Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 92 - 91 Memories

Chapter 92: Chapter 91 Memories

The moonlight spilled in through the tall, arched windows of the academy, casting silver lines across the marble floor. The air felt heavier than usual, like the calm before a storm.

Olivia sat alone in the corner of the student library, the light from the overhead rune-lamps flickering. Books were spread around her like shields—old texts, faded scrolls, half-cracked journals. But none of them held the answer she needed.

[NEW MISSION UNLOCKED.]

The screen popped up so suddenly that Olivia almost dropped the book in her hand.

[Objective: Investigate Lucian Drakenhart.]

[Reward: Access to sealed memory slot.]

[Additional Reward: Entry into the Forbidden Archive.]

[Warning: Host proximity to target may alter memory integrity.]

[Time Remaining: 72 hours.]

Her eyes widened. The Forbidden Archive? Only high-level professors and Seers were granted access. And a sealed memory slot, those were the moments the system itself had hidden from her.

Her heart raced. ’But why now?’

’Why him?’

Her fingers hovered over the screen. She didn’t accept the mission immediately. Part of her felt sick. Investigating Lucian felt... wrong. But deep inside, she knew this wasn’t about trust. This was about survival.

She had seen Diana’s fear—it was heart-wrenching and raw. And Diana wasn’t someone who got scared easily. With a shaking breath, Olivia accepted the mission.

The screen vanished, but her thoughts didn’t. She didn’t know if this was the right decision.

"I need to find the truth," she whispered to herself.

She pushed her chair back and stood, eyes scanning the library. There was only one place to start—Professor Vaelis’ restricted collection. She had numerous rune collections. If she could find the one that Lucian usually uses, maybe she could find a lead.

...

That same night, Lucian stood in the shadows beneath the academy’s observatory. The moon cast irregular shadows across his face. Dimitri approached silently, a thick envelope in his gloved hands.

"What did you find?" Lucian asked.

Dimitri handed him the file. "Diana Elaris is the only Seer in this timeline. Her mother disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Her father—well, classified. But this..." Dimitri tapped the last page, "...is what you need to see."

Lucian flipped it open. A prophecy.

It was written in ancient Seer script, but Lucian could read it.

"Chaos reborn in flame shall return, guided by no gods nor fate. He will rise through fire, reclaim the forgotten name, and devour the one marked by it."

His fingers tightened around the page. It described him. He didn’t know how, but he felt it. And Olivia... was she the one marked by it?

"Is this about me?" he asked quietly.

Dimitri didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Lucian stared into the dark. The name. The forgotten one. That voice from the near-death dream echoed again.

"This is no longer your home. You are hereby banished. Your rebellious and evil acts deserve death, but since we cannot kill you..."

A chill crawled down Lucian’s spine. Who had he been? And why couldn’t he remember?

...

Meanwhile, far across the academy, Klaus stood within an abandoned greenhouse just outside the training fields. The glass walls were cracked, the air smelled of moss and decay.

But he wasn’t alone. A cloaked figure stepped forward. "You wanted power," the man said, voice raspy, otherworldly. "You wanted to remove an obstacle."

Klaus didn’t flinch. "Lucian Drakenhart. I want him dead."

The man grinned. "Then you must break the natural order. Bind him with cursed law. And you’ll need allies... darker ones."

"I don’t care what I have to give," Klaus muttered. "Just make sure he dies. And Olivia..." his voice trembled with anger, "...she’ll finally see who’s meant to stand beside her."

The man’s eyes gleamed with revenge and satisfaction. "I will make sure your request is carried out... But first we have to sign the deal."

"That won’t be a problem. But leave the girl out of it, she’s mine."

The man’s eyes swirled with something dark before he chuckled. "Sure, of course. We will only go after the Lucian guy."

The man brought out a parchment, and then both signed with their blood.

...

The dawn of morning came too slow for Olivia. The night had become a sleepless one. She prayed in her heart for Diana to be wrong. The attraction she had toward him—she wanted to explore it, she wanted to know where it was going to lead them.

Olivia slipped through the side door of the western wing of the academy library. No students came here. Only students with high ranking—elites.

But she easily entered because of her system. Sometimes the system seemed useless, and other times useful.

The screen appeared in her face showing the mission. As she moved deeper into the archives, she passed a section with dusty scrolls and locked cabinets.

Just as she was about to take another turn, she caught sight of a door that looked unique and out of place.

A glowing lock shimmered at its center, pulsing with a strange marking. She had no clue what this rune was. "Very typical of Professor Vaelis," she muttered underneath her breath.

Her system formed the rune, urging her to draw it, but she couldn’t help but hesitate. She had no idea what was waiting on the other side.

Slowly, she raised her hand.

She diligently drew the rune with her hand, mirroring her system’s movement, and the lock responded. A series of soft clicks echoed in the silence, then the door creaked open.

The smell of old magic wafted through.

She hesitated before stepping inside.

The room was dark, save for a stand at the center, upon which lay a single book bound in black leather. As she reached for it, the system popped up again.

[Memory Lock: Partial Access Granted.]

[A glimpse into what Lucian once was.]

Her breath hitched.

She placed her hand on the book, then everything went still.

A wave of heat slammed into her, images bursting behind her eyes—flashes of war, of a burning world, of a dragon god tearing open the heavens as mortals screamed. At the center of it stood Lucian, his golden eyes flared, surrounded by flames.

But then came the voice.

"Find me... before I find you."

She ripped her hand away, breath shallow. Her body trembled.

But the moment she pulled her hand away, all the memories she had seen disappeared like smoke from her head.