Legendary Shadow Blacksmith

____________________________________________

Earth. Sky Net. Julian’s Apartment. Year 94XX. 2 years before participating in the Otherworld Project.

____________________________________________

“Trust me, Julian! This would look very good on you!”

[I agree. I wholeheartedly agree 1000%]

“Can the two of you at least tell me who I am dressing up as?”

“I already told you! You’re hot Dracula!”

“W—”

Halloween—a tradition of the planet Earth that withstood the test of time even after thousands and thousands of years. Wars passed and entire civilizations moved to the moon and several other planets, and yet Halloween has forever remained in the hearts of people.

They have forgotten how it started, but it did not matter at all. It was a brief moment of time when adults with responsibilities could dress up and act wildly like children again.

And right now, with a weight literally being inserted inside his mouth, Julian’s costume was complete.

“What did you put inside my mouth?” Julian licked the thing attached to his teeth, only to feel a soft sharpness brushing the tip of his tongue.

“...Fangs, Julian.” Ellie sighed, wiping her finger on her own costume before finally standing beside Julian and wrapping her hands around his arm, “Dracula’s a vampire, and vampires have fangs.”

“...And who are you dressed up as?” Julian tilted his head to the side as he felt the soft feathers touch him… or perhaps it was fur?

“I’m your werewolf girlfriend.” Ellie shrugged as she started dragging Julian out of the apartment, “Now come on, we’re going to miss the party!”

“There’s… a party?” Julian hesitated, “But I was supposed to finish a sword I was—”

“Julian.” Ellie groaned and sighed as she hastened her pace, quickly getting onto the elevator before Julian could decide to completely stay for the night, “Forget about your knives. Forget about everything else and just enjoy dressing up and partying for now—there’s more to the world than just this apartment and your… your swords.”

“I know there is more to the world, Ellie…” Julian quietly hummed as he felt the elevator descend, “...But everything that I want and need is already within my reach—you.”

“That…” Ellie almost choked on her own breath, “...Please don’t say things like that in public. I… I might want to return home quickly.”

“Then perhaps I should say more things like that so we’ll go home.” A hint of a smile crawled on Julian’s face, “But are we really going to a party…? I don’t think what I’m wearing will be appropriate for it.”

“Oh, how so…?” Ellie asked as the elevator doors opened.

“I can feel the wind on my chest and stomach,” Julian muttered as he patted his chest, which was bare for everyone to see. He was only wearing a long leather coat and pants—and complimented by a long, silky white wig.

His chest and rock-hard abs, open for everyone to appreciate.

“Well…” Ellie giggled as she walked ahead while still holding his hand, turning around and smiling even though he couldn’t see her, “...I want to flaunt you to the world, Julian. I want everyone to see that you and I belong to each other.”

“You and I do belong to each other.” Julian tilted his head, “Why do the others matter?”

“They don’t.” Ellie sighed as she returned to Julian’s side and walked beside him; guiding him across the neon streets of the Ground Level, “Nothing else matters besides us. But still…

…I want them to know that you’re mine.”

______________________________

Ground Level. The Sauvage - Medieval Themed Bar.

______________________________

“I’ll go get us some drinks, Julian! Do you want anything!?”

“Water.”

“Try something more exciting, please!”

“Water… with ice.”

“That’s… good!”

Julian was having a hard time making out which footsteps were Ellie’s as she walked away. His senses, being drowned by all the music, murmurs, and the drumming of everyone’s bodies as they caused the very floor itself to quake from their dance.

He had lived for more than 25 years, and yet this might be the first time he actually stepped on a club—and this might be the last time—if there was ever a moment in the future when he returned to a place like this, well… it would probably be because of Ellie again.

The only thing he could do now to prevent sensory overload was to grab the high-top table in front of him, focusing on only himself and nothing else. But alas, the silence he wanted to achieve was short-lived as MEGAN suddenly screamed in his mind.

[Ah! Warning, Julian! Warning! Hostiles approaching!]

“Hostiles? What are you—”

“Hi there, are you with someone?”

“Hm?” Julian tilted his head to the side as he heard several voices approach him, “Are they talking to me, MEGAN?”

[Yes! Be careful, Julian. Just from the thickness of their makeup alone, they are up to no good—they are barely even wearing anything! Do they even call that costumes!?]

“Yes.” Julian answered the strangers, “I am with someone.”

“Well, we don’t see anyone.” The women giggled, surrounding Julian and moving awfully close to him; some even letting their fingers wander across Julian’s thick chest, “Why don’t you join us instead and we could… have some fun?”

“No, thank you.” Julian didn’t hesitate at all, “I’m with someone.”

“Stop being so boring… if you want, we can go to the back and you can do it with all of us.” The woman giggled, “You seem strong, I know you can… hold all of us. I’ll… even let you do it in the back.”

“I don’t think so.” Julian hummed.

“We’re serious… we’ll let you do it.”

“I do not know what all of you mean by that.” Julian let out a small sigh as he was starting to get annoyed.

“They meant this, Julian.”

And before anyone else could react or respond, Ellie suddenly came to Julian’s rescue—well, if it could actually be called rescue as she just slipped past the other women, wrapping her arms around Julian’s neck before sticking her tongue into his mouth.

And she did not stop there at all, she even lifted one of her legs and rubbed it across Julian’s thigh.

“Well…” Ellie leaned away, a grin crawling across her lips as she wiped them with her fingers. She wasn’t only wiping a mixture of both their saliva, no—she was also wiping blood, her blood as her lips were nicked by Julian’s sharp fangs, “...Why don’t we leave and just go home for the night, Julian?”

“Are you sure?” Julian tilted his head to the side, “But we just got here.”

“It’s fine.” Ellie let out a small giggle as she pulled Julian away, “I’ve already shown them you’re mine. MEGAN should have seen the horror on their faces, pft.”

“Hm.” Julian just once again hummed as he let Ellie drag him away, “I am still curious about something, Ellie.”

“Hm? What is it…?”

“When they said about doing it in the back, what did they mean by that?” Julian asked.

“Oh…” And a soft, and very long breath escaped Ellie’s lips as soon as she heard that, “Well…

…I suppose I’ll have to quench your curiosity now. You seem to be a little thirsty tonight, Julian.”

“Well… you didn’t get me the water with ice, Ellie.”

“That’s… not what I meant.”

And so, the supposed long night of the couple became short-lived—outside, that is.

Because as soon as they returned to their apartment, the real horror began—for MEGAN, that is. The scenes she had experienced that night were something she wished to delete—but alas, it would forever remain in her memory.

It was a hot, steamy night filled with horrors for her.

[No. Stop... Stop!]