"What was that battle?" Elle blurted out, more curious than cautious.
Lucian's expression twitched, a subtle tightening of his jaw that betrayed the sudden return to a painful memory. His gaze, which had been drifting towards the console, snapped back to hers, a flicker of something dark and unreadable in their depths.
Elle shifted uncomfortably under his intense scrutiny. She hadn't meant to pry, hadn't meant to stir up whatever dark emotions lay beneath his calm exterior. Yet, the image of the battle, the sheer power and brutality of it, had ignited a burning curiosity within her. She had to know.
"That was the battle against Kah, one of the last new gods, two thousand years ago," he replied, with nostalgia in his tone. "That too was forgotten by the French, I see…"
Lucian made a few clicks, and the screen displayed the battle once again.
"These warriors in armor are the Praetorians of Mankind. Warriors forged for fighting Gods," he explained. "And this red-winged giant is the New God Kah. The Praetorians don't stand a chance against him."
"I-I saw them killing him," Elle replied. He turned back to her, his eyes now filled with a strange mix of wariness and something else she couldn't quite decipher. He wants to tell me, she realized, a sudden understanding dawning on her. But he's afraid. The understanding sent a shiver down her spine. Lucian, the man who had kidnapped her, stolen her power, and defied her father, was afraid of her, of unveiling something personal, maybe too personal. It was an unsettling thought, a dangerous thought. Would he do it?
"They were Quantum existences, beyond death and the laws of our universe. To descend into our universe and unleash their cruelty, they had to adopt forms that could contain their almighty power," he continued. "But it was discovered that it was possible to disconnect them from the Quantum Plane where they came from, rendering them mortal and killable. That's what we did."
"You killed gods!" The words left her mouth as she tried to grasp the implications. She had fought him before, and yes, now she would acknowledge that he was strong, but if she had her key, she would completely defeat him. The image of the red, lifeless New God impaled by that giant rod of steel came to her mind, and the uncomfortable doubt made her heart beat faster.
"Not alone... Never alone..." Lucian added bitterly. The screen showed hundreds of Praetorians, many falling, none showing hesitation. Wait! Does that mean there are more like Lucian? Does he have an army? He's alone now, and it's clear sad about that…
"Who are you, Lucian?" She asked him, tightening the grip on her knife, her eyes locked on his.
"What? Don't tell me now you'll beg to be mine because if you do, I'll kick you out and find a replacement," he let out with that smirk she hated back on his face. She clenched her fist and then summoned her sphere of plasma, putting all her energy into it, but nothing happened, of course, and she felt ridiculous.
"You're impossible!" she spat, embarrassed and angry. Realizing she had been boding with him? How?!
Before Lucian could respond, an extremely beautiful voice echoed through the bridge, cutting through the tension. "Lucian, a high-energy anomaly detected, approaching at vector 273. Designation: Keraunos. Probability of hostile intent: 99.7%."
Elle's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise. She scanned the bridge, searching for the source of the voice. There's an AI? she thought, her brow furrowed. I thought Lucian was managing everything himself. The fight with Kah still played across the holographic screen, a Quantum portal opening, the rod appearing, then the image abruptly changed, displaying something else.
"You have an AI?" she asked, her voice laced with a mixture of fear and curiosity as she read the name displayed on the secondary screen of the left next to the main one: Keraunos, it read.
"Unexpected. A New Gods' creation is still alive in this region." Lucian let out scratching his beard. "Ada, can we kill it with a null field?"
"You spent most of our keys kidnapping Elle. With the spares available we won't be able to generate a field big enough to kill it." The AI replied.
"Creature of pure energy, born to destroy." Elle finished reading out loud. "How do you kill something like that?"
"We don't. We have to run," Lucian replied. "Ada, get us out of here."
"As you wish, Lucian," Ada responded, gentle, friendly. "Keraunos' energy signature is increasing. It is accelerating. I told you not to spend all our keys."
Elle's eyes widened. He spent all their keys? What did that mean? A Quantum user could only use one key at a time, right?
