The bald-headed man’s voice cut through the chaos like a whip. “Attack now!” he screamed, his fury barely contained.
The guards, galvanized by the command, glanced at each other before charging toward Lucian. One of them grabbed a whiskey bottle from the nearby table, nodding to another guard with a subtle tilt of his head. Without hesitation, he hurled the bottle with all his strength, aiming straight for Lucian’s chest. The plan was simple force Lucian to step back, creating an opening for the other guard to drag Tony’s broken body away from the carnage.
The bottle sliced through the air, its trajectory perfect. The guard’s smirk grew as he thought, No one’s stupid enough to try and stop this with a hammer. He’ll have to step back.
But Lucian didn’t step back.
Instead, with a single fluid motion, he reached out and caught the bottle mid-air, his grip firm and unyielding. The smirk on the guard’s face froze, transforming into disbelief as Lucian pivoted and smashed the bottle over the head of the advancing guard who had moved in to grab Tony. The man crumpled to the floor, blood mixing with the shattered glass.
The guard who had thrown the bottle stood stunned, his eyes wide with shock. He caught it… he thought, Is that even human?
Anger quickly replaced his shock, and he lunged at Lucian, his fist aimed squarely at Lucian’s face.But Lucian was faster. He swung his hammer in a deadly arc, connecting with the guard’s head with a sickening boom. The man dropped instantly.
The bald-headed man’s voice roared again from the back. “Don’t go one by one, you idiots! Hit him together! And someone grab his sister! He’ll prioritize saving her!”
Lucian’s eyes, already dark with fury, flicked toward the bald-headed man. His grip on the hammer tightened, the tension in his body palpable. “Hurt… my Rose?”His voice was a low, every word laced with a promise of violence.
—
Three minutes later, the room was silent, save for the soft drip, drip of blood falling from Lucian’s hammer.The floor was slick with it, the walls smeared in crimson. The aftermath was like something from a horror film bodies lay scattered, some with heads crushed, others with limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The few who were alive didn’t move, their broken forms too battered to even groan.
Lucian stood in the center of it all, his clothes soaked in the blood of the men who had dared to harm his sister. His expression was unreadable, his eyes cold and detached. The hammer in his hand, slick with blood, hung by his side as he surveyed the room with a calm that was almost terrifying.
He turned his gaze to the bald-headed man, the only one still conscious, though barely.The man knelt, one arm hanging limply, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he coughed, his breath labored and shallow.
“So now what?”Lucian’s voice was eerily calm, devoid of emotion. “I told you before none of you would end well.”
He took a step closer, towering over the beaten man. “You’ll live, just long enough to deliver a message.Tell the Salvit family patriarch that if he values his family’s existence, he’ll forget about his son and any thoughts of revenge. If he doesn’t…”
Lucian let the words hang in the air, the silence more threatening than any shouted threat.”Tell him it’s not a joke. His family will disappear.”
The bald-headed man coughed again, blood splattering the floor. His body shook with the effort it took to remain upright.”Y-yes… I’ll inform him…”
Lucian tilted his head slightly, the blood on his face and hammer creating a grotesque mask of retribution. “Good.”
The man’s breath was ragged, his pain evident in every wheezing inhale.”Hah… hah… Thank you…”
Lucian didn’t respond. He simply turned, walking past the carnage he had wrought, his focus shifting back to Rose.
In the room’s deathly silence, the sound of Lucian’s footsteps, steady and unhurried, echoed like a countdown.
Walking towards Rose slowly
Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire
Lucian knelt beside Rose, his heart heavy with the weight of the moment. She sat on the floor, trembling, her eyes squeezed shut. The aftermath of the violence around them was evident in the shattered furniture, the blood-smeared walls, and the faint echoes of the chaos that had just subsided.
He extended a hand to touch her head, to offer comfort, but paused when he saw his hand stained with blood, the crimson smearing his fingers. His hesitation deepened, his face twisting with a mixture of guilt and disgust not at Rose, but at himself. He didn’t want to taint her with the violence he had unleashed.
“Let’s go, Rose,”Lucian finally said, his voice gentle, breaking through the thick silence.
Hearing his words, Rose opened her eyes slowly, her body still trembling from the ordeal. The sights and sounds of the violence had left her shaken, but it wasn’t the carnage that terrified her the most. It was the thought of hearing Lucian’s voice among the screams the fear that he might get hurt.
