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Chapter 12 - When Light Meet Darkness.

Sam blinked in surprise at Alice's sudden words. "A favor?" he asked, unsure what someone like her could possibly need from him.

But Alice didn't answer. Instead, she rose from her seat, the folds of her white gown whispering against the stone floor. "Let's go," she said simply.

Before Sam could ask anything further, she had already turned and begun walking down the garden path. Her movements were calm, graceful — yet something in the way her hand clenched the edge of her sleeve told Sam there was weight behind her composure.

Confused but curious, he followed.

They passed through the blooming gardens, then down a quieter corridor that led toward the back of the estate. The air grew still. Birds no longer sang here, and the sound of the city faded into silence.

At last, they stopped before another mansion — smaller, older, and cloaked in ivy. It lacked the grand beauty of the main estate, but there was a quiet sorrow to it, a stillness that made Sam's chest tighten.

Alice pushed open the door without a word. The scent of burning herbs and medicine drifted out.

Inside, the light was dim — golden rays filtered through lace curtains, illuminating the dust that floated lazily in the air. The room felt heavy, as though grief itself lived there.

Sam's eyes fell upon a figure sitting beside a bed. It was Duke Arvane. The man who had seemed unshakable in the grand hall now looked older, wearier. His usual commanding presence was replaced by the quiet ache of a father watching helplessly.

Alice stopped near the doorway. "Sam," she said softly, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound composed. "This is what I wished to show you."

Sam stepped forward slowly, his eyes drawn to the bed.

Lying upon it was a girl — no older than twelve — with hair like spun silver and skin as pale as moonlight. Her breathing was shallow, each rise and fall of her chest a fragile struggle. Despite the life ebbing from her body, there was something ethereal about her — a faint luminescence, as if light still clung to her soul, refusing to fade.

Arvane turned, acknowledging Sam's presence with a faint nod. "This is my daughter, Lucy."

Sam's heart tightened. "What… happened to her?" he asked, voice low, uncertain if he should even speak. "Why is she so weak?"

The Duke's gaze lingered on his daughter for a moment before he answered. His voice carried the weight of countless sleepless nights. "Lucy was always different. Quiet, shy… but gifted beyond anyone's imagination. Even as a child, she could manipulate light itself — bend it, weave it, purify it."

He paused, closing his eyes briefly. "But that gift drew the wrong kind of attention."

Alice stepped closer to the bed, brushing a strand of hair from Lucy's forehead with trembling fingers. "One night," she whispered, "a curse was placed upon her. We don't know by whom — or why. All we know is that her light began to fade… as if something was draining it from within."

Sam's expression darkened. The faint glow around Lucy flickered, almost as if reacting to their words. "Have you tried healers? Priests? There must be someone in this city who can lift a curse."

"We've tried everything," Alice said quietly. "The best priests from the Grand Cathedral, mages from the Imperial Court, even relics from ancient shrines… nothing works. The curse adapts — it feeds on whatever tries to purify it."

Arvane looked up at Sam then, his eyes sharp again, though pain still lingered in them. "But yesterday," he said, "I saw something — when you fought those creatures. You didn't use light… or flame… or any common magic."

Sam froze. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Arvane said, raising a hand. "But I sensed it — the way shadows bent to your will. You can control them, can't you?"

Sam's jaw tightened. Lisa's warning echoed in his mind — never show that you can use the power of darkness in front of others.

"I don't know what you think you saw," he said cautiously.

Alice turned to him, her gaze soft but piercing. "We're not asking for your secrets, Sam. But… if there's even the slightest chance that your power could help her, please." Her voice broke, and she clutched her daughter's small hand. "Please… help us."

The room fell silent.

Sam looked at Lucy — at her frail chest rising and falling, her light flickering weaker with every breath. Something in him stirred — a memory of someone lying in bed just like that… pale, fading, whispering his name before darkness took her.

His hand unconsciously went to the pendant around his neck — the faint hum of dark energy thrumming against his fingers.

He exhaled slowly.

"I… don't know if I can help," he said at last, his voice quiet but firm. "But I can try."

Alice's eyes glistened with hope. Arvane leaned back, a small, weary smile touching his lips.

And as Sam stepped closer to the bed, the pendant pulsed once — faintly — as if something deep within it recognized the cursed child before him.

Sam stood beside Lucy's bed, his hand trembling slightly as he stared down at her fragile form. The faint glow surrounding her flickered, like a dying candle trying to resist the wind.

