The silence that descended was heavier than any pressure Silla had ever felt in his life. He stood frozen in the middle of his own room, feeling like a death-row inmate facing his executioner. The dark silhouette on the balcony stepped slowly into the room. The interior light illuminated the visitor's face, and the sight made Silla's breath catch in his throat for a moment.
A face as handsome as an ancient Greek statue, with pale skin that contrasted sharply with his jet-black hair and obsidian eyes as deep as the abyss. Even dressed casually in a simple black shirt and slacks, the aura of power radiating from him was more intimidating than if he had been wearing a full suit of armor.
He was Lucian Thorne.
This man's image was plastered across all forms of media. He was a living legend, the strongest SS-Rank Awakened in the country, and... the owner of that egg.
Silla felt his legs might give out and send him crumbling to the floor. His mind went completely blank. What was he supposed to do? Scream? Call for help? Kneel and beg for his life?
But before he could do anything, those obsidian eyes left his face and swept across the room. They didn't linger on the decor or any of the furniture, but seemed to be scanning for something... and finally, they stopped on the closed wardrobe door.
Lucian said nothing. He simply walked straight toward his target, his steps silent and steady, like a phantom. Amidst the silence, Silla could hear only his own heart, pounding like a war drum.
"Th-There's nothing in there!" The voice that came out was so shaky and faint it was barely audible. "It's just my old clothes...".
Lucian didn't even glance at him. His long, slender, but powerful hand reached for the wardrobe handle....
In that instant, a soft light flashed, seeping through the cracks of the wardrobe door. It was the light from the egg... as if it were trying to warn or protect its reluctant new master.
Lucian's fingers paused for a fraction of a second before he pulled the door wide open.
The sight that greeted them was the onyx egg resting on a soft pile of clothes, glowing brightly. Its light was warm and gentle, but in Lucian's eyes, it was a confirmation of his hypothesis... the energy signature he had been tracking was not a mistake.
"That's..." Silla tried to speak, but his throat was parched.
"My property," Lucian said for the first time, his voice deep and utterly devoid of emotion. "How did it get into your room?".
It wasn't a question seeking an answer, but an accusation that hit Silla square in the face.
"I-I don't know! I really don't know!" Silla denied frantically, shaking his head so hard his still-damp hair sprayed droplets of water. "Last night... I came out of the shower, and it was just sitting on my bed! I didn't steal it! Please, believe me!".
Lucian slowly turned to look at him. Those obsidian eyes stared deep into Silla's, as if trying to excavate every truth hidden within. Silla felt completely exposed before that gaze. He was so scared he wanted to cry.
But Lucian said nothing more. He turned his attention back to the egg, reaching out to pick it up.
Suddenly, the egg glowed brighter than before! It released an invisible wave of energy that struck Lucian's hand. While not strong enough to harm an SS-Rank Awakened, it was a clear push... a decisive "rejection".
Lucian drew his hand back, a rare look of surprise on his face.
That sight made Silla decide instantly... the only way to prove his innocence was to return the evidence to its owner with his own hands!.
"Let me get it for you!" He rushed forward as if afraid the other man would change his mind. He squeezed into the narrow space between Lucian and the wardrobe. The clean scent, like the air after a rainstorm, that came from the man only made his heart beat faster.
Silla took a deep breath and gently lifted the egg. In his arms, it was calm and warm, its soft light bathing him in a gentle glow. It felt more like holding a tame pet than a national-level dangerous object.
"Here," he said, offering the egg to Lucian with trembling hands. "I'm returning it... I really have no idea how it got here. Please, just take it back. I don't want anything to do with this".
Lucian studied the scene before him... a fragile-looking F-Rank boy who seemed on the verge of breaking, trembling as he offered up the S-Rank egg that had just rejected him, his face a mask of sincerity and utter terror.
The strongest man in the country slowly reached out both hands to take it back....
And then... the strangest thing happened.
The moment Lucian's hands came within a foot of the egg, the invisible energy formed again. It created a resistance that pushed Lucian's hands away while simultaneously pulling the egg toward Silla's body.
It felt like two magnets with the same pole trying to repel each other.
"Huh?" Silla uttered in confusion. He tried moving a little closer and offering the egg again, but the result was the same. The resistance grew stronger the more he tried to hand it over.
"Just take it!" he said frantically, starting to push the egg toward Lucian's hands with more force. "Why won't you take it! Please!".
Lucian didn't answer, but his obsidian eyes were fixed on the point of contact between Silla's palms and the egg's shell... he noticed the faint warmth and soft light seeping from the boy's hands... that useless, Rank F light-element power.
And finally... the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
The feeling of longing... the need for a specific kind of light....
It wasn't the powerful light of healing... but the purest "warmth" of incubation.
"Stop,".
Lucian's voice made Silla freeze instantly. He lowered the egg in his hands, confused.
"What is your name... your rank," Lucian asked, his voice still flat, but the look in his eyes had changed. It was no longer the gaze one would give a thief, but that of a researcher who had just discovered the rarest specimen in the world.
"S-Silla... 'Silla Crestwell'... Rank F... light element..." Silla answered in a small voice.
Rank F, light element... Lucian repeated the words in his mind. A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes for a moment... not at the boy, but at fate's incredibly cruel sense of humor.
"I can't take the egg without you," Lucian stated bluntly.
Silla's eyes widened.
"Wh-What does that mean?".
"It means... you have to come with me".
The confusion on Silla's face morphed back into panic.
"Come with you? Where? I can't! I have a life here, I have to water my plant... I have a part-time job at the library... I've already paid this month's rent..." He started rambling, his words tumbling over each other.
But Lucian paid no attention to his pathetic protests. He took another step closer, forcing Silla to back up until his back was against the wardrobe. He was now completely trapped between the tall man and the mysterious egg in his arms.
"This is not a negotiation, Silla".
The deep voice, speaking his name for the first time, sent a chill colder than anything before down his spine.
The ordinary life he had cherished for so long... was about to end.