There was a time when even the gods had no names. People only knew that various powers existed in the world, and they believed in different things.

Among them, some worshipped the moon, praying fervently for the gift of immortality.

Thus, they received blessings under the moonlight, but became beings that could not live in the sunlight.

The gods grant power according to one's beliefs.

If one believed in a demon, unholy power would be lent to them.

Since they believed in a god while seeking immortality, it meant they were granted immortality.

However, they didn't foresee the curse of the sun.

"Some of them must have willingly accepted immortality, while others did not,"

"There must have been those who despaired, unable to walk under the sun again, and those who were grateful for the chance to live forever under the moonlight."

"All vampires originating from the Moon Clan were creatures of the night."

"Over time, as immortality grew wearisome, some of the Moon Clan began to think."

"Once more, they wished to walk in the sunlight."

"Once more, they wanted to see the world in the brilliant light of the sun."

"Isn't it natural for a being living only in darkness to grow tired of the dark?"

"They tried to overcome the sun."

"The Moon Clan sought to become even more powerful, hoping to defeat the sun with their strength."

"But there were others who thought differently."

"By seeking the sun's forgiveness, they wished to stand under the sun's light once more."

"Vampires who worshipped the sun became the Sun Clan."

"They were the ones who received the sun's forgiveness."

"Rather than seeking the sun's forgiveness, some desired to grow stronger and stand under the sunlight by force."

"After a very long time, both clans managed to face the sun, albeit with great pain."

"They were the vampires who overcame the sun."

"They were the Vampire Lords."

Luna looked at me.

Both had overcome the sun, but in different ways.

Vampires were, in a way, sacred beings born from ancient beliefs.

They were just strange beings who received blessings from some gods and curses from others.

"But this still doesn't change the fact that it's only half a solution, does it?"

Although they could now face the sunlight, most of the Vampire Lords, like what I had seen, experienced immense pain while doing so.

They simply didn't show it.

"As time went on and neared eternity, the true origins of vampires were forgotten, and new lineages of Vampire Lords were created."

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

In the end, the Moon Clan diversified into the Sun Clan and then further diversified into different Vampire Lord families.

I couldn't tell how long a time Luna was talking about, but I knew it was an incredibly long time.

"The oldest families among the Vampire Lords, the Moon and Sun Clans, were bound to have an inevitable fate."

"An inevitable... fate?"

"Yes."

Luna looked at me.

"They enjoyed everything as immortals, but that led to a deficiency they wished to resolve."

"The pain in the sunlight."

"And the longing for life."

"They wanted to become human again."

"To stand under the sunlight."

"To conceive new life."

"They wanted to regain what they had already forsaken."

"By dedicating all their remaining lives to serving both the moon and the sun."

"As a living being, if I were to regain my life, I would devote all of my remaining existence to worshipping the gods," they promised the gods.

"They longed to return to their human form."

The immortal life eventually evoked a yearning for what that very immortality had taken away. She placed one hand on the sculptures of the moon and sun before her.

"The vampires of the Moon Clan and Sun Clan borrowed time in order to return to their human forms."

"They prayed together."

"To both the moon and sun, simultaneously."

"They asked the sun for mercy and the moon for forgiveness."

"They prayed for a time too long to count."

"Even the gods could not ignore the prayers that lasted for such an impossibly long time."

"They had granted immortality, yet like petulant children, they cried out for it to be taken back, those pitiful creatures."

"They wanted to turn away, but ultimately, they couldn't."

Luna looked at me.

"I forgave them."

Her words made my head feel as if it had frozen.

It was a statement that overturned all the assumptions I had made about Luna's words so far.

Not that they had been forgiven.

But that she had forgiven them.

"What... What are you... saying...?"

Luna gazed at me quietly.

"The vampires who returned to their human forms, the descendants of the Moon and Sun Clans, make up the Sun and Moon clan. I am the leader of the Sun and Moon clan, their caretaker."

The Lord of the Sun and Moon clan.

Not one of them, but the one who guided them.

Luna Artorious.

She looked at me, with one hand on the moon and the other on the sun.

"The will of the gods sent down to the world by the gods of the moon and sun, their messenger."

Not the one who had been forgiven.

But the one who had forgiven.

"I am the embodiment of the moon and sun."

She was an even more transcendent being than I had thought.

The embodiment of the gods.

That meant she was a god herself, and at the same time, she was not.

"The Sun and Moon clan is the oldest religious group in the world. They are an organization that is only allowed to worship the moon and sun, and I have lived through the ages as their protector and overseer."

It was for that reason that Luna was such a special existence within the Sun and Moon clan.

It was impossible to calculate how long Luna had existed.

The Sun and Moon clan was a religious group.

