Xavier had figured out the pattern — or at least, he thought he had. To awaken his next power, he had to die. Or maybe almost die. He wasn't sure which, and that was the problem. If he was wrong, he'd just end up dead. And if he was right… what were the chances the power would even awaken in time to save him? It was a gamble with death itself, and he couldn't tell if he was the dealer or the idiot sitting at the table.

The fragment had already burned through almost ninety percent of its stored energy the last time it awakened something inside him. It would recover, sure — slowly, over time — and his telekinesis was bound to grow stronger the more he used it. But that wasn't enough anymore. Not for what was coming.

He needed to be strong to leave the planet. Here on earth, his enemies were mostly humans and low ranked species that wanted to mingle and survive with the humans. But out in ‌space, things were different and there were races and beings with powers a normal human couldn't match.

His new power, essence, was something that didn't seem strong to Xavier. Sure, it would be useful as it's the power derived from the fragment of an ancient goddess herself.

Now he just needed to figure out a way to almost die — without actually dying. Something clean. Something he could control. Poison or meds could do it, but they'd wreck his body from the inside out. Permanent damage, lingering effects, long recovery times — none of that fit into Xavier's schedule. He didn't have time for rehab. He didn't have time for weakness.

Meanwhile, outside the city, deep in the Steins manor, a dim chamber sat beneath layers of silence. The walls were lined with family portraits — proud, old faces staring down at the living as if to remind them who held the bloodline together. In the center stood a throne carved from gold, and on it sat a fine young man with silver hair tied back, dressed in a dark suit that seemed too clean for the age of the room.

In front of him stood Reva — or as the man called her, Eleanor.

"Repeat what you just said," he demanded, his voice carrying that sharp, natural command that made the air feel heavier.

Reva's hands trembled slightly as she looked up. "Father," she began quietly. "I'm ready to engage with Lucas Blackwood. You can set the engagement ceremony for this week."

For a few seconds, her father didn't move. Then his head tilted slightly. "You were against it last time," he said. "Why the sudden change? Did my slap finally knock some sense into you?"

Her eyes dropped.

The man gave a half-smirk and reached for the telephone beside him — not a holo device, not a tablet, but an old rotary phone cast in gold, its dial engraved with diamonds. He spun the dial slowly, each click echoing faintly across the room.

Two rings later, someone picked up.

"Lucian Blackwood," he said. "It's Luther Von Stein."

He leaned back in his throne, his tone steady. "The engagement ceremony should be held this week. Once it's done, our business deal can proceed as discussed."

The voice on the other end was muffled but deep. Aldric listened, his gaze fixed on Reva, who stood still with her head low.

After a few seconds, Aldric flicked a switch on the side of the golden base — muting the line — and looked at her. "A week is a short time to prepare everything."

Reva straightened herself. "It's not. The Blackwoods can handle the decorations, the guest invitations, the arrangements, all of it. They are the Blackwoods!"

He chuckled. "I'm not talking about chandeliers and tablecloths. The deal itself — assets, trade alignments, territorial rights, resource channels — that needs negotiation and written terms. A week is tight for that."

Reva's expression changed slightly. Xavier's words echoed in her mind — "Do it within a week."

She raised her chin. "If it can't happen this week, then I'm not getting engaged at all. That's my only term."

Before Aldric could say anything, she turned and walked out, her heels tapping against the marble until the sound vanished into the hall.

He looked after her for a moment, then unmuted the line. "Lucian, it has to be done within the week. No delays."

A deep sigh came through. "That's… unusually fast, Aldric."

"I'm aware," Aldric said flatly. "But we'll both benefit from this. Make it happen."

Another pause, then a reluctant, "Fine. I'll make the arrangements."

"Good," Aldric replied, then ended the call.

He leaned back and exhaled through his nose, his eyes shifting toward the large statue at the center of the chamber — a woman carved from pale stone, tall and regal, so beautiful it could make any melt. He looked up at her face for a long moment.

"She got that fire from you," he muttered, almost amused. "Same eyes. Same temper."

Then he sat back in silence, tapping the armrest of his throne once, the faint sound echoing through the chamber before everything went still again.

"It's a red moon tonight. Oh, how much I hate it. If only there were more of us, we would be ruling over this planet."

Meanwhile, Reva sat on the edge of her bed, phone in hand, her reflection flickering faintly in the dim glow of the screen. She tried calling Xavier first, as she always did when something mattered. The call rang… once, twice, then went straight to silence. No answer. She let out a sigh, biting her lower lip before opening the message box instead.

She typed out a simple text—"The engagement's set. It's official now."

Her thumb hovered for a second before she hit send. The moment it went through, she just sat there, staring at the screen like maybe it would light up with his name. But nothing came. Not even the usual read receipt. Just empty silence.

Her chest tightened a little. "Guess I really screwed things up between us…" she muttered under her breath, setting the phone down beside her. She leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, thoughts circling back to that night—to how she'd confessed everything without thinking. No games, no hiding. Just her being stupidly honest. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe Xavier wasn't the kind of man who wanted love tangled into his chaos.

Something caught Reva's eye through the window. She sat up and glanced outside—the moon was climbing higher, pale at first, but its edges were bleeding into a deep red. The night of the red moon. Her throat tightened again, but this time for a different reason. She unlocked her phone, pointed it toward the sky, and snapped a picture.

She sent it straight to Xavier with another message:

[It's the night of the red moon. A special night for our kind. We used to celebrate it… until the massacre at the vampire colony. Since then, no one does anymore. Just thought you should know.]

She watched the message send, the little icon shifting from one tick to two. Still no reply. The crimson light outside deepened, painting the world in the same hue as old blood. Reva set the phone face down, whispering quietly to herself, "Happy red moon night, Xavier…" before pulling her knees close and sitting in that quiet room, waiting for a response that never came.

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