[Volkov Compound, Northern S-City — 2:37 AM]

The moon turned red.

Once the brilliant light touched the sky, it dyed everything in the colour of blood.

The colour spread slowly across its surface like blood soaking through ancient paper. Deep crimson swallowed pale silver inch by inch until the entire moon hung above S-City like a watching eye carved from fresh meat.

And the world beneath it changed.

Rainfall reflected across polished stone pathways while black skyscraper windows gleamed dark red against the storm clouds. Even the clouds themselves seemed heavier now, dyed with bleeding colour as they drifted across the heavens.

The entire city became a wicked hellscape.

Nikolai stood silently near one of the mansion’s enormous corridor windows, as he felt a sudden throbbing in his chest.

His fangs and claws began to grow longer.

No matter how hard he tried, they kept growing, and he couldn’t force them back.

Something felt wrong.

His heartbeat slowed.

Yet every pulse struck harder than the previous, reverberating through his chest with strange pressure while heat spread beneath his skin. His senses sharpened painfully; suddenly, he could hear distant conversations several floors away alongside the hum of underground generators beneath the estate.

He could smell everything.

Gun oil.

Rainwater.

Wet stone.

Fresh blood from a maid who had accidentally cut her palm somewhere down the corridor.

It was almost like a blood frenzy.

Except his mind remained clear.

"...Nikolai?"

Selene’s voice pulled his attention sideways.

She stood beside him quietly, though her usual composed expression had shifted slightly. The elegant vampire’s crimson eyes appeared brighter beneath the scarlet moonlight spilling through the windows.

Though she didn’t react like him, he could see her fangs peeking from her pink lips.

Beautiful.

Dangerously so.

Her pale skin almost glowed beneath the red-tinted atmosphere. At the same time, the scent surrounding her subtly shifted into something sweeter and heavier, appealing to his hunger like a hand beckoning him closer.

Selene slowly touched her throat.

"D-Do I look that tasty to you?" Her voice was a little hoarse as she cleared her throat.

Nikolai noticed the faint tension in her fingers.

Further down the corridor, several passing maids avoided looking directly toward the windows. One younger wolf-eared maid breathed slightly harder while carrying ammunition crates beside her companions.

Another’s claws had unconsciously extended from her gloves.

"Something’s wrong, Selene... I don’t think that moon is just changing colour."

...

Meanwhile, Ivan Volkov stood near the far end of the hall, muscular arms crossed as crimson red moonlight painted his scarred face in dark red shadows.

The old werewolf stared upward silently before his lips curled.

He smiled at the red moon.

"It’s been a while, so they’re finally serious about this... I guess tonight is the last moment of peace this little city will enjoy."

Elizabeth stepped out from the inner room, donning a full leather bodysuit, two pistols at her waist and a machete tied to her thigh.

When she observed the red moon, her eyes shrank.

"...So it finally begins."

Ivan’s smile faded slowly.

The old werewolf tilted his head slightly towards the distant floating city beyond the compound walls while thunder rolled across the scarlet heavens.

The old werewolf tilted his head slightly toward the distant floating city beyond the compound walls while thunder rolled across the scarlet heavens overhead.

Far away, sirens had already begun screaming through S-City.

Then he exhaled slowly through his nose.

"This is bad." His golden eyes narrowed. "I need to meet my father immediately, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth flexed her fingers once before smoothly drawing both pistols. The heavy black handguns spun rapidly around her fingertip with a clear, rehearsed momentum before she set them back into their holsters with a click.

Then she stepped out into the freezing rain.

Crimson droplets soaked her silver hair almost instantly as she tilted her head back toward the blood-red moon above. The rainwater streamed down her cheeks like diluted blood as a slow smile spread across her lips.

"Oh my..." she murmured. "How thrilling."

Lightning flashed across the heavens.

For a brief moment, her crimson eyes gleamed brighter than the moon itself.

"To be revived during such an entertaining era."

...

[Volkov Estate — Northern District of S-City, October 31st, 11:48 PM]

Rain hammered the mansion windows in restless waves.

The old estate groaned softly beneath the storm, ancient wood creaking while distant thunder rolled across the crimson heavens outside. Every few seconds, scarlet moonlight flooded through the corridor windows before vanishing again behind curtains of freezing rain.

Nikolai remained motionless beside the tall glass pane.

One hand rested in his pocket while the other loosely held a half-finished glass of bourbon. The amber liquid reflected red under the moonlight, trembling faintly whenever thunder shook the estate foundations.

The mansion staff moved with eerie efficiency now that the initial panic had settled.

Butlers carried reinforced weapon crates through the lower halls. Maids stripped expensive decorations from the walls to expose hidden steel shutters beneath polished oak panelling. Somewhere downstairs, generators hummed alive one after another.

