"Seraphina…"
As I looked back, I saw the person I talked with on the rooftop. He was smiling at me widely while looking me straight in the eyes.
"Ah, hi," I said shyly. I wanted to call his name, but he still hadn't told me what it was.
"Nice meeting you here again. We often bump into each other. Do you think it's meant to be?" he asked.
"What? Pardon?" I asked again, thinking that I had heard him wrong.
He was still smiling, but he didn't repeat what he had said. Instead, he stepped closer to me, so close that I could feel his breath. I looked at him in confusion, wondering why he suddenly moved nearer. Our faces were close enough for me to feel his warm breath against my skin.
"I got some," he said as he moved away and showed me the bread he had picked.
I sighed in relief. I thought he was about to do something else.
"Let's eat breakfast together," he said. I wanted to refuse, but before I could answer, he added, "I don't take no as an answer. My treat." Then he winked at me.
He grabbed more food and drinks, saying that we would eat them together. As much as I wanted to escape, the fact that he had already bought food for us made me stay. I would just tell Dominic that I bumped into a friend at the convenience store and had breakfast with him.
I paid for the bread I got, and after me, it was his turn. His basket was almost full, and I could tell he had bought a lot. Could we even finish all of it?
We decided to sit outside the convenience store. He placed the plastic bags on the table and started taking the items out one by one.
"We need to finish everything. Wasting food is a sin, isn't it?" he asked while smiling.
I don't know why, but his smile didn't feel genuine. His eyes and smile didn't match. Or maybe I was just overthinking.
I picked the tuna carbonara and paired it with the bread I bought for myself. He opened a bottle of banana milk and handed it to me.
"Thank you," I said before digging into the pasta.
I was so busy eating that I didn't notice him watching me. When I finally looked up, I frowned in confusion.
Then he suddenly did something that made me freeze in awkwardness.
He wiped the cream from the corner of my mouth using his thumb and then licked it off his finger.
My mouth fell open in shock because of what he had done. Would anyone even do that to someone they had just met?
He laughed and looked at me.
"Can we be friends?" he asked. "I was just joking earlier. You looked tense and awkward."
"I don't accept friendships right away," I replied, my face turning blank.
Honestly, I didn't like what he did earlier. Then I remembered the awkward things Dominic used to do when we had just become friends.
"Don't you really want me to be your friend?" he asked while resting his chin on his hand and giving me puppy eyes.
I admitted to myself that he was unbelievably handsome, but I refused to let my guard down.
"I am not what you think I am," I said, my voice turning firm.
"Woah. You look scary," he said before laughing again.
"I am," I answered before finishing my pasta and drinking the banana milk he had offered earlier.
"Thanks for the breakfast. I need to go," I said as I stood up.
But before I could leave, he suddenly grabbed my hand.
The moment he touched me, his expression twisted in pain.
"Ouch!" he hissed while massaging his hand and pressing his other hand against his head.
"Are you okay?" I asked. Why did he suddenly feel pain just from touching me?
"What are you?" he asked seriously.
"I don't know what you mean," I replied.
"The sharp pain I felt came from you, right?" he asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about. You just held my hand. I didn't do anything."
He kept staring at me, trying to understand what had happened.
Just like me, he looked confused. The smile he had been wearing disappeared and was replaced with pain and uncertainty.
"You're not human?" he suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Was he crazy? Just because he felt pain, he was already asking if I wasn't human?
He didn't answer and only continued staring at me. Maybe he realized how strange his question sounded because he eventually calmed down.
"I'm sorry," he said before forcing another smile onto his face. "Did I startle you?" he asked, now sounding concerned.
"I should be the one asking you that. You looked like you were really hurt," I replied.
"It's nothing. Let's continue eating."
I had already stood up earlier because I wanted to return to the hospital, but seeing how persistent he was, I decided to give him another chance.
I would help him finish the food and drinks he bought so that nothing would go to waste. Besides, I was still a little hungry today.
I think I could finish half of everything he bought.
