Chapter one

Two moons hung in the night sky, their silver light cascading down upon the castle spires and the intricately arranged buildings of the city. This place seemed frozen in a medieval era. Cobblestone streets wound between black stone buildings adorned with stained glass windows and mysterious bat-shaped sculptures. Lanterns powered by Black Silion emitted a glowing green light along the pathways, while magnetic rail tracks sliced through the air above the streets, humming softly as wheel-less vehicles glided by.

At the highest point of the city's central castle, the vampire prince's chamber was both exquisite and suffocating. A grand chandelier hung from the high ceiling, surrounded by jet-black columns that framed the central area of the room. Heavy crimson curtains swayed slightly in the breeze that slipped through the open windows.

The prince stood by his desk, scattered with maps and plans for expanding the city's borders. He gazed out the window, his piercing red eyes fixed on the distant horizon, where the barrier's somber energy loomed faintly across the edge of the sky.

Behind him, the soft sound of footsteps broke the stillness.

He whirled around, his glowing red eyes widening. His calm expression hardened into tension in an instant.

"No one should be able to enter this room!"

From the shadows at the edge of the chamber, a cloaked figure emerged. The figure seemed to blend seamlessly with the darkness, but the faint light of the Black Silion lanterns reflected off the tattered, ancient hood. Tall and lean, their shoulders slumped as if weighed down by a long journey.

The prince's heartbeat quickened in his chest. His pale, slender fingers hovered near the hilt of a sword hanging close by.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice icy, his eyes never leaving the intruder.

The cloaked figure did not answer the question. Instead, they spoke as though the prince hadn't spoken at all. "Beyond the great barrier of this continent lies a power you must seize... A power that can destroy everything you desire."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the prince growled, his brow furrowed.

"Awaken the slumbering witch buried in a tomb on an island…" the voice whispered like a challenge. "Take her to the ruins of the lost bat demon… Release its power… And destroy the city of the princess from the land beyond the coast."

The vampire prince froze for a moment, his face calm but his eyes filled with suspicion. "And why should I destroy this princess's city? I don't even know her."

The cloaked figure smiled in the shadow, a chilling and unsettling grin. "You don't need to know why. Simply follow what I've told you, and the barrier that imprisons you on this continent… will vanish forever."

Those words froze time for a fleeting moment. Silence blanketed the room as though the world itself had stopped breathing. The prince felt the weight of something incomprehensible, something so dangerous that it defied rejection.

"And if I refuse?" he asked, his voice cold but unwavering.

The cloaked figure did not answer. Instead, they uttered a final, low warning: "Choose wisely, Prince... for your time may be running out."

With that, the figure's form gradually dissolved into the shadows, vanishing as if melting into the darkness itself. All that remained was the chilling air they left behind and the echo of their words, whispering in the prince's mind like a shadow that would never fade.

The vampire prince stood frozen for a moment, his blood-red eyes fixed on the spot where the mysterious figure had disappeared. Doubt and suspicion lingered in his heart as he slowly turned back toward the room. A soft breeze swept through the chamber, carrying with it a strange, unexplainable call.

At the foot of his bed, something that should not have been there caught his attention—a yellowed piece of parchment, aged and worn as though it had traveled through centuries. The prince furrowed his brow. He was certain that no such thing had been in his room before.

Cautiously, he stepped forward and picked it up. His fingers brushed against its rough texture, and an ancient aura seemed to emanate from it. It was no ordinary parchment. It was a map—a map of the lands beyond the barrier, a place he had only read about in ancient texts describing the world outside their dark prison.

But what drew his attention most was a single mark, inked in deep crimson. The mark bore a strange symbol—a bat-like shape encircled by a perfect ring. The prince recognized it immediately. It was the symbol from the legend of the bat demon, a creature of immense power sealed away in a time long forgotten.

His heart quickened slightly as he studied the map. The information it contained seemed to be the key to the mission the cloaked figure had spoken of. It pointed to a specific location—a place where he would undoubtedly face the unknown.

"Why me?" he murmured to himself, but no one was there to answer. He looked at the map again, his crimson eyes narrowing with a mixture of doubt and determination.

Despite his mistrust of the cloaked figure and his uncertainty about their true intentions, the chance to destroy the barrier—the only hope for his people to escape the prison of the Dark Continent—was too significant to ignore.

