Elara felt them before she saw them.
The sensation was not pain this time, but pressure, like the atmosphere had thickened just enough to make breathing conscious. The warmth Lucien's hand provided faded the moment he released her, and the absence left her more exposed than before.
The lights along the corridor dimmed another degree.
Lucien turned his head slightly, listening to something she could not hear. His posture shifted, not defensive, but alert in a way that suggested calculation rather than fear.
"They should not be this close," he said.
Elara's pulse spiked. "You said I was safe."
"I said you were not in danger at this moment," Lucien replied. "That moment is ending."
She stared at him. "That is not comforting."
"It is honest."
Footsteps echoed again, louder now, accompanied by the faint sound of heels striking marble with deliberate precision. The sound carried authority. Ownership.
Lucien stepped forward, positioning himself subtly between Elara and the source of the noise. The movement was instinctive, and that frightened her more than his earlier control. He had not hesitated.
"Stay behind me," he said.
Her chin lifted. "I am not hiding."
His gaze flicked to her, sharp. "This is not a suggestion."
The pressure flared again, testing, brushing against Elara's awareness like something alive. She gasped, fingers curling into the fabric of her robe as heat surged beneath her skin.
Lucien swore quietly.
"Do not respond to it," he said. "They are probing."
"They who?" she demanded.
Before he could answer, the corridor doors at the far end opened.
Three figures stepped through.
They did not wear security uniforms or business attire. Their presence did not belong to the modern world, no matter how carefully they dressed to mimic it.
The woman in the center wore a tailored crimson coat over a black dress, her silver hair pulled back into a severe knot. Her eyes were pale, almost colorless, and when they settled on Elara, the pressure intensified.
To her left stood a man with dark skin and gold rings adorning his fingers, each etched with symbols that pulsed faintly. To her right, another man, taller, leaner, his gaze hidden behind dark lenses despite the indoor lighting.
Lucien did not move.
"Seraphine," he said coolly.
The woman smiled, slow and knowing. "Lucien."
Her attention slid past him, locking onto Elara with unsettling precision. "So this is her."
Elara felt suddenly like an object on display.
"Leave," Lucien said.
Seraphine laughed softly. "You do not issue commands here."
"This is my residence," Lucien replied. "My domain."
Her smile sharpened. "Domains do not override the Accord."
Elara looked between them. "You know each other."
"We have known each other for centuries," Seraphine said. "Long before this city was glass and steel."
The pressure spiked again, sharper now, insistent.
Elara staggered.
Lucien's hand closed around her wrist instantly, grounding her. The warmth surged, stabilizing the chaos beneath her skin.
Seraphine's brows lifted slightly. "Interesting."
Lucien's voice dropped. "Do not touch her."
"I am not touching her," Seraphine replied. "She is touching us."
Elara clenched her teeth. "I am not doing anything."
"And yet," Seraphine said, stepping closer, "your bond is screaming."
Lucien stepped forward, shadow thickening around him, the air growing colder. "You are overstepping."
The man with the rings chuckled. "You always were territorial."
The third man remained silent, head tilted slightly, as if listening to a frequency Elara could not perceive.
Seraphine stopped a few feet away, her gaze never leaving Elara. "You bound her without informing the Board."
Lucien did not deny it. "She is under my protection."
"She is an unregistered variable," Seraphine countered. "That makes her everyone's concern."
Elara's heart pounded. "I am standing right here."
Seraphine finally looked at her directly. "Child, do you know what you are?"
"No," Elara snapped. "And I am not a child."
Seraphine smiled, amused. "You are not wrong."
Lucien tightened his grip slightly, a silent warning.
Seraphine's eyes flicked to his hand, then back to Elara. "Do you feel it?"
Elara hesitated.
She did feel something. A hum beneath her skin, restless and alert, like something newly awakened testing its limits.
"Yes," she said reluctantly.
"That is your inheritance," Seraphine said. "And your danger."
