Chapter 19 : Mine

Chapter 19 : Mine

Lucas examined his status with a calm, unreadable expression. The initial rush of excitement had faded, leaving behind only deep contemplation. Now that he had time to process, he needed to truly understand his abilities.

And what he saw… was monstrous.

His bloodline had evolved again, growing even more terrifying. It was no longer just an affinity for fire—it had incorporated death itself.

A realization struck him like lightning.

"Wait… does this mean… if I acquire another affinity at the Primordial grade, my bloodline will evolve again? Just like it did with death?"

His breath hitched.

That… was absurd.

It made no sense.

"If I keep evolving… where is the limit?"

A shiver ran down his spine—not of fear, but of anticipation.

Yet, Lucas didn't allow himself to get lost in the thought. Excitement was useless without action. He needed to keep moving forward.

His eyes drifted back to his status window, scrutinizing each ability.

And then he saw it.

The NetherFlame Soul Eyes.

A deep, unsettling grin spread across his lips as he fully grasped its power.

"I can see the Threads of Death…"

That alone was insane.

He could see when someone would die, how they would die, the fragile threads that bound them to life itself. He could manipulate those threads, hastening someone's demise—or delaying it if he found them useful.

With this, death wasn't just an enemy to fight against. It was a tool.

"With this… I could shape the battlefield before the fight even begins."

But even beyond that… Soul Constructs.

Lucas clenched his fists. He feels like this skill will become his favorite in the future.

"If I can truly create life from fire and death…"

A ripple of excitement passed through him. The possibilities were endless. He needed to experiment, but if it worked as he imagined…

It wouldn't just make him strong.

It would make him almost untouchable. 

And he would take back what he had lost.

His mind whirled with the implications, but he shoved them aside. Later. Right now, he had to focus.

One thing was clear—he wasn't the same as before.

His gaze shifted down to another affinity of his. Something he gained with the quest. 

Shadow Affinity: Beginner Grade.

Lucas clicked his tongue. "Lame."

Maybe he had gotten used to seeing "Primordial Grade" and forgotten that to others, even having Ascended Grade was a fantasy.

No matter.

The last major change was his mana core.

Intermediate Level… That means I can finally release mana outside my body.

His fingers twitched. Let's test it out—

—BANG!

The door slammed open.

Lucas snapped his head up, his brows furrowing. "The hell?"

Standing in the doorway was Thania Evermourne.

And she wasn't moving.

She just stood there.

Staring.

Lucas blinked. What's wrong with her?

Thania's POV 

Hours earlier, Thania had returned to her chambers, deep in thought.

Her meeting with Lucas was…interesting to say the least. 

She had saved him for one reason alone.

Because she had sensed something impossible.

Her affinity for death was the highest this world could bear—Ascended grade. It was what made her the Queen of Death. The reason why no nation dared to oppose her.

Yet… when Lucas arrived in her kingdom—

She felt something greater.

Something higher than Ascended.

Something Primordial.

The very concept was unfathomable.

Thania had always longed for more. For greater mastery of her domain. For a path beyond this world's limits. She knew that if she wanted to reach it, she would have to ascend to a higher plane of existence.

But Lucas…

Lucas had already touched that power.

How?

She had intended to take her time, observe him, slowly gain his trust.

Yet all of that shattered when she felt the surge of death mana coming from his chamber.

It wasn't just powerful.

It was suffocating.

It was absolute.

Her instincts screamed at her—something beyond mortal comprehension was inside that room.

She had to see it.

And the moment she stepped inside—

Her mind went blank.

His ashen-white hair cascaded down his back, longer than before. His skin, pale and flawless, almost seemed to glow under the dim light. And his posture…

He sat with an air of effortless dominance.

But what truly shattered her was his eyes.

The moment she met his gaze—

Everything stopped.

Her mind, her thoughts, her very breath.

The left eye.

A crescent pupil, jagged like a reaper's scythe.

In that instant, she saw it.

Her own death.

A flickering vision of herself collapsing into ash, her soul severed, consumed.

A hallucination? A warning? No. A reality that could exist.

Cold terror should have filled her. She should have feared him. Or what he would become if left unchecked. 

But instead—

Instead, a feeling she couldn't name slithered through her spine.

A sharp inhale. A quiet shudder.

For the first time in centuries, she felt small.

Her lips parted slightly.

She couldn't stop staring.

His very existence was a phenomenon she had never thought possible.

A child. A being purer in death than her.

Something higher than Ascended Grade. Something beyond her reach.

The thing she had spent her life chasing—it was right here, embodied in him.

And suddenly—

Her ambitions, her plans, her entire life's goal no longer mattered.

Because he was more important. This being who seems to be the embodiment of death. 

Because if she couldn't become it—

Then she had to have it by her side. Forever. 

Her mind whispered in fragmented thoughts.

He belongs to me.

Her fingers twitched at her sides, aching to move.

But she didn't. She remained still. Expression unreadable.

Because she knew—if she made a move now, it would scare him.

She had to be patient. She had waited centuries for something like this.

She could wait a little longer.

Her emotions coiled tighter and tighter, suffocating her rationality.

Lucas—completely unaware of the storm brewing in her mind—spoke first.

"…What's wrong with you?"

Lucas' POV

Thania didn't answer.

She just stood there.

Expression neutral. Unmoving.

But something was wrong.

Lucas shuddered.

For some reason, the way she was looking at him made his entire body tense.

The silence stretched too long. Her eyes—calm, deep, endless—felt as if they were swallowing him whole.

A quiet, suffocating pressure.

Finally, Thania blinked. And then—

She smiled.

It was a slow, elegant smile. Perfectly composed. Perfectly normal.

And yet—

Every instinct in Lucas' body screamed at him to run.

End of chapter 19. 

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Yes, our Yandere is here. Loving right ?

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