Lucas
shook blood off his hands like it was nothing, stepping out of the alley with an easy, unbothered stride.
Ava
followed, exhaling sharply. "So? What now?"
Lucas
grinned. "We have a meeting."
Ava
arched a brow. "With who?"
Lucas
tilted his head, golden eyes gleaming. "A system holder. Not from here."
Ava
stiffened. "Another bunker?"
Lucas
nodded. "Visitor. An oracle type."
Ava’s
stomach twisted. "As in, sees the future?"
Lucas
chuckled. "Something like that."
Ava
narrowed her eyes. "And you trust this person?"
Lucas
sighed dramatically. "Beauty, I don’t trust anyone."
Ava
folded her arms. "Then why are we meeting them?"
Lucas
flashed a sharp grin. "Because they asked for us."
Ava
went still.
Not him.
Us.
Her Blueprint System
flared to life, scanning the statement itself like a puzzle that needed solving.
[ANALYSIS: INCOMPLETE]
[UNKNOWN SYSTEM HOLDER DETECTED]
[REQUEST: SPECIFICALLY FOR USER & LUCAS BAI]
Ava
exhaled. "I don’t like this."
Lucas
grinned. "That makes two of us."
Ava
shot him a dry look. "And yet, we’re still going."
Lucas
laughed. "Of course. Wouldn’t you want to know what someone who claims to see the future has to say about you?"
Ava
hesitated.
Lucas
led the way, weaving through Level One’s polished streets like he owned them.
Ava
kept pace, scanning their surroundings, her mind already calculating.
A visitor from another bunker.
An
oracle-type system holder.
Someone who
specifically requested them.
None of this felt like coincidence.
"Where exactly is this meeting?"
Ava asked.
Lucas
smirked. "Neutral ground."
Ava
tilted her head. "You’re being vague on purpose."
Lucas
chuckled. "Obviously."
Ava
sighed. "Fantastic."
Eventually,
they reached an older section of Level One.
Not dirty.
Not rundown.
But...
forgotten.
A private
tea house stood at the end of the street—simple, elegant, and completely out of place compared to the wealth surrounding it.
Lucas
didn’t hesitate.
He pushed
the door open, stepping inside.
Ava
followed.
And the moment
they entered—
The world felt different.
Not in a way she could explain.
Not in a way her system could define.
But something in the air
shifted.
Like they had stepped into
a space untouched by time itself.
A single
figure sat in the center of the room, waiting.
A woman.
Dressed
in deep blue. Dark hair pinned up, loose strands framing an unreadable face.
She looked...
ageless.
Not young.
Not old.
Just...
there.
Her eyes—deep, endless—lifted to meet theirs.
And then—
she smiled.
"
Lucas Bai. Ava Zhang.
"
Her voice was
smooth, warm, knowing.
"
You’re late.
"
The
woman lifted her cup of tea, her movements slow, deliberate.
Lucas
grinned, dropping lazily into the chair across from her. "You didn’t give us a time, Oracle. Hard to be late when there was no appointment."
The
Oracle—because there was no doubt that’s what she was—smiled. "Time is not a chain, Bai. It flows. Whether you are late or early depends on where you choose to stand."
Ava
slid into the seat beside Lucas, her body relaxed, but her mind sharp. "So, what exactly do you see?"
The Oracle
studied her, eyes deep, endless. "You assume sight is a gift."
Ava
tilted her head. "Isn’t it?"
The Oracle
sighed, setting her cup down. "Not always."
Lucas
chuckled, leaning back. "And yet, people pay good money for it."
The Oracle
folded her hands. "Because people are obsessed with knowing what comes next."
She
paused, gaze steady. "But the future is not a single road, Lucas Bai. It is a web. And you—" her lips curled slightly—
"are tangled in many threads."
Ava
exhaled slowly. "I assume we weren’t called here for poetry."
The Oracle
laughed softly. "No, child. You were called because choices are coming. And I offer three things."
She lifted
one delicate finger. "An offer."
A second.
"A suggestion."
A third.
"And a prediction."
Lucas
smirked. "Let’s hear it, then."
The Oracle
studied him, then Ava, before speaking.
"
My offer: Walk away now. Leave this city, leave your ambitions. You may not have peace, but you will live.
"
Ava’s
stomach twisted.
Lucas
chuckled. "You already know the answer to that."
The Oracle
nodded, unsurprised. "Then my suggestion—"
She
leaned forward slightly. "You must understand the nature of your power. Not just what it can do—but what it will cost."
Ava
felt her system pulse.
[UNKNOWN PARAMETER DETECTED]
[WARNING: SYSTEM PATH UNCLEAR]
Lucas
exhaled dramatically. "You’re saying there’s a price to pay?"
The Oracle
smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Everything in this world has a price."
Lucas
tilted his head. "And the prediction?"
The Oracle
stared at them for a long, quiet moment.
Then—
softly, simply—
"
One of you will break.
"
The words
hung in the air, heavy, undeniable.
