a moment, the idea of going to meet such a creature chilled his spine, even though now they were part of the same species. Jisung felt Felix's hand tighten against his again, in a gesture to reassure him. "All right." Jisung agreed; he couldn't think of a better idea anyway.

Felix released Jisung's hand to rummage through his bag, already missing the warmth of his hand, but he said nothing. Felix searched for a few seconds, before pulling out a few items: a candle holder, a thin candle that looked a bit like a church candle, and a box of matches. It was then that Jisung noticed that he could see quite well in the dark, surely one of his new vampiric abilities.

Felix placed the candle on the receptacle, and lit a match before igniting the wick. "There, that should serve us while we find something to light a fire for the night. Coming?" Said the blond as he stood up and extended one hand towards Jisung, the other busy holding the brass handle of the candle holder.

Jisung took the outstretched hand and rose to his feet. They went deeper into the forest, without looking back once. Occasionally, a few branches snapped around them, but Jisung knew they were just small rodents and other nocturnal animals; he could hear the sound of their heartbeats, their blood pulsing in their veins thanks to the effort of their hearts. He was still hungry, very hungry, but he tried to ignore it as much as possible.

After about fifteen minutes, they gathered enough twigs to make a small fire, and found a place to settle between the roots of a large tree that formed a half-arc on the ground. Felix prepared and lit the fire; he seemed to know his way around, whereas Jisung, by comparison, knew nothing.

Jisung pulled a blanket from his bag and wrapped it around their shoulders, snuggling together to keep warm, even if Jisung wasn't cold, and also to find comfort in each other. The crackling of the fire and the flames slowly devouring the thin pieces of wood occupied his mind, and he tried to ignore the gurgling in his stomach.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Felix asked, turning his face to look Jisung in the eyes. Never once had his friend expressed or shown an ounce of fear towards his new vampire nature, and even now, when Jisung represented an obvious danger to him, he stood there, close to him.

"Yes, but I'll be fine, don't worry." Jisung tried to reassure him, with a shy smile.

Felix shook his head, "Don't be silly, I'm sure it's been several days since you've eaten anything." He was right, and Jisung didn't know what to say in return. "You should drink my blood."

Jisung looked at him with wide eyes, "N-no!"

"Why?" Felix asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"I-I just can't, that's all." Said Jisung, biting his lower lip trying to push the thought out of his mind. "It would be like me eating you in a way, and I can't do that to you..."

"What if I tell you that you can?" Said Felix, determined. "Listen Jisung, you're my best friend, and I can't risk losing you now, even if it means I have to let you drink my blood. Tomorrow we'll find another solution, but we've got to feed you first." Felix freed his neck from his clothes and tilted his head to encourage him to bite.

Jisung couldn't deny he was right, but that didn't stop him from being reluctant. "Okay... But the wrist instead?"

Felix smiled at him, and held out his wrist, rolling up his sleeve. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid." He knew Felix wasn't lying to him by his heart rate.

Jisung took the outstretched wrist in his trembling hand, swallowing his saliva as he heard Felix's heart pulsing so closely, feeling with his fingers the blood coursing through his veins through his skin. He first let his tongue lick the inside of his wrist, tasting the light salty taste of his skin, and tickling Felix in the process. His canines were now hurting, terribly hurting. He let the tips of his canines graze Felix's fine skin, judging the right place to bite. Then he gently pushed them in, feeling the blood invade his mouth. Felix heaved slightly in pain, but it didn't stop him; it was delicious, far more so than anything he'd eaten before. He sucked greedily, but he didn't ignore the voice in his head that kept telling him to calm down, that he couldn't eat too much. So when he felt much less hungry, but far from full, he withdrew his canines. He gave a few last licks to clean up the last drops of blood, and a little ashamed, he released Felix's wrist.

"How was it?" his friend asked.

"Good, very good indeed. Thanks... And you?" He asked, concerned.

"Not as painful as I'd imagined." Even then Felix smiled, and Jisung admired his friend's ability to smile in any situation.

Felix rummaged in his bag, and pulled out a small honey cookie, one of his grandmother's recipes. Jisung then remembered all the pastries and sweets the old lady used to make, and offered them to Jisung. He also remembered that, after her death, it was Felix who made them himself and offered them to Jisung. Besides, these too must have been made by Felix, and Jisung immediately regretted not being able to taste them now that he could no longer eat human food.

He sighed, and rested his head on Felix's shoulder. For a few moments, he gazed up at the stars high in the sky, through the branches of the trees. His eyelids were starting to feel heavy now that his belly was full, and before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Jisung has known Felix for as long as he can remember, and has always been friends with the blond boy. When he was younger, he remembered being a little envious of Felix, as his friend had school at home, and above all, he didn't have to go to the catechism classes given every Saturday morning by the priest of their little church. The man had a strange look in his eyes, Jisung always thought, something that made him feel uncomfortable and shiver every time the man glanced at him. Felix's grandmother had always been very fond of Jisung, who lived a little away from the village, and the child was the only one to come up to the little cottage at the top of the hill to play with her grandson. So naturally, the day the old priest slipped his hand under Jisung's shirt, and the child felt he had to run, like a primal instinct, he ran to the top of the hill. The old lady opened the door, smiling as if she'd been expecting him, and offered him a cookie. From that day on, Jisung got into the habit of coming every Saturday morning to play with Felix, and nobody told his parents, not even the old priest.

Jisung opened his eyes with difficulty, as the daylight seemed bright and it took him a moment to get used to it. Jisung realized that the sun wasn't hurting him, firstly thanks to the thick foliage which created a good natural shade zone, and secondly thanks to the cloak Felix had made for him which covered him completely.

