Elara's question hung between them, sharper than ice in the dead of winter."Lucian… what has that power done to you?"
Smoke from the scorched Valerius outpost curled into the polluted sky—a tombstone for thirty lives. Lucian just stared at it, his silver eyes cold and void of any feeling. The emptiness inside them was so profound that Elara felt like she was staring into the Abyss itself. This wasn't Lucian Aurelius anymore—not the heir she once knew. This was something else. Something born from hatred and baptized in blood.
"That power gave me purpose," he rasped, each word dragging like stone over stone. "Something you and your clan stole from me."
Pain flickered across Elara's face—raw and cutting, more vicious than any blade. She stepped forward, hand outstretched as though reaching for a ghost.
"That's not purpose, Lucian. That's obsession." Her voice trembled with fury and sorrow. "You slaughtered them all without a shred of hesitation. The man I knew would never have done that!"
Lucian laughed. A hollow, dreadful sound—joyless, cold, like shattered steel echoing through an endless winter.
"The man you knew died in that alley," he hissed, stepping closer until their boots nearly touched. "He died when his evolution core was crushed. What stands before you now is his vengeance."
He shoved past her, his shoulder slamming into hers. Each step he took away from her widened the chasm between them. Elara stood frozen, not from the cold, but from the shattering realization that she'd lost him long before tonight. She hadn't just lost the man she secretly admired. She'd lost the piece of his soul she thought might still be saved.
When they returned to the Elder's hideout, the room felt heavier than ever. The Elder sat hunched in his crooked chair, bony fingers tapping his cane with impatient rhythm. He didn't look at Lucian when he entered—his gaze was fixed on Elara.
"You shouldn't have followed him, foolish girl," the Elder said, his voice as dry as dead leaves. "Curiosity is a luxury only the guiltless can afford."
"He could've died!" Elara snapped, her anger lending her enough courage to challenge the wretched man.
The Elder finally turned his eyes to Lucian. There was no praise in them—just cold calculation, like a smith evaluating a newly forged blade.
"Your work was sloppy. Too much hate, not enough precision," he said flatly. "But the message was delivered. Valerius is blind in Sector Nine. They'll be scrambling."
"Give me the next target," Lucian growled, brushing off the insult. His bones ached with exhaustion, but the fire of the Abyss inside him demanded more fuel.
"Patience is a virtue, even for a newborn monster," the Elder sneered, tossing a small pouch onto the table. It clinked softly. "Your payment. Enough to survive the week. Don't waste it."
The insult made Lucian's blood boil. He wasn't some coin-hungry mercenary. He was an heir on a mission of vengeance.
"I don't need your pathetic coins," he growled, eyes glinting with rage. "I need names. Who's next?"
The Elder gave a faint smile—one that never reached his eyes."All in due time, Lucian Aurelius. The Abyss may give you power, but I guide your blade. Forget that, and you'll find yourself even more lost than the night you first crawled to my door."
Then the old man turned to Elara, his gaze sharp and calculating."As for you, girl… you've seen what he's become. You still have the choice to walk away."
"I'll never leave him," Elara said firmly, even as fear twisted inside her.
"Then you'll bear witness to his ruin," the Elder replied with grim finality, turning and vanishing into the shadows, leaving behind a silence that pressed in from all sides.
That night, Lucian couldn't sleep.
He lay on his hard cot, eyes fixed on the cracked ceiling above. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the faces of the guards he'd killed. Not with regret—but with a gnawing, monstrous hunger for more. The power of the Abyss pulsed beneath his skin—cold, alive, predatory. It was his parasite and his salvation.
"They deserved it," whispered a voice inside him—Gem's voice, sweet and poisonous. "Every last one of them served Valerius… served Aurelius. They were part of the machine that crushed you. Burn them all."
I will, Lucian thought, his mouth tasting of bitterness.One by one.
A pale-blue notification flickered in the darkness before his eyes:
[Warning: Abyssal Energy is degrading your Physical Vessel.][Mental Stability: -5%][Suggestion: Consume more Soul Essence to stabilize, or risk permanent damage to your Spiritual Nerve System.]
He clenched his fists. The price of this power was more than his soul—it demanded his body, his mind. He glanced at his hands—his veins darker now, nearly black, pulsing faintly with each unnatural heartbeat. He was cold—cold from the inside out, beyond the reach of any blanket.
Across the small room, he could hear Elara crying quietly into her blanket. Each muffled sob was an accusation… a reminder of the man he should've been.
He wanted to scream at her to stop, to go away, to leave him to the hell he'd chosen.But a sliver of the old Lucian—a frozen shard deep inside—twisted with guilt at the sound of her grief.
He turned his face to the wall.Weakness, he growled inwardly. Emotions are a weakness.
The next morning, Lucian woke to an eerie silence.
The room was empty.
Elara was gone.
For a moment, a strange mixture of relief and sharp loss pierced through him. Maybe she'd finally had enough. Maybe she'd finally saved herself.
But then he saw it.
On the warped wooden table, next to the Elder's coin pouch, lay a rolled parchment sealed with an unfamiliar crest. It wasn't the Elder's.
His heartbeat quickened as he broke the seal.
Inside was a detailed map of the noble districts. One location circled in red: Cadogan Estate. The Cadogan family—loyal allies of Valerius, known for their elite soldiers, the Silver Jackals.
Beneath the map, a note written in Elara's trembling handwriting:
Lucian,I won't let you become a monster. If revenge is the only path left to you, then I'll help steer it toward those who truly deserve it. Lord Cadogan provided the poison that destroyed your core. I got this information from… a friend. Be careful. They're stronger than you think.
The color drained from Lucian's face. How did she know this? Who was this "friend"? It had to be a trap. She couldn't be that reckless.
He stormed out of his room, rage and dread warring inside him. He found the Elder sharpening a dagger in the main hall. The old man didn't even glance up.
"Where is she?" Lucian demanded, voice tight.
The Elder kept sharpening."She's braver than I gave her credit for. Came to me before dawn. Offered me a deal."
"What deal?" Lucian growled, stomach knotting with dread.
The Elder finally stopped, looking up with a gleam of cruel amusement."Something far more valuable than coin. Something not even the Aurelius vaults could buy."
"What was it?"
"Her loyalty," the Elder said simply. "She pledged herself to me. To be my eyes and ears within the noble circles that hate me, in exchange for information that could accelerate your vengeance. She bound herself to the Eternal Contract… to save what's left of your soul."
Lucian's world cracked.
Elara had sold her freedom… to this monster. For him. She hadn't run from him—she'd gone deeper into the darkness to try and pull him back.
The Elder rose, hunched figure suddenly towering in the dim room. He grinned, revealing yellowed teeth.
"She thinks she can control you… shape you into some righteous weapon," he whispered, savoring each word. "How naive. Now, Lucian Aurelius, you have a choice."
He pointed the dagger at the map still trembling in Lucian's hands.
"You can follow her lead. Attack Cadogan. Prove her sacrifice meant something. Or…"
His dark eyes locked with Lucian's—full of ancient hatred and the promise of endless pain.
"Prove to her there's nothing left worth saving. Burn everything… starting with her last shred of hope. The choice is yours, Avenger. Will you be her hero—or her greatest disappointment?"