On the outskirts of Forks, in a villa nestled in the mountains.
The villa’s exterior was rich with artistic flair — one glance was enough to tell it was designed by a brilliant architect.
But strangely, when designing this house, the architect seemed to have given no thought to security or privacy.
Both the entrance and the walls used large panels of tempered glass.
As if they weren’t worried in the slightest about people peering inside.
Within the building, figures gathered together.
All of them had pale skin — the men handsome, the women slender and beautiful.
“Alice… why did you contact us in such a hurry? Is something wrong?”
The burly man at the front spoke in a lively tone.
At his side, a blonde beauty suddenly nudged his chest with her elbow, gesturing ahead.
In the center of the group, a petite short-haired beauty sat on the sofa, her expression — rather than grave — better described as terrified.
They had never seen her wear such an expression.
It was as if she had witnessed the end of the world.
The petite beauty called Alice seemed to be calming herself. After a moment, she finally spoke.
“Two very powerful beings have come from outside.”
“They’ve already entered the town.”
Powerful beings?
Everyone exchanged glances.
“Is that all?”
The blonde beauty beside the burly man pressed further.
“Is there anything else? Any more details?”
“I… I don’t dare say.”
Alice was somewhat disoriented, shaking her head.
She had never wished so desperately that the future she had foreseen was false.
Seeing this, everyone’s gaze fell upon a young man.
He had remained silent throughout. Though he looked young, the gloom and composure about him were not something a child his age could possibly possess.
“Edward…”
“I understand.”
Edward focused intently, staring at Alice as if trying to see something within her.
As the only member of the family with the ability to read minds, he could describe what the seer had seen on her behalf.
A young man carrying a long canvas bag on his back and luggage in hand entered the town along with the crowd.
As he swayed, a corner of the bag’s contents was inadvertently revealed.
【A sword hilt?】
Before Edward could think further, the next scene followed immediately.
In a sky thick with dark clouds, a being with enormous bone wings, shaped like a bat, battled a human figure.
Rather than a battle, “slaughter” was a more fitting description.
Around the figure, dense streaks of light swirled. The light caught up to and shredded the bat-like shadow.
The scene resembled a magical battle straight out of a blockbuster film.
Afterward, the remaining images became fragmented.
A female vampire with reddish-brown hair fled in panic, covered in mud.
She scrambled to this place, reaching out to them as if begging for help.
But then, a flying longsword pierced through her body.
The scene shifted again.
Deep in a misty forest, numerous family members charged forward one after another…
Only to be reduced to severed limbs, lying on the ground, never to rise again…
The figure stood in the air, looking down at the one whose eyes beheld the vision. An overwhelming sense of oppression and a thick aura of death spread outward…
The vision came to an abrupt end, and Edward’s cold, rigid face furrowed, his expression turning grim.
“What was that? An exorcist?”
Edward immediately asked Alice, but she only shook her head.
Her frame was already small; in her fear, she curled up her long legs.
Sitting on the sofa, she was like a frightened cat.
“What are you two being so cryptic about over there?”
The muscular man grew impatient.
Edward and Alice had been going back and forth for quite a while without clearly explaining what had been foreseen.
“There’s no need to fear. Whatever it is, we can discuss and resolve it together… We’re family, aren’t we?”
The blonde beauty stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Alice’s shoulder.
“Edward, tell us what you saw.”
“A being that can fly through the sky, manipulate magic, and kill vampires with ease has come to town.”
Edward didn’t beat around the bush.
“From his actions, he seems to be an exorcist who specializes in hunting monsters and vampires.”
At these words, the room fell silent.
Everyone present looked young, but their true identities were vampires who had lived for over a century.
The Cullen family.
A strange family built around Carlisle Cullen.
Strange because they were different from vampires who typically prey on humans.
Members of the family sustained themselves on animal blood instead of human blood — vegetarians among vampires, so to speak.
Over the years, the Cullen family had encountered so-called vampire hunters and exorcists.
But those people posed no threat to them.
They weren’t afraid of garlic or sunlight. They were strong and fast.
Apart from vampires killing each other, no one could take their lives.
But now they were being told that a being capable of killing vampires had arrived.
“Flying… manipulating magic… Ha, since when did you start joking, Edward?”
The muscular man’s first reaction was disbelief, but looking around, no one was smiling.
“You’ve been with him for centuries and still don’t know his personality? He’s as dull as a stone at the bottom of the sea that hasn’t changed in ten thousand years.”
The blonde beauty beside the muscular man spoke, exasperated with her partner, her tone somewhat sharp.
After hearing this, the smile on the muscular man’s face gradually faded, his eyes widening.
“Magic users actually exist? Hell of a thing.”
“Not quite like the exorcists I remember…”
The gentle woman who had remained silent until now spoke.
Her name was Esme, one of the eldest among the Cullen family.
“I think I can roughly understand now what humans feel when they learn we exist.”
The muscular man sighed.
“You say that as if you weren’t converted from a human yourself.”
The blonde beauty retorted without mercy.
“Is this person our enemy?”
Esme looked at Edward.
“It seems so, but I can’t be certain. Alice’s visions are mostly from her own first-person perspective, and subjective influence is very strong.”
“Regardless, it’s best to be cautious for the time being.”
Esme was clearly the backbone of the group.
“Once Carlisle returns, we’ll discuss it carefully. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t go out casually.”
At this point, the gentle woman couldn’t help but turn her head, her eyes full of worry.
That was the direction of the clinic where Carlisle worked.
Now the Cullen family was almost entirely assembled, except for Carlisle, the head of the household.
After centuries together, she rarely worried about her husband’s safety.
【I hope you return safely, Carlisle.】
Just as the woman prayed for her husband in her heart, an emergency patient arrived at the clinic.
“Dr. Carlisle Cullen, there’s a patient here with severe injuries… You’re needed to perform the surgery.”
The receptionist came to the on-duty doctor’s office to inform him.
