The morning was quiet, almost too quiet.
Kai stood at the tall glass window of Lucien's city home, wrapped in a loose sweater and silence. Below, the streets buzzed faintly with city life, but it felt distant. Unreal. He pressed his fingers against the cool glass. The bond between him and Lucien hummed in his chest like a forgotten melody trying to be remembered.
Lucien entered the room behind him, holding two mugs of coffee. He said nothing at first—just handed one over, their fingers brushing in a slow, silent spark. "You didn't sleep much," Lucien said, voice low. Kai shook his head. "Something feels… off."
Lucien sipped his coffee, studying him over the rim of the cup. "It's the bond. It's reacting. Changing. Especially after what we learned yesterday." They had spent most of the previous day pouring over old texts, magical scrolls, and crumbling prophecies stored in the restricted vault of Lucien's personal collection. Kai had discovered that his presence seemed to accelerate Lucien's curse. But more than that—it also seemed to hold it back, like light inside a shadow.
They were drawn to each other for a reason. A balance.
But now, something had shifted.
**************
Later That Day – In the Study
Lucien laid open a worn book filled with sigils and ancient Omegaverse bond theory. "This one talks about a 'Watcher of Flame,'" he muttered. Kai leaned over his shoulder. "Watcher?" Lucien nodded. "A force that observes soul-bonded pairs and decides whether their union is… blessed or broken." Kai felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine. "Like a judge?"
"Or an executioner."
The lights flickered. Only once. But it was enough to send both of them into silence. Lucien closed the book, his hand steady but jaw tight. "We should go out back. Practice again. I want to test your control—see if the bond reacts under pressure."
*********
Back Garden – Late Afternoon
The backyard was large and shadowed by tall, enchanted trees, their silver leaves glowing faintly in the shade. Lucien's house stood like a castle behind them—modern, wealthy, but ancient in power.
Kai stood barefoot on the grass, trying to pull magic into his palms. The wind around him lifted, warm and glowing. Fire flickered from his fingers—but it surged too fast."I can't hold it," he muttered, panic rising. "Don't fight it," Lucien said, stepping closer. "Breathe with it."
Lucien took Kai's hand, his grip firm and grounding. The moment their skin met, the fire stabilized. Softened. Magic hummed between them like a lullaby of heat. But then, something cold spread through the air.
The trees fell silent.
A whisper brushed against Kai's ear—not a voice, but a feeling. Watching. Waiting. Lucien turned quickly, magic blooming in his palm. "Did you feel that?" Kai swallowed. "Someone's here."
———————————
A figure stood just beyond the line of trees—half-shadow, half-light. Wrapped in black robes, face hidden by a dark hood that seemed to blur at the edges like smoke. But what caught Kai's breath was not the figure itself—it was the feeling. The Watcher looked directly at them.
Lucien stepped in front of Kai instinctively, shielding him with his body. The figure didn't move. But the magic around them thickened, humming with judgment. It was as if the world had stopped just to let this presence exist.
Then it vanished—like it had never been there at all.
Lucien kept staring at the empty space. "That… that was it."
"The Watcher," Kai whispered. "It saw us."
******
That Night
The air was no longer just still—it felt tainted.
Lucien stood frozen where the Watcher had last been seen, his breath fogging out in short, visible puffs, even though the night was not cold. The flicker of shadow, the gleam of an eye like burning ink, had vanished—but something was left behind. Not visible, not traceable—but felt. A pull. A pressure. As if the bond between him and Kai was now being watched from the outside.
Kai clutched his arms around his chest, trembling—not from cold, but from the unmistakable presence that had sunk into his senses like oil in water. "That thing… it didn't feel human." Lucien moved to him immediately, his hands cupping Kai's face gently, thumbs brushing the skin just beneath his wide eyes. "It wasn't. It was something older. Something cursed."
Kai blinked, barely breathing. "Was it here for me?"
"No," Lucien answered slowly, but uncertainty lingered in his tone. "Maybe not only for you."
They didn't return inside right away. They sat on the stone steps in silence. The sky above had no stars now, as if the very night had shut its eyes. The bond between them pulsed unevenly, responding to the fear in Kai's chest, the dread buried in Lucien's blood. And yet… it held.
"I felt it… reach through the mark," Kai whispered, touching the bond's glow at his neck. "Like it was testing it. Testing me." Lucien looked over sharply, his eyes narrowing. "It can sense our connection. That means it's tied to it. To the curse. To the prophecy."
A silence fell again, heavy and full of the unspoken.
Then, slowly, Kai shifted closer. Not from neediness—but from instinct. A quiet magnetism. Lucien's arm wrapped around him as naturally as breathing, drawing him close until Kai leaned against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart.
"I don't want to be scared," Kai murmured.
"You don't have to be," Lucien replied, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Not when I'm here."
Their bond shimmered faintly, a soft blue light pulsing through the skin of their chests. It seemed to respond to their closeness. As if drawing strength from their intimacy. As if protecting them.
But far off in the distance—beyond the trees, beyond even the mountains—something stirred in response.
Something that had seen the bond… and would not forget it.