Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra

Chapter 292 Visit (2)

The fire crackled softly, casting a warm, uneven glow across the room as Valeria shifted in her seat, her gaze slowly turning toward Lucavion. She hated the concern that was gnawing her heart, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them.

”How is your body?” she asked, her tone measured, though a trace of genuine curiosity softening its edge.

Lucavion stretched lazily, his arms behind his head. His smirk reappeared. ”Itʼs well, all thanks to our dear healer. Miss… uh, what was her name again? Never got it, actually.” He chuckled. ”But she did a great job. Most of the pain is gone, though my coreʼs still a bit shaky, though—needs a day or two, Iʼd guess.”

Valeria nodded, her brow furrowing slightly. ”You shouldʼve told me if you were in such a state. Fighting in that condition couldʼve been reckless.”

”Couldʼve been?” Lucavion tilted his head, mock confusion lacing his voice. ”I thought recklessness was part of my charm, wasnʼt it?”

Valeria shot him a withering look, but her focus quickly shifted, a memory from his last fight surfacing. ”Those black flames you used… what are they? Iʼve never seen anything like them.”

Lucavionʼs smirk faded slightly, replaced by a contemplative expression. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. ”Theyʼre part of my mana accumulation art,” he said simply, his voice unusually steady.

”I understand that much,” Valeria tilted her head, her lips pressing into a thin line as she considered his answer. ”But… thereʼs something strange about them. Why are they so cold? Itʼs… unnatural.”

Lucavion chuckled softly, shaking his head. ”Cold, huh? Youʼre not the first one to say that. Most people expect the fire to burn, to sear. But my flames… theyʼre different. They draw from a… different source.”

”And that source is?” she pressed, her gaze steady.

”It is a…..”

”It is a…” He paused, his smirk returning.

”Secret.”

”You!”

Lucavion burst into laughter, warm and full-bodied, echoing through the room, shaking off the usual veneer of mockery. It sounded so genuine that Valeria blinked, momentarily caught off guard. His laughter filled the space between them, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he leaned back in his chair.

”Your face, Valeria,” he managed while still in between chuckles, ”absolutely priceless. I wish I could capture that look forever.”

She scowled, arms crossing tightly over her chest. ”Youʼre insufferable.”

”And yet,” he teased, his grin widening, ”here you are. So, go on. Guess.”

Valeria narrowed her eyes, feeling the familiar mix of irritation and exasperation that always accompanied Lucavionʼs antics. Still, there was something oddly disarming about him in moments like these. She felt a faint tug of relaxation—a sense of ease that she couldnʼt quite put into words.

ʼWhy do I feel like this around him?ʼ she couldnʼt help but wonder. She knew that wasnʼt comfort to be exact. It was… soothing, maybe? She didnʼt know the right word, but whatever it was, it would leave her oddly at peace.

Shaking off the thought, Valeria straightened in her seat, her expression sharpening as she tried to focus. ”Fine,” she said briskly. ”If you insist. A fire thatʼs cold and… destructive.” Her brows furrowed as she tried to piece the information together. ”I donʼt know, Lucavion. How am I supposed to guess that?”

”Take your time,” he replied, his tone dripping with amusement. ”Iʼll wait.”

She glared at him, her mind racing. It made no sense—flames that devour without heat, one that would chill instead of burn. No matter how she twisted the logic, her mind refused to settle into anything coherent. After letting out a frustrated sigh, she finally leaned back in her chair and waved her hands in defeat.

”I donʼt know,” she admitted reluctantly. ”How am I supposed to know something so ridiculous?”

Lucavion raised an eyebrow, his smirk softening into something akin to genuine surprise. ”Heh?” He leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting with mischief. ”The great Valeria Olarion, admitting she doesnʼt know something? Never thought Iʼd live to see the day.”

”Donʼt push your luck,” she snapped, her cheeks tinged with the faintest blush. ”I donʼt have the time to entertain your riddles.”

”Relax, Valeria,” Lucavion chuckled, leaning back with his usual ease. ”I wasnʼt expecting you to figure it out. Itʼs not exactly common knowledge. But,” he added, his tone turning more contemplative, ”I like that you tried.”

She frowned at his words, her irritation giving way to a flicker of curiosity. ”You like that I tried?”

He nodded, his grin softening. ”Most people wouldnʼt bother. Theyʼd brush it off, call it nonsense, or just pretend they already knew. But you? You actually thought it through. I respect that.”

Valeria blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice, unsure how to respond, so she simply looked away, her gaze settling on the flickering flames in the hearth.

Lucavion leaned forward again, the usual playful glint in his eyes giving way to something quieter, more reflective. ”My fire,” he began, his voice lower now, ”is something only I can wield in this world.”