In exchange for returning to their human forms, the Sun and Moon Clan swore to devote their lives to serving the gods.

Not interfering in worldly affairs was a promise the Sun and Moon clan made to the gods.

That was the truth of the Sun and Moon clan, which had been passed down through countless generations.

And Luna was not a member of the clan, but existed as their protector and overseer.

"Wait... Then my father..."

"Ronan is human."

At this point, I couldn't tell whether Luna was amazing or if it was incredible that Ronan had married the embodiment of the gods.

"Both the Sun and Moon clan and I are bound to the roles given by the gods. Now you understand why I cannot interfere in worldly affairs."

It was alright for Luna's children to venture into the world, but not for Luna herself.

Both Luna and the descendants of the Moon and Sun Clans were paying the price for regaining their human forms.

"Um... It's a bit awkward to say this, but you tried to kill me."

"If I had succeeded, I would have vanished. I would have had to pay the price for doing something that was not permitted."

It was an act that risked not only my life but also her own annihilation.

Having lost her son, and now facing the loss of her daughter, Luna had staked her existence on trying to kill me.

But because she had given up on that, Luna could still exist.

"It's just a story. Someone who has watched humans for too long, growing curious about what a true human life is. In the end, wanting to live that life, and becoming human... It's not a grand story."

Becoming human after watching humans for too long.

Upon hearing my remark that Luna resembled Ellen not only in appearance but also in character, she had seemed surprised but also delighted, her face full of emotion.

Luna was a god, yet not a god, a peculiar being.

"That's the end. There's nothing more to explain, and nothing more you need to know."

"How did you meet father?"

"..."

At my question, Luna furrowed her brow and looked at me.

"I have no reason to explain that to you."

Luna snapped, as if telling me not to ask such impertinent questions.

It was time to go back.

I had to return to face what awaited me.

What had happened outside?

Could it be that something irreversible had occurred?

Luna approached me silently.

Now, to send me back.

"Ragan was lively, and Ellen was calm, but both were well-behaved children."

She stood in front of me, speaking about her children.

"How fortunate it was that they weren't disobedient and arrogant like you, throwing tantrums. I often thought that while looking at you."

"But I think I listened well too."

"How fortunate it was that they weren't children who made unnecessary remarks."

Luna smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"But... I've come to think that having a son like you wouldn't have been so bad after all."

"Then have another child to set things straight."

"Hey!"

-Whack!

"Ouch!"

In the end, I couldn't avoid a slap.

How many times had I been hit by the divine fists so far, and how many times had my back been struck?

No one else could have had an experience like mine.

I was leaving Rezaira with nothing but strange experiences.

It wasn't because this was a village controlled by the gods' avatar, but because it was my first time living in such a naturalistic environment.

Luna sighed deeply, watching me get slapped one last time.

"Close your eyes."

Was it really time to go?

I had closed my eyes for a moment, and then I was able to arrive in Rezaira.

Now, when I open my eyes again, I should be able to leave Rezaira.

"Mother."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"..."

That was my heartfelt sentiment.

Now I understood why she hadn't taught me anything.

If I had given my body to the Sun and Moon clan, I would have been bound by their rules.

If I had learned their secret arts, it would have been a terrible disaster for me.

She hadn't taught me anything because she wanted to protect me, and now I understood that.

Luna was silent for a long time in response to my words.

And then,

"Reinhardt."

"Yes?"

She bid me farewell.

"May you..."

She whispered softly.

"Be blessed by the Sun and Moon."

It was a similar phrase to what Arta had told me.

But it was slightly different.

She didn't tell me to open my eyes.

The weight of the hand on my shoulder disappeared, and the air seemed to change.

-Whooooosh!

"Where...?"

A fierce wind whipped through the mountains.

I found myself back on the summit of a mountain where I had met Luna long ago.

The time was night.

"...What's going on?"

I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

The season was winter.

In such a place with strong winds, one should feel an intense cold that would make one's skin feel like it was tearing.

But though the wind was fierce, I didn't feel the biting cold one would expect.

Also, there was no snow piled up white anywhere I looked.

And most importantly,

"What...?"

There were the scattered corpses of brutally killed monsters nearby.

It was a memory from quite some time ago, but I hadn't forgotten it.

While crossing the Sren mountain range and searching for Rezaira, I had fought many monsters.

On one of those days, I had called Luna, exhausted from battling monsters in this place.

As if answering my call, Luna came to find me, and I was able to enter Rezaira.

But the scene was precisely the same as when I was on my way to Rezaira.

The bleeding bodies of the monsters.

From that, there was only one thing I could infer.

Time had.

Barely passed.

'Trust me.'

Only now could I understand the true meaning of those words.