The light seared, Kael cried out as the chains bit into his wrists, sinking through skin and bone, not leaving wounds but etching themselves into his soul. His magic flared, wild and frantic, but the circle had chosen no, it had betrayed him, Lucien watched with detached amusement, his crimson eyes glowing like coals in the dark. He lifted his hand lazily, and Kael felt the chains tighten, pulling him forward as if his very blood answered the command
"Stop!" Kael gasped, his knees scraping against stone. "Let me go",Lucien chuckled, low and rich. "That is not how pacts work, witchling. You opened the door, and now you wear the lock," The air between them pulsed with something Kael couldn't name. It wasn't just magic it was deeper, primal, tugging at his heartbeat. Every time he fought the pull, the bond tightened, binding him closer to the predator before him.
"You were trying to summon a Sentinel, weren't you?" Lucien murmured, crouching so their eyes met. His presence was suffocating, a weight Kael couldn't push off. "How quaint. Did you think a glorified watchdog would save you from the Council's hunters?"
Kael's jaw clenched. His fear twisted into defiance. "Anything is better than a monster like you." Lucien's smile widened, sharp enough to draw blood without a blade. He leaned in, so close Kael could feel the cold breath ghost his ear, "Monster, guardian… what's the difference? Both keep you alive." His voice dropped to a whisper. "The only question is what price you're willing to pay."
The chains flickered, then vanished but their weight lingered under Kael's skin, a second pulse thrumming beside his own.
Kael stumbled back, clutching his chest. "What… what did you do to me?"
Lucien straightened, every movement smooth and deliberate, his crimson gaze never leaving Kael, "I bound us," he said simply. "Your life is my tether now. If you die, I vanish back into the dark. If I fall, you burn with me. Congratulations, little witch you've just tied your soul to a curse five centuries old." Thunder cracked overhead, shaking the chapel walls. Kael's stomach turned cold. He had wanted a protector… and instead, he had chained himself to a nightmare.
And this is just the beginning of what is ahead.