Newfound Understanding

I shouldn't have revealed that. Now she knows about my powers, and yet, I've glimpsed hers too. I'm uncertain of her intentions. Besides her attempt to deceive me for the item...

Lucian's response was silence. He studied her, wrestling with how to broach the topic.

Lucy, observing his peculiar behavior, wondered, Could he not be a Believer? No, he witnessed the glow. He saw its aura!

Wait... Did he fabricate the story so convincingly that even I, feeling his heartbeat, was duped? Could he be the murderer? Did he obtain it by killing?

She sprung up, her top hat tumbling in the haste, rushing to the kitchen and grabbing a knife.

Witnessing her rapid movements, Lucian assumed she meant to strike him then and there. He swiftly rose, drawing his revolver from its holster, leveling it at her.

"Don't attempt anything," he commanded.

Holding the knife, poised to pounce, Lucy halted, her voice trembling, "Did you come to end me? Did you... Did you kill those two Barts?"

Still aiming, Lucian replied, "In self-defense." His thoughts strayed to his second act, not self-defense but an execution. His countenance shifted to sorrow.

I've been deceived by you once. I won't fall for it again, she resolved.

With a swift motion, she raised her left hand, generating a blinding light.

Lucian was disoriented, his eyes struggling to adjust. The revolver slipped in his grip.

Aaah

Then came a sharp pang in his abdomen. His vision cleared. Lucy, her face etched with fear, stood before him. He followed the source of the pain to her hand, clutching the knife lodged in his gut.

His expression was a blend of agony and inquiry. "Why?" he gasped.

Lucy didn't respond. Instead, she withdrew the blade, took three brisk steps backward, and delivered a forceful kick to his prone form.

Thump

Lucian crumpled to the floor. Crimson welled from his abdomen, forming a grim pool beneath him.

Lucy, realizing he was no longer a threat, chose to question him before his potential demise.

"Did you kill those two Barts? Which Believer are you? Why did you lie to me?" she fired off these questions.

Lucian, bleeding out on the floor, replied in a weak voice, his sentences punctuated by pauses, "I meant no harm. It was an accident, I swear. I recently became a Believer, and they targeted me for unknown reasons."

As she heard Lucian's final words, a realization washed over her. She dropped the knife, the metallic clatter echoing in the room.

I've taken an innocent life... I need to try and save him. Even with so much blood loss, he knows he's on the brink, he wouldn't lie. I have to try, she resolved.

Lucy swiftly removed her suit jacket and moved toward him, squatting low with her back hunched. She used the jacket to apply pressure to his abdomen, staunching the bleeding.

Tears streamed down her face as she locked eyes with Lucian, repeating, "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.."

Her pressure on his wound grew stronger, determined to stem the flow of blood.

Lucian gazed at her and whispered, "It's okay. If I pass, I'll know I lived a good life here."

His words struck a chord within her, and she vowed, "You won't die. I won't allow it. An innocent man won't perish today."

Lucian slipped into unconsciousness. She hurriedly checked for signs of life and was surprised to find he still clung to it.

"You won't meet your end here..."

...

Lucian's eyes flickered open, his body drenched in sweat, as he found himself in an unfamiliar room, lying on a bed.

Taking in the surroundings, he noted the dimming light of approaching night, the solitary confinement of the space. Blood-soaked garments lay strewn across the floor, and a glass of water sat on the bedside counter.

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud, his confusion unabated.

A sudden realization struck him. "This is her room? She first attacked me, then had a change of heart..." he mused, grappling with the bizarre turn of events.

Pulling back the blanket that cloaked him, he discovered he was without a shirt, a tightly-wrapped cloth encircling his abdomen.

He hesitated, then unwound the cloth, revealing a miraculously healed wound. Even without Lucy's intervention, he would have survived, the injury not as dire as it seemed.

Another stab, however, could have proved fatal, depleting his blood supply and impeding his regenerative abilities.

"I healed completely..."

Lucian rose and downed the entire glass of water, then began searching for his collared shirt and jacket. Upon realizing they weren't in the room, he applied pressure to the door handle, pulling it toward him, causing it to emit a soft creak.

