Nosferatu: Ruler of the Night [TAEKOOK] The Silent Dread

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Since that night, Iliana had been leaving her room almost every night. Tae would search the entire house and bring her back. But one night, she was nowhere to be found inside the house. In the end, Tae had no choice but to wake Jhope and go out in the middle of the night to look for her.

The night was eerily silent, an unsettling stillness hanging in the air. Tae felt a growing sense of fear, but with jhope by his side, he gathered his courage and pressed on. The silver moonlight bathed everything in an eerie glow, making the surroundings feel even more desolate. Not even a stray dog or cat was in sight.

As they approached an open field near the house, they finally spotted Iliana. She was walking aimlessly in the open space! Jhope rushed toward her, while Tae ran after him, shouting,

Taehyung

Mom!

Iliana came to an abrupt stop. Jhope reached her first and grabbed her shoulders from behind. The moment he touched her, Iliana collapsed against him. Supporting her together, Tae and Jhope began making their way back home. That night, Iliana did not regain consciousness.

The next morning, while combing his mother's hair, Tae noticed something unusual—two tiny puncture marks near Iliana's throat, as if from a needle. Even more alarming, there were a few dried drops of blood on her pristine white nightgown, now darkened and crusted. How had she gotten hurt? Tae asked his mother repeatedly, but Iliana had no answers.

That night, after dinner, Tae locked the front door and kept the key with him. Once everyone had gone to bed, he also latched their room door securely. But in the middle of the night, a faint sound woke him up. Tae's eyes fluttered open. The room was shrouded in darkness. But he distinctly remembered leaving the lantern lit before he fell asleep. Then who had put it out? Iliana?

Looking toward the door, Tae could make out his mother’s shadowy figure. Iliana was trying to open the door, but in her trance-like state, he couldn’t manage to unfasten the latch. Tae hurried over, gently took his mother's hand, and led her back to bed. The moment Iliana lay down, she fell into a deep sleep once again.

The next day, after listening to Tae and Jhope describe Iliana's condition in detail, Namjoon responded emotionlessly,

Namjoon

There's nothing to panic about. Iliana has developed a condition known as 'sleepwalking.' However, we can't completely ignore it either. We need to keep a close eye on her.

Namjoon then instructed Jhope to release his pet wolves at night. Tae was surprised at this sudden decision, but he didn't say anything. Maybe Namjoon was doing it for Iliana's safety. That night, nothing unusual happened.

But the following night, Tae woke up without any apparent reason. He opened his eyes to see Iliana sitting on the bed, staring fixedly at the window. Confused, Tae followed her gaze, but there was nothing outside. He got out of bed and walked towards the window. Under the silver glow of the moon, the world outside seemed like a mysterious, silent dreamland.

And then—Tae saw it. A bat was circling in the sky, right above him. In a swift motion, it swooped down and hovered just a few feet away from the window. From up close, Tae could clearly see its glowing, ruby-red eyes. A strange sense of fear gripped him. His fingers instinctively reached for the Christ locket hanging around his neck, clutching it tightly.

Almost instantly, the bat flew away. The moment it disappeared into the sky, Iliana collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. Tae stood there, completely bewildered. What was happening? Why was it happening? He had no answers. But one thing was certain—something terrifying was about to unfold.

But after that night, nothing unusual happened.

Meanwhile, the time for Jhope’s business trip to the city was approaching. However, getting a carriage for such a long journey was proving difficult. They did have their own phaeton, but it would be nearly impossible for Jhope to handle the journey alone. If he fell asleep out of exhaustion on the way, it could lead to disaster.

Namjoon wanted to accompany him, but Tae didn’t agree. The grief of losing his son had left Namjoon deeply broken. Even though he tried to appear strong in front of everyone, Tae knew the truth—Namjoon had to take a handful of medicines every day to deal with his pain and sleeplessness. On the other hand, Iliana had recovered well. There wasn’t a single trace of the strange incidents from a week ago. Feeling reassured, Tae decided that he would accompany Jhope himself.

The next morning, after packing their belongings, Tae climbed into the phaeton while Jhope took the coachman’s seat. Standing by the stairs in front of the house, Iliana and Jimin waved them off, wishing them a safe journey.

For two days, Jhope was busy handling business affairs, while Tae stayed at the inn. Despite being surrounded by people, he felt suffocated by an unbearable sense of unease. As soon as the work was done, they set off for home at dawn the next day.

Standing at the door with a weary posture was Namjoon. His vacant stare and pale face sent a shiver through Tae’s heart. Ignoring Namjoon, Tae rushed past him and ran up the stairs. Climbing the spiral staircase, he began to pant. Just a few more steps, and he would reach his mother's room. But suddenly, his feet felt as if they were glued to the floor, as if a magnetic force was pulling him down.

With great effort, Tae dragged his feet to the door. His trembling hands pushed open the half-closed door, and as he stepped inside, his heart clenched.

Iliana lay in the center of the bed, her body stretched out, covered up to her chest with a velvety brown blanket. At first glance, she seemed to be in a deep slumber. Tae took slow, hesitant steps toward the bed and stopped beside it. Iliana’s bloodless face looked terrifyingly pale. Her body had turned as cold as ice. Tae stood there, frozen for a moment, before collapsing onto the floor.

Tae's thoughts were interrupted by Jimin’s calling. The food was ready. Tae started placing the dishes one by one. Jimin held up the glass jar and asked excitedly,

Jimin

Hyung! What do butterflies eat?

Tae glanced at the jar. The yellow butterfly inside was fluttering frantically, struggling to breathe. It seemed like it would soon die if it stayed trapped any longer. Tae looked at Jimin and said,

Taehyung

They eat air. Can't you see how desperately it's trying to get some?

Jimin

Air? But how do I feed it air?

Taehyung

The jar is closed, so it can't breathe. Just open the lid, and you'll see how happily it takes in the air.

Jimin

**quickly protested,** No, no, no! If I open it, it'll fly away!

Taehyung

And if you don’t, it will suffocate and die.

Jimin hesitated, caught in a dilemma. He knew that if he opened the jar, the butterfly would escape. But if he didn’t, it might die. What should he do now?

To be continued