Alice and Arvane watched silently, their eyes filled with hope and fear in equal measure.

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked quietly, his voice almost drowned by the hum of the candles burning around the room.

Arvane nodded once. "If there's even a chance… we'll take it."

Sam took a deep breath and slowly reached for Lucy's hand. Her skin was cold, almost lifeless. The moment his palm touched hers, a surge of energy rushed through him — blinding, holy light clashing violently against his inner darkness. His pendant flared crimson, reacting instinctively.

The air around them began to distort.

Alice gasped as waves of dark mist and golden radiance clashed midair, filling the room with an otherworldly storm. Curtains tore, the bed trembled, and symbols from the curse burned bright on Lucy's skin.

"Sam!" Alice called, shielding her daughter. "What's happening!?"

But Sam didn't answer. His eyes had turned completely black, his shadow stretching unnaturally across the walls. Inside him, the darkness screamed — not in pain, but in defiance, as if it recognized the divine energy before it and refused to bow.

Lucy's body convulsed. Her light intensified, bursting outward in a blinding flare. The clash between her divine energy and Sam's shadow sent shockwaves rippling through the room, cracking the marble floor.

And yet—amidst the chaos—something strange began to happen.

The two forces, once opposing, started to intertwine. The dark mist wrapped around the golden radiance, neither consuming nor being consumed. They began to pulse together… like two halves of the same heartbeat.

Sam's expression shifted from pain to focus. He could feel it — the resonance. Light and darkness weren't meant to destroy each other. They could balance.

"Come on…" he whispered through gritted teeth. "Work with me."

The symbols on Lucy's body began to fade one by one. The sickly aura that once surrounded her evaporated, replaced by a gentle warmth. Her breathing steadied. Her pale skin began to regain color.

Alice, seeing this, fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Arvane stood frozen, unable to speak, watching his daughter's curse lift before his eyes.

Finally, with a final pulse of energy, both the golden light and the shadows dissipated into soft embers that floated away like fireflies.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open.

"M… Mother?" she whispered weakly.

Alice sobbed in relief, rushing to hold her. "Lucy! My sweet child!"

Sam, however, could barely stand. His knees buckled, his vision blurred, and his strength left him like a fading echo.

"Sam!" Alice shouted, reaching toward him. But before she could move, Arvane caught the boy, lowering him gently to the floor.

"Let him rest," the Duke said quietly. "He's done more than enough."

As his consciousness slipped, the last thing Sam saw was Lucy smiling faintly at him — her divine light now calm and pure.

When Sam awoke, night had already fallen. He was back in his room, the sound of distant rain tapping softly against the window. The pendant around his neck glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

He groaned softly, sitting up. His body felt heavy, as if the darkness within him had burned through every ounce of his strength. But his mind — his mind was racing.

That moment. When his darkness clashed with Lucy's divine light. It should have annihilated him. Yet, instead… it had merged.

He looked down at his hands, flexing them. For a brief instant, a faint golden shimmer flickered alongside his usual black aura.

"It… combined," he whispered to himself. "Light and dark… they can exist together."

He stood and walked toward the window, watching the city lights flicker like stars below.

"Lisa always told me never to reveal my darkness," he murmured. "But if I can balance it… if I can hide it within light…"

The idea formed clearly now — a way to mask his identity, his power, and his nature.

If I can use divine energy as a veil, he thought, no one will ever know what truly flows within me.

He closed his eyes and focused. Slowly, deliberately, he channeled the smallest spark of darkness through his fingers — and then, instead of letting it spiral into shadow, he tried to infuse it with that lingering trace of light he had absorbed from Lucy.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then — a faint, golden flame appeared on his palm. It looked holy, radiant… but Sam could feel it. The power within wasn't divine. It was his.

He smiled faintly.

"Seems like even the darkness can wear the mask of light," he whispered, his reflection in the glass faintly flickering between light and shadow.

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance, and Sam felt a strange chill — as if somewhere, something had taken notice of his awakening balance.

But for now, he sat down, letting exhaustion take him once more.

Tomorrow would bring questions — from Arvane, from Alice, from whoever had cursed Lucy in the first place. But tonight… tonight he had found something far more important than answers.

He had found control.

And in that fragile balance between light and shadow, Sam's true journey — the one Lisa could never have prepared him for — had just begun.

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