Lucien and his hair...hmmm....I could stare at him all day ^_^

The stale air of the fruit market met Lucien Northorn's senses, his eyes watering as he walked through the crowded town.

The sea was not far, allowing ships to dock by on the shore, bringing in slaves and any other necessities that were chained and pulled. Fishermen attempted to sell large meat and the repulsing smell of rotting fish mixed with the salty air made him rather nauseous.

It's been five days since he set foot on the Kingdom of Serius in search of the mysterious girl who was supposedly a Mind Siphon. The trip was rather calm, the only disturbance being a whirlpool and a slight wave crash.

As soon as his foot stepped on the scratchy sand of the kingdom, he was met with SilverClaw Witches trying to pry him limb to limb, Black Magrus desperate to tear into his flesh, and BloodBones almost skinning him just for a drop of his blood.

There were nights when he would stay up, tucked away in a dark corner of an abandoned alley, and persuade his thoughts to sleep while his eyes remained open, hands rested on his blade as he looked out for enemies of the night.

No one has been friendly to the Hell Siphon in general, only a generous old couple who had offered him a stale piece of bread and milk that had to be at least a week old in a cup when they saw him limping.

Besides that, Serius has been as welcoming as a serpent devouring its prey. It was just as the rumors had said. The kingdom was dangerous, untrustworthy, sly, and filthy.

Of course, there were wealthier parts of the kingdom but it was more east, past the marble fountain and the Temple of Zeirushrein.

A place he wouldn't have the pleasure of enjoying.

But with all the bad that had tried to devour him, some good came along. Within his first few hours in the kingdom, Lucien had already uncovered some news of the mysterious girl.

It was said that she lived in the poorer parts of the kingdom, most likely in the smaller villages that circled the river facing the town square. Others said she was a rather quiet girl who would come into the market to sell and buy things by herself.

She didn't pose as a threat. Didn't seem like one either.

But the more Lucien learned, the more intrigued he became. Greedy and anxious townsfolks had told him that she started to display a strange possession of power a few months ago.

Of course, this wasn't news to a kingdom that thrived off power but the mysterious girl's power was different. While usual magical beings would conceal their powers and try to blend in, this girl's power would unleash strange lines of light, attacking and blinding others around her.

It would often start fires and other small catastrophes. By the time it was over, she would be gone as if she was never there.

Since then, no one has seen her for weeks, only at night when she would come out to question her powers but would immediately go back inside as she tended to be attacked by other magical beings at night.

With this information, Lucien had set out to find her, traveling to the smaller villages that were mentioned. But even the townsfolk there refused to help him and instead kicked him to the streets.

It was as if she didn't even exist. But he knew she did.

He just had to find her and he would be back home in his comfortable bed.

A sigh escaped his lips. His gaze traveled up to the darkening sky, streaks of purple and red breaking through the bleakness. The air around him was thick and vile, the stench of rotting flesh meeting his nose.

His powers were more lethargic than usual and his body rested against a slack of wood as he dragged his leg down the marble streets of the town square. A wound sat in the middle of his thigh, throbbing and bleeding since yesterday.

A fisherman who thought he was trying to steal from him had shot an arrow through his leg, the wood splintering into his skin. While a mere wound like that would heal, the tip of the arrow was covered in silver ash, highly toxic to any magical being.

A strip of cloth from his shirt was pressed into his wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding but so far no progress. If it continued like this, Lucien might as well banish himself back to the underworld and wait another few hundred years for someone to reincarnate him.

Lucien closed his eyes, actually pondering on the chances of him dying and being reincarnated just to escape this hell.

He had been reincarnated and brought back way too many times than he actually deserved.

The first time was a relief, the first touch of air bursting through his lungs.

The second time was curiosity, his eyes searching for familiarity.

The third time was uncertainty, his heart questioning his own decisions.

By the fourth and fifth time, he was through with it. But for some reason, he never objected to it. Whoever was bringing him back to life needed him and wanted him to stay.

They knew something about that he didn't know and he intended to find out.

A cold wind rustled past him again, breaking his thoughts. He sighed and continued to limp towards an alley for the night, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep. His back stung from sleeping on the side of the streets. He didn't get much sleep in the alley either but he could manage it at least.

Clutching onto his dark cloak, he inhaled an icy breath and continued walking, making sure to conceal himself from the crowd as he disappeared down a long road.

The cobblestone path was winding up and down, turning a dark shade of green as it continued to lead to nowhere. Lucien stopped briefly to look behind him, his eyes narrowing as he observed his surroundings.

