Layla looked at Amira sitting in Lucian's lap.
"Ah! Sorry did I interrupt something? I would've knocked but it's urgent." Layla asked.
Amira's face flushed red as she stood quickly. "No, not at all," she said softly.
"Looking for me?" Lucian asked.
Layla's eyes darted between the two, Amira's embarrassed expression and Lucian focused gaze. "Uhhhh… yea, they asked for you specifically, although they haven't entered the village forcefully yet." She responded with her face twisting in confusion.
"I understand." He responded.
"You understand?" Layla asked "what do you mean you understand?!"
Lucian rose and made his way to the door, pausing for a moment. "I'll be back before dinner. The beef stew from your cookbook sounds delicious. Let's have that for dinner tonight." He said as he fixed his appearance. With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"Uh… what was that about?" Layla asked, brow furrowed. "And what does he mean, he'll be back before dinner? Is he planning to just take a stroll or something?"
But Amira hadn't heard a word. Her thoughts swirled with last night's embrace, this morning's quiet moment, and Lucian's words as he left.
"Let's have that tonight!" she blurted, her cheeks burning. "Who does he think he is, demanding me like I'm some maid?" She dropped back into the chair, arms crossed.
"Hellooo?" Layla waved her hand in front of her face.
"Or maybe…" Amira suddenly sprang up, clasping her hands together. "Maybe it's like a loving husband asking his wife to have dinner ready when he comes home!" Her eyes sparkled, heart racing with butterflies.
Layla grabbed her arm, snapping her back to reality. "Ami! What the hell is going on?"
Amira tilted her head, confused. "He asked me to make him dinner. What's there to explain?"
"No! Not that." Layla pinched the bridge of her nose. "The Flesh gang. Why are they after Lucian? They've never just strolled up to town before making demands, especially not bold enough to wait at our front gate in numbers."
"Ohhh." Amira tapped her chin. "It's probably because of the threat he made to their boss! Remember how I said we were ambushed on the way here? That was the Flesh gang I'm pretty sure."
Layla stiffened. "What did he tell their boss?"
"Something like," she raised a finger and mimicked Lucian's smolder " 'I'll burn down everything you care about,' or maybe, 'I'll destroy everything you love.' I could barely hear, so I'm not 100% sure."
Layla went pale. "Oh, just great." She threw her hands up in surrender. She looked at Amira, who still seemed cheerful. "Well, aren't you going to help him?"
Amira giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "He doesn't need my help. Besides, I can't use my full strength until nightfall. In the day, I'm just a normal girl." She shrugged.
Layla sighed. "Fine. Then I'll go. I'm decent enough with a sword, and the Flesh King and I are old friends anyway."
"Layla," Amira said quietly, her smile fading. "You'd only get in his way. Trust me… that man may seem human on the outside but his strength is on a whole different level..."
Layla clenched her fists, her voice low. "You want me to leave your protection completely in his hands? Not happening. Besides, what if he makes things worse and as the former captain of your royal guard I still have an oath to uphold." She turned and left.
"Well then!" Amira clapped her hands together. "Looks like I'll have to tidy up and get the ingredients ready."
Lucian walked down the main road, where villagers had gathered on the outskirts, staring nervously at the Flesh gang that had set up a perimeter.
Some townsfolk clutched makeshift weapons; others held their families close.
The Flesh gang was a rotten sight. Many bore scars and grotesque disfigurements. A few licked their blades, eyes wandering hungrily over the young women. Others laughed under their breath at the "guards" who stood trembling before them.
Lucian pushed through the crowd. Just as he stepped forward, a small hand grabbed his arm. He turned and saw that it was Bell.
"Be careful," she whispered, her voice trembling as she forced a smile.
Lucian gave a single nod and continued on.
'Certainly a different reaction from the first village I visited after the war. I guess suppressing my aura was worth it.' He thought to himself as he rubbed his forehead where a small scar lingered.
He came face-to-face with the gang just as a burly man shoved a boy forward.
"This him?" the man barked.
The boy, thin, trembling, the same one Lucian had spared, nodded reluctantly.
"Thanks, twerp. Now get outta here." The man tossed him aside. "So you're the fool who thinks he can threaten our gang and get away with it, huh?"
Lucian's gaze was steady, unreadable. "Took you long enough, I was starting to think you guys were actually smart." He said as he looked up at the burly man. "Now leave with your lives, before I decide not to let you." His voice was cold.
The gang howled with laughter.
"You sure got some balls, kid," the burly man said. "Boss wants you dragged into the woods where we can deal with you proper, away from all these weaklings." He sneered toward the villagers and leaned down close to his ear. "But I think it'd be better to cut you down right here, in front of them. Teach this town what happens when they get ideas." He raised his arms with pride. "What do you think, boys?"
A chorus of wicked giggles rippled through the gang.
Lucian sighed. "So you're not the boss? I don't have time to play with you."
"What?" the big man snarled. "You don't have time?" He swung the massive axe from his back and slammed it down with all his might. "THEN YOU BETTER MAKE SOME!"
The blade crashed downward…
and stopped dead in Lucian's hand.
His Soulflame seeped out of him like a swamp fog, thick and choking. A few gang members dropped to their knees, clutching their throats, struggling to breathe. Even the burly man's legs trembled as he stared into Lucian's endless gray eyes.
"I said," Lucian growled, his voice rumbling like thunder, "take me to your boss."
The pressure pressed forward in waves, sparing the villagers yet still weighing heavy enough to make them tremble with fear. Many stood frozen, unable to look away at the grey fog bringing men to their knees.
Bell covered her mouth, eyes wide with sorrow. "Oh Lulu, what have you gone through to get a soulflame like that…?" she whispered.
The burly man stumbled back, pulling his axe away. "F-fine. Follow me." His voice cracked as he motioned to the others.
Lucian pulled the Soulflame back into himself. The weaker gang members collapsed to the dirt, gasping desperately for air. After a moment, they retrieved their weapons and followed Lucian and their squad leader into the woods.
Nearby, Layla leaned against a tree, her sword dropped beside her. She had been caught in the edge of Lucian's aura, and it had floored her. "What the hell was that?" she whispered, trembling. Her red eyes followed him as he disappeared into the forest. "Ami… what kind of monster are you keeping around?" She pushed herself up and ran after them, her blonde hair bouncing wildly with each step.
The group trekked through the woods until they came upon a cavern with a grand, gaping entrance. Guards stood watch, their hands tightening on weapons as they saw the fear-stricken faces of their comrades. But when the burly man raised a hand, they stepped aside.
Lucian was led down a long, torchlit tunnel. The air smelled of mold and rot. Water dripped from stalactites, echoing like clockwork in the silence.
Finally, they entered a vast chamber where sunlight filtered weakly through cracks in the stone above.
At the far end sat a throne of stitched skin and human bone. Upon it lounged a shirtless man with a great X scar carved across his chest. He reclined lazily, one leg propped over an armrest, his head resting on his palm.
The only thing clear in the shadows was his eyes
icy, glowing blue, staring with venomous calm.
"And whom have you brought before me today, Oryx?" the man asked softly. His words slithered like poison through the cave.