Lucivar panted as he ran through the forest once again.
He felt like he had been running through this forest multiple times already—but none was as bad as this one. Jumping past a fallen tree—he yelped when splinters of wood, rained down on him as another bullet missed him by an inch.
It had been more than five minutes of being chased.
No matter what he tried to do, he couldn't shake the three guards from his tail.
"Come on... Come on..." Lucivar gritted his teeth—he was trying to activate his power like the time he did to kill Dorian. He tried to feel the energy he felt before, and even tried to close his eyes as he ran, but none of his attempts worked. "How did I do it last time?!"
Bang!
"Krahhk!" Lucivar grunted in pain as he grabbed his shoulder.
One bullet managed to hit him, and as he looked back, he saw the three guards were close.
Unlike the two at the front, who were sprinting ahead—the one at the back, was firing bullets at Lucivar to prevent him from running. Not even getting a moment of a breather, Lucivar was hit for the second time on the leg, causing him to stumble and fall.
He groaned in pain, and blood began to flow and seep out of his clothes.
Even then, his eyes were still flickering with determination.
'I killed a Titan Hybrid. I would be executed if I was caught!' He thought grimly.
Searching for ways to get out of this sticky situation—Lucivar darted his eyes left—and right before his gaze fell on a hand-size, red-dotted black beetle. Seeing that particular insect, he quickly grabbed it and crushed it.
Its blood was golden and sticky, and Lucivar scooped it with his right hand.
"Come on kid, young master Arkan is asking for you,"
"Don't resist, you won't escape"
Lucivar turned and threw the two guards the black beetle's blood, smearing it on them.
Both men were stunned before that stun turned to anger.
"Motherfucker!"
"Why you little... come here!"
Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!
Out of nowhere, dozens of creatures fell down from the sky, landing on the two guards.
It was the Fire-tailed Monkey, they lived in groups and were rather docile, but they really liked, the taste of the red-dotted black beetle's blood, for some reason. Using them as a diversion, Lucivar got up and continued his escape.
Despite the wounds, he could still run—he attributed it to the ploy of his adrenaline.
'The river! I could lose them using the river!' Lucivar pondered.
He now had a destination, he would try his chances of losing his pursuers on the lake.
For a moment there, Lucivar was free from being shot, as it seemed the three men were busy dealing with the Fire-tailed Monkeys that were physically strong. But he knew that it wouldn't be long before they caught up to him.
Rumble!
Just then, the sky suddenly rumbled with a thunderous crack.
As if fate itself was against Lucivar, it started to rain.
It started mildly at first, but the rain became a downpour in mere seconds.
Each drop of the rain, that landed on Lucivar's fresh wounds, sent a stinging pain through his nerves, causing him to grit his teeth harder and harder. He was nearing the river so he began to pick up his pace, especially when he could hear the distant sound of the three guards.
'Just after that big tree it's the river, I can make it!' Lucivar thought resolutely.
But as soon as he passed the river, his eyes widened.
Despite being a hunter for years and practically knowing the outskirts of the forest well—he was not perfect as he forgot the river flowed through a narrow valley. Not expecting a steep descent, the ground falling away sharply beneath his feet, Lucivar fell down.
He rolled roughly across the valley, hitting rocks and drowned branches along the way.
Lucivar could feel a couple of his bones ruptured from the rough fall.
Even as he came to a stop and wanted to stand up, he felt a sharp pain stabbing his chest.
"There! I see him!"
Upon hearing a voice, Lucivar looked up and saw the three guards were already on their way down towards him. Pushing himself up—he ignored the pain, and the blood dripping from his forehead and moved to the river, 'I don't want to die yet... I had only become a Hybrid, I don't want it to end like this!'
Relying on his willpower, he dragged himself towards the river slowly.
But the three guards had enough of him.
Kaboom!
Out of nowhere, the ground beside him exploded, sending him hurtling to the side.
Everything became blurry when his head crashed against a rock—he didn't know what made the ground explode but it did. Prone on the snowy ground, Lucivar tried to see where he was but the world was spinning.
Seemed like he hurt his eardrums too as a sharp, high-pitched ringing assaulted his senses.
However, he could still subtly hear the sound of footsteps approaching.
Lucivar lay motionless, every muscle in his body betraying him.
He tried to move, still determined to reach the river and let its stream bring him away—but it seemed the fall had paralyzed him or his body had simply taken too much damage. However—driven by the burning determination inside of him, his power came back.
Unconsciously, his eyes began to glow with the same light as before.
It was not as intense as before, but it was there.
But his vision got worse as it was marred by the crimson trail of blood drizzling from his own forehead into his eye, painting the world, in a red haze. As he lay there—breathing heavily in wait for the three guards to strike, a warm liquid suddenly drenched his body.
A scream followed, but it was dampened, and it could've been his ears playing tricks.
