Chapter 162: Invisible Father
Elira’s finger brushed against the rune plate embedded in the wall beside the door.
Click.
The lights flickered on, flooding the room with soft yellow light.
Neither of them were in their academy uniforms tonight. Sera wore a loose crimson off-shoulder sweater that hung lazily over one side, paired with black leggings and ankle boots. Her hair was tied up in her usual messy ponytail. Elira had opted for something simpler—a fitted blue top and dark jeans.
They both stepped inside, expecting to find Lucian.
What they found instead was... nothing.
Just an empty room. And a bed that was completely soaked.
Sera blinked. "He’s not here."
"I can see that," Elira replied flatly, though her eyes had already dropped to the floor. There were wet footprints leading from the bed toward the center of the room—then they just... stopped.
"Wait... what?" Sera’s brow furrowed as she moved closer to the bed, her boots squelching slightly on the damp floor.
Her gaze locked onto the wrinkled, dripping bedsheets. The fabric was soaked through, water still pooling in the creases.
Elira stepped up beside her and leaned in without hesitation.
Sniff sniff.
"Hey, weirdo, what are you doing?!" Sera recoiled slightly, staring at her.
"Can’t you see? I’m sniffing," Elira said, deadpan, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"I can see that! Just stop doing this kind of kinky stuff!"
Elira straightened up, completely unfazed by the outburst.
"Lake water."
"What?"
"This is lake water." Elira wiped her fingers on her jeans casually. "The same lake water... from where Aria is."
Sera’s eyes widened.
"You mean... Lucian was with Aria? All night?"
For a moment, silence hung between them.
Then their eyes met—sharp, determined, identical thoughts clearly running through both their heads.
They nodded in sync.
Without another word, both girls turned and marched straight toward the door.
"You know where Kaelen’s dorm is, right?" Sera asked as they stepped into the hallway.
"Yeah. Room four, east wing," Elira replied. "With his help, we can get to that cove faster."
Their voices echoed down the corridor, growing fainter with each step.
Then... silence.
Pressed flat against the back corner of the room, hidden behind a shimmer of invisibility, Lucian finally allowed himself to breathe.
His hand was still clamped firmly over the child’s mouth. The kid had gone still at some point, wide silver eyes staring up at him in confusion.
Lucian waited. Five more seconds. Ten.
When he was sure they were gone, he reached down and pressed the side of his watch.
Click.
The shimmer faded. The invisibility dissolved like mist.
They were visible again.
"Phewww..."
Lucian let out a long, exhausted sigh and slumped against the wall. His legs gave out, and he slid down until he was sitting on the floor, head tilted back.
"Papa?"
The child’s voice was soft, confused. He stared up at Lucian with those wide silver eyes, taking in his father’s desperate, sweat-drenched face.
Lucian didn’t answer right away. He just sat there, breathing.
After a moment, he pushed himself up. Can’t deal with this later. Need to handle it now.
He opened a small portal with a flick of his wrist—just wide enough to reach through—and pulled out a few sets of children’s clothes he’d stored away from... somewhere. Three or four outfits, along with some wrapped food.
He dressed the kid quickly, tugging a simple shirt over his head and pulling on small pants that were slightly too big. Then he knelt down and looked at him properly.
The child stared back, confused but smiling.
"Let’s see..." Lucian tapped his finger against his chin thoughtfully. "What should we name you?"
Before he could think of anything—
"Papa, papa!"
Lucian shook his head. "We can’t keep calling me that. And I can’t name you after me either."
He paused, running through options in his head. Something simple. Something that wouldn’t raise questions.
Then it clicked.
"How about... Leon?"
The child blinked. "Leon?"
"Yeah. Leon." Lucian nodded. "You like it?"
The kid’s face lit up. "I am Leon!" He tapped his small fist proudly against Lucian’s shoulder.
Lucian couldn’t help it—he smiled back. "Guess that’s settled then."
Then, without warning, Holon’s panicked voice exploded in his mind.
"MASTER!"
Lucian winced. "What happened now?"
"Mistress is awake! She’s asking me if anyone came here or not—I think she found out about the egg! And she’s also asking where that box of berries went... I won’t be able to handle her for much longer!"
Lucian cursed under his breath. "Okay, okay. I’m coming."
He turned toward the bed.
"Leon."
The kid was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, happily munching on a packet of jelly bread Lucian had pulled out earlier.
"Munch, munch... Papa..."
Jelly was smeared all around his mouth, cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel.
Aww... he really is adorable.
Lucian leaned down and ruffled his golden hair gently. "Leon, listen. You stay right here, okay? Don’t leave this room. I’ll finish some work and come back quickly."
Leon nodded, still chewing, his silver eyes focused entirely on the bread.
Satisfied, Lucian stood and sat on the edge of the bed. He took a breath, then called out mentally.
"System. Show me the full stats, skills, and new items. What did we get this time?"
[Dark Core: Level 2
Combat Power: 70,000
Physical Strength: S+
Magical Aptitude: SS
You haven’t used your skill stones.
New items available in the store:
Shape-shifting Mask
You can now buy your old-world items from the store using your fate points.]
"Ohoho... interesting..."
"Really interesting. I can buy old-world items now? You mean anything?"
the screen buzzed again, displaying multiple sections with various categories of items:
[Apparel & Clothing]: Modern casual wear, shoes, jackets, innerwear.
[Consumables & Food]: Processed snacks, fast food, beverages, daily ingredients.
[Hardware & Utilities]: Electronics, hand tools, daily use gadgets, survival gear.
Lucian’s grin widened into something sly and calculating.
Leon glanced up at him from the floor, jelly still smeared on his cheeks, but kept munching innocently.
