Chapter 399: Destiny - Princess Lucy

Noah materialized in the team’s shared common area through his domain link, Sophie appearing beside him in a swirl of purple energy. The familiar sensation of dimensional travel still made his stomach lurch slightly, but it was infinitely preferable to explaining to palace security why he’d been missing for over twenty-four hours and looked like an immigrant, especially since he didn’t have his assigned guards with him.

Also, because domain link was faster and more convenient.

"Noah!" Kelvin’s voice boomed across the room, his cybernetic arms whirring as he gestured wildly. "My man! We were starting to think you’d been abducted by aliens. Well, more aliens. Different aliens."

"Close enough," Noah replied dryly, taking in the scene. The team was gathered around a holographic display that showed what looked like historical documents and family trees, with various data points marked in red. Diana was bent over a tablet, her fingers flying across the interface, while Lyra had multiple data streams open on her portable workstation.

"What’s all this?" Noah asked, gesturing toward the displays. "What did I miss in twenty-four hours?"

Lucas looked up from where he’d been studying the hologram, his expression grim. "The Eighth Ancestor conspiracy. Turns out family heads don’t die naturally—they disappear. We’re talking centuries of systematic kidnapping, and every family has been kept in the dark about it."

"The what now?" Noah frowned, still processing. "Eighth Ancestor? Since when are we investigating ancient family politics?"

"Since Lucas’s uncle has been filing reports about missing family heads for decades and getting institutionalized for it," Diana explained without looking up from her tablet. "We think there’s an organized effort to kidnap the leadership of all seven families."

"Speaking of organized efforts," Lucas said, his tone shifting with curiosity, "how did your beach day turn into capturing Vex Marduk? Palace security reported you dropping off a high-value prisoner yesterday evening."

Noah blinked in surprise. "You have no idea? Anyways, what were you told?"

"Just that you delivered someone to detention," Lyra said, finally looking up from her workstation with intense curiosity.

"Yeah, the guy’s been trafficking beasts in and out of Raiju. Noah confiscated one of his ..RARE specimens," Sophie said. She sounded out of it while talking and went to find a seat close by to seat.

"Okay, crazy twenty four house and all that. But what I want to know is how you ended up with another dragon?" Kelvin said, eyes glued on his best friend, waiting on every detail.

The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at Noah with expressions ranging from shock to excitement.

"Yeah, it’s been a crazy day," Noah said not knowing where to start from exactly. The orgy or the fact that he got a girl dragon.

"Wait, you are not joking?" Kelvin’s voice cracked slightly. "My man, are you telling me you found a third one?"

Noah’s expression softened slightly. "Her name is Ivy. She’s safe now, recovering with Nyx and Storm in the domain. She’s been through hell, so I’m giving her space to heal and bond with the others."

"Can we meet her?" Kelvin asked eagerly. "I mean, another dragon! You are starting the most exotic Zoo in the universe—"

"Not yet," Noah cut him off firmly. "She needs time. Trust me on this one."

Lucas cleared his throat, his expression growing uncomfortable. "Actually, Noah, about Vex... I have some bad news. My father is planning to release him."

Noah’s face went cold. "What?"

"It’s diplomatic," Lucas said grimly. "Officially, the royal family condemns his actions, but Vex brings in significant revenue to Raiju Prime through his... business operations. My father says he can’t afford to hold him indefinitely without causing economic complications."

"Economic complications," Noah repeated, his voice dangerously quiet. "He tortured an innocent dragon for three years, and your father is worried about economics?"

"I know how it sounds," Lucas said quickly. "But from a diplomatic standpoint—"

"From a moral standpoint, your father is about to release a monster," Noah interrupted, his fists clenching.

The room fell into uncomfortable silence before Lucas continued. "That’s actually related to what we discovered about the Eighth Ancestor situation. Thanks to some... diplomatic assistance from Lucy, we’ve made significant progress on the investigation."

"Diplomatic assistance?" Sophie asked, speaking for the first time since they’d arrived. Her voice carried a note of exhaustion that made Noah glance at her with concern.

"Actually," Lucas said, his expression growing slightly uncomfortable, "that brings up something I need to discuss with Noah. Privately."

The two friends moved to a corner of the room, leaving the others to continue their mission planning. Lucas ran a hand through his hair, a gesture Noah recognized as his friend’s tell when he was about to deliver bad news.

