Awakening in the Depths

The underground tunnel was suffocatingly dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of bioluminescent moss clinging to the cracked concrete walls. The air was stale, heavy with the scent of damp metal and decay. Every sound—every breath—felt too loud, as if the very walls were listening.

Selene sat beside Lucien's unconscious body, her fingers lightly brushing against his burning skin. The fever hadn't broken, and his body still trembled from whatever damage the Eternal Oblivion Arts had inflicted on him.

Come back to me, Lucien...

Eris sat close, her arms wrapped around her legs, golden eyes clouded with exhaustion and worry. Valeria leaned against a rusted pillar, her injured body screaming at her to rest, but her mind refused.

None of them could afford to sleep. Not when the Variant was still out there.

Valeria clenched her fists. She had seen the intelligence in its crimson eyes. It wasn't like the mindless horde—it knew they were here. It was just waiting.

A predator playing with its prey.

"We can't stay here for long," Valeria finally said, her voice hoarse. "That thing… it's watching us."

Selene inhaled deeply, rubbing her temple. "We just need a little more time. Lucien needs to wake up."

Valeria pressed her lips into a thin line. She understood, but—

What if he doesn't wake up in time?

Her gaze drifted toward her little brother, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Even in his vulnerable state, there was something… unsettling about him now.

It was as if the very air around him had changed.

Like something inside him was shifting.

---

Lucien's Mind – The Black Void

In the darkness of his mind, Lucien drifted.

It was an endless abyss, silent and cold. His body felt weightless, as if he had become part of the void itself.

But he was not alone.

A voice—soft, trembling—called to him.

"Please don't leave me… You're all I have…"

Lucien's eyes flickered open, only to be greeted by nothingness. But the voice…

It was familiar.

Then, like cracks forming in glass, fragments of memory flooded his mind.

A grand white hall—vast and adorned with treasures beyond imagination. An elegant throne at the end of it, carved from celestial stone, radiating power. And in the center of it all—

A girl, curled on the cold marble floor, sobbing.

Lucien froze.

She was young, no older than ten, with long, snow-white hair that cascaded over her trembling shoulders. Her delicate hands clutched at the fabric of her dress, her entire frame shaking with grief.

And then, she spoke.

"Please… don't use it. I don't want to lose you."

Lucien tried to step forward, to comfort her, but his body refused to move.

Instead, another voice—his own, yet not his own—spoke in his place.

"I have to, Eva."

His own voice was unfamiliar. Colder. Older.

The little girl—Evangeline—shook her head violently. "No! We can find another way!"

Lucien felt his lips curl into a sad smile, though it was not his will that moved them.

"This is the only way, little one. If I can forge my soul core, no one—nothing—will ever threaten us again."

Evangeline's blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "It's because of me, isn't it? Because I'm weak…"

The older Lucien knelt, placing a hand on her cheek.

"You are my most precious treasure, Eva. I would do anything to keep you safe."

Lucien—the present Lucien—watched it all unfold as if trapped inside a memory. He could feel the emotions behind his past self's words.

Affection. Love. Obsession.

Then—

The memory shattered.

Lucien gasped.

His eyes flew open, but the darkness did not disappear. He was still inside the void, his mind caught between two existences.

Was that… truly my past?

He pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the faint thrum of power deep within him.

The Eternal Oblivion Arts.

The very technique that had cost him everything.

Then, like a lightning strike, realization hit him.

My family—!

His mind snapped back to reality.

---

The Subway – Reality

Selene flinched.

For a moment, she thought she had imagined it, but—

Lucien's fingers twitched.

Then, his golden eyes snapped open.

"Lucien!"

Selene's voice cracked with emotion as she cupped his face, her hands trembling.

Eris let out a choked sob, grabbing onto his arm. "You're awake!"

Lucien's vision was blurry at first, but as his gaze focused, he saw their faces—his mother's tear-streaked cheeks, Eris's relief, and Valeria's sharp eyes studying him intently.

"...I'm back," he murmured.

Selene let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "You scared us."

Lucien tried to sit up, but his entire body screamed in protest.

Pain. So much pain.

His hands clenched into fists. The cost of using that technique…

Valeria stepped closer. "What the hell were you thinking?" Her voice was sharp, but her eyes betrayed her emotions. "You almost—"

Lucien exhaled slowly. "I had no choice."

Valeria looked away. "That doesn't mean you had to—"

A sound cut her off.

A deep, guttural growl.

Lucien's instincts flared. His body was still recovering, but his mind was sharp. He turned his head toward the tunnel entrance—

And there it stood.

The Variant.

Tall. Twisted. Its red eyes glowed like embers in the darkness, its mouth curled into something almost like a smile.

Lucien's blood ran cold.

It had been waiting.

Watching.

And now… it had decided to strike.

The Variant lunged.

"Move!" Valeria shouted.

Lucien forced his battered body to react, grabbing Eris and pulling her back just as a massive claw smashed into the ground where they had been.

The entire tunnel shook.

Selene summoned her lightning, but her hands trembled from the strain.

Valeria gritted her teeth.

They weren't ready for this.

Lucien clenched his fists. Damn it… His body hadn't fully recovered, but—

He refused to let this thing take his family from him.

His golden pupils narrowed.

"Valeria," he murmured, his voice low but steady.

She looked at him.

Lucien's lips curled into a small, dangerous smile.

"You ready to kill this thing?"

A sharp grin spread across Valeria's face. "Always."

The battle wasn't over yet.

Not even close.