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 times 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 comes 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 come into our life..."
But something was different. The hatred wasn't there. Not really. It was there before. Sharp and mean. But now? Now it sounded like something 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. Something deeper. Something 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 mess. Tears and anger and something broken all mixed together.
"That's the problem with you. You're too righteous. Too soft. You should hate me. Wish I was dead. Think of a thousand ways to kill me and be done with it. My father tried to kill you because I hated you. That's more than enough reason to hate me. But you don't. Do you think you're some 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 something. 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 metaphysical 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 NAME DETECTED.
DEMON-BORN TRUE NAME: [REDACTED - HOST PERMISSION REQUIRED]
WARNING: Knowledge of a demon-born's true name grants power over them. Awakening is triggered by the calling of the true name or self-realization. Full demons can be killed by their true name. Demon-born cannot be killed, only weakened.
DISPLAY TRUE NAME? 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 name.
Margie. His sister. Was half-demon.
And he could see her true name. Right there. Hidden behind a prompt. One button press away.
"Lucian!"
She yelled his name. 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-FLAME SPIRAL
AFFINITY: ANTI-SUPERNATURAL / BODY REINFORCEMENT / HUNTER AUTHORITY
STATUS: FULLY AWAKENED
IRREGULARITY: NONE
NIGHT MARK DETECTED.
RACE: PRIME HUMAN
RANK: HIGH FLAME COUNCIL MEMBER (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 FLAME COUNCIL MEMBERS. RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERSIGHT OF ALL HUNTERS WITHIN THE ASHEN GUARD. SUBJECT IS A PRIME HUMAN.
PRIME 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. Prime Human.
And his sister was half-demon.
And he was something else. Something the system wouldn't even name.
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."