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Lucius and Nai made their way to the drawing room where Margaret awaited. Upon their arrival, she offered them a curt nod of approval.
"Nai," she said with a gentle tone, "would you mind accompanying Liam? He's headed to the restaurant to fetch us some supper—takeaway meals, nothing extravagant."
Nai's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and though she said nothing, her eager nod betrayed her enthusiasm. Liam was already waiting near the door, glancing over his shoulder expectantly. Without protest, Nai followed him, leaving Lucius and Margaret alone in the dim-lit chamber.
Lucius sank into a chair across from her, his voice steady and intent. "We never finished our conversation yesterday."
Margaret's expression darkened. "You're referring to…?"
Lucius leaned forward, his tone firm. "I don't understand. A detective? Deaths in a city meant to be peaceful? Tell me, Margaret—do you truly know what happened sixty years ago? They say it was a catastrophe that reshaped the world as we know it... but is that the truth?"
Margaret exhaled slowly, her gaze growing distant.
"Is that what they told you? A catastrophe? Well… they weren't entirely wrong. But it was no act of nature."
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Then you know. I want to hear everything—the truth, not their stories."
Margaret raised a hand to her temple, massaging it with clear weariness. "You've fought them—those creatures. Tell me, Lucius… did any of them ever seem… remotely human to you?"
He stiffened at her words, uncertain. "...There were a few. Human-like, in shape... but grotesque. As if the dead had risen, fused with insect parts. I can't explain it. I only knew that I had to kill them."
Margaret nodded solemnly. "And what were they to you?"
Lucius did not hesitate. "...Monsters."
She turned her gaze to the window, her voice almost a whisper. "They were once human."
The words struck him like a blow. He stared at her, wide-eyed. "What?"
Margaret turned to face him fully, her eyes grave.
"They were once human," she repeated.
"What are you talking about?" Lucius demanded, his eyes wide, hands trembling faintly with unease.
Margaret averted her gaze, her expression shadowed with worry. "Let us speak no more of this—at least for now. I told you before: uncover what's happening to the people at night. Focus on that, and in return, you'll be compensated. Leave the past where it lies."
Lucius could find no words to counter her. Silence settled over the room like a heavy fog, just as Nai and Liam returned, the enticing aroma of food accompanying them.
After the quiet meal, Lucius rose, deciding to use the lull in activity to wander. As he neared the door, he paused and turned slightly.
"Margaret."
She looked up. "Yes?"
"...I want to know how magic came to exist," he said, though his voice carried more resignation than hope. "But I suspect I won't get a straight answer from you, will I?" He glanced over his shoulder, eyes steady. "Instead, I ask this—teach Nai. Help her learn to control her powers… without harming herself."
Margaret's eyes lit up, a glimmer of intrigue flashing through them before softening into a smile. "Gladly. I'll see to her training myself."
Lucius gave a brief nod and stepped out into the city streets, his disguise secure. With his new appearance shielding him from the suspicion of the guards, he allowed himself a quiet walk beneath the watchful dusk, the city unfolding like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Lucius wandered through the city, letting his steps carry him wherever curiosity led. He passed through bustling parks, quiet restaurants, and quaint little shops—everything oddly reminiscent of his old home in the Walled City, though more modern and refined, as if time had polished the familiar into something strangely alien.
Hours slipped by unnoticed. Eventually, he found himself leaning against a rail at the edge of the city, watching in silent awe as the great structure rumbled forward, the ground beneath constantly shifting like a blurred river of steel and earth.
"...I should be heading back," he muttered to himself, glancing toward the sky where the eclipse loomed. The moon, pale and hollow, seemed trapped in shadow—its light swallowed whole, as though some unseen creature had devoured it to keep the world in eternal dusk.
He retraced his steps, trying to recall the route home. "It should be this way…"
But then, a piercing scream shattered the quiet.
A woman's voice. Close.
Without hesitation, Lucius ran toward the source. His breath caught when he reached the scene.
A man lay slumped in the alley, coughing up blood, his face twisted and unrecognizable. Beside him, a woman—his lover, perhaps—trembled violently, hastily adjusting her torn garments, terror etched into every line of her face.
"Maria…" the man rasped, reaching for her as crimson streamed from his mouth, his body convulsing grotesquely.
The woman looked up and locked eyes with Lucius. "Help me!" she screamed, desperation breaking her voice.
Lucius grabbed her arm and pulled her away, just as the man's body jerked and shuddered. Something burst from beneath his skin—bug-like appendages, twitching, glistening, and hissing as his head twisted into something inhuman.
Lucius's heart pounded. The woman broke into a run, fleeing down the alley. He reached for a weapon—but cursed under his breath when he realized he hadn't brought his blade. Only the gun Liam had given him.
"how the fuck do I use this shit?!!" he barked, fumbling with the unfamiliar weight in his hands.
But instinct guided him. Just as the creature lunged, Lucius pulled the trigger.
A deafening crack tore through the night.
The monster dropped to the ground—no longer man, no longer anything.
Lucius stood over the fallen creature, his breath ragged, believing for a brief moment that it was over. But the illusion shattered as the body twitched—then lurched upright with a guttural screech.
"Damn it—!" Lucius barely dove aside in time.
The creature lunged again. He raised the gun and fired twice more into its chest—once, twice—but the bullets passed through with little effect. The thing kept coming.
Click.
Empty.
"What? Why isn't it working?!" he hissed, eyes wide with disbelief.
The monster shrieked, its limbs jerking unnaturally. With no other option, Lucius surged forward and slammed the butt of the gun against its head. Again. And again. Each blow landed with sickening force. Blood sprayed across his face, his arms, his chest—but he did not stop.
Not until the creature finally collapsed, twitchless and still.
Lucius staggered back, panting, drenched in blood. He stared at the mangled corpse before him, heart pounding with both terror and grim realization.
Margaret hadn't been lying.
The thing—whatever it had become—bore unmistakable traces of humanity beneath its grotesque transformation.
Once, it had been human. ".. shit.."
To be continued.