The library's oppressive silence began to weigh on Lucian. His breath, slow and measured, contrasted with the whirlwind of thoughts that flooded his mind. While Raven kept moving around him like a predator studying her prey, Lucian was unable to stop his mind from wandering.
The nightmares. Always them.
Since he woke up in this world, the nights were a constant battle against the same dreams. Or would they be memories? He still could not say for sure. What began as fragmented flashes became a vivid sequence, like a film that refused to end.
In the most recurring dream, he was right there in the Abandoned Palace. The room was dark, torches casting dancing shadows across the walls. Lucian was trapped, as now, but the ropes were not the only weight that held him captive. Raven stood before him, her smile as sweet as mortal.
"You should have listened to me, little brother."
The words echoed in Lucian's mind, freezing his soul. He remembered trying to answer, shouting his indignation, but his throat was dry. Tears burned his eyes as he watched Raven hold a sword with cruel precision.
"I warned you."
And then the blow. Always the same. The blade pierced his chest, the cold metal ripping flesh and bones. The pain was excruciating, but what really crushed him was Raven's gaze: impassive, unshakable, as if doing what was necessary.
Lucian felt life vanish from his body as blood dripped, hot and sticky, staining the stone floor. He fell to his knees, his vision clouded. The last thing he saw was Raven's satisfied smile as she cleaned her sword.
And then, darkness to finally wake up from that nightmare.
The biting cold of the Abandoned Palace seemed to penetrate into Lucian's bones. The humidity of the air gave his skin a sticky feeling, and the sweet-sour smell of mold was a constant reminder of his neglected childhood. Tied up in his old library, he could not ignore the cruel irony of that situation. Years ago, this space symbolized isolation, the center of your forgotten world. Now, the worn-out walls witnessed something even more bitter: a reunion poisoned by power and ambition.
The figure of Raven appeared in the penumbra, her presence radiating a dark authority that dominated the environment. The golden dress she wore reflected the light of the torches, creating an almost angelic glow that contrasted cruelly with the predatory look in her peach-colored eyes.
"Little brother" she began, with a smile that seemed as sweet as treacherous "we can finally talk without distractions."
Lucian blinked, trying to push away the images that insisted on coming back. It was hard to convince himself that it was just a nightmare. No, it was more than that. He knew that now. The feeling of metal through his skin, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, the cold that consumed his body while life disappeared... everything was too real to be only imagination.
In the first months in this world, Lucian had tried to rationalize, convince himself that he was living in a fictional story. After all, Lucian remembered having read it in his other life. The narrative was well written, the characters intriguing, but it was just that: fiction.
But the dreams... or rather, the memories, were something he could not ignore.
"Can't be" he murmured to himself, his voice too low for Raven to hear.
Lucian still struggled with the idea that this was his first world, his first life. Everything he thought was a fantastic story was not the creation of a creative mind. It was a past lived and brutally closed.
Raven, Elyon, Dahlia, Magnus... all the characters he believed to be inventions now had faces, voices and intentions. The story he knew so well, the one he had read to escape the monotony of his other life, was in fact an account of the cruel fate which he himself had experienced.
And the worst thing of all was to remember the end. To know that if he were not careful, the cycle could repeat itself. Lucian could die again at Raven's hands, a sister who had already proven to be able to do the unthinkable.
Lucian closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stabilize his breathing.
"This time it will be different," he thought, forcing himself to believe. "This time I have Magnus. I have allies."
But even with these words echoing in his mind, the fear persisted. Because if he learned anything from his first life, it was that trusting others too much was a mistake. And Raven, as always, was just waiting to prove it again.
Lucian raised his chin, trying to keep what was left of his dignity. The fraternal title she wore sounded empty, almost cynical. He knew exactly who the woman before him was: the real villain of all that story. She, the First Princess, the one who engineered chaos from the shadows.
"You've always been good at creating distractions, Raven. Come on, what do you want?"
The direct response pulled an even wider smile from Raven, as if she was genuinely charmed by her brother's audacity.