Valeriaʼs eyes narrowed, skepticism immediately sharpening her tone. ”Whatʼs that supposed to mean? Youʼre just throwing cryptic nonsense at me now.”

His smirk didnʼt falter, but there was a faint seriousness beneath it, a shadow of something deeper. ”It means exactly what I said. My flames are the accumulation of two forces: [Life] and [Death].”

Her breath caught and confusion flickered across her face. ”Life and death? What does that even mean?” She straightened in her seat, disbelief edging her tone. ”Youʼre talking as if youʼre some kind of… anomaly. Humans donʼt command death, Lucavion. Thatʼs black magic territory.”

”Ah, black magic,” he mused, tilting his head slightly as he studied her reaction. ”Youʼre not wrong—black magic does dabble in death energy. But what I do? Itʼs nothing like that.”

Valeria frowned, her thoughts racing to piece together his words. ”Black magic doesnʼt harness death energy in the mageʼs core,” she said slowly, her voice tinged with caution. ”Because itʼs impossible to do so. Death mana is inherently incompatible with a living body—it canʼt be contained or cultivated. So whatever youʼre claiming doesnʼt make sense.”

Lucavion chuckled softly, his sound almost resigned. ”Youʼre right again, in theory. Death mana isnʼt something a living being can control, at least not without paying a heavy price. But my flames… theyʼre different.”

”How different?” she pressed, her voice now sharper and a strange unease prickling at the back of her mind.

He leaned back, his gaze distant as he stared into the fire. ”The flames are born from balance,” he said quietly. ”From the tension between life and death within me. Life provides the fuel, the foundation. Death offers the void, the consuming force. Together, they create something… unique.”

Valeria stared at him, disbelief mingling with a rising sense of unease. His words defied every fundamental truth sheʼd been taught about mana, magic, and the human body. ”Thatʼs impossible,” she said firmly. ”You canʼt just… balance life and death like that. Itʼs not natural.”

”Who said Iʼm natural?” Lucavion replied, his smirk returning, though it lacked its usual edge.

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. For the first time, she couldnʼt tell if he was joking. His gaze, steady and unflinching, seemed to challenge her, daring her to probe deeper.

”What are you?” she whispered, almost to herself. But even as the question slipped her lips, she wasnʼt sure whether she wanted the answer.

Lucavionʼs chuckle broke the heavy silence, warm and rich as he leaned further back. His smirk widened, now tinged with a playful edge. ”What am I?” he echoed, the words lingering in the air. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting with mischief. ”That, Valeria, is for you to discover.”

Her breath hitched for a moment, the weight of their exchange still hanging over her. But as his playful tone registered, a wave of irritation swept through her. Her jaw tightened, and her narrowed eyes flashed with anger.

”You!” she snapped, sitting up straighter. ”Youʼre teasing me again, arenʼt you? I knew it! This whole ridiculous story about balancing life and death—itʼs just another one of your games.”

Lucavion grinned, his amusement deepening. ”Believe what you will, Lady Valeria. What you choose to believe is entirely up to you.”

She opened her mouth to retort but found herself hesitating. Everything about his demeanor—the smirk, the tone, the casual shrug—screamed that he was toying with her. And yet… there was something in his earlier tone, a flicker of something too genuine, too heavy to be dismissed as a mere teasing.

Her hands clenched into fists on her lap, her frustration mounting. ”If youʼre going to spout nonsense,” she said sharply, ”at least make it believable.”

”Believable?” Lucavion arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. ”Now, thatʼs an interesting demand. But tell me, what counts as believable, Valeria? The limits of what youʼve seen? What youʼve been taught? Or something else entirely?”

His words struck a nerve, and Valeria clenched her teeth. ”Donʼt lecture me,” she snapped, though her voice wavered. Deep down, a small voice whispered that he wasnʼt entirely wrong.

Lucavion chuckled again, softer this time, as though he could sense the storm of doubt swirling within her. ”Whether you believe me or not,” he said lightly, ”changes nothing. But hereʼs a thought—sometimes, the truth isnʼt about what makes sense. Sometimes, itʼs about what feels right.”

Valeria frowned as he leaned back in her chair, her thoughts churning. She wanted to dismiss his words, to write them off as yet another attempt to provoke her. But his calm, deliberate tone lingered in her thoughts, leaving her unsettled.

She wanted to believe that he was joking. She needed to believe it. And yet, a tiny part of her heart, treacherous and insistent, whispered that he wasnʼt.

But there was no way to prove it. No way to know for sure. And that, more than anything, made her blood boil.

”Bastard,” she muttered under her breath, her gaze fixed firmly on the fire. But her tone lacked venom, and her thoughts a tangled mess. Lucavion, ever the enigma, simply smiled.

KNOCK!

Just then the sudden knock at the door cut the tension.