𝘜𝘨𝘩, 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵!

𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦!

A young man silently grumbled to himself as he arrived at a large black gate preceding a grand estate. He walked up to a keypad to punch in the code for digital entry, hearing a happy beep before walking through the now-open gate.

Only a few dozen feet past the gate, Lucian saw a man standing in front of the mansions entrance.

𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯? Lucian hesitated, considering turning around. But before he could, their eyes met, and ominous clouds above him signaled an impending downpour.

Reluctantly, he made his way over to the old man who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a patient yet serious aura.

“Hello, young master.”

“You don't have to wait for me, you know? I'm practically an adult.”

Having experienced this scenario multiple times, Lucian could only sigh at the old man's simple nod. He knew that while the man was old, he was in excellent shape. He was not saying he was in shape for his age, around seventy based on Lucian's memory.

No, he was in shape for anyone's age.

Hector, his personal butler, stood six foot two with the physique of a trained soldier, a living hero of the war with Veros.

The fact that such a person chose to become a butler of all things had always confused Lucian. However, he did his job well, so he couldn't really complain.

“Whatever, let's just go inside. I want to change.”

“Certainly.”

“Hey is, is he still...”

“Indeed, your father is still in his study. Shall I go and—”

“No!... Just making sure. Leave him.”

Hector nodded and led him to the front door, unlocked it, and then held it open.

“Thank you. I'll be in my room.”

“Of course,” Hector said in a short but understanding response.

Entering the mansion and taking off his hood, Lucian went up the stairs to his room. He was passed by the servants who were rushing through the hallway to complete their tasks, each making sure to bow curtly as he passed.

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

His appearance truly didn't mix with the luxurious surroundings.

Fiery orange hair, sky blue eyes, a grey hoodie, average athletic build, slightly attractive features and clothes fit for a troublemaker. He felt out of place.

Ignoring them, he entered his room and gracelessly flopped onto the bed, lying motionless.

𝘏𝘢𝘢𝘢! 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵...

Lucian continued to lie there. After a few more minutes, he finally got up, kicked off his shoes, and threw his bag into a corner, opposite the emergency power box on the wall.

He then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

As soon as he finished, a knock on the door interrupted his solitude. Opening it, he saw Hector entering with a tray of steak, sweet potatoes, and freshly grilled asparagus.

“Ah, I forgot the apple cider.”

Lucian waved his hand indifferently, indicating it was all fine, thanked Hector, and sent the man away. He stared at the food, contemplating the uselessness of the dining room now. However, he knew the servants still diligently cleaned it daily to keep it spotless.

He frowned at the ornate tray of food, which looked almost too good to eat. In spite of this, he lacked the desire to eat anything at all.

Although, the idea of just wasting it didn't appeal to him. Rather than tossing it away, he deliberated for a moment before approaching his bedroom window and opening it.

He whistled loudly, calling out, “Here boy! I've got a nice treat for you!”

Then, as if waiting for this very moment, a robust and sizeable dog appeared.

“Here you go boy. At least one of us should enjoy it.”

After parting with his steak, Lucian forced himself to eat the remaining food before reclining again. As he stared at the ceiling, memories of when his mother was alive flooded back to him.

During those times, life was more manageable, and his father could actually be called that. However, unlike him, his mother was a beacon of kindness, illuminating a room with just her smile. She was the glue that held everything together.

In the spring, she would take him on family outings, and in the fall, it was festivals. She didn't do it because she liked running around. She did it because she wanted a united and harmonious family, who spent time together while encouraging their interests. Nothing came before her family, not work, not her own desires, nothing.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

That was Carmilla Arwell.

Then there was his father, Michael Arwell—a man with everything a person could ever want. Wealth, power, a wife who placed him on a pedestal almost above all others, and a son who desired nothing more than to please him. And yet, he wanted more.

More and more and more. If nothing else, his father was a man of excess.

After having everything worldly, he instead turned his attention towards the supernatural. He had apparently come across an item that could defy humanity's limited understanding of science and the natural world.

The one his father had obtained was called the deck of dreams. He had no idea how he managed to get it, but Lucian wasn't surprised that he did.

When his father wanted something, there was nothing that could stand in his way. However, he didn't put anything past him. Lucian suspected there was at least one unmarked grave somewhere due to his father's actions.

From the moment Hector placed the mahogany box containing the deck of dreams in his hands, nothing else mattered to him.

He sequestered himself in his study for days at a time, engaging in activities unknown to anyone. Lucian only caught glimpses of him when he emerged to grab a bite to eat or, on rare occasions, tend to important documents.

