The night wind swirled dried leaves into twisted whirlpools in the air, like some ominous premonition.
Luna Sutton leaned her back against the rough tree trunk, her nails digging deeply into the bark.
She stared at the man who was awakening, a wave of dread washing over her heart.
The man's fingers were twitching, every joint emitting a teeth-gritting "crack" sound.
Under his pale skin appeared web-like blue-purple blood vessels, as if worms were crawling beneath the surface.
Then, he started to violently strike his temples with his knuckles with tremendous force.
It made one wonder if he'd shatter his skull.
"Huh..."
The sudden gasp sounded like a broken bellows drawing air.
At the moment Mael Valerius abruptly opened his eyes, the entire forest's insect chorus eerily ceased.
"Luna...?"
He suddenly laughed manically, "No, no, how could my Luna be this ugly?"
His fingers plunged into his hair, forcefully yanking out strands of black hair with threads of blood.
