Boom!!
A deafening explosion erupted, the sheer force rattling the ground beneath Lucian's feet. The cave seemed to shudder as dust and fragments of rock were flung into the air, creating a thick, choking cloud that obscured everything.
It was as though the entire world had been swallowed in darkness. For a few tense moments, the dust hung in the air, and then, slowly, the heavy smoke began to disperse, thinning out until the scene came back into view.
Lucian's heart dropped as the haze cleared, revealing the horrific sight before him.
Leora lay crumpled on the ground, her body limp and covered in blood, her white hair now matted with dirt and crimson streaks. The sight was ghastly—her clothes were torn, her skin pale, and the metallic stench of blood hung thickly in the air.
Panic surged through Lucian as he stumbled toward her. He dropped to his knees, his fingers trembling as he reached out to check her for any sign of life. Her chest was still, her lips a dreadful shade of blue, but as he pressed his hand over her heart, he felt a faint, unsteady pulse.
"Leora," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Stay with me, please..."
But before he could think of what to do next, a voice echoed through the cave. Low and taunting, it sent a chill racing down his spine. Lucian's thoughts whirled in a frantic dance; there wasn't time to waste. He had to act.
With urgency driving him, he quickly slid a storage ring off Leora's finger and clasped it in his own. Then, without a second glance, he turned and ran deeper into the cave, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest.
Moments later, the man entered the cave his steps slow and deliberate. His presence seemed to fill the space with a suffocating weight.
Dust and smoke had mostly settled now, and his cold eyes surveyed the surroundings, finally landing on the broken figure of Leora sprawled out on the cave floor. A smirk twisted his lips as he took in the sight of her lifeless form.
"Poor girl." he said, his voice carrying a mocking tone that grated against the stone walls. "You should have saved yourself instead of your brother. What a waste."
He paused, and then his voice rose in a thunderous command, reverberating through the cave. "Come out, kid! There's nowhere for you to hide. You've already lost."
The silence that followed was absolute, heavy with tension and dread. The only sound was the faint drip of water from the cave's distant depths, a stark contrast to the earlier chaos.
The man's face contorted into a sneer, impatience and irritation flaring in his dark eyes. "You're testing my patience." he spat. "If you don't come out this instant, I'll desecrate your sister's body in ways you can't even imagine. And that's just the start. There are far worse fates I could bestow upon her."
A voice, quivering with a mix of terror and anger, echoed out from the depths of the shadows.
"Don't touch her!" Lucian's voice broke slightly, but then hardened with resolve. "I'll come out—but you have to swear to leave me alone and help me bury my sister. Do that, and I'll give you my storage ring. If you refuse... I swear, I'll destroy it right here and now."
The man arched an eyebrow, a sardonic chuckle escaping his lips. "Fine." he replied, his voice dripping with insincerity. "I'll do as you ask." Yet in his mind, a cruel thought whispered, 'In your dreams, boy. That ring will be mine, along with your miserable life.'
Lucian emerged slowly, his movements hesitant, as though he was fighting against every instinct screaming at him to run. His disheveled clothes hung off him in tatters, and blood stained his skin, trailing down from a gash on his forehead and various other cuts that marred his arms and legs.
His face was pale, almost ghostly, and his breath came in ragged gasps. Yet despite his disheveled state, his eyes glinted with a fierce determination. In his hand, the storage ring glimmered faintly.
"Stay where you are!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the cavern. "Don't take another step closer. I'll crush this ring to dust if you do!"
The man's gaze flicked between the boy and the storage ring. Greed warred with caution in his eyes.
"Very well." he said smoothly, though the undertone of menace in his voice was unmistakable. "Let's deal with your sister first. We wouldn't want to be disrespectful to the dead, would we?" His words were a mockery, his tone insincere.
Lucian nodded, his jaw clenched tightly as he struggled to keep his voice steady. "Fine. Then carry her—carry her on your back. I'll lead the way to where she should be buried."
