"How am I here…?" Jane asked herself. "I am sure I was sleeping in my room."
Jane grabbed a fistful of sand from the dessert and muttered, "It's cold…"
She slapped herself, thinking she was in a dream and everything was fake. She thought she would wake up, but even after hitting herself, she was still there.
"Ow!"
She glanced around and walked forward, seemingly looking for something.
"Where is that door?"
Still, she was afraid to run into the cloaked figure from last time.
"Am I trapped here?" she wondered. "Rudy was with me last time, so I wasn't that scared. But right now, I am alone."
Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled shortly after and opened her eyes with a resolute expression on her face.
"My name is Jane OrionHeart, the heir to the throne and the third strongest vampire alive. I am Rudy's wife— who is the almighty Lord. I have no reason to fear anything. I will face my fear and surpass my limits. I will become the child of the blue moon!"
She yelled out loud in the middle of the desert.
She smiled as her gaze fell on the colossal glass hand that Rudy had made.
"Rudy is here with me."
She looked up at the sky at the full blue moon and said, "You can't do anything to me!"
Suddenly, her attention was diverted by a popping sound. It was a soft and weak sound, but it sounded loud enough to be heard by anyone— especially in a place like the desert.
Jane saw a five clover leaf where the blood moon tree once stood. The leaf grew more and turned into a plant. Within a second, it had become a young tree with one blue moon fruit ripening on a branch.
[Eat this, and you shall receive vast knowledge that surpasses all. You will also acquire prowess that is second to none. Nobody will ever dare to block your path again. Not even the despicable Lord be able to match your existence.]
Jane recalled the words of the cloaked figure.
She looked at the fruit with an alluring gaze as though she was attracted to it. It was like a forbidden fruit to her, which she knew she shouldn't eat in any circumstances. But she couldn't help it, nor could she resist the temptation.
"What should I do…?" she gulped down nervously and muttered, "If I eat it, I will gain vast knowledge. But should I believe what the cloaked figure said? Even more, it seemed like it bore hatred towards the Lord. Right now, the Lord is Rudy.
If I eat this fruit, does that mean I will become Rudy's enemy? I don't understand. How would eating this fruit and gaining knowledge make me his enemy? I love Rudy more than anything, and nothing can change that. Love doesn't die."
Jane stared at the blue moon fruit for a few seconds and slowly moved her hand towards it.
"I may be the third strongest, but I am nothing compared to Rudy. I lack many things. If I eat this fruit, maybe I will be able to help him with the things he wants to know? I am doing this for his sake. I want to be worthy to be his wife," she stated in an emotionless voice.
The blue moon fruit shined as the blue moon's light spread across the desert.
PLUCK!
Jane felt the fruit in her hand, and its fresh smell filled her lungs, which made her lose her senses. Her eyes shined blue even though they were red.
The only thing in her mind was to eat the fruit. Her thirst to become useful to Rudy boosted the effect of the blue moon fruit.
She opened her mouth and moved the fruit close. Her fangs elongated as the fruit got closer to her mouth.
"Stop it."
Just when she was about to take a bite from the blood moon fruit, a voice called out to her and asked her to stop. But of course, Jane didn't hear it, or rather, she couldn't hear it as she had lost all her senses.
"Jane. If you do that, everything will change," the voice said as it got closer, seemingly walking towards Jane.
The voice belonged to none other than Nyxia. She grabbed Jane's hand and snapped her out of it.
Jane's eyes turned normal as she exhaled sharply.
"Grandma… Nyxia… what are you doing here?" she asked in confusion.
Nyxia stared into Jane's eyes and said, "I am dream walking."
"What…? But… why are you here? This place is… I don't know what, but it's not safe…"
"I don't want to hear that from you." She pointed her gaze at the fruit in Jane's hand and asked, "What were you going to do?"
"What do you—" Jane stopped on her words when she saw the blue moon fruit in her hand. Her eyes widened as she looked at the tree and found no fruit there.
"Why…? I don't remember plucking it…"
"This blue fruit tree, the blue moon, and everything here plays with one's emotion and gives them a false dream of what they want the most. You must have wished for something, and it took advantage of your feeling," Nyxia stated.
"I…" Jane lowered her gaze in embarrassment and muttered, "I call myself the third strongest vampire alive, yet, I fell for such a pathetic trick."
"It's not your fault. Not in the least. You didn't come here on purpose. You were brought here. And even if you manage to escape this place, you will find yourself here again and again. Every time you sleep, you will wake up here.
The same thing will keep happening until you eat this fruit and accept its promise."
Nyxia asserted with a soft glare in her eyes, seemingly, she was a little angry.
"I see… wait… how do you know about all this?" Jane asked with a confused look on her face.
"..."
"Oh! Obviously, you are all knowledgeable." Jane laughed awkwardly.
"You must know everything."
"Ever wondered why?" Nyxia asked with a judging look on her face.
Thanks, @puremichigan, for the gift!
***
A/N- Date- 14th July- This is the bonus chapter for reaching 500 Golden Tickets. Next one at 1000 Golden Tickets!
