Chapter 344: My people checked, there is no structure beneath that room.

"How much time has passed again?"

Lucian asked with a curious look on his face.

[Three minutes.]

"...really? I could swear I’ve been standing for at least 10 minutes."

Aurelia didn’t say anything.

Lucian stood still. He had been like this for the past... three minutes and...

It was already exhausting.

Standing still for thirty minutes wasn’t difficult, but thinking about doing it made it tiresome. Honestly, Lucian would rather train with Vivienne, tearing his body apart and focusing on his regeneration, something like that.

For a moment, he was actually tempted to cut his arm and let his regeneration heal the wound, but he decided against it.

He didn’t know where he was or what formations were here.

He did not want his blood to mess with anything.

Not to mention he was inside a Vampire estate, blood here would attract quite a bit of attention.

"Haaahh..."

Lucian groaned again as he folded his arms and yawned.

Another minute passed by, then one more, then another one.

"This is stupid."

[Yes.]

Aurelia agreed.

Lucian had been standing here for ten whole minutes and nothing happened. Not that Lucian expected anything to happen. Varek told him thirty minutes, so he needed to wait for thirty minutes before he expected anything.

"You know..."

Suddenly, Lucian thought of a possibility.

"If this turns out to be revenge..."

[It would be remarkably elaborate revenge.]

"Right? It would be petty though."

[I’d call it well thought out. He couldn’t do anything to you, so he decided to make you stand in an empty room like a fool. If I were him, I’d be laughing out loud right now. My last revenge before my death.]

"Please don’t put a picture in my head."

Lucian spoke in a flat tone.

Aurelia just chuckled.

Lucian shook his head, then—

"I am glad you are here."

Lucian spoke in a genuinely grateful tone.

[Are you?]

"I’d die of boredom if you weren’t."

He spoke honestly.

"Not to mention if it does turn out to be a plot for petty revenge, we’d both be in this together."

[I am on my sofa, sipping wine.]

Aurelia made it very clear that she wasn’t on his side.

"Oh? What are you wearing?"

He asked curiously.

And Aurelia—

[Nothing.]

She answered in a playful tone.

Lucian froze. His mind automatically imagined the sight and that definitely got a reaction out of him.

[Are you picturing it?]

Aurelia asked playfully.

"Are you kidding me? I am on my fifth picture now."

[...]

The Vampire turned silent.

"So? How much time?"

Lucian asked again.

[Twelve minutes.]

"This is ridiculous."

He groaned.

Just like that, more time passed. Lucian did not move from his original place, not even an inch. It wasn’t the task itself that was difficult, it was the... futility of it.

All this felt so futile that Lucian’s mind couldn’t help but wander off, trying to do something that would make more sense.

But of course, in the end, Lucian forced himself to remain still.

[Ten more minutes.]

Aurelia announced.

"You sound excited."

[I am preparing to tell you I was correct.]

"Premature confidence is dangerous, you know?"

[So is listening to a limbless criminal who hates you.]

"...fair."

Lucian didn’t have a better reply to that.

He waited for the time to pass, and slowly, it did.

A total of twenty-five minutes passed by.

There was still nothing.

Again, it was still within expectations, but at this point, Lucian’s doubts were starting to increase.

"What’s your favourite food?"

[There are quite a few...]

Lucian did keep making small talk, which helped quite a lot. Aurelia did not abandon him either, in fact, she was rather enjoying the moment they were having.

It was fun.

Especially considering how all of this might be an elaborate prank.

If it really did prove to be true, it would be something Aurelia would hold over him all his life. Just that possibility alone was quite amusing.

More time passed by—

Twenty-eight minutes.

Twenty-nine minutes.

"How much?"

Lucian asked again.

[Thirty seconds.]

"Finally."

Lucian let out a huge sigh.

Thirty more seconds.

Though these felt like the longest thirty seconds of his life.

"How much?"

[Ten seconds.]

Lucian frowned.

10 seconds left and...

There was still no response.

Was it going to happen exactly at thirty minutes? Or... was nothing going to happen at all?

They were going to find out soon.

Five more seconds were left.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

Exactly thirty minutes passed by, Lucian did not move even an inch from his spot and... nothing happened.

[Pfft.]

Aurelia let out a small laugh.

Lucian remained standing, he had no idea what he was supposed to sa—

Click.

"Tell me you heard that."

Lucian’s face changed almost instantly.

[I did.]

Aurelia nodded.

Just then, Lucian noticed the six pillars around the room move down. It was a small movement, perhaps only a centimetre, but Lucian still saw it.

Just then—

Rumble

Lucian felt the ground beneath him tremble a little.

He narrowed his eyes, then noticed dust falling from the ceiling, then, a perfect circular seam appeared under his feet, something he could swear wasn’t there before.

"Well, this is—"

He tried to say something, but before he could finish, the entire circular section beneath him dropped.

The six pillars separated from the ceiling above and descended with him, acting almost like guide rails around the moving platform.

Lucian looked up, the ordinary chamber slowly disappeared above, stone closed behind him and lights appeared in the tunnel or wherever he was.

[Lucian, what’s happening?]

Aurelia asked.

She could hear all the mechanical noises that were coming from everywhere, but she did not have a clear vision.

And Lucian...

He seemed a little out of it.

[Lucian?]

Aurelia called. That brought Lucian back, he looked around again, then—

"I am... moving down.

The floor under me is acting like an elevator."

[That’s not possible. My people checked, there is no structure beneath that room.]

Aurelia shook her head with a frown.

And Lucian—

"Well...

I am seeing it right now."