Lucius drifted into unconsciousness, the world around him fading into darkness. Yet, within this void, a vision began to form. Shadows swirled around him, and from within them emerged figures, tall and imposing, cloaked in black. Their eyes glowed an eerie crimson as they knelt before him, heads bowed in reverence.
"Master," their voices echoed in unison, a chilling harmony that resonated through the abyss. "We await your command."
Lucius tried to speak, but no words came out. He felt a surge of power, dark and intoxicating, coursing through his veins. The creatures in black raised their heads, their eyes piercing through the darkness and locking onto his.
"Master, you are our savior. Lead us to victory."
The vision began to fade, the shadows dissolving into the void, and Lucius felt himself being pulled back into consciousness.
Lucius awoke with a start, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He blinked, trying to orient himself. He was no longer in the cave but in a quiet room filled with the scent of herbs and the soft glow of healing crystals. He recognized the place – the Healer's Wing.
He attempted to sit up, but a weight on his chest held him down. Looking down, he saw a tiny blonde girl, her hair a tangled mess, lying on top of him. She was asleep, her face pressed against his chest, her small body rising and falling with each of his breaths.
"Emilia?" he whispered in shock, his voice barely audible.
At the sound of his voice, the girl stirred, slowly lifting her head. Big blue eyes, filled with a mix of relief and worry, met his gaze. "Lucius!" she cried, her voice trembling. She flung her arms around his neck, holding him tightly.
"I heard what happened to you. They said you almost died. I was so scared," Emilia said as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Hey, why are you crying? You thought anyone could kill your big brother? I won't die—not now, not ever. So don't cry, Emilia," Lucius said while embracing her, trying to console her.
After minutes of crying, Emilia finally got a hold of herself and explained what had happened. According to what Emilia told him, Lucius felt he had a tiny idea about what had transpired. When his father, King Aldric, heard what happened, he flew into a rage immediately and set off to the academy with his most trusted people. His son hadn't even been in the academy for a year, and this was already happening—it was an insult to him.
Lucius wasn't necessarily close to his father, but he felt he knew the man quite well. He was a proud, strategic, and strong king. He had become the king of Elara at the young age of 17. Many people had tried to take his life and his throne, and they were all killed and shown no mercy at all. Even his best friend, whom he had grown up with since childhood, was executed when found guilty of conspiring against him. He had taken the Kingdom of Elara from a 3rd class Kingdom to the most prosperous Kingdom ever. He was known as a cold-hearted king throughout the lands. He may not necessarily be the strongest or one of the Tier 6 beings in the world, but he gave off that feeling to anyone in his presence. He was truly one of the greatest men in existence as of now.
"So, Emilia, how did you get here? I don't think Father would let you come," Lucius asked Emilia, who was lying on his lap.
"Who said Father wouldn't let me come?" Emilia said with a smug look on her face.
Just as the two were talking, Elara came into the room and started crying when she saw that Lucius was alright. She thought they were really going to die in the mana vein.
Lucius saw this and understood how Elara felt. She was just fourteen years old, and that was probably the first time she had been in a situation like this. She wasn't like him, living a second life. If he were in a situation like hers, he would have felt the same way.
"Come on, Elara, stop crying. I don't like seeing you like this," Lucius said. He wasn't good at consoling people, and this was the best he could come up with.
Elara, wiping her face, was really happy. She wanted to ask what the being that took control of Lucius' body and killed the Wyvern was, but she knew Lucius was also recovering, so she didn't want to worry him too much.
"Elara, what about Finn and Mira? I hope they are all okay," Lucius asked, really wanting to know if they were alright.
"The healer said their injuries weren't serious and has already healed them. They are just unconscious now," Elara said. It felt like a massive weight had just left her mind. Lucius, Finn, and Mira were all alright. This was really a good thing.
Emilia had already stood up when Elara came into the room. She had been looking at Elara the entire time, her big blue eyes looking at her as if she could see something no one else could. After she noticed Elara had finished talking, she figured this was finally a cue to speak.
"You look really pretty. Are you my brother's girlfriend?" Elara was first shocked that someone was there. She hadn't seen her until now. She found that very strange because she was really good at sensing people. But the moment she heard what Emilia said, she felt her throat choke a little, and she started coughing.
"No, no, it's not like that. Lucius is just my friend," Emilia giggled a bit.
"I know. I was just messing with you. Big brother is too good looking for someone like you. No one deserves my big brother because he is the best."
After hearing this, Elara couldn't help but get angry. In her opinion, she could get any guy she wanted. Lucius was just her friend, so she never had thoughts like this, but this had really made her mad. She was about to retort until she heard someone coughing out loud.
"Elara, don't get mad. Emilia is just joking. She doesn't actually mean it. I kno—" As Lucius was about to continue talking, his coughing got serious. Elara and Emilia tried to help him, but he still didn't stop coughing. At this point, they became extremely worried. They thought something really terrible would happen to Lucius, but just at this moment, a tiny creature that looked like it was painted in black started crawling out of Lucius' mouth. Until its full body was out, Elara thought the being looked familiar. Then it immediately dawned on her.
"It looked almost like Lucius when that doomsday took over. It can't be, right? It's the doomsday."