The morning felt off.
Kieran sensed it the moment he stepped onto campus. The air was too still. Students walked faster, heads down. Something had happened—but no one was saying it.
Then Leo appeared.
Pale. Jaw clenched.
"They got to someone," he said quietly.
Kieran froze. "Who?"
Leo hesitated. "Mika."
Mika—his part-time coworker. One of the few who'd never asked about his past. Who had once made Kieran laugh when everything felt numb.
"She's in the hospital," Leo said. "Jumped. Said it was a robbery, but…"
Kieran didn't wait.
---
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and fear.
Mika lay in bed, one arm bandaged, bruises on her cheek. She smiled weakly when Kieran entered.
"You always show up when I look like hell," she joked.
But her voice shook.
Kieran took her hand. "Tell me who did this."
Mika swallowed. "They wore black. No faces. Just… a fang. Painted on the back of a glove."
Kieran's blood ran cold.
The Crimson Vow wasn't warning him anymore.
They were punishing him.
---
That night, Kieran stood alone on the school rooftop, hands trembling.
Leo joined him silently.
"They're going to keep doing this," Kieran said. "Hurting people around me. Until I break."
Leo stepped beside him. "Then we don't let them win."
Kieran turned to him. "They're monsters, Leo. And I used to be one of them."
Leo's hand reached for his. "Maybe. But you're not anymore. You protect people now. Even if it costs you everything."
Kieran looked at their intertwined fingers.
And whispered, "Then I'll give everything."