Trouble comes knocking

Chapter: Trouble Comes Knocking

Lucian sat at the edge of his bed, the vial of Moon Shadow Syrum cradled in his hands. The faint blue glow emanating from the Syrum cast a ghostly light in his dimly lit room.

His eyes, wide and eager, were locked onto the vial, filled with a potent mix of longing, desperation, and fear. It was everything he had ever hoped for—his last chance to finally awaken his abilities, to break free from the chains of weakness that had bound him his entire life.

"I can't waste this, my buddy spent so much to get me this" Lucian muttered to himself, the excitement bubbling in his chest. "This has to work... it has to."

The thought of becoming a Mythbound, of finally stepping out from the shadow of his parents, sent a shiver of excitement down his spine.

His hands tightened around the Syrum as he pictured himself stronger, no longer the helpless boy everyone pitied. He could finally escape this life. He could finally be someone.

But as he continued to stare at the glowing liquid, doubt crept in like a shadow in the back of his mind.

"How do I even use this thing? Its tikes like this i wish i reincarnated with a system or some shit like that , I've been so clueless since i came to this world, dammed parents why do they have to go and dissappear when they shouldhave been guiding me, all i have are useless books with trashy info" Lucian muttered, glancing around at the mess of books scattered across the floor.

He had spent hours searching for a clue, any hint of how to unlock the Syrum's potential. Each page he flipped through left him with more questions than answers. "Do I drink it? Inject it? For all I know, I could be rubbing it on my skin."

His excitement wavered, replaced by a growing frustration. "Maybe it was a mistake... Should I have pressed that merchant harder to get more details? It's not like I could that monster Sylass was staring me down like a hawk, Damn it! I've spent almost everything I had to buy this! The least that merchant could do was provide a damn manual for usage" He slammed the vial down on the bed, his heart racing as doubt consumed him.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a low, deep growl from his stomach, the hunger clawing at him. The day had slipped away while he pored over books, and the sun had long since set behind the horizon.

"Mei Lin... Where the hell is she?" Lucian muttered angrily. She hadn't come to serve him dinner as she always did. "Has she decided to leave without notice? Peasants like her think they can disrespect me now? I'LL have you all crawling soon"

His irritation simmered, but it paled in comparison to the dilemma before him—the Syrum. He glanced back at the glowing vial, his mind racing in circles. "Maybe I should—"

Thud.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the mansion's halls. Slow. Deliberate.

Lucian's heart skipped a beat. That wasn't Mei Lin.

He shot up from the bed, his instincts immediately kicking in as his gaze shifted toward the door. His stomach twisted in knots as the footsteps grew closer, and a cold dread washed over him.

The door creaked open, and three shadowy figures in dark, hooded robes stepped into the room. Their faces were obscured, but their presence sent a chill crawling up Lucian's spine.

"What the hell...?" Lucian breathed, stepping back as a sudden realization hit him—these weren't ordinary intruders. Their robes, their movements—they weren't amateurs. They reeked of danger.

One of them stepped forward, his voice low and venomous. "Lucian Ashwood. You've got something that doesn't belong to you."

Lucian's blood turned cold.

"The Syrum..."

So that was it. They were after the Syrum. They had to be sent by Sylass. Lucian cursed under his breath.

He'd thought the Ashwood Mansion's reputation as a Mythos Guardian estate would keep him safe, that Sylass wouldn't dare send anyone to breach its sanctity. But he had miscalculated.

Lucian clenched his fists, his mind racing. "Run? No… they'll catch me. Fight? I have to."

Despite the fear crawling in his gut, Lucian knew he couldn't just hand it over. He had trained for this—he wasn't completely defenseless. And besides, he didn't have a choice.

"I can handle this," he thought, trying to steady his breathing. He squared his shoulders, his voice defiant as he said, "You think you can just waltz into the Ashwood Mansion and make demands? You don't know who you're messing with."

The leader of the group chuckled darkly. "Haha, you've got some nerve, kid. But nerve won't save you now. Give us the Syrum, and maybe we'll let you live hehehe or else you will beg for death, death will say no."

Lucian's heart raced, but he held firm, slipping the vial into his pouch and tying it to his waist. "Damn you this is my precious no one cam have it!, Come and take it if you can."

The intruders' expressions darkened. "Fine. Your funeral."

In an instant, the two figures flanking the leader lunged at him, moving with terrifying speed.

Lucian barely had time to react. He threw his fists up, blocking the first strike, but the second hit him like a truck. Pain exploded in his side, and before he could recover, another blow knocked him to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet, but they were relentless, their strikes precise and devastating.

Every hit rattled his bones, sending waves of agony through his body. Lucian fought back with everything he had, but it wasn't enough.

One of the men landed a brutal kick to his chest, sending him crashing into the wall. He coughed, blood trickling from his lips as he slumped to the floor, dazed and disoriented.

"Is this all you've got, you weak bastard?" one of the men sneered, looming over him. "For all your talk, you couldn't even last two minutes."

Lucian's vision blurred, and a wave of helplessness washed over him. He couldn't win this. Not like this. Desperation clawed at his chest. As the men closed in, Lucian did the only thing he could—he reached for the vial, holding it up in a trembling hand.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll break it!" he threatened, his voice shaky but determined.

The men paused, their eyes narrowing as they glanced at the Syrum.

"Go ahead," the leader sneered. "Break it. See if we care."

Lucian's heart sank. They weren't bluffing. He was out of options.

"Meow"

But then a sound ge was all too familiarwith came, as all hope seemed to slip away, a small smile tugged at Lucian's lips as he noticed something with the corner of his eyes.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Lucian's gaze flickered to the shadows. "You should be more worried about him—isn't that righy Uncle Asher?."

The intruders froze. Their eyes darted to the corner of the room, where a seemingly harmless black cat lay curled up, lazily stretching. But as the cat shifted, they noticed the figure sitting beside it—a white-robed man, sitting quietly in the shadows.

An icy chill swept through the room.

"When did he get here?" the men's thoughts raced as they stared at the elderly man in white. His very presence warped the air around him, bending reality itself as if he was an entity beyond mortal comprehension.

The man's expression was serene as he gently stroked the black cat, who purred contentedly in his lap.

"Hehe, well said fatty boy, you lovers sure picked the wrong night to cause trouble," the old man said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that sent tremors through the room.

As soon as the words left his lips, the atmosphere shifted violently. A crushing, suffocating pressure descended on the intruders, pinning them to the ground like insects under a boot.

The sheer weight of the force was unbearable, as if the very air had turned against them.

Lucian, still gasping on the floor, felt a wave of relief wash over him. He knew, in that moment, that Uncle Asher had intervened. He was saved.

The leader of the intruders struggled to speak, his voice shaking with fear. "You're… from Mythos?"

The old man's eyes glinted with a cold amusement. "Indeed. And you broke the most sacred rule. You dared harm a mortal in a Mythos-affiliated house."

With each word, the pressure increased, crushing the intruders further into the ground. Their fear was palpable as they realized the magnitude of their mistake.

Lucian, despite his pain, couldn't help but feel a sense of vindication as the men trembled before the man who had come to his rescue. Uncle Asher was more than just a protector—he was a force of nature.

And tonight, these intruders had learned that the hard way.