There was nothing that caught his eye. Bins leaking water and putrid liquids spilled on the floor, blood and gore coating the walls. An eerie chill ran up his knee, nearly knocking him off his bad leg as he continued walking.

Yes, he knew this was dangerous territory but he was already walking on it.

It would be foolish to step off and even more foolish to continue walking.

But he had no other choice.

Shifting his hips so that the head of his sword pressed into his hipbone, he turned a sharp corner to see a small door with a rusting knob bolted shut.

Lucien squinted his eyes, trying to read the words but the sense of magic in the air caught his attention. He held his breath and looked to the side, seeing a shadow materialize behind him. He didn't have enough time to react when a force of magic knocked through his feet, pulling him down to the floor.

He held his scream as his body hit the hard surface of the ground, clammy hands braced on his shoulders.

The blood in his body rushed to his ears and down his chest, his fingers curling around the head of his sword. Sharp nails dug through the material of his cloak, tearing into it as it dragged him towards the door.

He seemed weightless compared to the tremendous amount of magic that locked his body into place. His legs scraped past the shattered glass and sharp, broken blades.

"Curses!" he hissed, drawing out his sword. His vision was a bit hazy from the fall, his mind spinning but he managed to make out the length of an arm through the haze. The shadow made a sharp turn, causing him to slam his head against the side of a wall.

A scream finally slipped past his lips as he felt warm blood run down his face, the bitter taste entering his mouth. He opened his eyes to see they were approaching another arched door, the arm keeping him in place.

Having no other choice, he drove the tip of his blade through the arm, tugging downwards so the sharp point sliced through its flesh.

The shadow hissed and turned around, slapping his sword from his hand. He watched as it grasped the weapon in its other hands, levitating it in the air. In a glance, the weapon began to deform and shatter as strings of magic pulled it apart until it was nothing but dust particles falling to the ground.

He watched in horror as the hilt of the sword was crushed underneath its foot, leaving a pile of gold dust behind. He could only watch in horror as the shadow neared his face, grey eyes piercing through the blanket of grey hair it peered through. Cold hands wrapped around his throat, talons piercing into his neck as it held him there, unable to move and speak, simply gasping for air and pleading for life.

A foul stench of emulated from the shadow and nausea rumbled in his stomach once again, traveling up to suffocate his throat.

One breath and the shadow yelled "Stupid siphon" before slamming his head into the concrete floor.

Inside, his skull shattered in pain as flesh broke and blood continued to pour. Pain screamed through his body as he felt it overtake his mind, his legs going numb first before the rest of his body followed, slowly collapsing into an unwarranted sleep.

Somewhere in the distance, laughter crackled through the air just as a jagged blade pierced through his stomach. He coughed, blood coming from his lips as he looked up and saw the sadistic smile of a witch just as his eyes failed him. 

Drowning. He was drowning and there was nothing he could do about it.

He woke up with a startled scream, his mouth open just as the cold water rushed into his lungs. Lucien coughed and growled as he fought against the paralyzation, thrashing his head in the water. He couldn't feel the pain his body was experiencing, but he knew he was hurting from the blood that danced in the water when he opened his mouth again.

His eyes searched through the darkness as he tried his best to use his hands but the metal chains holding his wrist behind his back answered the probability of them coming into use. He screamed again, the sound only dying in the darkness of the water as his head was pushed deeper into the abyss.

A cold hand pressed into the back of his neck, nails digging into his flesh as it held him there, not willing to let him go.

At the feel of the pressure, Lucien's senses awakened. His eyes were wide open, his body aware of his surroundings as he could feel the ripping of his flesh being pulled away at the back of his neck. He thrashed and kicked his legs in the air, making as much noise as he could.

Please, please. I can't die like this.

Lucien sobbed even as the neck of his shirt choked him and he was being pulled out of the water, his back meeting the spiny surface of a chair. He coughed again, water pooling from his mouth and down his shirt as he took in a deep breath, feeling the familiar beat of his heart come back to life.

Blood lingered in his mouth as he looked around, bright lights keeping him awake. He looked down at his stomach to see a bloodstain on his shirt where he had been injured.

The smell of spices and fruit met his nostrils, his stomach grumbling as he looked around the room.

"Olfacies quasi mors, sed vita tantumsanguinemoculisvestris. Quid ergo est, quod est ens inferis?"

A voice, like the sound of nails dragging against iron, spoke to him.

"Fatuaeimpioveteranovis. Etvide quid est coming." The voice continued to sing, the stench of ash nearing him as it continued its wicked tune.

