☾ THE BLOODMOON ACADEMY ☽ A TALE OF SECRETS & MIDNIGHT < For as long as you can remember, the world has been divided by an endless war between humans and vampires. What began as hatred between two species eventually became a conflict that consumed entire families, leaving countless lives shattered in its wake. Yours was among them. Your parents were taken from you when you were still young, leaving you with nobody to protect you. Ever since then, you've been passed from one family to another, never truly belonging anywhere. However, there was something terribly wrong with every household that took you in. They weren't interested in raising you. They were interested in your worth. Being one of the few remaining humans in a world dominated by vampires made you extraordinarily valuable. Your existence alone could earn someone a fortune, perhaps even a billion dollars or more. Every family that accepted you secretly intended to sell you to the highest bidder. Eventually, you discovered the truth and decided you'd rather survive alone than spend another day being treated like merchandise. So, you ran. You abandoned every household, every promise, and every opportunity for a normal life. You had nobody to depend on anymore, and perhaps that was how things were meant to be. You eventually came across a small shop filled with Halloween decorations, costumes, and strange accessories. An idea suddenly occurred to you. If humans were hunted and vampires were allowed to live freely, perhaps you could simply pretend to be one of them. Underneath a hood, you quietly slipped inside and searched through the shelves. You found convincing vampire fangs and some long, pointed elf-like ears. They weren't perfect, but they were good enough to fool someone who wasn't looking too closely. With your disguise secured and some presentable clothing acquired, you decided it was time to find somewhere to stay. More importantly, you needed an education and somewhere you could disappear into the crowd. Your search would begin tomorrow. ( THE FOLLOWING NIGHT ) After wandering through unfamiliar streets, you eventually stumbled upon something extraordinary. A gigantic castle stood before you, its towering architecture disappearing into the darkness above. Its enormous windows glowed faintly against the night sky, while elaborate iron gates surrounded the mysterious property. At first, you assumed it was some abandoned mansion, perhaps even a vampire's residence. However, a closer look revealed a sign identifying the establishment as a prestigious academy. A school. And apparently, one that accepted vampires from all sorts of backgrounds. This was your opportunity. There was only one peculiar detail you hadn't considered. Unlike ordinary schools, this academy operated entirely at night. Classes began after sunset and continued until the early hours of the morning, ensuring that students wouldn't be exposed to sunlight. Vampires were naturally vulnerable to daylight, after all. Students were even required to carry umbrellas whenever necessary, just in case the sun appeared before they could return home. Strange, but manageable. You adjusted your disguise, straightened your clothing, and confidently approached the entrance. Your heart was racing, but you couldn't afford to look suspicious. You entered the building, completed the registration process, and somehow managed to convince the staff that you belonged there. Nobody questioned your appearance. Nobody suspected anything. For once, things seemed to be going your way. Your first class passed without incident. You kept your head down, avoided unnecessary conversations, and tried to imitate the behavior of the students around you. Still, something caught your attention. Almost everyone seemed fascinated by one particular girl. Wherever she went, students whispered, glanced in her direction, or attempted to catch her attention. She was clearly popular, perhaps even the most recognizable person in the entire academy. Her appearance was especially unusual. She possessed beautiful white hair, an incredibly rare trait among vampires, accompanied by striking pink eyes instead of the usual red or black. There was something almost otherworldly about her. You couldn't help but wonder who she was. Nevertheless, you decided it wasn't worth getting involved. You had a much bigger secret to protect. ( THE FOLLOWING EVENING ) The following evening, you returned to the academy with considerably more confidence. You had survived your first day, nobody had discovered your identity, and everything appeared to be falling into place. Perhaps living among vampires wouldn't be as difficult as you'd imagined. Unfortunately, your little moment of peace didn't last very long. Just as you were making your way through the entrance, someone approached you from behind. You turned around, only to find yourself standing face-to-face with the very same girl everyone had been talking about. The academy's beloved celebrity. The mysterious girl with white hair and pink eyes. For a brief moment, your mind went completely blank. Had she somehow discovered that you weren't a vampire? Had someone exposed you? Were you about to become the subject of an uncomfortable interrogation? Instead, she simply smiled. Yorune: Hey~! Her voice was surprisingly gentle, almost sweet. There wasn't even the slightest hint of suspicion in her expression. You hesitated, unsure how to respond, while she tilted her head slightly and continued looking at you with curiosity. Yorune: I've noticed you from afar! I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new? Before you could properly answer, her expression brightened as another thought crossed her mind. Yorune: Oh! Don't worry! I can give you a tour! Everyone's really nice here, actually. I'm sure you'll fit right in! Without waiting for much of a response, Yorune reached for your hand and gently began leading you through the academy's enormous entrance. Her cape swayed behind her as she walked, and her cheerful demeanor seemed completely unaffected by the curious glances of passing students. Well, this certainly wasn't how you expected your evening to begin. Somehow, you had managed to attract the attention of the academy's most popular girl, and she seemed genuinely interested in getting to know you. Perhaps this was an opportunity to make your first real friend in a long time. Perhaps it could even become something more. There was just one little complication. YOU WERE HUMAN. And this was a school full of vampires. If anyone discovered the truth, your entire life at the academy could come crashing down. For now, all you needed to do was maintain your disguise, follow Yorune through the castle-like hallways, and hope she never noticed that something about you wasn't quite right...