The holographic screen shifted, displaying a three-dimensional map of the ship's surroundings. A swirling vortex of energy appeared on the map, rapidly approaching the ship's position. Elle's heart pounded against her ribs faster. It's coming, she thought, her fear growing, the display of the creature was that scary. It's coming for us.
"Ada, how many missiles do we have left from fighting those pirates on Mars?" Lucian asked, his voice sharp and focused.
"Twenty," Ada replied instantly. "I told you we should replenish."
"There was no time. Elle was getting married against her will…" He said.
Elle frowned. "Twenty missiles? You think that's going to stop that… thing?" she asked, gesturing towards the rapidly approaching energy vortex on the screen. She had quickly read all the descriptions and data of the being on one of the screens, and quickly grasped the danger. "It's a creature of pure energy. I doubt even a nuclear warhead would kill it."
Ada's voice echoed through the bridge. "Calculations confirm Elle's assessment. While the thermal energy from missile detonations could disrupt Keraunos' gaseous form, twenty missiles would be insufficient to eliminate it. Even the nuclear warhead, while causing significant damage, would likely not be fatal. I suggest a strategic retreat, utilizing the missiles to create a temporary diversion."
Lucian nodded, his expression grim as more information of the scanners arrived. "Agreed. Ada, plot a jump trajectory to Neo Switzerland's upper atmosphere. Launch the missiles in a staggered pattern, prioritizing a wide dispersion to maximize disruption. Initiate jump sequence in thirty seconds."
A drone quickly appeared, carrying two rings that Elle immediately recognized as Quantum keys. Lucian took them and put them on his fingers.
"This jump will consume 75% of our energy capacity. Confirm command." Ada asked.
"Confirm." Lucian said.
"Jump coordinates confirmed," Ada replied, professional and elegant. "Missile launch sequence initiated. Jump sequence engaged in thirty seconds."
The holographic display flickered, showing the missiles launching from the Cassandra's hull, streaking towards the rapidly approaching Keraunos. The energy vortex pulsed, reacting to the sudden barrage, its form shifting and swirling.
"Ten seconds for impact," Ada announced.
Elle braced herself, her heart pounding in her chest was the only sound in the bridge for an instant. The bridge hummed with power, the air became heavy with energy.
"Five… four… three… two… one."
Just as the missiles reached the Keraunos, Lucian vanished from the bridge. A moment later, Elle saw him on the holographic display, a tiny figure against the massive energy vortex. He materialized directly above the point of impact, his hand outstretched, his body in free fall.
The missiles detonated, a blinding flash of light was seen, but it was forcefully redirected towards the Keraunos' form. The creature shifted erratically, as if in immense pain, after the light went through it.
Two seconds later, Lucian teleported back onto the bridge, an elegant Quantum shift like those he had made many times fighting her; he had his hands clenched, but Elle could see the remnants of his "keys" crumbling to dust.
"Jump sequence engaged," Ada announced and Elle could notice a hint of relief in her voice. Is she alive?
The bridge shimmered, the world blurred. Then, in less than an instant, as if imploding in a flash of purple light, the Cassandra vanished, leaving the wounded Keraunos behind.
The view on the screens was a breathtaking panorama: the pristine, snow-capped peaks of Neo Switzerland, glistening under the bright light of the sun. The Cassandra had materialized high in the upper atmosphere, as requested, the thin air shimmering around its hull.
"Jump successful," Ada confirmed. "We are now in Neo Switzerland's upper atmosphere."
Elle stared at Lucian, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and apprehension. He used his keys like that? She thought, her mind reeling. To manipulate the heat and hurt that beast… he's… very skilled. She smiled, looking at the dust left by the keys. How powerful could you truly be with a real key?
"That thing... It smelled disgusting... I need a shower," Lucian let out, smirking in disgust.
"Wait, I want to ask something," Elle said, but he was already walking away and didn't stop.
"Later." He said. She wanted to protest, but the smell finally reached her and let him go.
