Lucien swam beside Jace, his trench coat flopping in the water, the dim light flickering a few times as if he were a shadow wandering in the darkness.
Overhead, the lights of a helicopter skimmed the water like a giant eye searching in the darkness but unable to find its prey, while its roar made Jace's heart race.
Lucien pulls Jace to the bottom of the lake as darkness quickly engulfs everything.
Jace felt dizzy as if he was going to explode, the pressure of the water squeezing his chest tightly, suffocating him, but the current seemed to obey him, protecting him as if it possessed life.
He wasn't sure what was happening, but there was no time to think.
Lucien suddenly tugged hard on his arm, pointing at a shadowy mass at the bottom of the lake - an abandoned sewer opening, only to see the iron grates half-collapsed, revealing a deep, dark hole.
They dove into the water, the current wrapping Jace through the grate, the rusted bars cutting through his bodysuit, old wounds cracking again and causing him to clench his teeth in pain.
The pipe was as narrow as a coffin and the stench of the air made him want to vomit, but he followed Lucien's lead.
The pipe ended in a dry exit, and they climbed out, dropping down into a snowdrift next to the South Side sewers.
Jace gasped, panting like a dog, and spat out a mouthful of lake water, blood mixing with the snow and staining the snow around them.
"Damn ..." Jace struggled to his feet, his arm aching as he glared angrily at Lucien, "We almost died!"
Lucien stood up, his trench coat was soaked through and blood was still dripping from the wound on his shoulder.
He responded coldly, "As long as we're not dead, we're fine." He turns to look out over the lake as the lights of the helicopter finally move away and disappear into the night.
Still in shock, Jace clenches his fists and says in a shaky voice, "Charles has everything on me, he has surveillance!"
He gasped, his thoughts confused. The Water God bloodline? The superpower program? What was this guy up to?
Lucien fought through the pain of his wound and looked back at him coldly, "He wants your power, either to control you or destroy you completely."
He paused and whispered, "Come with me, it's not safe here."
Jace clenched his teeth, his legs were heavy as lead, but he realized that once he stopped he meant defeat.
They sped through the streets of the South End, streetlights wavering in the wind and snow, walls covered in graffiti graffiti, and fallen garbage cans strewn about, giving off a sickening, sour odor.
Lucien led him into a narrow alley, at the end of which stood an abandoned church, broken pieces of stained glass scattered on the ground, the church spire tilted at an angle, from a distance, like a skeleton of the dead.
Lucien kicked open the door and quickly rushed inside, followed by Jace. Their boots crushed the glass with a sharp shattering sound.
The scene inside the church was even more alarming, with the smell of mold permeating the area.
The wooden pews had rotted to the point of creaking due to the long period of neglect, and the cross on the altar had fallen to the ground, resembling the scene of the end of days.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew in through the broken window, stirring up the dust in the room and making Jace cough.
Lucien stops, turns to close the door, and blocks it with a broken board, moving quickly and skillfully, as if he were a precise machine.
The wound on Jace's arm is still bleeding, blood dripping onto the floor and mixing with the dust.
He glares angrily at Lucien and questions, "You say you're my guardian, then explain yourself to me, or I'd rather go out and face them!"
Lucien turns his head to look at Jace and replies expressionlessly, "You want to know? Fine."
He walked slowly, his boots crushing glass, his voice low and continuous, "The seeds of the war between the gods and demons were planted billions of years ago. The Holy Council and the Shadow Clan, are two camps, vying for supreme power. And you, being a direct descendant of the Water God, they crave your blood."
Jace's thoughts were like being struck by lightning, for billions of years. It sounded as crazy as madness, but the vision of that stream of water and Charles's video made it impossible for him to dismiss it so easily.
With a sharp gasp, he pressed, "What about Charles? And who is he?"
Lucien calmly replied, "The man at the helm of the Kane Consortium, a pawn of the Holy Council. He intends to use you to awaken a more powerful force."
He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming colder, "It will be Heaven's Punishment, the key to doom."
"Heaven's Punishment?" Jace was completely shocked, his heart seemed to miss a beat. What the hell was going on here? He questioned Lucien full of anger and doubt.
Lucien swept his gaze over Jace's wounds and said in a firm tone, "I guard you, and it has never changed in billions of years."
At those words, he turned toward the altar, seemingly searching for something.
Jace clenches his teeth and follows Lucien's lead, his insides as a mess.
Just as he was about to press on, he saw Lucien crouch down and pull out a dagger from his trench coat, its blade as black as ink.
He scratched the floor with the dagger, and the wooden planks cracked, revealing a worn book with a yellowed cover as if it were leather wrapped around bone.
