Chapter 316: A peculiar way of doing things, indeed.

"Why would I end up like Varek?"

"What happened to him?"

"Was it the Contract?"

"Is it related to House Arcelis?"

Lucian asked a bunch of questions and what he got in return was... an exile from his own dream.

His eyes opened back in his suite, he sat up and looked around again. The same room, the same ceiling, curtains, everything.

It was just like before.

He didn’t feel any presence or unfamiliar energy, it was... definitely strange.

Though this time, there was one difference.

This time, he had a name.

"Varek."

Lucian thought about it all for a moment.

"How can I end up like him...?"

He wondered in his head.

Honestly, the first question was what did ending up like him even mean?

Losing all his limbs and being captured?

That was difficult to imagine, especially with House Veyr protecting him. Or maybe whatever it was didn’t care about House Veyr?

Lucian wondered inwardly, then, however, he dropped the matter entirely.

If a power after him was strong enough to not care about House Veyr’s protection, there was nothing he could do against them anyway.

So he decided to think through other possibilities.

If it wasn’t him losing his limbs and being captured, then... what was it?

What did ending up like him mean...?

What was... different about Varek compared to others?

Contract?

Lucian’s eyes changed.

Was that what the voice meant?

That if he didn’t leave, he would form a Contract with a Demon?

Was it the same Archdemon who formed a contract with Varek?

Was... he behind all this?

Was he behind... Varek’s fall as well?

The more Lucian thought about it, the more possibilities filled his mind. He thought of many questions he did not have answers to, so...

He decided to learn.

About Varek.

Everything there was to know about him.

His life as a rogue and his life as a child of Arcelis, his life before he made a contract with a demon.

As to where he could learn all that...

He had no idea, so he decided to ask Aurelia instead.

Lucian nodded to himself, then he took out his phone and looked at the time and the moment he did, his expression changed.

"Four hours...?"

He actually checked again, just to be sure and when he did, he began doubting his own memory.

How did... four hours pass by?

Honestly, the last thing Lucian remembered was closing his eyes. Then he woke up in that darkness, talked to that voice for what, five minutes? Ten maybe?

’Then how did four hours pass by?’

Of course, it wasn’t particularly strange.

It was common for a dream to distort one’s sense of time.

Just that...

With everything that was already happening, this definitely felt... suspicious.

Or maybe he was being too sensitive.

’Whatever.’

Lucian shrugged and put the phone away.

Even if something was messing with his perception of time, he would get to it later, right now, he had something more concrete to investigate.

Varek.

Lucian got out of bed, washed his face and changed before walking out of the suite.

A Veyr attendant stood further down the corridor, the moment she noticed him, she bowed her head.

"Mr. Cross."

"Do you know where Lady Aurelia is?"

He asked.

"I can inform her that you are looking for—"

"There is no need."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Lucian turned and saw Aurelia standing behind him.

He stared at her for a moment, then—

"How are you always around?"

He couldn’t help but ask.

This was the second time she appeared out of nowhere.

Aurelia chuckled at that—

"You ask me this after everything we’ve promised each other? Your words wound me."

Lucian blinked at those words, he glanced at the attendant, it took all her might not to react to those words, though Lucian could tell the moment she got to leave her position, she was going to talk.

Not that he cared—

Since the sparks were appearing, might as well start the whole fire.

"Do not put this on me.

How am I supposed to act when you promised you would come to my room but didn’t show up?"

The colour on the attendant’s already pale face drained completely.

What was happening!?

Was she supposed to listen to this conversation!?

She wondered.

Aurelia laughed at Lucian’s reaction.

The boy was... definitely interesting.

"So? What do you need me for?"

She asked with a smile and without wasting any time—

"How much do you know about Varek?"

Lucian asked what he wanted to know.

The question made Aurelia raise an eyebrow.

"Varek?"

She tilted her head curiously.

"Yes."

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I’m bored."

Lucian shrugged.

That made Aurelia pause.

He came out of his room, specifically looked for her because he was bored?

"...you truly expect me to believe that?"

She asked directly.

"I was hoping you’d be polite enough to pretend."

Lucian smiled.

His first impression of Aurelia was a Vampire version of Vivienne and Lucian knew better than to try and lie to her.

Of course, he still couldn’t tell her what he was doing. After all, he himself wasn’t sure of anything. Aurelia may not be a threat, but bothering her over something as simple as a dream felt pointless.

"At least try to come up with a better excuse."

Aurelia chuckled.

Lucian thought about it for a moment, then—

"I captured the man without knowing much about him."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I only knew the basics, a rogue Vampire with an extremely unpleasant personality and a hobby of torturing people.

But I want to know more.

I want to know what came... before all that.

Who he was before becoming a rogue, what he did while he was still part of Arcelis, what sort of Vampire he was before he signed the Contract.

I want to know when things started going wrong."

"Is that so...?"

Aurelia raised an eyebrow.

Lucian smiled.

"They say Hunters should learn about their game before capturing them. I am trying to do the same. I just got the order wrong, but I’ll work on that."

He shrugged.

"A peculiar way of doing things, indeed."