Nobody close to the compound screamed or howled in violent rage anymore, but the silence felt worse because of the distant noise from the city.

’The humans will make a move soon...’

The scent of wet earth drifted through the slightly opened window alongside cigarette smoke from the guards outside.

Beneath that lingered another smell, metallic and sharp: the stench of blood.

Faint.

But not far from him.

Nikolai’s fingers tapped once against the glass before stopping entirely.

Rainwater crawled down the tall corridor window in crooked streams, distorting the lights of S-City beyond the compound walls. Sirens wailed constantly now. Police. Military. Ambulances. They overlapped into one endless mechanical scream carried through the freezing storm winds.

Searchlights swept across distant streets while helicopters circled low between skyscrapers. Every few minutes, flashes erupted somewhere in the urban sprawl.

Whether it was gunfire or explosions, it was impossible to tell even for Nikolai.

Behind Nikolai, the Volkov estate continued preparing with cold efficiency.

Heavy wooden crates scraped across marble floors downstairs.

Metal clanged.

Someone shouted weapon inventory numbers.

The old mansion no longer felt like a home.

It felt like a fortress waking up.

A pair of butlers passed through the corridor carrying assault rifles wrapped in black cloth. Neither man looked frightened.

"Patrirach," the older butler said respectfully, silver hair slicked back neatly behind his ears despite the chaos. "Master Ivan ordered all non-combatant family members to remain inside until dawn."

"I see, ensure they are kept safe in my absence. Selene, let’s go."

Though he wanted to oversee everything here, there was another important mission for him, irrelevant to the blood mood and strangeness surrounding it.

Nikolai jogged down the main hall stairwell, Selene a few steps behind him as Nikolai exhaled softly through his nose. The fragrance of blood strengthened for half a second before fading again beneath the scent of rain and wet concrete.

His eyes narrowed.

This blood wasn’t human or werewolf.

Yet... it was familiar to him.

A low rumble of thunder rolled across the heavens as crimson moonlight spilt through the clouds again, staining the corridor red.

The estate looked different beneath that light.

Almost like a monster preparing to swallow the city whole.

CHK.

A sound behind him.

Subtle.

Metal against leather.

Nikolai glanced sideways.

A woman leaned against the corridor entrance, partially hidden in darkness.

Tall.

Maybe six feet.

Lean muscle stretched beneath a fitted charcoal-grey tactical coat, soaked dark from the rain outside. Water dripped steadily from the hem onto the marble floor.

Her black hair hung in wet strands down to her lower back, thick as ink and threaded with silver near the temples despite her young face. Sharp cheekbones framed pale skin marked by a thin scar cutting across the bridge of her nose. Her eyes stood out most as a pale amber with slit pupils that caught the red moonlight strangely.

She trembled, holding onto the wall with a predatory glare.

At her waist rested two curved fighting knives, strapped backwards for reverse-grip draws.

Nikolai recognised her immediately.

Madoka...

An artificial Weretiger.

The woman who pushed him to the limit almost half a year ago.

Someone who now carries his child.

"There you are... I looked all over." Her voice carried the rough velvet texture of someone who smoked too much and slept too little.

"W-What are you doing here?" Selene stepped forward, blocking her access and vision of Nikolai, defensively.

"Hmph!"

Madoka snorted.

A mature woman like her wouldn’t fall for Selene’s immature little games as she shook her head.

"Don’t start, I’m not here to play games."

Thunder rolled again.

Madoka pushed herself off the wall slowly, one hand briefly pressing against her lower stomach beneath the tactical coat. The motion was subtle enough that anyone else might’ve missed it, but Nikolai noticed.

Rainwater continued dripping from her sleeves onto the marble floor while her pale amber eyes remained fixed entirely on him.

"May I stay here? Please... for the child’s sake."

Somehow, it didn’t appear to be an attempt to use his favour for their child; rather, he could feel the earnest plea in her voice, and the colours of her emotions flickered with faint hues of fear, worry, and concern.

Selene’s eyes lowered briefly toward Madoka’s stomach before returning to her face.

The vampire’s lips curled faintly.

"...You smell terrified."

Madoka didn’t speak back, instead lowering her glance slightly to the side.

Clearly, Selene hit the right spot.

"I just——"

BOOOOOOM.

The eastern side of the compound exploded inward hard enough to shake the entire estate.

The concrete cracked as if struck by a hammer, while the steel screamed as it bent like paper, and somewhere beyond the collapsing gate, something inhuman began to laugh beneath the blood-red moon.

"Vol...Kov...Hahahaha.....Vol....Kov!"