"Okay, just say it," Noah said. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong, exactly," Lucas hedged. "It’s just... the diplomatic assistance I mentioned? That came from Lucy."

"Your sister helped?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "That was kind of her."

"Yeah, well, there’s a problem." Lucas looked like he’d rather be facing down a Category 4 beast than having this conversation. "She might have... developed an interest in you."

Noah blinked. "That’s... okay?"

"No, Noah, it’s not okay," Lucas said, his voice taking on a pained quality. "She wants you to pay her back for the favor. Personally."

"Sure, when?"

Lucas stared at him for a long moment. "Wow. I was expecting more resistance to this. It’s my sister we’re talking about."

"Yeah, the hot scary one," Noah said with a grin. "I know."

He laughed at Lucas’s horrified expression. "I’m kidding, relax. But honestly, I could use some adventure that doesn’t involve rescuing tortured dragons or infiltrating corporate facilities. And Sophie seems..." He glanced back at where Sophie was listlessly staring at Lyra’s data streams. "She’s been off since yesterday."

Lucas followed his gaze, noting Sophie’s unusual demeanor. "Everything okay between you two?"

"It’s complicated," Noah said, which was both completely true and utterly inadequate to describe the previous night’s events. "Point is, I’m willing to take one for the team here."

"Lucy’s in the east wing of the palace," Lucas said, still looking like he was making a terrible mistake. "A guard can escort you whenever you’re ready. And Noah? If you can’t go through with it, just say so. I’ll understand."

"I’m fine," Noah assured him. "When can I go?"

"You’re ready now?"

Noah shrugged. "What better time?"

______

The guard who escorted Noah through the palace corridors was a professional soldier who walked with the easy confidence of someone who’d seen combat. His nameplate read ’Valen,’ and when Noah tried to make conversation, the man’s responses were carefully neutral.

"So, what’s Princess Lucy like?" Noah asked as they navigated through ornate hallways lined with artwork.

Sergeant Valen’s step faltered almost imperceptibly. "The Princess is... a strong, determined woman, sir."

Something in his tone made Noah look at him more closely. "That sounds like there’s more to that story."

"I’m sure you’ll form your own opinions, sir," Valen replied diplomatically, but Noah caught the way his hand unconsciously moved toward his sidearm.

’Interesting. Even the palace guards are nervous about her.’

They stopped before an imposing set of double doors that looked like they’d been carved from a single piece of some exotic wood. Sergeant Valen pressed his palm to a scanner, and the doors swung open silently.

"Princess Lucy," Valen announced, "Mr. Noah Eclipse, as requested."

The door sealed shut behind him with a quiet hiss.

Noah stepped into a space that hummed with purpose. A private training hall—bigger than most apartments back on earth, spread out before him. Steel-paneled walls bristled with mounted weapons, some traditional, some bristling with alien tech. There were rows of dummies stationed like soldiers, each one unsettlingly lifelike, right down to the synthetic veins visible beneath simulated skin. One of them was missing a head.

In the center of it all moved Lucy Grey.

Her body twisted into a sharp turn, one leg sweeping low in a brutal arc as she pivoted smoothly into a backhand slash that buried a training blade deep into the chest of a dummy. It shuddered, then slumped against the wall, leaking some sort of dark fluid. She didn’t flinch.

Her gear looked custom—jet black, sleeveless, cut to hug her every line like it had been stitched onto her body. The material clung to her curves, especially at the hips, drawing Noah’s eyes despite himself. The back of the suit was cut just high enough to frame the toned swell of her ass—tight, sculpted, and shamelessly on display every time she lunged or twisted. It was provocative, sure, but not desperate. It didn’t beg for attention—it commanded it.

Sweat traced down her spine and along her thighs, not in rivulets, but in sleek highlights that made her movements seem even more animal. There was no wasted energy. No false moves. She fought like a woman who’d killed real people and hadn’t lost sleep over it.

"Noah," she said, without looking up. Her breath was steady. "Perfect timing. I was just finishing my evening routine."

She yanked the blade out with a sound that was more tearing than metallic. Noah’s shoulders stiffened. That wasn’t foam. That dummy bled.

Lucy turned at last, and for a moment, Noah forgot how to stand properly. Her expression was calm—pleased, even—but there was something behind her smile. A sharpness. Like she’d been waiting for him.

