Chapter 55: What did Lady Vivienne do to you?

"Stop."

Lucian’s fist froze an inch away from Vivienne’s throat.

The floor under his feet had cracked, his breathing was steady, his violet eyes glowed faintly, but there was no trace of desperation, hunger, or uncontrollable anger in them.

There was only determination.

Vivienne looked at his hand, then at his face.

"That is enough."

Lucian slowly lowered his fist and raised his eyebrow.

"Enough? But I should be able to last three more days."

Vivienne however, simply turned around and—

"Training is over.

It is time you leave."

"Over?"

Lucian blinked.

"Yes."

Lucian stared at her back, for a moment, almost offended.

"That was quick."

Vivienne stopped walking, she then turned and looked at him.

"You’ve been here for a month."

Lucian paused when he heard those words, he looked around the room, the cracked floor, the broken training posts, the walls marked with 5 to 10 inch deep marks, some of the sections actually needed instant rebuilding and these were reinforced walls, walls that weren’t supposed to break.

Lucian looked, then he looked back at his instructor.

"And?

It was getting interesting, why would you stop?"

He pouted.

Vivienne stared at him, then—

"You have become troublesome."

She snorted.

"The word you are looking for is improved."

"Troublesome."

Vivienne didn’t budge, so Lucian did.

"I will graciously accept both."

Vivienne raised her eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything, instead, she just... looked at him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

His stance.

His breathing.

His hands.

His eyes.

A month ago, he had stood like a man who had no idea where he was.

And now...

Now he was... different.

Very different.

"Come."

She spoke before she turned and started walking again, Lucian followed her. As the two walked towards the door, Lucian sighed—

"I will miss this place."

He spoke in an overly dramatic tone.

"If you liked it so much, I can make it so you stay here for another year."

Vivienne spoke, those words would have made any being in the Enclave freeze in sheer horror.

Locked inside a training hall with Vivienne Everhart?

It was no different than a nightmare.

But Lucian—

"Tempting."

He smiled.

"You are enjoying yourself."

Vivienne commented as she narrowed her eyes.

"I was locked away for a month with you."

"That should have cured enjoyment."

"Your company is far more enjoyable than you think."

Vivienne looked at him, then, she let out a very small, almost untraceable smile.

"You have become more talkative."

"I was always talkative."

"Is that so..."

Vivienne continued walking, Lucian walked with her.

The hallway felt too normal after the training hall. White lights, clean floor, distant voices. Lucian’s eyes, ears and nose noticed every movement.

As loudly as ever.

But this time, he did not react to them.

He just walked with that same, light, easy smile on his face.

"They can’t hold on any longer, can they?"

He suddenly asked.

Vivienne paused and looked at him, not saying anything. Lucian however, didn’t need an answer, he already knew.

"It has been a month, my disappearance must be starting to cause a ruckus. Whatever story Claire built must be showing flaws now, so they need me back.

This is why this is ending, isn’t it?"

Vivienne started walking again, still not saying anything.

"Right."

Lucian nodded, understanding what her silence meant.

After about a minute, Vivienne stopped near an intersection, Lucian stopped right behind her, she then turned slightly and—

"This is where we part for the day."

She announced.

Lucian paused.

"You know I have no clue where we are, right? This building is still new to me."

"Then learn."

"You are a terrible guide."

Lucian complained.

"I was never your guide."

"..."

Lucian didn’t know what to say. As for Vivienne, she walked away.

He watched her go.

"Sometimes it makes me wonder who the demon here is."

He sighed.

"I heard that."

Vivienne’s voice came from farther down the hallway.

"I know!"

Lucian snorted.

This time, no answer came back.

Lucian smiled, she was gone.

For a moment, Lucian stood alone in the hallway.

It felt... strange.

Being left alone after such a long time...

He however, didn’t think too much about it. He simply sighed, then, he let his senses do their thing.

He sensed a few male guards who could guide him out, he obviously skipped them and moved to a woman standing near the reception desk instead.

Lucian walked towards her.

She was young, in her mid-twenties, with soft brown hair tied neatly behind her head. She wore an Enclave clerk’s uniform and carried a stack of files against her chest.

She noticed him when he got close, their eyes met and she paused.

Lucian noticed the look in her eyes.

Recognition.

She knew him.

And that made him smile.

The woman straightened as he approached.

"Lucian Cross...?"

She asked, a little unsure even though she recognised him.

"You know me."

"I... worked on part of your case file."

She answered with a hesitant look on her face.

"Should I be worried?"

Lucian asked playfully.

"P-Probably not...?"

"Probably huh..."

Lucian repeated that word with an amused look on his face.

The woman looked at him again, she seemed... thrown off.

As if something didn’t make sense.

As she said before, she had read Lucian’s file.

An unstable Blood-Altered Human.

A young man who had consumed undiluted Incubus blood and somehow survived even without proper training. He was marked as dangerous, unstable and... hungry.

It was said that Lady Vivienne had taken him for some reason, that made many people curious. It was actually the reason she still remembered him.

But...

The image she had in her mind after reading the file and... the man that was standing in front of her...

It was...

Too different.

"You look disappointed."

Lucian leaned closer, studying her face with amusement.

"I-I am not!"

That made her back off almost instantly.

"Were you expecting me to be taller?"

"No, t-that’s not it..."

"More horns?"

"No."

She shook her head, her cheeks turned red as Lucian leaned even closer, his mouth was dangerously close to hers.

"Barely moving? Growling? Foaming at the mouth?"

The girl blinked at those words, Lucian’s eyes shined with amusement.

"Ah. So that’s it."

"I did not—"

"You absolutely did."

Lucian chuckled and the girl... she closed her mouth, not sure whether she should apologise or deny it.

"It is fine. I would have expected worse if I had read my file too."

The clerk looked at him carefully.

"You seem..."

"Different from the file?"

Lucian completed the sentence. The girl just looked at him and...

"What did Lady Vivienne do to you?"

She couldn’t help but ask.

And that question made Lucian smile.

"Bad things."

He answered.

"She did very bad, unspeakable things to me."

He spoke dramatically, even wiping a fake tear.