Blood pulsed in Lucian's ears, drowning out Cadogan's laughter. The garden's ruins lay cloaked in shadow, Cassian's dust swirling at his feet. His trembling hands curled into fists, nails biting flesh. He'd freed his uncle—only to lose him forever. The abyss within him churned, Gem's presence a cold weight in his mind.
"You're a murderer now, boy," Cadogan's voice sliced through the haze, sharp and gleeful. "Your noble bloodline ends in ash, by your own cursed hand!"
Lucian's head snapped up, eyes blazing with grief-fueled rage. "You twisted him into that monstrosity!" he roared, voice raw. "His death is on you!"
Cadogan leaned over the balcony, his smirk venomous. "Oh, spare me your pathetic tears, Aurelius filth. You opened that dark gate, not I!"
The words struck like daggers, each one sinking deeper into Lucian's fractured psyche. His knees buckled, but he caught himself, refusing to collapse. The air grew heavy, charged with his anguish. Shadows flickered at his feet, unbidden, hungry.
Gem's voice slithered through his mind, sultry and mocking. "He's not wrong, my sweet. You fed me his soul. Such a delicious price."
"Shut up!" Lucian snarled aloud, clutching his head. His vision blurred, Cassian's silver eyes haunting him. The system pinged, cold and indifferent.
Warning: Abyssal Energy unstable. Vessel integrity at 3%. Emotional instability detected.
He staggered, the dome's jagged skyline tilting. The unevolved onlookers in the distance whispered, their fear palpable. He was no hero to them—only a monster cloaked in shadow. The weight of their gazes crushed him further.
Footsteps crunched behind him. Ivy, his sole ally, emerged from the garden's wreckage, her silver hair glinting under the dome's artificial stars. Her emerald eyes, usually fierce, softened with something dangerous—pity.
"Lucian, don't listen to him," she said, voice steady but laced with urgency. "You tried to save Cassian. You fought for his soul, not his death!"
Her words were a lifeline, but they burned. "I killed him, Ivy!" he spat, turning on her. "I felt his soul tear apart in my hands!"
Ivy flinched but stepped closer, undeterred. "You gave him a choice! Cadogan's chains bound him—your power broke them, even if it cost everything!"
Her conviction clawed at his despair, but it wasn't enough. The memory of Cassian's fading voice—"Be strong…"—twisted like a blade in his chest. He turned away, unable to meet her gaze. The shadows at his feet pulsed, mirroring his turmoil.
Cadogan's laughter rang again, colder now. "Look at you, broken heir, clinging to a traitor's daughter! She'll betray you too, mark my words!"
Ivy's face hardened, her fists clenching. "Keep my name out of your vile mouth, Cadogan, or I'll carve it from your throat myself!"
Lucian's head whipped toward her, shocked by her ferocity. Ivy's defiance was a spark in the dark, but it stirred something deeper—a dangerous pull he couldn't name. Her loyalty clashed with his distrust, a love-hate storm brewing in his chest.
"You think you can threaten me, girl?" Cadogan sneered, his amplified voice dripping with scorn. "You're nothing but a pawn in my game, both of you!"
Lucian's rage surged, shadows flaring around him. "Your game ends when I rip your heart out!" he bellowed, voice echoing with unnatural power.
The crowd gasped, retreating further. Ivy grabbed his arm, her touch electric. "Don't, Lucian. He's baiting you. You're not ready to face him yet."
Her words stung, a reminder of his weakness. He yanked his arm free, glaring at her. "Don't tell me what I can't do, Ivy! I'm done being weak!"
Her eyes flashed with hurt, then anger. "You think I'm coddling you? I'm trying to keep you alive, you stubborn fool!" she snapped back.
Their argument crackled, tension thick enough to choke. The air between them hummed, charged with unspoken longing and frustration. Lucian's heart raced, torn between her fire and his own self-loathing. He wanted to pull her close, to drown in her strength—but he couldn't. Not now.
Cadogan clapped slowly, mockingly. "What a delightful lovers' spat! You two will destroy each other before I even lift a finger. Perfect."
Lucian's shadows surged, lashing out unbidden. A nearby statue crumbled, its fragments swallowed by darkness. Ivy stepped back, eyes wide with alarm.
"Lucian, control it!" she urged, voice trembling. "You're letting Gem take over. Don't lose yourself to her, please!"
Her plea pierced him, but Gem's laughter echoed louder. "She fears you, darling. Delicious. Let me show her what real power feels like."
"No!" Lucian growled, slamming his fist into the ground. The shadows retreated, but his body shook, sweat beading on his brow. The system blared again.
Warning: Forbidden Evolution strain detected. Vessel collapse imminent without stabilization.