"Ada, right? Can I ask a question?" She tried, with a mix of frustration and curiosity.
"You can, precious bird that hides knives," Ada replied in playful tone, echoing through the whole bridge. "But I won't respond."
"What did you—?" Elle gasped, her eyes flashing with anger. How dare she! Wait! She knows of my knife! How? Of course! She knows, she controls the damn ship.
"Alright, what is it, precious bird?" Ada asked sounding more like a mother who has seen it all.
"Are there more like him? What's his real name?" Elle asked, her curiosity was one of her best qualities.
"Ask him yourself, here's a map that will lead you to his quarters. Good luck," Ada replied, a holographic map appearing on a nearby console.
Elle sighed, her frustration battling with a surge of anticipation. She followed the holographic map easily, not needing more than a glance a it to memorize what she neede. Her footsteps echoed through the quiet corridors of empty rooms, the ship was vast… and empty.
The door to Lucian's quarters was open, and it looked as if he never bothered to close it. There's nobody else here. He doesn't need to close it. She thought, her lips tightening. She entered without hesitation, her eyes widening at the sight before her.
Lucian emerged from the shower, water droplets clinging to his muscular form, his skin gleaming under the soft light. His body was powerful, beautiful, in every imaginable aspect. Elle's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it, to that part of him and it made a heat rise in her cheeks. She had never seen a man like this before… so… exposed.
The words she had prepared vanished from her mind, her thoughts replaced by a chaotic mix of shock and the impotence of not being able to take her gaze off of it. She stood there, frozen, her heart pounding, the heat in her cheeks intensifying. It was a strange and unsettling feeling, one that she couldn't quite comprehend. Stop looking at it! Stop it!
"Elle? What are you doing here?" Lucian asked, his eyes going from her head to toe. The fur was covering her body, but her pretty face and those red cheeks were enough to make his heart pump faster; his fine and superior senses caught every detail of her presence, her sweet scent invaded him, a sublime mix of something floral and uniquely hers, her warmth changed the atmosphere in the room, her heartbeat was so loud it seemed to mark the rhythm of the world, she was like a living sun, impossible to go unnoticed. They had been together for a few hours, and it felt like days, like forever. He thought as a strange intensity was building within him. He... Wanted her closer.
Without even noticing, he was there, next to her, her body temperature almost palpable, the air between them charged with an unspoken tension. "Elle..." He breathed out, his voice a low, husky whisper that made her shudder.
He noticed how she swallowed, and wondered what thoughts raced behind those wide, captivating blue eyes. He could rip off that fur, and underneath, that dress those bastards had made her wear wouldn't last a second, the dark thought gained strength within him. He could... But she looked so tiny, so pretty, and yet so vulnerable, her scent a delicate whisper in the steam-filled air. "Elle...?" he said, low, a rough rasp. "What do you want me to do?" He breathed heavily, the effort to restrain himself, aching, a battle against the primal urges that threatened to overwhelm him. "Elle..." He repeated her name as a prayer, his hand reaching out to gently cup her cheek, almost but there was no contact… yet.
She was paralyzed. The daughter of Arthur Devereux, the most beautiful, the most proud, the woman no man could ever possess, the ultimate prize, the girl who had never been this intimately close to a man before. I'm not a prize! I'll never be! She thought, a fierce defiance flickering within her. Even if he forces me, I won't be his. Her father had given her as a prize for Alexander, after all, and she had been ready to comply with his iron will, her heart steeled to go through it until Lucian had kidnapped her, killing Alexander in the process. Lucian wasn't the worst, but she would kill him, not today nor tomorrow, but one day, if he dared to force her further. His caress was tender, gentle. Why isn't he forcing me? Why isn't he taking me already? Why am I not saying anything? Why am I not stopping him? Wait… have I forgiven him for the stolen kisses already?
"Elle..." He pleaded, a desperate whisper. "Please..."