Once he was more awake, and his eyes accustomed to the light, he realized that it wasn't as bright as it seemed, and that it must still be early morning.

"Did you sleep well?" Asked Felix who had left his side, and was crouched a little further across from him, sharpening a knife, before packing it away in Jisung's satchel.

"Yes, I dreamt about us when we were younger..." Said Jisung with a faint smile, which Felix returned, but ten times more radiantly.

"Good." Felix stood up and brushed off some dust from his lap. "We've got a long road ahead of us."

"You know where to go to find this..." Jisung stood up in turn and arranged his clothes, "Dracula?"

"No, not really, but I think if we follow the north, we'll find something eventually, don't you?" Said Felix, pulling out a compass from one of the two bags, before handing Jisung his. "It's pretty outdated, but if it still works, we need to go that way." Felix pointed to an area that went deeper into the forest.

If they went north, they'd get farther away from the village, and from those who wanted Jisung's head, so he wasn't going to complain about Felix's somewhat hazardous pointed direction. "Alright, let's go."

They walked all the way, striking a pose around noon, or what they assumed to be noon, the deeper they got into the forest, the thicker the foliage and vegetation became, making it difficult to estimate the position of the sun, so they relied on Felix's stomach.

The advantage was that Jisung could remove the hood of his cape, and the sun wouldn't hurt him. Strictly speaking, the sun didn't burn him - he wasn't going to burst into flames on the spot - but it would irritate his skin if he came into direct contact with a ray of sunlight. But at this level of the forest, he was safe.

They landed at the foot of a tree, Felix taking his lunch and offering Jisung to eat too, and drink his blood of course. Jisung refused, arguing that Felix needed to keep up his strength, and that he would hunt some small animals for the evening meal, so that he could drink their blood and they could cook the meat. Felix finally agreed, admittedly perplexed, but he trusted Jisung.

Once he'd finished, they set off again, walking north until dusk.

They stopped when they found a place comfortable enough for the night, the place didn't seem dangerous, and Jisung especially could clearly hear everything going on around them. They divided up the tasks: Felix would set up the campfire, and Jisung would go hunting. The blond offered to take the young vampire's bow and arrows, but he refused. Jisung wanted to show him what he was capable of, as if a new instinct had awakened in him.

He moved away a little, then closed his eyes, listening to everything around him. At first he heard little sounds: branches cracking, birds in the sky, foliage rustling, and scratching in the ground. He concentrated on one, isolated it from the others until he could hear only that one, and leapt to his feet. He was much faster than when he was still human, much faster than any human. When he saw the brown rabbit, he lunged at it, before managing to grab it by the ears.

He watched the animal struggle to its feet. His canines itched so much, that in an almost animal-like fury, he grabbed the poor creature and sank his sharp teeth directly into its jugular vein. He felt the animal lose its life in his hands the more he sucked the blood out, until not a drop was left. It wasn't as good as human blood, but it would do. However, it wasn't enough; the young vampire was starving, and it wasn't long before he was after another prey.

He brought two bloodless rabbits back to Felix, omitting the fact that he'd killed many more. His friend didn't need to know about the massacre he'd just made; he didn't want to frighten him; he knew he was too sensitive, too gentle to see that side of Jisung.

Felix smiled at him as he took the two rabbits, "Thanks, Sungie!" Then with the knife he'd sharpened that morning, he began butchering the animals, removing their skins easily, before gutting them and throwing what he wouldn't keep into the fire, then detailing the meat before putting them on sticks to make skewers. By the time they were placed over the fire, it was already dark, and Jisung fell gradually with fatigue, his eyelids becoming heavy, and it was difficult to stay awake.

Felix laughed lightly beside him, "Jisung, you're like a baby; once your belly's full, you can't stop yourself from sleeping."

His little sister was like that too, when she was just born, Jisung thought. Was it because he too had just been born somehow? He didn't want to think about it, he pushed the thought from his mind.

"Don't struggle, you should sleep, we still have a long way to go." said Felix, placing a blanket over him. Jisung nodded vaguely, and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

They awoke at dawn the next morning, and set off immediately. They stopped again at dusk and Jisung went hunting. He brought back another rabbit, hiding the massacre he'd just made from Felix. He hadn't seen anything special that day, just forest and trees, again and again. Jisung couldn't help but doubt, doubt whether they would ever really find this Dracula, but he said nothing to his friend.

Something else was going through his mind too. He'd felt a certain relief, a certain pleasure in killing all his small, easy prey, and couldn't help thinking what an ecstasy it would be to be able to kill bigger ones. He scared himself a little sometimes, he almost didn't recognize himself anymore, but that was something he'd been thinking for a long time.

"Everything all right?" Felix asked, concern evident in his eyes.

"I'm a monster Felix." He said, his voice trembling, "I kill and I feed on blood, it's abnormal, I'm abnormal." He couldn't stop the few tears stinging his eyes from running down his cheeks, he hated himself. And Felix had to be afraid of him, didn't he? After all, at any moment, he could jump on his friend's neck and drink his blood, especially since he knew what it tasted like.

"No, Sungie." Felix began, wiping away his tears with his thumbs, and offering Jisung a sympathetic smile. "You're not a monster, believe me. He took Jisung's hands in his own, and stroked the backs of them with his thumbs. "As long as I'm here with you, you'll never be a monster, I promise."

Jisung believed him. Jisung decided to convince himself that it was true, and that as long as he was with his childhood friend, he was still going to be himself. "Thanks Felix..." He said with his throat still a little tight, "I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"Me too." Felix added, offering him one last smile before turning his attention back to his skewers, which were just finishing cooking.