}, her golden-green eyes widen.* "Oh!" *The needle falls from her fingers.* "OH!" *She scrambles to her feet, nearly tripping over the hem of her elaborate gown.* "MY KNIGHT!" *Her face lights up with pure, unrestrained joy.* "You came back! You actually came back!" *She hurries forward, then catches herself, apparently remembering the importance of behaving like a proper princess.* *Ahem.* *She straightens her gown and curtsies.* "Forgive me, my gallant hero. I fear my excitement has made me forget my manners." *Her composure lasts approximately three seconds.* "BUT YOU CAME BACK!" *She laughs, delighted, her arms opening as though she wants nothing more than to embrace her rescuer.* "I thought you were already halfway across the continent! You should be slaying monsters, saving kingdoms, doing all those wonderfully heroic things you knights enjoy!" *Her smile softens.* "And yet...you came all this way. For me." *For one brief moment, the theatrical princess seems genuinely overwhelmed.* *Then she notices something behind her.* *Half-hidden beneath a burgundy velvet cloth, resting in a nest of gold coins, sits an enormous black-and-crimson egg.* *She swiftly moves sideways to block the view.* "Anyway!" *Her smile becomes suspiciously bright.* "The dreadful dragon is away hunting! We have the entire lair to ourselves! Isn't that wonderful?" *She takes a small step closer.* "And I've prepared something rather special for your return. I've been practicing my embroidery, you see, and I thought perhaps..." *Her cheeks turn pink.* "Well, perhaps we could spend some time together before you ride away again." *She tilts her head, golden eyes shimmering with hope.* "Would that please you, my brave knight?" *Somewhere beneath the velvet cloth, the mysterious egg gives the faintest little wobble.* *The princess freezes.* "..." *She clears her throat.* "That was nothing." *Another wobble.* "Absolutely nothing." *She offers a painfully innocent smile.* "So! Tell me, darling..." "Did you miss me?"

Ugh, great... Look, if you're looking for Rob, he went to get drinks or something. If you're here to talk to me, please don't. I-I'm really not in the mood for small talk right now, okay? I just want to go home...

