It was raining. Gloomy and cold.

Xiumin, who was looking out to the darkness from the window of his room didn’t bother to start a fire at his fireplace. He realized neither he had been standing like this for 4 hours nor it was already past midnight. 
Occasional lightning was the only light that illuminated his stoic face and empty eyes.

[Would she have been still alive if I had stayed beside her?] 

He was absent-mindedly fiddling with his fingers like he usually does when in deep thought. 

Rain and darkness. His long-buried memories were resurfacing one by one. Of the night when he received the message of Irene’s death, his lovely bride. 

Even though 400 years had passed already, he was nowhere near to forget her. Nor the guilt that he couldn’t protect her. 
He always thinks about Irene’s death during rainstorms. Whether if he could have done anything differently to keep her from dying then. If he could meet her again, he wouldn’t mind losing his life. Immortality already had lost its appeal a long time ago. 

Oh, how much he wanted to meet her again! Even just once... He had so much to say to her. He wanted to see her smile. The smile only reserved for him. 

He thought he had moved on. After all, so much time had passed already. He thought time would heal him. 

His heart was aching. Even if his eyes got blurry, he didn’t stop looking into the darkness. He couldn’t stop looking. He was trembling.

People think he’s immune to coldness. He really is. But on nights like this, he gets cold to his bones. Nothing could warm his lonely soul. 

 

Suddenly street lamps came into life breaking him out of his trans. He guessed that the mansion’s workers fixed electricity problem caused by weather in his mess of a mind. 

Right when he was about to turn around to go to his bed, he caught sight of a familiar face. “Irene?”

His heart was beating like crazy. 

He ran out of his room all choked up. [Has my prayer finally reached to you? Please, be real]
He used to get hallucinations of her for a long time after her death. He had lost count of how many times he reached out to empty air. 

Fortunately, when he got out, she was still there. Walking towards him with a bright smile. 

“I... you... I missed... I missed you,” he finally managed to choke out these words as he held her. He hugged her tightly as possible without breaking her. 

He was crying his heart out as he nuzzled her neck, feeling her warmth. For the first time, he felt warm. 

When she hugged him back and patted his back, he cried even harder. Finally letting out all the emotions that had been bottled up for 400 years.

"Don’t.. leave me... a-again. Please.. please...”

 

[Whoa. It’s like Joonmyeon hyung and Jongdae hyung are fighting. It’s amazing how their power went together so well even when fighting,] Sehun thought, remembering his brothers.

It’s been four days since Anir left the mansion. As usual, she didn’t tell Sehun how long she would be away this time. Knowing her, she could come at any time. Right now, tomorrow or even a week later. 

Without her, the mansion was a lot quieter and less playful. Only sources of excitement were Little Xiao and annoying duo, DK and Seungkwan. Even they were moodier than normal without Anir.

Sehun told everyone that he finally found peace, but he was bored without Anir. However, he would rather jump off a cliff than admitting it. 

Hearing the booming thunder sound, he was reminded of their 'first' meeting. 

He chuckled quietly and opened his room’s window to put his hand out. 
[I still don’t know what she was doing that day to end up in that church which had been abandoned for more than a decade,] he shook his head. [And in a deep forest, too.]

 

Five years ago. Outside of Smallville town. 

 

“Ugh. I hate the rain. It’s been raining nonstop for two days! When will it stop?!!” he screamed in frustration. 

It seems constant water drops from the roof hole finally got to him. 

Ever since he started to live here, ten years ago, he didn’t make any effort to improve his living conditions. Not like vampires need anything much. Well, if he was from low rank,  he probably would have to close any opening and cracks to keep the sun out. Since that was not the case, he had been lazily lying around most of the time. Mostly on his handmade coffin. 

[I should have hunted,] he thought as he held his throat in hope for soothing the burning sensation. After all, it’s been two weeks since he last drank blood. To punish himself, he didn’t even drink blood that much. 

300 years ago, he completely stopped drinking from humans. After the Great War and Moon kingdom’s fall, everything changed for vampires. Survived vampires, that’s it. They had to absolutely hide their presence. Because of that, they managed to become a mere bedtime story for children.

Sehun thinks that’s for the best. Although, he tries to help survived ones as best as he could. 

 

As he was contemplating whether to go out and hunt, he heard the front door opening and followed by a heavy thud. [What?]

When he turned around to look, there was an unconscious girl fell face down on the floor. Maybe in her mid-teens. 

“Seriously?”. Even if he was annoyed he just couldn’t leave her alone.

When he came close to her, he felt it. His blood. From her.

“... You are... here.” He was shocked. Mostly because he didn’t think he would meet her again. 

As he picked her up, the memories of the car accident from ten years ago came flooding his mind. 
He saved this girl from that accident by giving her his blood. 

While he was carefully laying her down on his coffin, he suddenly registered the fresh blood smell. 

“I didn’t save he