Ethan arrived in a rush of air, taking in the scene before him.

Valerie lay on the ground, battered and bruised. Her nightgown was torn in several places, that left her exposed.

He raised his hand without a second thought, prepared to cast Greater Heal. A purple magic circle began to form over his palm, but just as it appeared...

A greenish glow flared from the markings on Ishtar’s right arm.

She was trembling slightly, still clutching Valerie’s hand, but her power had already activated. The glow traveled from her arm, flowing directly into Valerie like a current of light.

Ethan stopped his spell, and watched as Valerie’s wounds began to close. Her breathing steadied, and within moments, she was able to push herself up to sit upright.

Ethan let out a subtle breath of relief before asking, "What happened?"

Ishtar shook her head. "I didn’t mean to... " She began again.

Valerie exhaled slowly, then spoke. "Her attack was more than what my defenses could hold against. It wasn’t her fault."

Ethan sighed and shook his head. His eyes swept over Valerie again, assessing her condition.

Only then did he really take in the state of her clothes.

Immediately, he pulled off his white shirt and stepped forward, placing it over her shoulders himself. He adjusted it carefully, making sure she was properly covered.

Valerie froze for a moment, and a faint warmth crept up her cheeks. It was a blush she didn’t seem to notice.

Ethan stepped back. "It’s late, guys. Let’s head inside."

They both nodded.

"Yes, Master Ethan," Valerie said softly.

Ishtar followed quietly with her gaze fixed on the ground? while Nina dissolved into motes of purple light.

As they made their way back toward the manor, Hayley walked beside Ethan. "It’s endearing, how well you treat the people around you."

He gave a smile. "They’re all I’ve got."

As they continued walking, Hayley’s eyes drifted upward to the full moon in the sky and she let out a sigh.

—- 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Back inside...

"I’ll be heading up," Hayley said.

Ethan nodded. "Alright."

She turned and made her way upstairs while Ethan returned to the table where he had been working earlier.

He sat down, picked up the pen, then paused "Ah yes...The reward."

He hadn’t checked it yet, so he mentally willed the system to reveal the rewards.

[You have received a Special Reward.]

Then the next screen appeared.

[You have obtained: Sigil of the Spirit King.]

"...Sigil of the Spirit King? That’s new"

[Sigil of the Spirit King: The user may inscribe the Sigil of the Spirit King upon a chosen individual]

[Those marked become the Blessed of the Spirit King]

[At this time, only one may bear this sigil]

Ethan frowned slightly as he read on.

[Effects:]

• The Blessed may call upon the user by invoking the sigil mentally or verbally.

• Upon activation, the user may respond directly through the sigil.

• The user may deploy assistance through the sigil, including his summon to the Blessed’s location.

Ethan’s expression changed. "...Wait."

The next line appeared.

[Upon the death of a Blessed, the Spirit King holds primary claim over their soul before its return to the Well of the Undying.]

"...Whoa. Whoa—"

He stared at the screen. "Blessed? What does that mean in this context?"

[Further information unavailable at this time.]

Ethan exhaled and shook his head. However, he went over it in his thoughts. Even without the full explanation, he understood that the sigil’s functions

And more importantly, he already knew who he would use it on first.

—-

Much later that night...

Ethan stirred awake. No matter when he slept, his body had grown accustomed to waking at this hour to train, unless he was completely exhausted.

It was the time he trained, when he wasn’t bothered with work or guild activities.

He sat up slowly, brushing his hand through his hair. His gaze shifted, narrowing slightly at the figure on the balcony.

It was Hayley and she was staring out into the night. That was... unusual.

Ethan swung his legs off the bed and rose, walking toward her.

"Hayley," he began. "Usually I’m the one out here at this hour—"

In the next instant, she turned, closed the short distance between them, and seized the front of his shirt, pulling him into a kiss.

Ethan’s eyes widened, caught completely off guard as her lips pressed against his.

She pulled away just as quickly and Ethan stumbled back a step, with a stunned expression.

Hayley stood there for a moment, with her head lowered and face flushed a deep red. Her breathing was uneven, her hands still trembling slightly.

"I’m... sorry," she muttered in a barely audible voice.

And before he could respond, she blurred away in a flash, disappearing from the room and leaving the door wide open behind her.

Ethan looked pretty much dazed, his heart beating faster than it should. Then he exhaled slowly and made his way downstairs.

The living room was empty, but the main door was slightly open so he followed the path outside.

Hayley was standing on the porch, a few steps from the entrance. Her arms were crossed as she kept staring towards the moon.

Ethan approached slowly and stood beside her.

They were both silent for a moment before he finally asked in a calm voice, "What was that?"

Hayley didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she gestured upward with a slight tilt of her head.

Ethan followed her line of sight towards full moon. For a second there was nothing, then his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"...Right," he murmured. "A full moon."

He immediately understood what it was.

Although vampires were naturally creatures of heightened emotion, werewolves experienced something similar.

But only under the full moon. And for them, it was far worse.

On nights like this, every emotion was amplified beyond reason. Irritation could turn into uncontrollable anger. Excitement could spiral into recklessness. Sadness could become so overwhelming.

There was almost no balance to it.

Ethan knew this because he had grown up around House Arcorys, and full moon nights there had always been... unpredictable.

Sometimes calm, sometimes chaos. It all depended on what each person carried into the night.

Hayley let out a shaky breath, then spoke.

"I was at the balcony because it was difficult to stay in the same bed with my intrusive thoughts."

"It’s always there normally, but on this night, restraints are harder."

She paused, her hands clenching into fists.

"It’s so difficult trying to resist you," she continued, her voice cracking slightly. "And I just... I want to have you all to myself. I know I can’t, but I—"

She cut herself off, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Shit. Sorry. It’s the moon talking. Urgh!"

She yelled the last part in frustration, her voice breaking as she turned away from him.

"Now I’m mad because I can’t have it, and I’m mad that I’m mad!"

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh at that point

Hayley spun around with narrowed eyes . "What?"

Ethan raised his hands quickly, still smiling. "Nothing. Sorry, sorry."

She glared at him.

Ethan’s smile softened, and he said, "I know where you can channel all that vexation."

"Where?" She asked.

"I usually wake by this time to train," he said. "So maybe you can join me and let it all out."

Hayley stared at him for a moment, then exhaled. "...Fine."

And with that, they both disappeared from that spot.