All of this started after his mother's passing five years ago due to an incurable illness. Even on her deathbed, she tried to take care of them both.

He could never figure out why, but she genuinely loved the man. Lucian said he did, and he thought there was some kind of connection there, but she actually felt that way about him. She did all she could to divert their attention from her impending death, though her efforts were futile.

And so, for the next five years, Lucian grew up and was raised with only servants and Hector by his side.

He attended school, made friends and had a few fleeting relationships. He had even earned a scholarship for a prestigious academy.

Meanwhile, his father toiled away in seclusion, with only short, sporadic appearances.

𝘜𝘳𝘨𝘩, 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵! 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬. Lucian thought to himself as he pulled up the covers.

He then closed his eyes and hoped to drift off to sleep soon.

***

At some point, Lucian managed to fall asleep. However, he suddenly found himself wide awake, sitting up in bed in the middle of the night with an eerie feeling.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵? 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦...

𝘖𝘩, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨?

Lucian struggled to control it, but his thoughts were scattered. He could only rely on flashes of terror and an inexplicable dread that granted him moments of clarity. An unknown fear gripped his heart. Each passing moment felt increasingly bizarre and distorted.

𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵...

He wasn't certain how long he sat there trying to steady himself before he felt that he was being watched.

A hint of pride was present in the unknown sensation, which was subtle yet noticeable. Despite his back being against the headboard and wall, he could sense eyes all around, even from the wall behind him.

𝘜𝘨𝘩! 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯... 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨?

It was hard to articulate.

His vision also seemed distorted.

Lucian caught blurred glimpses of both familiar and alien scenes that vanished quickly.

The seemingly omnipresent gaze suddenly changed, giving off a feeling of oppressive malice and becoming more tangible.

𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦.

Reacting instinctively, Lucian leapt out of bed and ran blindly towards where he knew the bedroom door to be.

Even with the room’s size, he was able to run much farther than what should have been possible.

Eventually, he collided heavily with an obstacle - he had reached the door. Twisting the knob, he flung it wide open and rushed into the hallway, then shut it firmly behind him.

Before he could fully turn away, unfamiliar voices reached his ears.

“It was the master who—huh, would you look at that...”

“So that's Michael's kid?”

𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦? Lucian's mind whirred as he turned towards the intruders. The two people who had spoken were a woman and a man, both wearing masks. A third person in their midst also donned a mask, though Lucian could discern that she was a girl.

The woman who had first spoken laughed.

“Haha, I guess that bastard really did have a heart, huh?”

Lucian tried to remain calm.

“You dare enter the home of House Arwell? You must be tired of living.”

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤... Lucian stood tall and glared at the intruders. He put on an air befitting a child from one of the five Great Houses of the Sacrator Empire.

“Well, technically, you're not wrong. But I can't help but be curious since you don't seem scared of us, so let me just try this.”

The woman threw a knife.

𝘎𝘩𝘢𝘢𝘨𝘩...!

“Hmm. You dodged, so I guess you still want to live.”

𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵... 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥... 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨...

The feeling of being watched was now much stronger than before, but he couldn't turn around.

The second woman suddenly spoke, commenting, “What, he's gone quiet already? Oh well, let's get this over with.”

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵?

The first woman who heard this asked eagerly, “Diligence, we've already dealt with most of the personnel, and we have plenty of time to spare. What's the hurry?”

“We must stick to the master's plan. Besides, you know where we are, it's best we leave soon.”

“I know, but... Haa, this is the chance of a lifetime. We're not gonna get another opportunity to kill someone of this caliber again...”

Lucian could not help but frown.

While trying to think of a plan, the words of the first woman suddenly struck him. He couldn't help but worry about what had happened to Hector and if he was alright. The man was a soldier so he should be fine in theory.

The man who had been listening then shook his head and complained:

“Mirth, you have a tenancy to act careless during our operations. I do hope you can show some decorum.”

“Tsk!”

“What a shame—I truly hoped that it wouldn't come to this. I reckon you won't kindly tell us where your key is, right?”

𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥!

Lucian didn't know what exactly the key was, but he knew that the trio shouldn't get it.

“... Right. Of course you wouldn't. Which in turn means... we won't learn how to acquire it from you.”

“Can I end him now?”

“Sure, but make it painless.”

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘐𝘴... 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘦?

Lucian could only stand in stunned silence. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could only curse the world and take solace in the fact that it would be quick.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?

At the sound of a loud rhythmic knock the trio paused. Lucian also turned his head to the front door.

And then, he heard a voice:

“Would you kindly open the door?”