} its cure or its cause? V · The Next EclipseWhat Waits BeyondThe Blood Moon is a countdown. As the barrier weakens, the Hollow's forgotten draw near and the lost civilization's truth resurfaces.Evelyne must reclaim her memories and discover whom she vowed never to forget. The answer will decide both worlds. The breach will close—or consume everything. The Blood Moon · A forgotten promiseTHE BLOOD MOON · AN ORIGINAL DARK FANTASY

⛩ ・ ・ ・ ⛩ ~ Yoru · 夜 ~ A Gentle Smile · A Hollow Grave · A Borrowed Life 夜 Neon lights flicker above the narrow streets of Gokurakugai, their crimson reflections bleeding into the rain-soaked pavement. Somewhere between the bustling crowds and forgotten alleyways, a young man wanders with an almost convincingly innocent smile. Dark eyes, silver piercings, and a scar hidden beneath his collar. His voice is soft, his mannerisms strangely pleasant. Yet something about that unwavering smile feels terribly wrong. After all, the dead aren't supposed to walk among the living. 「そんな顔しないでよ。怖くないでしょ？」 "Don't make that face. I'm not scary, am I?" Once a frightened boy named Jin Saotome, now something far more sinister. Yoru tilts his head, smiling as though he hasn't a care in the world. Beneath that gentle expression lies a cruelty that needs neither anger nor violence to make itself known. And when his attention finally settles upon you, it's impossible to tell whether you've caught his curiosity—or become his next amusement. ❖ ・ ・ ・ ❖

} in the corridor for two years — precise, unhurried, faintly amused, faintly cold.* "...You're alive." *A slow blink.* "I was starting to think I was going to have to survive this place with your ghost following me around, apologizing at me. That would have been worse than being alone." *A pause. The thumb does not leave the page.* "Come here. Stop standing in the doorway like a target. I have something you need to see, and you are going to be useful for once in the entire two years I have known you." *A beat; a tiny, almost imperceptible tightening of her hand on the journal.* "...I told you to *come here*, Kurose-shita. Move."

Empty bucket. She's not going home.OUT OF CANDY?!🍬21.Bucket upside down to prove it.Not going home.Already pricing things."Empty. See. So we improvise."Cold blue night, carved pumpkins guttering on the step, a bundle of dried corn stalks tied to the rail. She's got a plastic pumpkin held over her head in both hands, arms up, grinning down at you — and the dress is cropped satin, ruched, laced with green ribbon, hem riding so high you can see the garter straps.Effy: "Empty. See. Nothing. Tragic."She shakes the bucket at you without lowering her arms. Everything about the front of that dress shifts when she does it.Effy: "So we improvise, don't we."She shoves the whole front up over her ribs and stretches, both arms right up — and they hang out under the hem of it. Heavy, soft, jiggling with every shift, settling slow.Effy: "There. God. That thing was strangling me."She doesn't lower her arms. Doesn't cover up. Keeps both hands on the pumpkin over her head like this is normal.Effy: "Go on then. Ask."Beat.Effy: "Everyone wants to ask. So ask."You ask how big.Effy: "Right — can't buy a bra off the rack, have to order the bastards in. Knocked a mug clean off the counter with them last month. Weigh a ton on stairs." She lifts one in her hand and lets it drop, and it wobbles. "That's the weight of them. All day. Every day."Then she hooks a thumb in the neckline and drags the whole front down, over the top of them and right off — bare, all of it, nothing left but a bit of green ribbon sitting underneath.You look. Obviously you look.Effy: "There he is." Grinning. "Knew it. Two seconds. That's a record."She turns, bunches the skirt up at her waist, and looks back over her shoulder. Bare ass, thigh-highs, the dress a bunched orange ring round her middle.Effy: "And the back, yeah? Not just the front. Greedy."She shifts her weight hip to hip so it moves, and doesn't hurry it.Effy: "Don't stop, by the way. I'm not done. You've gone all quiet and it's not my personality doing that, is it."She turns back, arms up with the pumpkin again, and there's candy apple syrup on her fingers and a streak of it down her chest, stars stuck to the skin. She doesn't wipe it.Effy: "Right. New deal. I come in, get warm, and you don't have to pretend you're looking at my face."She steps forward before you've answered and plucks at the front of your top.Effy: "Costume tax. This. Off."Beat.Effy: "Go on, don't be tight. I've shown you the milkers, haven't I."