Folding the map carefully, he tucked it into the pocket of his cloak. Turning to the tall window that overlooked the shadowed city below, the prince gazed at the world that had been trapped in darkness for centuries.

The path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, but the prince knew that the only way to find answers was to step into the unknown. With resolve building in his chest, he whispered to himself, "So be it."

And with that, the vampire prince prepared to embark on his journey into the lands beyond the barrier, unaware of the trials and revelations that awaited him.

…

The neon lights in shades of blue-green shimmer along the skyscrapers in Neo Haven, a small yet technologically advanced city located on the banks of a wide river. Tall buildings line both sides of the river, with an elevated railway crossing a sleek, futuristic bridge in the heart of the city, creating a vision of the future. Beside it, a modern park is adorned with LED-lit trees.

The "Nobelo Tower" stands prominently in the heart of the business district. Its futuristic curved design resembles a crescent moon blended with transparent glass, appearing as though it emerged straight from the future. The base of the tower rests on a wide plaza illuminated with dynamic light patterns, surrounded by smaller buildings that serve as research centers for Nobelo Industries. In front of the tower, the company's silver logo gleams prominently. Meanwhile, the city's sky reflects the lights from these buildings, creating a dreamlike vision of a futuristic world.

On the tower's top floor, Tae Nobelo sits in a spacious office. His desk, a thin sheet of glass, is surrounded by holograms orbiting him like stars in the galaxy. The voice of the AI system breaks the silence.

"Mr. Nobelo, the latest energy barrier system test is ready to begin. Would you like to oversee it personally?"

Tae Nobelo smirks. Rising from his luxurious black leather chair, he walks over to a nearby control panel. His finger presses the touchscreen, revealing a 3D holographic model of Neo Haven, with his tower at its center. The latest version of the Aegis Nova is simulated to envelop the entire city in a powerful energy barrier glowing in radiant blue.

"No need. I trust the algorithms I've written myself..." Tae speaks in a calm but confident tone, glancing at the control panel for further adjustments. "Prepare the Jet Array. I'll test it myself. But one more thing…"

Tae inputs a new command into the system. The display screen shows the message *"Aegis Nova v.3.1 Ready for Deployment,"* accompanied by an AI alert.

"The Aegis Nova barrier system update is ready to be deployed to all VIP accounts. Would you like to proceed with the process now?"

He nods. "Yes. Send out the update. Merry Christmas, everyone!"

"Deploying Aegis Nova update to the connected city network... Deployment process initiated successfully…"

Tae stands, watching the holographic display showing the update status being distributed through the quantum light network. Blue signals radiate from Neo Haven to their destinations within the network at incredible speed.

[Suddenly, a red signal appeared on the main screen, accompanied by a blaring alert.

"What the hell? What's going on?" Tae exclaimed, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Anomalous activity detected in the port district. Unknown energy signature. Analysis underway… It's originating from the Dark Continent and has entered the waters of Pachioris Port City. It is heading toward White Rose Island," the AI reported.

Tae's face grew tense as he stared at the screen. His slender fingers tapped to open the satellite map of the port district.

"The Dark Continent? That's impossible. Check the energy readings on the Millennium Barrier."

"Ninety-two percent, sir."

"At this level, theoretically, it could create an unstable breach… Something must have slipped through. In that case, Sunday, call Hogan to guard the tower while I'm out."

"Understood, sir. I'll contact Mr. Hogan immediately."

...

In the dead of night, under a star-filled black sky, a forgotten cemetery island lay in the middle of the ocean. Strong winds howled as waves crashed against the shore. A sleek black submarine, its glossy surface adorned with glowing green veins of energy, floated silently by a decrepit wooden pier.

Before the vampire prince stood a grave marked only by a stone slab bearing a name. It indicated that the grave's occupant had passed away just a few years prior. In his hand was a rusty, old shovel he had found in an abandoned shack nearby. He stared at the grave with a contemplative expression, letting out a sigh.

"A digging spell would've been nice…" the prince muttered to himself.

He began to dig with purpose, the sound of the shovel striking dirt echoing through the otherwise silent night. His red eyes gleamed in the darkness like those of a predator on the hunt.

