"Wait a minute, let me digest this," Alicia snapped, throwing an incredulous look at Violet before storming toward Lucian. Her boots crunched against the frosted grass, every step exuding defiance.
"So, you're trying to tell me that Lucian," she jabbed a finger in his direction, her voice rising with each word, "put you in charge of me without my permission?" Her eyes blazed as she stood toe-to-toe with him.
Lucian barely glanced at her, his expression as cold as the wind sweeping down the mountains. "And what if I did?" he said, his voice calm and detached. "It doesn't matter."
Alicia gaped at him, a mixture of fury and disbelief crossing her face. "Oh, really?" she spat, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "You think you can just make decisions about my life like you're some almighty puppet master?"
Violet, meanwhile, leaned lazily against Snowflake, who was grazing contentedly on the lush grass. With a snap of her fingers, a platter of food and a goblet of wine appeared before her. She settled in, smirking as she observed the escalating tension. "It's been a while since I've seen such quality entertainment," she murmured, taking a sip of her wine.
Lucian met Alicia's fiery gaze without so much as a flinch. "Like I said," he repeated coolly, "it doesn't matter."
Alicia's irritation reached its boiling point. She clenched her fists, her entire body trembling with frustration. "You!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the mountains, but before she could finish, Lucian raised a single hand.
In one swift motion, he flicked her forehead with the tip of his finger.
The effect was instantaneous. Alicia's furious retort caught in her throat as her eyes fluttered closed, her body going limp. She began to fall, but Lucian caught her effortlessly, cradling her as though she weighed nothing.
Violet nearly choked on her wine, blinking in disbelief. "What was that?" she exclaimed, her grin widening into something wickedly amused. "Why'd you ruin the drama? I was just starting to enjoy myself!"
Lucian turned to her, his expression as stoic as ever. "She's loud," he replied simply. "It's better for everyone if she sleeps. Maybe when she wakes, she'll have regained some semblance of sense."
Violet let out a low chuckle, swirling the wine in her goblet. "You really have a flair for killing the mood, Lucian. You could've let her throw a few more punches just for fun."
Ignoring her, Lucian shifted Alicia in his arms. Her face, once twisted with anger, now looked peaceful in her forced slumber. With a faint ripple of air around him, he dissolved into a cascade of shimmering particles, leaving Violet sitting alone, her smirk fading into thoughtful curiosity.
"Well," she muttered to herself, plucking a piece of fruit from her platter, "this day just keeps getting more and more interesting."
Snowflake snorted softly, flicking its tail, as if agreeing with her.
Darkness swallowed everything around Alicia, thick and unyielding, as if the void itself had drawn her in. Her heart pounded in the silence, her footsteps echoing faintly as she wandered through the abyss. Frustration bubbled within her. Lucian, she thought bitterly. He had done it again and sent her to another strange, eerie place without warning or explanation.
Her irritation grew with each step until a faint sound low, guttural, and mocking caught her attention. Alicia froze, straining to locate the source of the voice. It came from up ahead, drawing her like a moth to a flame. Quickening her pace, she moved toward it, her fists clenched in determination.
What she stumbled upon made her breath hitch. A vision of herself stood in the distance, shadowed yet unmistakable. The figure moved with eerie precision, as if rehearsing a dance she didn't recognize. Then, without warning, the darkness ignited. Flames erupted around the vision in a perfect circle, their flickering light casting ominous shadows that danced on the void's walls.
Before Alicia could comprehend what she was seeing, a deep, menacing chuckle resonated through the space. It came from everywhere and nowhere, reverberating in her chest. She darted behind a large stone for cover, her breath shallow as her eyes locked onto the scene before her.
"You call yourself the cold guardian of Lokiyo Lumi?" the disembodied voice sneered. It was a low, gravelly tone, laced with venom and amusement. "Do you think a little sheep like you is any match for me?" The mocking laughter that followed sent shivers down her spine.
The flames surged, and a sudden, ferocious wind roared to life, tearing through the darkness. Alicia clung to the stone, but it was no use. The gale sucked her into a spiraling vortex, the ground disappearing beneath her feet as she was dragged into a suffocating void.
She screamed, her voice drowned by the chaos, until everything went silent.
Alicia's eyes flew open, her breath ragged as she jolted upright. The room was drenched in an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint rustle of the silken sheets as her trembling hands clutched at them. Beads of sweat trickled down her temples, dampening her hair and sticking it to her skin. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her pulse pounding in her ears.
The dream no, the vision lingered like a shadow in her mind, its fragmented whispers clawing at her sanity. That voice. Mocking, cold, inhuman. Its cruel resonance echoed faintly, sending a shiver down her spine.
Her gaze darted wildly around the room. It was opulent but unfamiliar, bathed in the soft, golden glow of a setting sun seeping through the heavy curtains. The faint scent of lavender and cedar hung in the air, soothing yet strangely unwelcoming. The furniture gleamed under the amber light, intricate carvings decorating their edges. The room was undeniably beautiful, yet it felt hollow alien. A gilded cage.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her bare feet brushing against the icy chill of the marble floor. Alicia attempted to stand, the effort monumental, but her legs buckled beneath her like wilting reeds. Before she could collapse entirely, strong arms enveloped her, catching her mid-fall with an ease that stole her breath.
The sudden rush of air stirred strands of hair across her face as she looked up, her wide, startled eyes meeting the calm, impenetrable gaze of Lucian. His face was a mask of stoicism, but his presence was anything but neutral. It was magnetic, a force that seemed to pull her toward him despite every fiber of her being screaming in resistance.
"Let me go," she snapped, her voice trembling as she shoved weakly against his chest. Her pride burned hotter than the sting in her legs, and a thousand fiery thoughts crowded her mind. I don't need your help. I'd rather fall and bruise myself than let you hold me!
Unbeknownst to her, Lucian's keen mind had already sifted through her unspoken defiance. A ghost of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, gone almost before it appeared. His piercing eyes dark as an abyss one moment, shifting to a molten silver the next seemed to read her soul. Those eyes. They held the calm, hypnotic shimmer of moonlight on a midnight sea, and she hated the way they pinned her in place, as though daring her to look away.
Then, without warning, he loosened his grip. For a fleeting second, she thought he'd steady her. But no Lucian let her go.
Alicia gasped as she crumpled to the cold marble floor, the impact sharp and unforgiving. Pain shot through her, stealing the air from her lungs. Her cheeks burned, a mixture of embarrassment and fury coloring her face as she glared up at him.
"You think this is funny?" she hissed, her voice venomous, laced with unspoken pain.
Lucian said nothing. His expression remained an enigma as he turned on his heel, his dark coat flaring briefly behind him like a shadow. The soft click of his boots on the marble floor was the only sound as he strode toward the door.
"Wait!" Alicia called after him, her voice laced with desperation and anger. "Where have you brought me? And why am I here?"
He paused for a moment, his back still to her, before continuing his stride. He disappeared through the doorway without so much as a glance back, leaving her alone in the vast, unfamiliar room.
Alicia sat there, her fists clenched as the weight of everything pressed down on her. The vision, the mocking voice, and now Lucian's maddening silence all felt like pieces of a puzzle she wasn't yet ready to solve.
But one thing was certain: she wouldn't let Lucian or anyone else keep her in the dark for long.