Chapter 6 Painfully Ordinary

The hallway fell silent long before Lucien reached it.

Students who had been laughing moments earlier immediately stepped aside, pressing themselves against the walls. Conversations died without anyone asking them to stop. Heads lowered. No one dared remain in his path.

Lucien didn't acknowledge a single one of them.

His steady footsteps echoed against the marble floor, calm and unhurried, as though the fear surrounding him was something he had long grown accustomed to.

Selene walked a few steps behind him.

She kept her eyes on the floor, afraid that if she looked anywhere else, she'd only make herself more noticeable.

Every step felt heavier than the last.

Where was he taking her? Her mind refused to stop racing. Has Lady Seraphine changed her mind? Has the investigation uncovered something? Or was Lucien simply taking matters into his own hands?

The thought sent another chill through her. She glanced up for only a second.

The students lining the hallway weren't looking at her. They were looking at him, not with admiration, but with fear.

One boy accidentally met Lucien's eyes. His face drained of color almost instantly. He lowered his head so quickly that his books slipped from his arms and scattered across the floor.

Lucien walked past without slowing.

The boy didn't even try to pick them up until Lucien had disappeared around the corner.

Selene swallowed. She had never seen anyone command that kind of silence without speaking a single word.

The farther they walked, the quieter the academy became. Eventually they reached a part of the castle she had never seen before.

The walls changed. The polished marble disappeared, replaced by dark stone blocks worn smooth with age.

Iron lanterns burned with pale blue flames instead of ordinary fire. The air felt colder here and older.

At the end of the corridor stood two enormous black doors covered in intricate carvings. Ancient symbols twisted across the surface like living vines.

Two armored vampire guards stood motionless on either side. Neither looked at Selene.

The moment Lucien approached, both guards bowed deeply. "My Lord."

Lucien gave a single nod. Without a word, the guards pushed the doors open.

A low groan echoed through the stone corridor as the massive doors slowly parted.

Selene stared.

Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stretched farther than she could see. Some disappeared into the darkness overhead. Others curved around the room in great circles, connected by narrow iron staircases and suspended walkways.

Dust floated lazily through shafts of pale light spilling from crystal chandeliers high above. The smell hit her almost immediately, old parchment leather and ink.

And something else...Something metallic, like dried blood.

She hesitated at the entrance.

Lucien continued walking.

After only a heartbeat's pause, she hurried after him. The doors rumbled shut behind them. The sound echoed through the enormous chamber.

Selene instinctively looked back. The exit was gone, not physically. It was simply hidden behind endless shelves, swallowed by the vastness of the archive.

Her heartbeat quickened.Neither of them spoke.

Lucien moved confidently through the maze of towering shelves as though he had walked these paths countless times before.

Selene struggled to keep up. Every shelf bore a brass plaque engraved with elegant lettering.

Pureblood Houses.

Royal Genealogies.

Extinct Clans.

Blood Rituals.

Forbidden Records.

She barely had time to read each title before Lucien turned another corner. The deeper they went, the fewer lanterns remained lit. Eventually they reached the oldest part of the archive.

Everything here looked untouched.Thick layers of dust covered the shelves. Spiderwebs stretched between ancient wooden beams overhead.

The silence felt almost sacred. Lucien finally stopped.

Selene nearly walked into him before catching herself.

She slowly looked up. Unlike the other shelves, this one had no polished brass plaque.

Only faded letters carved directly into black stone.The words were so worn she could barely make them out.

UNKNOWN LINEAGES

A cold shiver ran through her.The books resting on these shelves looked different and older.

Their leather covers had cracked with age, most carried no visible titles at all. They were completely blank.

Lucien reached toward one without hesitation. His fingers brushed across the spine before pulling it free. Dust drifted into the air.

He turned and held the book out to Selene.

She stared at it, It looked impossibly old.

The leather was almost black with age, its corners worn smooth from centuries of handling. There wasn't a single word on the cover.

She looked from the book to Lucien. "...What is this?"

"Take it." His voice was quiet.

Selene slowly accepted it with trembling hands. The book was surprisingly heavy.

Its leather felt cold against her palms. For a moment...Nothing happened.

Lucien watched her carefully.

Without warning…Faint silver lines began to spread across the cover.

Selene's breath caught. Letters slowly emerged from beneath the worn leather, as though invisible ink had suddenly come alive.

One by one…The words revealed themselves.

THE LOST LINEAGES

Selene stared at the title. "I... I don't understand."

Lucien didn't answer. His eyes never left the book. "Open it."

She looked up. "What?"

"Open it."

Fear settled heavily in her chest. Her fingers tightened around the cover. "I don't think I should…”

"Open it."

The room fell completely silent. Even the lantern flames seemed to stand still.

Selene swallowed hard, as she slowly… lifted the cover.

The first page turned out to be blank. She frowned.

"There isn't anything…” Before she could finish. A brilliant white light burst from the pages.

"Ah!" Selene cried out, throwing one arm across her face. The light flooded the entire chamber.

Ancient symbols carved into the surrounding shelves ignited one after another, glowing with the same pale radiance.

A deep vibration rolled through the archive. Books trembled on every shelf. Dust rained from the ceiling.

The light grew brighter. It was no longer coming from the pages alone. The words themselves were appearing.

Lines of glowing script spread across the blank parchment faster and faster, as though an invisible hand was writing them in real time.

Selene gasped. The book became impossibly hot.

She tried to let go, but her hands wouldn't move.

"Lucien…!" The light exploded.

A powerful force threw Selene backward. She hit the stone floor hard, sliding several feet before coming to a stop.

The book slammed shut beside her, and there was complete silence. Even the trembling of the shelves stopped.

Selene lay on the floor, breathing hard, her ears ringing. Her vision slowly cleared.

Across the room...Lucien was still standing exactly where he had been.

For the first time since she'd met him...His composure cracked. His silver-gray eyes were fixed on the c

losed book, with shock.

He didn't move, he didn't speak, he simply stared.

And somehow...That frightened Selene far more than anything he had done to her before.