Lucian sat in a corner of the room, his back pressed against the cold stone wall. One hand rested on his bent knee, while the other leg stretched out in front of him. His other arm lay limp at his side, and his head was tilted downward, his silver hair falling over his eyes. He looked lost in thought, his expression unreadable.
Alstair, sitting a few feet away, glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "What's with the long face? You at least informed your family that we're safe and sound here, right?"
Lucian didn't respond immediately. He stayed silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice low and measured. "It's not that… I'm just thinking about how Zeydris knows my brother. Even our clan spent four years searching for him and found nothing. We had to reveal his disappearance to the other clans just to get their help… but still, nothing. And now, out of nowhere, this guy shows up and claims he knows where Rishiv is, or at least has a hunch about it. I don't know how to feel about that."
He paused, his fingers tightening around his knee. "It's… weird. After all this time, after giving up hope, someone just comes along and says he might have answers. It doesn't feel real."
Alstair listened quietly, not interrupting. When Lucian finished, he scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Hmm. I won't pretend to know what that feels like. I don't have any siblings, so I can't really relate. But losing someone you admired so much… that must hurt. And then, just when you've accepted that he might be gone forever, someone shows up with a lead. Yeah, I can see why that would mess with your head."
Lucian didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the floor. The room fell silent again, the only sound the faint hum of the abyss outside.
After a while, Lucian looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Alstair. "Enough about me. Why didn't you leave? You had no reason to stay here. So why did you decline when you had the chance to get out?"
Alstair blinked, then let out an exasperated laugh. "Huh? Are you seriously asking that? You really haven't been paying attention to anything outside your little bubble, have you? I mean, you didn't even notice how the other royal heirs were looking at you during the banquet. You know, the one you oh-so-graciously attended after skipping it for, what, eight years?"
Lucian shrugged. "I wouldn't have gone this time either if Dad hadn't bugged me about it. And I couldn't care less what those people think of me. I'm not exactly great at socializing anyway."
Alstair groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You… seriously? Hah. I don't even know where to start with you."
He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Well, let me spell it out for you. Thanks to a certain genius who gained a sigil at sixteen and then went on to achieve the ordination of Axiom, every royal family and the central government is in chaos right now. The other heirs? They're either feeling the pressure or worrying about their own positions. And you're just sitting here, completely oblivious."
Lucian tilted his head, his expression unchanged. "Hmm. I guess that's true. But I can't do anything about it."
Alstair stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You're something else, you know that? But anyway, to answer your question—why I stayed? Well, I can't let you be the only one getting stronger all the time. As the only heir of my clan, I have to at least keep up with you. Besides, you're strong. Fighting you would be fun!" He smashed his fists together, a grin spreading across his face.
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "So you're that type, huh? The fighting maniac. I'll buy your explanation for now, I guess. But it's still a dumb decision, especially since we have no idea what's going to happen here."
Despite his words, Lucian felt a small flicker of relief. He was glad, just a tiny bit, to have someone with him. Even if that someone was Alstair.
"Hey! It's not like I'm the only weird one here," Alstair shot back, pointing at Lucian. "You're a calamity magnet, not to mention a total loner. Besides, you said we're friends now, right? Isn't it obvious I'd stick around to help a friend in need? And who else is going to keep you company here besides your first and only friend?" He thumped his chest proudly, as if he'd just declared something profound.
Lucian narrowed his eyes. "You're calling me a loner? Just to clarify, I do have a friend… but I guess you don't, huh?"
Alstair's proud smirk vanished, replaced by a look of mock hurt. He clutched his chest dramatically. "H-how could you say that to your only friend? The one who refused to go back and stayed here to keep you company? I envisioned our future together, growing stronger, crushing everyone in our path. The perfect duo!" He sighed heavily, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears.
Lucian sighed, shaking his head. "Stop it, you drama queen. You're making it sound like you're my wife or something. I don't swing that way, sorry. And it sounded cringe, stop it."
"Oh no! My heart! My heart can't take this rejection!" Alstair wailed, continuing his over-the-top performance.
"Please, Lucian! Listen to me! I'll do anything you ask! Anything! Please don't reject me!" He fake-sobbed, clutching at Lucian's arm.
Lucian rolled his eye, but he also caught a glimpse of the engagement ring on Alstair's finger, seeing that he couldn't suppress a small grin. "Now that I think about it… aren't you engaged? Your fiancée would kill me if she saw this."
Alstair immediately dropped the act, pointing a finger at Lucian. "Hey, don't ruin this bromance by bringing her into it."
Lucian chuckled, leaning back against the wall. "Fair enough."
The two fell into a comfortable silence for a moment before Alstair spoke again, his tone more serious. "That ring of yours, though… it's something else. I've never seen anything like it."
" I mean, there are communication rings, but they only work within a certain range and only in the overworld, not the abyss. But yours? It can contact people in the overworld from here, and the distance… we don't even know how far into the abyss we are, but it must be huge. Even Zeydris, who's at least sovereign rank or higher said it took more than half his mana to help you use it."
Lucian glanced at the ring on his finger, its intricate design catching the dim light. "Yeah… at least our families know we're safe for now. That's something."
Before Alstair could respond, a voice interrupted them. "Seems like you two have recovered enough to keep bickering like this."
Both Lucian and Alstair turned to see Zeydris standing in the doorway, his arms folded. He leaned casually against the frame, his piercing eyes studying them.
"Come with me," he said, straightening up. "It's time to start your training."
Lucian stood, brushing himself off. "What's the first lesson?"
Zeydris smirked. "Reflexes and intuition."
As Zeydris turned and walked out, Alstair glanced at Lucian, a wary look on his face. "I don't know about you, but I've got a bad feeling about this."
Lucian stretched, cracking his neck. "Yeah… this isn't going to be easy."
The two exchanged a look before following Zeydris out of the room, the weight of what lay ahead settling over them.