The storm outside had grown violent. Wind howled through the cracks in Adrien’s apartment as the guests gathered near the windows, murmuring anxiously. Above the city, the sky had twisted into eerie shades of green and purple.

  Lucien stepped back, heart pounding. A strange pressure built in his chest, like his very soul was being pulled in every direction at once.

  Elowen moved without hesitation. Her eyes glowed with something beyond human understanding. She walked past the stunned guests and stopped in front of Lucien.

  “It’s time,” she said softly.

  “What?” Lucien backed away. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll find out soon,” she replied, her voice calm and certain. "I know it feels strange—like something’s pulling at you from the inside. Things are starting to awaken"

  She turned to the window, pointing at the sky. “Look at the sky… this is what you’ve done.”

  She paused for a moment, then added, “It’s time for you to go back .”

  Elowen glanced at Lilith, then back at him. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll find her way back too, when the time comes.”

  Adrien rushed forward. “What the hell?! Elowen, what did you just say?!”

  “Ms. Elowen, stop!” Lilith’s voice broke as she cried out “What are you saying?!”

  Lucien looked at them, panic rising in his chest like wildfire. “What are you talking about?! I’m—”

  Before he could finish, Elowen raised her hand.

  The air behind him shattered like glass. A swirling crimson rift opened in midair, humming with deep, ancient energy.

  “Take care, Lucien Marlik,” Elowen said, her eyes locking with his.

  Before Lucien could respond, the rift pulled him in. The force was instant, unstoppable.

  The last thing he saw was Lilith’s terrified face, reaching out to him—screaming, though her voice never reached his ears.

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  Then he was gone.

  Elowen stood still on the rooftop, her coat fluttering in the strange wind. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, where a faint ripple shimmered—barely visible to most, but clear as day to her.

  She had felt it earlier. A sudden pulse, sharp and powerful, when Lucien turned eighteen.

  She had spent nearly two thousand years watching over Earth’s anchors. Souls from other realms slipped through from time to time—echoes, fragments, accidents. But Lucien was nothing like them. Not even close.

  Something ancient lived inside him. The energy that flowed from his body wasn’t magic. It wasn’t spiritual. It was something far older. Primal, Boundless and Devine

  Elowen exhaled slowly, her face calm.

  She spoke a few words under her breath—words that sounded like they came from an old story, like spells whispered in ancient languages.

  Moments later, the world around the apartment returned to normal. The wind stopped. The sky stilled. No one remembered what had happened—not Adrien, not the other guests.

  No one even remembered that someone named Lucien had ever existed.

  No one… except Lilith.

  Before anyone noticed, Elowen grabbed her and vanished from the apartment.

  Lilith’s screams echoed in the silence.

  Tears streamed down her face as she shouted, “What have you done to my brother?!”

  Elowen’s voice was quiet. Steady.

  “You’ll find out soon.”

  -----

  Everything went dark.

  There was no light.

  Lucien couldn’t understand what had just happened.

  Before he could even think, a wave of pain crashed through his body.

  He wanted to scream—but he couldn’t.

  It felt like someone was tearing his skin off while he was still alive.

  But his mouth had been sealed shut so he couldn't even cry out.

  His mind went blank.

  In that moment, he forgot everything— what had happened before.

  All that remained was the pain.

  He just wanted it to stop.

  It was too much.

  But what could he do?

  Even if he wanted to stop it, he didn’t know how.

  The torment dragged on until his mind couldn’t take it anymore.

  Then—nothing.

  He blacked out

  ------

  Lucien’s eyes slowly began to open. His head throbbed, and he lifted his hands, trying to shake off the dizziness. The headache was still there, dull but heavy.

  As his vision cleared, he blinked—and froze.

  A soft, glowing light filled his eyes. Something radiant surrounded him.

  He sat up quickly, heart pounding. Shining blue crystals lit up the space around him, casting eerie reflections on the stone walls.

  But that didn’t matter right now.

  Where… where am I? he thought, eyes wide with confusion.

  "A cave...?"

  Then it hit him.

  The rift. Ms. Elowen had made it—pulled him through. He remembered now: a flash of light, a sudden force dragging him in. Lilith’s terrified expression. The pain he felt. Everything.

  Why did she do that?

  And how?

  He checked his body—same shirt, same watch. Everything was perfectly perfect. There were no signs of wounds anywhere.

  Nothing about this made sense. It defied every bit of logic he knew.

  Lucien looked around, alone and completely lost in this strange place.

  He slapped himself hard across the cheek.

  The sting was real.

  His breath caught.

  No… this isn’t a nightmare.

  This was real.