Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 53 Lucian Drakenhart (2)

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Lucian Drakenhart (2)

The courtyard slowly emptied after the announcement, but Olivia remained rooted to her spot. Her mind refused to catch up with the chaos spinning around her. The name Lucian Drakenhart rang in her ears like a forgotten melody.

The moment their eyes met, something had stirred inside her. Not fear. Not admiration. Something deeper. Her heart still hadn’t returned to its usual rhythm.

She finally blinked, only realizing how tightly she was clutching her pants when her fingers began to cramp. As she turned to follow the others into class, a single thought screamed in her mind: He’s the one. The one from the maze. The one who disappeared before my eyes.

But how?

Lucian wasn’t just mysterious. He was too calm. Too composed. Too... powerful. And those eyes—like smoke over ice—they weren’t normal.

As she stepped into the rune hall for her next class, one of the classes that both the juniors and seniors must take together, her steps faltered slightly because the whispers had already begun. "He’s too strong for a transfer student."

"Did you see how even the headmaster looked shaken?"

"What’s his background?"

"Bet he has an elite system bloodline."

Olivia ignored the chatter as best she could. Her gaze scanned the rows until it landed on him. Lucian, who was already seated, alone in the middle row, head tilted slightly, his silver-white hair catching the glow of the sunlight. He didn’t scan the room. Didn’t acknowledge the whispers. He just... waited.

And like a moth drawn to flame, Olivia walked toward the empty seat beside him. She didn’t know why. Instinct? Curiosity? Or something else she didn’t want to name.

As she sat down, her shoulder accidentally brushed his. The contact was brief, but it was like touching a live wire—her skin tingled, her breath caught. She looked at him, waiting for a reaction.

Nothing.

Lucian’s expression remained unreadable, but she could feel something... pulsing under his stillness.

The rune instructor, a tall woman with sharp cheekbones and amber eyes, entered the room. Her name was Instructor Vaelis, and she was infamous for her ruthlessness in practical combat rune training.

"Today we begin your orientation into advanced spatial rune theory," she announced. "You will fail. That is expected. You will fall behind. That is inevitable. And some of you," she paused, "will be expelled or worse. That is reality."

The class shrank into silence.

"Drakenhart." Her voice snapped like a whip.

Lucian’s head slowly lifted.

"Show us what they taught you in Suncrest." Her voice was laced with amusement. But her eyes flickered with an unreadable expression.

Olivia stiffened beside him. All eyes turned towards him.

Lucian stood, moving with a grace too smooth for someone his size. As he walked to the front, Olivia’s stomach twisted in anticipation.

With chalk in hand, he drew something none of them had seen before. A rune so complex it didn’t belong in a level two class. Students leaned forward. Even Instructor Vaelis narrowed her eyes.

Lucian raised his hand, fingers slicing through the air. The rune burst to life.

Light flared, sharpening into a terrifying dragon. The dragon flew around, casting a fiery aura in the classroom, before shattering into glowing fragments. Then, impossibly, it reformed in a perfect spiral, humming with raw power.

The class gasped. The students’ eyes reflecting its shape and glow, completely entranced by it.

"Lucian, break the spell this instant." Instructor Vaelis’s voice came out slightly higher than its normal pitch.

Lucian chuckled. With a wave of his hand, the rune shattered completely into red particles of dust. As it fell on the students, they immediately woke up from the trance.

After regaining their senses, "What just happened?" one of the students asked.

"You all were just entranced," Instructor Vaelis stated blatantly.

"Impossible..." someone whispered behind Olivia.

Even Instructor Vaelis looked rattled. "That technique... where did you learn it?" The rune was completely unknown to her.

Lucian gave a small shrug. "I don’t forget what matters."

He returned to his seat like nothing had happened. The hum of the rune still echoed faintly in the air.

Olivia stole a glance at him. That calm exterior, it was a mask. One she desperately wanted to understand... or tear apart. Olivia could barely keep her composure. Then...

[SYSTEM ALERT: 72 hours, 43 minutes remaining until mission failure]

Her heart dropped. Lucian leaned in, his voice just above a whisper. "You are being watched, do you know?"

Olivia’s brow creased. "How do you know that?" She had no idea if she was being watched... except him. He had been stalking her. Should she let him know that she knew that he was the mysterious man?

He didn’t answer. But when their eyes met again, something unspoken passed between them.

Klaus, seated two rows behind, hadn’t stopped glaring since Lucian walked in. And now, his hand gripped the side of his desk so hard the wood creaked. His heart burned, and he could not believe that he fell for his trick.

Lucian’s gaze flicked toward him, then slowly returned to Olivia. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You should be careful. You might not know when they decide to strike," he said softly. "It won’t end well for you."

The blood drained from Olivia’s face. "How do you..."

"Because I just know. Take my advice if you want to live." He coldly cut her off, his eyes lingered on her for seconds longer.

Olivia’s pulse quickened. She wanted to dismiss his words, to laugh them off as paranoia, but something in his tone, in the weight behind his eyes, stopped her. She didn’t even know who she was to be cautious of him or the ones he warned her about.

Her fists clenched. Before she could press him further, Instructor Vaelis barked, "Back to your drills! All of you."

As students began practicing, Olivia’s hands trembled. She couldn’t focus. Not on runes, not on the system, not even on Klaus’s glare burning holes into her back. Only Lucian.

’Who was he really?’

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