Lucien picks up the book and hands it to Jace, "This is the Book of Destiny, containing the secrets of gods and demons."
Jace took the book, his hand trembling slightly. The book was heavy, like stone, and the cover was cold and harsh to the touch. He turned to the first page, and the words were blurred and illegible, as if they were some kind of incantation, inviting deep thoughts about its meaning.
Suddenly, a dark light swept through the air, enveloping him like a shadow, and a clear whisper rang in Jace's ears, causing him to shiver, "You are the Key."
Jace looked up in shock and hastily closed his book, and the mantra-like voice ended abruptly, though it still echoed in his head.
"What's going on?" Jace stared at Lucien, wide-eyed and confused.
Lucien remained expressionless as if he had anticipated Jace's reaction, "It is your destiny and one that Charles covets."
He pauses briefly and continues, "Hide it, they are coming."
Faced with a series of strange and real visions, Jace had no choice but to trust Lucien. He tucked the book into his bodysuit, his heart beating as fast as a drum.
He wanted to press Lucien for the truth of it all, but the sound of a motorcycle roaring outside his window was like a bloodhound sniffing out the scent of blood again.
Lucien turned to look out the window like a sophisticated instrument observing the situation outside, "They've discovered our whereabouts."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he pulled Jace and rushed towards the back door of the church, when the wind and snow intensified as if it was about to engulf the entire church.
They rushed out of the church and ran forward recklessly, turning into the streets of the South Side.
However, the enemy's motorcycles are in hot pursuit, their lights piercing through the snow and wind and heading straight for them.
Jace struggled to keep up with Lucien, his legs aching almost to the point of breaking, but he clung to his books; he had to figure out why this all involved him.
The streets of the South End were still cluttered and reeked of the sour odor of garbage, and the wind and snow made the glow of the streetlights even dimmer.
Lucien turned to face his pursuers and stopped abruptly, saying to Jace in a commanding tone, "Hide."
Jace hesitates for a moment, but eventually obeys Lucien's instructions, burrowing into a nearby trash pile and huddling in the shadows, watching for movement outside.
Lucien stood in the middle of the street, like a black target against his black trench coat, shielding Jace from his impending foe.
At that moment, two motorcycles whizzed by, and the black shadows jumped off, the short knives in their hands flashing with cold light.
The leading one swung his knife at Lucien, the blade was as fast as lightning, Lucien sidestepped and dodged it, quickly counterattacking, a dark light slashed through, and the black shadows were knocked away and fell heavily on the ground, their blood stained the white snow.
The other black shadow saw this and raised his sword even more fiercely to pounce on Lucien.
Lucien was as quiet as water, he saw the move and twisted the blade, blood dripped from his hand, but he didn't let go.
While the dark figure froze, he kicked his opponent hard into the wall.
Jace stared at it all, unable to believe Lucien's calmness in the face of his enemy.
He was too ruthless, like a battle-hardened killing machine.
But before he could regain his senses, there was a burst of gunfire in the distance, and a dense hail of bullets grazed the garbage pile, knocking the tin right off the roof.
Jace couldn't help but clench his teeth and duck with his head in his hands, his instincts telling him that the Shadow Clan was at it again.
Sure enough, he looked up to see three dark figures standing on the corner, armed with pistols, white smoke still coming from the muzzles of the bullets they had just discharged.
Lucien remained calm and unchanged as if this was all a childish maneuver.
He turned and charged at the dark shadows, using his power to coalesce the dark light in his hands into a shield that managed to block a large swath of incoming bullets.
With a wave of his hand, the shadow transformed into a blade and slashed through, and one of the dark shadows fell to the ground with a scream, blood staining the snow.
However, the two remaining enemies scattered, and the gunfire became even more intense, slamming down like a torrential downpour.
Lucien clenched his teeth as his shield shattered at the corner, blood splattering out as bullets grazed his arm.
Jace's heart shook, his blood rising as he rushed out of the garbage.
He raised his hand and the standing water in the street moved like it was alive, the water rushed out and turned into two jets of water that slammed into the black shadows.
The gunfire stopped and the two dark figures were knocked off their feet and fell into the snow, splashing water all over the place.
Jace stayed still, a triumphant smile on his face.
Lucien turned to him and gazed at him coldly, a hint of approval revealed in his voice, "You're a quick learner."
He covered his injured arm, blood dripping from between his fingers, and urged in a low voice, "Let's go, they have help."
Jace gritted his teeth and followed close behind, his mind in turmoil. The Book of Destiny? Heaven's Punishment? What the hell was all this about?
He gripped the book tightly, growing more and more confused in the snow and wind, with only one question in his mind: who the hell was he?