Seraphim POV
The sunlight streamed into my office, but the warmth felt like an insult to the
chaos surrounding me. Reports cluttered my desk—tales of increasing tensions
between gods and demons, whispers of cracks in the fragile balance holding our
world together. I leaned back, rubbing my temples, wishing I could make sense of
it all.
Lucian had been here earlier, dropping cryptic hints but offering no real answers,
as usual. I wasn't surprised when he left without saying much; secrecy was his
specialty. But it gnawed at me. Something was different. Something he wasn't
telling me.
It was nearing lunchtime, and the gnawing had grown into a full-blown itch I
couldn't ignore. Maybe I could pry something out of him if I caught him off guard.
Rising from my chair, I headed toward his office. The faint sound of conversation
reached my ears as I approached, and I stopped short.
At first, I couldn't make out the words, but the tone of the voices made me pause.
Someone was with him, speaking in low, deliberate tones.
I pressed myself against the wall, inching closer, straining to catch the words.
"...the relic left by the Goddess of Time," a voice said. It was calm, almost
indifferent, but carried a weight that made my skin crawl. "You know what it's
capable of. The key to unlocking true power."
Relic? Goddess of Time? My chest tightened as curiosity overtook me.
Lucian's reply was quiet, deliberate. "I'll do what's necessary. The relic isn't just
a key; it's a solution. You don't need to question me about this."
A solution to what? And why did he sound so...detached?
I leaned forward, desperate to hear more, but my elbow brushed against the edge
of the hallway pillar. A faint noise echoed in the otherwise silent corridor.
I froze.
The conversation stopped. The air grew thick, heavy with tension, as if the
shadows themselves were holding their breath. I peeked cautiously around the
corner, expecting to see them. But the room beyond the half-open door was empty.
I stepped inside, my footsteps cautious, my senses on edge. The air was cooler
here, as if the room had just been vacated, yet there was no sign of anyone. It
was as if they'd vanished into thin air.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty room, trying to calm the
storm in my mind. The relic. The Goddess of Time. The way Lucian's voice had
sounded—calm yet resolute, as if he had already decided on a path he knew I
wouldn't understand.
But I would understand. I had to.
I felt something stir in me—an unfamiliar excitement, an almost reckless
determination. For the first time in what felt like forever, I saw an opportunity
to be useful, to truly help. If this relic was so important, if it meant so much,
then maybe I could find it first.
"This is it," I muttered to myself. "I can do this. I'll prove I'm not just a shadow
following in his footsteps."
Turning on my heel, I left the room, my mind already racing. I didn't have all the
pieces yet, but I would find them. And when I did, I would prove to Lucian—and
to myself—that I was more than just an observer in his world.
I would find that relic.
I couldn't shake the words I'd overheard. Relic. Goddess of Time. Key to unlocking
true power. The phrases looped endlessly in my mind, each repetition urging me
to act. The thrill of purpose burned in my chest as I marched back to my office,
determined to start my search.
If Lucian was looking for something this important, I wouldn't wait for him to tell
me. I'd get ahead of him. For once, I'd be the one offering answers instead of
waiting in the dark.
I slammed the door to my office shut and dove into my bookshelves, old texts and
forgotten records spilling across my desk. Somewhere in these pages, I would
find the first clue.
The scent of aged parchment filled the air as I flipped through another ancient
tome. My desk was a battlefield of old books and scattered notes, each one
offering fragments of myths I scrambled to connect. Time slipped away as the
sun dipped lower outside, unnoticed in my growing obsession.
Most of what I found about the Goddess of Time was vague—a handful of
accounts describing her dominion over temporal balance, little more than whispers
in the shadow of the Supreme God. Still, I pressed on. There had to be something
hidden in these texts.
Finally, I found it: a brittle leather-bound volume buried at the bottom of a
forgotten chest. Its spine groaned as I pried it open, the pages filled with faded
ink that seemed to hold the weight of centuries. My eyes widened as I read.
