Selene 3

Back to the present, Selene sat by the window, waiting for her father to return home. As snow began to fall and the sky grew darker, she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. Her father was late.

Suddenly, Selene's ears twitched. She could hear footsteps approaching from behind the front door. She turned her head, her eyes fixed on the entrance, and without delay, the door swung open. Her father stepped inside, a wide smile etched across his face.

"Happy birthday, little pumpkin! Sorry I'm late—I have a surprise for you," Rayan said, his voice warm but his appearance betraying his exhaustion. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his eyes sunken, and his hair disheveled, though he did his best to mask his fatigue.

"Daaaaad, you're back!" Selene's face lit up with joy as she saw her father's figure. She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him in a surprisingly tight hug for a girl her age. Her eyes quickly noticed the familiar honey cake in his hands and a wrapped item tucked under his arm.

Excited, she squeezed him even tighter, savoring his warmth. Despite their life teetering on the edge of poverty, Rayan never failed to spoil her. He was always there, showering her with love and gifts whenever he could.

"Little brat, let your father rest. He just got home," scolded Nanny Lydia, gently taking the cake from Rayan's hands and placing it on the wooden table in the middle of the living room.

"Lydia, I'm sorry for being late. I had some matters to take care of," Rayan apologized, scratching the back of his head.

"No need to apologize, Rayan. I figured you went to visit Nadia's grave. But it's been four years now—don't you think it's time to move on? I'm not saying you should forget your wife, but you know there are plenty of maidens in town who have their eyes on you," Lydia said with a smirk, trying to nudge him toward finding some joy in life again. She had been close to the family for years and had watched Rayan work tirelessly day in and day out, as if his life had stopped the moment Nadia passed away.

Rayan chuckled, but his laughter was hollow, his eyes distant and lifeless.

"Lydia, please don't bring this up again. I don't think I can ever look at another woman the way I saw Nadia. She was just..." His voice trailed off, as if no words could truly capture what his late wife had meant to him.

Meanwhile, Selene, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, felt her heart tighten. She had always heard stories about her mother—how loving, mischievous, and radiant she was, how she could brighten any room she walked into. Selene often wondered what it would be like to have both a mother and a father. Would her dad smile more? Would the cold winter days feel warmer? Would she feel happier?

She didn't have the answers. Despite her intelligence, she couldn't fully comprehend what her life would have been like if her family had been complete. Deep down, she felt a pang of sorrow for her father. Whenever her mother's name was mentioned, his eyes would briefly light up, as if he couldn't believe she was truly gone and expected her to walk through the door at any moment.

As they prepared to celebrate the day with cake and drinks—fermented juice for Rayan and Lydia, and a slightly sour apple-like juice for Selene, a flavor the little girl oddly enjoyed—a sudden, piercing howl echoed from the woods. It was a scream that reverberated through the air, shaking the window panes and making the glass rattle in its frames.

Rayan jumped to his feet. Without wasting a second, he covered the windows to block any light from leaking outside and locked the door. He then grabbed his crossbow, loading it with wooden arrows tipped with a silver-like metal.

Lydia frowned at the sound, rising from her chair to peek through the drapes of the nearest window.

Selene, who had been enjoying a slice of cake and her juice, looked up and stared at the wall—or rather, through it. Her obsidian eyes focused on the black streams of particles she could see, waves of black hazy energy flowing from deep within the woods like darkened merky water. She trembled slightly, her instincts telling her that this scream was no ordinary sound. She set down her cake and moved closer to Lydia, clutching the nanny's worn-out white tunic.

Rayan, seeing his daughter shivering in fear, felt a pang of helplessness. He had wanted this day to be special for her. "Selene, don't worry. Everything will be fine. Why don't you go back to the table and enjoy your cake? We'll join you in a moment," he said, forcing a small smile. But his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor, filled with unease.

"B-but Dad…" Selene stammered, fear gripping her tiny frame.

"Little pumpkin, let's sit down. I'll tell you a story—one I used to tell your mother when she was your age," Lydia interjected, sensing the growing tension. She gently guided Selene back to the table, hoping to distract her.

Rayan shot Lydia a grateful look. He often wondered how much harder their lives would have been without her. She had become a constant presence in their home, even giving up her own time to care for Selene after realizing how lonely the pair was. Rayan knew he wouldn't have been able to raise Selene properly without her help.

As Selene and Lydia settled down, Rayan kept watch through a small opening in the window. His eyes scanned the pitch-black woods, their dense canopy blocking even the moonlight. His heart raced as he tried to steady his thoughts.

'Weird. An Indigo this far out from the depths of the forest? They don't usually venture this far out. What's going on? More importantly, what do I do if it attacks us? This is going to be a long night…'

Indigos were nocturnal hunters, especially active during long winter nights. They preyed on all types of creatures without discrimination, draining their life force. They were one of the many horrors that roamed the world unchecked, only deterred by those equipped or powerful enough to stop them. But killing an Indigo required a special kind of magic—rare and difficult to obtain.

Rayan glanced at the sky, where grayish clouds partially obscured the silver moon. The inhuman screams of the Indigo echoed intermittently, sending chills down his spine. Even the nearby town had fallen into an uneasy silence, its residents hoping the predator wouldn't notice them and that the night would pass quickly.

Snow fell gently, the moonlight creating picturesque patterns on the ground. The clouds above cast formless shadows, weaving a tapestry of darkness over the area.

This night would be the catalyst for something great, something monumental, something unique and terrifying waiting for a chance to imerge and take the world by surprise.