Damon's POV
I had been eyeing my new prospect, Seraphina Blake, just so I could hurt and kill Lucca. That had been my goal from the very beginning: to see Lucca suffer by hurting the person he loved most. And Seraphina was one of the keys to accomplishing my mission.
Every step she took, every movement she made, I knew about it. I wanted to know where she was 24/7.
Just like today.
I saw her enter the convenience store, so I followed her. She seemed aloof and unfriendly, so I guessed it would be difficult for me to lure her in. But when she agreed to eat breakfast with me, I smiled inwardly. She couldn't say no to this handsome man, huh?
While she was eating, I noticed some cream on the corner of her mouth, so I took the opportunity to flirt with her. I thought she would give in, but her expression told me otherwise. Was it because she was loyal to Lucca and wouldn't fall for my temptation?
She looked annoyed and clearly didn't like what I did.
She stood up and was about to leave, but I grabbed her hand to stop her. The moment I touched her, a surge of electricity ran through my skin. It burned so intensely that I couldn't even hide the pain.
"Ouch," I muttered.
As soon as I said that, I noticed Seraphina looking bothered and concerned.
I stared at her in hesitation.
Was Lucca's lover not human?
Why did I feel pain just from touching her?
"You're not human?" I asked her. No ordinary human should be able to do that.
"Huh?"
Confusion spread across her face. Maybe my question startled her.
More questions continued to flood my mind, but I kept them to myself. Not because I didn't want to ask, but because I didn't want to create distance between us.
My goal was to defeat Lucca by using his lover against him. I was sure he wouldn't even fight back if it meant hurting his girlfriend.
I secretly smiled, making sure not to let my prey notice.
Let's see what Lucca can do once I hurt his girlfriend.
I'll make sure he kneels before me and begs for her life.
That way, I'll finally get my revenge for the people he killed.
Seraphina's POV
After eating almost half of the food the person I was with had bought, I stood up and told him that I needed to leave. I had already been away for half an hour, and surely Dominic and Lucca would be wondering what had taken me so long.
"I need to go. Someone will be looking for me," I said.
"Who's that someone?"
Do I really need to tell him every detail as if we're already friends? He was quite annoying and weird.
"Lucca and Dominic," I answered despite my irritation.
He nodded before standing up. "Just bring the food I bought," he said.
"You haven't eaten anything," I pointed out. I had noticed that he only kept watching me eat while he barely touched any of the food.
"Watching you eat makes me full," he replied.
I flinched because of his cheesy and weird answer. Was he trying to flirt with me? If he was, I wanted to tell him to stop. I didn't even fall for Dominic's charm, so why would I fall for him? I didn't even know his name yet.
"Gotta go," I said flatly. I didn't want to give him any reason to think that I was interested in him too.
When I returned to the hospital room, Dominic immediately stood up and walked toward me.
"What took you so long?" he asked worriedly.
"I was at the convenience store buying food," I answered, confused by the way he was acting.
I glanced at Lucca, who was also staring at me.
Okay… what were they up to? Why did they both look so bothered?
"You took so long when the convenience store is just beside the hospital," Dominic said.
"There were too many people rushing in," I lied. I didn't want to mention that I had breakfast with some weirdo because it would only lead to more questions. If they asked for his name, I wouldn't even be able to answer.
"Here's your tuna panini," I said as I handed it to Dominic.
He still looked serious while staring at me, but he accepted the tuna panini from my hand.
"Did your breakfast arrive?" I asked Lucca.
"Yeah," he replied shortly.
I nodded before placing the plastic bag on the table and sitting down.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Dominic asked while opening his tuna panini.
"I already ate at the convenience store," I answered. "Are you planning to stay here all day?" I asked him.
"No. After eating this, I'll leave," he said.
"When will Lucca be discharged?" I asked.
Dominic and Lucca looked at each other as if they were silently communicating through their eyes.
"If the doctor allows him to," Dominic answered.
"Even your master hasn't visited him," I commented based on my observation. Why did he suddenly leave without even saying whether he would come back or not?
"He's busy, but he'll surely visit Lucca today or tomorrow."
I nodded before pulling my phone out of my pocket. I saw Mira's messages, but I didn't open them. I was still a little upset with her for being reckless and careless.
I wouldn't let her drink herself drunk again. If she wanted to do that, I'd make sure I wasn't around to witness it.
Dominic's POV
After eating the food Seraphina had bought for me, I told them that I would be heading to my office. But in reality, I was already driving toward our master's house. Even I was curious about why he hadn't visited Lucca or stayed at the hospital.
"Master?" I called while knocking on the door.
After a few seconds, the main door opened. I greeted him with a bow and a smile.
"What brought you here?" he asked.
"Can I have tea with you?" I asked.
He nodded and let me inside the house. He went straight to the kitchen to prepare tea for us. Meanwhile, I quietly sat in the living room while waiting for him.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying two cups of tea. He handed one to me, and I thanked him.
I took a sip before placing the cup back on the table and looking at him. He seemed to be waiting for me to speak.
"You still haven't visited Lucca at the hospital, Master…" I started.
I saw him sigh heavily, looking stressed. I didn't know what was on his mind or why he seemed so troubled.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"How are Lucca and Seraphina doing? Did Lucca regain his strength?" he asked, diverting the topic.
"Lucca hasn't tried using it yet. Maybe because Seraphina was there."
He nodded slowly.
"Can you tell me now why you didn't go back to the hospital?"
"I'm busy," he answered shortly.
"You're not. I've known from the beginning that Lucca is your favorite disciple. Who wouldn't favor him? He's good at everything while I—"
I wasn't able to finish speaking because he interrupted me.
"Don't utter nonsense. I have no favorites," he reprimanded.
I immediately shut my mouth and made a zipper gesture across my lips.
Master sighed once again before taking another sip from his cup. He still looked bothered and uneasy.
"Master…"
He looked at me silently.
"What's really happening? You seem troubled," I asked, hoping he would finally answer.
"It's about Lucca," he said quietly.
"What about Lucca, Master?"
"I can't tell you yet…"
Master's POV
The day I left the hospital, I immediately went to visit a friend of mine who was also a master. I knocked on his door, and he opened it.
"Jhong…" my friend muttered. "What brought you here?"
I didn't answer right away and simply walked inside. My friend, Hernan, went to the kitchen to prepare tea. When he came back, he handed me a cup. I immediately took a sip, trying to calm the tension building inside me.
"So?" Hernan asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Lucca," I said immediately.
That instantly made my friend's expression turn serious.
"What about that kid?"
"He already started remembering fragments of the past," I said worriedly.
"Why not just tell him the truth already? You've been lying to him all this time," Hernan said.
"And then what? Disappear from this world?"
"The moment you accepted him into your house, you already started lying," Hernan replied.
"I didn't know the day would come when the puzzle pieces would slowly start fitting together."
"You know no secret stays hidden forever. If he's going to find out eventually, then he deserves to know."
I sighed deeply. I didn't even know where to begin explaining things to him. His parents, the source of his powers, the ring, his past, Seraphina, and the connection between them. Everything was in chaos because of the decision I made long ago.
"The puzzle pieces will keep appearing. Now that everything has been unlocked, you can't stop it anymore," Hernan said worriedly.
"What should I do?" I asked.
"Let the truth reveal itself. We can't go back to the past to fix the mistakes we made. You have to embrace the changes."
Hernan was right. Decades had already passed. It was far too late to return to where everything began.
"Let Lucca connect his past and present. If the puzzle becomes complete, let him realize how both are connected, especially when it comes to Seraphina."
I stayed silent, trying to process what Hernan was saying. He was right. We couldn't avoid the truth forever. Even if this generation passed, another would come, but the connection would remain.
"Jhong, we're too old to keep stressing over this. Let the younger ones handle their own fate," he said.
"What if Lucca ends up hating me?" I asked quietly.
"Do you really think he could hate the person who raised him since he was a child?"
Once again, I remained silent.
I just hoped that when the truth finally came out, it wouldn't hurt too much.
Do you realize what I mean?
The scenes Lucca had been dreaming about were real.
And do you know what makes it worse?
They were those people.