SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: Sovereign's Oath
Lucien held his mother close, feeling the frailty in her frame. She clung to him as if afraid he would vanish.
"You're burning up, he murmured, his hand brushing over her forehead. Fever.
Selene had been fighting sickness for a long time, yet the apocalyptic world left no room for weakness.
Resources were scarce, and medicine was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Valeria wheeled herself forward, her violet eyes sharp as ever. "You look..... different."
Lucien turned to her, and for the first time in years, he stood taller than her.
She noticed.
Valeria had always been his protector, the one who shielded him when the world turned cruel. But now, something had changed. The air around him was heavier.
Dangerous.
"I've changed," Lucien admitted, golden eyes gleaming. "And from now on, things will be different."
Valeria frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lucien exhaled. He couldn't tell them everything yet, not until he regained more of his power. But there was one thing he could make clear.
"I will never let anyone hurt you again."
His voice was absolute.
Selene's grip on his sleeve tightened.
Valeria's lips parted slightly, searching for the usual hesitation in his words.
She found none.
Lucien turned toward the room, scanning the supplies. Pathetic. A few cans of food, barely enough for another week. The water purifier was failing.
His jaw clenched. They had been surviving, not living. He wouldn't allow this.
Night had fallen, and the outside world stirred with horrors.
Lucien stood at the window, watching the streets below. The ruined city stretched endlessly, filled with scavengers and creatures lurking in the dark.
"Lucien."
He turned. His mother stood behind him, wrapped in a thin blanket. She
looked so small.
Selene hesitated before stepping closer. "...Where have you been?" The question was gentle, but he knew the fear behind it.
Lucien had been weak before.
Whenever he left the shelter, he returned beaten, barely clinging to life. She must have feared the same happened again.
He reached out, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "I'm stronger now."
Selene searched his face, her icy blue eyes filled with longing. "...You feel different."
Lucien smiled softly. "Because I am."
She bit her lip. "You say you won't let anything happen to us. But this world
"This world will kneel," Lucien interrupted, voice firm. Selene's breath hitched.
"I will tear apart anyone who threatens you. No more hiding. No more suffering."
His mother trembled at his words. Not from fear-but from the sheer certainty in his tone.
She reached up, cupping his face. "...You've grown."
Lucien covered her hand with his own. "I won't lose you."
Her fingers curled slightly, as if memorizing his warmth.
"...Then I'll believe in you," she whispered.
Lucien exhaled.
That was enough.
For now.
The next morning, Lucien moved.
The shelter was safe for now. But food, medicine, and supplies were running low. They wouldn't last another month like this.
He stepped out into the city.
Valeria had protested at first. "You can't just walk out there alone!"
Lucien had only smiled. "Watch me."
She didn't understand. Not yet.
The streets were a graveyard of broken buildings and forgotten souls.
The air smelled of rot, and the distant howls of creatures echoed through the ruins.
Perfect hunting grounds.
Lucien's golden eyes scanned the streets, seeking his first prey.
And then he saw them.
Scavengers.
A group of six men, heavily armed, dragging a young woman through the rubble. She was battered, barely conscious.
Lucien exhaled.
In the past, he would have ignored this. Survival meant not interfering.
But now?
Now, he was not a survivor.
He was a Sovereign.
Lucien moved.
His body blurred, the world twisting around him.
The first scavenger barely had time to scream before Lucien ripped his throat out.
Blood sprayed.
The others turned, eyes widening-
'too slow'
Lucien tore through them like a phantom. Bones cracked. Flesh tore. The last one tried to run.
Lucien caught him.
Dragged him down.
Watched the terror in his eyes as realization dawned.
"...M-monster," the man whimpered.
Lucien smiled. "Yes"
Then he crushed his skull.
Silence.
Lucien exhaled, wiping blood from his hand.
The girl was barely conscious, her breathing weak. Tortured. Starved.Used.
His gaze darkened. She was like her
'Evangeline'
Kneeling, he pressed a hand to her forehead. A faint pulse of energy surged from his palm-a healing technique he barely remembered.
Her breathing steadied.
Lucien lifted her effortlessly.
"Rest," he murmured. "You're safe now"
And for the first time since awakening, he truly felt like the Sovereign he once was.