He gasped, vision swimming. Ivy knelt beside him, her hand hovering over his shoulder, hesitant. "Lucian, you're killing yourself. Let me help you, please."
Her voice was soft now, raw with worry. It cracked something in him—a wall he'd built to keep her out. But trust was a luxury he couldn't afford. Not after Cassian. Not after everything.
"You want to help?" he rasped, voice bitter. "Then stop pretending you understand what I'm carrying! This darkness—it's eating me alive!"
Ivy's face fell, her eyes glistening. "I'm not pretending, Lucian. I see you. I see your pain. And I'm still here, aren't I?"
Her words hung heavy, a fragile bridge between them. He wanted to cross it, to believe her, but the abyss inside him whispered betrayal. Gem's voice curled around his thoughts, insidious. "She's lying, sweet boy. She wants your power, just like Cadogan."
Lucian shook his head, trying to silence her. The dome's air felt suffocating, the artificial stars mocking his despair. He stood, unsteady, and faced Cadogan's balcony.
"This isn't over," he vowed, voice low and lethal. "You'll pay for Cassian. For everything."
Cadogan's smirk returned, unshaken. "Bold words from a corpse walking. Your uncle was weak, and you're weaker. You'll fall, just like him."
The taunt ignited Lucian's fury, but before he could act, a new sound cut through the tension—a low, guttural growl from the garden's edge. Darkness creatures, drawn by the chaos, slithered from the shadows, their eyes glinting with hunger.
Ivy drew her blade, stance defensive. "Lucian, we need to move. Now. Those things won't wait for your revenge."
He nodded, forcing his grief down. The creatures lunged, claws gleaming. Lucian's shadows flared, slicing through the first beast with surgical precision. Its scream echoed, blood spraying the ruined earth.
Ivy fought beside him, her blade a silver arc. "Stay focused!" she shouted, dodging a snapping jaw. "We're stronger together, Lucian. Trust me!"
Her words stirred something—hope, maybe, or something more dangerous. He wanted to trust her, but Cassian's dust still clung to his boots. Each strike he landed was fueled by rage, guilt, and a desperate need to prove he wasn't broken.
The creatures fell, one by one, but more emerged. Lucian's energy waned, his shadows flickering. Ivy grabbed his arm, pulling him toward an alley. "Run, you idiot! We can't take them all!"
They sprinted, Cadogan's laughter chasing them. The alley was narrow, its walls pulsing with faint runes—remnants of the dome's ancient tech. Lucian's chest heaved, his body screaming in protest.
System Alert: Abyssal Energy depleted. Forced shutdown imminent.
"Lucian, look at me!" Ivy grabbed his face, her eyes fierce. "You're not alone in this. Stop pushing me away, or we both die!"
Her touch was fire, her words a challenge. He wanted to scream, to shove her away, but her gaze held him. For a moment, the world was just her—her strength, her defiance, her maddening belief in him.
Then the ground shook. A massive darkness creature loomed at the alley's mouth, its eyes locked on them. But something was wrong—its form flickered, unstable, like a glitch in the dome's reality.
"What the hell is that?" Ivy whispered, her blade trembling.
Lucian's eyes narrowed. The creature's core pulsed with a familiar energy—Abyssal, like his own. Gem's laughter rang in his mind, sharp and triumphant.
"Surprise, darling," she purred. "Your power's waking things it shouldn't. That beast? It's tied to you now. Care to play?"
Lucian froze, dread coiling in his gut. The creature roared, its form solidifying. Ivy's grip tightened on his arm, her voice urgent. "Lucian, what's happening? What did you do?"
"I… don't know," he admitted, voice breaking. The creature charged, and his shadows surged instinctively, clashing with its form. The impact sent them sprawling, pain exploding in his ribs.
Ivy dragged him to his feet, her face pale. "We can't fight that thing! We need to hide, regroup—something!"
But Lucian's eyes were locked on the creature. Its core pulsed in sync with his heartbeat. He felt it—a connection, raw and primal. His power hadn't just freed Cassian. It had awakened something ancient, something the dome had buried.
"Run," he told Ivy, voice hollow. "I'll hold it off."
"Are you insane?" she shouted, grabbing his collar. "I'm not leaving you to die! We face this together, or not at all!"
Her defiance shattered his resolve. He nodded, heart pounding. Together, they turned to face the beast, shadows and steel against an unstoppable force.
But in the chaos, a faint mark glowed on Lucian's arm—a crescent moon, etched in shadow. It hadn't been there before. Gem's voice whispered, chillingly soft.
"That's no ordinary mark, my sweet. It's a key. And it's already turning."
The creature roared, lunging. Lucian raised his shadows, Ivy her blade. The world blurred into violence, but one thought burned in Lucian's mind: What had he unleashed?