The dark room felt like a tomb—, the air thick with silence. A loud, eerie footstep broke through the stillness, each step echoing with a heavy, ominous presence.
As the footsteps grew louder, a tall man stepped from the shadows into the dim light, his blond hair gleaming against the gloom.
His emerald-green eyes seemed to pierce the darkness, and he moved with an air of confidence. He wore expensive, old-fashioned clothing, and his cane—polished and ornate—dangled from his right hand as he stepped closer.
"Who are you?" Lucian's voice cut through the air, sharp and edged with disgust.
"Is that how you address the owner of this household?" the man replied, a smirk playing across his lips.
"Owner? Don't make me laugh. This house belongs to the Evergreens."
The man's smirk widened into a mocking grin. "Ba...bahaha!"
"What's so funny?" Lucian snapped, his patience wearing thin. The man's laughter seemed to stretch on, growing louder and more derisive.
"Everything you see, touch, and breathe in this house—it's all..." The man raised his cane, punctuating each word with an air of finality. "M.I.N.E."
Lucian rolled his eyes, his face showing clear disdain. This guy was clearly a fool, someone with a big ego and little sense.
"So, that crown—is it yours? Did you put it there to lure me out?" he asked, barely able to hide his smirk.
The man smiled, his emerald eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh my, you've just noticed?" he replied with exaggerated surprise.
Lucian scoffed and released a burst of thorny vines, aiming to pierce the man's neck. But the man deftly blocked the attack with his cane, his reflexes impossibly quick. It was like he'd anticipated Lucian's move before it happened.
"My, my, that's quite dangerous. Little boy," the man said, his tone casual and condescending.
"Who are you calling a little boy?" Lucian's rage flared, and he lunged at the man with renewed ferocity, his attacks fast and relentless.
His anger burned hot, his movements a blur of speed and fury.
"Oh my, you've got quite the skill," the man remarked while effortlessly dodging the attacks, each step graceful as if he were dancing. Lucian's strikes found only air or the solid cane.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Lucian yelled, his voice rising in anger. His face was a mask of rage, his muscles tense as he attacked with everything he had.
Yet the man continued to dodge, his smirk never fading.
"You came from that place, didn't you? The one where there's only darkness and no light?" the man asked, his voice calm, almost conversational. It only seemed to infuriate Lucian further.
"What are you talking about?" Lucian's confusion turned into rage. His attacks grew more aggressive, each strike more brutal than the last.
He aimed for the man's face, his chest, anywhere that might bring him down. But the man moved with a fluidity that defied reason, each movement controlled and precise.
"Aren't you that man from that place?" the man continued, his voice probing, curious. "In other words, you're not him. You're from that place where there's only darkness, where there's no light at all."
Lucian's strikes grew erratic, his anger clouding his judgment.
Then, with a single tap of his cane on the ground, the man sent a surge of crystalline ice that erupted from the floor, trapping Lucian.
The ice formed sharp spikes that pierced his flesh, drawing blood as it tightened its grip. The final spike pointed menacingly at his neck.
"What if I offer you something?" the man said, his tone light, as if he were discussing the weather.
"Offer me something? Don't joke with me! I won't bend to your will!" Lucian spat in the man's face, his defiance obvious. The spittle splattered against the man's cheek, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he calmly wiped it away with his sleeve, his smirk growing even wider.
The man simply wiped his face with his sleeve, his expression remaining calm. "Think about it. I'm trying to give you a wonderful opportunity." He tapped his cane on the ground, and the ice began to crack and pull Lucian deeper into the frozen trap.
"You can't do this to me! I won't go back to that place!" Lucian shouted, his voice filled with desperation. The ground seemed to open beneath him, and he could feel the icy tendrils pulling him down.
"You think so? I don't think you have a choice," the man replied with a smirk. He was enjoying this, the way Lucian's confidence was crumbling.
Lucian struggled, reaching out, but the ice's grip was relentless. Finally, he broke down. "Alright! Alright! I accept the offer! Please! I don't want to go back there. Please! I'm begging you!"
His voice was pleading, his anger replaced with desperation. The thought of returning to that dark place was too much to bear.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Is that really what you want?" He knew he had Lucian cornered, and he wasn't about to let him go without extracting every ounce of submission.
"Yes! Yes!" Lucian pleaded, tears streaming down his face. His pride was shattered, and all he could think of was escaping the cold, the darkness.
"Then I'll give you a name, one worthy of my contract." The man paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "Accept your name, Cerberus!"
The room erupted with a blinding light as Lucian's skin began to crack, veins crawling across his body. The pain was excruciating, and he screamed in agony.
"No... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His voice was a cry of agony and surrender as the transformation took hold. His body contorted with pain, and the ice grew thicker, encasing him in its icy embrace.
The man watched, his expression cold and detached, as Lucian—or Cerberus—was torn between his past and the dark future that awaited him.