The next morning, Seraphina woke with the same uneasy feeling that had followed her since the stranger appeared outside her house.
She checked her phone before getting out of bed.
Nothing from her grandfather.
She stared at his name for a few seconds before locking the screen.
“Five months,” she whispered.
“How long are you planning to stay away, Grandpa?”
She pushed the thought aside and got ready for work.
When she came downstairs, Lucien was already waiting.
He stood near the dining table, dressed in a dark suit with his usual calm expression.
A cup of coffee sat untouched beside him.
Seraphina glanced at it.
“You don’t drink coffee?”
“Sometimes.”
“You’ve been staring at that cup for ten minutes.”
Lucien looked at the coffee.
“I was thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.”
He gave her a dry look.
She smiled and sat down.
For a few minutes, everything felt almost normal.
Almost.
After breakfast, they left for Alexandria Corporation.
The morning passed without anything unusual happening.
Seraphina spent hours moving between meetings while Lucien remained nearby.
He didn’t interfere with her work, but she always seemed to find him somewhere close whenever she stepped out of a room.
By afternoon, Seraphina had another meeting outside the building.
“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” she told him.
Lucien looked up from his phone.
“Where are you going?”
“Across the street.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She sighed.
“Stay here. I’ll be fine.”
Lucien studied her for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“Twenty minutes.”
She smiled.
“You’re starting to sound like my grandfather.”
Lucien said nothing.
Seraphina walked away.
He watched until she disappeared through the entrance.
Then he turned toward the parking area.
For the first time that day, he was completely alone.
He slipped his phone into his pocket and started walking.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps behind him.
Lucien stopped.
The footsteps stopped too.
He slowly turned.
Nobody was there.
His eyes narrowed.
He continued walking.
Then a voice came from behind him.
“You’re getting careless.”
Lucien turned sharply.
A man stood several feet away.
His face was partially hidden beneath a hood.
Lucien’s expression became cold.
“Who are you?”
The man didn’t answer.
Instead, he moved.
Fast.
Lucien reacted immediately.
He raised his hand, instinctively reaching for the power that had protected him for centuries.
Nothing happened.
His eyes widened slightly.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
The attacker was already in front of him.
Lucien barely managed to move aside before the blade cut through his jacket.
He looked down at the torn fabric.
Then back at the man.
“You’re making a mistake.”
The attacker said nothing.
He struck again.
For a moment, the attacker stumbled.
Lucien stepped forward.
Then he tried to use his power again.
Nothing.
A sudden realization hit him.
The cross.
It wasn’t around his neck anymore.
It was with Seraphina.
And without it, his magic was useless.
The attacker noticed his hesitation.
That was all the opportunity he needed.
The blade drove into Lucien’s side.
His eyes widened.
He looked down.
Blood was already spreading across his shirt.
The attacker pulled the knife free and stepped back.
Lucien staggered.
“You…”
The attacker turned and ran.
Lucien tried to follow.
His legs weakened.
He took one step.
Then another.
His vision blurred.
He reached for the wall.
His hand missed.
Lucien fell to the ground.
For centuries, humans had feared him.
Kings had begged him for favors.
Powerful men had traded their souls for his promises.
Lucien had watched generations rise and disappear.
He had never imagined that something as simple as a blade could bring him to his knees.
But without the cross, he was no longer untouchable.
He was bleeding.
And he was alone.
A few minutes later, a man leaving a nearby building noticed Lucien lying on the pavement.
“Oh my God!”
He rushed toward him.
“Sir? Can you hear me?”
Lucien opened his eyes slightly.
The stranger immediately pulled out his phone.
“I need an ambulance. There’s been a stabbing.”
Lucien tried to speak.
“Don’t…”
The man leaned closer.
“Don’t what?”
Lucien’s breathing became heavier.
“Call…”
His voice faded.
The stranger looked frightened.
“Just stay with me. Help is coming.”
Lucien closed his eyes.
Seraphina returned twenty minutes later.
She stepped into the lobby and immediately looked around.
Lucien wasn’t there.
She checked her phone.
No messages.
She called him.
Nothing.
She called again.
Still nothing.
Her stomach tightened.
“Where are you?”
Her phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
“Are you Seraphina Vale?”
“Yes.”
“I’m calling from the hospital. We found your number in a man’s phone.”
Her heart stopped.
“What man?”
The voice hesitated.
“He was brought in after being stabbed.”
Seraphina’s face went pale.
“What’s his name?”
“We don’t have his identification yet, but he matches the description of a man named Lucien Silva.”
“Which hospital?”
The receptionist gave her the address.
Seraphina immediately turned around.
“Get me a car.”
She arrived at the hospital less than thirty minutes later.
The moment she entered, she rushed toward the emergency department.
“Lucien Silva,” she said breathlessly.
“He was brought here after a stabbing.”
The nurse checked the computer.
“He’s still being treated.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
Seraphina closed her eyes in relief.
“Can I see him?”
“Not yet.”
She stepped away from the desk and sat down.
Her hands were trembling.
She stared at her left palm.
The black cross was still there.
Suddenly, she remembered what Lucien had told her.
I need your hand.
She didn’t understand why, but she suddenly felt that she needed to see him.
She looked toward the emergency room.
“Please be okay.”
Hours later, a doctor finally walked toward her.
“Are you here for Lucien Silva?”
Seraphina immediately stood.
“Yes.”
“He’s stable.”
Her shoulders relaxed.
“Can I see him?”
“In a few minutes.”
She nodded.
The doctor walked away.
Seraphina sat back down.
She didn’t know why she was so frightened.
Lucien was arrogant.
Annoying.
Impossible.
And somehow, despite everything, the thought of losing him terrified her.
It was late when she was finally allowed into the room.
Lucien lay on the hospital bed, his eyes closed.
Seraphina walked quietly to his side.
She looked at the bandage around his abdomen.
“You idiot.”
Lucien’s eyes slowly opened.
He looked at her.
“You came.”
“Of course I came.”
“You look angry.”
“I am.”
His lips moved into the faintest smile.
“Good.”
She stared at him.
“Why is that good?”
“Means you’re not crying.”
Seraphina’s expression softened.
Then she reached for his hand.
The moment her fingers touched his, warmth spread through the room.
Seraphina looked down.
The black cross on her left palm began glowing.
Lucien’s eyes widened.
For the first time since waking up, he looked genuinely afraid.
“Don’t move.”
“What?”
“Your hand.”
She froze.
The glow grew stronger.
Lucien stared at the cross.
Something was happening.
Something neither of them understood.
And for the first time, Lucien wondered whether losing the cross had taken away his power…
or whether it had given the cross a power of its own.