The fire in the village square burned low, its light flickering across the bound figures slumped against one another. Their chests rose and fell in shallow rhythm, the sleeping agent slowly fading from their systems.
Lucian stood still, arms crossed, his golden eyes watching the smallest twitch in their muscles.
Beside him, Verus shifted restlessly, every few monts glancing from Lucian to the unconscious villagers.
It was Verus who finally broke the silence.
"...Why ?"
He asked quietly.
Lucian didn’t look at him.
"What?"
"Why do you keep by your side? Why not Berry? Or Mira? You’ve known them longer. Trusted them longer. Yet when it cos to things like this... you tell them to leave, and you keep here."
Lucian turned his head just slightly, finally letting his gaze settle on the younger man. There was no malice in his eyes—only a faint, almost pitiful look.
"I don’t trust you, Verus."
Verus froze.
"What?"
"That’s exactly why you’re standing next to . To keep you where I can see you. To make sure I can control you if I need to."
Lucian’s voice was calm, steady, as if explaining sothing obvious.
Verus’s throat tightened.
"Control ? What kind of twisted logic is that?"
Lucian’s smile was humorless.
"It’s not twisted. It’s practical. You don’t fully understand the power inside you, do you? If you lost control here, none of the others could stop you. The casualties would be... inconvenient."
Verus took a step back, his voice rising.
"So you’re saying I’m dangerous to everyone? That you’re keeping chained like so sort of weapon?"
"Not chained, but guided. If you stand beside , I can make sure you never lose control. If that happens, I’ll be the only one who can bring you back
Lucian’s tone softened, but only slightly.
Verus’s lips parted, but no words ca out. His mind spun, replaying Lucian’s words again and again. Dangerous. In need of control.
He swallowed hard.
"...What do you know about ?"
Lucian’s eyes glinted in the dim light.
"More than you think. But if you want to know the details, you’ll have to earn my trust first."
Verus clenched his fists. The truth stung. For all the kindness Lucian had shown him, he realized now that he essentially knew nothing about the man—about his past, his final objective, or even why he had helped him in the first place.
And yet... what choice did he have? He had nowhere else to go.
For now, he decided, he would stick with Lucian. At least Lucian wasn’t lying to his face. At least Lucian wasn’t pretending that trust existed where it didn’t.
The villagers began to stir.
Low groans rose into the night as eyes fluttered open. The bound n and won shifted in panic, tugging against their ropes. When they realized they couldn’t move, their fear multiplied.
One woman cried out. Another man cursed, thrashing as the ropes only tightened around him.
"Stay still."
Lucian ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The villagers froze.
"Don’t waste your strength. The ropes are bound with special abilities. They’ll tighten the more you struggle. Escape is impossible."
Lucian continued smoothly.
A heavy silence followed, broken only by the crackle of fire.
Lucian stepped forward, his boots crunching in the snow. His presence pressed against the villagers like a suffocating weight.
"Now then... It’s ti to talk."
He said, his tone deceptively light. One of the n glared at him, spitting to the side.
"Talk about what?"
Lucian’s golden eyes narrowed.
"Which demon king do you serve?"
The question struck them like a blow. Several gasped. Others turned pale.
The chief, still half-slumped against the ropes, furrowed his brow.
"Demon... king? I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Lucian smiled, slow and sharp.
"Is that so?"
He crouched down before the chief, his hand stretching out toward the man’s face.
"Then I suppose I’ll have to get... creative."
The villagers stiffened as his fingers brushed just above the chief’s cheek. The air around Lucian seed to darken, heavy with sothing ancient and dangerous.
"Wait!"
The village chief’s voice cracked with desperation. His eyes darted toward the others, then back to Lucian. Sweat ran down his ashen skin.
"I surrender! Please... please, I’ll tell you what you want to know!"
He blurted.
Lucian stopped, his hand hovering in the air. His smile widened, faint but unmistakable.
"That’s better...Now... talk.
He said softly.
The chief’s lips trembled. He drew in a shaky breath, the firelight casting deep shadows over his twisted features.
And as the silence stretched, everyone waited for the truth that was about to unravel.
The village chief’s lips trembled as he finally began to speak.
"...This village... it was established by soone else. The true master here is not a demon king, but one of their servents. She—she calls herself rci. A demon... a shadow-walker. She—"
His voice cracked, heavy with fear.
He choked, clutching his chest, his face twisting with pain. Sweat poured down his temples as his words ca out in broken gasps.
"She... works under... Sylvanus..."
The rest of his sentence was lost in a strangled cry. The chief’s entire body arched violently, as though an unseen hand had gripped his heart and squeezed.
His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing once before going still.
"Chief! Stay with us!"
Verus dropped to his knees beside him, pressing her hands against his shoulders.
"What’s happening to him?"
Soone else swore under his breath and bent low, trying to shake the man awake.
"Hey! Old man! Don’t you dare die on us now!"
Verus, caught between panic and suspicion, looked sharply at Lucian.
"Did you—"
"No. This is a curse. rci left a tether on him to keep her secrets."
Lucian cut him off, his expression grim.
The group waited tensely, but at last the chief’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked up at them in confusion, his face pale and damp.
"W-Why are you all staring at ? What happened? Did... did I faint?"
He whispered weakly.
Lucian’s gaze darkened. The man rembered nothing. Not a single word of what he had confessed.
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