"Okay, kiddo, take this and keep it safe. And please, for the love of everything, don't lose it. This thing is... very, very, very dangerous." Arthur's voice dropped as he looked into Lucian's eyes, his normally carefree tone replaced with an unusual seriousness.
Lucian raised his hand obediently, his eyes flicking to Arthur, confused by the sudden gravity of the situation. He hadn't seen Arthur this intense before. It felt out of character for someone who usually exuded confidence, bordering on arrogance.
Slowly, Arthur extended his own hand toward Lucian. His fingers, clenched tightly around the red amulet, trembled for a fraction of a second before he carefully placed it into Lucian's open palm. As soon as the cold, metallic surface of the amulet made contact with Lucian's skin, something inside him jolted.
Lucian felt it immediately an electric shock, a pulse that seemed to resonate through his entire being. His breath caught in his throat as his blood began to stir. It was as though a current of energy had been unleashed within him, one he couldn't control. His veins pulsed with an unnatural heat, blood rushing through them at an alarming speed. His heart thundered in his chest, each beat louder than the last. It was like his entire body was being hijacked by an overwhelming force.
"Ah !" Lucian gasped, doubling over slightly as his blood began to boil. His eyes flashed red, the familiar hunger of his vampiric instincts awakening with a vengeance. His muscles tensed as if preparing to launch him into an uncontrollable frenzy. The power, raw and untamed, threatened to overtake him.
[Host, be careful! This amulet is extremely dangerous for you!] the system's voice chimed in with urgency, cutting through the haze in Lucian's mind.
"What... is happening?" Lucian barely managed to think, every fiber of his being fighting against the overwhelming sensation.
[Because you can't fully control your vampire hunger yet, this amulet is reacting strongly with your blood. If you don't drop it in the next ten seconds, your body will instinctively try to devour it. You won't be able to stop the process, and the consequences could be catastrophic.] The system's voice was calm but stern, the weight of the situation obvious in every word.
Lucian's mind raced. The amulet was searing through his body like fire, and the hunger he could feel it clawing at the edges of his control. His hands were trembling now, the desire to consume the powerful object almost unbearable.
"Do it!" Lucian mentally screamed at the system, his jaw clenched as he fought to keep his composure. His vision blurred for a moment, the heat spreading from his hand to every corner of his body.
Suddenly, the pressure vanished. The intense heat that had been threatening to consume him dissipated in an instant. The amulet disappeared from his hand, absorbed by the system's storage, vanishing into the seemingly unremarkable ring Lucian wore on his finger the same ring that housed the system, an ancient and powerful object older than time itself. To an outsider, the ring might look like nothing more than a simple accessory, but Lucian knew better. This ring was the most ancient and powerful relic in all of creation, though it didn't carry the same visual grandeur to match its status.
Lucian staggered backward, panting heavily, sweat dripping down his brow as he regained control over his body. His heartbeat slowly returned to normal, and the redness in his eyes faded. He closed his eyes for a brief second, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.
Arthur, Endever, and Aria exchanged glances, their expressions mixed with surprise and concern. They had witnessed Lucian's body react violently the moment he touched the amulet. His eyes had flashed red, his entire frame shaking as if he were caught in a trance or worse an internal struggle. But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the amulet disappeared into the ring. They all saw it.
"Did that thing just... vanish into his storage ring?" Endever asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. Storage rings were common, but this? The power of the amulet and the way Lucian's body had reacted something didn't add up. Endever's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the boy more closely.
Arthur frowned, his sharp gaze lingering on Lucian's hand, where the amulet had been just moments before. He knew the amulet's power, knew the risks associated with it. But this... this reaction was unexpected. He had given Lucian the amulet as part of his plan, but he hadn't anticipated this kind of response from the boy.
"Are you alright, kiddo?" Arthur asked, his voice softer now, though still laced with a hint of worry. He wasn't one to babysit, but Lucian looked visibly shaken.
Lucian wiped the sweat from his forehead, taking another deep breath before nodding. "Yeah... I'm alright," he managed, though the exhaustion in his voice was clear. His body felt like it had run a marathon, the sudden surge of power leaving him drained.
Arthur didn't press further, though he was clearly deep in thought. "Alright then," he said with a shrug, his casual demeanor slipping back into place. "Shall we head to the Academy now?"
Lucian blinked, still processing everything that had just happened. He wanted to ask more, but the idea of questioning these people especially Arthur seemed... pointless. These were people who held power far beyond anything he could grasp at the moment. And Arthur? He clearly had his reasons for giving Lucian that amulet, though the weight of its danger was still pressing on his mind.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Lucian replied, trying to sound composed, though a part of him still wondered if he was. His body still tingled from the aftereffects of the encounter with the amulet.
As he started to rise, a thought crossed his mind what about the hospital? He hadn't even finished his sentence earlier when Arthur had interrupted him. But Lucian knew better than to ask now. These people Arthur, Endever, Aria they weren't the type to explain everything. They had their own agenda, and Lucian would have to find his place in it.
Arthur, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood to babysit. As much as he was concerned about Lucian's reaction to the amulet, they had more pressing matters to attend to. He couldn't afford to linger on sentimentality.
With a subtle nod to Endever and Aria, Arthur clapped his hands, and in the blink of an eye, the world around them shifted.
Lucian barely had time to process what was happening. One moment, he was standing in the room with Arthur and the others, and the next, the scenery around him dissolved into a blur. Colors and shapes warped together, and then, just as quickly, they reformed into something entirely new.
When his vision cleared, Lucian found himself standing in a completely different place