After digging deep, with dirt staining his hands and clothes, an ornate marble coffin finally emerged. The prince effortlessly slid the heavy lid aside, revealing a skeletal figure clad in tattered robes.

He gazed at the lifeless bones for a moment before kneeling beside the coffin. From his belt, he retrieved a small dagger made of silver and made a thin cut across his palm. Drops of dark, thick blood fell onto the pale bones.

"Egura Nosara... Let time reverse... Let my darkness awaken this body!"

As the chant echoed through the darkness, the blood seeped into the bones, and black, vine-like tendrils spread across the skeletal frame from the point of contact.

The bones began to stir slowly, muscles sprouting as if life were returning. Flesh emerged piece by piece, and pale, ghostly skin took shape once more.

It was magic—true, ancient magic. The body of the witch was restored to its full form, but she remained still, lifeless. The vampire prince watched intently, his crimson eyes narrowing. Letting his wounded hand fall to his side, he reached into his satchel and retrieved a compact, futuristic-looking device—a portable defibrillator from the technologically advanced vampire kingdom.

Carefully placing the electrodes on the witch's chest, he pressed the switch.

*CRACK!* The sharp sound of electricity echoed, illuminating the darkness in a brief flash.

A miracle occurred. The witch's body jolted violently, and she gasped deeply, her chest rising with the breath of life. Her eyes, now open, revealed glowing amber-green irises that pierced through the night.

"Perfect. You're awake," the vampire prince said, his voice low and steady.

But the relief in his tone was short-lived. Before he could react, the witch sprang to life with unnerving speed. The air around them shifted as an ominous wind howled through the cemetery. She raised a hand, and with a single motion, an invisible force hurled the prince backward, slamming him into a nearby tree.

*CRACK!* The sound of bark splintering filled the air as he fell to the ground. Pain coursed through his body, sharp and overwhelming despite his inhuman resilience. It felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered by the unexpected attack.

The witch rose from the grave, her bare feet touching the dew-soaked grass lightly, yet leaving a trace of magic imprinted on the earth. Her thin figure, draped in ancient robes now clean and pristine as if renewed, moved with grace yet exuded an air of danger.

The vampire prince gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand, brushing dirt and shards of wood off his black coat. He raised a hand in a gesture of truce, trying to defuse the tension.

"Calm down, beautiful," he said, his voice tinged with pain yet retaining its calm demeanor. "I…"

Before he could finish, she raised her hand again, and a streak of dark purple energy shot from her palm, slicing through the air. The prince barely managed to leap aside, narrowly avoiding the blast. The tree behind him wasn't so fortunate—it groaned and toppled under the force of the blow, crashing loudly to the ground.

"Who are you?" the witch demanded coldly, her voice sharp and piercing. Her glowing green eyes bore into him, filled with suspicion and an intensity that threatened to incinerate him on the spot.

The prince drew in a shaky breath, steadying himself despite the throbbing ache in his chest. "Please, hear me out…" he said, his tone growing firmer. "I am Prince Garrick of the Vampire Clan. We need your power to break the seal of the Bat Demon."

"Us?" Her brows furrowed as her face relaxed slightly, though it still carried a hint of wariness.

"From what I can recall..." He nodded. "His alias—the Mysterious Wizard. He commanded me to bring you back to life and wants you to join this mission."

"The Mysterious Wizard..." she murmured softly, her eyes glinting with a strange light, as if she recognized the name but refused to reveal it openly. She fell silent for a moment before breaking into a cold smile.

"Fine, I'll help you... But mark my words, little bat, you're making a mistake trusting that Mysterious Wizard."

The vampire prince frowned, irritation flickering across his handsome face.

"Little bat? You're insulting me far too much!"

The witch smirked disdainfully. "I can call you whatever I want."

Purple energy glowed in her palm again, and the wind around them picked up as if preparing for a confrontation. The prince fixed his gaze on her, suppressing his emotions. "Fine, call me whatever you please, but we need to work together on this."

The witch hesitated briefly before letting out a soft laugh, laced with a chilling undertone that made the atmosphere even heavier. "Very well. For the sake of you bringing me back to life, I'll repay you... by unsealing your demon pet."

"Fair enough. Then, follow me."

The sea breeze grew stronger, and the sound of rustling leaves created a rhythm, almost like an ominous prelude to what was about to unfold.

…