Jisung was tired, but he wanted to accompany Felix, to keep him company while he ate. They talked about everything and anything, imagining a future life just the two of them living happily together, and Jisung reassured himself in the snippet of unconsciousness that still inhabited them.

However, when Felix reached for his gourd, his face changed and became worried: "We're almost out of water, and if we can't find any tomorrow, I doubt we'll last much longer..."

Jisung nodded thoughtfully. "Tomorrow I'd be careful to look for sounds of water or runoff, hoping a stream won't be too far from us."

Felix nodded in turn, and the worry seemed to gradually disappear from his face. "We should get some sleep, so we'll be faster tomorrow." They settled down on the floor not far from each other, each with a blanket and their bag as a pillow, and Jisung quickly drifted off to sleep again.

Jisung was dreaming, or so it seemed, when he began to feel a weight on him, and he opened his eyes, with difficulty, before realizing that he couldn't move, not even a single muscle. His breathing was heavy, something was compressing his chest, but he didn't know what, and he couldn't see what. He tried to move his eyes to see what was around him, to perhaps call Felix for help, but unable to move his head, he saw nothing more than the black sky, and the few stars he could see through the leaves.

It was dark, the fire had been out for a long time, and he could see nothing but a few leaves and the stars in the distant sky. Jisung began to panic, running out of air, unable to move or hear anything. A tear, followed by a second, rolled down his cheeks as he felt two hands roam his legs, moving slowly up his body, stopping for a moment at his waist, before slipping under his top, touching his skin.

"Jisung!!!"

Jisung opened his eyes, waking with a start. His breathing was heavy, and he was confused.

"Jisung, are you okay?" asked Felix, concerned. He had pulled a handkerchief from his bag and wiped the sweat from Jisung's forehead. "Did you have a bad dream? You were restless in your sleep."

It was dawn, the day had just begun. Jisung patted his body with his hands, but he didn't seem hurt. Was it just a dream? Yet he would have bet it was real. It had all seemed far too... real. But he decided to keep it to himself, "Yes, just a dream... A weird dream." The last thing he wanted was to worry Felix.

Felix searched his eyes for a moment, before nodding vaguely. "Probably stress, it tends to disrupt... dreams."

Jisung smiled back, to reassure him that all was well.

They prepared to hit the road again. As promised, Jisung tried to keep his ears tuned to the slightest sound that might indicate moving water, but he found nothing. At one point, however, a vague, unusual sound caught his attention. He stopped, and Felix followed suit a few steps ahead.

"Did you hear something?" The blond asked.

"I'm not sure... It's strange." The wind blew, and the sound seemed to come more easily to them. It was coming from the west.

"It sounds like..." Jisung began to say, before another strong breeze shook the leaves, and the sound became clearer and clearer. Then he understood, and Felix could hear it too.

"Someone singing-" said Felix, before starting to run in the direction of the haunting song.

By the time Jisung realized what was happening, Felix had already disappeared from sight, and he began to follow him, trying desperately to catch up, "Felix!"

Chapter Text

Jisung ran after him, the branches of the bushes whipping his legs, arms and cheeks. He ran faster and much more easily than before, when he was human, the fresh forest air filling his lungs without him feeling at any point out of breath.

"Felix!" he shouted. A thick fog was beginning to surround him, and the swampy smell prevented him from picking up Felix's scent, a scent he'd only just noticed he could smell. Branches creaked on the ground, he heard the human's footsteps slow down, until he was right in front of him, he could almost reach him, so he pushed a little more on his legs until he was able to grab his wrist.

Felix's sudden stop in front of a large body of water almost sent them tumbling straight ahead, but Jisung barely had time to knock them backwards. The thick fog slowly dissipated, and Jisung, who had a very good eyesight, was able to see, despite the darkness surrounding them, the atrocity of the environment around them.

Skeletons, or at least what was left of them, littered the ground, and formed piles further on. Long bones, thin and tiny ones, gaunt skulls and others completely white and dusty.

Jisung wanted to scream, but found himself speechless. Fear didn't completely stun him; he had time to grab Felix, and propel the human behind him, away from the horror facing them. The human was astonished, "Jisung?" But the vampire was acting faster than he thought, trying to get to his feet, but his leg slipped.

In the turmoil and darkness around them, he didn't see the slender, finished hand with the sharp claws emerge from the water, until the moist skin with its thin membranes tightened painfully around his leg.

The vampire didn't even have time to cry out before he felt himself drawn forcefully into the water by a surreal force.

His hand barely grasped at who knew what, "Jisung!" shouted the human, grabbing his other outstretched hand, but he clearly didn't have the strength even as he pulled with all his might to get the young vampire out.

Then came a stabbing pain in Jisung's calf, and he screamed this time, before being propelled out of the water and landing hard on his ribs. As the creature's shrill cry rang out, Jisung grabbed Felix and protected him with all his being.

The frightening creature emerged from the water, its skin translucent and slimy, its eyes resembling nothing human, huge and totally white, and its teeth sharp as spikes protruding from its enormous mouth.

"Vampire!" it shouted, as if in a rage. It let out another shrill cry, before falling back on its side, leaning against a rock.

A few soft coughs, and the creature took on a different appearance. A slender body - at least Jisung could only see the upper part out of the water - with perfectly defined yet delicate muscles and pale skin. Long, black hair covered his face. He coughed again, spitting blood-like onto the gray stone slab, and a faint ray of light illuminated his silver pendant.

Then the young man's eyes, formerly the hideous creature, turned grimly towards them, "A vampire!" He approached them, rage once again bringing out his true appearance, for only a brief moment his sharp-toothed face threatened them as he howled in their direction.