Creak

In the dim room, he found Lucy on the floor, her hands stained with blood, some of it also marking her shirt. She had been waiting there, her vigil ending with the sound of the door.

The sight of Lucian, shirtless and healed, greeted her as she looked up in astonishment.

"How..." she mused aloud.

"We need to talk. This time without any conflict," he proposed.

Lucy was utterly taken aback; she hadn't expected him to survive, let alone emerge unscathed. She hurriedly got to her feet, embracing Lucian, her voice a soft whisper. "I'm sorry."

He reciprocated the embrace, offering reassurance. "It's okay. The fault was mine."

...

At Price's residence:

"Father, why do you make me study so much? Why can't I just spend my days with Lucian?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Haha. You know too well why. I hope you can create a business someday, and for that, you need to study. Look at me, I studied and fought throughout my life, and now I own two businesses. I made us a great life," he replied, sidestepping her second question.

"Yeah, I know that, father, but it's so hard," she confessed.

"I know it is. If you wish, you can study more often with Lucian?" he suggested.

"Yes! Thank you, father," she said gratefully.

Elizabeth finished dining with her father and retreated to her room, a strange feeling lingering.

"Why do I feel like this? He better not be talking to other girls!" she fretted.

...

In the living room of Lucy Hall:

Lucian sat down, but Lucy didn't join him. She busied herself cleaning the blood from the floor, offering apologies as she worked. She then proceeded to wash his clothes and made some minor repairs, just enough to make them presentable without drawing too much attention.

After she finished, she asked, "Do you want to drink anything?"

"No thanks. Let's sit and talk," said Lucian, wearing the now-clean and repaired clothes.

They both took a seat and he took a moment to gather his thoughts and asked, "You're a Believer like me? Which God granted you powers?"

"The God of Sun. And you?" Lucy responded candidly, posing her own question.

"The Goddess of Moon, Selena," he answered.

Lucy's reaction was immediate. She froze, her curiosity piqued. "I've never heard of it. But how do you know 'Her' name? Nobody knows the names of any deity."

Lucian was taken aback. He had assumed some people might know names of lesser Gods, but it seemed he was mistaken.

"I can't disclose it," he replied.

Lucy chose not to press further, but she did ask, "How did you heal? I was convinced you were going to die."

Lucian chuckled and said, "Weren't you the one assuring me I wouldn't die? That you'd keep me alive? Haha. As for the healing, it's one of my powers. What are yours aside from blinding?"

Lucy listened attentively, feeling a bit self-conscious about her earlier reactions. She explained, "Aside from creating light and blinding, I can conjure small balls of fire and shoot them. But it takes a considerable amount of energy to create fire."

He absorbed the information and then inquired, "Why did you suddenly attack me? Were you afraid I'd attack you?"

Lucy explained, "You lied during your explanations because that item can only be obtained from a dead Believer. I connected the dots and realized that the intruder didn't drop it, he died by your hands. Then there's also the matter of the second Bart murder occurring in the same place you described he fled. I thought you were here to kill me and take my core."

"Oh, I see. It was all a misunderstanding. The first intruder was sent to kill both me and my brother. The second person would've killed me and my friend. It was a necessary choice of action," he clarified, though his mind still wrestled with the notion of the execution.

Then, in surprise, he added, "Wait. That thing is a core? And you know about the core?"

Lucy noticed his unfamiliarity with certain Believer concepts, aligning with his earlier statements. She explained, "Of course I know about it. It's fundamental knowledge for every Believer. Since I made a Pact with The Sun God, the church's Belfed (Believer Fundamentals) taught me. I understand that those who are in pact with lesser Gods don't gain knowledge like us. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

He absorbed the information she shared and formulated a few questions to ask. He posed his first question, "Do you also need to keep the core in check?"

Lucy replied, "Yes. We learned that right from the start. If we don't keep it in check, we would become inhuman. For more powerful individuals they could become monsters."

