Lucian sat up.
No pain. No soreness. Nothing.
He looked down at himself. His arms. His chest. His legs. All fine. Like the accident never happened. Like the truck never hit him. Like he didn’t roll five tis across the road.
He pulled the drip out of his arm. Ripped the patches off his chest. Tore the monitor wires away. The machines started beeping angrily behind him.
He laughed. A real laugh. The kind that cos from deep in your gut.
"What are you doing?"
He looked up.
Margie was sitting on the floor. Curled up against the wall. Her knees pulled to her chest. Her eyes were red. Swollen. Tears still wet on her cheeks. Dark circles under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days.
"What happened to you?" Lucian’s voice was soft. Concerned.
"You." She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "You are what happened. If you hadn’t co into our life..."
But sothing was different. The hatred wasn’t there. Not really. It was there before. Sharp and an. But now? Now it sounded like sothing else. A cry. A person who was sorry. Really sorry.
Lucian didn’t know how he knew. But he knew. He could see it. Not on her face. Not in her body language. Sothing deeper. Sothing underneath. He stood up. Walked over to her. Bent down. Put his arms around her.
"Silly girl. Stop crying now. I won’t hold you accountable for what happened. At this point, I don’t even care if you had a hand in the accident. I’m just grateful to be alive. That’s all."
Margie pushed him away. Stood up. Her face was a ss. Tears and anger and sothing broken all mixed together.
"That’s the problem with you. You’re too righteous. Too soft. You should hate . Wish I was dead. Think of a thousand ways to kill and be done with it. My father tried to kill you because I hated you. That’s more than enough reason to hate . But you don’t. Do you think you’re so kind of Jesus? Huh?"
Lucian frowned. Her father. Of course. It was him. It was always him.
"Your father is going to get an earful from Mom." He smiled. Tried to lighten the mood. Reached out to comfort her again.
Then he stopped.
His system was showing him sothing. A screen popped up in his vision. Right in front of his eyes.
HOST: LUCIAN
TARGET: MARGIE VALE
STATS:
STRENGTH: 12
AGILITY: 14
ENDURANCE: 9
INTELLIGENCE: 16
WISDOM: 8
PERCEPTION: 11
WILLPOWER: 13
MANA SENSITIVITY: 47
AURA CONTROL: 0
LUCK: 5
CHARISMA: 15
GRADE: D-RANK
PATTERN: DORMANT
AFFINITY: NONE (SEALED)
STATUS: UNAWAKENED
IRREGULARITY: DEMON-BORN HYBRID
Then another screen appeared. Different format. Darker background.
NIGHT MARK DETECTED.
WHAT IS A NIGHT MARK?
A Night Mark is a taphysical signature embedded into the soul of all non-human and hybrid beings. It is not always visible as a physical tattoo. It exists beneath the surface. Only those with trained perception or specific abilities can read it.
A Night Mark reveals:
- RACE
- RANK
- CONTRACT STATUS
- ALLEGIANCE
- SEALED CURSE
The mark can be hidden. Suppressed. Even locked. But it never disappears.
READING TARGET’S NIGHT MARK...
RACE: HALF-DEMON (HUMAN/DEMON HYBRID)
RANK: UNRANKED (UNAWAKENED)
CONTRACT STATUS: NONE
ALLEGIANCE: NONE
SEALED CURSE: INHERITED DEMONIC BLOOD (DORMANT)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
TRUE NA DETECTED.
DEMON-BORN TRUE NA: [REDACTED - HOST PERMISSION REQUIRED]
WARNING: Knowledge of a demon-born’s true na grants power over them. Awakening is triggered by the calling of the true na or self-realization. Full demons can be killed by their true na. Demon-born cannot be killed, only weakened.
DISPLAY TRUE NA? Y/N
Lucian froze. His hand still reaching out. His body stopped mid-motion.
He stared at the screen. At the words. Half-demon. Unawakened. True na.
Margie. His sister. Was half-demon.
And he could see her true na. Right there. Hidden behind a prompt. One button press away.
"Lucian!"
She yelled his na. Pulled him out of the daze. He blinked. Shook his head.
"What’s wrong with you? You look like you saw a ghost." Margie crossed her arms. Her voice was still raw from crying.
Before he could answer, the door opened.
Margaret walked in. Her heels clicked against the floor. Her coat was still on. Her hair was pulled back. She looked tired but composed. Like a woman who had been handling business all night.
Lucian turned to look at her.
The system activated again.
TARGET: MARGARET VALE
STATS:
STRENGTH: 78
AGILITY: 76
ENDURANCE: 80
INTELLIGENCE: 73
WISDOM: 75
PERCEPTION: 77
WILLPOWER: 82
MANA SENSITIVITY: 34
AURA CONTROL: 74
LUCK: 51
CHARISMA: 72
GRADE: APEX-CLASS
PATTERN: ASH-FLA SPIRAL
AFFINITY: ANTI-SUPERNATURAL / BODY REINFORCENT / HUNTER AUTHORITY
STATUS: FULLY AWAKENED
IRREGULARITY: NONE
NIGHT MARK DETECTED.
RACE: PRI HUMAN
RANK: HIGH FLA COUNCIL MBER (7 SEATS)
CONTRACT STATUS: ASHEN GUARD OATH-BOUND
ALLEGIANCE: THE ASHEN GUARD / HUNTER COUNCIL
SEALED CURSE: NONE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
SUBJECT IS ONE OF THE SEVEN HIGH FLA COUNCIL MBERS. RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERSIGHT OF ALL HUNTERS WITHIN THE ASHEN GUARD. SUBJECT IS A PRI HUMAN.
PRI HUMAN: Humans who have reached the absolute peak of physical and supernatural potential without any non-human lineage. Rare. Dangerous. Respected.
Lucian’s mouth went dry.
His mother wasn’t just rich. Wasn’t just a businesswoman. She was a hunter. One of the seven people in charge of all hunters. An Apex-Class. Fully awakened. Pri Human.
And his sister was half-demon.
And he was sothing else. Sothing the system wouldn’t even na.
Margaret looked at him. Then at Margie. Then back at him.
"You’re awake." Her voice was calm. "The doctors said you wouldn’t open your eyes for another three days."
Lucian tried to smile. Tried to act normal. But his mind was still spinning.
Mom is a hunter. Margie is half-demon. Her father is a demon prince. And I’m... what?
"Mom," he said slowly. "We need to talk."
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