Halls of Prima Shadow - Book II

(1) Malevolence

IT WAS FINALLY TIME.

Lucian had finally acquired everything that he ever desired. He had power—he was the most powerful of them all. Nothing, quite literally nothing, could stop him now. He felt it in every inch of his skin—the power pulsating through every vein that served as a constant, pleasureful reminder that he was ultimately superior.

The moment he had kissed Ary, he could mentally visualize the swarm of power pulsating through her veins; only, she hadn't noticed it. It seemed as if the Fates had timed everything up to perfection. A day longer she would've discovered her power and he wouldn't have the opportunity to gain it. Everything was finally, finally going up to plan and the mental satisfaction of his discovery felt better than anything he had ever experienced before.

Lucian first wanted to kill his father, but instead of rushing it, he wanted to relish in the satisfaction of seeing fear build in his father's eyes. He wanted to taste the fear of every person that betrayed him—his brother included. At the moment, he was coddled up in his sanctuary, thinking for hours upon hours of what he could do. With his newfound power, the possibilities were practically endless.

The first thing he now had to do was to find something dearest to his father. He didn't believe that his father was capable of such an emotion, especially after beheading his wife, but everyone always had something to hide—something to care about. It was just a matter of how well someone hid it and how long they could keep it up.

"You seem distressed," Yuri spoke softly. Lucian unintentionally jumped, having not realized that his brother entered the room.

"Is that so," He mused, standing up from his plush couch. "Well, would you like a demonstration of such an emotion, brother?"

"No," He scowled, clenching his fists. "I'm not here to fight, Lucian. I've come here to tell you that our Father is going to be retiring within the end of this year, and as his heir, I will be inheriting his power."

"And?" Lucian smirked, feeling the intense sensation whir throughout his body. "What is your point? You're wasting my time."

Such a statement did not spur Yuri. "Do you remember the threat you made to me? You said that you were going to kill me for spilling your secret, right?" His brother returned the smirk with satisfaction. "With all that power, you are practically worthless when you are compared to me."

Lucian's smirk turned into a grin. He wanted nothing more than to show Yuri the lengths of his unlimited power, but he had other plans. He was invincible and he now had all the time in the world. "You can boast all you want, Yuri, but I will heed this to you—be cautious." He walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder, tempted to dig his claws into his flesh, but pushed away the urge. "Because the moment that you lay a finger on me, you will beg for your life to end."

"Spare me the dramatics," Yuri sneered. "Don't be so smug." He shrugged off his arm.

"It's just an innocent warning, brother."

He scowled. "I should tell father what you've been up to."

"Tell him," Lucian said, no longer fearful of his father. Those times are thankfully over.

Yuri's scowl transformed into a frown. "I... I will." He began to walk away.

"Just remember what I've told you," Lucian called out, confident that his brother wouldn't be uttering a word to anyone. He'd be a fool if he did, he thought.

Once he left, Lucian's thoughts began to drift towards deceiving—the only thing he had done best in his lifetime—but once his mind began to settle, he felt the now gentle instead of booming sensation beginning to whir in his chest. He was being summoned, but this time he couldn't tell the difference of whether it was his father, or if it were the Fates.

Nonetheless, such a whirring sensation didn't spur his focus—it only made him more determined. There was a bright flash of white light and in a matter of two seconds, he realized it was the Fates. His fingers began to tremble unwillingly—he didn't want to admit it, but he truly was afraid of such a high force of power. No one ever spoke directly to the Fates and he had done it more than two times. He had no idea how far their power ran or what they could do.

"Lucian Gabriel Pierce," It was the same voice. In was pinpointed so distinctively that he couldn't differentiate whether the voice was feminine or masculine. The ambiguity of the Fates that made him fear for his existence—he hadn't felt fear in a long, long time. Not since my mother's death...

"I-I would like to thank you," He began shakily, forcing himself to calm down. "for blessing me with such a gift."

"And such a gift is precious, indeed," the voice boomed. "So we presume that you'll take advantage of it and do as you please."

"Why—why me?" He stammered, clenching his hands into fists. He was still trembling.

"Why you, you ask?" The voice chuckled, sending tremors down Lucian's spine. "That is something we cannot disclose to you. We are here for a different reason."

"And what is that?" He swallowed, petrified of their answer. The possibilities are endless...

"Such power cannot exist in this world," it explained. "which is why we are proposing this. We have been watching you for centuries, Lucian." The statement chilled him to the bone. "You have two options and every decision, every step, every thought you make will determine how your future will end up. Life, or death. You will either continue your life as it is now, or you shall join us, and forever lead the world."

He frowned deeply, the two options roaming haphazardly through his mind. He enjoyed his life—the way it was now, especially with his newfound power—but were the Fates seriously offering him this opportunity? To join them, and to wreak havoc until the end of time?

"Wreak havoc?" The voice laughed. "That's a little morbid, don't you think?"

For a moment, Lucian forgot that they could read his every thought. He wafted through all the possibilities and he found himself wanting both. He couldn't decide.

"We shall give you a month to decide," the voice receded. "And in the last week of that month, you will take a visit to our land; there, you shall see the way things run. We warn you now to take great thought and consideration in this matter because it is a grand decision."

Before Lucian could respond, there was another prominent whirring sensation in his chest, and he knew deep down that they were gone and that they weren't coming back until the last week of the month. He took a moment to reflect on what just happened—it appeared as if he had far more important things to worry about than the future death of his family members.