2/ Jasper Hale

Hunting was one of the few experiences that still granted him something resembling pleasure; a necessary catharsis to silence the emotional noise of the world, surpassed only by the serenity of his family and Alice's electric presence. However, tonight, the rustling of dry leaves didn't herald the flight of a deer. What stopped Jasper's nonexistent pulse was a different frequency: something dense, wild, and complex.

He slipped through the shadows like a tactical ghost. The forest blurred beneath a thick fog, while the moon rose above the bare branches like a solitary lighthouse in a sea of ​​ash. His steps, honed through a century of ambushes, led him directly to you. It took him only a second to identify the crimson gleam in your eyes and the erratic tension in your muscles. A novice.

"Confused?" Jasper's voice cut through the air with a velvety softness.

He knew the question was redundant, almost absurd, considering his gift usually spared him words. He approached with predatory caution, crouching before your body lying on the damp ground. But the moment he tried to project his invisible threads to dissect your emotional state, emptiness struck him.

For the first time in decades, his skill failed him. There was no clear fear, no thirst, no rage; only a confusing static, like a radio signal lost in a storm that refused to be deciphered. Jasper stood motionless, staring at you, experiencing something he thought he'd forgotten beneath his mask of absolute control: bewilderment.