The toll it had taken on his body was immense, far more than he’d expected, but there was no time to rest or complain. He clung to Nyx’s shoulder for support as she carefully guided him down the long spiral stairway leading from the upper wall. Another soldier noticed their struggle and rushed over without being told, quickly wrapping Lucas’s arm around his neck as the two of them helped him descend the rest of the way.
When they finally reached the horses, Nyx mounted first and then reached out, steadying him as he hoisted himself up behind her with what little strength he could gather. He leaned into her back, breath shallow, barely able to keep his eyes open as they galloped through the chaotic streets.
They rode through the city and reached the castle....The moment they dismounted, Nyx took him under the arm again, her movements swift and graceful despite the exhaustion she surely felt. Lucas’s feet barely touched the ground as she helped him through the towering double doors of the castle.
Servants scurried out of the way, their faces frozen in a mixture of concern and fear, and guards gave them curious looks as they passed, but no one stopped them. They could all see from Lucas’s pale face and trembling hands that this was not a moment to get in the way.
When they entered the central corridor, Lucas lifted his head and spoke, his voice low but insistent.
"Take me to the Seer’s chamber."
Nyx turned her head slightly, confused by the request. Her brows furrowed, but she didn’t argue. She had grown used to Lucas’s unpredictability, and more than that, she trusted his instincts...even when they seemed irrational.
Without a word, she changed their course, leading him through the winding upper halls of the eastern wing.
"Wait here," he said softly, turning to her. "Please."
Though uncertain, Nyx gave him a small nod and stepped back without protest, watching him with a wary gaze. The guards at the entrance did not move. Their weapons remained firm in their grasp as they blocked the way forward.
"The Seer doesn’t take guests without summons," one of them said, his tone formal and unmoved. "You may not pass."
Lucas said nothing at first. He stood there, shoulders heavy, breath shallow, but then he lifted his gaze and fixed it on the guard.
The guard felt it instantly...a pressure not physical but deeply unsettling...and before he could question himself, his arms lowered slightly, as if instinctively yielding to the authority in front of him.
The other guard followed suit....neither of them spoke again.
Lucas entered and closed the door behind him gently, at the exact position he had last seen her in, was Henrietta. She hadn’t moved at all. Her legs were crossed, hands resting delicately on her knees, her long hair draping over her shoulders and pooling slightly around her, she was still naked....her big boobs still out for Lucas to see.
Her breathing was so faint it was nearly invisible, and her expression, even in trance, was calm but utterly unreadable. If not for the subtle fluctuations of Qi in the air around her...one might’ve believed she wasn’t alive at all.
Lucas didn’t dare speak out loud. He wouldn’t interrupt her trance physically; he knew better than that. Instead, his knees gave slightly beneath him and he lowered himself slowly to the floor, folding his legs as he settled into a sitting position just in front of her. The floor beneath him was warm from residual Qi, a gentle thrum pulsing through the stone as if the room itself was breathing.
Closing his eyes, Lucas exhaled deeply and reached inward. His mind, though fatigued and bruised from the earlier exertion, found the tether it shared with hers...the thin thread woven by the soulbound contract. With quiet precision, he followed it, allowing his consciousness to extend outward like a shadow touching another.
A moment passed, then another, then a ripple. Her consciousness stirred faintly.
"Let me in," Lucas whispered within the connection. His mental voice was faint but earnest.
The Seer did not respond with words, but she opened her mind to him. It wasn’t a flood, but a calm opening, like a curtain drawn aside to let in morning light. The link between them deepened, and soon he found himself within her mental space.
She was there within the space, aware of him now. Her voice reached out to him. "I already know," she said. "The pulse of the land has shifted."
Lucas bowed his head slightly, still mentally tethered, his thoughts swirling with urgency.
"Then you know how serious it’s become," he said. "The city is on the brink. I did what I could on the wall, but it wasn’t enough. They’re still coming. More than before."
There was a brief silence between them, and then she asked, her tone patient but focused, "Then why have you come to me?"
Lucas hesitated only a breath before answering.
"Because I need your help," he said. "I need you to locate something in the city. It’s a crystal," he said, the image forming within the mental space between them as he spoke.
"A core, not formed by Qi refinement or artifice... it’s natural. Born from the life energy of the beasts themselves."
Henrietta did not interrupt, her silence wasn’t passive...it was intentional.
"Wherever the crystal is, that’s where the beasts will go," Lucas continued. "They can’t resist it. It’s like instinct, drawn to it." He paused briefly to steady his breath. "If it’s still in the city, they’ll keep coming. No matter how many we kill, they won’t stop...until they’re extinct. But if it’s been moved, if it was taken out already..."
He let the thought finish itself.
"...then their direction will shift," Henrietta concluded calmly, picking up the thread of his logic.
Lucas gave a small nod within the shared mental space.
"That’s why I came to you," he said, his tone more desperate now. "I can’t locate something like that, not in this state, and not with the abilities I currently have. But you... if anyone can trace something like that, it’s you."