Lucien cut in. "Enough."
Seraphine sighed. "You cannot hide her, Lucien. The bond has already announced itself. Others will come."
"Let them," he said.
Her gaze sharpened. "They will not ask politely."
Elara swallowed. "Who are you people?"
The man with the rings inclined his head slightly. "Observers."
The tall man spoke for the first time, his voice low and distorted. "Enforcers."
Seraphine smiled. "Survivors."
Lucien's jaw clenched. "You are trespassing."
"We are evaluating," Seraphine corrected. "The Accord requires it."
"What accord?" Elara asked.
Seraphine's eyes gleamed. "The one that keeps the world from burning."
Lucien exhaled slowly. "She is not ready."
"She will never be ready," Seraphine replied. "That is not how power works."
The pressure surged again, and this time Elara cried out, dropping to one knee as heat ripped through her veins, sharp and uncontrollable.
Lucien reacted instantly.
"Stop," he commanded.
The word landed like thunder.
The pressure vanished.
The air snapped back into place, heavy silence filling the corridor.
Seraphine's expression shifted, her amusement giving way to something colder. "You issued a sovereign directive."
Lucien did not look away from Elara. "I did."
"That was unnecessary," she said.
"It was necessary," he replied. "You were hurting her."
Elara gasped, breathing hard, her hands shaking as the aftershocks faded. Lucien crouched beside her, his presence solid and unwavering.
"Look at me," he said quietly.
She did, and the chaos steadied further.
Seraphine watched them with keen interest. "You are bonded deeper than expected."
Lucien said nothing.
The man with the rings frowned. "This complicates things."
"It changes nothing," Seraphine replied. "She must be registered."
"No," Lucien said flatly.
Seraphine's gaze hardened. "You do not get to decide that alone."
"I do," he replied. "Until she can defend herself."
Elara pushed herself upright, anger cutting through the lingering fear. "Defend myself from what?"
Seraphine looked almost sympathetic. "From those who believe your bloodline should have remained extinct."
The words hit like a blow.
"My bloodline?" Elara whispered.
Lucien stood slowly, placing himself fully between her and the others again. "You have seen enough."
Seraphine sighed. "You are making this harder than it needs to be."
"I have been doing that for centuries," Lucien said.
The tall man shifted. "Time is short."
Seraphine studied Elara one last time, her gaze lingering with unsettling intensity. "We will be watching you, Elara Noctis."
Elara forced herself to meet her stare. "I am already being watched."
Seraphine's lips curved. "Good. That means you understand the rules."
She turned, her companions following without another word. The corridor doors closed behind them, sealing the space once more.
Silence returned, thicker than before.
Elara's legs trembled. She leaned against the wall, heart still racing. "That was not a job interview."
Lucien huffed a quiet, humorless sound. "No."
"You knew they would come," she said.
"Yes."
"And you still bound me."
Lucien faced her fully. "If I had not, you would already be dead."
She searched his face for exaggeration.
She found none.
"Who was she?" Elara asked.
"Seraphine Vale," Lucien replied. "She sits on the Board of Sovereigns."
Her breath caught. "You said there were others like you."
"There are," he confirmed. "Few. Powerful. Dangerous."
"And me?" Elara asked softly. "What am I to them?"
Lucien's gaze softened, just slightly. "A catalyst."
The word sent a chill through her.
"I did not ask for this," she said.
"I know."
She hugged herself, the weight of everything pressing down. "What happens now?"
Lucien turned toward the windows, the city glowing below, unaware of the forces shifting above it. "Now," he said, "they test you."
Her throat tightened. "How?"
He looked back at her, eyes dark and intent. "By seeing if you break."
Elara straightened despite the fear curling in her chest. "And if I do not?"
Lucien stepped closer, his presence steady and undeniable. "Then the world changes."
Outside, somewhere beyond the glass and steel, something ancient stirred in answer.
And far above the city, unseen eyes remained open.