Chapter 3

Lucious rubbed his arm absentmindedly. The cracked MedNow device embedded in his inner forearm gleamed faintly. The lively conversation around him seemed distant, drowned out by his inner thoughts. He glanced up briefly in an attempt to appear present but found his gaze inevitably drawn back to the fracture on his MedNow, as though staring at it might miraculously fix it.

His parents had drilled it into him from a young age: the MedNow was to be protected at all costs. They never explained why it was so vital, but their reverence for the device made him value it just as much. Now, with them away on business and difficult to reach, he was left to deal with the consequences alone.

Aelious, lounging in an oversized chair nearby, noticed Lucious's distracted demeanor. His sharp eyes darted between the MedNow and Lucious's face.

"Has that thing ever broken before?" Aelious asked, leaning forward.

Lucious shrugged. "Once, but my parents fixed it immediately. I left a message for the family doctor. Guess it's not that important after all." He forced a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, you guys will just have to deal with me having a little extra energy for the next few days."

Aelious smirked. "Is it even possible for you to have more energy?"

The two laughed briefly before Astrid interrupted, still visibly shaken by the events of the day.

"Lucious, what you did was stupid and reckless!" Astrid's voice cut through the room like a blade. She stood at the edge of the bed, arms crossed, her glare sharp enough to pin him in place.

"I didn't mean to crack it—"

"That's not what I'm talking about," she snapped, cutting him off with a wave of her hand. "You know I can take care of myself. I hate it when you try to play the hero and save me from every little inconvenience!"

"Relax, Astrid. Did you see my moves out there?" Lucious grinned, springing to his feet. He began to mimic the fight, throwing exaggerated punches into the air. "Did you see how incredible I was? I hit him with this—then followed up with a little of that—and bam! Lightning-quick fists right to the—"

"LUCIOUS!" Astrid's voice cracked, and her bright blue eyes glistened as she began tearing up. Her frustration gave way to despair as she wiped at her face, brushing her wavy blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Do you understand how hard I've worked to secure my future?" Her voice trembled. "Not only could you have been seriously injured, but if we'd been caught by the Peacekeepers, my dream of becoming a shepherd would be gone! All the studying, all the preparation—it would all be for nothing. You know how important this is to me." She paused, her voice softening. "I love you, but please, don't ever put me in that situation again."

Lucious froze at her words, his cheeks flushing crimson. "I'm really sorry Astrid. It wasn't my intention to put us in that situation. It's just with you…" He paused, making brief eye contact then looked away, blushing. "I do stupid things when I'm around you. I don't know, I'm not good at serious conversations, you know that."

"I know how you are Lucious"

Lucious panged, he knew she didn't mean that as an insult but he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by her knowing his shortcomings, and even worse accepting them. He felt vulnerable.

"But making bad decisions isn't innate, Lucious. You can be a goofball, but you can't be punching people and breaking windows when I get called a bad word" Astrid paused, how did that window break anyway? Her eyes asked a question she was too afraid to put into words. "You don't think?"

Lucious laughed. "A caster? Nah no way. But I do know one thing"

"What's that?" Astrid asked inquisitively 

Lucious crouched , getting to eye level, pointing a finger at her heart. "You said you love me."

Astrid rolled her eyes, laughing despite herself. "You know what I mean."

"You looooooooooove me"

"Did I say love? I meant loathe. I'm bilingual, please excuse my foreign tongue" Astrid smirked, enjoying the banter.

Lucious sprang upright, spinning dramatically toward Aelious. "Aelious, you heard that, right? She said she loves me!" His grin widened into a full-blown smile.

"Loud and clear. Always had a feeling," Aelious replied with a chuckle.

Astrid pushed Lucious playfully. "You're such an idiot. You never take anything seriously."

Lucious staggered back with exaggerated flair, placing a hand over his heart. "Oh, I'm taking this very seriously, Astrid. What should our wedding colors be? I've always thought you looked stunning in black."

"Well, we'll both be wearing black at your funeral when I kill you," Astrid shot back, laughing.

The tension in the room melted away, replaced by laughter and lighthearted banter. Lucious had a knack for turning even the most stressful situations into something bearable. Aelious watched the pair with a hint of envy, marveling at Lucious's ability to brighten the mood so effortlessly.

As the evening wore on, the three talked and laughed until Aelious caught sight of the time. His stomach dropped.

"I really have to go. My dad—he's—" Aelious stammered, scrambling to his feet. "I should've been home by now."

Astrid shot him a concerned look. "It's okay. Maybe he's passed out already, and he won't even notice. Can you sneak in through the window?"

Aelious shook his head frantically, gathering his belongings. "No, he has this whole nighttime routine now, and if I don't bring him that 36-pack…" His voice trailed off, panic evident in his expression.

Astrid placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Aelious, we need to figure something out. You can't keep going back to that. It'll be years before you graduate. You can't hold out that long. Stay a bit longer, and we'll come up with a plan."

Her words barely registered. Aelious was too consumed by the fear of what awaited him at home. Since his mother's death, things at the Veylor residence had spiraled, and with each passing day, it only got worse.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," he mumbled before rushing out the door.

Lucious and Astrid exchanged a worried glance as Aelious disappeared into the night.

Almost in a trancelike state, they both said in unison; "We have to do something,"