Lucian didn't move.
His grip on his blade remained firm, his eyes locked onto the woman lounging before him. She was too at ease, too comfortable—like she had been here long before he even noticed.
She smirked, tilting her head. "You always were slow to notice things outside of yourself."
Lucian's fingers twitched. "You're the Book of Envy."
"Mm." She stretched, rolling her shoulders before standing up in one fluid motion. "You make it sound so impersonal."
Lucian's gaze didn't waver. "You weren't like this before."
She chuckled, stepping closer. "Ah, but I was. You just couldn't see me yet."
Lucian's breath was steady, but his mind wasn't.
She was right.
The presence—the pull of Envy—it had always been there, buried within him, guiding his hand. But now?
Now it had a face. A voice. A will of its own.
Why?
As if reading his thoughts, she leaned in slightly, golden eyes glinting. "You're finally worth speaking to."
Lucian's expression darkened. "Meaning?"
Envy smiled—a slow, knowing thing. "I don't speak to the weak, dear thief. I speak to those who are becoming something greater."
Lucian exhaled, watching her carefully. "You talk as if I'm special."
"You are." She took another step, forcing him to either hold his ground or retreat. He didn't move.
"You, more than anyone, understand this truth." Her voice dropped to a whisper, like a secret only meant for him.
"Strength is not given. It is taken."
Lucian's jaw tightened.
She reached out, fingers tracing the air near his chest—right where the book's power resided within him.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" she murmured. "That hunger. The thrill of taking something that wasn't yours. The moment their power became yours—completely, undeniably."
Lucian's throat felt dry.
He had felt it.
That moment when Kael's swordsmanship had become his. That moment when the monster's instincts had fused into his own.
It hadn't been just a gain of power.
It had been a rush.
Envy's smile widened. "And now, dear thief, tell me… what will you take next?"
Lucian's heart pounded.
Because he didn't have an answer.
Not yet.