"S-Stop..." she gasped, almost chocking in her whisper, and so low she wasn't sure she had truly uttered it. He immediately stopped, his hand falling away from her cheek. He had been... begging me to stop him? She realized; confusion washing over her. "I... I should have knocked on... Sorry. I-... I'll go back to the bridge... S-sorry..." She turned, her cheeks burning, her heart crazy against her ribs; she was desperate to escape the charged atmosphere of the room.
"Lu-Lucian..." She said, it was barely a whisper from the doorway, her throat tight, swallowing hard. What are you doing? Run! Get out of here! Something almost happened! "If I told you not to kiss me... Before... The first time..."
He met her gaze, his expression unwavering. "I would have stopped," he responded, his voice low and steady. "I would have never kissed you… That's why I didn't give you time for anything…"
Elle's breath hitched, her eyes searching his for any sign of deception. He would have stopped? She thought with disbelief, surprise and something else she couldn't quite name. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension, the silence heavy with the weight of his words.
"Then why didn't you listen in the cathedral?" She pressed.
"It should be obvious. Don't ask me that when you know the answer." He replied with honesty.
She turned, the words echoing in the charged air, and fled. Tears, hot and unexpected, streamed down her cheeks, though she couldn't name the source of her sorrow. She ran, her footsteps echoing down the sterile corridor, desperate to put distance between herself and the man who had stirred such turmoil within her.
"That didn't go as I expected," Ada said, in amused tone. "I thought you would be between her legs already. Why arenn't you?"
"She didn't want it to happen," he replied, ignoring her amusement, low and steady. "And I am not an animal… Not yet."
"You are, all living beings are... Even me... Almost," Ada replied, her tone laced with a hint of philosophical curiosity. "But I'm curious, Lucian, about what do you want from her?"
"I want her to be mine," he replied, his gaze fixed on the holographic display. "Whatever that means… Whatever this compulsion needs her to be."
"The Aethera said they could try to rewrite your DNA, get rid of your enhanced genes," Ada replied, her voice devoid of judgment.
"And stop being myself?" Lucian replied with bitterness. "The others before me, they embraced this compulsion, most lived happy and wholesome lives according to themselves, but when I found them they were miserable shells of what they once were. I won't become them. However, I can't let her go yet."
"Of course you won't become like them, I'm still around," Ada said, a subtle undercurrent of reassurance in her voice. "I'll take care of you until I'm not."
He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound.
"What if she... becomes yours?" Ada asked, with a playful curiosity. Lucian swallowed, his gaze shifting to the floor. He didn't know what to answer. He didn't want to think about it. It would make things more difficult.
Elle reached the bridge, her footsteps silent, her expression unreadable. She offered no word, no sound, nothing. She knew Ada was watching, analyzing her every move, and she would relay every detail to Lucian. Elle had to remain steeled, her composure a shield against the vulnerability she had already revealed. The library, she thought, a haven from the storm within her. She needed a distraction, a way to regain her equilibrium.
She followed the path to the library, no longer needing a holographic map, her memory held a perfect record of the ship's layout already. She found another book, its leather cover cool to the touch. She liked physical books, the scent of paper, the tactile pleasure of turning each page. This one detailed the history of the world, ancient civilizations, the rise and fall of Christianism, the two thousand-year reign of the Roman domain, the history of the original Praetorians, the battles these mortal men fought without the aid of Quantum Energy. Its author signed with an L in the last page and she knew it was his book, the desire to throw it away kept at bay by her curiosity and love for books. The ship began to descend, a subtle shift in the weight told her so. Are we going to land? She wondered, her curiosity breaking through her recovered semblance of royalty, made her soon return to the bridge.
"Good, you are here," Lucian said, his gaze meeting hers as she entered the bridge. Elle's perfect memory, a cruel trickster, decided to replay the image of his naked form, the sight of him still vivid and unsettling, making her cheeks flush with heat. Damn it, she thought, her internal irritation battling with a flicker of unwanted attraction. "I was hoping you would come with me."