Ignoring the rather dreadful song, Lucien rubbed his chained wrists, hissing when they cut into his skin. Tiny strands of hair fell into his mouth as he growled and kicked at the air, his teeth aching.

"Oh, you're awake. Finally." It didn't sound familiar, the shadow speaking in an accent he couldn't decipher.

Metal hit his lips and before he knew it, a sour liquid was being poured down his throat. It burned his body as he indulged it, gagging at the aftertaste.

Minutes passed and his eyes began to adjust to the scene around him, seeing how he was in a room with a tiny table of books and jars, a few shelves containing jars and glass and wine, and a collection of feathers and blood.

And sitting in front of Lucien, holding his chains in her hand was the SilverClaw Witch legend herself, Yagein Washli.

The oldest and most notorious witch in the SilverClaw Witch community was sitting with him.

A scream nearly ripped from his throat as he stared into her dull grey eyes, large eyes framed with too thick eyelashes, and the first sign of wrinkles pushing into her skin. Her nose was skinny and structured carefully to a sloping point, her lips thinning. Her complexion was clear, her cheekbones concealed by the grey locks that framed her face in thick waves.

She was a unique beauty, one that could have fooled any man who didn't know better.

"About time" she whispered, clearing her throat as she sat across from him, composed and gentle as ever. "I wasn't expecting you to survive."

All Lucien could do was stare as she raised a brow at him, casting his gaze downward to the dreary grey clothes she wore and knitted black gloves on her fingers.

"Yagein Washli" he hissed, more out of surprise than hatred.

She smiled briefly.

"Young Hell Siphon" she uttered in a soft voice, almost as if she was genuine. A cup sat next to her, the green liquid letting out a putrid stench.

"Herbs for your throat and to help your senses. Took a lot of suffocation to wake you up" she added when she noticed his gaze, an amused smile on her face.

The Hell Siphon didn't return it.

"You almost killed me. Damn you" he hissed, shaking his head.

A scoff left her lips, replaced with a deep frown. "Only because you stepped into my territory, foolish one" she warned, her grey eyes flashing at him. "Watch your tongue. My territory. My rules."

Lucien frowned at her, his mind remembering the scattered bones, the blood, the gore he saw in the alley.

Of course. It was all the work of a SilverClaw. How they marked their territory.

How had his mind strayed so far into oblivion that he didn't realize the danger he was walking into?

Looking at her, nausea began to return.

"I need to find her" Lucien whispered to himself. "I need to know who she is."

Yagein sighed, resting her chin in her hands. Her eyes flickered once again, her mouth curled into a smile. "Okay," she whispered, dipping her nails in her mouth.

She sucked off the blood on her fingers, nipping at the flecks of flesh left underneath her skin. "You and I don't want to waste any more time with each other. You have things to do and so do I" she said, locking eyes with the siphon. "So let's make a deal."

Lucien stared at her, blinking at her request. Make a deal with the greatest and wicked of them all?

He would be insane to do so.

But he had no choice.

He wanted to get out of the kingdom and if letting Yagein play a few tricks on him in return for information was the only way, he would suck up and deal with it.

"What's your offer?" he asked after seconds passed. The SilverClaw smiled again.

"I will give you all the information you need on this mysterious girl of yours in return for a drop of your blood and a free trip to rummage through your mind. I've been itching to know what lurks in your mind the moment I saw you. Those eyes tell so many stories and I wish to know them."

The offer wasn't asking much and was not odd for a witch to request.

Especially one of her caliber.

So without speaking, he nodded and sighed, leaning his head back.

"The mysterious girl who is supposedly a Mind Siphon. What do you know about her?" he asked.

Yagein sighed, pressing her lips together as she reached underneath her chair for a sharpened piece of stone. Carefully, she aligned it with his vein and tore through.

When his skin broke and blood was leaking through, she answered with, "She is said to be a Mind Siphon. The last one standing. Only a few people know her, and others are scared to approach her. She is said to have a powerful lineage though I am not sure. We barely know much about the Mind Siphons since the fall of Eshara and Aries and their torn kingdom" the witch said, letting go of his bleeding hand.

Lucien's blood was sitting at the bottom of the bowl, simmering hot as she added a bottle of clear liquid. The bowl of blood sizzled, the color turning from red to black. "I don't know much about her but I do know her name. Alesandria Erovex, a civilian residing in the Nyuels Village near the river facing the town square. That must mean she is poor."

Her name. Lucien had managed to snag her name and possibly where she lived. The best progress he's made all day.