A flicker of irritation passed over the man's face. 'The moment you drop your guard, I'll take that ring... and then I'll take everything else.' he thought to himself.
He strode toward Leora, glancing briefly at Lucian to see if the boy showed any signs of trickery. He bent down next to the still form of the girl, his gaze running over her bloodstained clothes and pale features.
Reaching out to Leora's chest, he was about to check for a heartbeat, to be sure that she was indeed lifeless. But Lucian's voice exploded from behind him with such raw fury that it made him hesitate.
"Don't you dare touch her 'body'!" Lucian screamed, his eyes wild and bloodshot, his entire body trembling with rage.
The man sneered, though he pulled back. 'She's probably dead.' he thought dismissively. He hoisted Leora's limp form onto his back, her head lolling to one side.
The weight of her body didn't concern him, but a nagging suspicion lurked in the back of his mind. Lucian stepped closer, his face contorted with grief and anger.
"Do it properly." Lucian demanded through gritted teeth, brandishing the rings for emphasis. "These rings contain our family's entire fortune—years of hard work and sacrifice."
A spark of greed flared in the man's eyes. The value of the rings must be enormous, he thought. But before he could savor his plans for obtaining them, Lucian's voice pierced the air once more. This time, it was tinged with a frantic urgency.
"Now, big sister—'stab him in the neck!'"
The words struck the man like a thunderclap. His eyes widened, and his muscles tensed as he instinctively hurled Leora's body away from him, letting it crash onto the cave floor. He whirled around, expecting an ambush, but there was nothing—no sudden attack, no hidden assailant.
Just the echo of Lucian's voice bouncing off the cave walls. Realization hit him like a blow to the gut—he had been tricked, and the girl had never been a threat. His face twisted in rage as he turned back toward Lucian, pulling a dagger from his belt with a snarl.
Lucian was already in motion. His own blade gleamed in the dim light, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
The man's dagger plunged into Lucian's side, but not before Lucian's own knife found its mark, burying itself deep into the man's throat. The impact knocked the wind out of the man, and he staggered back, clutching at the wound as his blood poured forth.
Lucian staggered as well, his hand instinctively reaching for his bleeding side. Pain seared through him, hot and excruciating, spreading out from the wound like fire.
His vision swam, colors and shadows blurring together until it felt like the entire cavern was spinning. He could feel the strength draining from his limbs, his grip weakening. But he refused to collapse, not yet.
Gritting his teeth, he stumbled to his knees and tore a strip of cloth from his already shredded clothes. With clumsy but desperate hands, he bound the wound as tightly as he could, feeling the fabric soak through with blood almost immediately.
The flow of crimson blood did not stop, but at least it slowed, giving him precious minutes—perhaps seconds—to see his plan through to the bitter end.
Breathing heavily, Lucian cast a glance at the man sprawled on the ground. His adversary was still alive, though just barely. The knife in his chest pulsed with each ragged breath he took, and his eyes were wide with a mixture of shock, hatred, and the dawning realization of his own mortality.
Lucian disposed of the man's body, put on his clothes, and disfigured his face to obscure his features. He ventured deeper into the cave, where darkness thickened and the air grew damp.
There, he began to prepare an elaborate series of traps, determined to catch any pursuers off guard.
The first trap was a deceptive string stretched across the narrow passage. It was so thin and fragile that one might not notice it until it was too late. When broken, the string would trigger a hidden mechanism, releasing a razor-thin and sharp wire behind the target and would harm him when retreating.
Not satisfied with a single line of defense, Lucian continued setting his backup traps.
He positioned sharp wooden spikes, coated with a slow-acting poison, in shadowy alcoves, angled to pierce anyone stumbling in the dark.
Near the cave's entrance, he dug a shallow pit and covered it with loose gravel, concealing sharpened stones at the bottom to cripple any unlucky enough to fall in. He also added net made of sharp strings.
Finally, Lucian hid Leora's body behind a large boulder and scattered loose dirt to obscure any signs of his activities. With his preparations complete, he took a deep breath, screamed for help, and waited for his prey.