The ship moved steadily across the silent sea.

Its massive hull sat deep in the water, lined with rows of glowing portholes. Through them, the warm, busy life of hundreds of passengers flickered on every deck. At the rear, a grand sterncastle rose in ivory-trimmed layers, proud and tall.

The wooden ship was enormous. Easily carrying more than three hundred souls.

It was night. The sky was clear and open.

For many of the village folk on board, it was a sight they had never seen before.

A full moon hung in the sky, pouring soft silver light over the dark water. The sea mirrored the moon and stars back perfectly, as if the heavens had doubled.

The gentle sound of flowing water put everyone at ease.

"It’s so beautiful," Katherine said softly, standing at the railing with her friends.

"Yes." Steffeny stood beside her, a quiet smile on her lips. "I’d only ever heard others talk about how beautiful the sea could be... and now, here I am, seeing it for the first time."

"You two only care about the view?" Ethan cut in cheerfully, rubbing his belly. "The food we just ate, that was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. I couldn’t believe food that good actually existed. All this time, we were eating something so bland!"

"Ha! I have to agree with you on that," Julian laughed. "I’ve never eaten so much in my life. It was just too good to stop."

"And those machines and gadgets!" Ethan’s eyes lit up. "They’re incredible. My father told me about them, but seeing them with my own eyes, I was completely stunned. There’s so much more we need to see!"

"We’ll see everything!"

The group laughed and talked excitedly, swept up in the wonder of it all.

Then Ethan paused. "By the way, where’s Amon?"

Katherine smirked. "Where do you think? He’s with Scarlett, of course. Those two are probably somewhere under the moonlight right now."

"Ah. Yeah, that sounds about right."

---

At that moment, Amon and Scarlett were together, somewhere quiet, somewhere no one else would wander.

Amon had brought her there.

It was the crow’s nest.

High up on one of the masts, a small circular platform sat at the top. The place where sailors kept watch, scanning the horizon for danger. Right now, it belonged to just the two of them.

They sat side by side, backs resting against the mast. Amon in a plain black shirt, Scarlett in her familiar brown outfit. The distant sound of their friends chatting below drifted up faintly.

Amon was on Scarlett’s right side.

"So... you’ll go back tomorrow," Amon said, eyes lifted to the sky. "Back home. And I’ll change ships that will take me to Valmoria."

The night sky above them was breathtaking. Stars scattered everywhere, the moon full and glowing, almost too beautiful to be real.

He turned and looked at her.

Her figure was lit softly by the moonlight. Her long red hair fell down her back, a few strands drifting across her face, partly hiding one of her eyes. The other that clear, amethyst eye was fixed quietly on the horizon.

Something Amon couldn’t quite name stirred deep in his chest.

"Yes," she said simply. "I’ll go back." Like it was nothing.

But Amon could tell. She was sad too about their parting.

He reached over and took her right hand, fingers folding gently between hers.

"You know... I’m going to miss you. A lot."

"Mm. I know."

"And you? Will you miss me?"

"Why would I?" she said evenly. "Once I’m home, my life goes back to normal. I’ll be very busy."

"Ouch." Amon let out a soft laugh and looked away. "You really know how to hurt someone, Scarlett."

She glanced at him then.

His face had a burn mark, a few faint scars. Black hairs were sligtly longer. He wasn’t the kind of man people called handsome, not exactly. But to Scarlett. He was charming in a way she couldn’t explain. And right now, just a little, he looked... almost cute. Slightly sulky over her answer.

She didn’t say that out loud.

"Since we’re going our separate ways tomorrow," Amon said quietly, "let me give you my blood one last time."

Scarlett didn’t answer right away. Then she nodded. "...Mm."

She reached for his hand, but he stopped her.

"Not like that." His voice was quiet. "Not this time."

He shifted to face her fully. He release his hand that was holding hers. Then, slowly, he raised his left hand and pulled his collar aside the fabric sliding away to expose the curve of his neck.

He didn’t say anything more. He didn’t need to.

The gesture said everything.

He was asking her to drink from there. From his neck. From the place that meant something.

Because among vampires, everyone knew. The neck was not just a place. It was a declaration. A vampire only drank from the neck of someone they loved, someone who held a place in their heart that no one else could fill.

The red color flooded Scarlett’s cheeks before she could stop it.

She opened her mouth. Words formed somewhere in her mind, a protest, a deflection.

But nothing came out.

Amon watched her with that expression she could never quite read. Somewhere between warm and playful.

"What?" A slow smile tugged at his lips. "Can’t do it?"

Her jaw tightened. She pressed her lips into a thin line.

Then without giving him even a second to prepare, she moved. She placed both hands flat against his chest and pushed.

Amon went down, his back meeting the wooden surface with a dull thud.

Thud

He blinked up at the open sky, slightly stunned.

Before he could react, she was already there straddling his hips, her knees pressed firmly on either side of him. Locking him under her. She sat on him and looked down at him from above.

Her eyes had shifted. That soft amethyst had bled away into something deeper. A glowing, burning red that lit her face from within. Her cheeks were flushed dark. Strands of red hair had fallen loose across her face. Few of the sway with her cool night breeze.

Amon stared up at her.

The surprise on his face lasted only a moment. Because a gentle smile formed on his face.