"Kkharrkkk!!"
Naomi actually threw up when she saw what she saw.
Lucian quickly patted her back.
"Easy. It’s alright, calm yourself. You are safe."
He spoke in a soft voice, making his movements slower and slower as he felt Naomi’s racing heartbeat calming.
The girl tried to look but—
"Don’t look."
Lucian instructed clearly, placing his hand in front of Naomi’s eyes. Naomi did not resist. In her mind, things were clear, she would lead while they travelled through the maze, but when something happened, Lucian would take charge.
So she listened and closed her eyes.
Lucian felt that. He moved his hand, then patted her back a few more times, nodded at Isolde, who nodded back, walking towards Naomi and holding her.
Lucian then straightened his back and shifted his focus back onto the man in front of him.
He was... familiar.
An Enclave Hunter.
Lucian did not know his name, but he remembered seeing him a few times in the Enclave building.
He must be one of the Hunters who came in independently to try and change their lives.
When the Hunter noticed Lucian and his group, his eyes widened in pure terror, especially when he saw Lucian approaching him. Lucian raised his hand, showing he did not intend to hurt him.
But for some odd reason, that made the man even more frantic.
Lucian frowned.
Did him raising his hand somehow give the man the idea that he was planning to attack?
"I am from the Enclave too. I am not here to hurt you."
He made it clear.
The man still looked terrified. He opened his mouth to say something, but the only sound that came out was the sound of him choking on some liquid.
It was his own blood.
The blood spilled down his chin.
The next instant, Lucian’s expression darkened.
His tongue...
It was cut off.
The Hunter tried to speak again.
"T-Tkhrrk."
It didn’t work. He violently coughed on his own blood, blood that now sprayed all over his chest. His breathing became worse, every breath came with a bubbling sound. The man could barely clear the blood gathering inside his mouth.
It was a horrifying sight.
Sabine and Isolde, who were seeing it, felt their hearts shudder.
To inflict pain to such a cruel extent...
The worst part?
The fear in his eyes when he saw them.
The people who could potentially save him.
Trauma.
Or at least that’s what Isolde and Sabine thought.
Lucian was different.
When he saw the terror in the man’s eyes even as he choked on his own blood, he realised something.
This terror...
It wasn’t from him.
It was... for him.
That made Lucian frown.
He looked into the man’s eyes. He was constantly staring at a specific spot ahead of him. Lucian tilted his head, then followed the direction of his gaze. He didn’t see anything, only empty ground.
Then he stared back at the man. Again, the man was staring at that specific spot. In the end, Lucian decided to trust his instincts.
"I am sorry, but I believe this is for the better."
He spoke with unnatural calm, then, with a wave, his knife rose into the air, shot forward, and sliced towards the man’s neck.
Or at least—
That’s what was about to happen, but the moment the knife reached him, a bright silver light shone and the man’s body disappeared.
Aevrienne finally eliminated him.
Lucian sighed at that.
There were Enclave people outside.
And since this wasn’t the first victim, they must have found other victims and prepared an emergency medical team specialised to deal with those injuries.
It was much faster and safer than having Isolde use basic Healing Potions on him.
With that thought in his mind, Lucian nodded to himself, then stared at the spot the Hunter had been pointing at. The knife moved, changing its trajectory all of a sudden. It then flew towards the spot, instantly plunging itself inside and—
BOOOOM
The ground exploded.
Lucian quickly created multiple barriers to protect himself and his allies from the impact. His senses, however, had already expanded further.
The explosion told him everything he needed to know.
The injured Hunter.
He was the bait.
He was supposed to stay on the ground, lure others out and make them rush towards him. Once they reached a certain point and stepped on the ground where the bomb was placed—
The bomb would explode under their weight.
It was a common technique Enclave Hunters used in their battles. Witches used it too. Essentially, such tricks were used during a hunt.
This...
This was a trap set by a Hunter.
And since the trap was set off, Lucian knew that the ’hunter’ was here.
"Be prepared."
He spoke out loud, warning the others.
"Varek is here."
He warned as he lowered his body and took his battle stance. His team moved as well. Isolde’s cards shone, Sabine grabbed her dagger, and Naomi clenched her fists. She wasn’t a fighter, obviously, but she wasn’t going to cower in fear either.
At the very least, she wouldn’t be a burden.
She stared at Lucian. Lucian remained silent, as if he was waiting. After the next few seconds of silence and no movement, the silence started to feel... odd.
Sabine and Isolde actually began to wonder if Lucian was wrong.
Lucian had some doubts as well. After all, even now, all of this was just a theory. He couldn’t actually sense Varek’s presence.
There were no footsteps, sounds of breathing, or any signs of movement.
And obviously, there was no heartbeat.
However—
Lucian’s instincts still gave him a clear warning.
He was here.
And Lucian decided to trust them.
He kept looking around for signs, for any sudden movements. He also made sure to constantly look at Naomi, making sure she was protected.
The tension remained for a whole minute. Lucian did not ease up the entire time, nor did the girls. Even in doubt, they trusted Lucian.
Then finally—
"Hmm. So the bait is gone, huh?"
A voice was heard.
And Lucian’s eyes moved.
He... really was here.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter