The Blood Contract
Chapter 116: Something was wrong

Chapter 116: Something was wrong

Lucian had been walking for several minutes now, matching Modi’s long strides as they moved deeper into the silent, echoing corridors of the Council of Vitae. The walls around them seemed to pulse with an eerie stillness, the kind that only buildings holding ancient secrets seemed to possess. Despite the quiet atmosphere, Lucian’s mind was anything but calm.

Every now and then, he’d glance at the man walking just ahead of him. Modi had barely said a word since they left the receiving hall, and something about his posture—too stiff and too calculated—gnawed at Lucian. Whatever this "urgent" discovery about Serena was, it had better be worth it.

They took a sharp turn to the left, and then another winding hallway appeared before them.

Lucian had just opened his mouth to ask a question when, suddenly, someone stepped out of the shadowy corner right in front of them.

It was Salvador, the last person Lucian wanted to see that the or any day at all.

He emerged with eerie silence, his dark robes swirling around his feet as he stopped directly in their path. His posture was firm, and his presence immediately charged the air with unease.

Lucian’s feet halted on instinct. He narrowed his eyes at the man, his suspicion rising like smoke in his chest. Why was he standing in their way as if he didn’t want them to move any further?

Salvador’s cold gaze flicked between them before settling solely on Modi.

"I’ll take it from here," he said.

Lucian’s frown came immediately. "What do you mean you’ll take it from here?"

His tone was sharp and unimpressed. He turned his head slightly to throw Modi a questioning look, expecting an explanation—demanding one—but before any word could slip out of his lips, Modi reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Lucian’s mouth opened, but the words evaporated into nothing.

The second Modi’s hand made contact with his skin, a sudden shift occurred. It was fast, too fast, like a thread had snapped inside his brain and rewired everything in one blink. A strange fog crept into his mind, curling around his logic, and slowly suffocating it.

He blinked once, then again. Confusion flickered across his face briefly, then dulled.

All he could think about now was how to please Modi. How to fulfill every wish and instruction Modi would ever give.

"Don’t worry about anything," Modi said calmly, his eyes never leaving Lucian’s blankening face. "Just follow Salvador and do everything he asks you to do."

Lucian didn’t nod or ask any question. He didn’t even have the will to protest.

When Modi let go of his wrist, he turned automatically to Salvador, waiting and yearning for the man’s next command.

A smile stretched across Salvador’s lips, slow and cold. "Come with me," he said.

Lucian followed without question.

They walked down yet another hall, deeper into the council’s foundation, where only those with the highest clearance were allowed. Salvador said nothing more along the way. He didn’t need to. Lucian had been hollowed out, and what remained of him was just... obedience.

Eventually, they reached a door. It was solid steel, yet elegantly carved with old, arcane markings. Salvador pulled it open to reveal a cell. But it wasn’t a typical one. It was furnished, well-maintained, and almost deceptively comfortable.

There was a king-sized bed with clean sheets, a single couch positioned beneath a soft-glowing lamp, and a separate bathroom behind a frosted-glass door. There was even a wooden table in the corner with a jug of water and neatly stacked towels.

It didn’t look like a prison. But Salvador’s next words confirmed what it was.

"Sit here. Make yourself comfortable," he said. "You’ll wait here until further instructions are given."

Lucian’s mind, void of rebellion, accepted the order without hesitation.

He walked in and sat on the bed, folding his hands in his lap like a well-trained soldier awaiting further orders. Salvador didn’t speak again. He simply pulled the door shut and slid the bolt in place with a loud metallic click before walking away to tend to his other assignments.

Back in the receiving room, Modi returned with a calm that made everything look normal again. Adrian was still there, waiting where Lucian had left him. He rose slightly from his seat the moment he saw Modi, eyes narrowing with concern.

"Where’s Lucian?" Adrian asked.

Modi didn’t answer. Instead, he gave the guards behind Adrian a single nod.

And that was all the signal they needed.

Two of them seized Adrian at once, grabbing his arms before he could even take a step back. The sudden ambush caught him completely off-guard, and he thrashed against their grip.

"What the hell is this?" Adrian demanded, voice sharp with confusion and fury. "What is the meaning of this?!"

His furious gaze locked onto Modi, waiting for an answer that made sense.

"Just cooperate," Modi said, his tone flat, emotionless. "You’ll be released soon."

But Adrian wasn’t given a chance to press further. One of the guards reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, stripping him of any contact with the outside world. Then they began dragging him toward the opposite hallway, different from the one Lucian had gone through.

Adrian shouted again, trying to demand clarity, but no one answered him. Moments later, he too was locked up, though in a different, much less comfortable cell. No couch. No lamp. Just cold stone and steel bars.

***

Back at the house, far away from the council building, Serena had just finished having breakfast with Marlowe and Darrell. The mood at the table had been unusually light, with laughter flitting between the three of them like birds in sunlight. It was a rare, warm moment, one that Serena hadn’t realized she needed until it was already unfolding.

Marlowe had decided not to probe about last night, at least not yet. She wanted to wait until after breakfast, when it would just be her and Serena alone. That would be the right time to bring up the topic. No distractions. No extra ears. Just the two of them and a much-needed conversation.

She had thought deeply about everything that had happened the previous night. The tension, the strange request, the odd energy that had clung to Lucian like smoke. And though no one had said anything openly, Marlowe had pieced together a few things in her mind. Little signs here and there. Subtle changes. All of it forming a picture that was starting to make sense to her.

She had a suspicion, one she couldn’t shake off. But she refused to jump to conclusions. Not yet. She needed to hear it from Serena herself.

So, for now, she decided to start the morning on a warm, calm note. Smiling, chatting, laughing when needed. Pretending everything was normal... until the moment she could finally ask the questions burning at the tip of her tongue.

But the warmth didn’t last long.

Darrell’s phone began to ring. He picked it up casually, not even checking the number. It was an unknown caller.

"Hello?" he answered.

The voice on the other end was calm, familiar, and cold.

"This is Modi," the caller said. "I’ve been trying to reach Serena, but she hasn’t been picking up. It’s urgent. Lucian suffered a sudden attack not long ago. His condition is critical. We need Serena here at the Council immediately. Her intervention might be the only thing that can help him."

And just like that, the call ended.

Darrell pulled the phone slowly away from his ear, his expression changing instantly. A deep frown furrowed his brows, and his body stiffened with confusion.

Serena and Marlowe noticed it right away.

"What’s wrong?" Marlowe asked, setting down her juice.

Darrell looked between the two of them before answering. "That was... Modi. He said he’s been calling you," he added, looking at Serena.

Serena frowned, recalling her phone was still in the bedroom. She didn’t take it with her while coming down.

"He said Boss suffered an attack," Darrell continued. "And that you need to come immediately. He said Boss is in critical condition... that only you can help him."

The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the room shifted.

Serena’s chest clenched as panic began to seep into her heart. Her eyes darted toward the door Lucian had walked through. He had been fine. Perfectly fine when he left. What kind of sudden attack could have possibly changed that?

It didn’t make sense.

"I’ll go get dressed," she said abruptly, standing up and walking out of the dining room.

"I’ll prepare as well," Darrell said, following suit.

But Marlowe remained seated.

She didn’t move, didn’t even blink for several seconds. Her eyes narrowed, thoughts racing.

First, Lucian was summoned to the council to examine something supposedly "wrong" with Serena. Now, not long after, Serena was being summoned in turn, supposedly to save Lucian.

That was no coincidence. Something was very wrong here.

But what exactly it was, she couldn’t yet say.