"So eagger..." She started walking around him, her steps echoing on the stone floor. "But that's okay. I'll get right to the point. I want something very simple: you by my side."
Lucian had a dry laugh, but the sound echoed strangely in the empty space. He felt a shiver run his spine, as if every word of it rekindled the nightmares of his first life, the memories of death and betrayal that he carried as an invisible burden.
"Do you really think I would join you after all you've done?"
Raven leaned slightly, her face close to his, her voice transformed into a seductive whisper.
"I did what was necessary, Lucian. And you, of all people, should understand that. We are survivors, you and I. We grew up in this place forgotten by all. You, the neglected prince. I, the princess molded to please. But while you fled into the arms of the Grand Duke, I stayed. And I learned that to win in this game we must be ruthless."
Her words had a weight that was hard to ignore, but Lucian knew he couldn't give in. Lucian noticed the insidious tone, the words calculated to poke his deepest wounds.
"We're not the same, Raven. Not by a long shot."
"Of course we are!" she replied, her eyes shining with a mixture of anger and something more dangerous. She crouched down, touching his face with a gesture that to any inattentive observer would seem tenderness. "Do you think Daddy loves you? You saw that letter yourself, Lucian. Cassander left you here for years. I was the only one to reach out to you."
Lucian contracted the jaw. The truth in her words was like a subtle poison. He had found the letter, yes. Cassander was an absent father, and Raven knew how to exploit this hurt with surgical precision. But he wouldn't let her manipulate him.
"Do I look like someone who seeks paternal love?" he replied, with enough coldness to freeze even the fire of the torches. "I only care about my husband."
The change in Raven's expression was subtle, but Lucian noticed. A slight tremor on her lips before she smiled again.
"But the Grand Duke does not love you... after all, you got together because you forced him with a drug, isn't it?"
The impact of the words was instantaneous. A shiver ran through Lucian's spine, and he felt his mouth dry. How did she know that?
"Well, in your engagement he made it clear to everyone that he did not love you. Magnus Grimwood does not love anyone but the brothers, this is known by all."
Lucian kept the expression impassive, but inside he felt like a ship sinking in rough waters. Raven's words had the precision of daggers, each piercing a different part of his heart.
"And that's why you're trafficking weapons to Geledel?" he replied, diverting the focus. "Are you risking the lives of our people to secure your place on the throne?"
Raven stood up, walking away with an expression that now seemed almost serious.
"The Empire needs change. It needs real leadership. Not someone who blindly follows his father's orders or lets himself be controlled by petty nobles."
Lucian uttered a bitter laugh.
"True leadership?" he repeated, his voice laden with disdain. "Everything you have done proves that it is nothing but a desperate opportunist."
Raven's eyes shone with anger, but she kept her composure.
"And you, little brother?" she asked with a cold smile. "What are you? A temple's puppet? A consort who lives in the shadow of the Grand Duke?"
"And even then, you had to kidnap me" Lucian answered, leaning as far as the ropes allowed. "It seems that this "puppet" is still a big enough problem to bother you."
Raven hesitated, but soon regained her smile.
"I wouldn't call it a problem. I would call it an opportunity."
She approached again, her voice now low and persuasive.
"Imagine, Lucian. You by my side. The temple, the army, the Grimwoods... everything within our reach."
Lucian held her gaze, feeling the weight of her words. He knew that Raven believed what she said, but he also knew she was wrong.
"Even if I wanted to help you, Raven, what guarantees me that I won't end up as one of your throwaway pawns?"
Raven sighed, as if dealing with a stubborn child.
"Because you are my brother. And, despite everything, I take care of those who are mine."
Lucian felt his heart racing. Her words were like a trap, and he knew he needed to play carefully.
"What if I refuse?"
Raven's smile became cold.
"I hope it doesn't come to that. It would be... inconvenient."
The tension in the room was almost suffocating, but Lucian kept the expression neutral. He knew that every word now was a move in a dangerous game, and that the price of defeat would be too high.