Lucian's breath caught in his throat.
"Brother?"
The word rang through his skull like a curse.
The woman before him was tall, her silver eyes burning with an eerie glow, her pale skin untouched by time. A haunting beauty, but something about her was wrong. The Abyss clung to her like a second skin, shifting in the air around her.
Selene stepped closer to Lucian, her body tensed, fire flickering weakly in her hands. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman smiled, slow and deliberate.
"My name is Nyx," she said. "And I've come to bring my brother home."
The Truth Unveiled
Lucian's stomach twisted.
Home?
The Abyss wasn't his home.
Not anymore.
Ash stood beside Nyx, arms crossed. Their face gave away nothing, but Lucian could tell they weren't entirely at ease.
"You're lying," Lucian growled, gripping his sword. "I don't have a sister."
Nyx tilted her head, her silver eyes piercing through him. "Are you sure about that?"
Lucian opened his mouth, ready to deny her again—but then his mark burned.
Images flashed through his mind—memories he didn't recognize.
A dark palace, its halls stretching into eternity.
A throne made of obsidian and bone.
A boy—himself, but younger—standing beside a girl with silver eyes, laughing in the dim glow of the Abyss.
"Lucian, promise me you won't leave."
His heart stopped.
The memory was real.
Nyx was real.
Selene's Fire Falters
"No," Lucian whispered, his hands shaking. "This—this doesn't make sense."
Selene stepped between them, her fire blazing brighter despite her exhaustion.
"He's not going anywhere with you."
Nyx sighed. "Oh, little flame, do you really think you can stop me?"
Selene clenched her fists. "I can try."
Lucian saw the moment Nyx decided to strike.
She moved like a shadow, flickering forward so fast that Selene barely had time to react.
Lucian lunged—but before he could get between them, Nyx's hand closed around Selene's throat.
Selene gasped, struggling, her fire flaring wildly—but it didn't burn Nyx.
It did nothing.
Nyx smirked. "Pathetic. Your fire is fading."
Lucian saw the panic in Selene's eyes, the way she tried to summon more power but failed.
Rage exploded inside him.
"Let her go!"
Nyx's gaze flicked to him. "Are you sure, little brother? Because once I do, she won't be the only one who suffers."
And then—
Nyx released her.
Selene collapsed, coughing, her hands trembling as she tried to push herself up.
Lucian rushed to her side, his heart pounding.
"You're weak," Nyx said, watching them. "That's what happens when you cling to the light for too long. It makes you fragile. Vulnerable."
Lucian gritted his teeth. "Why are you here?"
Nyx's smile returned, but this time, there was something dangerous in it.
"To give you a choice."
The Offer
"You don't belong here, Lucian," Nyx said, stepping closer. "You never have."
Lucian forced himself to stand, his sword still gripped tightly in his hand. "I'm not going back to the Abyss."
Nyx chuckled. "Who said anything about going back?"
Lucian hesitated. "...What do you mean?"
Nyx spread her arms. "The Abyss is changing. The Forsaken you fought? They were a test."
Lucian's grip tightened. "A test for what?"
Nyx's silver eyes gleamed.
"For you."
Selene stiffened beside him, her breath still ragged. "No. Whatever you're about to say, the answer is no."
Nyx ignored her.
"You're stronger than you realize, Lucian," she said. "And the Abyss knows it. You don't have to fight it anymore. You can control it. Rule it. Take your rightful place."
Lucian's blood ran cold.
She wasn't asking him to return to the Abyss.
She was asking him to lead it.
A Choice That Could Change Everything
Lucian couldn't breathe.
The Abyss had always wanted him back. But this?
This was different.
Nyx wasn't threatening him. She was offering him something.
Power.
Control.
A way to stop running.
For a split second, he imagined it. No more fighting. No more fear. If he accepted, he wouldn't have to worry about the Forsaken hunting him anymore.
The Abyss would be his to command.
But then—
Selene's hand slipped into his.
Lucian looked down, meeting her tired but determined gaze.
"You don't have to do this," she whispered.
Lucian's throat tightened.
He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to lose himself.
Nyx watched them, her expression unreadable. Then, she sighed.
"I'll give you time," she said. "But don't take too long, little brother."
The shadows swallowed her whole.
And just like that, she was gone.
End of Chapter Sixty