"I... I still can’t believe this," Lucian choked out, his voice trembling. "You were always so kind, so gentle... Were you really hiding such terrifying power all this time? Are you truly part of the Crimson bloodline?!"
"Lucian..." Lumina sighed softly, her eyes narrowing as her voice dropped into a gentle murmur. "I’ve told you already, haven’t I? I don’t belong to the Crimson Clan."
"Then how can you say that?!" he pressed, staring up at her in sheer disbelief. "You just controlled Boein! You restored his entire body using that exact power!"
"What’s your real goal here?!" Lucian forced the words out, his chest rising and falling with the effort of holding back the tightness in it.
"To bring the Crimson clan back into this world, of course," Lumina whispered gently.
The tip of her finger traced slowly across his chest, feeling out every rapid beat of his heart beneath it. "Haven’t you noticed how many people have already fallen to their knees under my control? Though, don’t worry, I haven’t forced all of them. Some gave their souls to me quite willingly."
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in her voice. This wasn’t some madwoman’s empty threat, it was a conviction carved deep into her, unshakable.
And yet a single question kept turning over and over in Lucian’s mind: why would a Saintess, a figure of purity without a single drop of Crimson blood in her veins, fight this hard to resurrect the most hated, most murderous clan in history?
"Why did you turn into this after becoming a Saintess?" Lucian’s voice came out strained, his sightless eyes turned up toward the crimson gaze bearing down on him. "What actually happened to you? If you keep going down this mad path, the entire world will hunt you down, Lumina!"
Something in Lumina’s body tensed, subtle but unmistakable, against him. Her expression shifted into something unreadable. A wave of intense, feverish excitement crept into her eyes, her pupils blown wide, her breath coming faster and warmer against the skin of his neck. Her lips parted slightly, revealing the grip of an obsession as sweet as it was terrifying.
"This concern of yours..." Lumina let out a soft, trembling laugh. "Ahh, I never expected you to worry about me this much, Lucian."
"But I’ve never changed. My principle as a Saintess is simple I help anyone. It doesn’t matter to me whether they come from a cursed clan or a demon race, because Goddess Lumielle’s will is to embrace everything equally."
Lumina spread both arms wide for a moment, as though blessing the world itself, before lowering her head again. Her face came to rest right beside his ear, close enough that her sweet breath cut sharp and cold against his skin.
"But... of course, I’m not a fool." Her voice shifted, turning suddenly cold, laced with something calculating. "Behind their resurrection, I’ve been quietly absorbing every last remnant of power from Nightkeeper, their great ancestor, without a single one of them ever realizing it. Remarkable, isn’t it?"
She pulled her face back, looking down at him with the purest smile she could summon, though her eyes remained utterly merciless. "Shh... don’t tell them, will you?"
Lucian felt his blood run cold. Pinned beneath this woman, a terrible realization struck him all at once. Lumina wasn’t saving anyone. Beneath the plan she’d already shown him lay another, far darker one.
She was a devil wearing the guise of sainthood, consumed entirely by her pursuit of absolute power.
Oh, Goddess. She’s more dangerous than danger itself...
"So what is it you want from me now?" Lucian asked, forcing himself to swallow. His throat felt stiff, and his voice came out shaking.
Lumina let out a thin smile, one so sweet it felt entirely wrong, entirely dangerous.
"Hmm... there are quite a few things. But first, you’ll need to join the Order of Lumielle and become my official, personal servant."
"Wait, why are you so fixated on getting me into the Order of Lumielle?" Lucian pressed.
"Hmm, maybe you’ll understand after this." Lumina’s voice carried a weight of unspoken meaning. "But a white Awakening, in a man? Isn’t that a miracle in itself? As if the Goddess’s own will has shifted. Because of you, my situation has changed quite a bit, my dear."
The Goddess’s will? And that winged figure? Something in Lucian’s mind went still. Was that really nothing more than the power behind that strange text that appeared to me? It seems like Lumina and the Order of Lumielle already know far more about this power than I do. Should I go along with this?