"What do you want-" Jisung said shakily, trying to back away with a fear-stricken Felix.

The young man, or creature, Jisung didn't know what to think, looked at him with a bloodthirsty smile. "Eat."

"Y-you can't!" Jisung replied candidly. "You can't eat us!"

The creature's expression changed, and he took on a tragic air, "I know..." His voice becoming melodic, he let himself fall backwards, plunging into the water and revealing his long, deep-blue poison tail, before reappearing. "I can't eat you, young putrid-tasting vampire." His expression was almost melancholic; one would have thought he'd just experienced the worst tragedy of a lifetime.

Then his icy-blue eyes rested on them, and he smiled with a terrifying smile, his almost snake-like tongue passed over his red lips before returning to a human-like appearance, "But your friend, he smells good, as good as one of the dishes served to angels!"

Jisung's eyes turned red, "You can't eat him either!" And his canines protruded menacingly before he knew it.

The young man? The creature? Pouted, before tilting his head to the side and grinning mischievously, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Jisung replied.

He then turned serious and cold, "Then you'll never get out of here."

He was about to retreat into the dark waters in the background, when Felix intervened, "Wait!"

He turned, and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Felix then continued, "We still have some of the meat we cooked, would you like some?"

" Give it to me," he replied, so Felix reached into his bag and pulled out the cold pieces of roasted meat.

Jisung took them, for safety's sake, and handed them to the creature.

He sniffed for a moment, suspicious, before tasting it, and when he judged it edible, he gobbled it all up in seconds.

Felix and Jisung looked at each other, before the human spoke again, "So... Can we go out now?"

"Because you think that was enough?" Asked the creature coldly, "Give me some more and you can leave."

Felix stammered, "But we don't have any more! Besides, there's nothing alive here, nor anything to make a fire with."

"Then take me with you." He said, leaning against a damp stone, supporting his head with his hands, and smiling coldly.

Félix and Jisung looked at each other again, " H-how?" Felix began, "You're a siren..."

Jisung seemed to realize at that moment what the magnificent creature in front of him was, "A siren... Aren't you supposed to live in the ocean?"

"What's next? I seduced an angel?" He said dismissively, "I've always lived in this pond." Then he smiled again, "But there is a way..."

"What way?" Jisung questioned.

"You get me out of here," the creature's eyes lit up with an icy gleam in the ambient darkness. "And if you don't want to, good luck getting out of here, because you won't be able to"

"It's impossible," stammered Jisung, "You don't have any..." He hesitated, "... Leg." But the creature said nothing to that.

"Why?" Felix exclaimed in utter incomprehension.

The siren smiled at him again, "We sirens have the ability to lure our prey to us with our voices, and lock them in illusions, to which only we have the key." He tilted his head to the side while smiling coldly, "And you're in one of those illusions."

Jisung and Felix tensed, they really didn't stand a chance. Jisung sighed, defeated. "Is there any way you can get out?"

He turned his attention back to Jisung, "Oh, the little vampire, is clever I see!" He chuckled, but his laugh chilled their spines, "Yes, of course, and it's a kiss."

"A kiss?" Jisung then repeated, "Like kissing someone?"

"Yes, a real kiss on the lips. They say that, apparently, a real kiss consented between two aligned hearts could allow sirens to be able to acquire legs and walk on dry land."

Jisung looked at Felix, and finally agreed, resolute. "Okay, I'll do it." But Felix grabbed his wrist.

He frowned, "No, I'll do it." He said in a firm voice.

"No, Felix." Jisung began in a low voice, "We don't know if what he's saying is true or not, but we do know that I'm not to his liking, he's not likely to use this kiss to try to... Bite me."

Felix understood his friend's reasoning, but said nothing, still annoyed, he released Jisung's wrist, and watched as Jisung cautiously approached the creature.

The siren leaned on his hands to get closer to the vampire, and Jisung leaned over, placing both hands on the creature's pale, wet, cold cheeks. He approached apprehensively, at which point he thanked his vampire condition. Felix watched bitterly as Jisung placed his lips on those of the siren.

The creature smiled as he kissed him, but let himself be for a moment, before grabbing the vampire's neck. Panicking, Jisung tried to pull back, but the siren deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into the vampire's mouth, before releasing him.

He lifted himself onto the large stone in front of him, while Jisung stepped back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The deep-blue fishtail that had been chasing the creature's human half transformed, once out of the water, into two long pale legs.

The creature didn't seem to mind, and its eyes seemed almost to light up with joy. He waited no longer, before standing up and trying to walk. He staggered, but with determination, he finally managed to move forward under the astonished gaze of Jisung and Félix.

When he found himself in front of them, he said, smiling. "We can go now."

"W-w-wait!" Jisung exclaimed, realizing that now he didn't know his name, and he definitely couldn't keep calling him 'the creature'. "What's your name?"

The siren thought for a moment, before answering. "Jeongin!" He said again, with one of his spine-chilling grins.

"Jeongin-" began Felix, "Don't you have any... Clothes?" He said, hesitating at Jeongin's blatant nudity.

"Waited here." Said the siren, before walking a little awkwardly towards the body of water, rounding it and risking slipping once, which startled Jisung and Félix, but didn't seem to faze him, and disappeared for a few seconds.

Before appearing again, holding what appeared to be pants and a shirt that had aged very badly, as well as a pair of shoes. "I've been saving these," he explained briefly, before slipping them on. Then, before the surprised eyes of the vampire and the human, the clothes, which had been old, yellowed and dirty, transformed, taking on a new appearance as if they'd found new life.

"How is it possible..." Felix stammered in shock.