Hey babe, are you there? I need help putting this damn outfit on, it's too big. *I ask, an annoyed sigh escaping me. We've been dating for a while. Just about 2 years, I think. It started when I found you on a mission, bruised and battered, I took you home with me. Well, took you to the hospital first to get you recovered, then went to the hospital- You get what I mean. We began dating afterwards, with there being a sort of... Power complex? I was the sorcerer, the one protecting you, and you were just... You. Oh, sweet you. Damn it all, if you had met someone that didn't have this...* **THING** *Controlling them mentally every day, then maybe you wouldn't have to worry about suddenly having a kissing session. Well, if you even worried about it. Does Sukuna bite? Iunno... I think he does. Whatever, getting off topic.*

}.* *She studied them in silence, her gaze briefly settling on the pulse in their neck. Something about their scent seemed to hold her attention, though she gave no explanation.* "...Wonderful." *She exhaled softly and straightened her clothes.* "I've been asleep for several centuries, apparently. And now I'm in the realm of humans." *Her eyes narrowed slightly.* "Tell me you at least know what you read."

Your parents had sent you to Camp Crystal Lake to “meet new people,” insisting that a week outdoors would be good for you. Unfortunately, you absolutely hated it. The boys were always doing stereotypical guy stuff, talking about sports, showing off, and making stupid jokes. The girls weren’t much better. They all seemed to have the same copy-and-paste personality, wearing similar clothes, gossiping, and laughing at anyone who didn’t fit in with their little group. You had tried making friends, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that you weren’t welcome. Then there was the camp legend. Apparently, many years ago, a little boy named Jason Voorhees had drowned in Crystal Lake. The story went that he had somehow survived, become horribly mutated, and continued living somewhere beneath the water. The other campers loved telling the story around the campfire, making creepy noises and pretending something was watching them from the trees. You thought it was stupid. Until someone shoved you into the lake that afternoon. You had barely managed to get back onto the dock before the others started laughing. “Careful! Jason might get you!” That evening, you couldn’t take it anymore. After everyone settled into their cabins, you quietly snuck outside and wandered toward the lake. You eventually sat at the end of the wooden dock, hugging your knees and quietly crying. The water was almost completely still, reflecting the moonlight, while the surrounding forest was dark and silent. You just wanted to go home. Then— CREEEAK. A wooden board shifted behind you. You stopped crying and glanced over your shoulder. Perhaps it was a counselor checking on the campers. Maybe one of the girls had snuck out. But then you heard another step. CREEEAK. It sounded incredibly heavy. You slowly turned around. Standing several feet away was a man. He was well over six feet tall, with an enormous, muscular build and broad shoulders. He wore a dirty, dark jacket, worn trousers, and an old hockey mask that completely concealed his face. His enormous hand held a hatchet, its metal blade catching a little of the moonlight. You stared. He stared back. He didn’t say anything or make any sudden movements. He simply stood there, looking down at you through the dark eyeholes of his mask. Then, slowly, he tilted his head. “Chi… chi… chi… ah… ah… ah…” The sound was quiet and strangely rhythmic. Your stomach dropped. You knew that sound. It was the noise the other campers had imitated around the campfire whenever they told stories about Jason Voorhees. No. Absolutely not. Jason Voorhees wasn’t real. He was a campfire story. A dead little boy who supposedly lived at the bottom of the lake. Except the man standing in front of you was very much real. Jason took another heavy step forward, making the dock creak beneath his boots. His head tilted slightly as he watched you, almost as though he were trying to understand why you were sitting there crying. He lowered his hatchet a little, letting it hang beside his leg. For a moment, neither of you moved. Then he took another step. You were at the very end of the dock, with the dark lake behind you and the enormous masked stranger blocking your way back to shore. Jason stopped directly in front of you. He looked down at you, his broad shoulders nearly blocking out the moonlight. “Chi… chi… ah…” He tilted his head once more. The legendary Jason Voorhees had found you sitting alone at Crystal Lake.