Ava’s pulse remained steady, but something cold slid down her spine.
Lucas?
Still smiling. But his fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
The Oracle
sighed, sipping her tea again. "The path is not yet set. But you will have to decide which of you it will be."
Silence.
Then—
Lucas laughed.
"
Oh, Oracle. You do love a good dramatic twist.
"
The Oracle
smiled. "The truth is never dramatic. Only the people who hear it."
Ava
exhaled. "And if we don’t like your prediction?"
The Oracle
tilted her head. "Then change it."
Ava
met Lucas’s gaze.
The
Oracle sipped her tea, the quiet between them stretching like a still pond.
Then—
her voice, smooth as flowing water.
"
You seek revenge, Lucas Bai. You have built your empire on patience, on careful moves. But you forget—revenge is not a goal. It is a path.
"
Lucas
smirked, golden eyes gleaming. "And?"
The Oracle
tilted her head. "And you will find that when revenge is your purpose, you may not recognize yourself once it is fulfilled."
Ava
exhaled sharply. "That’s the offer, isn’t it? Walk away from it."
The Oracle
nodded. "Turn your back on vengeance, and you will have a future unburdened by old ghosts. A quiet life. A different path."
Lucas
chuckled. "And what kind of life would that be?"
The Oracle’s
gaze deepened. "Bai Manor is waiting."
Ava
stilled.
Lucas’s
smile remained, but his fingers tapped against the table.
"
You mean for me to live there again?
"
Lucas murmured.
The Oracle
smiled softly. "You have spent time moving forward, but the past is not done with you. Bai Manor was never a house—it is a claim. And soon, you must decide if you will reclaim it or burn it down."
Ava
felt her stomach twist. "And if he does go back?"
The Oracle
sighed. "Then he will have to face the weight of everything left behind."
A moment of silence.
Then—
a shift.
"Your father,"
the Oracle continued, "sleeps, his body alive, but his mind lost."
Lucas’s
golden eyes sharpened. "You see something?"
The Oracle
nodded. "He is not gone. But he will not wake until you understand the key to his slumber."
Ava
exhaled sharply. "And what is that key?"
The Oracle
watched her. "The past. The very thing you both try to outrun."
Ava
glanced at Lucas, but his expression was unreadable.
Then—
the final words came.
"
The blood exchange was never something you signed up for. You should have died. You both should have.
"
Ava
went still.
Lucas
tilted his head, smirking. "And yet, here we are."
The Oracle
nodded. "Yes. And that is why you are dangerous."
Ava’s
Blueprint System pulsed hard.
[SCAN IN PROGRESS...]
[FOREIGN CONNECTION DETECTED]
[SYSTEM ALIGNMENT: 92% MATCH]
Her stomach
twisted. "What does that mean?"
The Oracle
exhaled. "It means the two of you are tied together in ways even you do not understand yet."
Lucas
leaned back, considering. "And your prediction?"
The Oracle
watched them both carefully. Then—
"
You will need each other more than you know.
"
Ava
swallowed.
Lucas
exhaled slowly, drumming his fingers against the table. "Alright, Oracle. We’ve heard your warnings, your wisdom, your lovely poetic threats."
Ava
arched a brow. "And?"
Lucas
grinned. "Now let’s talk results."
The Oracle
sighed, setting her cup down. "You want certainty. I cannot give you that."
Lucas
chuckled. "I don’t need certainty. I need probabilities."
The Oracle
tilted her head, then finally nodded. "Very well. In the next three days, three paths will unfold. One will be chosen, whether by your hand or another’s."
She lifted
one finger. "The first: You retreat. You let the pieces move without you, and the game plays on without interference."
Ava’s
stomach twisted. "And the result?"
The Oracle’s
gaze darkened. "You will survive, but you will lose what you have built. Level One will belong to another, and the balance you held will be broken."
Lucas
tilted his head. "Not an option, then."
The Oracle
lifted a second finger. "The second: You strike first. A bold move, decisive. It will give you control—but it will cost you. Blood must be spilled, and the enemy will rise stronger for it."
Ava
exhaled. "Meaning?"
The Oracle
watched her. "If you go to war now, you will win the battle—but set the stage for something far worse."
Lucas
nodded slowly, considering. "And the third?"
The Oracle
lifted the final finger. "You wait. You let the pieces reveal themselves. And in doing so, you will learn what truly threatens you."
Ava
felt her mind racing. "And the price of that?"
The Oracle
sighed. "Risk. You gamble on the unknown. But if you choose wisely, you may yet gain more than you lose."
Lucas
grinned. "A gamble, then."
Ava
folded her arms. "We’re already playing with fire."
Lucas
chuckled, golden eyes gleaming. "Then we just have to make sure we’re the ones holding the match."
The Oracle
watched them both, then finally leaned back. "Three days. Three outcomes. The choice is yours."
Ava
exhaled. "Then we better start planning."
Because whatever happened next?
They had less than three days to decide.