"The Goddess of Time, in her wisdom, divided the Key into three fragments, each
hidden in a place untouched by mortal greed. This Key was forged to seal a great
truth, a barrier between realms meant to preserve balance. Only by uniting the
fragments can the truth be unveiled... and the consequences faced."
I sat back, the words echoing in my mind. Three fragments. A key that wasn't just
a relic—it was a lock on something too dangerous to be left unguarded. My
stomach churned. Did Lucian even realize what he was trying to unlock?
I flipped through the brittle pages, and my breath caught as I uncovered a section
detailing the fragments' locations.
"The First Fragment rests in the ruins of Cylvana, crumbled yet alive with
whispers of the past. The Second lies in the heart of an ancient spire, The Third
sleeps within the forest of Hallowshade, where the shadows themselves breathe."
These weren't just myths—they were real, tangible places I could reach. Lucian
wasn't chasing a dream. He was after these fragments.
I scribbled the locations in my notebook, my hands trembling. Cylvana's ruins were
within reach. The ancient spire was a place I'd only heard of in rumors, and
Hallowshade… I shivered at the thought of venturing there.
I leaned back, letting out a shaky breath. My chest felt tight. This was my chance
to be useful, to find these fragments and prove that I could stand beside Lucian
instead of trailing behind him. If I got to the pieces before he did, I'd show him
that I could do more than follow orders.
Closing the book, I stood and grabbed my coat, resolve hardening with every step.
The fragments were waiting. The clock was ticking.
And for the first time, I felt like I might be the one to hold the answers.
The scent of pine and damp earth filled the air, but I barely noticed it. My legs
ached from running, but I pushed forward, weaving through the forest with
growing frustration. I was late—again.
The ruins of Cylvana had been a dead end. The spire? Another waste of time.
Every clue, every lead, brought me closer only for Lucian to stay just out of reach.
It was infuriating. For once, I thought I could help him. For once, I thought I
could be useful. Instead, I was chasing shadows, falling further behind.
And now, here I was—the forest, the final location. I was sure of it. Lucian was
here. The relic was here. This time, I wouldn't let him slip away.
A distant explosion shattered the stillness, sending birds screeching into the sky.
My heart dropped, and I broke into a sprint, weaving through the trees as the
sound of battle echoed in my ears. Branches snagged my sleeves, and my boots
slipped on the damp ground, but I didn't stop.
When I reached the clearing, I froze.
Lucian stood there, his back to me, the faint glow of the relic casting his figure
in sharp relief. The remains of the trial guardian were scattered around him, its
body twisted and broken. The air was charged, buzzing with the hum of power—
his power.
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at him. This wasn't the man I knew. This
wasn't the partner I'd trusted, the one who fought for justice, for hope. He
looked... untouchable. Cold.
I stepped forward, forcing my voice to steady. "Lucian."
He didn't turn, didn't even flinch. "You're late, Seraphim."
The calmness in his voice only made my anger flare. "I've been chasing your shadow
through ruins and caves. What the hell is this, Lucian? What are you doing?"
He finally turned to face me, his eyes locking onto mine. The intensity in them
made me falter. "You shouldn't be here," he said flatly.
"That's not an answer," I shot back, taking another step closer. "You've been
keeping secrets—about the relic, these trials. What are you planning?"
Lucian tilted his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "You wouldn't understand."
My frustration boiled over. "Then make me understand!" My voice echoed through
the clearing, my chest heaving with the effort to control myself. "All I see is you
chasing destruction, leaving chaos in your wake. This isn't justice, Lucian. It's
madness!"
For a moment, he was silent, his eyes studying me like I was some sort of puzzle.
Then he spoke, his tone sharp and bitter. "Justice? Is that what you think you're
fighting for? Open your eyes, Seraphim. This world doesn't care about justice.
It's broken, rotten to its core. And the only way to fix it is to tear it down."
I stood there, breathing heavily, watching Lucian as he held the relic in his hand.
The relic that was supposed to help us. But now, it was nothing but another weapon
in his growing arsenal of destruction.
