The silence that followed Kheris's disappearance fell over the room like a crushing weight. Lusian remained lying down, struggling to breathe as he felt the divinity pulsing beneath his skin. It was an immense power, but it came steeped in poison, pain, and resentment.
The creak of floorboards and the impact of boots broke the calm. The door swung open, and Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, her face twisted by rage and fear.
—Lusian! —she exclaimed, crossing the room in three strides—. What the hell happened to you?! —Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice broke—. Who hurt you...? Look at you! I should have stayed by your side.
Lusian slowly tilted his head, letting Elizabeth's outburst drown out his own anger.
—I sent you to the rear —he whispered through his dry throat—. I didn't want to see you get hurt.
Elizabeth leaned over him, the fury radiating from her almost palpable.
—And your solution was to commit suicide?! —she shouted, her voice trembling with helplessness—. You're battered, bleeding... and you have the nerve to call that "protecting me"!
Lusian took a labored breath. He had a hundred arguments and apologies running through his mind, but none of them would do any good. Elizabeth didn't need to wield a sword to overpower him: her words struck with the force of a hammer.
Emily appeared behind Elizabeth. Lusian immediately noticed the deathly pallor of her face: the light that usually surrounded the heroine had almost disappeared, and her radiant aura now flickered like a dying flame.
—Emily... what happened to you?
She lowered her gaze in shame.
—The goddess cursed me.
Lusian went still.
—Why?
—For not killing you —Emily whispered, raising her eyes.
Silence descended upon the room. Lusian clenched his fists. Once again, the gods were ruining lives out of sheer spite.
—Let me see.
Emily hesitated, but extended her arm. Lusian took her wrist between two fingers and sensed it immediately. It was not ordinary mana, but a deep, sacred energy clinging to her organs, nerves, and soul. The curse was not weakening her; it was consuming her from within.
Lusian clenched his teeth. Once, he would have tried to destroy it through sheer force of mana, but now he knew that would be useless against a higher authority. Yet the presence of Kheris within him stirred at the threat.
He circulated a trace of that darkness, and the divine curse convulsed. Emily let out a whimper.
—Lusian...!
—Hold on.
The dark energy wrapped around the divine spell and forced it backward. He could not eradicate it, but he managed to suppress its advance. Emily felt the pain lessen for the first time in days.
Lusian, however, tensed. He felt a cold gaze upon him. It was not coming from the room or the palace, but from somewhere beyond reach. For an instant, he had the horrible sensation that some distant entity had just fixed its eyes upon him.
He pulled his hand away, and the sensation dissipated.
—I can hold it back —he said hoarsely—, but I can't free you from it.
Emily struggled to catch her breath.
—Am I going to remain cursed, then?
Lusian did not answer. He looked at his hand, feeling the change. Kheris had given him power, but he had also marked him before the other divinities. And for the first time, he understood the true price of that gift.
The door opened again, and Kara entered first. She looked Lusian up and down before speaking:
—So you survived.
—Barely.
Kara gave him a faint smile.
—Still counts as surviving.
Adela appeared behind her, her expression transforming the moment she saw him in bed.
—Barely?! —She strode toward him until she was standing directly in front of him—. Is that all you have to say after throwing yourself alone against that abomination?!
Lusian tried to sit up, breathless.
—I'm fine...
—No. —Adela pointed a finger at him, firm and uncompromising—. Don't ever say something that stupid again.
Lusian froze. Adela pressed her lips together, and for a moment, the indignation in her voice gave way to pure fear.
—You made us believe you weren't coming back. Don't ever do that again.
Lusian fell silent. Isabella approached slowly and, without saying a word, embraced him and began to sob.
He remained tense for a moment before giving in and closing his eyes. After all the chaos, feeling her warmth was an unexpected relief. He tried to find a way to comfort her, but how could he explain that things were only about to get worse?
—Don't put yourself in danger again... —Isabella whispered, pressing herself against his chest.
—I'll try.
—No —she said, tightening her embrace—. Promise me.
Lusian let out a faint, exhausted smile.
—All right.
That was when he felt a piercing gaze. When he opened his eyes, he found Dayana standing beside the door. She was neither smiling nor hungry-eyed; for the first time since he had known her, Lusian noticed an unusual quality in the vampire: caution.
Dayana approached slowly. Her inspection lingered for a second on the hand he had used to touch Emily.
—How fascinating...
Lusian watched her tensely.
—What's wrong?
Dayana tilted her head.
—This is going to be... fun —she whispered, allowing the shadow of her desire and danger to seep into the room.
Lusian raised his gaze. His yellow eyes gleamed with supernatural intensity.
He said nothing.
He didn't need to.
The cold, threatening look he gave her was enough to make it clear that he did not want to hear another word.
Dayana held his gaze for several seconds. Then, slowly, she closed her mouth.