Hollow Crown: The Book of Envy

One Week Earlier

Veyren leaned back in his chair, fingers idly tracing invisible symbols in the air. His ink-stained nails left no mark, but Lucian could feel the weight of his words before they were even spoken.

"You know nothing of taking, boy."

Lucian's jaw tightened. "Then teach me."

Veyren exhaled through his nose—a slow, knowing sound. "Very well. I will give you a lesson. But not from me. From him."

With a flick of his wrist, Veyren conjured an image in the air—a silhouette, a figure holding a sword with ease, with control, with power.

"Find this swordsman."

Lucian studied the image. "And?"

Veyren's smile curled at the edges, hollow and entertained.

"If you wish to learn the nature of taking, then take from him."

---

Present Day

The ruins lay silent.

The beast was dead.

Kael stood with his back to Lucian, unguarded, unaware.

Lucian stepped forward.

His hands were steady. His breath was calm. The Book of Envy pulsed beneath his fingers—not wild, not desperate. Certain.

For the first time, he understood.

This wasn't stealing.

This was claiming.

This was his right.

Lucian's fingers curled into the air.

And he took.

---

The world collapsed.

Kael's body stiffened. A sharp inhale. His fingers twitched.

His sword—his precision, his instinct, his grace—Lucian felt it flooding into him.

It wasn't just strength.

It was knowledge.

The way Kael's muscles remembered the weight of the blade. The way his feet had moved without thought. The way his body had become the weapon.

Lucian felt all of it.

And Kael felt the loss.

The swordsman staggered. His hand reached for his blade—too slow.

Lucian was faster.

His fingers gripped the hilt of Kael's sword before Kael himself could react.

Kael turned. His eyes met Lucian's.

Shock.

Then—realization.

Lucian smiled.

Kael's lips parted, but no words came.

Lucian moved first.

The katana sliced through the air.

Kael barely dodged. The blade grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. His footing was off—wrong.

Lucian could feel it. The hesitation.

The emptiness.

Kael wasn't the same anymore.

Because Lucian had taken what made him Kael.

And it felt—

Perfect.

---

Kael stumbled back, eyes wide.

"You—" His voice was hoarse. "You took it."

Lucian rolled his shoulder. His stance was different now. Balanced. Rooted. Natural.

His grip on the katana was firm. Correct.

He smiled. "It fits me better."

Kael's breathing was uneven. He took another step back, disbelief still on his face. "This was never training, was it?"

Lucian tilted his head slightly. "Training?"

A soft chuckle.

"No, Kael. This was always mine. You just had it first."

Kael's expression twisted. Anger. Pain. Disbelief.

Lucian didn't care.

He had learned the lesson.

This was what it meant to take.

To become stronger.

To leave behind the chains of fairness, hesitation, and weakness.

The Book of Envy had whispered to him. Had guided him.

And now?

Lucian no longer needed to hear it.

Because this time, he had taken willingly.