LOGINArjun's past had finally entered the room.Lucien stared at the photograph, but he didn't touch it and he didn't need to.The faded faces were enough. Four young men stood outside an old stone monastery, their clothes belonged to another time, but one face was impossible to mistake. Which was Arjun.Much younger, and much harder. And standing beside him was a man wearing the Cham. Lucien lifted his eyes.Arjun had not moved."Explain."The old soldier remained silent, and Lucien's voice hardened. "Now." The priest watched them both.His face still remained calm, almost too calm. Arjun finally stepped away from the window. "That photograph should have been destroyed."The priest shook his head. "It was never meant to be destroyed." Arjun looked at him. "Then why bring it here?""Because the keeper has awakened." Lucien's jaw tightened. "Alexei?" The priest's eyes shifted to the ceiling."He is here."Lucien said nothing, but the priest continued. "I can feel the Cham." Arjun's mood cha
The following morning arrived without sunshine.A thick blanket of clouds hung over Brussels, and a light mist clung to the gardens of the Devereux Estate. The world seemed quieter than usual, as though the city itself were holding its breath.Alexei had barely slept. And every time he closed his eyes, he saw Mayor Lambert's face—the fear, the helpless honesty, the silver key trembling in his hand. More disturbing still was the memory of Lucien standing outside his bedroom door.He hadn't entered, but he had wanted to, Alexei knew it. The thought unsettled him far more than he cared to admit. A knock interrupted his thoughts."Breakfast is ready, Mr. Alexei." Henri's calm voice came through the door. "I'll be down shortly." After dressing, Alexei slipped the key into the inner pocket of his jacket. The Cham rested cold against his finger today, almost dormant, almost.The breakfast room was unusually quiet. Lucien sat at the head of the table, reading several newspapers spread before
The room remained unnaturally quiet. Henri hurried to clean the shattered porcelain, apologizing repeatedly, but Inspector Pieter Dijk seemed no longer interested in the broken cup. But his attention had returned to Alexei.Not with affection, not with fascination but with suspicion. Arjun noticed it immediately. This was different from Mayor Lambert, because Lambert had looked at Alexei as though seeing an old friend and Dijk looked at him as though trying to solve a puzzle.Lucien continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "The Antwerp shipments have increased over the past six months." Inspector Dijk nodded, though his eyes occasionally drifted back to Alexei."You seem unusually well informed." Lucien smiled. "I pay people to notice what others ignore." The inspector accepted the answer, but something in his eye remained unsettled. Alexei kept his eyes lowered, the Cham rested against his finger, strangely cool now.Its warmth had vanished the moment it touched Dijk, a
The strange key remained in Alexei's hand long after Mayor François Lambert had left.It felt far heavier than metal should. Henri closed the study doors behind the departing mayor, ensuring no servants lingered nearby. The room fell into complete silence.Lucien was the first to speak. "You saw it." His voice was almost reverent. "The Cham didn't simply expose his secrets." He walked to Alexei, his eyes fixed on the ring. "It made him choose you."Alexei stepped back. "I didn't ask for the key." He whispered. "No," Arjun answered before Lucien could. "That is precisely what makes it dangerous." Lucien barely acknowledged the warning. He took the key from Alexei's palm, studying its worn leather tag."'Archive B.'" His smile widened. "I've spent years trying to discover what Lambert hides in City Hall." He laughed."And today he handed it to us himself."Alexei watched him carefully, there was excitement in Lucien's face.But something else lurked in it, possession. The same strange s
No one spoke for a few seconds. The only sound inside Lucien's study was the rain striking the tall windows. Mayor François Lambert sat frozen, his breathing uneven.His own confession seemed to terrify him more than anyone else in the room. "I..." he whispered, pressing trembling fingers against his lips. "Why did I say that?"Lucien leaned back, masking the triumph surging through him. "You've had a difficult few months, François, perhaps carrying secrets has become exhausting." The mayor swallowed. "No... no one knows about those accounts." His eyes darted around the room before settling on Alexei once again, the instant their eyes met, another warm pulse flowed through the Cham. And Alexei immediately looked down.He didn't want this, but the damage had already begun. Lambert let out a slow breath. "I've lied to everyone. My wife... my party... even the men who helped me build the network." His voice became distant, almost dreamlike. "Sometimes I wake up afraid someone will disco
The rain had not stopped since dawn.It drummed steadily against the tall windows of Devereux Estate, turning Brussels into a city of blurred lights and gray skies. Inside Lucien's private study, however, the atmosphere was warm, heavy with cigar smoke and polished oak.Mayor François Lambert arrived precisely at nine.Henri personally escorted him inside. The mayor was a man in his late fifties with gray hair, an expensive navy suit, and the confident smile of someone who believed every room belonged to him. He had built his reputation through charity galas, hospital donations, and speeches about honesty in government.Very few knew that behind those speeches hid a mountain of carefully buried corruption. Lucien welcomed him with open arms. "François." The mayor laughed. "Lucien. You always choose the finest whiskey.""I only reserve it for important friends." They embraced before sitting across from one another. Alexei stood near one of the windows exactly as Lucien had instructed.
The first morning in Brussels was still damp from an overnight rain. The streets wet coffee drifting from cafés. Alexei sat muddy at the window of the Capo’s mansion, staring at the busy streets. The ring, still shining bright, cool in his skin, heavy with secrets he barely understood.Lucien had b
The departure from Vienna began with the arrangements suitcases and the strong coffee filling the hotel suite. Curtains were drawn back to reveal the roofs. Travelers bustled outside, taxis idled by the curb, and the city carried on as though nothing extraordinary had transpired the night before.B
The mob’s shouts had faded into memory now, but their scars still lived in Alexei’s bones. Sometimes he still felt fire near his skin, as if the torch had touched him. But when he opened his eyes, it was never fire—it was a curtains and marble floorsLucien’s mansion.He had escaped death, but not
The cold bit him deeper than hunger, but hunger was more louder. It clawed inside Alexei’s stomach, twisting. He had eaten nothing since yesterday—only water stolen from a fountain. Now the bakery’s window mocked him, its rows of bread shining like treasure.His hand moved before his mind caught u