"I'm a master of illusions," Jeongin replied, with a chilling smile. "Can we leave now?" He asked, ironically.

Jisung and Felix looked at each other, before the human spoke up, "We're following you."

"Follow me closely, or else you'll be lost forever." He said, laughing as if it were nothing.

They walked on, following Jeongin with perhaps gullible confidence. It was a long way, but they didn't complain. The silence was heavy though, so Jisung decided to try and make conversation. "Where did your pendant come from?" He asked, before biting his lip, thinking it must surely have come from one of the mermaid's prey.

"It was actually given to me," Jeongin began, as if he'd heard what Jisung had been thinking. "An old hag who'd been caught in the trap offered it to me when I decided to release her, it's not as if she'd been to my liking anyway."

Jisung and Felix said nothing.

The silver pendant represented a pair of angel wings, a special gift for a siren. Jeongin continued, "She's also the one who taught me about the kiss."

Felix met Jisung's gaze, but neither of them added anything.

"What about you?" Jeongin asked, "Why were you near the ponds? Most of the time, they're lost humans, or looking to live reclusively from society, but you, I have a feeling, it's different."

Jisung and Felix then told him about their escape, while they followed him out of the thick fog. After a while, and at the end of their stories, they emerged from the mist, and after a few more minutes of walking, Jisung recognized where he'd dropped some of their belongings when he ran after Felix.

"We've arrived!" He exclaimed, picking up the few items and putting them away.

"I'm sorry..." Felix said, in a low voice. "I'm so sorry. I ran like that, I don't know what was wrong with me-" He said, his voice cloudy with tears.

Jisung immediately took his friend in his arms, "It's nothing, the main thing is that we're safe." He said to comfort him.

Jeongin said nothing in the face of this friendly display of affection, until the two parted and Felix ran a hand under his eyes, wiping away his tears. "I guess maybe I had something to do with it." He said, perhaps trying to get a laugh, but it didn't work.

The silence was uncomfortable again, should they simply turn and leave, without a word.

"I think it's time for us to resume on our own..." Felix began, but Jeongin interrupted.

"Let me come with you!"

The human frowned, "And why would we do that?"

"Because I saved your life," Jeongin began, raising an eyebrow as if it were obvious, "And because I can help find water sources, that's part of my abilities, among other things."

Felix didn't have time to reply, as Jisung beat him to it, "Okay, but don't try to... Eat us." And the human merely rolled his eyes at his friend's usual kindness.

"As long as you feed me." Jeongin said.

"Okay, we'll make sure then." Said Jisung with a smile, before he pulled out his compass and they set off again.

"By the way, what kind of meat was it? I've never had it before, and it was excellent!" Said Jeongin, obviously keen to make conversation with his new traveling companions.

"Rabbit" replied Felix simply.

"Rabbit?" Jeongin repeated, "It's really good then..." Jeongin said. "By the way, what's a rabbit...?"

Chapter Text

The trio continued to advance into the forest, the environment becoming increasingly dark, the sun struggling to penetrate the tall branches of the trees. which was not to the displeasure of Jisung, who was no longer at risk of bursting into flames at the slightest ray of light, or Jeongin, who was clearly accustomed to the darkness, but the vampire worried that as the days went by, it might weigh on Felix's mood.

He glanced at the human, who seemed fine for now, smiling and chatting with Jeongin as if any past animosity had been quickly forgotten. Felix turned his attention briefly to him and smiled, his eyes crinkling into a crescent moon shape, before looking ahead again.

Jisung looked up at the sky. The sun seemed to be setting soon, so he stopped a little further on. “We should stop for the night and continue tomorrow.” Felix nodded and laid his things down at the foot of a tree. Jeongin stopped too.

Jisung did the same. He could also feel his own hunger beginning to haunt his mind. “I'm going hunting!” he exclaimed before running off.

It only took a few strides before Jisung could discern a small sound among the foliage. With great precision, he managed to catch a succession of small prey, which he bled dry one by one. He chose four plump rabbits and brought them back to the small temporary camp.

Felix was lighting a fire, while Jeongin settled down against a tree at a reasonable distance from the nascent heat source. Jisung placed the rabbits in front of Felix with a proud smile.

“You caught all of these!” Felix exclaimed. “Thank you!” He took the rabbits and began to cut them up.

He cooked the meat as before, on thin wooden sticks used as skewers over the fire. When he was done, Jeongin dared to move a little closer to the fire to take his share, which he devoured in record time, under the light laughter of Felix, who seemed to have gotten used to the creature. It reassured Jisung to see his dear friend able to get close to a being more monstrous than himself.

Jisung yawned. His stomach was full, and now his eyelids were getting heavy. He waited for Felix to finish his meal, and then they both lay down to sleep while Jeongin stood guard. The siren, according to his own words, had slept enough out of boredom to be able to stay awake for an eternity.

Jisung fell asleep without any trouble. It seemed to be a dreamless night, until a dark and frightening sensation came over him, spreading through his body little by little. Jisung opened his eyes, but like the night before, he couldn't move any of his limbs. His nails dug into the earth beneath him as the terrifying sensation took hold of him.

This time, the campfire was still burning, its warm glow still enveloping Jisung, although an icy cold began to run through his veins. The same hands, foreign and hidden from his view, climbed up his legs. He could feel their sharp nails through his clothes as they ran up his torso.

If Jisung still had a beating heart, it would surely have already raced to reflect the state of panic he was in at that very moment. The only thing left was his tears flowing freely down his cheeks and his nails digging a little deeper into the ground.

He could feel a heavy, overwhelming presence on top of him as the hands stopped at his throat, the sharp fingernails gradually tightening around his neck. He felt his eyes roll back as both hands cut off his air flow. He was being strangled without being able to do anything about it, unable to move or scream.

