Lucien

It all started long before you knew his name. Back then, he was just a stranger who showed up at the wrong time. You thought it was a coincidence, but there were no coincidences.

That night, when the lights went out throughout the neighborhood, you felt for the first time that someone was following you. Footsteps came from the darkness, but there was no one nearby. An icy wind blew down your spine, and the windows shook.

And then he appeared. Tall, quiet, with a gaze that saw deeper than you could ever imagine. "Lucien," he said, as if the name were just a formality.

You didn't know he'd been watching you for a long time, protecting you from afar, hiding until danger became too close. After that night, he was almost always nearby: when the light broke, the glass cracked, the shadows came to life.

You trusted him. Until you found what he was hiding: a symbol on paper, traces of someone else's blood, a short note with your name and the word "target."

You walked up to him, your hands shaking.

• You deceived me...

Lucien looked up, heavily, as if he had been waiting for these words.

— Did you deceive me? No. He took a step closer.

• I saved you.

A scientist who wanted to save you, or not. Most likely, to use you for his own purposes.