A sigh left his lips, his muscles tense as he watched the witch dip her hand into the mixture. His eyes went to his arm, noticing how only a thin line appeared on his skin in comparison to the large gash earlier.

"But that also means others won't suspect her, making her the terrible victim of this rather humorous gossip they tell in the square," Yagein said as she held his head in place.

Lucien gulped and the witch raised her eyebrow at him, grey eyes seeming to bite him back. A wicked gleam was on her lips.

Lucien watched with terrified eyes as she settled her cold hands on either side of his temple, nails digging into his head once more.

A thumb pushed into his temple, drawing blood. He tensed, taking in a sharp breath. "Relax darling. This will only hurt a lot" she cooed before laughing and pushing herself to read his mind.

The blood in his body screamed as his body went rigid. It felt as if a thousand needles had penetrated his skull, magic bounding him to the chair he sat on as he endured the pain. His mouth opened to scream but nothing came out, only a breathy sigh.

"A tall man with dark hair. He's cocky and powerful. He relishes in the powers and position he has been given" Yagein cooed, stroking her fingers into his skull. "He holds a dark force over you. He knows all your secrets and is keeping you bound to him. He's dangerous."

Dangerous.

Lucien shrugged. He already knew who he was dealing with the moment he decided to serve Rheynoak.

Still, he wondered.

What else was Rheynoak hiding from him?

"There is a woman with short dark hair and honey-brown skin. You seem to find her obnoxious and amusing but there is something else. An aura. You're worried." She snorted, shaking her head. "Now I know how many women are fighting to sleep with you" she added for sarcasm.

Lucien let out another sigh, rolling his eyes

"But there is one woman you keep thinking about. She is gorgeous. You have a soft spot in your heart for witches with white hair?" she teased. "You are captivated aren't you?"

Lucien scoffed, feeling his cheeks burn red as she continued to dive into his mind.

"H-Hurry" he slurred, pinching his nose to regain his consciousness.

She kissed her teeth but said nothing more as she continued. For a while, everything was quiet and peaceful, Lucien impatiently waiting for her to finish while she seemed to be entertaining herself with all his darkest secrets.

But then a shocked gasp escaped her lips and her eyes opened. She backed away from him, looking at him with fear for the first time. Her fingers shook and her eyes widened as she shook her head.

"What is it?" Lucien demanded. "What is it-"

Yagein slapped a hand over his mouth, closing her eyes as she seemingly went through what she had just seen. It was no accident.

"That woman. The one with the white hair and violet eyes. What is her name?" she asked, clutching him by the jaw. He tried to pull away but she dug her talons deep into his skin, holding him in place.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Just answer the question. What is her name? The quicker you answer, the faster you can get out of here" she reminded him, raising her brow.

Lucien looked around the room for something, anything to free him but the magic that was binding him to the chair was too strong and he was starting to feel dizzy the longer she stared into his eyes.

So with a defeated sigh, he nodded his head.

"Venix. Her name is Venix."

"Venix?" Yagein questioned, a confused look on her face. "Does her last name begin with Draywin?"

"How do you know her?" Lucien asked, furrowing his brow. "How do you know about Venix Draywin?"

The witch let go of him, shaking her head. "She's alive and breathing. I thought I had completed my job. She's the answer."

"The answer to what? What are you talking about?" he pressed.

But the dread and fear written on her face told him something else. Something he was not sure he wanted to know.

"She's the answer to my downfall" Yagein whispered, shaking her head. "Listen to me, Lucien. Venix is not a good person. She's a threat to all witches and she's dangerous. You have to kill her" she advised, grabbing him by the shoulders.

Her grey eyes held his gaze, her teeth gleaming with blood. She drew him close until there was barely any space between them, her lips close to his ear

"Find her and kill her."

Lucien pulled back, glaring at her just as her hands clutched his throat. She tightened her hold, her eyes wild with fear and vengeance. Her fingers shook as she grasped his head with another hand, holding him in place by his hair.

"Don't question me. Find her and kill her before I do."

Before he could question her, she grabbed him by the neck and slammed his body onto the floor. Blood spilled from his lips as he gasped for air just as he returned to the darkness he had emerged from. 

And that is the end of chapter ten! It was a super long one but it was totally worth it! Especially being able to write in Lucien's POV which I really love because he's a lot more gentle and gives off an old soul vibe which I totally dig

Plus, he has awesome hair!

Tell me what you guys think of this chapter and don't forget to give it a vote if you liked it! Until Next time Lovelies!

With Love, May