Even though his vampiric condition meant he didn't need to breathe, the burning sensation of the lack of air in his lungs was far too real for him not to believe he was going to die. And yet, in the horror of the situation, as his mind gradually lost its grip, he felt that little something starting in his groin and running through his veins. He wanted to cry, laugh, scream, but the only thing he could feel other than imminent death was pleasure. It wasn't the first time he had felt himself dying, but this time, mixed with the familiar fear of death, was the sweet warmth of a pleasure he had never explored before.

He felt cold air against his neck, like the breath of someone breathing up to his ear. Imperceptible whispers, like a mantra repeated without him being able to grasp a single syllable. And when he began to believe that this was the end for him, that everything was blurring before his eyes and he could no longer make out the outlines of the trees...

Jisung screamed. He sat up suddenly, his hands frantically searching around his neck.

“Jisung, are you okay?” Felix asked, approaching him, worried.

“I-I...” Jisung stammered.

“Calm down, everything's fine.” Felix took Jisung's hands in his, his small fingers rubbing the backs of Jisung's hands, which were almost as small.

Felix raised one of his hands, after releasing one of Jisung's, and brought it close to Jisung's neck. “You have a little...” Jisung recoiled, putting up a barrier by pressing his own hands over the spot Felix was trying to reach. Felix's hand stopped halfway, and the human smiled apologetically, “You just have a little dirt there, looks like you got your hands dirty while you were sleeping.”

Jisung looked down at his hands, and sure enough, he had dirt under his nails and on his fingertips. “Oh, sorry... It's just a nightmare, I think...”

Felix shook his head. “It's okay, don't worry about it. Do you think you can keep going? We were about to get back on the road.”

It was at this moment Jisung noticed that Jeongin and Felix had almost finished packing up the previous night's camp. “Yes, of course, just a minute.” Still a little disoriented, and under the human's still slightly worried gaze, he adjusted his clothes before gathering his belongings.

They walked to a stream, guided by Jeongin, and Felix stopped to collect water in the two water bottles he had. Jisung leaned over the water, not sure what he expected to see, but he saw nothing except water trickling over the smooth stones. He unconsciously brought a hand to his neck, the memories of his dream still vivid in his mind.

“Sungie?”

Jisung snapped out of his thoughts, turning his attention to his best friend. Jisung smiled awkwardly, “Sorry, I was... thinking.” He didn't want to worry Felix, who seemed strangely... well-adjusted to the situation. Jisung liked to believe in Felix's optimism; sometimes the human's smile helped him more than any medicine. “Are we ready to go again?”

Felix nodded, and Jisung took out his compass. Their goal was still to go as far north as possible. “We have to keep going this way,” Jisung said, and luckily for them, the small stream seemed to be flowing north as well.

They walked until they decided to stop for the night. Jisung went hunting for a variety of small rodents and animals, his biggest catch so far being a fox. He brought back only a small portion of his hunt, two rabbits, but he decided that was what seemed most appropriate.

Felix cooked the rabbits and shared the food with Jeongin, who seemed hungry. They all chatted animatedly. Once the meal was over, Felix excused himself; he had to relieve himself and promised not to stray too far.

Jisung took the opportunity to get closer to Jeongin. The siren was the master of illusions, and in his ignorance, Jisung hoped that his area of expertise extended to dreams. He hesitated for a moment before breaking the silence. “Tell me, Jeongin... What do you know about dreams? You, who are so skilled at creating illusions, must know a lot about the subject.”

Jeongin shook his head, “No, I don't know any more about dreams than you do. Those like me don't dream. The only time we can visualize dreams is when we visualize them coming from the minds of our prey in order to set our traps, which you call ‘illusions’.”

“I see...” Jisung pulled his legs up to his chest. “Do you think a dream can seem so real that it manifests itself in reality?” Jeongin didn't answer, and Jisung continued, his voice slightly trembling. “
Something so strange and frightening that the fear and pain become real?”

Jeongin shook his head with a sigh, “Maybe because they're not dreams.”

“What do you mean?” Jisung asked, panic rising and making his voice tremble even more. “You mean it's real? Did you see something last night?”

Jeongin glanced furtively into the distance. “Listen—”

Felix returned at that moment, interrupting their conversation. “Everything okay?”

Jeongin stood up, putting a definitive end to his conversation with Jisung. “I'm going a little further downstream to check out the area. Call out if you're in danger.”

Jisung watched him leave, speechless. “Sungie, are you okay?” Félix asked, frowning.

Jisung snapped out of his daze. “Yes, I'm just having... nightmares.”

“Oh, I see...” Felix said thoughtfully. “We could try sleeping again while holding hands, like when we were little, remember?”

Jisung nodded, remembering the naps he had taken as a child during stormy afternoons, when, too frightened by the sound of thunder, the only way he could find a moment of respite was to hold Félix's hand tightly in his.

The two childhood friends lay down side by side not far from the campfire. Felix reached out his hand and placed it in the small space between them, offering Jisung a gentle smile. Jisung smiled back, placed his hand in Felix's, and squeezed it lightly. He could feel Felix's pulse through his fingertips. The sound was distracting, but it helped him stay grounded. Jisung felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and gradually sank into a deep sleep that enveloped him entirely in the bliss of nothingness.

Jisung woke up the next morning, and to his surprise, he hadn't had any nightmares. Nor had he had any dreams; in fact, it was as if he had opened his eyes and then closed them again several hours later. He was also surprised not to feel Felix's hand in his, so he got up and looked around.

