Lena barely had time to catch her breath before the air around her shifted again.
The heat in Lucian's domain felt heavier now, as if something unseen had awakened. The marble beneath her feet pulsed faintly, and the golden candlelight flickered like dying embers.
Lucian stood before her, his golden eyes darker than usual. There was something unreadable in his gaze.
"You've passed the first test," he murmured. "But that was just the beginning."
Lena exhaled shakily. "And what now? Another fight for survival?"
Lucian chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Not quite. You've proven that you can hold onto your will. But now, the Underworld has begun to take notice."
Lena frowned. "What does that mean?"
Lucian's expression hardened. "The whispers have begun."
A cold shiver ran down her spine. "Whispers?"
Lucian stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "The Underworld is not just a place, Lena. It is alive. And when someone forms a pact with one of us, the Underworld listens."
Lena swallowed hard.
"And now it's listening to me?"
Lucian's smirk returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, little mortal," he murmured. "It's not just listening. It's calling for you."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
She had felt something ever since she had woken up in his domain—a faint, almost imperceptible pull at the edges of her mind.
Like a voice, just beyond hearing.
She had ignored it.
Now, she wasn't sure she could.
---
A Warning Unheeded
Lucian led her through the halls of his domain, each step echoing like a whispered secret.
Lena kept close behind him, her senses sharp.
"What exactly are these whispers saying?" she asked hesitantly.
Lucian didn't look back. "That depends. The Underworld has many voices. Some will try to tempt you. Some will try to break you. And some…"
He stopped at a grand doorway, his golden eyes locking onto hers.
"Some will try to claim you."
Lena's breath hitched. "Claim me?"
Lucian nodded. "The pact has marked you as mine. But the Underworld… it does not care for rules."
Her stomach tightened.
Lucian pushed open the door, revealing a vast chamber filled with mirrors.
The sight made Lena hesitate.
"What is this place?" she whispered.
Lucian stepped inside, his gaze sharp. "A place where the whispers are loudest."
Lena frowned. "Why bring me here?"
"Because you need to learn," he murmured. "If you do not control the whispers, they will control you."
Lena shivered.
She didn't like the sound of that.
Lucian gestured toward the mirrors. "Step forward, Lena."
She hesitated.
The mirrors stretched as far as she could see, their glass smooth and flawless. But as she moved closer, she realized something was off.
Her reflection wasn't normal.
In some mirrors, she was smiling—but the smile wasn't hers. It was too wide. Too knowing.
In others, she stood in chains, her eyes empty, the mark on her wrist glowing like fire.
And in the largest mirror at the center, she wasn't there at all.
Just darkness.
A void.
A whisper slithered through the room.
"You do not belong to him."
Lena stiffened. "Did you hear that?"
Lucian's jaw clenched. "Yes."
The whisper came again, curling around her ears like silk.
"He is not your master. Break free."
Lena's pulse quickened. The voice was soft, almost… familiar.
She turned to Lucian. "Who is that?"
His gaze darkened. "A liar."
Lena wasn't sure if she believed him.
The whisper came again.
"We can show you the truth."
Lena's breath caught.
Truth.
That was what she wanted, wasn't it?
She took a step toward the mirror with the darkness.
Lucian's hand snapped around her wrist. "Don't."
His voice was sharp, almost desperate.
Lena froze, startled by his intensity.
Lucian exhaled, his grip tightening. "The whispers will tell you what you want to hear. But they are not your thoughts. They are the Underworld's."
Lena swallowed hard.
"But what if they're telling the truth?" she whispered.
Lucian's golden eyes burned.
"Then you will wish you never listened."
---
The Call of the Underworld
The moment Lena stepped out of the mirror chamber, the whispers followed.
They curled around her like unseen hands, slipping into her mind when she wasn't paying attention.
They were soft at first.
Tempting.
"You don't have to be his."
"There is a way out."
"He is not telling you everything."
But then—they changed.
Darkened.
"Run."
"He will consume you."
"You are already his prisoner."
Lena clenched her jaw, shaking her head.
They weren't real.
They were just voices.
But why did they feel like something more?
Why did it feel like the Underworld itself was watching her?
She turned to Lucian, who was silent beside her. His expression was unreadable.
"You knew this would happen," she accused.
Lucian met her gaze. "Yes."
Anger flared in her chest. "And you didn't tell me?"
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Because I wanted to see if you could resist them."
Lena clenched her fists. "And what if I can't?"
Lucian's gaze darkened.
"Then they will drag you into the Underworld," he said simply. "And you will never return."
Lena's heart pounded.
She had made a deal to save her brother.
But she had never realized what that truly meant.
She was playing a game with forces beyond her comprehension.
And she wasn't sure she was winning.
Lucian stepped closer, his presence suffocating.
"You are bound to me, Lena," he murmured. "The Underworld wants to break that bond. It wants to take you for itself."
Lena swallowed hard. "Why?"
Lucian's smirk was slow.
"Because you are no longer just a mort
al," he whispered.
The words sent a shiver down her spine.
What had the pact done to her?
The whispers tightened around her mind.
And for the first time—
She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear them or silence them.