"Make yourself comfortable," she said, gesturing toward a nearby seating area near the tall windows. Her tone was easy, casual, but her eyes tracked him as if she were watching a dangerous animal wander into her den. "I’ll freshen up."

As she passed him, her fingers brushed his sleeve—light, but enough to leave a static heat buzzing through his arm. She smelled faintly of ozone and something floral, wild. It hit him in the chest before he could brace for it.

He sat down hard in one of the oversized chairs and stared at the cracked dummy bleeding out on the floor.

’Jesus Christ...’

When Lucy returned, her transformation was subtle but apparent.

She was dressed in a floor-length gown that looked poured from midnight—shifting between dark blue and purple as it caught the angles of the room. No sequins, no glitter, but it somehow shimmered with motion. It clung to her waist, flared at her hips, and left her arms bare. A single ring glinted on her index finger—minimal, sharp.

She took the chair across from him, crossed one leg over the other, and tilted her head with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"So," she said, voice lilting, "tell me about the Earth Defense Force. What’s it like being a soldier at such a young age?"

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. "Challenging. The EDF doesn’t do training wheels. You either figure it out fast, or you don’t last."

Lucy studied him. Not judging—studying. Like she was running silent calculations behind her gaze.

"And the Harbingers?" she asked. "What’s it like fighting something that wants to erase your entire species?"

"Terrifying. Exhilarating, too." Noah felt his back relax a little as the words came. "They’re... smart. They adapt. They learn every time we engage them. So every battle feels like it might be the one where they finally get ahead."

"But they haven’t," she said. "You’re still here."

"Barely." He gave a half-smile. "Luck helps. And teammates."

Lucy leaned forward, resting her arms lightly on her knees. The motion pulled the fabric of her gown just enough to part at the chest, offering a clean, deliberate view of the soft curve of her cleavage. It wasn’t accidental. Nothing about Lucy ever was. The dress didn’t strain—it presented, with the kind of grace that said: I know you’re looking. You’re supposed to.

"Lucas tells me you’re more than lucky," she said, voice silk over steel. "That you’ve become something of a legend."

He shifted under her gaze. "Maybe to the new recruits. I just do the job."

"Do you?" she asked. The question wasn’t mocking—it was quiet. Curious. "Because it sounds like you do a lot more than that, Noah Eclipse."

The way she said his name—it felt deliberate. Like a spell being cast.

He swallowed.

Lucy sat back, exhaling slowly. "And the weight of it all? Does it ever crush you?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Some days it feels like I’m carrying a thousand people on my back. But when I see one of them walk away from a battlefield alive..." He paused. "That’s when it feels worth it."

She nodded, her expression unreadable. "You carry responsibility the way some people carry weapons."

"I guess I don’t know how to put it down."

"You shouldn’t," she said. Her voice had dropped again—soft, reverent almost. "It’s rare. To find someone so young who isn’t running from the burden."

She was staring now—truly staring. Not at his uniform. Not at his posture. At him. The skin around his eyes. The line of his jaw. As if memorizing a face she expected to lose.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

He nodded.

"Are you betrothed to anyone?"

The phrasing caught him off guard. "Betrothed? No. I mean—I have a girlfriend."

Lucy didn’t flinch, but something behind her eyes turned. Sharpened.

"I see. And is it serious?"

"Pretty serious," he said.

"We’ve been together for a while." he added.

Lucy’s voice changed—dropped like a weight in water. "I want you to leave her."

He blinked. "I’m sorry, what?"

"Leave Sophie Reign," she said again, evenly. "Join me instead. Be by my side when I ascend."

Noah stared, unsure if he’d misheard.

"You’re asking me to... what, exactly?"

"I’m asking you to be my king," she said, like she was announcing military orders. "You already have everything I want in a partner. Strength. Intelligence. Loyalty. And the will to do what others won’t."

He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

She smiled again—smaller this time, but hungrier.

"Think about it, Noah. No more grinding warzones. No more suicidal missions. No more fighting a losing battle for people who barely remember your name. Instead, help me build something new. A real alliance between Earth and the colonies. A future that doesn’t end in ash."

He stared at her.

"That’s..." he managed. "That’s a hell of an offer."

Lucy didn’t blink. "It’s not an offer."

Her gaze pinned him to the spot.

"It’s destiny."