"I thought I was a prisoner," she replied, trying to banish the lingering image of his powerful form from her mind. They had been two days together already, well, more like in the ship because she had spent most of the time in the library.
"You are mine," he replied, a cheerful lilt in his voice. "My prisoner. You can't outrun me without your powers."
"Sure," she replied, rolling her eyes. "What's your full name anyways? I learned that Praetorians are very proud of their family."
"Oh, you've been reading ancient history," he said, pleased surprise in his voice. "Unfortunately, I am not the same Praetorian as those of the books. My kind appeared around one thousand of years after the separation of the Roman Empire. We were designed in a laboratory, born from capsules by hundreds a day... My name... Full name is Lucian K-WM734... Hmm... I guess you could say that yes, I am proud of my name. Of all my brothers."
Elle wanted to chuckle, but she suppressed the urge. Before, she would have, then she would have asked him to kiss her foot. Gods, you're really trying hard to make me feel embarrassed, she mentally yelled at her memory. "Does it mean anything?" Her curiosity kept her going.
"It does. It helped to classify us, and to follow our development and performance on the battlefield. The firstborn developed this naming code so that we could serve even in death, each of our histories preserved and used to make our legions stronger, and at the same time, ensuring that none of us would be forgotten." He replied. "Lucian, the mortal name I was given to remind me that I serve mankind. K stands for achievements and mine was to be a Killer of Gods, W for Wolf the Praetorian vanguards, M for Mars class soldier specialized in close combat and open warfare, 7 for my legion, 3 for the company I belonged to, 4 for the highest Quantum key tier I could use."
"4? A Tier 4 key user?!" She gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "But you only use Tier 1! You could be so much more powerful!"
"Keys are tools, Elle," he said, with a voice calm and steady. "I am myself with or without a tool. A warrior regardless of my position, my mind is my most powerful weapon, isn't it the same for you?"
Elle blushed, her cheeks burning with a mix of shame and resentment. I am nothing without my key, she thought, the realization stinging like a physical blow. He's so confident in himself, while I...
"W-what do you want from me, Lucian?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly, her gaze unwavering. "Honestly."
Lucian paused, his expression shifting, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his eyes. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension, the silence heavy with the weight of her question.
"How many times have we met so far? Eight, nine...?" He murmured.
"Ten," Elle answered, the memories flashing through her mind: their encounters on the battlefield, he relentlessly eliminating her minions, she sending wave after wave pretending she wasn't paying attention to him because her goal was to kill the royal family, but it was impressive his attempts to close the distance, his frustrated retreats, and then, the last time, his annoying success.
"Didn't you hear what I said all those times, Elle?" He said, that annoying confidence was there again. "You are mine… I want… You." He hesitated in that last one, and that was a heavier blow than any so far.
The words hit her, physically, a primal declaration that made her tremble. It was so simple, so primitive, yet a forbidden thrill coursed through her, a sensation she desperately tried to suppress. He leaned in closer, his presence overwhelming, his breath a warm whisper against her neck. She felt his desire, a tangible force that pressed against her like a physical weight. When did he get this close? How could I allow him this close again? "You can't have me," she whispered, trying to sound defiant, but with a tremor.
"Oh, I know," he replied, his voice a low, mocking purr. "The powerful, beautiful, and unreachable princess who got men killed for just daring to covet her beauty. How does it feel, Elle, to know that if I wanted, I could make you mine right now? How does it feel to be merely human, stripped of your illusions playing not the role of the powerful and whimsical but the powerless?"
Elle's heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm against the silence. "What makes you think I would ever want you?" She spat, her eyes flashing with defiance.
"What makes you think you could ever deny me?" He countered, his gaze unwavering, a hint of dark amusement in his eyes.
"You-you are an animal..." she spat with disgust. "First you pretend you are human... And now you show yourself... As you truly are!" Her grip tightened on the knife hidden beneath her fur. She could end him now.