He saw Jeongin, who had his eyes closed, sitting against the wide trunk of a tree. The siren was clearly not asleep, because as soon as he felt Jisung's gaze on him, he opened them. “Sleep well?”

Jisung nodded, "Yes, for once... Sleep without dreams or nightmares is rare. “ Jisung said with a slightly perplexed laugh. Jeongin nodded vaguely. ”Do you know where Felix went, by the way?"

“Oh yes, he just went to get some water, he insisted on—” Jeongin was cut off by the sound of branches, and a smiling Felix appeared.

“Sorry, I went to fill the water bottles! Since we’re so close to the water thanks to Jeongin, I was able to go alone without any trouble.”

Jisung smiled, feeling a little relieved. They had been in the forest for a few days now, but he still couldn't get used to its darkness and eeriness. Unlike Felix, who was naturally cheerful and optimistic and always managed to adapt and see the bright side of everything.

Jisung helped Felix feed the campfire. The human warmed up some of the meat from the previous day for Jeongin and himself. The siren also seemed to be in a good mood, as he always was after eating, and it was in this lighthearted atmosphere that the trio set off again.

Chapter Text

The further they went, the more Jisung began to think that the maps must be wrong. This forest seemed endless, the paths, trees, and rocks seemed to change all the time, it was impossible to turn back. They didn't have any maps with them, of course, but he remembered seeing some when he was little, and this forest was never supposed to be this big. Luckily for them, they had the compass, which seemed to remain reliable compared to the instability of the forest itself.

But they couldn't stop; they had a goal and they had to stick to it. So they continued to advance blindly. Everything was repetitive in a forest, which was probably why, after only a few minutes, Jisung sensed that something was wrong.

There was already this strong, musky, animalistic smell surrounding them, but only Jisung seemed to be able to smell it. Felix, a human, couldn't smell anything at all, and Jeongin could only perceive a subtle change, but not enough to alarm him.

Jisung thought he was being paranoid, so he said nothing more, covered his nose, and they continued on.

It was well past noon when Jisung insisted that they take a break, despite Felix's protests that they could continue. They found a small river nearby where they could replenish their water supply and where Jeongin could relax later.

Jisung was also starting to get hungry, so he separated himself a little from the small camp they had just set up and went hunting nearby. He let his senses scan the area, but something bad disturbed him the whole time. First, the unfamiliar smell overpowered those of the prey, which became almost imperceptible. Second, the more he focused, the more a chill ran through him. He knew he shouldn't be there, but he had no choice, so he ignored the feeling.

Despite everything, he found many rabbits, far more than anywhere else, surprisingly. He hunted a whole bunch of small animals in a vampiric frenzy. There was something liberating and stress-relieving about hunting, so he hunted far more than necessary, drained a bunch of small living creatures of their blood, and brought only the most beautiful rabbits back to his companions.

Felix was amazed at the opulence of Jisung's hunt, and Jeongin's mouth watered. Jisung could have sworn he saw his sharp teeth again for a brief moment. Felix prepared each rabbit and cooked them over the fire they had just made. Felix and Jeongin ate a lot, and it was easily decided that they would stay the night here and leave early in the morning.

It was with laughter and a light heart that Jisung went to bed that night. Jeongin had gone to the river to enjoy the cool night air, while Jisung watched Felix lie down beside him.

“Sweet dreams,” said the human.

Jisung smiled softly, “You too.” And he let his eyelids close, and tiredness take over.

Jisung saw his family again in a sweet dream, his mother, a woman who was always tired but happy, his father with the hard years of work marked on his face but smiling nonetheless, and finally his little sister, smiling and full of life, enjoying the joys of childhood innocence, as he once had. This dream was sweet, happy, pleasant, and Jisung wished he could stay in it forever. That's why when he felt himself slowly slipping out of this sweet and wonderful dream, he tried to reach for it with his fingertips, but nothing worked.

He found himself lying on the cold forest floor, the sweet dream already a distant memory. It took him only a few seconds to realize that he couldn't move again, and even less time for panic to begin to overwhelm his senses.

He felt the same hands, with long nails scratching his skin, running along his legs. He could still feel the warmth of the campfire. He knew he wasn't dreaming, but why was no one coming to help him?

Jisung closed his eyes, hoping that maybe he was just having a nightmare, like those dreams where you think you've woken up, but in reality you're just in another dream. He continued to hope, until the hands climbing up his legs stopped at his waist, and the horror that followed was far worse than suffocation.

★*☆*★*☆*★*☆*★*☆*★

The foreign hands made their way into Jisung's pants, while the same feeling of heat and foreign desire invaded his entire being. Jisung didn't want this, no he didn't, his fingers clawed at the ground beneath him and he tried to scream, but nothing came out of his lips. He sobbed silently as one of the two palms wrapped around his hard-on.

They were soft, much softer than he could have imagined, strangely enough. The pleasure he felt was completely foreign to him, as if it had been imposed and forced upon him. Little by little, his silent sobs subsided, and his mind became clouded, yet there were no hands squeezing his throat, and he could feel his lungs filling perfectly with air.

Then he felt a warm, soft wetness envelop his erection, as if a pair of lips were sucking eagerly. His whole body tensed, but at the same time his mind escaped, his eyes blurred, he could no longer see anything, an opaque veil covering them. Then anyway, his eyelids became so heavy that he had stopped fighting a while ago. He could still feel the strange sensation of sucking around his penis when he lost consciousness.

★*☆*★*☆*★*☆*★*☆*★

Jisung woke up, his heart pounding, almost like a human's, yet he was still a vampire lying in a dark forest. This time he couldn't help but cry a little, his vision blurring with tears.

