Devastating news

“The doctor said your survival was nothing short of miraculous given the nature of the accident,” Dana began, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You were hit by two vans, Lucian—hit front and back. They said it would be impossible to survive, considering the extent of your injuries. You broke so many bones.”

Lucian listened, his gaze fixed on her as memories started to surface. He recalled heading to meet Jakob when the vans seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“How did you not see two vans coming straight at you, Lucian? If you had died, what would have happened to the rest of us now that the Godfather is gone?”

Drake’s voice was filled with anger and frustration, his scolding words piercing through the haze of pain and confusion.

Lucian turned to Drake, still wrestling with the shocking news of the Godfather’s death. The weight of the situation bore down on him, making his head spin.

He attempted to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his back, forcing him to remain still. His body was far from healed.

[Recovery Status: It will take a considerable amount of time to get you back on your feet. The healing process is currently at 15%, indicating a weak and slow progression. Continued rest and treatment are essential as your system gradually rebuilds its healing capacity.]

Lucian let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes as he tried to process everything.

The overwhelming information, the pain, the loss—it all swirled around him, making it hard to focus on any single thought.

Dana cast a concerned glance at Drake and said, “Maybe you need to calm down a bit. You’re overwhelming him. The Godfather was like a father to Lucian, and you’re essentially telling him he’s lost his father.”

Drake’s frown deepened as he glared at Dana. “Yeah, great job repeating it, genius. Because he’s definitely deaf.”

Dana turned her attention back to Lucian, who lay in the hospital bed with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He was trying to hold back his tears, not just from the physical pain wracking his body, but from the emotional agony as well.

Godfather is dead?

His father is dead.

Why... How did he...

“How did he die?” Lucian finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he continued to stare at the ceiling

Drake let out a deep sigh before responding, “It was a sudden and brutal attack. Godfather’s rival, William Kraig, was behind it.”

“William Kraig? He doesn’t hold a candle to Godfather,” Lucian replied, turning to look at Drake, his face etched with disbelief. “There’s no way he could have killed Godfather without some kind of extraordinary help.”

Drake nodded in agreement. “Well, there have been rumors circulating that William Craig has been systematically eliminating his rivals and always seems to come out on top. He even threatened the Godfather, declaring him as his next target.”

He continued, “Survivors among our men reported that Kraig seemed to possess some kind of powerful weapon—something like you, but stronger. They described him as a man with extraordinary abilities. They didn’t see him coming. Before they could react, most of them were dead, and the Godfather was killed as well.”

Extraordinary abilities?

Drake ran his hand through his black hair, visibly frustrated. “Godfather reached out to you that day, Lucian. He said he needed you; you were the only one he trusted to protect him. But you brushed him off, claiming you had marital issues to deal with. Well, newsflash—you’re divorced now, brother. I hope you're crying now.”

Lucian took deep, measured breaths, trying to process the flood of information. His mind was reeling, focused primarily on the devastating news about his godfather.

He had always believed his godfather to be invincible, so the reality of his death was almost impossible for him to accept. He struggled to hold back his tears, but it was a losing battle.

Drake’s frustration bubbled over.

“I’m placing the blame squarely on you, so say something!” he demanded. “Because of your stupid marriage that was doomed to fail, you ignored the Godfather’s urgent need. Now he’s gone, and you’ve ended up with nothing but a failed marriage due to your near-death experience. Those bastards didn’t even have the decency to visit— not even once! You’ve lost, Lucian! Everything!”

Dana’s concern grew as she saw Lucian’s vital signs spiking on the monitors.

She shot Drake a warning glance and said, “Take it easy on him, please. Do you want to kill him all over again? You keep talking about revenge, but we need him alive to achieve that.”

Turning her attention back to Lucian, Dana knew he needed time to recover fully. She was relieved that his relationship with Riya had ended. This was her chance to care for him and, perhaps, for him to finally notice her.

She offered him a reassuring smile, gently rubbing his arm. “Don’t worry, I’m here for you, okay?”

Drake, however, was not in the mood for comfort. He folded his arms and shot Dana a skeptical look, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of revenge and ensuring that Lucian could eventually take over from Godfather, so they could regain their influence.

Okay, for now, he decided to hold off on scolding Lucian. There would be time for that after he had recovered.

Letting out a deep breath, Drake said, “So, do you think your accident might be connected to what happened to Godfather? The coincidence seems too significant to ignore.”

Lucian shook his head, his thoughts drifting back to the day he had gone to meet Jakob.

The realization hit him—Jakob had orchestrated the trap. It had to be the only explanation.

Jakob had never shown his face, and the vans had appeared out of nowhere, as if lying in wait.

Jakob Winchester, so…

As the name Jakob Winchester echoed in his mind, a new realization struck him.

Jakob Winchester… Winchester?

His eyes widened slightly with shock as he connected the dots.

Draco Winchester—apparently, that’s me.

Wait! Could I be related to that brat?!

A prompt appeared in his mind:

[Would you like to initiate memory retrieval?]

[Options:

1. [Yes]

2. [No]

Lucian took a deep breath and selected Yes.

“Shit!” he cursed aloud as a new wave of intense pain surged through him, causing him to clutch his head in agony. The sudden outburst startled both Drake and Dana.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you, man?!” Drake’s worried voice came through faintly as Lucian’s vision blurred.

Then, Lucian lost consciousness.

[Memory retrieval successful]