"You're wrong," I finally muttered, my voice filled with disbelief. "The world isn't
the problem—it's the people who inhabit it. And you? You're no better than the
ones you claim to be fighting against."
Lucian's gaze hardened, the fire in his eyes flaring brighter. Without saying a
word, he raised his chin, daring me to speak further.
"Then tell me, Seraphim," he said, voice cold and steely. "If I'm wrong, who is the
one you believe in so much? Who is the God you worship?"
I felt my chest tighten at the question. I could feel the weight of his words, the
challenge in his tone. "God is... the force that binds everything, the one who gives
meaning to our actions, even if we don't understand it fully. The power of life
itself—the one who shapes the world and seeks balance."
A mocking smile crept onto his face. "God?" he scoffed, eyes burning with
intensity. "He's nothing but a child playing with his toys, ignorant of the
destruction he causes. You think He's all-powerful, but He can't even stop the
darkness. So why should we bother to follow Him?"
I took a step forward, my voice rising in frustration. "Lucian, this is madness.
You've made a deal with the devil. You're letting him control you, and now you're
becoming him."
His expression didn't falter; instead, a small, amused grin curled his lips. "If I'm
apparently a devil, Seraphim... why don't I answer your fear? Why don't you feel
the terror that the real devil inspires?"
I recoiled, his words sinking deep. He was slipping further into the abyss, and I
didn't know how to stop him. "You can't keep running from yourself, Lucian," I said,
my voice low. "You think you're fixing the world, but you're only feeding the
darkness. You're becoming everything you once hated."
Lucian took a long, steady breath, his eyes narrowing with cold determination.
"Maybe the world needs darkness to survive, Seraphim. Maybe I'm the one who
sees that. You cling to your light, but it's fading. It always fades. And when it
does, the darkness will consume it all."
I shook my head, disbelief and anger swelling inside me. "No... this isn't the way.
You've chosen this path, Lucian. You've lost yourself."
Lucian's eyes softened for the briefest of moments, but only for an instant. Then
he turned his back on me, walking further into the forest. "You wouldn't
understand," he muttered, almost as if to himself.
I stood there, heart heavy in my chest, watching him disappear into the shadows,
knowing that nothing I said would reach him now.
But this wasn't over.
The forest had fallen into a suffocating silence after Lucian's departure, the air
thick with the weight of our words. I stood there, my fists clenched, heart still
pounding in my chest. His words, his cold indifference, echoed in my mind like a
relentless drumbeat.
He had walked away without a second glance, leaving me behind in the shadow of
his choices. I had tried to make him understand, tried to reach through the layers
of darkness that had clouded his heart. But he had made his choice.
And I had to face the truth: Lucian was no longer the man I knew.
I looked down at my hands, as if searching for some answer buried deep within
them. But there was nothing. Just the same, useless hands that had once fought
for justice, now trembling with the frustration of knowing how far Lucian had
fallen. How much further he was willing to go.
It was clear now that I could no longer rely on him. Whatever path he was walking,
it wasn't one I could follow. Not anymore.
"Damn it, Lucian…" I whispered to myself, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
"What happened to you?"
But the answer was just out of reach, buried beneath layers of lies and corruption.
I had to make a choice too.
My gaze shifted to the horizon, where the remnants of the fading light fought
against the encroaching night. The relics—three pieces scattered across the
world—each one holding a power too great to ignore. Lucian was getting closer to
his goal. And I couldn't let him succeed, not if it meant unleashing something that
could destroy everything.
I had tried to save him, to bring him back from the edge. But now, I knew it was
too late. I was alone in this fight.
The wind picked up, sending a chill through my bones, as if the world itself was
urging me forward. There was no turning back.
I had to stop him, no matter the cost.
The path ahead was clear, yet uncertain. The pieces of the relic were all that
remained between Lucian and his ultimate goal. And as much as I hated it, I knew
I had to be the one to find them before he did.
The weight of my decision pressed down on me, but I didn't hesitate.
Lucian had chosen his side. Now, it was time for me to choose mine.
And I would do whatever it took to stop him.