Her gaze met Lucian’s, and she noticed the hesitation in his eyes, the way his hand hovered mid-air, afraid to touch her.She understood instantly.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rose fought the nausea rising in her chest. For the first time, the sight of blood gave her a psychological shock, but she pushed it aside. Lucian needed her to be strong.
With a trembling hand, she covered her mouth for a moment, then lowered it.”T…h…thanks for helping me again, Lucy,” she whispered, her voice weak but sincere. She extended her hand, grabbing his bloodied one, ignoring the wet, sticky sensation.
Lucian’s eyes opened slightly as she held his hand, her grip trembling but firm. She didn’t recoil, didn’t show disgust. Instead, she held on, grounding both of them in that moment. She was trying to convey something.
again?lucian thought
“It’s alright, Lucy.Thanks,” she said softly, her eyes meeting his, filled with unspoken emotions.
Lucian gave a sad smile, his heart aching at the resilience she showed. He could see the storm of emotions swirling in her eyes gratitude, fear, love, and an effort to appear unaffected by the horror around them. Despite the drugs weakening her body, she was still trying to comfort him.
“Let’s get you to a hospital,”Lucian said, his voice steady as he gently helped her to her feet, supporting her weight with an arm around her waist. Her body was hot, the drugs still affecting her, making each step a struggle.
“Are you ughh alright? You’re not hurt, right?” Rose asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she leaned against him, her arm draped over his shoulder for support.
“It’s okay. Nothing happened to me,” Lucian replied softly, his focus entirely on her.
“I didn’t…”Rose began, her voice faltering. She wanted to explain, to make sure he didn’t misunderstand why she was here.
“Hmm? What?”Lucian prompted gently, sensing her hesitation.
“Don’t misunderstand… I never come to places like this,” she said weakly, her breath labored. “Luna planned all of this… I’m not that kind of person.”
Lucian’s heart ached at her words. He understood her need to clarify, but to him, it didn’t matter.”I know… Don’t speak,” he reassured her, his tone soft, filled with unspoken understanding.
Lucian didn’t respond to Rose’s words, simply continuing to walk toward the door, his grip on her steady and supportive. The tension in the room eased slightly as they moved, but then
“STOP, you motherfuckers!”The guttural roar of the bald-headed man echoed through the room, filled with fury and desperation. He sat slumped near Tony’s broken body, his own arm hanging uselessly at his side. Despite his injuries, his eyes burned with a mix of hatred and resolve.
Tony, though alive, lay in a pitiful state. His limbs were mangled, his body convulsing occasionally from the pain. Lucian had left him crippled, but very much alive, his breathing labored and ragged.
Lucian halted, his body tensing as Rose also came to a stop.He turned his head slightly, casting a cold, calculating glance over his shoulder at the bald man.”I spared you for a reason,” Lucian said, his voice a quiet storm. “So you can deliver the message I gave you to your boss.”
The bald man’s breathing was uneven, his teeth clenched as he listened.
“And if you think I’ve left that piece of trash unharmed after breaking his limbs,” Lucian continued, tilting his head toward Tony’s limp form, “you’re mistaken. I’ll come for him myself.I’ll kill him, but not yet. First, he’ll feel the pain. The pain of losing his limbs, the pain of never walking again, the pain of knowing that death is coming, slow and certain. He’ll suffer, just like he made her suffer.”
Lucian’s voice dripped with venom, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.”No one touches someone I love and walks away unscathed.”
The bald man’s face twisted into a grotesque grin, a glimmer of sadistic joy flickering in his eyes. From his earpiece, a voice barked a command: “Kill him. Kill them both. I don’t care who they are. Just do it!”
“Yes, boss,” the bald man muttered, his grin widening. Slowly, he reached behind his back, pulling out a pistol. He’d been waiting for this moment, justifying the risk with the command from above.
He leveled the pistol at Lucian, his finger tightening on the trigger.”Die, you motherfucker,” he growled, his voice thick with malice as he squeezed the trigger.
Lucian’s senses flared. His eyes narrowed, and he was ready to summon something from his inventory to shield himself.”Fool,” he whispered, a mixture of disdain and annoyance crossing his features. “Does he really think a bullet can hurt me?”
But before Lucian could react, he felt a sudden, sharp push from Side.
“Pkkk.”
The sickening sound of a bullet tearing through flesh filled the air.
“Ahhh!” A women piercing scream shattered the tense silence, a sound of both agony and sacrifice.
——