Lucian froze, his mind drifting back to the dinner with Henry, Elizabeth, and Victoria. He couldn't help but wonder, If Selena didn't help me back then, I would've become a monster...

He nodded to signify his understanding and then asked another question, "Why did the core glow near other Bart Family members?"

She considered for a moment before replying, "I don't really know. Usually, the core doesn't do that. Also, it doesn't have vines on it; this was the first time I've seen that."

So even she doesn't know. But I think I can conclude that it is because of the revolver.

"What exactly does Belfed do and how did you obtain your powers?" he inquired.

She explained in great detail, "I shouldn't say this, but considering that you're also sharing information with me, I'll share it. The church chooses people who might be good candidates for them. I don't know the process of how they choose, but I was chosen. I entered the church on the date they gave me, then I had to swear on some kind of ancient book not to disclose anything about Believers to anyone who isn't one. They said I'd die if I shared it. After that, I performed a ritual written on a piece of old paper. Upon completing the ritual, I felt warmth and a surge of power flowing through me. Afterwards, they informed me that if they needed anything, they would contact me through mail."

Lucian listened attentively to her account, nodding in acknowledgment.

Then she added, "Belfed is an institution that every new Believer has to attend. It's somewhat like a school where they teach us about controlling our powers and the fundamentals of the Believer world."

Lucian appreciated the wealth of information he had just received and continued with his questions, "Does every Believer from the God of Sun have the same powers? Does it work the same for every domain?"

She answered, "From what I've known, yes.

Although I'm not familiar with the abilities of Believers in the middle and higher pacts, only those in my own and fellow newcomers. I belong to 'Pact 1: Blinder'.

The church system works the same in every domain except Luna. Also, each God gives different powers to their Believers. For example, the Kingdom of Wales's first Pact is called 'Swimmer' and the powers definitely differentiate from mine."

Lucian's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he asked, "Pacts?"

Lucy explained, "Ahh yes, there are a total of 10 Pacts. Think of it like upgrades to your powers. The first Pact, numbered 1, is the weakest, while the 10th is the strongest. Belfed also made it easier to differentiate power, so they established a system of words to explain it more clearly. 1-4 are considered low-power. 5-7 high-power, 8 is called apprentice.

She then added, "They never explained the process of advancing through pacts more quickly. They only said that you'll feel it when you're ready to advance."

So if I received the orb twice, does that mean I'm one Pact higher than her?

He added another question, "What would happen if a person were to receive a Pact advancement prematurely?"

Lucy paused, her expression contemplative as if she were recalling her lessons. She then explained, "We only had three lectures on that. From what I can recall, if a person receives a Pact prematurely—which almost never happens because the church is responsible for checking if you're ready—there's a high chance of losing control and undergoing a transformation. While I use the term 'monster,' it's not a complete physical transformation. It might affect our eyes, legs, or arms... For individuals who believe in lesser Gods, there's a higher chance the lesser God might grant them a Pact advancement, even if they're not ready."

If I hadn't snapped back to my senses back then in that narrow street, I would've become a monster. This is indeed a frightening world.

Then he wondered, Selena is a lesser God?.

This is becoming too overwhelming. My head is pounding, and I'm thoroughly confused. I'll ask one final question and then wrap this up.

With resolve, he posed the ultimate inquiry, "Could you share everything you know about the Bart Family?"

Lucy, relieved that she wouldn't have to delve further into the complex power system, responded, "I conducted extensive research on them, discovering their gathering spot. I went to a bar hoping to eavesdrop on something useful and inquired about the Bart Family. When I left the bar, I realized I was being followed. It was likely a member of the Bart Family who overheard my inquiry. It was dark, so I couldn't see his face, but I distinctly heard the shots of his revolver. Fortunately, I was able to use my blinding ability to escape in the cover of night."

Lucian, satisfied with her explanation, added a detail, "Actually, it wasn't a revolver shot. They've made Pacts with the God of Wind, I believe."

Lucy nodded, now comprehending the depth of the Barts' powers. She continued to inquire about them, and Lucian provided detailed explanations.