Ciel's POV
After frantically searching the rooms and halls, I returned to where we had started. My chest was heaving, fury burning in my veins—only to find Lucien standing there, looking… lost. His eyes were unfocused, his expression dazed, as though he had just woken from some strange, half-forgotten dream.
I stormed toward him and grabbed him by the chest, slamming him back against the wall.
"Liar!" I roared, my voice shaking with rage. "You lied to me! Where is Serena? Where is she? You told me she was here, but she's nowhere to be found. If this is your sick idea of a joke—some twisted trick—I swear I'll kill you!"
"No—I wasn't lying," Lucien stammered, his voice raw, his face pale. "I swear they were here. I promise. I don't know how they disappeared."
"Don't joke with me, Lucien!" My grip tightened, anger clawing up my throat.
"Your Majesty—calm down," Jason's voice cut in, his hand gripping my arm, trying to pry me back. "Look at him. He doesn't seem like he's lying. Why would he bring us all this way just to trick us?"
"Yes," Lucien rasped, his breath unsteady. "Why would I? Think, Ciel. Why would I lead you on a wild goose chase? I swear I saw them here the first time. And you sensed their spiritual pressure too, didn't you?"
His words struck a chord, stilling my fury for a moment. My jaw clenched as I stared into his shaken eyes. He was right. He wasn't stupid enough to waste our time, and no—he wouldn't side with the enemy, not after trying to protect Serena that day.
And I had felt it—spiritual pressure, faint but real.
Still, doubt gnawed at me.
"Fine," I said coldly, shoving him back with one last burst of anger. "Then how come they're not here?"
"I don't know," Lucien admitted, shaking his head as if trying to piece together fragments of a broken dream. "Maybe they moved. Maybe… they knew we were coming."
I cursed under my breath. "Then how the hell are we supposed to find them now?"
Lucien's eyes narrowed, a sudden sharpness returning to them. "Their energy is the same as mine. If I try tracing their scent—their spiritual pressure—I should be able to track them. It won't be hard."
"Then do it," I snapped. "Hurry. We need to find Serena"
Serena's POV
I slowly opened my eyes, the chill of the hard floor seeping into my bones. My body ached, and for a moment I wondered if I had simply drifted into sleep. I pushed myself upright, leaning against the damp wall, the silence pressing heavily against my ears. Thoughts circled in my mind—plans, desperate and futile, ways I might escape.
Then I heard them. Footsteps.
The sound made my heart clench. He was back.
The cloaked man appeared before my cell, his shadow stretching across the stones, and peered down at me with that mocking smile.
"Awake, my lovely prisoner?" he asked, voice smooth and venomous.
I glared at him, refusing to answer.
He chuckled. "Something interesting happened today. A little birdie told me… your husband came looking for you. In our old hideout."
My breath caught. Ciel.
"And not just him," the man continued, his tone sly. "That fallen angel you call a brother, too."
Lucien? My thoughts spun. Is he talking about Lucien?
"Here, have a look," he said, pulling something from the folds of his cloak. An orb shimmered in his hand, glowing faintly.
Inside it—I saw them.
Ciel. Lucien. Jason.
I stumbled forward and clutched the iron bars, my voice breaking as I screamed, "Ciel! Ciel! Lucien!"
But the cloaked man only laughed, his cold amusement filling the cell.
"No need to scream," he said. "They can't hear you. This is only a reflection."
The light in the orb dimmed, and the vision slipped away, leaving nothing but aching emptiness inside me. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor. My chest burned. I wanted to be in Ciel's arms again. I wanted to see Lucien's calm, steady eyes. I wanted to be home.
The man tilted his head, studying me like a predator playing with prey. "It was wise to move from that place," he mused. "Since that rat of yours sniffed us out."
Then, crouching lower, he smiled beneath the shadows of his hood. "Aww… are you sad, my lady? Don't be. Once you're revived, you'll leave this place and go somewhere much, much better. But for now, rest. The next revival ritual begins soon."
He stood and turned, the sound of his retreating footsteps echoing down the corridor until silence returned.
I curled back against the floor, tears slipping hot down my face. I want to go home, I whispered, shutting my eyes and letting the darkness swallow me whole.
Ciel's POV
We moved swiftly through the night, our steps echoing in the ruined corridors. Lucien was ahead, his silver hair glinting faintly in the dim light, his focus unbroken.
"Can you sense them?" I asked, my voice tight with urgency.
"Yes," he replied. "But it's faint. Extremely faint. I need full concentration."
Jason and I followed close behind him as he moved, every step guided by that fragile thread of spiritual pressure. My heart hammered, each beat a desperate prayer.
Serena… please. Hold on just a little longer.
I'm coming.