The school corridors were hushed under the glow of artificial moonlight, shadows long and sound muted. Rosalina walked the moonlit halls with practiced poise—but beneath the calm, her heart twisted with thoughts she couldn't name.
She had seen Subaru that evening, leaning against the wall outside their classroom. Headphones in, gaze averted, jaw clenched. Their eyes met only once. His crimson glance held nothing—no flicker of memory from the night on the rooftop, no acknowledgment of the lingering silence between them.
He looked away first.
At lunch, he was gone. The rooftop was empty, the wind colder without his silent presence beside her.
She sat alone beneath the sakura tree, her untouched bento beside her. She tried not to let the disappointment show.
---
Something gnawed at Subaru all day.
A pressure behind his eyes. A weight in his chest. It wasn't just Rosalina's stare he avoided—it was everything. Like some invisible thread tugged him toward the edge of town. By nightfall, it became unbearable.
He left school without a word, coat flapping behind him as he headed toward the woods.
The forest breathed strangely that night.
Moonlight dripped through the branches like liquid silver. The air shimmered with tension, heavy and still. Subaru's boots barely made a sound as he moved deeper into the trees, guided by instinct. Something—someone—was calling him.
That's when he heard it.
The ring of steel slicing through air. Then—a scream. Not one of fear.
One of war.
Subaru sprinted through the thickets, shoving aside branches. He burst into a clearing—and froze.
Rosalina.
But not the girl from school. Not the quiet one who smiled through her sadness and handed him neatly packed bentos.
The gentle girl who offered him tea and shy glances was gone. In her place stood a force of nature—elegant, lethal, incandescent.
She moved like a phantom.
Her light pink hair whipped in the wind like silk ablaze, violet eyes glowing with focused fury. In her hands gleamed two longswords—one glowing silver-white, the other humming with cold blue light. Silver runes pulsed along the blades with each movement, catching the moonlight and warping it. Her stance was poised, low, lethal.
The wind responded to her.
Leaves swirled unnaturally, drawn into her orbit. The sound of her blades—each clash—rang like distant chimes. Subaru's breath hitched.
Shadowy figures surrounded her. Not men—things. Warped silhouettes, limbs too long, torsos made of smoke and hate. Red eyes blinked open and closed across their bodies like breathing wounds.
"What the hell…" he whispered.
Then they lunged.
Rosalina exploded into motion, a blur of glowing metal and fire. She moved with terrifying grace—slicing through the first shadow in a cross-slash that disintegrated it in a shriek. The second rushed her blindside, but she twisted, swords flashing behind her like wings—parrying and impaling in the same breath.
"She's trained," Subaru muttered, eyes wide. "Really trained…"
But it was more than skill. It was a dance.
Each movement flowed into the next. She didn't falter. Didn't flinch. She spun between enemies, leapt off trees, carved intricate patterns into air itself. The air shimmered with her rhythm. She wasn't just fighting—she was alive in a way he had never seen before.
Then a battle cry tore from her throat—raw, fierce.
Subaru's chest constricted. Christa.
A flicker. Bloodied hands. Screams.
Blood on white walls.
Christa screaming.
His name, twisted with madness.
He flinched.
It shouldn't have reminded him of her.
But it did.
And yet… this was different. Rosalina's fury wasn't born of madness—it was controlled. Beautiful. Terrifying.
One of the shadows sliced her arm—dark mist licked across her skin.
Blood.
Subaru's nose twitched. Her blood—it smelled like wildflowers. Like rain. Like something warm and forgotten. It was comforting. Familiar. Like home.
And that terrified him more than anything.
He gritted his teeth. "Why the hell is she doing this alone?"
Three shadows closed in. Rosalina's eyes narrowed. She ducked low, slid across the moss, then arched up—both blades sweeping in opposite directions, cleanly decapitating the creatures. They burst into smoke, vanishing into the night.
Her breath was steady. No trembling. No hesitation.
Subaru's eyes narrowed. She wasn't human.
But not vampire either.
She moved like someone used to being alone in battle.
"She's done this before," Subaru murmured. "Too many times."
Then the earth trembled.
From the woods emerged a beast—twice as tall, with horns curling like broken spires. Its eyes glowed white-hot. Its body pulsed like a living shadow—an amalgamation of dozens of the creatures she had slain.
Rosalina didn't hesitate.
She charged.
Blades flashing, magic sparking off her skin, she screamed as she struck—only for the monster to catch both swords in its claws. Sparks exploded as steel ground against darkness.
Then—crack.
The beast hurled her like a broken doll.
She flew.
Subaru didn't think.
He vanished from the trees in a flash of movement, catching her mid-air. One arm cradled her back, the other supported her legs. She clutched his coat, fingers trembling.
"You saw me…" she whispered, breath even, eyes surprised to see him here.
"You're insane," he muttered, half in awe. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
A weak smile curved her lips. "You never asked."
He lowered her gently to the moss.
"Stay down," he growled, rising. "I'll finish it."
"Subaru…"
He was gone.
He slammed into the beast like a meteor, fists flying, rage ignited. Each strike echoed like thunder. The creature howled as he drove it into the ground—again, and again—until it burst into black mist, shattering the silence.
Breathing hard, Subaru turned.
Rosalina was sitting up, lips parted in awe.
"You're crazy," he muttered, walking back to her. "Who the hell picks a sword fight with monsters?"
"The kind who won't let what she loves be taken."
His steps faltered.
"What… are you protecting?"
She looked away. "Secret."
He knelt beside her. Gently touched her forehead. "You're bleeding."
She reached up, brushed a leaf from his cheek. "So are you."
Their hands met.
Warm.
And then—a flicker.
Where her skin touched his, a faint pulse glowed. Like embers.
Subaru stared. So did she.
A warm current ran between them—faint, ancient. Unknown.
"Magic?" he muttered.
But Rosalina said nothing.
Behind them, the mist from the monster hadn't fully vanished. One shadowed tendril quivered—and hissed.
"Eldrheim…"
Subaru's eyes snapped to it—but it was gone.
He froze. That word. That name. It echoed in his mind like a bell from another life.
Rosalina didn't look surprised.
"Who are you really?" he asked, voice low.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she rose—limping slightly. Then reached for her neck.
From beneath her collar, she removed a pendant—a delicate silver charm shaped like a blooming rose.
She placed it in his palm.
"What is this?"
"A favor."
"I don't need—"
"You kept me from falling."
He didn't speak.
She turned from him. Began walking.
He stared at the pendant. Then pocketed it.
Behind them, in the tree line, Subaru spotted a carving. A symbol. Not Japanese. Not vampire. Angular. Old.
"Rosalina."
She glanced back.
He pointed. "We're not alone."
Her gaze lingered. Then she whispered, "I know."
Far above, a raven cawed. It vanished into mist.
Somewhere far away, Karlheinz closed a book.
His eyes narrowed.
---
They walked in silence back through the forest. The clearing behind them still shimmered.
Rosalina stumbled. Subaru caught her elbow—just briefly.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Tch. It wasn't a big deal."
"It was to me."
Later, beneath a break in the canopy, she leaned against his chest—forehead resting just below his collarbone.
He hesitated.
Then—slowly, awkwardly—wrapped his arms around her.
It was a clumsy embrace. Not the kind of hug someone planned. But one that meant everything.
Neither spoke.
But it was all there—in the warmth, the quiet, the pulse of shared breath.
Two warriors beneath the stars.
Unspoken hearts.
And a war that had only just begun.
---
Behind them, the earth where the horned beast had fallen hummed.
A new symbol etched itself into the moss—glowing faintly.
And the wind whispered through the leaves:
"She is not what she seems…"
---