Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Lucian stood beside the sleek black car, crossing his arms, watching as Sebastian’s patience rapidly disintegrated in front of the Caelora Gardens’ manager.

The Sylvan attendant was already sweating, his leafy insignia trembling slightly as he tried to hold his ground. "I’m terribly sorry, Sir Sebastian, but the Gardens are closed to all visitors today... No exceptions, not even for Lord Drake."

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. "My lord doesn’t wait for exceptions."

Lucian didn’t intervene, probably because his attention, though seemingly elsewhere, was divided half on the conversation, half on the quiet figure sitting inside the car. Through the tinted glass, he could see Seraphina leaning slightly against the window, her expression soft, tired.

She had tried to pretend she wasn’t exhausted, of course. He’d seen the way her eyes kept drifting earlier, how she tried to hide the weight in them behind forced curiosity.

How could she not be tired? He’d pushed her to the limit again last night until her voice came out breathless and muffled against the pillow.

"Lucian, I swear... if you keep going, I’ll burn you."

He’d only laughed then, kissed her temple, and whispered, "You wouldn’t dare."

Now, watching her sleep against the car window, he smiled again, without meaning to.

For a fleeting moment, something warm and unfamiliar stirred in him, softening the edge of his usual composure.

He caught himself a second later and tore his gaze back to the garden gates, schooling his expression into calm once more.

Sebastian was still arguing. "We’ll compensate your establishment tenfold. Just give us ten minutes inside."

"The Heart is unstable!" the Sylvan exclaimed, exasperated. "No one can enter. The flora have started rejecting mana flow... it’s dangerous for anyone, even dragons."

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. ’Rejecting mana flow?’

That shouldn’t be possible. Not in Caelora Gardens. Not unless something or someone had interfered with the celestial core itself.

Sebastian turned toward him, frustrated. "My lord—"

"Enough. We’re not forcing it." Lucian’s voice cut the air and, for a heartbeat, the argument died.

A sudden, sharp cry tore through the air. One of the gardeners shouting from inside the dome.

Everyone turned just as a thin silver mist began to leak from out of nowhere. It slithered through the gate like some kind of a life form, curling and twisting before hitting the nearest keeper full on.

He gasped, choking, his hands clawing at his throat as his eyes rolled back. Someone screamed. Footsteps echoed in panic. Then came the crash of splintering wood and shattering glass as flowers started to react, scattering jeweled pollen into the air uncontrollably.

"Get back!" the manager shouted, but no one listened fast enough.

A young guard rushed forward to help the fallen keeper and the moment he reached out, a vine snapped. The stinging bloom burst, spraying him with glowing dust. He stumbled back with a cry, the sleeve of his uniform burning away. His skin turned pale, his breathing ragged. Blood speckled his lips as he tried to stand, then collapsed to his knees.

Lucian moved before anyone else.

"Everyone back!" His voice cut through the noise like thunder. The temperature dropped instantly, frost spreading across the stone tiles beneath his feet.

The panicking workers froze mid-step. The silver mist coiled around the ground, trying to push toward the crowd again, but Lucian raised a hand and a sharp gust of cold pushed it back, holding it at the gate.

"Seal the entrance!" he ordered.

Sebastian rushed forward, his serpent-like pupils narrowing as a faint, green shimmer appeared in his eyes. Basilisk magic... deadly to most, but perfectly under his control.

Sebastian then crouched beside the fallen guard, quickly brushing glowing dust from the man’s sleeve. The injured keeper coughed weakly, still shaking.

"My lord," Sebastian called out, his voice tight. "They’re poisoned. It’s not fatal yet, but this pollen’s laced with unstable mana."

"Can you neutralize it?"

Sebastian nodded once, pressing two fingers against the guard’s neck. A faint hiss escaped his lips as he whispered a spell. The air shimmered with a soft green glow, coiling around the man’s chest.

For a moment, it seemed to work as the guard’s breathing steadied and faint color returned to his face. But it wouldn’t even last for even a minute, when he vomited blood, and his pulse weakened again.

"Damn it," Sebastian muttered, frustration edging into his voice. "It’s not just poison, my lord. It’s draining his mana directly... like it’s feeding on him."

Lucian’s expression darkened. "Pull back before it takes yours too."

Reluctantly, Sebastian stepped away, the green shimmer fading completely. The guard’s chest rose and fell weakly. It was unsteady and his life barely hanging on.

The Heart in the centre of the garden pulsed again. The silver mist swirled inside the dome, pressing against the transparent barrier that Sebastian had raised earlier. It didn’t strike this time, instead, it moved in slow, deliberate waves, as if sniffing the air for something.

Inside the car, Seraphina stirred. The faint glow outside caught her eye, and she blinked, confused until she saw the fallen guard, the frantic attendants, and the strange, shifting light beyond the gate.

Without thinking, she opened the door and stepped out. "Lucian?" she called softly, her voice breaking the tension. "What’s happening?"

Lucian turned sharply. "Seraphina, get back in the car—"

But Seraphina didn’t hear him as she stepped closer and everything began to shift.

The mist which earlier was wild suddenly became calm and flowing smoothly, rolling along the inside of the barrier like water following gravity. Every strand of light curved toward her direction, as if magnetized by her presence.

Sebastian’s eyes widened. "It’s... reacting to her?" Thıs text ıs hosted at novel-fire.net

Lucian’s breath hitched. He glanced at the mist... now glowing brighter, pulsing faster, as though alive and calling for her. Even the dying flora within the dome began to flicker faintly, petals twitching back to life.

The guard on the ground suddenly gasped, taking a deep, ragged breath. His color returned, the faint blue frost on his skin melting away.

Lucian’s jaw tightened. "No... this isn’t healing," he said quietly. "It’s drawing power."

He stepped in front of Seraphina, the air around him dropping several degrees. "Don’t move."

"Don’t," he said again, sharper this time. His eyes never left the mist as it pressed harder against the barrier, desperate to reach her.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. The silver glow reflected in Lucian’s eyes like fire against ice.

Then, in a voice low enough for only her to hear, he said, "Sometimes, what reaches for you doesn’t want to be saved. It just wants to keep you."