The eyes in the painting simultaneously narrowed in delight, gazing at Lucian with greed and satisfaction as if they had already secured him in their grasp.
The bright red energy completed its task and quickly withdrew, leaving Lucian alone, his eyes still glowing with an undissipated crimson hue.
He lifted his head, his gaze hazy as he looked at the eyes before him. Those eyes widened as if the eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets, staring at Lucian in anticipation, waiting for the reaction they longed for.
At last, Lucian blinked, his expression growing clearer. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the eyes before him, but what he said instantly extinguished their excitement.
"So how can we save them? They wanted to gain great power, but I didn’t want them to become monsters. I want them to be our parents again—for me and you! If they return to normal, they’ll surely remember you. They won’t lock you up anymore!"
The more he spoke, the brighter Lucian’s expression became, as though he had found a way out for his entire family—a path where no one had to be hurt.
The eyes froze. Then fury rapidly consumed them, their glares so full of venom it felt like they would tear Lucian apart on the spot. Even he could feel it.
"Sis? What’s wrong?" he asked.
Lucian’s confusion seemed to snap Elena back to her senses. The eyes in the painting reveal sadness and mockery.
"Lucian, you’ve always been so kind. You are the only one who hasn’t changed. But..."
"But..." Lucian was genuinely puzzled by his sister’s behavior.
Seeing his hesitation, the eyes narrowed again—like a new plan had taken shape within Elena.
She increased her power and said, "No buts, Lucian. You’re right. As long as our parents return to normal, they’ll remember me. Our family will be happy again."
Lucian nodded fervently, genuinely joyful that Elena agreed with him.
Elena continued, "But to achieve that, to destroy the monsters inside them, you must follow my plan. It’s all to help them. Can you do that?"
The red energy swirled around Lucian once more, carrying an indescribable charm that began to hypnotize his mind.
Yes, Elena’s words made sense. They were logical. There was no reason to object.
"I’ll follow your lead as long as our family can be happy together!"
Lucian clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination and purpose.
The eyes shifted, glancing side to side. Some narrowed again.
Elena thought to herself that such a naïve child—her little brother was still as adorable as ever.
In the end, she could spare Lucian. After all, he was innocent—he hadn’t done anything wrong. His only crime was being the child of Mr. and Mrs. William, something beyond his control.
As long as he could help her, she would spare him. Elena had made her decision.
Lucian was utterly unaware of Elena’s internal thoughts; he only heard her continue, "The only thing you need to do is obtain my scale and bring it to me. Eliminate any obstacles in your path. Remember what I said: our parents are no longer who they once were. To save them, you must be decisive. Do whatever it takes to get the fish scale—you can do it."
"Yes, I can do it..." Lucian murmured. At this point, he was entirely under Elena’s spell and fully committed to obeying her commands.
The conversation concluded. Lucian stood upright and softly said, "Goodbye, sister," before covering the painting with a grayish-white cloth. The eyes vanished, everything returned to normal—the temperature was no longer cold and damp, and the items disturbed by the whirlwind settled back into place as if Elena had never appeared.
Elena remained highly cautious of the William family; she would never allow Mr. and Mrs. William or anyone else in the castle to know of her presence until she had secured the fish scale.
Outside the large door, Cocona and her group exchanged glances, feeling they had gathered sufficient information for the day. They prepared to leave immediately before Lucian exited the warehouse.
However, something unexpected occurred. The ground beneath them suddenly transformed into a watery surface, catching them off guard. Before they could react, they were all pulled into the water!
What followed was a tumultuous spinning sensation as space itself had flipped. When they opened their eyes again, they stood on solid ground in an entirely different location. The abrupt shift from a suspended space to solid ground caused some to lose balance and fall.
Austin quickly supported Alice; Bella staggered but soon regained her footing while the NPCs nearly collapsed.
"What... what the hell is going on? Where the hell are we?!" The cross-eyed man shouted, unable to remain calm after experiencing such a bizarre event.
The NPCs huddled together as they stood up. Strangely, the blonde girl screaming earlier was now unusually silent, her head bowed, lost in thought.
"Stop shouting. We’re inside the warehouse now. If you don’t want to die, stay quiet," Cocona concluded after surveying the area and noticing the large, cold metal door behind them. She spoke coldly, raising a hand to summon some lightning energy for illumination.
However, before she could act, the lights suddenly turned on in the center of the warehouse. A black-haired young man with an extraordinarily handsome face sat at the head of a long dining table. Behind him hung a large painting, now covered by a cloth. Ten plates of meat were arranged on the table, just enough for the humans and Lucian—none for the NPCs, though perhaps even if there were, the NPCs wouldn’t dare sit at the table.
Lucian looked up at them. Under the light, his breathtakingly beautiful face seemed to glow, exuding a strange, divine aura. He smiled at them—a smile that seemed mocking. At that moment, the humans even had the illusion that the person sitting there was Eryon, not Lucian.
Leonard’s fists were clenched tightly, and his gaze at Lucian was so intense that it seemed he was about to devour him instead of the meat on the table.
Lucian paid no mind to their guarded and wary attitudes. He narrowed his eyes and softly said, "Well, won’t you sit down and chat, dear guests?"
Lucian continued without waiting for a response, "A peaceful cooperation—what do you think?"
This sudden proposal from Lucian surprised both the humans inside and outside the dungeon. An invitation to cooperate—from a monster!
Monsters and humans cooperating?