Kain's Moonlight Prison

The photos on the mobile phone screen were faintly glowing in the dim gallery.

Mira repeatedly enlarged the image until the cluster of silver-gray fluff on the windowsill turned into a blurry pixel, but she could still feel the chill of the moonlight in the photo, as if it had seeped through the screen to her fingertips.

"Who is 'E'?" she muttered to herself, taking out the broken silver bracelet from her pocket.

There are indentations on the crescent moon pendant, and the letter "E" on the back is almost worn smooth, as if it has been rubbed countless times over the years.

Lily left an hour ago, still muttering about how to set up for tomorrow's opening reception, but Mila just couldn't focus.

Mira kept replaying Kane's words in her mind - "This color looks like the fur of some kind of animal" - and the silver-gray that flashed in his pupils for a moment.

She opened her laptop and entered "Cain C" in the search bar. The results were as expected: Born into a wealthy family, he took over the Cain Group at the age of 25, and was famous for his ruthless business tactics. He rarely made public appearances, and the only information about his family was that his mother died when he was young.

But when she added the keyword "full moon", a local news article from 20 years ago popped up.

The title has already faded: "Mysterious animal attack in the Upper East Side, teenager rescued with only minor injuries". In the blurry photo, a boy, whose face is covered in blood, is being carried into an ambulance, and he has a noticeable small mole on his left ear.

Mira's breath suddenly caught. That was Kain.

The article mentions that the attack took place on a full moon night, and there were "abnormally large paw prints" and "silver-gray fur" scattered at the scene.

The case was finally closed with "a bear broke in", but the comments below are full of local people talking about "howling at night" and "family curse".

Family curse.

Mira remembered the steel cage in Kain's office, the scratches on the wall, and the way he locked himself up to avoid the moonlight. She trembled as she clicked on another link - the genealogical records of the Kain family. Most of the entries ended with "died unexpectedly at the age of 35" or "disappeared on the night of the full moon".

The last name on the list is Kane's mother: Ellara Kane.

Ella. E.

Mira's fingers clenched the crescent moon bracelet. It turned out to be her mother's thing. But why would it end up in an abandoned factory? And why hadn't she ever heard of this mother?

The door of the gallery creaked. Mira almost knocked over her coffee cup and hurriedly closed her laptop. But the person who came was just the night security guard, who was looking inside through the glass.

"Miss, the museum will close in ten minutes."

"Sorry, I'll be right back." She forced a smile and tucked the bracelet back into her pocket.

When she was packing up her gaze fell on the painting that Kain had commented on. She walked over and gently touched the silver-gray stain in the corner - the tuft of fur that he had noticed.

It was softer than I remembered, and even had a touch of warmth. When I pulled my hand back, a silver-gray fine hair stuck to my skin, glimmering under the overhead light.

The street lights outside have turned on.

Mira locked the gallery door and turned to walk towards the subway station, but she paused when she saw a black car parked across the street. The model was the same as Caine's, but the windows were too dark to see the people inside.

Mira's heartbeat is accelerating.

She quickened her pace as she crossed the road, but that car slowly followed behind, keeping a certain distance. When she turned into a small alley to take a shortcut, the engine stalled.

I heard footsteps behind me. They were heavy and deliberate, as if the person didn't care at all if they were heard.

Mira grabbed the first thing she could find - a rusted iron pipe next to the trash can, and turned around abruptly.

＂ Who is there?＂

A figure walked into the dim light of the street lamp. It wasn't Kane. It was a man in a black hoodie, his face hidden in the shadows, but Mira recognized the cold gleam in his eyes - he was one of the men in suits who had been with Kane this morning.

"Miss Mira," he said in a flat tone, "Mr. Kane wants to know what you've been thinking about."

"What are you thinking about?"

"About the compensation." He handed over an envelope, "Fifty thousand dollars, as compensation for last night's 'inconvenience'. Also, I have a request - please give us the other things you found. For example, that bracelet."

Mira gripped the iron pipe even tighter.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The man took a step forward, and she smelled the cologne on him - it was too strong, covering up some kind of metallic smell, like the smell of blood.

"He said you're very smart, Miss Mira. Smart enough to piece together clues. But even smart people should know when to stop."

A low growl came from the end of the alley.

The man froze. Mila's blood instantly froze - that wasn't a dog barking. It was deeper, wilder, like a voice coming out of a nightmare.

The street lamp above my head flickered a few times and then went out.In the sudden darkness, she heard a scuffle - muffled groans, the sound of a body hitting the wall, followed by a sudden scream.

When the lights came back on, the man had already disappeared. On the ground, there was only a crumpled envelope, and a black button that had been torn off his hoodie, which rolled to her feet.

And there was a black figure standing at the end of the alley.Tall, broad-shouldered, the familiar shoulders are as taut as a wound-up spring.

The street lamp shone on his hair, which was dark brown with a streak of silver-gray, as if it had been kissed by the moonlight.

It's Kain. But his eyes—they're glowing with a silver-gray light, so wild and untamed, just like the night she first met him.

He took a step towards her, and she saw blood on his knuckles. It wasn't his own.

"Go home, Mila." His voice was rough like sandstone, but it showed an urgency, almost a fear, "before it gets dark."

The moon was rising, and a thin crescent moon peeked out from the rooftop.

Mila looked at the bracelet in her pocket, then looked at Kain's silver eyes, and instantly understood - whatever curse was entangling him, whatever secret he was guarding, it wasn't just his business alone.

It's also his mother's. And now, this secret has also entangled her.

"I'm not afraid," she said, even surprising herself.

Kain gave a start, as if her words had scalded him. He turned around, clenching his teeth, and disappeared into the shadows. But before leaving, Mira seemed to hear him whisper something, so softly it was like the sound of the wind.

"You should be afraid."

She picked up the envelope and the button, and walked home, feeling the weight of the crescent moon bracelet in her palm.

The moon rose higher and higher, and its silvery light spread all over the city. In the distance, a wolf howled.

Mira smiled faintly. Let it howl. She didn't want to escape the darkness anymore.

Tomorrow, she is going to find out what really happened to Ella Kane.