"Wasn’t it you who manipulated the Obelisk and forced me to take that Grimoire?" Lucian asked, doubt thick in his voice.
"That was the plan, in the beginning..." Lumina let out a soft laugh. "But before I could act on it, it seems the Goddess’s will had already chosen you first. You were even able to summon that winged figure."
"I can’t help you carry out this horrifying plan of yours, Lumina! How many more people have to fall before you’re satisfied?!"
Damn it... I want to stop her right now, Lucian cursed silently.
But he knew, given the gap in power between them, that he stood no chance against her. Anger and disappointment burned in his chest as he thought of the friend he’d once known, now fallen this deep into darkness.
"Ngghh... relax, my Lucian," Lumina soothed, her fingers trailing gently along the back of his neck.
"I won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do. But... if you’re willing to cooperate with me, I might be able to tell you about the Lysandra family. You don’t know anything about them, do you? Including that winged figure. If you follow me, you could learn all of it..."
She really does know... she even knows I’ve been searching for my family. How closely has she been watching me?
"So, are you interested, my dear?" Lumina asked, her eyes gleaming with a dark, unwavering intensity.
Lucian weighed every possibility racing through his mind. With his current strength, there was no way to stop Lumina head-on. Maybe it’d be smarter to play along for now... I could learn more about my mother’s family while quietly looking for a way to undo whatever she’s planning.
"Huff"
"Fine... if what you’re saying is true, I’ll agree," Lucian finally answered. "But you have to promise not to force me into anything, and to give me my freedom!"
Hearing that, joy broke across Lumina’s face without restraint. Without hesitation, she gathered his entire body into her arms, pressing her cheek happily against his.
"Ngghh... even though you already accepted me once before, this feels like our bond has grown so much closer now, my Lucian. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to help you find information about your Lysandra family."
Then, without warning, Lumina flipped his body over, pinning his chest beneath her. Before Lucian could even register what was happening, she gripped his jaw, forcing his mouth open to slip in a mysterious pill.
"E-eh! Wait, what are you doing now?!" Lucian panicked.
"Relax, it’s just medicine for you, my dear..."
Lucian didn’t believe that for a second. If Lumina truly wanted to heal him, she could have simply used High Heal without needing any pill or elixir at all. He tried to fight back, clenching his jaw shut, but his strength was no match for hers.
Gulk. The solid object was forced past his resistance and down his throat.
"Good boy," Lumina praised, wiping his lips with a satisfied smile.
"Lumina! What did you just put inside me?!" Lucian shouted, furious.
"Medicine to protect you, of course, my Lucian. You know, when I saw you get stabbed the other day, I was truly, terribly worried... I never want anything that frightening to happen to you again."
Oh God... is that actually medicine, but my body actually does feel a bit better
"Huff... then why is your hand still holding onto me?! I already swallowed the thing!" Lucian protested, his heart pounding harder as he sensed the shift in Lumina’s expression growing wilder.
"Because I haven’t given you my Holy Water yet..." Lumina whispered, her eyes narrowing.
"No! I don’t need that!" Lucian tried to turn his face away, refusing firmly.
But Lumina paid it no mind. Her face lowered further, her lips drawing closer to his... until, suddenly, a sharp, biting wave of cold air swept in from behind them.
Cold?!
CRACK!
The barrier of Lumina’s own Sanctuary shattered violently, breaking apart like glass struck by a heavy blow!
Lumina flinched. Her obsessive smile vanished instantly, replaced by shock and fury. She rose swiftly to her feet, turning sharply toward the crack in her Sanctuary to see who had dared force their way in.
A young woman in an elegant blue gown cut swiftly through the crowd, moving straight toward Lucian. Hurried footsteps followed close behind her.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the girl in blue seized Lucian’s hand. "Are you all right?" she asked, her voice thick with genuine concern.