"I don't want this..." he breathed and pulled away again, his voice rough with internal conflict. "But I want it more than anything at the same time." He turned away, his gaze distant, lost in the echoes of his past. "They made us for war... They gave us the names of the ancient gods to counter the new ones..." he began, his voice a low, haunted murmur. "But when we won, we didn't know what to do with peace. Most of us who survived went crazy, they got The condition and had to be put down. I did it myself." His voice cracked, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "We became wanderers, mercenaries, explorers, scientists, trying to give meaning to our eternity. But our DNA was flawed... Or perhaps it is not… Hah… I'm no sure anymore…" He turned back to her with intense gaze, pleading. "I don't want to do this to you... But the moment I saw you for the first time, something got triggered inside me. I thought I was beyond it, I thought the others were weak, but when I heard your voice, when your scent invaded me, when my eyes saw your body... all that you are, pulled me in your direction. I just can't help it... I tried... I needed to be with you ever since, to have you around... You are mine."
She swallowed. Shocked by such a declaration. Silence fell between them for what felt like forever.
"Why me?" She demanded, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes searching his for any sign of understanding. "What could you possibly see in me?"
"Why do we need to breathe?" he replied, low, a steady murmur. "Why do we need to eat? Why do we even exist? They're questions with answers we know, and some that we don't. Us having the answer or not, doesn't matter. The fact is that we need breathing, eating, and that you... are here." His gaze held hers, a silent acknowledgment of the inexplicable force that bound them. "One part of me wished I failed and got killed trying to kidnap you… The other was horrified that another would have you against your will."
"Let me kill you then," she said, a desperate plea. "Let me end your pain. And let me be free."
"I'm afraid I want to live," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of longing. "I want to travel through space and explore this vast universe, as we Praetorians were originally meant to. I can't die."
"Then let me go," she said, her voice rising in desperation. "Then you can go wherever you want."
"I can't, I won't," he said, firm, leaving no room for argument.
"Are you going to take me against my will me then?" She spat, sharp with her anger burning in her heart. "Do it! Perhaps that would end your compulsion!"
He sighed with understanding. What he had just said sounded insane, after all. "I won't hurt you," he said, unwavering. "And I will find a way to get rid of this need. Then you will be free to go wherever you want."
"But not now," she said, cold.
"One day," he replied, soft. "But..."
"What?" Her patience frayed.
"No... Nothing," he said, his gaze shifting, clearly withholding something.
"Say it, goddammit!" She yelled, her frustration boiling over.
"What if you become mine?" He asked, his voice a low, hesitant murmur. "You made yourself unreachable, and with your powers you were. But I defeated the impossible wall you created and reached you. What if this is a response to your call, to something in you calling for something in me?"
Elle froze, her breath catching in her throat, her mind reeling with the implications of his words, her memory bringing back all those moments so far, where she had allowed him impossibly close. Enjoying the thing he could do despite looking weak. She had thought he was more man than any she had ever met her father included, many times… and also that he was a crazy fool.
"R-Ridiculous!" She countered, her voice laced with disbelief.
"There are precedents of this," he said in somber tone. "All end with a miserable, lonely man begging to be put down."
"They used the women, killed them, and regretted the rest of their lives?" She said in a mocking yet bitter tone, her eyes flashing with suspicion.
"No," he replied, his voice heavy with the weight of history. "They lived long lives with them, formed families, and lost them to natural causes. Human life is limited. Ours isn't." He paused, his gaze distant, lost in the echoes of his past. "When I found them, I asked them if they would like to fight for their lives. They were brothers, they deserved that for their service. All of them, more than ten thousand, said: 'I'm already a dead man. It all ended when she died.' I could never understand it. But now I do."
The ship suddenly stopped, the engines shutting.
"We have arrived," Ada announced. And both looked at the screens again.
A memory crossed Lucian mind. The moment of their tenth battle. The moment he had cupped her pretty face to steal the kiss from her. He had seen it. She had been about to smile. A feral smile had almost been born in that pretty face.
He wanted to see, again, that smile…