Summoning all his remaining strength, he tried to force himself up.
Lifting his bloodied gaze, instead of the three guards, he was only greeted by one.
Blood seemed to be smeared across the guard's face—though Lucivar could not be sure if it was real, or a phantom from his damaged vision. He saw the guard—extend his hand toward him with a light smile playing on his lips.
"It's okay," the guard said. "Take my hand..."
Lucivar's mind raced, trying to comprehend what was happening.
He couldn't understand what the guard was saying or why is the guard smiling at him.
But before he could make sense of it all, darkness claimed him, and he passed out.
...
As consciousness slowly returned, Lucivar could feel that his surroundings were warmer.
He seemed to hear a flickering fire, cackling, which should be the source of this warmth.
Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted by an unfamiliar, wooden ceiling.
In the next second, however, Lucivar's body tensed—he recalled being pursued by the three guards through the forest. But a soft hand gently held his chest, preventing him from getting up from the bed.
"Easy there, dear, your body is still recovering..." A feminine voice caressed his ears.
Glancing to the side, Lucivar saw a female stranger.
She was holding a wet cloth with a bowl of warm water placed beside her.
Her flawless, wavy blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and despite the faint lines that were marking her face—her beauty remained, breathtaking. Even her pliant smile, made him feel that he was safe beside her.
Just then, a baritone voice snapped him out of his trance, "Seems like you're awake,"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman stood up and left the room.
Lucivar then saw a middle-aged man sitting with one leg crossed near the fireplace, his gaze was unwavering. The man's medium-length hair, was combed neatly to both sides, framing a scar that crossed his left eye, now completely white and blind.
His proper black morning coat and polished leather gloves spoke of nobility.
And a glinting golden pocket watch completed his embellished look.
"My name is Tobias, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Tobias said and smiled lightly.
He went ahead to pour a glass of water before giving it to Lucivar, which Lucivar didn't drink.
Lucivar didn't know who Tobias was, he was not going to accept anything he gave.
As Tobias pulled his chair to sit beside the bed, Lucivar kept his eyes on him, and vaguely, he remembered, the incident from before. "You're the guard I saw, before I passed out... Are you the one who saved me and brought me here?"
"Yes," Tobias nodded, keeping his assuring smile. "I am that guard"
But instead of feeling assured, Lucivar moved away from him out of cautiousness.
"What do you want?" He asked.
Tobias chuckled lightly seeing how he acted, "What do you mean what do I want?"
"You want something from me, or else why would you help a stranger" He replied knowingly.
Lucivar feels a strange mix of gratitude and unease.
No matter the circumstances, it was peculiar for a guard of the Ashbourne House to defy his master's orders to save him, instead of capturing him. Moreover, Tobias' words were kind, he also looked kind, yet something about him made Lucivar feel he wasn't as he appeared.
"I saw the corpses..." Tobias suddenly said—making the air seem choking. "and I know, what kind of man you are. Something must've happened to you. A man like you, would not do that without a reason. Also, you're right, I saved you because I want something back"
As soon as Tobias said that, Lucivar became alert, fearing for the worst.
However, Tobias smiled wider in return, "But that doesn't mean I would force you to do it"
Upon hearing this, Lucivar had his eyes widened slightly.
But he soon collected himself, "Then tell me what you want, and don't lie to me"
"I'll try my best to be as honest as possible," Tobias smiled. He paused briefly to arrange the words in his mind while looking at Lucivar intently—before he asked, "Before I tell you what I want, I want to know what you want. So tell me, what do you want to do right now?"
Lucivar didn't instantly answer when he was asked about this, he took a moment to think.
"For now, I want to live freely," He finally replied.
As if expecting Lucivar to answer with that, Tobias nodded and clasped his hands together.
"To live freely, you need strength. Do you have the strength?" Tobias asked.
Unlike the question before, Lucivar was silenced by this one knowing that he didn't have it.
Knowing the answer through his expression alone, Tobias continued, "You have a rare gift—Lucivar. You killed a Hybrid with a Titan bloodline when you just awakened your bloodline. It was an impressive feat, nobody could do that"
"And I need someone like you for something in due time. But in the meantime, I could provide you with the path you need to develop your bloodline and become stronger. More than that, I will also give you a home, and people that you can learn to trust" He added.
Listening to this, Lucivar found it to be too good to be true.
'I'm worried about this 'something' he needed me for' Lucivar pondered in concern.
Knowing exactly what Lucivar was thinking, Tobias assured, "If you reach the state that you want with my help, the cost of paying me back would be nothing, you have nothing to worry about, you will still make your own choices and be free"
Intertwining his hands together, Tobias then leaned forward with a serious expression.
"So, you have two choices," He said calmly. "You can either accept the proposal I'm offering, or I can drop you off at the nearest city to start fresh, and fend for yourself. I won't force you into anything, the choice is entirely yours..."