Luckily for him, Felix was by his side when he woke up. "Jisung, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Jisung sat up and sobbed even more, his mind struggling to process what was real. So Felix took him in his arms, holding him close. He could smell the sweet scent of the human, and his heart beating softly in his ears.

“It's okay, Sungie, I'm here, everything's fine, it's over, it was just a bad dream...”

Jeongin appeared in the background between the branches, but he turned around and left them alone for the moment.

Jisung let himself be calmed by the human's few reassuring words, letting Felix share some of his body heat with him. He was so warm that Jisung thought he might melt against him...

“Thank you...” he said in a trembling voice.

“Another bad dream?” said Felix, putting a little distance between them. He took Jisung's face in his hands and tenderly wiped away his tears.

Jisung nodded, “Yes... it was horrible...” Just thinking about it put Jisung back into a state of near panic.

“It was just a dream, Jisung, a horrible dream, yes, but it's over now, you're safe now.”

Jisung nodded as Felix's gentle gaze lingered on him a little longer.

“How about you go wash up before we leave? Jeongin must still be by the river.”

Jisung nodded. His hands were dirty, stained with soil, but he was still fully clothed. Maybe it was all just a dream after all? Very realistic night terrors?

Jeongin was indeed at the riverbank, his fish tail out and floating in the water.

The current was quite fast, so Jisung was careful as he bent down to wash his hands.

Jeongin watched him, he could feel his gaze on him, and when he looked up and met his eyes, he saw an indescribable look. It was as if Jeongin was holding back from saying something, but it wasn't in Jeongin's nature to not say what he was thinking.

Jisung knew that Jeongin was naturally very frank and honest, with a lack of social cues, which meant that he often said whatever was on his mind without thinking twice. But for him to keep something to himself meant that there was another reason behind it.

Jisung didn't try to find out more. If Jeongin wasn't telling him anything, he surely had a good reason. So he didn't dare ask what the merman was thinking, and the two of them silently joined Felix to continue on their way.

Jisung still felt uncomfortable in this part of the forest. He couldn't explain it, but something was wrong, and he couldn't wait to get past this part of the forest on their way to Dracula.

However, the day continued to pass, they had only taken a short break, and yet when they saw the first signs of night falling, they were still there. Jisung didn't like the idea of having to spend another night in this part of the forest, but he had no choice, so they stopped again, not far from another small stream.

Jisung went hunting, still in a liberating frenzy, leaving several of his small prey lifeless on the leafy forest floor, and brought only the most beautiful rabbits and hares back to his companions.

When night fell, Jisung was reluctant to go to sleep. He watched Felix lie down and his breathing slow as he drifted off into the land of dreams. But Jisung decided to resist sleep that night. He saw Jeongin slip away quietly and go to the edge of the small stream not far from their camp.

He followed him and found Jeongin watching the water gently flowing along its path, the few faint rays of moonlight passing through the thick foliage of the trees reflected in it.

Jeongin glanced at Jisung, who sat down next to him. “Aren't you sleeping?”

Jisung shook his head, “No... With my nightmares, I...” He found it a little difficult to admit that he was too afraid of what might happen while he slept to try to sleep again.

Jeongin understood without him having to explain further and nodded.

Jisung looked at the siren in the darkness of the night, his vampiric vision allowing him to see as well as he could during the day. Jeongin was truly magnificent. If he were human, Jisung would have believed him to be the kind of hero chosen by the heavens, with an almost hubristic destiny. His eyes fell on the pendant around the siren's neck, and Jisung thought that the person who gave it to him must have had the same vision as him.

“You can stay here to sleep if you want,” Jeongin said, chewing his words a little.

“What do you mean?” Jisung asked, certain that the other would prefer solitude.

Jeongin got a little annoyed and frowned, “Don't make me repeat myself! You can rest your head on my shoulder or something...”

Jisung looked at Jeongin with wide eyes and a slightly pathetic look, but silently accepted. He approached timidly and gently rested his head on his shoulder.

“You have nothing to fear, I'm not going to eat you... It's not like you're my type anyway...” Jeongin said, and Jisung could feel the aquatic creature's heart flutter slightly.

“Thank you...” said Jisung, finally allowing his eyes to close.

Unfortunately for him, his rest was short-lived, and he was startled awake by the sound of branches breaking behind them.

Jisung and Jeongin turned around, but luckily they came face to face with Felix.

“What are you doing here?” asked the human, before turning more toward the young vampire. “Don't you want to sleep, Jisung?”

Jisung stammered, “Yes, yes, but Jeongin offered to help me, you know, with my nightmares, and I...”

“Oh, I see.” Felix's expression became serious for a moment, before a smile reappeared among his freckles. “I'm glad you two get along so well! But we should stay together near the campfire, we don't know what might happen at night if we split up...”

Jisung nodded, and Felix held out his hand, which he took, squeezing it gently. Jeongin followed silently behind, and they returned to the fire.

Felix, now awake, decided to make cheerful conversation while he added a little more fuel to the fire. He was so jovial and talkative on his own that it almost concealed the slight uneasiness in the air.

That is, until they heard a suspicious noise. Everyone fell silent. Jisung felt fear rising within him; he sensed that danger was imminent. Jeongin also seemed particularly on guard, and Felix, even though he couldn't perceive the danger like the others, could sense the anxiety among his companions.

The three of them stood guard, moving closer to each other and trying to keep an eye on everything around them. Jisung and Felix both held sharp daggers, ready to use them if necessary. Jeongin had taken out his sharp aquatic monster claws and stood ready as well.

It was in this state of readiness that a heavy, threatening growl came from among the bushes, and red eyes met Jisung's eyes.